The Nightly Turbo: PartyPoker Premier League Update, Zynga and Wynn Talking, and More
In this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we bring you the latest from the PartyPoker Premier League V, Zynga’s alleged discussions with a Las Vegas powerhouse, and more.
In Case You Missed It
It’s Wednesday, which means it's time for Daniel Negreanu’s latest rant. Did he really talk to Howard Lederer or is it an April Fools joke? Find out in The Muck.
The PartyPoker Premier League V is under way, and we know you're looking for all the ways to stay abreast of all the news, hands and gossip. So, we’ve put together a Premier League Social Media Guide to help you.
This summer the World Series of Poker will hold the biggest buy-in tournament ever, the $1 Million Big One for One Drop. Now, you have the chance to qualify for the event for as little as $65.
Each week, the Global Poker Index publishes the standings of the top 1,000 players in its Player of the Year race. Find out which former WSOP Champ sits atop the leaderboard.
Joe Kuether recently took down the main event at the World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah's Rincon. How did he get his start and what are his plans for the future? We talked to Kuether to find out.
*Lead photo courtesy of the PartyPoker Blog.
Laak Wins Round 1
Group A of the PartyPoker Premier League V kicked off on Wednesday with Luke Schwartz, Tony G, Mathew Frankland, Erik Seidel, Eugene Katchalov, Andy Frankenberger, Sam Trickett and Phil Laak taking their seats at the felt. The flight was originally supposed to include Tom Dwan, but he was replaced by Trickett after missing a flight and has since been rescheduled to play in Group B.
The action was extremely entertaining as the players were social and the hands fascinating, but the day belonged to Phil “The Unabomber” Laak. In one of his more interesting hands, action was three-handed when the sole qualifier at the table, Frankland, opened for 80,000. Laak responded by moving all in with J♦10♦ and Frankland snap-called off his stack with AxKx.
Laak was in trouble, but the 9♦8♦2♠ flop gave him an open-ended straight flush draw. “Why didn’t I just flat call and go all in on the flop?” Laak asked aloud. That’s when the dealer burned and turned the J♥ to give Laak the lead. The 8♥ river changed nothing, and Laak went on to defeat Frankenberger in heads-up action.
Premier League V Group A Results
| Place | Player | Points | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Phil Laak | 16 points | $32,000 |
| 2nd | Andy Frankenberger | 11 points | $22,000 |
| 3rd | Mathew Frankland | 8 points | $16,000 |
| 4th | Sam Trickett | 6 points | $12,000 |
| 5th | Tony G | 4 points | $8,000 |
| 6th | Eugene Katchalov | 3 points | $6,000 |
| 7th | Erik Seidel | 2 points | $4,000 |
| 8th | Luke Schwartz | 0 points | $0 |
Three more rounds will be played and at the end, the top three players from each group will move into the finals, while positions four and five from each group will play a series of heads-up matches for the final two seats. That means there will be an eight-man final competing for the top prize of $500,000.
Who will be taking Tom Dwan's place until he arrives? We'll let Phil Laak tell you.
For a full recap of the action, and some interesting pictures, be sure check out the PartyPoker Blog.
Zynga and Wynn Resorts In Talks for Online Gaming Deal
The New York Post has reported that Zynga is in talks with Wynn Resorts about a potential online gambling partnership. According to The Post, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus “has been touting the company’s prospects for parlaying its popular virtual poker game into real-life betting, calling the possibilities ‘mind-blowing.’”
Zynga faces an uphill battle because most proposed state legislation restricts online licenses to those companies already licensed in the state for gaming operations. “Our goal is to help existing casino operators. We don’t know anything about Zynga,” state Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee Chair Ruben Ramos Jr. told The Post.
This obstacle could potentially be removed, at least in Nevada, if the social-media giant is able to partner with Wynn Resorts, which operates in the state. With that said, other sources have suggested Zynga may first try to test the online-friendly U.K. market. It is there that Zynga has purportedly had conversations with William Hill and Ladbrokes.
Read more on NYPost.com.
Full Tilt Poker Subsidiary Applies for License
We're still waiting on a major announcement from Full Tilt Poker or its potential buyers, but there has been good news regarding the embattled online poker room this week. After we learned on Tuesday that Pocket Kings Ltd is seeking multi-lingual customer service reps, reports also surfaced that a Full Tilt Poker/Pocket Kings subsidiary has applied for a gaming license with the Alderney Gaming Control Commission (AGCC).
On March 23, a Full Tilt Poker subsidiary called Orinic Limited applied for a Category 2 online gambling license with the AGCC. The subsidiary previously owned a Category 1 license with the AGCC but it was suspended for six months when the AGCC revoked Full Tilt's license last September. The suspension ended on March 23, the date which Orinic applied for the new license.
According to the AGCC's Notice of Application for eGaming License, any person wishing to object to Orinic's license application can do so until April 6.
The full notice can be found at the AGCC's website.
PokerStars Saves Library
The BBC reported this week that a mobile library in the Isle of Man has been saved with the help of donations made by PokerStars. The nonprofit Manx library service, which delivers books to remote island communities, had been shut down by the government because of cutbacks but will be saved from closure for the foreseeable future.
PokerStars, which has headquarters on the Isle of Man, will donate funds through the Manx Education Foundation (MEF) for the next three years. The funding will allow the library to keep all of its staffers on board and maintain the current level of service and fee structure. PokerStars will not provide any sort of branding or advertising in the libraries.
"Obviously these are austere times and the need to balance the public finances is a serious one," said MEF Executive Director David Butterworth. "However, it would be a significant blow to the education of our youth to lose the libraries, as literacy is an essential skill in any industry.
"As such, we are pleased that PokerStars has stepped up and committed to save these services."
Tatjana Pasalic Interviews Vanessa Selbst
Recently, CalvinAyre.com's Tatjana Pasalic sat down with Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst to discuss poker, graduating from law school and more.
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