Happenings in Europe

United Kingdom

Dusk Till Dawn

After the bright lights of Vegas provided a handful of the UK's best with some great memories and most with nothing but a great big hole in their wallet, all eyes were back on that equally glamorous locale of Nottingham this July. As frequently seems to be the case, Dusk Till Dawn (DTD) was on the lips of every UK poker enthusiast this month.

The DTD mini festival's £750 main event had a star-studded final table that included stalwarts such as Marc Goodwin, Mick McCool, and Andrew "Greekfish" Andreou. The eventual winner though was the talkative Scotsman Chris Bruce, taking down £20,000 after a bit of negotiating at the heads-up stage. Bruce's win was remarkable given that he won £12,000 at the club just a few weeks earlier in their 3-2-1 main event, making him one of the form players in UK poker at the moment.

Considering the rapid growth and success that DTD has accumulated in its short tenure, many people were surprised when owner Rob Yong recently announced the club would be reverting to five days a week operations. Yong went on to say that DTD had become too much like a regular casino when his initial intention was for it to offer a unique experience for poker players, with good-structured, affordable tournaments. The recent inclusion of casino-style rebuy tournaments to "fill the hours" was seemingly the last straw. From now on, rebuys are off the schedule and the shorter opening hours means that "we can provide a higher quality of service with much more of a personal approach", said Yong.

Anyone who has been to the club will have seen the potential the place has to truly make a long-term impact in the international poker scene. Changes such as this, for once, put the customer's needs over potential profit margins and can only be a good thing for everyone involved in UK poker.

Big Scores in Las Vegas

There's been more than enough talk about Las Vegas recently, but with two of the UK's most popular players, Julian Thew and Kevin "Lovejoy" O'Leary, having huge scores this month, a little more talk is necessary. Although you wouldn't know it from the hype, there is more going on in June and July than just the World Series of Poker. Many of the largest casinos hold their own poker festivals that often offer far better structures and value-laden fields than some of the WSOP's preliminary crapshoots.

The $1,000 no-limit hold'em main event of the Caesar's Palace Mega-Stack Series was one such example. With a huge field of 1,170, it was Englishman Kevin O'Leary who took it down for a huge, career-best score of $272,378. O'Leary has been an established pro for a few years now, and this result simply affirms the talent of the former antique trader.

Just as we were starting to wonder when Julian Thew would win another major tournament (it had been more than a few weeks after all!), he solidified the Brits' late Vegas charge by capturing the $5,000 main event of the Venetian Hotel and Casino's acclaimed Deep Stack Extravaganza III. Eventually doing a chop for $180,000, Thew has surely assuaged any doubts that he belongs not just in the UK elite, but as one of the best no-limit hold'em tournament players in the world. Thew now has more than $2.3 million in career tournament earnings, which makes the Will Hill pro the ninth most successful Englishman in tournament poker history.

For those of us who can only dream of such ridiculous amounts of money, London is soon to host the Amateur Poker Association and Tour's World Championship of Amateur Poker. Hosted by the world-famous Victoria Casino on Edgware Road, the APAT will be offering deep-stacked tourneys that should suit the wallet of any casual player. Better still, and reflecting the maturing nature of the poker market, there will be a wide variety of variants on display. Obviously, the no-limit hold'em main event will dominate proceedings, but with pot-limit Omaha, seven-card stud, and, for the first time on UK soil, a razz tournament on the schedule, mixed-game experts (and more likely, those with no idea of what they are doing) will have a chance at a sizeable cash prize and the acclaim of being a "world champion." Tickets for the main event sold out immediately on release, but seats are still available on apat.com for all of the side events, with a buy-in of only £50.

Gutshot Series of Poker

After a prolonged battle with the high courts, Clerkenwell's infamous Gutshot Poker Club is in the news for more traditional poker reasons this month with the announcement of its annual Gutshot Series of Poker (GSOP). Topping the bill is the three-day £300 hold'em main event starting on Aug. 23; £30 rebuy satellites are running at the club from mid August for if you want to get in on the cheap.

