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Poker Industry PRO: Kindred Group, Microgaming Make Commitment To Equality with “All-in Diversity Project” Partnership

Project aims to help build diversity and inclusion in the betting and igaming sector.

The Kindred Group and Microgaming have both partnered with the All-In Diversity Project to help create a level playing field in terms of equality, diversity and inclusion throughout the igaming industry and beyond, the pair announced this week.

The All-In Diversity Project aims to “shift the paradigm for inclusion through transparency, measurability and actionable tactics” and has backing from other leading gambling companies including Paddypower Betfair, IGT and Caesars.

Read the full article on pokerfuse →

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Poker Industry PRO: Poker Central Reveals New Las Vegas Studio to Expand its Poker and eSports Coverage

Based in the Aria Resort & Casino, the new set will be the home to all new poker and esports events.

Poker Central in partnership with gaming content creator ESP Gaming has announced the launch of their new 10,000 square-foot studio in the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Productions in the new studio will include all subscription-based PokerGO shows such as the Super High Roller Bowl, Poker Masters, US Poker Open, Poker After Dark and Vainglory Premier League.

Read the full article on pokerfuse →

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Clyde Vanel Is Giving New Hope To NY Online Poker In 2018

Just when it seemed like NY online poker was drawing slim on success in 2018, a new potential hero swooped in. Just days after the New York legislature passed a budget which included no online poker, a new Assemblyman has our hopes up about iPoker this year.

Meet Assemblyman Clyde Vanel

When it comes to online poker the issue has never been the state Senate. Thanks to ardent online poker champion Sen. John Bonacic, online poker bills sail through the Senate year after year with near-unanimous support.

The issue is in the Assembly. In 2017, things started to look more positive for online poker advocates. Assemblymember J. Gary Pretlow finally threw his support behind the bill. This was particularly important, as Pretlow chairs the Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee.

After being on the fence about online poker for several years, he came out championing the endeavor in 2017. Unfortunately, Pretlow claimed there was not enough support in the Assembly to call the bill up for a vote. After the bill ran out of momentum, Pretlow started to become wishy-washy when it came to iPoker.

Poker supporters in New York know that Pretlow is an important piece of the puzzle. However, they also know he is not the fighter for the cause that Bonacic is.

Enter Assemblyman Clyde Vanel.

Vanel fought hard to get online poker in the budget this year. He even managed to get 60 Democrats in the Assembly to support its inclusion. While that ultimately was not enough for the budget, Vanel hopes to spin that momentum into an Assembly bill supporting online poker. That support has Vanel optimistic about poker’s odds. He elaborated to Online Poker Report:

“Chairman Pretlow is a great champion for it, and now he has the partners to bring it through,” Vanel said. “The next few weeks will show some traction for the bill. With enough co-sponsors, I like it to get out of committee and onto the floor. I think we have a good shot of getting it through this year.”

Pretlow’s committee is an important part of passing an online poker bill. The committee Vanel chairs plays a role as well though. He is at the helm of the Subcommittee on Internet and New Technology.

“I want New York to be in a position where we’re leading the country in internet and new technology,” Vanel said. “This is an area where we can improve. We have poker in New York but we’re not allowing it online. Folks can’t articulate why.”

So what is next for online poker?

Vanel is enthusiastic, sure, but do not expect a bill to pop up overnight. Per his discussion with Online Poker Report, he estimates it will be June before a bill hits the Assembly floor.

So what do you do in the meantime?

The answer is definitely not nothing. Vanel even specifically called for the suppot of constituents in order to make online poker a reality in the Empire State. Here is what he said in his recent interview:

“We need pressure from the outside, too. There has to be momentum and push on the inside and outside. We need to show that there’s voices out there other than people opposed to wagering, and they are respectable poker players who we are depriving opportunities.”

If you recall, last year’s efforts fell apart from an alleged lack of support for the bill. Rather than let that happen again, New Yorkers need to reach out to their local lawmakers and let them know this is something they very much want.

This may sound daunting, but it is easier than you think.

Our advocacy page only needs a few pieces of information. With those, we can provide you info on who your local representative and how to contact them. We also have social media details so you can @ mention them in your posts and let them know that the state is ready to #playNY.

The post Clyde Vanel Is Giving New Hope To NY Online Poker In 2018 appeared first on Play NY.

