Saturday, October 31, 2009

Poker News Media: News Update - 1st November 2009

World Poker Tour - Mandalay Media makes bid of $35 Million, PartyGaming to respond?

Aussie Millions at Crown Casino, Melbourne, Australia Jan 2010 to be biggest and best yet

PartyPoker - Stewart Scott, 2009 Aussie Millions winner flying the flag well for Party

PartyPoker.com does Aussie Millions promotion

Titan Poker - offering huge bonuses, ramping up European tours

Noble Poker, builds upon brand with Noble Casino

PKR Poker keeps building in popularity

PokerStars.com - U.S funds investigation may effect players and partners

Shane Warne, Joe Hachem talk poker and fund raising via poker with Network Ten's 7PM Project

Mike Sexton, Poker Hall of Famer maintains strong industry and fan support

Paris Hilton plans to keep poker and casino industry tie ins

American gaming - Poker Players Alliance keep up the good night with US government, campaign

World Series of Poker - still biggest poker brand in the world says insiders, media

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Mandalay Media Bids $35 Million for World Poker Tour, by Dan Cypra - 30th October 2009

It appears that the fight to purchase World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPTE) is not over. In August, a subsidiary of Party Gaming put in a bid to buy the roving tournament series for $12.3 million. Now, Mandalay Entertainment has upped the ante to $35 million.

The price of poker is going up. On Friday, the industry received news that Mandalay Entertainment, which a Los Angeles business publication described as “a global publisher and distributor of branded entertainment for 3G mobile networks, including images, video, TV programming, and games,” offered $1.69 per share to buy the WPT. The dollar value represented a 54% premium over the WPTE’s closing price on October 26th.

At the time of writing, shares of WPTE, which are traded on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange under the same four-letter symbol, were fetching $1.14. A statement released by Mandalay stated that the previous proposal offered no payout to WPTE investors. Instead, the company would use its $12.3 million in newfound money and invest in a business outside of the poker industry. The Mandalay proposal, worth three times the amount of Party Gaming’s offer, “would provide significant cash and stock directly into the hands of WPT shareholders,” according to the company.

A WPTE shareholders’ meeting took place at 10:00am PT at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel today. On the docket was a vote on the Party Gaming bid. A WPTE spokesperson commented that they could not discuss the proceedings due to SEC rules. Mandalay Entertainment is unrelated to the casino in Las Vegas of the same name, which is owned by MGM Mirage.

As part of the Mandalay proposal, WPTE shareholders would receive $35 million in a mixture of stock and cash consisting of $10 million in Mandalay stock plus the balance in cash. The offer explains, “Based on October 26, 2009 closing prices, our offer represents a 23% premium over the value at closing of your proposed asset sale with Peerless and a 54% premium over WPTE`s closing price.”

Mandalay Entertainment boasts annual revenues of $40 million and the company noted that it could conduct its due diligence of WPTE within 10 days. Its letter to WPTE Board members explained several reasons that it would make for an attractive trading partner, including “seasoned” industry veterans in management roles, social networking experience, and access to a vast mobile phone network that includes users of Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and Virgin Mobile. It added, “Mandalay Media can leverage its mobile platform and operator relationships throughout the world to provide a full mobile social media and sports/poker playing experience.”

Under the terms of its sale with Peerless Limited, a subsidiary of Party Gaming, WPTE agreed to turn over its television library, brand names, and trade names. In return, the company would receive a cash payment of $12.3 million “less the amount of certain obligations of an affiliate of PartyGaming.” In addition, WPTE officials would also receive 5% of future gross gaming revenues and 5% of other funds raised from the sale.

Also in the terms of the WPTE’s sale to Party Gaming is a $1 million termination fee. The WPTE is already on the hook for $1 million owed to Gamynia Limited, which completed purchase of the company’s assets back in August. Gamynia is a subsidiary of Playtech, which owns and operates the iPoker Network, and bid just over $9 million for WPTE.

Mandalay’s stock is traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol MNDL. At the time of writing, its asking price was $0.49 per share, up $0.04 on the day. Shares of WPTE, meanwhile, rocketed on the news, climbing from $1.11 at the close of business on Thursday to $1.42 to open the day on Friday, a rise of 28%, before falling back to $1.14.

We’ll have more on this breaking story right here on Poker News Daily. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Mandalay Media Increases Proposal to Acquire World Poker Tour to $36.5 million, $1.77 Per Share - 30th October 2009

LOS ANGELES -- Mandalay Media, Inc. (OTCBB:MNDL) today announced that it has increased its
proposal to the Board of Directors of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE). The revised proposal is to acquire WPT for $36.5 million, consisting of $28.5 million in cash, $5 million in Mandalay Media stock and perpetual revenue participation rights, guaranteed to be at least $3 million. The estimated value to shareholders per share is $1.77, including the guaranteed portion of the revenue participation rights, and as adjusted for the actual share count at
closing. The proposal represents a premium of approximately 61% over the closing price of WPT`s common stock on October 26, 2009 and a premium of approximately 28% over the implied value at closing of WPT`s pending asset sale with Peerless Media Ltd.

In a letter to WPT`s Board of Directors, Mandalay`s Co-Chairman Robert Ellin stated that Mandalay proposal is a "Superior Proposal" as that term is defined under the asset purchase agreement with Peerless.

Mandalay stated that the proposed asset sale with Peerless provides no payment or distribution of any kind to WPT`s shareholders. In contrast, the Mandalay proposal would provide significant cash and stock directly into the hands of WPT shareholders.

In addition, Mandalay stated that in order to enable the WPT board of directors to comply with its fiduciary duties to give serious consideration of the Mandalay proposal, Mandalay urged the board of WPT to postpone the Special Meeting of Shareholders currently scheduled for October 30, 2009. Mandalay has asked to meet with the WPT board as soon as possible.

The full text of the letter, dated October 29, 2009, follows:

Mandalay Media, Inc.
2121 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 2550
Los Angeles, CA 90067

October 29, 2009

The Board of Directors
WPT Enterprises, Inc.
5700 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 350
Los Angeles, California 90036

Re: Cash and Stock Proposal at $1.77 per share

Dear Members of the Board:

This letter supersedes our letter dated October 28th.

Since the announcement of your proposed asset sale with Peerless Media (Peerless), Mandalay Media, Inc. (OTC-BB: MNDL) (Mandalay) has given serious consideration to a combination of Mandalay and WPT Enterprises, Inc. (WPTE). We believe a strategic combination of Mandalay and WPTE would deliver significant value to our respective shareholders, and position the combined company for substantial future growth.

By this letter, we are proposing a transaction that provides WPTE`s shareholders a significant premium over both WPTE`s current market price and the current value of the Peerless transaction. There is no doubt that our offer is a "Superior Proposal" as that term is defined under your asset purchase agreement with Peerless.Accordingly, we would like to meet with you as soon as possible to discuss the terms of our offer in greater detail.In addition, in order to enable the WPTE board of directors to comply with its fiduciary duties to give serious
consideration of our proposal, we urge the board to postpone the Special Meeting of Shareholders currently scheduled for October 30, 2009.

As you know, the proposed asset sale with Peerless provides no payment or distribution of any kind to WPTE`s shareholders.In addition, as WPTE`s proxy materials make clear, WPTE has no present intention or plan to conduct any stock repurchases or otherwise distribute either the proceeds of the Peerless sale or WPTE`s excess cash to shareholders, even though WPTE would no longer have any material operating assets.

In contrast, our proposal would provide significant, immediate cash and stock directly into the hands of your shareholders, and values WPTE significantly higher.

Under our proposal, which has no financing contingency, Mandalay and WPTE would combine and WPTE shareholders would receive, in the aggregate, approximately $36.5 million in stock and cash, consisting of: (i) $28.5 million of cash plus (ii) $5 million in Mandalay common stock plus (iii)substantially the same perpetual 5% revenue share as offered by Peerless, including a guarantee for the payments to be at least $1 million per year for 3 years.On a per share basis,
had we closed on October 22, 2009 (when our stock closed at $.50 per share), and using your August 12, 2009 outstanding shares of 20,603,333, each share of common stock of WPTE would be converted into the right to receive (including the $3 million in the aggregate/$.15 per share guaranteed portion of the revenue share) approximately $1.77 per share as follows: (1) $1.53 in cash plus (2) .48 shares of Mandalay common stock, having an implied value of $.24 per WPTE
share.The actual number of shares of Mandalay to be issued will be determined as of prior to closing, but the total value of the stock component will be fixed at $5 million.Our proposal assumes no material change in WPTE`s assets and liabilities.The post-closing indemnity provisions would be substantially the same as in the Peerless transaction.

