A Picture is Worth $100,000?

The $100k Challenge began at the Crown Casino today and, as expected, it brought a handful of the best poker players in the marked cards world.
Although the 22 entrants fell well short of the 38 players who signed up last year it will still pay four places with $2 million for first, $616,000 for second, $330,000 for third and $242,000 for fourth (all in $AUD of course).
The 22 included Joe Hachem, Daniel Negreanu, Daniel Alaei, Jonathan Karamalikis, Dan Smith, Mikhail Smirnov, Phil Ivey, Tony Bloom, Masa Kagawa, Jason Mercier, Sorel Mizzi, Gus Hansen, Tony G, Sam Trickett, Erik Seidel, Nam Le, JC Tran, Dan Cates, Tobias Reinkemeier, Tom Dwan, Dan Shak and Mike Watson.
We’re currently mid-way through the third level and eight players have already been relieved of their $100k including Mike Watson, Dan Shak, Tom Dwan, Masa Kagawa, Tony Bloom, Daniel Alaei, Daniel Negreanu and local Jonathan Karamalikis.
Of course the biggest story of this two-day event might be the appearance of poker legend Phil Ivey marked cards lenses.
Outside of a trip to Macau, Ivey has been absent from major tournaments since the events of Black Friday so it came as a minor shock when rumors began to swirl that he would make the trip to Australia.
Indeed the former Team Full Tilt Pro showed up an hour late, much to the delight of Daniel Negreanu and various railbirds.
Negreanu and Ivey reminisced at the poker table and swapped new phone numbers.
It appears that Ivey hasn’t lost his edge as he’s been giving his opponents fits all day and at the end of Level 3 he was third in chips with 236,000.
Here’s a collection of photos we’ve taken throughout the day of the massive event:

Weekly WSOP Qualifier Guide - May 2, 2011

The 2011 WSOP is looming and, like every year, there are countless ways to qualify.
From now until the 2011 WSOP Main Event, PokerListing.com will be highlighting some of the best options available through our online poker partners.
We’ll give you an in-depth look at all the various satellites including steps programs, multiple seat guaranteed tournaments and Sit & Gos.
This week we’re going to analyze some of the best WSOP satellites offered by Titan Poker, bwin Poker marked cards and PartyPoker.

Titan Poker

Titan Poker is making one its biggest WSOP pushes ever with countless ways to get to Las Vegas for all the action this summer. Titan Poker offers $13k WSOP Main Event packages with seven nights accommodation at the five-star Wynn Hotel. To sign up go to our Titan Poker review.
Main Event Satellite Structure A
This structure culminates with a massive $535 WSOP Freezeout satellite that takes place every Sunday at 22:00 (GMT+1). The winner receives a WSOP package worth $13,000 that includes Main Event seat, flight and accommodations.

That's the one right there!

There are numerous feeders into the satellite final with Freezeouts, Rebuy and Add-on and Sit & Gos available. The various buy-ins include $11, $33, $53, $66, $88 and $106.
Main Event Satellite Structure B
The Titan Poker Main Event satellite B structure finishes with a $215 buy-in Rebuy and Add-on tournament that takes place every Tuesday.
Once again every winner will receive a WSOP package worth $13,000 that includes your seat, flight and hotel accommodations.
There are a variety of ways to qualify for the final satellite with MTTs, Sit & Goes and rebuy events all represented. Buy-in levels include $8.80, $11, $13.20, $22, $23.50, $27.50, $47 and $112.50.
WSOP Jackpot SNG Executive Package
This year Titan Poker is offering an impressive $25,000 WSOP package to players that win six consecutive WSOP Executive Jackpot Sit & Goes. Each Sit & Go costs only $12 to buy into.
The $25k WSOP package includes not only the $10k Main Event buy-in but also a side event (Event 56) and 13 days accommodations at the Wynn in Las Vegas. In addition Titan Poker will provide $7k for flights and spending money.
The executive package is one of the best WSOP packages you can qualify for.
Side Event Qualifying Schedule
Titan Poker is offering numerous satellites to side events this year and even the prestigious $10k Pot-Limit Omaha championship. Qualifiers start at just $2.75 and run daily, weekly and monthly. Check the lobby for more information.
Click here to sign up for Titan Poker to get access to all these WSOP satellites.

