The Nightly Turbo: WPT Leaving Amnéville, Bovada Blocks Washington State, and More
The PartyPoker Big Game VI is under way in Vienna, Austria. If you want to watch the action during the next two days, we've providing a live stream right here at PokerNews.com!
In other news, the World Poker Tour is reportedly leaving Amnéville, and Bovada has blocked players from Washington state. We'll cover those stores and more in the latest edition of the Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It
Want an even closer look at thePartyPoker Big Game VI? Follow all of the players with the help of our PartyPoker Big Game Social Media Guide.
The World Poker Tour Vienna Main Event kicked off on Tuesday. David Breitfuss led the 73 players that survived Day 1a.
Daniel Negreanu was back with his Weekly Rant on Wednesday. This week, Daniel discussed iSeriesLive, Epic Poker, and much more.
Aaron "aejones" Jones has long been one of the most respected high-stakes cash-games players online. In the latest Strategy with Kristy podcast, Jones analyzes poker hands sent in by listeners.
A winner was crowned at World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs on Tuesday. Find out who claimed the ring in our WSOPC recap.
Many of poker's best online players never get a chance to shine in the spotlight. We're here to change that.In this edition of Online Chat, Ben "milkybarkid" Grundy talks about his biggest swings, how he chose his screen name, and more.
Bon Voyage?
According to a report by Lorraine France Bleu Nord, the World Poker Tour will not be renewing its contract with the Seven Casino d'Amnéville at the end of this season. The casino in Amnéville, France played host to WPT events in 2010 and 2011, but declining attendance and a "lack of glamor" could have played factors in the decision to abandon the city, according to the report.
The WPT saw 543 entrants put up the €3,500 entry fee at Amnéville in 2010. The tournament was considered a huge success as Sam El Sayed collected more than €426,000 for his victory in one of the country's largest tournaments ever. However, those numbers dropped considerably in 2011 when only 379 players entered the event. WPT Grand Prix de Paris had fewer entrants (312) than Amnéville in 2011, but the event in Paris featured a €7,500 buy-in.
Read more at livepoker.fr.
Bovada Blocks Washington State
In March, Bovada announced it would no longer accept new players from New York, Utah, Maryland and Washington. The site then banned existing players in Maryland from accessing the site. Now, the Bovada will also block players from Washington state, giving them until the end of April to request their funds.
Players in Washington recently received an email from Bovada saying that the poker room was unable to continue offering its services in the state because of "continuing difficulties finding and maintaining acceptable payment options." Here's an excerpt from the e-mail:
As a resident of Washington, your account has been closed to further activity. Your balance remains safe and in place – simply contact us prior to April 30th to arrange for a payout via the most suitable method. Past this date we cannot guarantee an immediate availability of options for payments to your state.
Please note that due to this decision we expect an increase in payout requests and this may delay receipt beyond our standard 15 days. We always honor our payouts so rest assured you will receive your funds.
Washington state has long been opposed to online gambling within its borders. In 2010, the Washington Supreme Court upheld an amendment that made wagering on online poker a Class C felony. PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, the two leaders in the U.S. market at the time, exited the state shortly after the ruling.
Follow the player reactions at TwoPlusTwo.com.
Duhamel Preserves Lead in Global Poker Index Player of the Year
Team PokerStars Pro Jonathan Duhamel maintained the top spot in the Global Poker Index Player of the Year standings this week. The award, which is presented by PokerNews, honors the player who has the strongest performance in live tournaments during the calendar year, according to the USA Today Global Poker Index point system.
There were no changes in the Top 10 of the rankings this week. Duhamel kept a healthy lead over the rest of the world with 595.68 points, nearly double the score of anyone else in the world. Erik Cajelais, Bruno Lopes, Eui Kim and Noah Schwartz rounded out the top five, respectively.
Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier moved up 12 spots to No. 14 in the rankings this week. Grospellier made two final tables in March, including a third place finish at the 2012 France Poker Series Showefest High Roller. Other big movers this week were Raj Vohra (up 235 spots to No. 110), Yury Kerzhapkin (up 557 spots to No. 123) and Micah Raskin (up 247 spots to No. 146).
Here's a look at the rest of the Top 10 of the Global Poker Index Player of the Year standings:
GPI Player of the Year Top 10
| Place | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank from Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Duhamel | 595.68 | -- |
| 2 | Erik Cajelais | 342.87 | -- |
| 3 | Bruno Lopes | 337.27 | -- |
| 4 | Eui Kim | 327.01 | -- |
| 5 | Noah Schwartz | 326.05 | -- |
| 6 | Faraz Jaka | 308.34 | -- |
| 7 | Samuel Chartier | 305.79 | -- |
| 8 | Oliver Speidel | 300.53 | -- |
| 9 | Steven O'Dwyer | 290.17 | -- |
| 10 | Jose Manuel Nadal | 287.10 | -- |
For the full GPI Player of the Year standings, head on over to EpicPoker.com.
Unibet Purchases Bet24
Unibet Group plc acquired one of its competitors in the European gaming market on Wednesday. The company purchased Nordic Betting Plc, best known for its Bet24 gaming operation, for approximately €13.5 million.
Bet24's poker arm resides on the OnGame Network and is home to a growing list of sponsored pros such as Jesper Hougaard, Paul Foltyn, and World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event winner Thomas "kalllle" Pedersen. The company also recently signed Danish football national team coach Morten Olsen and former Liverpool FC player Jan Mølby to represent the Bet24 poker brand.
The future of those players is now unknown as Unibet plans to rebrand Bet24’s products and services and migrating Bet24’s customers to its own platform. However, Unibet will transfer approximately 45 Nordic Betting Ltd employees to its operations in Malta.
Read more at PokerNews.com.
UKIPT Nottingham Eyes Record Books
The PokerStars UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) Nottingham Main Event got under way on Wednesday. The £700 + £70 buy-in tournament is being played at the Dusk Till Dawn poker club and features a massive £1 million guaranteed prize pool.
The tournament needs to draw around 1,460 players to reach the guarantee, and it got off to a great start as 532 players registered on the first of three Day 1 flights. Should the event hit the guarantee, it will mark the largest field ever in England.
Be sure to follow the PokerStars Blog for live updates from UKIPT Nottingham, and check back to the Nightly Turbo for results.
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