Industry News

Television Stars
Pokerstars.com has taken the unusual step of publicising the results of a televised tournament before its first screening.



The PokerStars World Cup of Poker, taped for TV by BAFTA award-winning TV production company Sunset+Vine, will be broadcast in six episodes on Challenge TV starting in September.



For those who don't want to know the results, read no further in this and the next two paragraphs. For everyone else, the winner of this team event was Poland, which toppled the USA in a heads-up battle to land the $100,000 first-place purse.



In a dramatic finish, Jacek Ladny, an online qualifier, called a massive bluff by USA team captain Joe Harwell. With the A 6, the ice-cool Warsaw stockbroker called Harwell's unsuited 6-3 to win $20,000 for himself and $20,000 for each of his four teammates.



Team USA took home $50,000 for second place, while Team Canada won $30,000 for third place and fourth-place Israel won $20,000.



The free tournament began online in April with 39 nations around the globe – from Argentina to Australia – battling for the right to represent their countries in the televised eight-team finale.



Each national team featured five players: two Frequent Player Point (FPP) PokerStars qualifiers, two top-ranking PokerStars players, and one "celebrity" player chosen by the team. These included former World Champion Tom McEvoy for the USA and Isabelle "No Mercy" Mercier for Canada.



Meanwhile, the dates for the third PokerStars European Poker Tour, the brainchild of the inaugural Ladbrokespoker.com Poker Million winner John Duthie, are as follows:

Casino Barcelona Barcelona (Spain) Barcelona Open Sept. 13-16 €5,000 buy-in

Victoria Casino London (England) EPT London Sept. 21-24 €5,000 buy-in

Grand Casino Baden (Austria) EPT Baden Classic Oct. 7-10 €5,000 buy-in

Merrion Casino Dublin (Ireland) EPT Dublin Oct. 26-29 €5,000 buy-in

Casino Copenhagen Copenhagen (Denmark) Scandinavian Open Jan. 17-20 €5,000 buy-in

Deauville Casino Deauville (France) French Open Feb. 21-24 €5,000 buy-in

Monte Carlo Bay Resort Monte Carlo (Monaco) EPT Grand Final March 28-April 1 €10,000 buy-in



Virgin Market

Virgin Megastores is hosting a cross promotion for website VirginPoker. The campaign includes the giveaway of DVDs that will offer consumers a free tutorial and free credit, and will allow them to play without downloading any online content.



Casinos Get Together
Casino groups Stanley Leisure and London Clubs International have agreed on a £700 million merger.



Cincinnati Raided
Scotland's only poker club, The Cincinnati Club, was raided by 100 police officers as four off-duty cops played at the tables.



Police and officers from the Gambling Commission put individual hands of cards into bags to be used as possible evidence, whilst seizing cash and all of the club's cards, chips, and equipment.



One player said, "I could hardly believe my eyes. There were around 35 players in the club and three times as many policemen.



"It was like a scene from old Chicago in the times of Prohibition during the 1920s when the speakeasies were raided by 'The Untouchables'. I was half expecting Eliot Ness to walk up and start asking questions. But there was little chance of Al Capone types being in the club!"



European pro Dave Colclough, a director of The Cincinnati Club, is confident that no charges will be brought, and told local press, "This is a waste of time for the police and a waste of taxpayers' money. We have a well-run and popular establishment and there is no reason to raid our premises.



"When we set up, we spoke to everyone to ensure there would be no problems. We were advised that setting up as a private members club would be the best way to go forward initially.



"When we obtained our drinks licence, we also had to gain the approval of the Gambling Commission, which was no problem. I'm mystified as to what their motivation in this is. We offer a high-standard venue for poker and attract a very civilised crowd."



Bizarrely, despite the raid, police have said the club is free to continue operations, and a spokesman added, "We can confirm that Strathclyde officers, acting with inspectors from the Gambling Commission, carried out an operation within premises in Bridge Street, Glasgow.