bwin Poker

World-class online room bwin Poker is upping the number of satellites on tap this year with a little something for everyone. This year bwin Poker is offering $15k WSOP Main Event packages with accommodations at the exclusive Venetian Palazzo. Side event players are also in luck with numerous $3,600 packages to the $1,000 buy-in Event 54.

There are all sorts of good things juice cards at the WSOP.

Main Event Qualifying
bwin Poker’s Main Event satellite’s start at just $2.20 but it all feeds into the $15k Main Event finals, which run every Sunday. If you’d rather just avoid the qualifying part altogether you can just buy-in for a straight $320.
Side Event Qualifying
Similar to the Main Event satellites, the qualifiers start at just $2.20 and lead all the way up to a $320 final that runs every Tuesday and Thursday. The difference is that there will be more packages to win.
Main Event Freerolls
bwin Poker is one of the few sites that is straight up giving away seats to the 2011 WSOP. New players receive 10 tickets to weekly freerolls that take place every Saturday.
Click here to sign up for bwin to get access to all their WSOP satellites.

PartyPoker

Online poker giant PartyPoker is always one of the premiere destinations to qualify for the WSOP and this year is no exception. Whether you prefer multi-table tournaments or Sit & Goes, PartyPoker has you covered. The site also offers $14k Main Event packages that include accommodations and spending cash.
Daily Feeders
PartyPoker offers daily WSOP qualifiers at the $2, $4, $9 and $75 buy-in levels. The tournaments essentially act as progressive steps and if you win one, you qualify for the next level of satellite. Finally in the $75 qualifier, every 1 in 10 players gains entrance to the daily final.
Daily Final
PartyPoker offers a $750 buy-in WSOP satellite every day at 15:20 ET. It’s incredibly simple: 1 in 20 players in the tournament field gets a $14,000 package to the 2011 WSOP Main Event.
Freerolls
PartyPoker is offering several freeroll options but the best is one designed for new players. The top 10 players in each new depositor WSOP freeroll will receive entrance to the next WSOP satellite. The next one takes place May 28.
Click here to sign up for PartyPoker to get access to all their WSOP satellites.

PokerListings Satellite of the Week

bwin Poker $11 Face Off
On May 6, bwin Poker is running another edition of its ridiculously value-packed $10 Face Off tournament. There are no complicated sub-qualifiers here and if you manage to finish in the top five you will receive either a 2011 WSOP Main Event package or a 2011 WSOP side event package. In other words: You win and you’re going to Las Vegas.
To keep track of all the best WSOP satellites look at our WSOP How to Qualify page.