Based on October 26, 2009 closing prices, our offer represents a 61% premium over the value at closing of your proposed asset sale with Peerless and a 28% premium over WPTE`s closing price.

We expended substantial effort in developing this value on the basis of publicly-available information.Once we have the opportunity to conduct due diligence of non-public information and to negotiate with representatives of WPTE we can confirm the value we ascribe to WPTE. To that end, we would be prepared to enter into an appropriate confidentiality agreement.We expect to
conclude all due diligence within 10 days after receiving a short list of requested materials.

We believe that your shareholders would find this proposal compelling, and to that end, though this is not a binding offer, we are prepared to move quickly toward the negotiation and entry into a mutually acceptable transaction agreement with you.

Mandalay Media is a global publisher and distributor of branded entertainment for 3G mobile networks, including images, video, TV programming, and games. With distribution in 40 countries through 120 major mobile operators, it offers over 400 branded WAP sites, chat services, and customized video clips.Additionally, Mandalay Media distributes more than 150 mobile game titles from content partners such as Sony, Taito, THQ, Digital Chocolate, THQ, and others. Its
patented Play For Prizes platform is available on Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and Virgin Mobile, and includes titlessuch as Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Frogger, and Jewel Quest.

We believe the strategic rationale for combining Mandalay Media and WPTE is compelling for a number of reasons:

* Mandalay Media has the management team, seasoned veterans and strategic relationships necessary to lead the company in its multiple service offerings and distribution channels.
* Mandalay Media will cultivate and expand long-term global contracts for its television content.
* Mandalay Media can leverage its mobile platform and operator relationships throughout the world to provide a full mobile social media and sports / poker playing experience.
* Mandalay Media will tap into Facebook and additional social media websites to develop and publish a more compelling and branded next generation poker experience that currently offered.
* Mandalay Media through its existing platform technologies can provide a "connected" game experience for the internet as well as third screens (mobile phones). Players can always be part of the WPT community wherever they are.
* Mandalay Media through its Play for Prizes platform is uniquely positioned to deliver mobile and internet skill with prizes game play. As gambling becomes legal, we will already be positioned to immediately offer that functionality to the WPT community.

Although the majority of our proposal consists of cash, we wish to call your attention to some of the reasons we believe Mandalay`s common stock is attractive. Mandalay recognizes annualized revenue of $40 million. With the expected synergies and cost savings from the combination of the two public companies, we expect annual revenues and EBITDA of the combined company to
exceed $60 million and $8 million, respectively, starting from the closing.

We expect that the combined company will be listed on Nasdaq`s capital market, with a larger market capitalization, greater following and enhanced liquidity for shareholders.

Our interest in this transaction is a reflection of our firm belief that a combination of our companies would be highly beneficial financially to both of our shareholder groups and accretive to Mandalay`s earnings per share.In sum, we believe our proposal is superior to your proposed transaction with Peerless based on its higher current value, and the opportunity for WPTE shareholders to share in the enhanced prospect of growth of a stronger combined franchise.

The Board of Directors of Mandalay has unanimously approved this proposal and has authorized our management team to proceed.

We would like to meet with you before the scheduled shareholders meeting to discuss our proposal in greater detail.In any event, whether or not a meeting can be arranged before Friday, we urge you to postpone your shareholders meeting to allow full and serious consideration of our proposal. Please feel free to contact Robert Ellin at Mandalay Media, Inc. at 310 601 2500 or to have your financial or legal advisors contact Mr. Ellin regarding the matters set forth herein. We look forward to meeting with you soon.

Sincerely,

Mandalay Media, Inc.

By:/s/ Robert Ellin

Co-Chairman

About Mandalay Media, Inc.

Managed by leading media and technology industry executives, MNDL`s mission is to build a unique combination of new media distribution and content companies through acquisitions with domestic and foreign businesses with strong management teams and historical financial performance. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Twistbox Entertainment, Inc. ("Twistbox"), MNDL is a leading global producer and publisher of mobile entertainment. Twistbox has exclusive licenses with industry-leading brands, direct distribution with more than 120 wireless
operators in over 45 countries and provides an extensive portfolio of award-winning games, WAP sites and mobile TV channels. Its wholly-owned subsidiary AMV Holding Limited is a European leader in direct-to-consumer mobile Internet content and services.

For more information, please visit www.mandalaymediainc.com or www.twistbox.com.


Statement on Cautionary Factors

This announcement is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell securities of WPT Enterprises, Inc. Subject to future developments, additional documents regarding a transaction with WPT Enterprises, Inc. may be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") and, if and when available, would be accessible for free at the Commission's website at www.sec.gov. Investors and security holders are urged to read such disclosure documents, if and when they become available, because they will contain important information. The disclosure documents may also be obtained for free from Mandalay Media, Inc., if and when available, by directing a request to Mandalay Media, Inc., 2121 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 2550, Los Angeles, CA 90067, Attention: Investor Relations.

Mandalay Media, Inc. and its directors and executive officers and other persons may be deemed to be participants in any solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Information regarding Mandalay Media`s directors and executive officers is available in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2009, which was filed with the SEC on July 14, 2009. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitations and a
description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in any proxy statements/prospectuses and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available.

No assurance can be given that the proposed transaction described in this press release will be successfully completed, or completed on the terms proposed or any particular schedule, that the proposed transaction will not incur delays in obtaining any approvals required for a transaction or that we will realize the anticipated benefits of any proposed transaction.

This press release contains forward-looking statements about MNDL within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about the proposed acquisition of WPT Enterprises, Inc. Statements including words such as "estimate", "expect", "anticipate" or "believe" and statements in the future tense are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or actual future results to differ materially from the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements. Some of the factors which could cause MNDL`s results to differ materially from the expectations include the following: consumer demand for the MNDL`s products; consumer spending trends; fluctuations in the currencies of the countries in which MNDL operates against the US dollar; timely development and release of MNDL`s products; competition in the industry; the MNDL`s ability to manage expenses; MNDL`s ability to manage and sufficiently integrate acquisitions of other companies; adverse changes in the securities markets; and other factors described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. MNDL does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to release publicly the results of any revisions that may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

Mandalay Media, Inc.
Jim Lefkowitz, 310-601-2500

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Friday, October 30, 2009

PartyGaming Makes EGR Awards Operator of the Year shortlist

PartyGaming won a place on the back of a slew of deals including its acquisition of Cashcade in July and tie-ups with Cirsa, Spain’s market leading casino operator, UK TV broadcaster Five and direct marketing company DM; plus a surge of 630,000 new players last year. Earlier this year PartyGaming also became the only major operator to have settled with the US authorities, and was second only to Bwin in the 2009 Power 50 leading operators.

The winner of the award will be announced at the EGR Awards gala dinner, which takes place at London’s Old Billingsgate market on 30 November, the first night of EGR Live, eGaming Review's free-to-attend conference and exhibition at the same venue.

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Thursday, October 29, 2009

PartyPoker Introduces Aussie Millions Qualifiers - Defending Champ Stewart Scott Special Tournaments

***The PartyPoker.com Monthly Million is a $1 million guaranteed online poker tournament every first Sunday of the month. The next Monthly Million takes place on Sunday 1 November at 12.45 ET (17.45 GMT, 18.45 CET) and features a championship blind structure. The buy-in is $600+$40 but the diverse qualifying paths means you can join the qualifiers from as little as $1. The wide range of qualifiers includes $64+$4 daily satellites with a total of 18 seats guaranteed per day, a MEGA Friday $50+$5 satellite that guarantees 20 seats and Super Satellite Saturday qualifiers with a $32+$3 buy-in and a total of 18 seats guaranteed that day. The paths into the Monthly Million are many – check out PartyPoker.com ***

PARTYPOKER.COM INTRODUCES AUSSIE MILLIONS QUALIFIERS

DEFENDING CHAMPION STEWART SCOTT HOSTS SPECIAL TOURNAMENTS

Gibraltar – 29th October 2009 – PartyPoker.com has introduced online qualifiers for the 2010 Aussie Millions in Melbourne. Seen as one of poker’s majors, the Main Event is a highlight of the world live circuit and the leading online poker room is going completely Aussie crazy in November and December!