The GSOP has proven itself a rich breeding ground for the future stars of UK poker, with Nik Persaud and the Hit Squad's Praz Bansi and Karl Mahrenholz all earning their stripes there in the past.

With this much top-quality live poker around the nation, the more established tours such as the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour and Gala Casino British Poker Tour are being offered some real competition. It's fair to say that the amount of choice for the amateur poker player has clearly never been better, whatever buy-in you can afford or whichever game you wish to play.

Gibraltar

Online Player Protection

Gaming firms on the Rock are coming under increased pressure to implement and improve measures aimed at ensuring responsible and secure gambling on their online sites. The main areas of compliance, such as protecting under-age and problem gamblers, have seen a heightening of rules and improvements to the systems and procedures since the coming into force of Gibraltar's Gambling Act in Sept. 2007. Another area that is under increased scrutiny relates to fraud prevention and detection, as local regulators strive to create and maintain a safe online environment for players on Gibraltar-based gaming sites.

Security issues on the World Wide Web have shot to prominence in recent years, with risks such as credit card fraud and identity theft regularly grabbing newspaper headlines worldwide. It goes without saying that credit card fraud is easier to commit online since it is more difficult for online operators to verify the identity of the user in the absence of any face-to-face contact. The mandatory introduction of "chip and pin" in the UK on Feb. 14, 2006, served to further shift credit card fraud online, as it became increasingly difficult for fraudsters to use stolen cards offline.

By establishing close working relationships with banks and credit card providers, Gibraltar-based gaming firms have made great strides toward counteracting fraud. Customers today are often asked for documentation to prove their identity, especially when making large withdrawals or using unverified payment methods. This is particularly important for high-stakes players but not always popular with clients, many of whom are not willing to cooperate due to security concerns or because they merely do not want the inconvenience.

I spoke to Angela, who manages the fraud and security department of Ladbrokes in Gibraltar. She explained that despite there being reluctance from some customers to supply the necessary documentation, most understand the need for these additional security requirements, saying that "a large proportion of customers play with us because they feel confident in the security of the site and feel safe in our virtual environment." She assured me that original documents would never be requested and stressed how these measures were aimed at offering customers maximum protection when using their site. She was keen to remind me that customers are not at any greater risk using their payment methods on online gaming sites than they would be using them anywhere else and that card details are just as likely to be stolen offline as they are online. In fact, their investigations into the use of fraudulent cards on their site have concluded that a large percentage of these are compromised before even reaching the customer in the post.

Angela assured me that gamers on Ladbrokes.com are in good hands and that providing other Gibraltar-based gaming sites are following their example, fraud and identity theft on these sites should be kept to a minimum. However, she warns, not all gaming sites are regulated as stringently as those based in Gibraltar, and this may be a problem for online gamers. According to Angela, there are various "golden rules" that online gamers should always keep in mind in order to stay protected. These include keeping login and credit card details private and adding the extra security of a "secret question" on your account. It goes without saying that there will always be someone out there attempting to relieve honest people of their belongings, but this can be best avoided by striving to stay one step ahead of them.

Stay Safe Online

• Never give out your login details or let anyone else use your account.

• Do not use the automatic login facility available on many sites.

• Use a secure password that is difficult to guess; a combination of numbers and letters is preferable.

• Add a security question to your account, and make sure that it is a question that is difficult for anyone other than yourself to answer.

• Do not let anyone else use your card or payment method details on their account. (This is generally not allowed by most gaming firms anyway.)

• Finally, and most importantly, use reputable and established gaming sites that will have advanced security systems and greater experience dealing with fraud prevention.

Tristan Cano lives in Gibraltar and writes about the gaming industry there.

Ireland

"November Nine" Betting at PaddyPower.com

PaddyPower.com has launched markets for the final table of the World Series of Poker main event. The main event, which played down to the final nine players in July, will reconvene with the final table on Nov. 9, 2008.