Another Close Call – Courtney Gee Poker Update

I am so happy to be back in Vancouver! Vegas is fun, but it’s way too hot and loses its appeal after a few days. Plus I really started to miss online poker!
I didn’t post last week because I didn’t play marked cards much poker during my first week back, but I was able to get some decent volume in the week after. Here are the numbers since being back from Vegas:
# MTTs: 228
Average buy-in: $33.03
Hours: 49.25
Net result: +$1,863.53
I was actually down quite a bit the first five sessions back, losing >$4k over 186 games. Part of it was definitely being rusty since I hadn’t played online for a few weeks. Most of it was standard MTT bad variance.
Another portion of my losses was due to the fact I experimented a bit with some hands preflop, and it got me into some unfamiliar situations post flop. I definitely spewed a couple stacks and lit some money on fire doing that! (I don’t regret it though)
This past Sunday got me into the profit zone. I chopped the $22 500 cap 6-max tournament heads-up for ~$1.7k and then I placed 7^th in the Bigger $55 for a bit over $5k.
I was really disappointed that I didn’t do better in the Bigger $55 because the final table was one of the softest I’ve ever played. A large percentage of the table had NO idea what they were doing! It was incredible.
Unfortunately I had a short stack going into the final table thanks to shoving into AA on the final table bubble, so I wasn’t able to take advantage of the weak players. I picked my spots well and gave myself a great chance, but in the end I lost two flips and busted earlier than I would have liked.
Tournaments are strange because you’re almost always disappointed with the result if you don’t finish 1^st. I busted that tourney in 7^th place for $5k and felt terrible about it because 1^st place was ~$30k.
On the other hand, if I had won the same amount but had taken 1^st place in a different tourney instead, I would have been very happy. In fact, I felt much happier about my 1^st place finish in the 6-max than I did about the Bigger $55 despite the fact I won over $3k more in the Bigger $55. Isn’t that ridiculous?
Now that I’ve gotten my sleep schedule back to normal, I’m ready to work hard and actually put some volume in (for the first time this year). I’m slowly improving my multi-tabling skills, so I should have no problem getting in a few thousand more tourneys before the end of the year.
This week is a really busy one but I’m going to try very hard to play four days. Hopefully I’ll be back next week to report some good results!

Biggest Unanswered Questions in Full Tilt Poker Revival

It’s barely been a day since the announcement of PokerStars.com’s acquisition of Full Tilt Poker and although things are beginning to take shape, a number of important questions remain unanswered.
In this running Q&A compendium we’ll keep track of the situation as it develops to keep you on the cutting edge.
Over the next three months hundreds of millions of dollars will be returned to players, and Full Tilt Poker will be up and running for the first time in more than a year.
Keep reading to stay up to date on this breaking story and post your own questions in the comments section below marked cards.
Will players get 100 percent of their Full Tilt Poker money and when will it be available?
Everything being said now indicates that players will get 100 per cent of their Full Tilt player balances back but things are more clear for non-US players than Americans.
PokerStars has made it clear that they will have Full Tilt Poker up and running within 90 days of their formal acquisition of FTP (which will happen by August 8, 2012), at which point all non-US players will have access to their accounts to play poker and withdraw their money.
US players will have to file a remission form with the Department of Justice to recover their money. We expect more information about this process to become available soon.
What criteria are used to make the distinction between “US players” and “Non-US players”?
PokerStars is categorizing players as either “US players” or “Non-US" players based on the approved location of their Full Tilt Poker account on June 29, 2011.
Non-US players will have access to their accounts as soon as Full Tilt Poker is up and running.
US players will not have access to their accounts until PokerStars/FTP has successfully integrated itself into future regulation in the US.
PokerStars has also said they are working on a mechanism whereby US players can check their account balances, since they won't be able to log into their accounts.
US players who have moved out of the US since Black Friday will be able to play on Full Tilt but PokerStars has said they are still working out a mechanism to make this possible.
Will PokerStars go after the phantom deposits?
It’s come to light that in the months leading up to Black Friday that Full Tilt Poker was crediting player accounts with funds but not actually withdrawing the money from players' bank accounts.
The phantom deposits are estimated to account for $130 million of the roughly $334 million owed to players.
Records of the deposits that were never withdrawn from player bank accounts almost certainly exist, and in the agreement between PokerStars and the DOJ it expressly states that PokerStars will gain the rights to:

• Accounts receivable or monies owed on date of forfeiture or later
• All gaming data and history relating to the business, computer records, database, operating reports, and any reconciliation files
• All present and potential claims against any third party

While PokerStars may have the ability to go after those funds, the logistics of actually recovering the money could prove too complicated.
What will happen with other outstanding debts to Full Tilt Poker, such as the money owed by Barry Greenstein, Phil Ivey and a number of other former FTP pros?
In the aftermath of Black Friday it became known that a number of pro poker players owed Full Tilt Poker money for previous loans from the site.
That list includes Barry Greenstein, Erick Lindgren and Phil Ivey, among others.
In the settlement order between PokerStars and the DOJ we found the following line:

Pokerstars company gains the following asset:

Debt of professional poker marked cards contactlenses players for repayment of loans previously granted to them as listed in the Excel Workbook entitled "Pro Loans revised - 19th Jul with Ray comments" provided by the Full tilt Group or their representatives to the PokerStars Group's representatives.