PartyPoker.com Australia Ambassador Stewart Scott is the defending champion and there is a chance to emulate his success in Melbourne next year. PartyPoker.com is offering the chance to win one of 25 luxury Aussie Millions main event packages. These fantastic dream trips will be up for grabs in two amazing $600+40 satellites on Sunday 13th December. One will be timed to suit Australia and New Zealand-based players with FIVE packages guaranteed worth $12,000, while the other is scheduled to give players from the rest of the world the chance to win one of 20 guaranteed packages worth $15,000.

For more information on the many paths to Melbourne, including PartyPoint and freeroll options, see PartyPoker.com Qualifiers start on Sunday 1st November - as ever PartyPoker.com provides diverse qualifying structures, which can start from as little as just $1.

PartyPoker.com ambassador Stewart Scott said: “I’ve been playing at PartyPoker.com for five years. These great packages are an amazing opportunity for other players to play in this huge tournament. Claiming the Aussie Millions title has been the highlight of my career and I’d love to see another PartyPoker.com player take the title.”

There are also a number of Stewart Scott Aussie Millions special tournaments: PartyPoker.com

The Stewart Scott Bounty Hunt

From the 1st November, Stewart will be playing in the $64+$6 Aussie Millions ANZ Friendly Satellite Qualifier at 04.05 ET (19.05 AEST) every Tuesday and Thursday. There’s a $70 bounty on Stewart’s head if a player eliminates him.

Stewart Scott Aussie Millions Specials

In these tournaments PartyPoker.com will be giving away seats to Aussie Millions qualifiers. First place will win a $640 seat, second place gets a seat at the $128 qualifier while third will claim a $70 qualifier seat. Top ranking players will also receive prize money from the buy-in pool and there’s also a $70 bounty if you’re the player who knocks Stewart out.

Stewart Scott Aussie Millions Special 1 – Sunday 15 November, 03.05 ET (19.05 AEST), buy-in $6+$1

Stewart Scott Aussie Millions Special 2 – Sunday 6 December, 03.05 ET (19.05 AEST), buy-in $6+$1

Stewart Scott Highroller Aussie Millions Invitational

One luxury $12,000 Aussie Millions package for first place, $640 seat in final qualifier on offer for the player that knocks out Stewart. This takes place on Sunday 22 November at 03.05 ET (19.05 AEST) with a $250+$20 buy-in.

Scott, 37, from Queensland, Australia, made history in January 2009 by becoming the first Australian in the modern era to take down the Aussie Millions Main Event, scooping US$1,865,724. Scott is a loyal member of PartyPoker.com’s VIP club the Palladium Lounge. He made his debut representing the leading online poker room at the PokerNews Cup in Melbourne earlier this month. Scott is married with one daughter and started life as a gourmet chef in Adelaide, with a period running a small IT business as he honed his skills online. He made his first impact on the live circuit in 2006 by winning a satellite series at SkyCity Casino in Adelaide that awarded him a $30,000 package for the WSOP Main Event. Stewart is a popular figure on the Australian poker circuit and is well known for his relaxed attitude but killer instinct at the table.

® AUSSIE MILLIONS, AUSSIE MILLIONS POKER CHAMPIONSHIP and CROWN Device and associated trade marks are trade marks of Crown Melbourne Limited. No license, affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement, is claimed, or should be inferred from the use of these trademarks here. PartyGaming is not affiliated, licensed, by, or otherwise affiliated with Crown Melbourne Limited in any way.

World Series of Poker”® and “WSOP”®, WSOPE”® are registered trade marks of Harrah’s License Company LLC. No license, affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement is claimed, or should be inferred from the use of these trademarks here. PartyGaming is not licensed by or otherwise affiliated with Harrah’s License Company LLC or the World Series of Poker®, in any way.

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Monday, October 26, 2009

Maximus Rewards As 'The Gladiator" Returns To PartyPoker

**Coverage of the triple stack PartyPoker.com World Open V starts on Wednesday 28th October/Thursday 29th October at 12.10am on Five in the UK. Heat one features Ian Frazer, Andy Ward, James Akenhead, Luke ‘FullFlush’ Schwartz, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Jason Adams, Christian Schafer and Jorg Muller. Jesse May is joined in the commentary box by Phil Laak. The action is presented by Kara Scott.**


‘FRIENDS, ROMANS, POKER PLAYERS, LEND ME YOUR EARS!’ MAXIMUS REWARDS AS ‘THE GLADIATOR’ RETURNS

Gibraltar – 26th October 2009 – PartyPoker.com is pleased to announce details of its next wide ranging promotion as ‘The Gladiator’ returns! For one month the online poker room becomes the colosseum!

From the 1st – 30th November players who hit the daily minimum target of 10 PartyPoints for just five days claim the much-deserved reward of an entry into a $5,000 freeroll. The more days a players earns points on, the bigger the prize will be – there’s up to $3,000 cash to be won. PartyPoker.com has also added a massive incentive for the most dedicated players. Earn 1,000 points every day for the full 30 days and a player secures a seat at next year’s Aussie Millions worth AUD$10,500. The first prize at the main event in Melbourne is estimated to be in the region of AUD$2 million.

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said:” The Gladiator is back and is stronger than ever before. In this colosseum you don’t have to worry about lions - just sharks, donkeys and fish! This promotion isn’t all about maximus PartyPoints, it is about spreading play over a period of time for maximus rewards! It is simple and offers great value and we encourage players to challenge themselves and take a closer look.”

A player doesn’t even have to earn points on consecutive days to be in with a shot at the colossal prizes: PartyPoker.com will just count up the number of days targets have been made during the promotion. For example, earn 10 points for 10 days, take five days off and then earn 10 points on 10 more days of the promotion and PartyPoker.com will award the prize for earning 10 points on 20 days. Players can keep updated on how many points picked up so far in ‘The Gladiator’ by checking their PartyAccount. Points are not removed from player accounts following the promotion – they all count towards Palladium Lounge targets.

The Million Dollar Hand at PartyPoker.com finishes at 23.59 on October 30th. So far there has been 65,652 pairs, 7,446 two pair, 3,328 three of a kind, 625 straights, 398 flushes, 240 full houses, 34 four of a kind and 4 straight flushes. Full details of the promo can be found at PartyPoker.com

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Sunday, October 25, 2009

Anurag Dikshit’s Sale of Party Gaming Stock Receives Mixed Reaction, by Dan Cypra - 25th October 2009

One of the major poker headlines this week was the news that Party Gaming Cofounder Anurag Dikshit would divest himself of nearly 114 million shares of the company’s stock, which is traded in London under the symbol “PRTY.” Now, the industry has had a chance to react.

The internet gambling think tank sported mixed reactions to the news, as Dikshit’s departure meant that a man who admitted to violating U.S. law in a New York courtroom one year ago would no longer hold any interest in the company. Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) Chairman Joe Brennan told Poker News Daily, “The thing to take away is that this is probably good overall for Party Gaming. When you have one of their founders pleading guilty, if and when things start to get normalized in the U.S. and Party Gaming comes into the market, they need to clear it off the books. The fact that he’s exiting the company is good for its future.”

When internet gambling will be legalized and regulated in the United States is anyone’s guess. Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced HR 2267 in May as one solution. The bill outlines a framework for the explicit legalization of the industry and, although the measure is up to 62 cosponsors, it has not yet been scheduled for markup in the House Financial Services Committee.

On how members of Congress and others outside of the industry would react to Dikshit’s exit, Brennan explained, “If Dikshit leaving Party Gaming can be a benefit to that company, I would say that it does the same broadly for the industry.” Financial analyst Nick Batram told Bloomberg that Dikshit’s departure meant that Party Gaming “may also find it easier to raise funds from institutional investors rather than the founders for large sports gambling acquisitions.” The Wire Act of 1961 has historically been interpreted to mean that online wagering on sports is not permitted in the U.S.

Dikshit will purportedly turn over the proceeds of his sale, which will likely total more than ₤188 million, to his charitable foundation. On the TwoPlusTwo online poker forums, posters questioned Dikshit’s charitable motives: “If he donated to an established charity that could not be mistaken for a front, then that would be impressive,” one skeptic noted. Some have speculated that tax benefits are the real reason behind his actions. Brennan told Poker News Daily, “He wants to get out of the business and focus on his charitable endeavors.”