Chip-leader Dennis Phillips is joint favourite at 4-1 with Russian Ivan Demidov, while young Dane Peter Eastgate, who finished ninth in the 2007 Irish Open, is joint second favourite at 9-2.

The outright winner market currently offers:

1. Dennis Phillips: 4-1
2. Ivan Demidov: 4-1
3. Scott Montgomery: 9-2
4. Peter Eastgate: 9-2
5. Ylon Schwartz: 8-1
6. Darus Suharto: 17-2
7. David Rheem: 10-1
8. Craig Marquis: 10-1
9. Kelly Kim: 50-1

Punters can also bet on "Nationality of Winner" and "Age of Winner" markets.

Nicky Power Signs with BrucePoker.com

BrucePoker.com, a new online poker site launched by Irish bookmaker Bruce Betting, has signed Irish Open finalist and poker pro Nicky Power.

Power, a well known and highly respected pro from Waterford, Ireland, will represent BrucePoker at major tournaments across the UK and Ireland including the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour, Irish Classic, Irish Masters, Irish Poker Championship, and Irish Open.

Paul Smallwood, head of poker at BrucePoker said, "Nicky's popularity, enthusiasm and character at the tables, as well as his great skill, made him the obvious choice for us."

"I'm excited to have signed with BrucePoker.com and to have the opportunity to represent them," said Power. "The poker software and choice of games on offer are excellent, and being involved with such a trusted and innovative outfit as Bruce's is a great honour for me."

BrucePoker will host Power's blog, which will update readers with his progress in tournaments as well as dispense strategy advice and his thoughts on the poker scene.

Jaye Renehan Wins PartyPoker.com IPC Tour Galway

County Meath man Jaye Renehan won the €8,300 top prize at the first stop on the new PartyPoker.com Irish Poker Championship Tour in The Eglinton Casino, Galway at the beginning of August, beating off a 65-player field in the €350 buy-in event.

Renehan also won a seat worth €2,000 for the Irish Poker Championship televised main event that will take place in January 2009 at the end of the eight stop tour around Ireland.

Renehan beat Keith McInerney from Clare heads up. McInerney, who made the final table of the IPC in 2006, took down €5,300 for his second-place finish.

The PartyPoker.com Irish Poker Championship Tour moves on to the Macau in Cork on Oct. 17 and 18, Citywest in Dublin on Nov. 8, and 9, and Kiltimagh, Mayo on Nov. 14 and 15. Five seats to the IPC, details of which will be published in the next edition of Card Player, will be awarded at each event.

PartyPoker.com is adding €2,000 to each event as well as €4,000 to the league leader board that runs for the duration of the tour.

Tournament Trail Begins

October sees the return of the Irish tournament circuit in earnest, with three major events taking place that are sure to see large prize pools and a strong turnout of both major local and international talent. There's something to suit all pockets, so get online and get yourself qualified for these events!

LadbrokesPoker.com Irish Poker Festival

Online qualifiers are in full swing for the €250,000 guaranteed Ladbrokes Poker Festival taking place in the INEC, Gleneagle, Killarney, Ireland, from Oct. 2 to 5, 2008. The €550 buy-in main event is expected to attract up to 650 players.

Each Monday at 19:30 GMT until Sept. 29, there will be a $137.50 weekly final that will award one package for every $1,250 in the prize pool. The $1,250 Ladbrokes Poker Festival package is comprised of: €550 main event buy-in and two nights' B&B accommodation for two guests in the Gleneagle Hotel on Oct. 3 and 4.

Satellites start at $5, and seats for the weekly final can be won in the $33 daily finals that are held Tuesday through Sunday at 19:30 GMT. Full details on the latest satellites can be found in the MTT/Offline Events/Ladbrokes Irish Festival lobby of Ladbrokes Poker.

A limited number of $1,250 packages are available for direct buy-ins. Players interested in purchasing this package - including the main event and two nights at the Gleneagle Hotel - can e-mail [email protected] or call +44 (0) 1372 277 722.

