The Nightly Turbo: 2012 Poker Hall of Fame, Viktor Blom Leaves PokerStars, and More
Who deserves induction into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2012? It's up to you, the poker fan, to make your nominations. We'll cover that story, plus Viktor Blom's departure from Team PokerStars, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It
Only 16 players advanced to Day 4 of the World Poker Tour Parx Open Poker Classic. Anthony Gregg led the way, but some notables still had their eyes on the title.
How did PokerNews' Chad Holloway fare in the 2012 ESPN Fantasy Poker League? Holloway took a look back at the results.
Last week, Marvin Rettenmaier made history by winning back-to-back titles on the World Poker Tour. Rich Ryan gives his take on the accomplishment in his latest Five Thoughts piece.
Poker Hall of Fame
It's that time of year again. The World Series of Poker has opened nominations for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2012, giving fans a chance to nominate their favorite players for induction into the group of poker's elite.
The Poker Hall of Fame traditionally elects one or two members annually and inducts the chosen members in November as part of the WSOP Main Event Final Table festivities. This year's final table will take place in October because of a conflict with this year's U.S. presidential election.
Among those already inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame are Johnny Moss, Puggy Pearson, Doyle Brunson, Jack Strauss, Benny Binion, David “Chip” Reese, Thomas Austin “Amarillo Slim” Preston, Stu Ungar, and Phil Hellmuth. Last year, Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson were added to the prestigious club.
The main criteria for the Poker Hall of Fame are as follows:
- A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
- Be a minimum of 40 years old at time of nomination (the “Chip Reese” rule)
- Played for high stakes
- Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
- Stood the test of time
- Or, for nonplayers, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.
Once the list of nominated individuals is complete, a committee of media members will review all nominations and determine which candidates are most eligible for induction. Last year's nominees who didn't make the Class of 2011 were Annie Duke, Jen Harman, John Juanda, Macel Luske, Jack McClelland, Tom McEvoy, Scotty Nguyen and Huck Seed.
To submit your nominations, visit WSOP.com.
PokerStars, Viktor Blom Part Ways
PokerNews learned Tuesday that Viktor "Isildur1" Blom has parted ways with PokerStars and is no longer a member of Team PokerStars Pro.
Eric Hollreiser, PokerStars' head of corporate communications, told PokerNews that Blom and the company mutually agreed not to renew the Swede's expired sponsorship agreement. Said Hollreiser: "In his short time as a poker player, Viktor has played against the biggest names in poker at the highest stakes in the toughest games. It’s hard to recall a player who has kept the poker world so riveted at such an early stage of his career. We’ll be watching with great interest and we wish him nothing but success."
Blom joined PokerStars in 2011 after exploding onto the scene by playing the highest stakes available at Full Tilt Poker. His heads-up battles against pros like Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen, Patrik Antonius and Brian Hastings instantly changed the landscape of high-stakes poker on the internet. Since joining PokerStars, one of Blom's shining achievements was winning 11 of his 14 matches in the PokerStars SuperStar Showdown, earning more than $1 million in the process. He also won the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure High Roller for $1,254,000.
“I’ve enjoyed my time as a Team Pro and I wish everyone at PokerStars the best," Blom said about his departure from PokerStars. "Now I just want to concentrate on playing poker.”
Read the breaking story at PokerNews.com.
DOJ Seeks Help
Full Tilt Poker customers in the U.S. may be waiting awhile to make a claim for the funds frozen in their accounts.
The Department of Justice is seeking a third-party payment processor to help facilitate the remission process for FTP players located in the U.S. An employment notice listed on the DOJ website calls for a claims administrator to "design and execute a process to solicit, receive and evaluate claims, and to process payments, for losses incurred by U.S. victims that are attributable to the fraud alleged in the above complaint."
The deadline to apply for the position is Aug. 31, meaning players may be forced to wait several more weeks before information about the remission process is made public.
The remission process has been a bit of a concern for U.S. players, even more so after a Forbes article questioned whether the government will actually repay players in full. Forbes writer Nathan Vardi also suggested that the government may pay out the money deposited by players on the site, rather than the actual funds in their account.
Meanwhile, PokerStars still intends to repay all non-U.S. Full Tilt Poker customers by Nov. 6. As part of the agreement with the Department of Justice last month, the company promised to refund players within 90 days of the formal closing of the deal to acquire Full Tilt Poker. The deal was finalized last week when PokerStars made its initial $225 million forfeiture payment to the government.
Read more at PokerNews.com.
PokerStars Mobile, Eh?
Following successful launches in Europe and Austral-Asia, the PokerStars Mobile App is now available in Canada. The popular app is available for download on Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPad Touch, and on many Android phones and tablet computers.
PokerStars Mobile offers real-money games in varieties like Texas hold'em, Omaha and Omaha hi-lo, and players can participate in the same tournaments, sit-and-gos and ring games they would on their laptops or desktop computers.
Some of the features on the mobile app include multitabling (up to five tables on the iPad), player and tournament search, lobby filters, chat, and hand histories. The fast-paced Zoom Poker is also available on all devices.
For more information, visit pokerstars.com.
Watch and Win on ESPN
ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker Main Event begins tonight, and viewers of the telecast will have an exciting opportunity to win a $12,500 package for next year's WSOP Main Event.
In the first hour of each two-hour telecast, viewers will see a promotional spot providing an overview of the sweepstakes with a mention to keep watching for the night’s unique code. Once it is revealed, viewers can log into WSOP.com, register for an account at the WSOP’s free-to-play poker software, and enter the code.
There will be one winner chosen for each of the next 11 weeks of ESPN's coverage. The final winner will be selected after the broadcast on Oct. 23.
"This officially becomes the first way to qualify for the 2013 WSOP Main Event," joked WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. "For ten consecutive years, WSOP telecasts have showcased that in Vegas everyone can play and anyone can win. This is our way of thanking loyal viewers and giving them a chance to go from their couch to the championship in 2013."
For official rules of the sweepstakes, visit WSOP.com.
A teaser for tonight's Main Event coverage can be found at ESPN.com.
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