The sale of two-thirds of Dikshit’s stake sent shares of Party Gaming plummeting. Trading above 284 pence on October 19th, the stock dove to 240 pence in 24 hours, a dip of 15%. PRTY closed trading on Friday on the London Stock Exchange fetching 243 pence, 135 pence above its asking price one year ago.

An article in the Financial Times summed up the reaction from most of the industry: “The truth, however, is that while the distancing of Mr Dikshit can’t be bad for Party Gaming, it is still frustratingly unclear what the odds are on a successful return to the U.S. market.” In five weeks, the financial services industry in the United States must fall into full compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The impact of the December 1st deadline remains to be seen, but the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) recently authored a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke asking for the UIGEA’s regulations to be delayed by one year.

Party Gaming Cofounders Ruth Parasol and Russ DeLeon, a husband and wife team, have not yet announced their intentions to sell stock or formulate a plea agreement with the U.S. Government. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Anurag Dikshit Sells Remaining Stake in Party Gaming, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 20th October 2009

According to an article that appeared in eGamingReview (EGR) on Tuesday and filings to the London Stock Exchange, Party Gaming Co-Founder Anurag Dikshit will sell his 28% share in the company for at least ₤188 million.

It’s a curious twist on a story that began developing last December, when Dikshit appeared in the Southern District Court in New York. The Party Gaming personality pled guilty to violating the Wire Act of 1961 and agreed to fork over $300 million to the U.S. Government. He also faces up to two years behind bars, with sentencing scheduled for 2010. Dikshit’s spokesperson, Shimon Cohen, told EGR, “Anurag has paid the $300 million fine that he was asked to pay by the U.S. authorities and has decided it is time to move away from the company.” The Wire Act has traditionally applied to online wagering on sports, not online poker. Read the entire EGR Anurag Dikshit article.

Dikshit was originally rumored to be selling two-thirds of his 28% stake in Party Gaming; however, EGR later reported that the entirety of his shares would be unloaded. PartyPoker, the online poker arm of Party Gaming, withdrew from the U.S. market in 2006 shortly after the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which was attached to the SAFE Port Act in the waning moments of that year’s Congressional session at the urging of then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). The regulations of the UIGEA were approved as midnight rules by the outgoing Bush Administration and will be fully enforced on December 1st.

In a filing to the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday, where Party Gaming is traded under the symbol “PRTY,” Anurag Dikshit, under the names BT Nominees Limited and Crystal Ventures Limited, is listed as selling 75 million shares of PRTY, or two-thirds of his original total. The filing explains, “Crystal Ventures Limited is wholly owned by BT Nominees Limited who hold shares in PartyGaming Plc under a declaration of trust in favor of Mr Dikshit.” Dikshit owned 113 million shares prior to the sale posted on Tuesday in London and retained nearly 39 million “indirect voting rights.” The sale of the remaining interest has not yet been posted.

At the close of trading on Tuesday in London, shares of PRTY were fetching 240.10p and EGR noted that Dikshit expects to pull in at least ₤188 million as a result of the transaction; the sum will be donated to charity. On Monday, PRTY was trading at 284p before Dikshit’s sale, which promptly sunk the share price by 15%. All told, Dikshit’s agreement with the U.S. Government last December ballooned the firm’s stock, which sat at below 140p before quickly climbing above 200p. Exactly one year ago, shares of PRTY were valued at 123p.

Ruth Parasol and Russ DeLeon, who founded Party Gaming along with Dikshit, were not expected to follow suit, according to EGR. In the meantime, PartyPoker officials have heralded the election of its ambassador, World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton, to the Poker Hall of Fame. Sexton is the lone representative of the Class of 2009 and will be officially inducted in ceremonies taking place on November 7th during the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table. Sexton is a WSOP bracelet holder and re-signed with PartyPoker in April.

In August, Party Gaming acquired the WPT for $12.3 million, outbidding a subsidiary of Playtech, which owns and operates the massive iPoker Network. Four months earlier, the company entered into a Non-Prosecution Agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, agreeing to pay the Federal Government $105 million. In the process, Party Gaming admitted that it solicited U.S. customers prior to the UIGEA’s passage and agreed not to do so in the future until the industry is licensed and regulated. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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ClubWPT.com Members Get a Shot to Play in Poker’s Most Exclusive Celebrity Tournament - 20th October 2009

Starting Tomorrow, Players Can Compete Every Week to Win One of Twelve Seats in the 8th Annual World Poker Tour® Invitational

LOS ANGELES -- Kicking off an 11-week tournament series tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET, www.ClubWPT.com is giving members the chance to win entry into the most exclusive tournament on the poker circuit — the 8th Annual WPT Invitational. Twelve winners will head to Los Angeles with $1,000 (USD) spending cash, two VIP party passes and a seat to play among the biggest names in Hollywood and poker in the televised World Poker Tour® (WPT) tournament.

Held annually at the Commerce Casino, the WPT Invitational is a red carpet, invitation-only event that brings together celebrities and poker pros to play for charity, a $200,000* prize pool, and a shot at a WPT title. Past attendees include pros Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Mike Sexton, Vince Van Patten and 2009 Invitational champion Freddy Deeb, as well as Vince Vaughn, Paris Hilton, Ben Affleck, Jason Alexander, Mena Suvari, James Woods, and Don Cheadle, to name a few.

The 2010 WPT Invitational is currently scheduled for February 20 – 21*, with the final six players returning March 3 to battle it out on the WPT set in front of television cameras. The tournament will be filmed for broadcast on Fox Sports Net (FSN) in 2010.

The ClubWPT.com Invitational Seat tournament schedule is as follows*. All tournaments begin at 9 p.m. ET. Visit www.ClubWPT.com for more information:


Wednesday, Oct. 21
Wednesday, Oct. 28
Sunday, Nov. 1
Wednesday, Nov. 11
Sunday, Nov. 15
Wednesday, Nov. 25
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Sunday, Dec. 6
Wednesday, Dec. 16
Sunday, Dec. 20
Wednesday, Dec. 30
Sunday, Jan. 3

ClubWPT.com — the World Poker Tour’s online subscription poker room — gives poker players a legal, risk-free way to play online poker to win big cash and prizes, including $10,000 WPT main event seats, WPT Boot Camp seats, and more. For $19.95 monthly subscription, members can play in thousands of poker and blackjack tournaments for their share of $100,000 in cash and prizes each month plus exclusive benefits like $3,000 in Las Vegas VIP discounts and access to watch full WPT Season VII episodes online. For more information, visit www.ClubWPT.com.

No purchase is necessary for the www.ClubWPT.com sweepstakes and the service is void in states where prohibited. Must be 18 years or older to play.

*Dates, times and prize pool subject to change.

ABOUT WPTE

WPT Enterprises, Inc. is one of the most recognized names in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online and mobile. WPTE has led innovation in the sport of poker since 2002, when it ignited the global poker boom with the creation of the World Poker Tour television show based on a series of high stakes poker tournaments. WPT is now broadcast globally and is currently filming its all-new eighth season for broadcast on Fox Sports Net’s national sports network in the United States. WPTE also offers a unique online subscription and sweepstakes-based poker club, ClubWPT.com, which operates in 38 states across the U.S. WPTE also participates in strategic brand license, partnership and sponsorship opportunities. For more information, see www.worldpokertour.com. (WPTEG)

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PARTYPOKER.COM INTRODUCES BOUNTY TOURNAMENTS

The Million Dollar Hand at http://www.partypoker.com is underway! So far there has been 42,834 pairs, 4,889 two pair, 2172 three of a kind, 392 straights, 272 flushes, 152 full houses, 25 four of a kind and 3 straight flushes. In the last 7 days alone there has been two $10,000 straight flush payouts!


Gibraltar – 20th October 2009 -- PartyPoker.com is pleased to announce that its latest software update sees the introduction of fantastic new bounty tournaments from tomorrow onwards. This is the highlight of a product upgrade that also sees the introduction of a ‘remember table layout’ feature and enhanced players notes.

Bounty tournaments allow players to get paid for knocking other players out. PartyPoker.com will take part of the buy-in and put it towards a bounty for each player. For example, PartyPoker.com could take $5 of a player’s $20 + $2 buy-in to create their bounty, with the other $15 going towards the prize pool. The bounty winnings are credited to a player’s account immediately.

