The Nightly Turbo: Delaware Gambling Bill Advances, Ongame Deal Falls Through, and More
Another U.S. state made progress in implementing legalized online poker Wednesday. We tackle that story, plus a failed online business-to-business online poker deal, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom led the World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players Championship after Day 3. Find out how he got there in the Day 31 WSOP recap.
Vanessa Selbst was eyeing her second WSOP bracelet on Wednesday. We take a look at that story and more in the PokerNews WSOP What to Watch For.
Phil Ivey was denied a bracelet for the fifth time last week. Which hand landed the biggest blow to his stack? Chad Holloway takes a look at the biggest hands from the fourth week of the WSOP.
A Black Friday principal was handed three months in prison on Wednesday. Read about it in our article here at PokerNews.
Norman Chad made a deep run at the WSOP last week. He also wrote a poker-themed column for the Washington Post. Rich Ryan explains why Chad is one of the game's true ambassadors.
Looking for a fun, behind-the-scenes perspective of life at the WSOP? All Mucked Up has daily stories from inside the Rio, so check it out!
Delaware Senate Approves Online Gambling Bill
On Wednesday, the Delaware state Senate passed a bill authorizing residents to partake in forms of online gambling like poker. The bill was approved by a vote of 14-to-6.
House Bill 333 was scheduled for a vote Tuesday morning. However, according to CBS News, it was delayed a day because of concerns that Democratic leaders didn't have enough votes to pass the bill. It advanced through the House earlier this month, and lawmakers are trying to push the bill through before the legislative session ends on Saturday.
HB 333 calls for a centralized online gambling platform to be regulated by the state Lottery Office. Delaware casinos have been struggling to compete against casinos on the East Coast, and the Department of Finance estimates HB 333 would generate $7.75 million in revenue for the state next fiscal year. The state is also attempting to partner with other states to create a multistate platform similar to Powerball and Mega Millions.
SFGate has more.
Ongame, Shuffle Master Deal Fails
On Wednesday, gaming provider Shuffle Master announced it was pulling out of its deal to purchase bwin.party's Ongame Network Limited.
Shuffle Master signed a definitive agreement in February to buy Ongame for €19.5 million ($24.5 million), but the company says industry conditions have worsened since that time.
"We remain ardent believers in the growth opportunities for online gaming and continue to focus intensely on the space," said Shuffle Master CEO Gavin Isaacs. "Business conditions in Europe have deteriorated since February and as a result, it has become evident to us that Ongame's operations postacquisition will not achieve the near-term results we initially expected and will require a larger ongoing investment than anticipated.
"Although we believe in its eventuality, there is also uncertainty surrounding the timing of legalization and the rollout of online poker in the U.S. at both the state and federal levels."
Shuffle Master is best known for providing automatic card shufflers and roulette chip sorters to casinos throughout the world, but the company recently introduced iGaming, which features online versions of Shuffle Master's table games, social gaming, and mobile applications.
Earlier this month, Shuffle Master and Ongame announced a partnership with Bally Technologies to create a joint iGaming platform ahead of legalized online poker in Nevada. Bally was the first company to receive an online gaming license in Nevada last week, paving the way for the state to offer online poker. That partnership was not mentioned in Wednesday's announcement.
MarketWatch has more.
Phil Ivey Maintains GPI Player of the Year Lead
There were only a few small changes in the top ten of the Global Poker Index Player of the Year, but Phil Ivey maintained the top spot for the second consecutive week.
Ivey passed Jonathan Duhamel last week after a brilliant start to the 2012 World Series of Poker, making five final tables in 13 days. Duhamel, Dan Smith and Marvin Rettenmaier rounded out the top four in the rankings, respectively, and Jason Koon climbed back into the top five. Koon has six cashes at the WSOP, including a second-place finish in Event #3, a $3,000 No Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha Heads-Up tournament.
The other change in the top 10 came from Justin Bonomo, who jumped two spots to land at No. 9 this week. Bonomo won the Super High Roller at the Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final and has since cashed five times at the WSOP.
Here's a look at the Top 10 of the Global Poker Index Player of the Year standings:
| Place | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Ivey | 629.12 | -- |
| 2 | Jonathan Duhamel | 595.68 | -- |
| 3 | Dan Smith | 582.58 | -- |
| 4 | Marvin Rettenmaier | 563.96 | -- |
| 5 | Jason Koon | 537.75 | +1 |
| 6 | Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier | 514.31 | -1 |
| 7 | Andrew Badecker | 513.82 | -1 |
| 8 | Steve O'Dwyer | 499.53 | -- |
| 9 | Justin Bonomo | 492.79 | -- |
| 10 | Noah Schwartz | 482.04 | -1 |
The Global Poker Index Player of the Year, 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.
For the full GPI Player of the Year standings, head on over to EpicPoker.com.
For a Good Cause
A family man and poker lover suffering from heart failure is looking for help to fulfill his goal of playing in a World Series of Poker or World Poker Tour event.
Bryan (last name unknown) from Georgia is in stage D of congestive heart failure caused by 14 heart attacks over the last 10 years, according to his wife's post at indiegogo.com. She says her husband spends around two-thirds of the year in the hospital and plays a lot of online poker tournament. Not knowing how much longer he has to live, she'd like to take a family vacation to watch him participate in a major tournament series.
His wife wrote the following:
The WSOP & WPT sponsor tournament poker events that have registration fees anywhere from $355 to $10,000 (the Main Event @ WSOP). We would never be able to reach that goal since ALL our income goes to RX cost and medical bills. All money received will be to take the family on a mini vacation to the event location and registration fees.
If you'd like to read more about Bryan, or even make a donation toward his dream vacation, visit indiegogo.com.
Who the F*** Do You Think You Are?
Kristy Arnett, one of our bright and cheerful hostesses here at PokerNews, went a bit out of character in her blog this week.
Arnett's entry, titled I had to say it, takes fire at poker pros who belittle players and dealers and act in an unpleasant manner at the table. She's been noticing it a lot more during the year's World Series of Poker and is calling for a stop.
"I’ve been working in the industry for 6 years. I've seen people rise and fall, come and go, and become different people because of what poker can do to you," writes Arnett. "This may seem like a blog bitching about people bitching, but what I’m trying to do is to make people see the ridiculousness of it all. I want people to regain perspective and live a happier life."
While she doesn't name names, Arnett does recount a situation which occurred during a $1,000 event at this year's WSOP. An Italian player, who called himself a pro, berated an amateur from Texas because of the way he played a hand. Arnett came to the amateur's defense, and the altercation was quickly squashed.
Want to read more? Make sure you check the blog out at PokerNews.com.
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What does a poker player and "closing the deal" have in common? Knowing when to go all-in!
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Where the Magic Happens
In the premiere episode of the newest series Where the Magic Happens, Sarah Grant gets into Maria Mayrinck's bed.
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