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NJ Online Gaming Scoop: Cash Game And Tournament Traffic For April 9

According to data collected from PokerScout.com on April 9, New Jersey online poker cash game traffic declined for the second week in a row, while tournament traffic in the state remained flat.

Both average cash game traffic and peak cash game traffic posted a decline at 4.5 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively. The busiest night of the week was Monday for the second week in a row with 666 players showing up to play poker.

Tournament entries remained flat at 578 entries spread among the three most significant tournaments of the weekend. All three of the major operators (Pala Poker data was unavailable), entered overlay territory, with PokerStars contributing  $7,242 to the player prize pool to meet its $45,000 guarantee – the largest overlay of the group.

New Jersey traffic highlights for the week ending April 8

  • PokerStars was the only operator to post a decline in both cash game traffic (10.4 percent) and tournament entries (11 percent) last week after being the only operator to post a positive number the week prior.  Look for PokerStars to rebound as NJSCOOP gets underway on Saturday.
  • partypoker posted a 12.6 percent increase in cash game traffic, the largest of the big three. It had the smallest decline in tournament entries at 2 percent. Even so, it still contributed a significant $3,400 to the player prize pool.
  • WSOP/888 was the best performing network for tournament entries, posting a 17 percent increase over last week’s number. It added $1,600 to the prize pool, the smallest overlay of the week. WSOP/888 fell into negative territory in average cash game traffic, seating 4.4 percent few players on average. The Spring Show Me Series is on the calendar for WSOP.com beginning Sunday. It is likely to have little impact on their overall numbers for next week, though.

With that said, let’s take a detailed look back at the cash game and tournament trends in the New Jersey online poker market for the week ending April 8, 2018.

New Jersey’s online poker operators

New Jersey has seven online poker sites operating on four separate networks.

During the week of April 2 – 8, 2018, New Jersey online poker sites averaged 240 cash game players, a decrease of 4.5 percent from the previous week’s number of 252.

Peak traffic numbers came in at 612 players, a decrease of 1.6 percent from the previous week’s figure of 622.

For the second week in a row, the busiest day of the week fell on Monday with the peak number of players reaching 666. That was a significant decline over last week’s number of 700.

Here’s how those players are distributed across the four online poker networks.

Borgata-MGM-partypoker

partypoker bounced back from a 7.1 percent decrease in cash game traffic last week to a 12 percent increase this week. The seven-day rolling peak traffic average for partypoker was 184 cash game players compared to the previous week’s number of 164.

WSOP-888

The seven-day rolling peak traffic average for WSOP/888 was 183 cash game players compared to last week’s number of 191. While its 4.4 percent decrease in traffic is not as severe as last week’s decline of 21.8 percent, this is not a good look for WSOP/888 as they prepare for a busy summer at the WSOP.

PokerStars NJ

PokerStars posted the only increase in traffic last week. It wasn’t so lucky when this week ended, showing a 10.4 percent decrease. The seven-day rolling peak traffic average for PokerStars was 232 cash game players compared to the 259 players that the site averaged last week.

Pala Poker

  • Platform provider: Pala
  • Sites in the network:  PalaPoker.com

The seven-day rolling peak traffic average for Pala Poker was 13 cash game players, which is a 57.9 percent increase compared to last week’s traffic number of 8 players. And while the traffic numbers are low compared to the other operators, this is the most significant increase Pala Poker has posted in months.

Evaluating cash game traffic trends

It’s the second week of declining traffic for New Jersey’s online poker cash games. That is not good news for an industry that typically sees a nice bump in April. There is hope on the horizon, however, with the speculation that combining player pools with Nevada is imminent.

A lack of a signature tournament series typically affects cash game traffic and this week was no different. Thankfully, that is about to change. NJSCOOP gets underway on Saturday, April 14 on PokerStars. Additionally, the Show Me Series begins on WSOP.com on Sunday, April 15.

 

It’s hard to know if the Show Me Series will have much of an impact. The buy-ins are small, and historically, players seem to turn out for the bigger buy-in events which will be found on PokerStars.

In the end, players will be looking for NJSCOOP, and the WSOP Show Me Series to move traffic numbers into positive territory for the next few weeks.

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Tournament Report: A look at the Sunday Majors

All New Jersey operators were on their regular Sunday schedule this week.