The new ‘remember table layout’ feature has to be enabled but once it is this feature will remember the layout of tables when closed and will open new tables at the same size and in the same position. If a player changes the layout of their tables it will open the next new table in the same position as the last one closed. This isn’t a default feature, players have to tick the ‘remember table layout’ check box under Preferences/General/General Options to activate the feature. This feature will remember the layouts on the specific computer a player is playing on, layouts will also be remembered on a secondary monitor. The new enhanced player notes feature makes it even easier to make notes on opponents. All a player has to do is double-click on the player’s image at the table to open the ‘Notes’ section with their name already entered in the ‘Select Player’ field.

For more information see: http://www.partypoker.com/how_to_play/using-our-poker-table/latest-feature

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “We are always listening to customers and consistently striving to improve our product. The introduction of new bounty tournaments adds an exciting fun dimension to play. These changes come on top of the introduction of the hand history replayer and super speed games last month. Coming up in the future is the introduction of RSA tokens and synchronized breaks.”

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PartyGaming falls; co-founder to cut stake - 20th October 2009

Shares in PartyGaming (PRTY.L) fall 12 percent to 250 pence after Indian billionaire Anurag Dikshit says he intends to sell two-thirds of his 28 percent stake in the world's biggest online gambling firm via an accelerated offering to institutional shareholders.

Nick Batram, an analyst at KBC Peel Hunt, expects the placing to be at a discount to Monday's closing price of 284.5 pence.

"My thoughts are probably somewhere between 250 and 260. I'm hearing talk the range is 255 to 275. If they get it towards the top end of that range that would suggest pretty good demand," he says.

Batram sees the move as positive for the company as it will increase its free float and bring more institutional investors on board. (Credit: Wires, Google News)

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Sunday, October 18, 2009

Party Poker signs the 2009 Aussie Million Champion - Poker News Daily - 2nd October 2009

The Aussie Millions has become a traditional tournament for many poker players around the globe, as it currently stands as the sixth biggest tournament in the world. For the 2010 main event 800 players are expected. In 2009 the Aussie Millions was home to the world’s largest cash game – a AUD$1 million buy-in.

The first Aussie Millions had a one thousand dollar buy-in and a $74k prize pool. The Aussie Millions has made history and for 2010 the buy-in will be $10,500 and the prize pool will have AUD$2 million.

For the 2009 main event Australian player Stewart Scott gave an outstanding performance and managed to win the first place prize of AUD$2 million. Since then he has placed third in the Five Star World Poker Classic event 15 and finished in 25th place at the APPT Macau.

Party Poker recently announced that the 09 Aussie Millions Champion Stewart Scott has joined their team of pros and will be representing their online poker room at the 2010 event. He will also be participating in a poker tour across Australia that will promote the Aussie Millions and the Stewart Scott invitational events.

Online qualifiers to the Aussie Millions will be available at Party Poker in November. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Party Gaming Revenue Down 4% in Q3 2009, by Tom Jenkins - 16th October 2009

In figures recently released by Party Gaming, the parent company of PartyPoker, revenues were off 4% in Q3 2009 compared to Q2. Company officials noted that the decrease was “in line with the normal seasonal pattern seen in previous years.”

The acquisition of Cashcade actually ballooned Party Gaming’s revenue to $112.7 million during the third quarter, up 11% from Q2. However, removing Cashcade’s impact meant that revenues decreased 4%. PartyPoker revenues were $45.1 million during the most recent three-month period, a slide of 8% versus Q2. Party Gaming management attributed the fall to “higher player numbers offset by lower yields.” The $45.1 million in poker revenue represented a significant dip from the $65.0 million reported in Q3 2008.

PartyCasino’s revenue clocked in at $49.2 million, up 2% from the previous quarter, and the company’s sports book revenue registered at $4.2 million, up 31%. The company reported Bingo revenues of $13.8 million, nearly seven times the total accrued by the division during the same period last year. Party Gaming CEO Jim Ryan commented in the company’s release to the London Stock Exchange, “Poker remains challenging from a competitive standpoint, but we are encouraged by the increased player traffic during September and into October on the back of our new retention initiatives such as the enhanced loyalty program, improved VIP offer, and automated reactivation campaigns.”

Party Gaming boasted a base of 7.3 million users in 2009, up 24% from the 5.9 million users it placated to in 2008. The online giant played host to 79,200 average daily players, up from 63,900 in 2008, or 24%. However, its yield per active player day was down significantly in the third quarter of 2009 to $15.40, a slide of 23% year over year and 11% quarter over quarter. The company blamed the dip on “higher bonus costs driven by the acquisition of Cashcade and the costs associated with the new retention initiatives.”

A total of 208,100 new real money sign-ups occurred during Q3 2009 company-wide, a climb of 51% from the 137,600 who registered during Q3 2008. The number of unique active players during the period was 726,300, up 35% from 2008, and the company reported average daily net revenue of $1.2 million, down 5% from 2008, but up 10% over the previous quarter.

All told, PartyPoker boasted 4.6 million active players during the third quarter of 2009, a slide of 2% year over year. The online poker site, which does not accept customers from the United States, hosted 50,400 daily average players, even with 2008 figures, and a $9.70 yield per active player day, down 31% from the $14 recorded last year. PartyPoker saw 120,100 new real money sign-ups during the third quarter, up a colossal 30% from the 92,100 who signed up during Q2 2008. PartyPoker had average daily net revenues of $489,700, a dip of 31% year over year and 9% quarter over quarter.

Company officials explained the poker business unit’s lackluster performance: “Despite the competitive challenges in poker, we continued to sign up large numbers of new players and achieved an absolute increase in player numbers versus the previous quarter despite seasonality. Player yields declined year-on-year due to foreign exchange movements as well as competitive pressures.” On Thursday, it was announced that PartyPoker Ambassador Mike Sexton is the lone member of the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner has served as the host of the World Poker Tour (WPT) since it debuted on The Travel Channel in the United States in 2003.

According to PokerScout.com, PartyPoker is the fourth largest online poker site worldwide, featuring a seven-day running average of 5,200 real money ring game players. During its peak hours, which occur in the evening throughout Europe, over 10,000 cash game players can be found on its felts. Party Gaming is traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol “PRTY.” (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

THE AMBASSADOR OF POKER GETS WHAT HE DESERVES! CONGRATULATIONS TO MIKE SEXTON ON INDUCTION INTO POKER'S HALL OF FAME

London – 15th October 2009 – PartyPoker.com ambassador and World Poker Tour announcer Mike Sexton has deservedly been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

For the first time in the history of the Poker Hall of Fame, the early stage of the nomination process was open to the general public and a mass of prominent figures in the game all publicly declared their support for Mike. The Ambassador of Poker is currently playing the final table at the PartyPoker.com World Open V in London.

Sexton said: “I am deeply honored to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame and it is particularly special because for the first time it was a process that involved the fans, the media and the living members of the hall of fame. To me the most meaningful aspect of this process was the acceptance by the living hall of famers who welcomed me into their exclusive club.”

Mike Sexton acts as a host, consultant, ambassador and player for PartyPoker.com and the online poker room will holding a special celebratory $10,000 freeroll on the 7th November, the day Mike is inducted.

Sexton needs little introduction and is unarguably one of the most respected figures in the game. As the face and voice of the World Poker Tour and holder of a WSOP bracelet, Mike is truly one of the games pioneers. Sexton is in the top ten for the most cashes at the World Series of Poker and is instantly recognizable to all poker enthusiasts. Regarded as ‘The Ambassador of Poker,’ for years Mike advocated corporate involvement with poker to take the game he loves into the mainstream.

Notably, Sexton also won the first $10k buy-in NL hold'em championship event at Foxwoods World Poker Finals in 1992 and in 2000 was the first American to win the championship event at the Euro Finals of Poker in Paris, which at the time was the biggest event in Europe. Through his role with the World Poker Tour Mike brought the game to millions around the world. In 2006 Sexton won the Tournament of Champions at the World Series of Poker, a concept he had originally created. He donated $500,000 of his winnings to charity and has since become a co-founder of http://www.pokergives.org/, which encourages players to make charitable donations.