"As a result, gaming machines and equipment were seized in connection with alleged offences under the Gaming Act. A number of people have been interviewed in connection with the operation, but no person has been charged with any offence. Our inquiries are ongoing."



Showdown Now in Switzerland

The fledgling Showdown Poker Tour has made a date and venue change to the third leg of the Eurosport broadcast circuit event.



Trouville, neighbouring EPT venue Deauville in France, was initially due to stage the third leg, but an unforeseen date clash with the main event of the World Series has meant a change of both venue and country.



"The 'French leg' of the SPT, has been moved to the Casino Barrière de Montreux in Switzerland, and the new date will be Aug. 16-19 in order to avoid a most undesirable clash," Teddy Vendersbo of the SPT stated.



Jeff Sharpe, a Betfairpoker online qualifier from Nottingham, landed the Dublin leg of the EPT, netting €50,000.

In the Zone – On Your PC
Pokerzone has launched an innovative and brand-new dedicated broadband TV channel, Pokerzone On Demand, which is available live and direct to your PC, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.



Broadcasting live games, documentaries, and news and entertainment shows – including Heads-Up With Richard Herring, Monte Carlo Millions, Poker Bowl, and many more – this interactive broadband channel has been described as "the one-stop shop for poker lovers."



Million at Christmas

SKY Sports has announced the broadcast dates for the Ladbrokespoker.com Poker Million. The 12 prerecorded Poker Million heats will be aired on Tuesdays starting Sept. 19, with live semifinals going out Dec. 13-14. The final, also live, will be broadcast on Friday, Dec. 15.



Papers Kiss and Tell on Natalie

Former EPT and Poker Channel presenter Natalie Pinkham recently made national news when newspapers reported that she had kissed Prince Harry after an evening at a London night club.



Party Bet?

PartyGaming, the online poker company, is on the brink of unveiling plans to expand into sports betting via a series of acquisitions to be funded by the proceeds of a bond issue that could raise as much as £500 million.



It is understood that the first purchase will be of a privately owned European operator, and Party will not accept sports bets from the U.S. in an effort to limit confrontations with the anti-online gambling lobby.



The Passing of Elkan Allen
Elkan Allen, who had become a familiar figure amongst English poker circles as a journalist and reporter in recent years, passed away at the end of June after a short illness.



The prolific Allen, who was a remarkable 84, had just completed a Las Vegas guide for the Sportsman newspaper, was a contributor to numerous online and offline gaming publications and had acted as a consultant to a prominent poker channel and bookmaking organisations.



A father of five, Allen had spent a lifetime in journalism and broadcasting, presenting for the BBC in the '50s, and writing and producing documentaries in the '60s. He also created shows such as the iconic Ready, Steady Go.



Credited with giving David Frost his first job in television, Allen became the guru of television previewing during the '70s and '80s before moving back to print journalism, with a focus on poker.



Another Poker Movie

Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman are set to star in The Bucket List, a film about two cancer patients who break out of a hospital and head for Monte Carlo.



The two terminally ill men make a wish list of things they want to do before they kick the bucket – called the bucket list – and then take a road trip. Their adventures include racing cars, eating massive amounts of caviar, and playing high-stakes poker.



Betfair in Asia

Betfair has become the first gaming company permitted to present a poker tournament in Singapore. The Betfair Asian Poker Tour will feature players from around the world competing for an anticipated $2 million prize fund. The event will be open to everyone, including local players, and is sure to attract professionals as well as poker enthusiasts. Qualification will take place online at BetfairPoker as well as at live tournaments all over the world.



Europe's First Women's Poker Team

Poker site 888.com is sponsoring Europe's first women's poker team. The team members competed recently in the World Series of Poker ladies event, and will compete in future tournaments.



Team members include Veronique Gourdon; Tiffany Williamson, who finished 15th in last year's WSOP main event, winning $400,000; Eunice Waterfeild, winner of the 888.com Women's Poker UK Open; and Rhowena Colclough. The rest of the team consists of up-and-coming women who have the potential for future sponsorship.