Archive for June, 2009

• Hellmuth Sr. and Jr. Closer by Betting

  Sunday, June 28th, 2009

  Fathers and sons do not always manage to see eye to eye, especially when the son drops out of University to become a full time poker player. Some stories end with the father and son never speaking again, but others, such as in the Hellmuth family end with an embrace and an improved relationship.

  Now a retired associate dean in the Wisonsin-Madison College of Arts and Letters, Phil Helmuth Sr. was very unhappy at his son’s decision to drop out of the University of Wisconsin and become a pro poker player. In 1989, the father and son made peace with an embrace when Hellmuth Jr. won the World Series of Poker’s Main Event. Hellmuth became a millionaire from his winnings at World Series events, and started his own publishing company in Las Vegas. Phil’s House Publishing recently released a new book called Deal Me In by Marvin Karlins and Stephen John. Deal Me In tells the stories of 20 of the top poker players.

  Hellmuth’s mother supported him more than his father felt able to when he began his poker career, and when Hellmuth’s parents saw his focus and dedication to becoming a poker pro, they began to give him more support than before. Hellmuth explained “So me being the oldest of five (children) and a guy, the amount of pressure he exerted on me was incredible.” He continued “I was supposed to set an example for all the other kids, and I went a different direction, and it was real tough on him and I for a couple of years.”

  Hellmuth had offered to take his father on a vacation anywhere he wanted to go, and his father chose to go to Las Vegas and watch Hellmuth play in the World Series in 1989. He could not talk his father out of making this his chosen trip, and eventually gave in although he had some misgivings about having family members watching him play. When Hellmuth Jr. won the Main Event, his father who had purposely stayed in the background ran forward and embraced his son.

  Deal Me In describes the moment when Hellmuth fully supported his son saying “Son, I was wrong. This poker thing is pretty cool and you are incredible at it.” Hellmuth Jr. had promised his dad that he would buy him a new car if he won the 1989 World Series, the first event at which his father came to watch him play. It is not everyday that a son buys his father a new Mercedes!

  Betting sites news | Comments Off

  Playboy TV to Feature Poker Show

  Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

  TV producer, Sam Simon, has announced plans to bring a new TV show to the Playboy channel. The new show will debut on Thursday night and promises to combine excellent poker action with a fun twist.

  The idea of the show, to be named Sam’s Game after the creator himself, was formulated after Simon had been told on numerous occasions that the private poker games he loves to hold are highly entertaining (“raucous” was the word used) and would make great show material.

  Ever the entrepreneur, Sam Simon decided to try out the idea after he was approached by Playboy TV with the idea, and Sam’s Game was born. “I’ve spent years in development to try get shows on the air,” said Simon. “When a network calls and says ‘We want to shoot this’, the answer is yes.”

  The show will be filmed at the Palms in Las Vegas and will be aired, as noted on Playboy TV.

  Simon will be the last one to admit that poker professionals will find pure and brilliant gaming during the show. He knows that the games may not always be the height of strategic genius, but he guarantees that viewers will be highly entertained and kept amused through raw comedy and lots of uncensored language to match the vibe.

  “The stakes aren’t the biggest and the players aren’t the best, but the game is definitely the funniest,” said Simon.

  Sam’s Show should attract a large number of poker players and champions. Already, the line up includes Artie Lange, former wife Jennifer Tilly, Norm MacDonald and former Playmate of the Year, Brande Roderick.

  Pros on the books include Phil Laak and Jennifer Leigh.

  Sam Simon is probably best known as being the former producer for the long time running, award winning and hugely popular ‘The Simpsons’. In his career on the show, Simon was responsible for creating many of the characters who make up the show.

  In addition, Simon has written for a large number of television shows, including Cheers, the Drew Carey Show, Taxi and the Tracey Ullman show.

  Simon’s love for the game of poker was strengthened during the time of his marriage to Canadian-American actress, Jennifer Tilly, who became a World Series of bracelet winner in 2005 in the Ladies’ No Limit Texas Hold ‘em event. She is now married to poker pro, Phil Laak.

  Betting sites news | Comments Off

  NY Authorities Move in on Bettors

  Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

  In a move that has been described as “very aggressive” by a specialist on gambling law, federal prosecutors for the state of New York have demanded that four US banks freeze payment owed to tens of thousands of online poker players.

  The problems started last weekend when echecks issued to players for their winnings by major sites such as Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars started to bounce. Messages on poker boards soon traced the reason to the Feds and it didn’t take long to put two and two together.