The Poker Hall of Fame was established in 1979. Its membership includes poker's most influential players and other important contributors to the game. There are 16 living members, and to date 37 members have been bestowed the honour of entry. The WSOP Hall of Fame traditionally elects one or two new members annually. The enshrinement ceremony is now held during the final table of the Main Event of the WSOP. The criteria for selection was as follows:

A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
Played for high stakes
Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
Stood the test of time
Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results

Amongst those who publicly endorsed Mike Sexton included Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Daniel Negreanu and Barry Greenstein. Below are some of the submissions players and figures made about Mike:

Annette Obrestad. “I may be from a different generation of poker players to Mike but in my mind he deserves induction into poker’s hall of fame this year.”

Erik Seidel: “Next up should be Mike Sexton. He has some impressive accomplishments as a player, he won the Tournament of Champions in 06', the European Heads Up, and is one of the leaders in WSOP cashes including one bracelet. If I'm not mistaken he also won the 1st 10k event at Foxwoods as well. I can't think of anyone though who has contributed more to the growth of the game then Mike and that's why he should be the next inductee. As the WPT's announcer he is the guy who introduced no limit poker to millions of people, and who explained it in a way that drew them in and got them interested. I meet people all the time who don't even play poker but watch the WPT because he manages to keep it exciting for everyone. People can tell his enthusiasm is real, Mike loves poker and fortunately is able to translate that for the viewer. He deserves huge credit too for the growth of the online game. As a consultant for PartyPoker he helped the online game get started and helped Party create the biggest poker site in the world. Party was just another poker site until Mike's commercials on the WPT started running, then overnight the numbers doubled, tripled and very quickly they became the largest site poker has ever seen. He is one of the best ambassadors poker has ever seen and I hope he is on deck for admission in 09’.”

Poker’s ‘Professor’ Howard Lederer: "More than any single poker player, Mike Sexton promoted the game of poker throughout the '90s and into this decade. He had a singular belief in the game as something that could be much bigger. Every poker player owes a great debt of thanks to Mike for helping to extend poker to places we could have never imagined before."

Celebrity Apprentice runner-up Annie Duke: “There is quite possibly no single individual who did more to mainstream poker and grow the game than Mike Sexton. During the 90’s , when tournament poker was still an obscure, insular world, Mike always believed in and promoted what poker could become even as many of us remained steadfast in our skepticism. Mike saw the potential for the game and never gave up in his promotion of it and for that we should all be deeply grateful.”

Steve Lipscomb -- “I would support Mike Sexton for president, much less induction into the Poker Hall of Fame. Mike is the consummate face of poker. He was making poker mainstream before it had a prayer of being mainstream. He helped launch the World Poker Tour – which changed the poker world forever. Then, he convinced the World Poker Tour to put PartyPoker on the Tour in season one – which changed the poker world again forever. His commitment and love for the game -- which is evidenced every time he appears on-screen in a World Poker Tour episode -- is part of what has transformed this great game into the first-ever global aspirational sport. Let’s get the man into the Poker Hall of Fame!”

Des Wilson -- “Having spent a number of years studying the history of the game, I can think of nobody more deserving than Mike Sexton to be in the hall of fame and urge everyone else to support him. He is more than a great player - he is, and has been for many years, an outstanding ambassador for the game.”

The First Lady of Poker Linda Johnson: “I nominate Mike Sexton for the 2009 Poker Hall of Fame. I can't think of anyone who has done more for the poker industry than Mike. He has exhibited tremendous skills as a poker player and incredible vision in his ability to market the poker world. Mike is the best poker commentator in the world and is a household name to millions of players. He is generous, hard working, and donates his time and money to many various charities. Mike is a role model to all poker players and is very deserving of being inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.”

Recent inductee into the Women’s Hall of Fame Jan Fisher: “I've known Mike Sexton for nearly 30 years. During this time, Mike has always worked hard to promote poker. His stellar reputation speaks for itself. One of the true good guys in poker, no one deserves this honor at this time more than Sexton. I've worked on both sides of the tables, and I believe that Mike is a role model for the poker industry. I am proud and honored to call him my friend.”

From the famous poker family, Todd Brunson: “Mike Sexton helped take poker to a level never before achieved and without him we would not be seeing the prize pools we have today. We all owe Mike our most sincere gratitude and appreciation."

Padraig Parkinson: “I thought that Mike was nuts when he shared his vision of where we were going with me but never for a second doubted that he was the man to lead us there. Unusually for me, I was right.”

Leading Tournament Director Matt Savage: “Mike Sexton should be a slam dunk, not only for the over 40 WSOP cashes but especially for the work he has done to promote the world's greatest game. Poker would not be where it is today without the ambassador work that Mike has done.”

Irish Open Tournament Director Liam Flood: "I have known Mike for 25 years and I have always found him to be a true gentleman. He is the best ambassador poker could ever have. Whether it be in Las Vegas, Paris or Dublin he is always the same and is always prepared to listen to anybody about the game he loves."

WSOP bracelet winner and Asian Poker Tour ambassador Steve Sung: “The first poker commentators’ voice I ever heard was Mike Sexton. The man’s a legend – get him into the Poker Hall of Fame.”

Top professional David Williams: “Mike Sexton is a true professional and I wholeheartedly believe that he should enter Poker’s Hall of Fame this year.”

Top professional Roland De Wolfe: “He is a personality and voice that has opened the game up to new people. He is a component of poker's story and a significant part of poker history.”


Amongst the most recent inductees include Henry Orenstein, Dewey Tomko, Phil Hellmuth, Barbara Enright, TJ Cloutier, Bobby Baldwin, Johnny Chan and Lyle Berman. Doyle Brunson was given Hall of Fame status in 1987. Once the public has voted the top ten among consideration are announced during the Main Event. It then goes to a committee stage in August and then a secret ballot of living Hall of Famers in September. In addition, a select group of media members were sent a ballot for ranking the finalists.

World Series of Poker”® and “WSOP”®, WSOPE”® are registered trade marks of Harrah’s License Company LLC. No license, affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement is claimed, or should be inferred from the use of these trademarks here. PartyGaming is not licensed by or otherwise affiliated with Harrah’s License Company LLC or the World Series of Poker®, in any way.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Now Showing At A Casino New You! It's The Tilly And Laak Show!

London – 14th October 2009 – The action at the http://www.partypoker.com World Open V continues! The Matchroom Sport organised event takes place from Sunday 11 October – Thursday 15 October 2009 in London. For the very first time, the action takes place in the prestigious Palm Beach Casino in the heart of Mayfair and spectators are welcome to rail and the crowds are growing every day. The action starts at 11am.

Hollywood actress Jennifer Tilly won heat three at the PartyPoker.com World Open V to join her partner Phil Laak at the final table, while ex-England football star Teddy Sheringham lost to internet qualifier Jan Veit heads-up in heat four. They join Luke ‘FullFlush’ Schwartz in the final

Tilly, a WSOP bracelet winner, had to overcome both a tough field and a tricky overnight break in play to reach make it to last seven, where she’ll face a battle for the $250,000 first prize with her American pro boyfriend Laak, who took down heat two.

“I told Jennifer this is war!” said Laak.

“We’re really competitive so we better spend some time together now because we might not be speaking on Friday!” said Tilly.

It was as tough a heat as you could find with online star and pre-tournament favourite Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, triple-crown holder Roland De Wolfe, big cash game player Sammy “any two” George and Neil Channing – Tilly’s eventual heads-up opponent. Online qualifier Gustav Ekerot was the first player to perish and it was Durrrr who followed next, kicking-off Tilly’s run to the final when she picked up aces against jacks for the second time and the bullets held to leave the table six-handed minus Dwan. No sooner had the aces been put back in the deck, they were out the very next hand and Channing used them to full effect, with Josh Gould the unlucky man to have kings in that spot.

Channing was at it again when he knocked out fellow Londoner De Wolfe, with the short-stacked Roland pushing with 105 suited and Neil calling with pocket threes and hitting quads on the river for good measure. It was not long after that when Channing hit quad kings – but George did well to get away with A10. Sammy’s reward for that escape was to knock out online qualifier Robert Sherwood and take the chip lead. George raised with AK, Tilly called with A6 and Sherwood moved all-in with A7 behind her – Sammy snap called and Tilly got out of the way – the king ruled the board and Any Two was up to 1,218k, Tilly held 980k and Channing just 202k.