Barry Greenstein has already announced via Two Plus Two that he will be settling his debt directly with PokerStars. It is likely PokerStars will go after other debts as well.
What will happen to the remaining indictments against the group of individuals including Isai Scheinberg?
Although PokerStars has settled with the Department of Justice, there are still a number of outstanding indictments against individuals involved in running PokerStars, FTP and UB/AP.
Eleven individuals were originally charged, three of whom remain at large. Isai Scheinberg and Paul Tate of PokerStars and Scott Tom of Absolute Poker have yet to turn themselves over to US authorities.
These indictments remain unresolved but Isai Scheinberg has been barred from managing PokerStars or Full Tilt Poker until his dispute with the DOJ is concluded.
A number of those charged have already pled guilty and been sentenced.
Payment processor Ira Rubin received three years in jail and paid $5 million while Absolute Poker’s Brent Beckley received 14 months.
Full Tilt CEO Ray Bitar surrendered to US authorities at the beginning of July and Nelson Burtnick, former head of payment processing for Full TIlt, surrendered at the Newark airport July 31 after flying in from Ireland.
Both are still to be sentenced.
Will the DOJ go after the money paid out to FTP owners while the company was insolvent?
In the months leading up to Black Friday shareholders of Full Tilt Poker were still receiving full distributions totaling in the tens of millions of dollars while the company was, for all intents and purposes, insolvent.
If the Department of Justice decides that those funds were generated by illegal activities, they would have ample grounds to go after it.
Last year hedge fund manager Dan Shak told us that in these cases, it’s usually best for owners to come forward and work with the DOJ, as opposed to trying to take an adversarial approach.
However, out of the entire group of FTP shareholders the DOJ has only named Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson in the official charges.
How will PokerStars brand the new Full Tilt Poker? Will they re-hire any players who previously endorsed FTP?
Judging from the 90-fay timeline and everything PokerStars has said about re-launching Full Tilt Poker it sounds like the site will be back online exactly how it was when it went off-line last summer.
PokerStars has said nothing so far about re-branding the site or re-hiring previously sponsored players.
What will the rakeback/rewards system be for new site and will previous Full Tilt Poker rewards points be honored?
Lee Jones has announced that PokerStars is still deciding what to do about previous FTP rewards points but that they are determined to arrive at a fair and equitable solution.
Nothing has been said about what rewards program the new Full Tilt Poker will adopt but many in the poker world are hoping it’s similar to the 27 percent rakeback the site has traditionally used.
Will Stars/FTP be successful in getting back into the US market after regulation
This is certainly one of the most important questions, and one of the most uncertain.
Americans can’t play online poker anywhere and regulation is still having a hard time gaining momentum. And even when online poker becomes regulated, there’s no guarantee that PokerStars or Full Tilt will successfully gain inclusion.
The settlement with the DOJ only says they may apply for a license once a regulatory framework is in place. It doesn’t guarantee that a license will be granted.

