The Nightly Turbo: Fertitta Interactive Makes Big Purchase, AP/UB Still Mum, and More
Thursday was a great day for poker ambassadors as Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson were selected to join the prestigious Poker Hall of Fame. It was also a great day for "Jungleman" fanboys as Daniel Cates pronounced his greatness to the world. In this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we'll also touch on a big purchase by Fertitta Interactive, the ongoing silence from Absolute Poker and UB, and more.
In Case You Missed It
The 2011 PokerStars.it EPT San Remo Main Event reached the final table on Wednesday. Get all the details in our daily EPT recap.
The Global Poker Index released its rankings as of Oct. 24. Erik Seidel is still on top, and one player is riding his recent rush into the top 10.
The World Series of Poker Main Event final table is inching closer. Find out what advice last year's champ Jonathan Duhamel has for the 2011 November Niners.
Andrew Robl has been involved in some interesting poker situations on television. Robl discussed some memorable televised hands he's played in the latest Strategy with Kristy podcast.
Fertitta Interactive Acquires Online Gaming Provider
Fertitta Interactive, the online gambling company formed last year by the family who owns the UFC and Las Vegas-based Station Casinos, announced Wednesday that it purchased online gaming provider CyberArts Licensing LLC, which specializes in online poker.
The acquisition gives Fertitta Interactive more ammunition to enter the real-money online poker market if and when legislation is passed in the U.S. In the meantime, the company plans to launch a free-play online poker website.
“Fertitta Interactive fully supports the federal regulation of online poker in the United States,” Lorenzo Fertitta, owner of Fertitta Interactive, said in a statement.
“In CyberArts, we found a leader in the development and design of online gaming software with an exemplary track record of regulatory compliance. We will be working on new and innovative products with the goal of ultimately providing consumers with the best online gaming experience in a safe and secure environment.”
Earlier this year, Fertitta Interactive partnered up with Full Tilt Poker to operate an Internet poker site if legislation were to pass in the U.S. That deal was nixed in April when the Department of Justice seized the domain of Full Tilt, and the company's founders, Ray Bitar and Nelson Burtnick, were named in the federal indictment.
Read more about the transaction in the press release from Fertitta Interactive.
CEREUSly, Where's The Money?
With Full Tilt Poker gaining most of the negative publicity since Black Friday, many people have forgotten that Absolute Poker and UB haven't paid their customers back, either. The CEREUS Network, the home of Absolute Poker and UB, announced on May 10 it had reached an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which appeared to be a major step in the eventual return player of funds. More than five months later, however, players are still in the dark about the status of their money.
Pocketfives.com reached out to Absolute Poker this week and received the following statement regarding player cashouts:
“As previously stated, the distribution of funds to our U.S. players remains our highest priority. However, we are still in discussions with the DOJ in order to facilitate player payments and, consequently, can make no further comments at this time. We will provide an update at the appropriate time.”
Read more at Pocketfives.com.
Barry Greenstein, Linda Johnson Join Poker Hall of Fame
The World Series of Poker added two new inductees to its exclusive Poker Hall of Fame on Thursday. Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson were voted in by a 35-person panel of existing Hall of Famers and media members, becoming the 41st and 42nd members of the elite group of poker icons.
"I'm happy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside my friend Linda Johnson who has been the most fervent ambassador for poker for as long as I can remember,” Greenstein said.
Greenstein and Johnson will be officially inducted on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino as part of the November Nine festivities. The ceremony will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 8 inside the Penn & Teller Theater. It will be immediately followed by the three-handed finale of the WSOP Main Event final table.
The 2011 Hall of Fame finalists who were nominated but did not receive the necessary votes were Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman-Traniello, John Juanda, Marcel Luske, Jack McClelland, Tom McEvoy, Scotty Nguyen and Huck Seed. All eight finalists are eligible for the Hall of Fame next year.
Read more about the 2011 Poker Hall of Fame class at PokerNews.com.
Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza
The fourth and final edition of the Venetian's 2011 Deep Stack Extravaganza kicked off Thursday with Day 1a of a $340 No-Limit Hold'em event. The popular series will run 43 tournaments and conclude on Nov. 22 with the $2,500 Main Event.
Each day of the Deep Stack Extravaganza will feature two tournaments, one at noon and another at 3 p.m., except for Saturdays, which will only have a noon event. Players will have a wide array of games to choose from, including no-limit hold'em, pot-limit Omaha, Omaha hi-lo, Omaha 8/stud 8, and more.
If cash games are more your style, the Venetian is now updating its live games in progress at www.venetian.com/pokerroom/. You can view up-to-the-minute limits, games, and number of tables available, as well as the waiting and interest lists. We're quite impressed by the page, so check it out.
You can also find the full schedule and fact sheet for the Deep Stack Extravaganza at the Venetian's website.
Jungleman Versus The World
The Poker Farm announced Thursday that high-stakes cash superstar Daniel "Jungleman" Cates issued an open challenge to anyone willing to go to the Prague Poker Festival on Dec. 6. The challenger will face Cates in a heads-up match at stakes of €200/€400 with a minimum buy-in of €100,000. The match will be streamed online at ThePokerFarm.com, will be on a 15-minute delay, and the hole cards will be shown.
Cates believes he is the best heads-up No Limit Hold'em player in the world and is eager to prove it. "As someone who loves the game, I think the poker world deserves to know who the best poker player on the planet is," Cates told The Poker Farm. "I’m confident that it’s me. If anyone has the nerve to take me on, let them come to Prague in December and sit down across from me at the table.”
Get more on the story at PokerNews.com.
Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