He pushed those chips over the line with Q4 and was called by Sammy with pocket nines – hitting a queen to double up. Channing then performed the same magic with AK against Tilly’s Q7 and doubled up again to hold over 800k.

With Channing the chip leader – he took an early crack at Tilly with his K8 against her A8 – Channing hitting a king on the flop but Tilly’s prayers for an ace on the river coming true and moving her to 1,000,000 in chips. Had Channing won the hand, Tilly would have gone and Sammy would have had at least a runners-up spot but George was the bubble boy in this heat, moving all-in with AK and getting called by Tilly’s pocket threes – the board coming K3Q2J to get us heads-up.

Tilly held the chip lead and it is one that she converted into victory, steadily building her stack before getting the best of an action board when the duo held seemingly innocuous cards. It read 23K26 with short-stack Neil holding 42 when Tilly moved in with 54 – Channing made the call that sees Jennifer progress through and Neil have another go in the runners-up heat.

Before they finished their tussle, online qualifier Jan Veit won through to the final after seeing off former England and Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham heads-up in heat four. Sheringham made the first moves of a cagey heat when the blinds hit 5/10k – first knocking out Simon Craig, then seeing off PartyPoker.com in the Sky winner Johannes Nord Jorgensen, beating his pocket queens when his AK hit an ace on the flop. Sam Trickett was the third player to fall, getting it in good with a pair of sevens again Veit’s AQ and staying in-front on the flop before Jan rivered two pair to end Trickett’s tournament. Double WSOP bracelet winner Scott Fischman completed Teddy’s hat-trick, shoving with pocket sixes and running into Sheringham’s kings and Fischman was gone when both men missed the board.The heat was suddenly moving along at great pace and we were three-handed going into the 20/40k level with Alec Torelli the unfortunate victim. He took a shot at Veit with J9 when Jan moved all-in, only for Veit to turn over the red aces. That left Torelli with just over 100k and moments later that was down to nought, Alec pushing with K2 and Sheringham picking up a pair of eights to go three-handed with over one million in chips.

But the 20/40k level was not kind to the striker and as the blinds edged towards 30/60k, he bled off a portion of his stack to Veit in two hands with nothing against two pair and top pair and it was Jan who now moved over the one million mark. He remained dominant going heads-up with Sheringham after WSOP November-Niner Antoine Saout, who ran into trip nines to be out on the bubble. So Veit had the chip lead and it wasn’t long until he had them all – Teddy pushing his in with 102 and running into AJ, with Jan hitting a jack for good measure to move into the final with Teddy joining Channing in the runners-up heat.

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “The final table is shaping up to be one of the strongest and liveliest in the events history. Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly and Full Flush aren’t exactly the shy and retiring types! We’re expecting a great crowd on Thursday night.”

More information can be found at: http://blog.partypoker.com/world-open-v/jennifer-tilly-to-face-partner-phil-laak-in-the-final-of-the-world-open-v.html

Results:

Heat One: 1 LUKE SCHWARTZ, 2 Christian Schafer, 3 Jorg Muller, 4 Yevgeniy Timoshenko, 5 Jason Adams, 6 Andy Ward, 7 James Akenhead, 8 Ian Frazer

Heat Two: 1 PHIL LAAK, 2 Patrick Funke, 3 Wayne Obrien, 4 Andy Greekfish, 5 JP Kelly, 6 Remy Biechel, 7 Praz Banzi, 8 Simon Zach

Heat Three: 1 JENNIFER TILLY, 2 Neil Channing, Sammy George, 4 Robert Sherwood, 5 Roland De Wolfe, 6 Josh Gould, 7 Tom Dwan, 8 Gustav Ekerot

Heat Four: 1 JAN VEIT, 2 Teddy Sheringham, 3 Antoine Saout, 4 Alec Torelli, 5 Scott Fischman, 6 Sam Trickett, 7 Johannes Nord Jorgensen, 8 Simon Craig

Forthcoming heats:

Heat Five:, Andy Black, John Magill, Bodo Sbrzesny, Paulo Melo, Richard MacKinnon, Andrew Feldman, Vladimir Geshkenbein, Liam Flood

Heat Six: Marty Smyth, Roberto Romanello, Ellis Reuben, Dixie Dean, Mike Sexton, Bruno Fitoussi, Felipe Ramos, Daniel Drescher

Runners-Up heat: Christian Schafer, Patrick Funke, Teddy Sheringham, Neil Channing

FINAL

Luke Schwartz, Phil Laak, Jan Veit, Jennifer Tilly

The main changes to the event this year are that the starting stacks have been tripled, with the tables now being eight seat in the heats and seven players in the final. The buy-in is $10,000, with a total prize pool of $480,000 – the winner scooping $250,000. Updates will appear on: http://blog.partypoker.com and http://www.matchroompokerforum.co.uk

Coverage will start on Five in the UK on October 28th and will be presented by Kara Scott.

World Series of Poker”® and “WSOP”®, WSOPE”® are registered trade marks of Harrah’s License Company LLC. No license, affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement is claimed, or should be inferred from the use of these trademarks here. PartyGaming is not licensed by or otherwise affiliated with Harrah’s License Company LLC or the World Series of Poker®, in any way.

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Titan Poker gears up for ECOOP V

13th October 2009

LONDON, England -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Avid online poker players from around the world are seeking their seats at the fifth installment of TitanPoker.com's popular 14-day, $4.55 Million Guaranteed European Championship of Online Poker (ECOOP V), which will be staged starting November 23, 2009.

Qualifying satellite tournaments for the ECOOP V events are being staged daily at Titan Poker. The ECOOP V tournament series offers a wide variety of poker games, including Texas No Limit Hold'em, Limit Hold'em, 7 Card Stud, Pot Limit Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo. Poker buy-in amounts vary to meet every player's budget.

The series culminates with a $1,500,000 Guaranteed Prize Main Event on December 6.

Titan Poker's first ECOOP series was staged in December 2007 and players competed over ten days for their share of $2,500,000 in cash prizes. In May 2008, ECOOP II was staged with a grand total of $3,600,000 in guaranteed prizes at the ten nights of tournaments. Staged over fourteen days between November and December 2008, the third ECOOP tournament series distributed more than $4,150,000 in prizes to winning online tournament players. ECOOP IV took place in May and June, 2009, with $4,550,000 in guaranteed prizes.

In addition to its exciting online tournaments, Titan Poker regularly awards its players with seats at the world's most well-known live poker events, including the World Series of Poker, the ECPokertour, the Aussie Millions, the Irish Open, and the Asian Poker Tour.

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Monday, October 12, 2009

Luke ‘Fullflush’ Schwartz Makes Final Table At PartyPoker.com World Open, Could Not Paying For An Egg Sandwich Cost Him $250,000?

London – 12th October 2009 – Heat Two of the http://www.partypoker.com World Open V continues! The Matchroom Sport organised event takes place from Sunday 11 October – Thursday 15 October 2009 in London. For the very first time the action takes place in the prestigious Palm Beach Casino in the heart of Mayfair and spectators are welcome to rail. The action starts at 11am every day.

Heat one was won by Luke Schwartz, who secures himself a place at the final table. The runner-up was Christian Schafer, an online qualifier from Germany. The tournament start was held up yesterday after Schwartz was refused entry to the Palm Beach Casino and he was only allowed to step foot in the building after tournament organizers provided him with an escort at all times. Talks are now ongoing to allow the controversial high stakes player back in the building on Thursday for the final but nothing is confirmed as yet. The casino ban is thought to be the result of his recent refusal to pay for a sandwich at EPT London.

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “We hope that Luke will be able to take his seat at the final table but we have no guarantees as yet. In retrospect, perhaps Luke should have paid for the egg sandwich at the EPT – imagine if the casino ban costs him the chance of winning the $250,000 first prize? He could end up with serious egg on his face.”

More on this can be found at: http://blog.partypoker.com/world-open-v/more-trouble-for-luke-schwartz-at-partypokercom-world-open-v.html

The players are raving about the new triple stack structure at the PartyPoker.com World Open V. “This structure is the sickest I have ever played on a single table in front of cameras - it is brilliant,” said Phil Laak.

Tonight sees Mike Sexton, Roland De Wolfe, Jennifer Tilly, Sammy George and Neil Channing take to the felt.