BoylePoker.com International Poker Open

The International Poker Open, which last year set the attendance record for a tournament held outside the U.S. with 1,072 players, returns this Oct. 17 to 19 courtesy of BoylePoker.com, with a buy-in of €135 + €15.

With up to 1,200 players expected from all over Europe, the prize pool could reach €200,000

Players must register online through BoylePoker.com/ipo before midday on Thursday, Oct. 16

The two-day event will see day one split into day 1A and day 1B, with the field converging to play until a champion is crowned on day two.

Players can qualify through freerolls and a variety of low buy-in tournaments at Boylepoker.com.

PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Winter Festival

The PaddyPowerPoker.com Irish Winter Festival takes place from Oct. 25 to 27 and has an estimated prize pool of €1,000,000. It is a €1,500 + €150 buy-in no-limit hold'em freezeout with a capacity for 800 players and takes place in Citywest Hotel, the home of the 2008 Irish Open.

Weekly super satellites at $200 + $20 freezeouts take place every Sunday evening at PaddyPowerPoker.com, while there are daily rebuy qualifiers to the weekly Sunday final costing $15 + $1.50 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The $3,500 Irish Winter Festival packages to be won at the super satellites will be made up of an Irish Masters ticket plus expenses.

Holland

Dutch Disappoint at Main Event

Well, not really, but considering the high expectations after Rob Hollink won his bracelet, you might say the results were fairly disappointing. This could also have something to do with the fact that Rob Hollink, Marc Naalden, Jorryt van Hoof, Daan Ruiter, Ed de Haas, and Michiel Brummelhuis all didn't participate in the World Series of Poker main event this year, but we didn't hear the other players complain. They can take this as a compliment.After most of the other "big guns" were already eliminated early on the first day, Dutch hopes were once again set on the rookies, the new faces, the first-timers, and the online qualifiers.

A record 10 Dutch players made it into the money, including Wolbert Bartlema, Rolf Slotboom, and Thierry van den Berg, all of whom also cashed in last year's main event. Van den Berg once again lasted the longest out of those three, but he failed to improve on his 81st-place finish from last year, when he busted out in 231st place ($35,383). Other winners were Daan Slütter (who is still "living his dream," so to speak), Steven de Vries, Fokke Beukers, and Dominik Kulicki, who rounded off an excellent World Series of Poker with his 234th-place finish, after already finishing seventh in one of the side events earlier on.

After "Bokpower" exited, there were only three newcomers left to defend our nation's pride. Online qualifier Graddus Terwisscha had the time of his life in his first-ever live event, and couldn't be disappointed at all with his 168th-place finish ($38,600).

But there were more Cinderella stories in the making.

When the field reached the final 100 players, there were still two Dutchies left, just like last year. Yde van Deutekom was by no means a famous poker player, but he had already gained some notoriety in Holland with his webcam project. Six months earlier, he put up a website, SleepingRich.com, where people could literally watch him sleep, while sponsored advertisements would turn the traffic into revenue. This was one of those ideas that was so simple, it might actually work … and it did.

Van Deutekom quickly discovered that he had the ideal mindset to be a poker player, so it wasn't long before he tried his hand at a $33 satellite online and was on his way to Vegas a couple of hours later.

The sleeping student could have gone a long way, but unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side. He got his money in with kings against queens, and was pleased to hear that another player also folded a queen, but that meant that there was still one left. Of course it had to fall on the river, which eliminated him in 95th place ($51,466).

So obviously, finishing 95th out of 6,844 players was something he didn't expect before he sat down to play, but when he realized that, after all this, he only won five times his buy-in, he started to think that maybe it would have been better just to stay in bed.

The Last Man Standing

So, then there was only one. Geert Jans had amassed a big stack early on and was one of the chip leaders around bubble time, but, of course, that's never a guarantee for a seat at the final table. On the sixth day, things were still looking good, when Jans got the big confrontation for which he had been waiting.