Marked cards in the deck

The other day I sat down into a game and the first hand I get is AQ. But what I notice is that both cards have finger nail marks dented in the middle of the card. Where someone would have either accidentally or purposely bent the card when looking at them. I immediately after I folded the hand asked for two new cards. But I ask you this, was that the correct thing to do? Or should I have just sat back and remembered that the A and Q were marked? I have very good eyes and could have seen the mark on at least half the table so it would have been used to my advantage. However here are the reasons for not doing that. First and most important, poker is tough enough to play why do you want to confuse yourself with new variables that you are not use to dealing with. Also if you get these cards someone else will have the same advantage against you. The problem is you wont know if they know your cards. This adds another unknown variable to the game. For moral reasons its not fair, and although not really cheating because you didn’t mark the card--marked cards, yourself it is trying to use an unfair advantage. I have also found that as I focus on that I don’t focus on other things going on at the table, sometimes I even get the wrong information. As I sat around and played a little longer I noticed that lots of the cards were marked. The place I was playing at the time replaces one card at a time so I didn’t want to slow down the game with one card at a time. Instead I waited until I knew 4 cards and asked for a deck change because so many cards were marked. Which they were then happy to do. Another reason I didn’t want to slow down the game is because the fish in the game had just won a bunch of money and was getting ready to leave. I knew if I stopped the game he would pick up and go. Which was the result of the deck change unfortunately. The card grader then came back to me and told me that 14 cards in the 2 decks had been marked. Not all big cards so it was most likely some idiot who didn’t know how to look at their cards, and not a cheater--card cheating.
The point of this is that if I were trying to use the nail marks to my advantage there would have been no way of knowing which cards were which. Instead of relying on what I am good at ( poker reads ), It always amazes me at how much work it is to cheat. You have to be really good at it to make it work and at any time you could get banned for life. If you put all the same energy into playing well you would be much better off. The only real reason to cheat is if you really want that rush of trying to get away with something. But you can just rob a bank if you want something like that.

So what I do and also my point is, always take out the marked cards no matter how small they are. Don’t worry if other people get mad because its such a small mark. I have even been made fun of by dealers that say you cant see that from far away, I just say would they play blackjack with that card? Obviously the answer is NO. So Us poker players deserve the same perfect condition cards as everyone else. 

Poker collection in the World(2)

       France's first poker Museum in December 17, 1999 officially opened . This National Museum is located in the south of Paris on the Seine Province city of Issy-les- Lino , collection is very rich. In the 8500 collection , there are 5000 cards, 800 engraved version , drawings and advertising , as well as more than a thousand pieces and poker -related items . One of the most valuable collections are a Tarot cards - " Ferrari car ." Solitaire is a piece of the works of the fifteenth century , gouache encrusted decoration above , is 67 years ago , at a public auction to the high price of 750,000 francs purchased . Other treasures include: 16th-century Paris, a painting manufacturing the best version of a 17th-century layout tables, a luxurious creation in 1967, the only existing copies , and two in 1919 produced four sets of printed poker ballet costumes card. The museum will be 17th-century palace architecture and modern architectural styles blend. It cost 59 million francs , of which 42% funding by the state , the rest by the local governments themselves.
 
        In China , the collection of poker history , relatively speaking though not long, but there are decades of history, in the Republican period , someone started collecting poker , and now has several generations of people. Chinese poker collectors are mainly concentrated in Shanghai , Beijing and other cities . In Shanghai , there are a lot of people over one thousand favorites , few people reached the ten thousand or more, there are people held poker exhibitions.

Poker collection in the World(1)

       In Europe and the United States , collecting poker has a very long history in the 15th century already have a collection records of poker. Favorite poker, no matter what private collections or public collections, which are very considerable. There are quite a few museums take poker screen as a part of the art collection of paintings collection. Yale University has a collection of more than 3,000 sub- cards, uncut sheets as well as playing cards printed by wooden plates, these collections was originally collected by the late Bert and Mary Meyer • Carry, they bequeathed to Yale in 1967 after died. The United States has the "Chicago Poker Collectors Association " and other poker collectors associations. Some members collect cards, while others only collect poker's reverse side. Mr. Horsman Collected poker more than 3000 kinds in America also published a set of " American poker encyclopedia."
 

      In 1984, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States built a solitaire museum. This is America, the company donated to the city's Art Museum poker gifts ; complete collection of ten thousand and seventy thousand insufficiency solitaire solitaire. It is said that this is the world's largest collection of poker. Morgan Museum in New York in possession of a small amount of the oldest and most valuable cards.