Heat Two

Phil Laak
Simon Zach
Andy Greekfish
Praz Bansi
JP Kelly
Remy Biechel
Wayne O’Brien
Patrick Funke

Heat Three

Sammy George
Jennifer Tilly
Josh Gould
Neil Channing
Roland De Wolfe
Mike Sexton
Gustav Ekerot
Robert Sherwood

The main changes this year are that the starting stacks have been tripled, with the tables now being eight seat in the heats and seven players in the final. The buy-in is $10,000, with a total prize pool of $480,000 – the winner scooping $250,000.

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Saturday, October 10, 2009

Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Antoine Saout Added to PartyPoker World Open V, by Jessica Welman - Poker News Daily - 10th October 2009

The PartyPoker World Open V action gets underway on Sunday and some last-minute additions to the lineup have made the event even more of a star-studded affair. The roster of players, which already included the likes of World Poker Tour (WPT) host Mike Sexton, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, J.C. Tran, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, and Luke “Full_Flush1″ Schwartz, added new names to the fold, including several players who have been on some serious hot streaks as of late.

The newly confirmed players include World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Layne Flack, Andrew Feldman, Bruno Fitoussi, Teddy Sheringham, Roland de Wolfe, Sammy “Any Two” George, and recently-crowned poker endurance world record holder Paul Zimbler.

Three other players recently agreed to participate in the event and may be ones to watch considering their string of recent results. November Nine member Antoine Saout will be playing in the World Open V. The Frenchman appears to be squeezing in as many tournaments as he can between now and the WSOP Main Event final table in November. He is fresh off a final table showing at the WSOP Europe, where he finished in seventh place.

World Open V participant J.P. Kelly also had a successful run at the WSOP Europe, winning a bracelet in the first preliminary event. With his win in London, Kelly became the first British player in the three-year history of the WSOP Europe to win a bracelet at the London-based event. In addition to his WSOP Europe victory, Kelly won a bracelet earlier this year at the WSOP in a $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event.

Online poker pro Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko also signed on to play in the World Open V. Timoshenko has had an amazing run in 2009. He took down the WPT Championship back in April, won the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event last month, and made a deep run in the WSOP Europe Main Event. At 21-years old, Timoshenko already has tournament poker winnings in excess of $6 million.

PartyBets set odds on all 48 of the participants and Dwan is currently the favorite, with odds currently going off at 11-1. Even PartyPoker is inclined to agree with that assessment, as a spokesperson for the site noted, “The early money is for Durrrr, which isn’t really a surprise, but favorites do not have a good record in this competition.” The spokesperson continued, “We’re delighted with the field. Every heat features a super strong line-up. For example, two online qualifiers have to deal with the likes of Yevgeniy Timoshenko, James Akenhead, [Schwartz], and Ian Frazer, and that is only in heat one!”

As the spokesperson noted, online cash game player Schwartz is scheduled to play in Heat One, while his self-proclaimed nemesis durrrr will be playing in Heat Six along with Fitoussi, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, J.C. Tran, and others. Though Schwartz and Dwan will not meet in the preliminary heats, there are still a couple of scenarios that could pair the two at the same table. Should both players win their heats, they will advance to play each other at the final table. If one or both of them finishes as the runner-up in their heat, they will advance to the second chance heat, where the six runners-up will vie for a spot at the final table.

Action will take place at the Palm Beach Casino in London, England and PartyPoker says spectators are welcome to come by and watch the action. The event will be taped and televised on the Five network in Britain later this year and will feature commentary from Jesse May. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Thursday, October 08, 2009

Stars are out for Party Poker World Open V

7th October 2009

GIBRALTAR - (PRESS RELEASE) - More star names have confirmed their participation for the upcoming Party Poker World Open V! The Matchroom Sport organised event will take place from Sunday 11 October – Thursday 15 October 2009 in London. For the very first time the action will all take place in the prestigious Palm Beach Casino in the heart of Mayfair. The main changes this year are that the starting stacks have been tripled, with the tables now being eight seat in the heats and seven players in the final. The buy-in is $10,000, with a total prize pool of $480,000 – the winner scooping $250,000.

Newly confirmed players include man of the moment Yevgeniy Timoshenko, UK WSOP and WSOPE bracelet holder JP Kelly, Layne Flack, Teddy Sheringham, Andrew Feldman, Roland De Wolfe, Paul Zimbler, Sammy George and Bruno Fitoussi. Also new to the line-up is the WSOP November Nine's Antoine Saout, who competes alongside fellow November Nine member James Akenhead. This year there was the chance to qualify online for the prestigious tournament, coverage of which is shown on television in countries all over the world. Ten packages worth $13,000 were won which include the buy-in, seven night's accommodation and $1,000 spending money.

The 48 player field also includes Poker Ambassador Mike Sexton and PartyPoker.com's newly sponsored grassroots players Remy Biechel from France, Felipe 'Mojave' Ramos from Brazil, the UK's Ian Frazer and Germany's Bodo Sbrzesny. The emphasis for the grassroots team is on VIPs, player loyalty and historic links to PartyPoker.com. They join the likes of Tom 'Durrrr' Dwan, Luke 'Fullflush' Schwartz, JC Tran, Steve Sung, Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak, Scott Fischman, Neil Channing, European Open V winner Roberto Romanello, defending World Open champion Marty Smyth, Andy Black, Neil Channing and Liam Flood.

One player keen to take their seat is Danish journalist Johannes Nord Jorgensen, who secured his package by winning the recent PartyPoker.com in the Sky event in Copenhagen.

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: "The early money is for Durrrr, which isn't really a surprise, but favourites do not have a good record in this competition. We're delighted with the field. Every heat features a super strong line-up. For example, two online qualifiers have to deal with the likes of Yevgeniy Timoshenko, James Akenhead, Luke 'FullFlush' Schwartz and Ian Frazer and that is only in heat one!"

Belfast's Marty Smyth scooped $250,000 after winning the PartyPoker.com World Open IV in May 2008. The final table featured a strong line-up that included Neil Channing, Marc "Mr Cool" Goodwin, Andy "The Spider" Ward, Dixie Dean and Ryan Fronda. The PartyPoker.com World Open III was won by 45-year-old former Sidcup betting shop owner Anthony Hardy, who triumphed over a final table that also featured Ian Cox, Ram Vaswani, David Rudling, Ian Frazer and eventual runner-up Ian Woodley. The winner in 2006 was Pippa Flanders, while in 2005 Lee Nelson won the inaugural event.

Commentary will be provided by Jesse May and the action will be first broadcast on Five in the UK later this year and then distributed internationally.

Spectators are welcome to come down to the Palm Beach Casino and watch the action. The cards are in the air at 11am every day.

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Party Poker teams up with racing star Giancarlo Fisichella

6th October 2009

GIBRALTAR - (PRESS RELEASE) - Party Poker is delighted to announce the arrival of a new star to their paddock. Motor racing legend Giancarlo Fisichella has joined two new teams recently – one of them being PartyPoker.it!

Giancarlo Fisichella is a fierce competitor on and off the track and he made a big impression on his new sponsors with a dazzling and high-octane performance at the Sports Stars Challenge IV event in London earlier this year. As a newly signed ambassador for PartyPoker.it, Giancarlo's passion for the game will see him take on the best of the poker circuit as well as the racing circuit!

Giancarlo said: "Poker has become a very popular pastime in the paddock in recent months with many of the drivers. I have joined two new teams recently and am delighted to be in pole position as a new ambassador for PartyPoker.it!"

PartyPoker.it is celebrating Giancarlo Fisichella becoming an ambassador with a series of great daily freerolls. Players can win a slice of the €500 prize pool and, better still, a genuine F1 collector's item: a unique shirt signed by Fisi himself. Click on the 'Freerolls' tab in the Tournament Lobby, click 'Fisichella €500 Freeroll' and then click on the 'Register' button. Seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Please note that this promotion is open to residents of Italy only. The freerolls run until the 31st October.

A PartyPoker spokesman said: "Giancarlo is the fantastic new ambassador for PartyPoker.it. The freerolls are exclusive to Italian residents but the rest of the world and the international poker circuit is likely to feel the force of Fisi as he gets involved in the game. Many commentators have already said that they believe that he is on track to be one the best 'celebrity' players on the poker circuit. He is one to watch as he moves through his gears but you have to pay attention as he moves very fast on the felt and he's always got his hand on the pump!"

Fisi has already recorded a special instructional dvd that will be available shortly in the Italian market.

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