Weekly Poker News In Brief: Will Failla, Viktor Blom Win BigWeek Sees Big Tournament Wins and Massive Online Cash Game Sessions |
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Not everyone has the time to stay on top of all of the news that breaks daily in the poker world, but that doesn’t mean you have to be out of the loop entirely. Every week, Card Player will bring you everything you need to know to stay informed about your favorite events, players and industry happenings.
Here’s a look at this week’s poker news.
Will Failla Wins WPT Legends of Poker
Even with $2 million in career tournament earnings going into this week, long-time East Coast grinder Will “The Thrill” Failla was searching for his first World Poker Tour title. He found one at the Bicycle Casino early Wednesday morning, as he took down the $3,700 buy-in WPT Legends of Poker for a career-best $758,085.
Failla came to the six-handed final table of the 757-player event with the chip lead, but his stack quickly started to evaporate. It was during this period that Failla played arguably the hand of the tournament. Heads up against Jeff Vertes, Failla flopped trip queens to his opponents full house and managed to lose the minimum.
Isildur1 Has $1.4 Million Weekend
Viktor “Isildur1” Blom was in the midst of one of his infamous upswings this weekend, winning about $1.4 million in the span of 48 hours. True to his nature, Blom managed to drop about $500,000 of it back on Monday.
The Swedish cash game pro has put in some serious hours in at $100-$200 pot-limit Omaha, the highest stakes he has entertained on PokerStars. After the weekend was over Blom had managed to climb out of the red for the year and reach $1 million in profits, but sessions over the past 36 hours have seen his bankroll take another vicious turn.
German Wins European Poker Tour Barcelona
The European Poker Tour Barcelona almost got its first Spanish EPT champion, and on home soil too, but Anonymous proved too much of a final obstacle for Dragan Kostic as the German slayed the last of an 811-strong field in what was the biggest poker tournament ever held in Spain.
He earned himself 1,920 Card Player Player of the Year (POY) points on top of the trophy, the title, and the first prize of €850,000; this puts him in 57th place on the POY leader board, with good company such as Ben Wilinofsky, Matt Jarvis, and Rupert Elder, all with the same amount of points.
Shuffle Master Reports Record Quarterly Profits
On Wednesday, Las-Vegas based Shuffle Master, Inc., a global gaming supplier which produces automatic card shufflers, slot machines and other gaming devices, announced record quarterly profits.
The company’s total revenue increased year-over-year by 13 percent to $58.3 million. “We achieved record [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization] in the quarter through superior execution on three fronts: product innovation, continued commitment to grow recurring revenue, and disciplined expense management,” CEO Gavin Isaacs said in a press release.
Support for Washington D.C. Online Poker in Doubt
A group of Washington D.C. Council members announced on Wednesday their plans to take another look at the district’s $38 million lottery contract and intent to launch the nation’s first online poker system, according to The Washington Times.
The proposals were approved without public discussion in a budget bill this past December. While online poker remains a hotly debated issue, the crux of the investigation stems from “irregularities in the underlying lottery contract and the oversight activities of Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi.”
Full Tilt Poker Gives Reasons For Continuing Debt
Furious former Full Tilt Poker players will have some reading to do today as according to Forbes, the site has released a statement to answer why it has not yet paid back its players. The site blames various circumstances and scenarios for why it has not yet returned funds but also talks about its current search for outside investors and future hopes.
The statement reads, “As is obvious from the events that have transpired since April 15th, Full Tilt Poker was not prepared for the far-reaching, US government enforcement effort of Black Friday[…]"
888 Poker Revenue Up 22 Percent
888, the publicly-quoted online gaming operator, today announced its interim results for the first half of 2011.
Poker was up 22 percent to $24 million from £20 million in the same period last year. The company said poker had become its strongest performing product since it launched its new Poker 6 platform in 2010. Poker revenue jumped 58 percent between end April and June 2011.
Atlantic City Casinos Suffer Lost Revenue in Wake of Irene
Hurricane Irene, which struck the east coast this past weekend and forced the closing of 11 casinos in Atlantic City amidst mandatory evacuations, will cost the city’s gaming industry millions, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
All of the casinos were shut down by 8 p.m. Friday, and consequently suffered what is being dubbed as a “lost weekend.” For comparison, a three-day shutdown of the city’s brick-and-mortar operations in the summer of 2006 because of a state budget crisis cost the casinos about $50 million in expected revenue. The closings this past weekend mark only the third time in the city’s history that all casino doors were shut concurrently.
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