Just like his fellow Dutchman, he also got his money in good, when he got it all in on a queen-high flop with aces against "just" top pair. Only when the queen paired on the turn, and the river didn't deliver the much-needed ace, his main event was suddenly over, and the final Dutchman was eliminated from this year's WSOP.

The man who goes by the online screen name of "geert99" was of course extremely satisfied with his 62nd-place finish and the $115,800 that came with it, and rightfully so. With this performance, Jans became the fourth-best Dutch player in main-event history, after Marcel Lüske (14th in 2003, 10th in 2004), Eric van der Burg (27th in 2004), and Kosta Anastasyadis (37th in 2003), although it could have had a much happier ending.

So looking back, the Orange crew did a satisfying job in the main event, but unfortunately, the fall of the cards prevented one of our players reaching true greatness this year. At least it still leaves something to be desired, as the Dutch bracelet battle will continue next year, at the 40th renewal of the WSOP.

Peter Dalhuijsen is a professional poker player who writes for PokerCollege.nl.

Scandinavia

Not much has happened in the Nordic countries. Just as last month, the World Series of Poker will be dominating this column, due to most Scandinavians having temporarily migrated to the U.S. This is not to say that nothing is going on, though - there has been a robbery, and a Dane made the final table of the most important tournament in the world. Next month will also see more local tournaments, now that summer is almost over.

Cosmopol Faces Machine Guns

Two masked men stormed into Casino Cosmopol in central Stockholm, Sweden, on July 15. According to witnesses, the men were armed, possibly with machine guns, although police sources are yet to give out details about the case.

The robbers fled on motorcycles after receiving a large, but unknown, sum of money. Police roadblocks were established, with helicopters in the air and patrols trying to circle in on the suspects, but the perpetrators nonetheless remain unidentified and uncaught.

This is the first major robbery of a Swedish casino, of which there are four. After the robbery, Casino Cosmopol was closed down for the rest of the day, witnesses were heard, and affected staff members received counselling. At the time of writing, there was no additional news about the event, and it is unclear whether the police have any leads to work with.

Dave Makes November Nine

After Chris Moneymaker's breakthrough 2003 win in the main event of the WSOP, in which Olof Thorson (father of William Thorson) finished 16th, there has been a Swede or Dane at every main-event final table since.

Most people are likely to remember Mattias "The Screaming Swede" Andersson for his eighth-place finish in 2004, but Daniel Bergsdorf finished seventh the next year, and Erik Friberg repeated Andersson's achievement in 2006. After that, the Danes appear to have taken over, with Philip Hilm taking the ninth place last year, and Peter Eastgate reaching the final table last month. Of course, the final table is yet to be played and recorded, but Eastgate is fourth in chips and obviously has a very good chance of emerging victorious as the first-ever Scandinavian winner of the main event.

Inter-Nordic Rivalry

At the WSOP, 666 people finished honourably in the main-event money. Of these, an impressive 51 hailed from the Nordic countries, although Icelandic competitors failed to bring any cash home.

Norwegians arguably fared worst among the four other nations, with only seven cashes and a 241st-place finish for Sigurd Andreas Eskeland - obviously an achievement by Eskeland, but also not very good for Norway as a whole, although veteran Thor Hansen managed to squeeze in the money for the 41st time in a WSOP event. Finland, meanwhile, had Santeri Valikoski in 88th place, but with the same number of people in the money: seven.

The Danes, it must be said, performed the best of the Scandinavians this year - after all, Eastgate may still win the whole thing, and Gert Andersen had the second-best Nordic entry when he went out in 14th place. All in all, 15 Danes reached the money, with Gus Hansen being the most well-known of them.

Not wanting to be outdone by Thor Hansen, Chris Björin put another money finish on his résumé and brought his total number of money finishes to 43. Björin is currently 13th and Hansen 15th on the list of most cashes. Best of the Swedes, however, was Nicklas Flisberg, burning brightly until his flame was extinguished with 25 players left. A total of 22 Swedes made the money this year, outperforming the other countries and earning bragging rights until 2009.

Joel Hinz is a freelance poker journalist.