The Weekly Turbo: Phil Ivey Lawsuit, WSOP-C on Versus, and More
We're sure you're all keeping up with everything coming out of the Rio and the poker news of the week, but just in case you missed anything, we're going to bring you the best of the best. Find out more on the Phil Ivey's lawsuit, when you can watch the WSOP-C on Versus, and more in the Weekly Turbo.
Suing Mad
If you haven't heard already that Phil Ivey has filed a lawsuit against Tiltware, the software and marketing company for Full Tilt Poker, then you should get out more.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the District Court of Clark County, Nevada. Thanks to the AP's Oskar Garcia, we can let you check out the entire complaint. Ivey has retained Las Vegas lawyer David Z. Chesnoff for this lawsuit.
According to the complaint, Ivey is suing for injunctive relief, declaratory relief, and damages. The first cause of action, injunctive relief, is focused on Ivey's non-compete contract and making in unenforceable. In the second cause of action, breach of contract, it says the Plaintiff (Ivey) has been damaged by lost business opportunity, lost income, and damage to his personal and professional reputation all in an amount that exceeds $150,000,000.
There are more causes of action, but you need to catch up on the rest of the news, so we're going to keep this short and sweet. Check out the entire complaint on Scribed, thanks to Oskar Garcia.
WSOP-C on Versus
The schedule for the World Series of Poker Circuit on Versus was released on Tuesday. There are 10 hours of coverage scheduled for June with the first two kicking off on June 2.
“It was a tremendous year for the WSOP Circuit with many amazing stories and improbable outcomes,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “With the Stanley Cup playoffs coming to an end on Versus, we look forward to filling a weekly primetime slot each Thursday night in June.”
Versus will air two one-hour episodes at 9 p.m. EDT every Thursday night in June, with the $1 Million National Championship culminating on June 30.
“We are very excited to present coverage of the World Series of Poker Circuit tour to a national audience,” said Jeff Goldberg, vice president of programming for Versus. “The WSOP tour is one of the most successful in the business and we knew it was a great opportunity for our first venture into poker tournament coverage.”
For the full television schedule, head on over to WSOP.com.
New Time - Double Guarantees
If you're one of the non-U.S. players who can still play online, keep reading. Beginning June 5, all the PokerStars Sunday Majors tournament schedule will be moved to earlier times. And to celebrate the move, PokerStars is doubling many of its guarantees.
New Times (With doubled guarantee)
| Time | Event | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| 0800 EDT (1400 CEST) | $109 Sunday Kickoff | $150K Guaranteed |
| 1100 EDT (1700 CEST) | $215 Sunday Warm-Up | $1M Guaranteed |
| 1200 EDT (1800 CEST) | $109+R Sunday Rebuy | $400K Guaranteed |
| 1330 EDT (1930 CEST) | $11 Sunday Storm | $400K Guaranteed |
| 1430 EDT (2030 CEST) | $215 Sunday Million | $2M Guaranteed |
| 1530 EDT (2130 CEST) | $530 Sunday 500 | $500K Guaranteed |
| 1630 EDT (2230 CEST) | $215 Sunday 2nd Chance | $250K Guaranteed |
| 1830 EDT (0030 CEST) | $215 Sunday Supersonic | $80K Guaranteed |
There are also value-added satellites running through June 5 to win tickets to the above tournaments.
If you want to know more, head on over to PokerStars.com.
Start Qualifying
The first event of Federated Sports + Gaming's poker league kicks off in August and qualifying for your Pro/Am seat has begun. Pro/Am qualifying satellites began June 4 and run through July 31 at the Palms Poker Room and Key West Ballroom at the Palms Casino Resort. Players can qualify for the $1,500 Pro/Am for as little as $40. Each Pro/Am event will award nine $20,000 Federated pro league seats. Qualifying takes place seven days a week with single-table satellites and super satellites.
To find out more, head on over to FederatedInc.com.
Nevada Senate OKs Internet Poker Bill
We've been discussing the Internet poker bill circulating through the Nevada legislature for some time now. First it went through the Nevada Assembly, then the Senate Judiciary Committee approved it, and now, Assembly Bill 258 has been given the OK by the Senate on a 19-2 vote.
The bill allows for the Nevada Gaming Commission to adopt regulations and grant casinos licenses, giving the state a head start if Congress passes legislation legalizing online poker in the U.S.
To find out more, head on over to the Las Vegas Sun.
WSOP POY is Bluffin
The World Series of Poker Player of the Year will now be powered by Bluff Magazine. The points system will be fashioned after a restyled version of the Bluff Player of the Year ranking system.
There are 54 events in which points can be accrued by players. The points will be based on three multipliers: buy-in, field size, and finishing position. The Main Event will have its own point system. The winner of the Main Event automatically gets 500 points and the runner-up will earn 350 points. The bottom 50 percent of the field that cashes will earn 25 points.
“It’s been obvious that our Player of the Year system needed a little bypass surgery,” said Ty Stewart, WSOP vice president. ”Bluff’s new POY format has been lauded by players as the best and most complete in the industry, so they were natural partners to help us tweak our model. We look forward to watching the excitement play out across all 62 open bracelet events.”
Want to find out more about the new POY system? Check out the article on BluffMagazine.com.
Lights, Camera, Action
We've told you about Hitting the Nuts plenty of times. And if you still don't know what it is, check out our interview with the movie's director — after you finish reading the Turbo, of course.
Hitting the Nuts has been officially selected for the Las Vegas Film Festival. The movie will have its Las Vegas debut on July 16 at the Hilton. “To say the least, we are excited to show Hitting the Nuts in Las Vegas. We’ve had thousands of inquiries from Vegas and expect a great showing. As fate would have it, the movie screens as the Main Event of the 2011 WSOP wraps up. It was meant to be,” said Joe Boyd, the movie's director.
The movie has won awards at both the 2010 Cincinnati Film Festival and the 2011 Derby City Film Festival and has found praise among the poker community.
“Hitting the Nuts is without question the funniest poker movie ever made. The film is committed to making fun of poker and the crazy personalities who love this great game, and that makes it fun to watch. I enjoyed every second of it! I can’t wait for it to screen in Las Vegas in July," Jeff Madsen said.
Find out more about the movie at HittingtheNuts.com and get your tickets for the Las Vegas Film Festival at LVFilmFest.com.
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