The Nightly Turbo: Full Tilt Poker Hiring, Chris Ferguson Wins UKIPT Newcastle, and more
On Monday, Chris Ferguson made noise in Newcastle by winning the first UKIPT event of Season 3. No, it wasn't THAT Chris Ferguson. We'll bring you that story, plus the latest from Full Tilt Poker's relaunch efforts, in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.
In Case You Missed It
How did Sunday's WCOOP events play out on PokerStars? Who took down the biggest score? Find out in the Sunday Briefing.
Did you miss Sunday's World Poker Tour coverage on FSN? Read our WPT recap to get caught up.
What was David "Doc" Sands' life like before he found poker? Find out that and more in the latest Seat Open.
Poker pro Blair Hinkle has enjoyed huge success playing tournaments for a living, collecting massive tournament scores all over the U.S. and online. In the latest Strategy With Kristy podcast, Hinkle discussed calling three-bets out of position.
Preparing For (Re)Launch
With the official relaunch of Full Tilt Poker less than two months away, the company is now looking for a number of new employees to fill its marketing and information technology departments.
Rational FT Services, which provides technology, marketing and comprehensive consulting services for Full Tilt Poker, is seeking "talented professionals for a range of jobs in areas including information technology, marketing, design, customer support, finance and administration." Nearly a dozen job listings have been posted, all of which will require relocation to FTP headquarters in Ireland.
"As a member of one of our specialist teams, you’ll have the opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment alongside some of the industry’s most experienced innovators and visionaries," the listing says.
PokerStars completed the purchase of Full Tilt Poker last month and will relaunch the poker room by Nov. 6, 2012. According to FTP Poker Room Manager Shyam Markus, there is "zero chance" the site will relaunch this month because "there is simply too much work to do and too many issues to resolve." Players outside of the U.S. will have to wait until at least October to recoup their funds and resume playing on the site.
Take a look at all of the job listings at the Rational FT Services website.
Ferguson Wins UKIPT Newcastle
After five days of play at the PokerStars UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) Newcastle Main Event, Chris Ferguson emerged with his first UKPIT title and the top payday of £105,900.
Ferguson, a U.K. native who had nothing to do with the Full Tilt Poker debacle, bested a field of 623 to earn the crown. A number of notables were in attendance for the £700+£70 buy-in event, including Team PokerStars Pros Liv Boeree, Vicky Coren, Jude Ainsworth, as well as Max Silver, Nick Abourisk, Sam Grafton and Maximilian Heinzelmann. Ainsworth had the best finish among them, taking 24th place for £2,400
En route to his victory, Ferguson eliminated 2011 WSOP November Niner Sam Holden in third place when his A♦Q♦ held up against Holden's A♥5♥ after the chips went in preflop. From there, Ferguson eradicated a 2-to-1 chip disadvantage against Alex Jobling to claim victory. On the final hand, Ferguson won a flip with 8♠8♥ against Jobling's A♥Q♣, securing his six-figure payday.
Here's a look at the results from the UKIPT Newcastle final table:
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Ferguson | £105,900 |
| 2 | Alex Jobling | £63,860 |
| 3 | Sam Holden | £39,030 |
| 4 | David Knight | £28,780 |
| 5 | Ewan Brown | £22,240 |
| 6 | Anthony Shields | £17,880 |
| 7 | Jack Sambrook | £13,520 |
| 8 | Dan Hemingway | £10,250 |
| 9 | Matthias Mordhorst | £7,200 |
Get the full final table recap at the PokerStars Blog.
Au Revoir, Partouche
The Partouche Poker Tour crowned its final champion on Sunday. Three days after CEO Patrick Partouche announced the end of the series due to a controversy involving the prize pool, Germany's Ole Schemion took down the €8,500 Main Event for €1,172,850.
Schemion outlasted a field of 489 players, including a tough group of players at the final table. Poker pros Dan O’Brien and Aaron Lim finished in fourth and third place, respectively, leaving Ole Schemion heads-up with Karen Sarkisyan. Schemion held a 13.5 million to 3.5 million chip advantage when the match began, and it was over after just 20 minutes. On the final hand of the match, Sarkisyan was all-in with A♥9♣ on a 7♥8♥9♥6♣ board against Schemion's K♥2♥. Schemion's king-high flush held up on the river and he claimed the honor of being the last winner in the tour's history.
With the victory, Schemion joins Alain Roy, Jean-Paul Pasqualini, Vanessa Selbst, and Sam Trickett as Main Event winners of one of France's most popular poker tournaments over the past five years. Unfortunately, the circuit now bids adieu to the Partouche Poker Tour.
Here's a look at the final table results of the final Partouche Poker Tour Main Event:
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ole Schemion | €1,172,850 |
| 2 | Karen Sarkisyan | €693,494 |
| 3 | Aaron Lim | €417,499 |
| 4 | Daniel O’Brien | €341,991 |
| 5 | Marcello Marigliano | €267,492 |
| 6 | Fabrice Touil | €223,498 |
Get more details from the final table at the Partouche Poker Tour website.
Vegas Hits Madrid
On Friday, Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson selected Madrid for a multibillion dollar gambling resort project labeled "EuroVegas."
Adelson struck a deal with the regional government of Madrid to build Europe's biggest gambling venue to the city's outskirts, bringing with it the prospect of thousands of construction and service jobs. Plans call for six casinos, 12 hotels featuring 36,000 rooms, a convention center, three golf courses, shopping centers, bars and restaurants.
After months of negotiations, Madrid was selected over Barcelona as the project's home. Adelson explained his reasoning for the decision in a statement on Friday.
"The regional government of Madrid has been a strong advocate for this potential development, and we are appreciative of the energy they have brought to this process," Adelson said. "Barcelona is an outstanding tourism destination, and choosing Madrid over Barcelona was not an easy selection," he said.
Adelson added that he wants to invest about $22 billion in the project, but Las Vegas Sands was only willing to finance 35 percent. Adelson is hoping to attract visitors from around Europe and areas of the former Soviet Union. Gambling would reportedly account for one-third of the resort's income.
Newsday has more.
Welcome to Paris!
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team has arrived in Paris for the World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris. On Monday, Kristy Arnett caught up with Matt Waxman, who is looking to defend his title.
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