  The four banks – two smaller city banks, as well as Wells Fargo and Citybank, were told that they would need to freeze funds in the accounts of two groups that process payouts on behalf of the online poker rooms. All in all, it is believed that around 27,000 players will be affected by the freeze of the funds that total over $33 million.

  The State of New York has declined to confirm or deny that the banks were told to freeze the funds, according to the New York Times. However, a spokesperson for Citibank, Stephen Cohen, said that the group had, indeed, received a request and that it would most probably comply.

  Wells Fargo would only say that its policy was to comply with “valid instructions to seize funds” and would not elaborate on the course of action that the bank would take in this case.

  John Pappas, the Chairman of the Poker Players Association, confirmed that he had been told by the online poker groups involved that they would pay their players everything owing to them.

  An academic specialist in gambling law, Prof. I Nelson Rose, who is connected with the Whittier Law School in California, said that move was significant in the ongoing war between online poker rooms and the authorities. “It’s very aggressive,” he admitted, “and I think it’s a gamble on the part of the prosecutors.”

  Betting sites news | Comments Off

  Phil Ivey Wins Bracelet #6

  Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

  32 year old poker genius, Phil Ivey, has taken home his sixth bracelet after winning the $2,500 Deuce to Seven No Limit Lowball tournament at the World Series of Poker event that is in full swing in Las Vegas right now.

  Ivey beat a tough field of 147 to finally take on John Monnette. The heads up match was particularly long and time consuming, lasting over six hours, but Ivey finally proved his extraordinary talent for the game and took home the bracelet and $96,361 in prize money.

  “It was a grueling event,” admitted Ivey. “When we got heads-up, we played a long time heads-up. I did not expect it to last that long. I expected it to break either way. It was a tough final table. I don’t play that much Deuce, so I am pretty proud that I won a bracelet in this event since I had not won this game before. It really means a lot. Every time you win a bracelet, especially now, it is a major accomplishment.”

  What is even more of an accomplishment is that Ivey agreed to talk at all about his victory. This player is possibly one of the most reclusive, camera shy pros out there and hardly gives interviews at all.

  Once when asked why, Ivey said: “I just like to keep to myself and do my own thing. I like to be my own person. If I can make money off it, that’s great. If not, then I can always play poker. There’s always someone around where I can make a bet or two.”

  Many years ago, Ivey said that he believed he could win 30 gold bracelets by the time he turned retired from the game. Despite the fact that this player still has 80% to go to fulfill his dream, his performance at the Deuce to Seven No Limit Lowball event showed that he certainly has the talent and stamina to get where he wants.

  Betting sites news | Comments Off

  Parker Spins Magic at WSOP

  Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

  Online poker pro, Brock Parker, has shown just how diverse his talents are by grabbing two bracelets at the World Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas. Parker, a 27 year old online legend, took home his second bracelet of the tournament after only a fortnight of play. He has proved without a doubt that six hand play is definitely his forte!

  Parker’s first bracelet came after he won Event #14 – the $2,500 Six Handed Limit Hold ‘em tournament. He then emerged the victor out of field of over 1000 players to take down the title in Event #19, the $2,500 Six Handed No Limit Hold ‘em event.

  What makes Parker stand out from other players is the fact that he didn’t actually start off a poker fan. His main love was for online Magic and his cross over from the Magic fields to the world of poker actually influenced a number of other pros that we are familiar with today, including David Williams and Eric Froelich.

  In a recent interview, Froelich explained how Parker’s ‘magic’ rubbed off on him. “We all played Magic together,” he said. “But Brock was the good poker player. We watched him play and he made all this money and it looked like fun, so we got into it also. I think a lot of Magic players who first got into poker came to it because of Brock. He was part of the Magic scene and he is responsible for many of us becoming poker players.”

  “But don’t let all the Magic talk fool you,” quipped Froelich. “Parker is an excellent poker player as well!”

  Parker’s natural instinct for six handed games comes from the fact that he finds them particularly challenging compared to other games. “I like to play more hands,” he said. “Playing nine handed is pretty boring. I guess six handed gets me motivated because I get to play in a lot of pots.”

  The bearded Parker started playing poker in 1998 and has earned himself over $1 million in his career. His 2009 POY rank is currently 14th, a definite improvement from his 2008 rank of 874th.

  Betting sites news | Comments Off