The major tournaments this week were:

  • The Borgata/partypoker/MGM online poker network hosted the $215 Sunday $40,000 guaranteed.
  • The WSOP.com and 888 network hosted the $215 Ultimate Warrior $40,000 guaranteed tournament, also with a $215 buy-in.
  • PokerStars NJ hosted the Sunday Special, a $200 buy-in with a guaranteed prize pool of $45,000.
  • Pala Poker usually hosts the $1,000 Guaranteed Pala Mega Rebuy with a buy-in of $30. The data for this tournament wasn’t available at the time the data for tournament play was collected.

Major tournament results for April 8, 2018

There were 578 tournament entries this week, the same number the three most prominent tournaments posted last week.

The distribution of those entries shifted quite a bit, with WSOP/888 the only platform to post an increase. It recovered from the 15 percent decline last week to post a 17 percent increase in entries this week.

Both PokerStars and partypoker posted a decline in entries, 11 percent and two percent respectively. Once again, we were unable to access Pala Poker’s tournament data for Sunday.

Even though WSOP/888 posted a decent increase in tournament entries, it wasn’t quite big enough to avoid an overlay. The site contributed $1,600 to the prize pool to meet its $40,000 guarantee.

PokerStars added $7,242 to the player prize pool, the most considerable amount of the major sites and more than double partypoker’s contribution of $3,400.

Expect numbers to rebound and land in positive territory for the next few weeks thanks to two tournament series on the calendar.

PokerStars is hosting the extremely popular NJSCOOP beginning on Saturday, April 14. WSOP.com is hosting the Show Me Series beginning on Sunday, April 15.

The Show Me Series will not be directly reflected in next week’s numbers because the buy-ins are small. Even so, WSOP/888 is hoping the series will draw players into the Ultimate Warrior tournament and its cash games.

And with that, here’s a look at the total number of entries for the largest tournament held on each of the three main online poker networks in New Jersey:

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William Hill Has Some Betting Propositions For The NFL Draft

In 2017, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) made it legal for Nevada sportsbooks to offer prop bets on the NFL Draft. The new betting initiative is been popular offshore. However, it got off to a relatively slow start in Nevada. Perhaps the slow start was in part because there were only 17 NFL Draft propositions available last year.

Football is king in the betting world so it’s no surprise to see NFL Draft betting return. The slow start for NFL Draft proposition bets in Nevada hasn’t scared sportsbook operators from offering the NFL Draft prop bets in 2018. William Hill was one of the first to offer NFL Draft wagering opportunities in 2017 and are the first to open wagering on the 2018 NFL Draft.

This year the NGCB is allowing Nevada sportsbook operators to offer even more NFL Draft prop bets. There are more nearly twice as many NFL Draft bets available in Nevada this year.

William Hill is offering 31 different prop bets on the draft at their 108 sportsbooks around Nevada and on their mobile sports wagering app.

Unlike offshore sportsbooks, NGCB regulations have very strict rules for wagering on the NFL Draft. These wagers may only be bet until the end of the business day on April 25. That’s two full days before the draft. That decreases the potential for funny business. To avoid any confusion the only official source of results is NFL.com.

Types of NFL Draft prop bets in Nevada

There are essentially two types of bets available for the NFL Draft in Nevada this year. There are prop betting opportunities for schools and positions as well as player matchups. Most of the NFL Draft prop bets available are the number of players selected.

Number of Alabama Players Selected in the First Round
Over 4 -110
Under 4 -110

Quarterbacks Drafted in the First Round
Over 5 – 120
Under 5 +100

This year NGCB is allowing specific NFL Draft player propositions. William Hill is offering a few different options, including the following.

Draft Position Matchup
Josh Rosen -1.5 -160
Sam Darnold +140

Player To Be Drafted First
Sony Michel +110
Nick Chubb -130

Betting odds are subject to change as money is wagered. Don’t be surprised to see different odds available on the William Hill sports wagering app or at one of their sportsbooks.

Sports betting regulation and expansion key for Nevada

Sports betting is heavily regulated by NGCB, so there aren’t as many opportunities available at brick and mortar casinos as there are offshore. Additionally, not all sportsbook operators offer NFL Draft betting opportunities. To date, William Hill has been the most aggressive sportsbook to offer NFL Draft bets.

NGCB may be behind the offshore sportsbook operators, but they’re slowly catching up. They’ve added 30 non-traditional prop wagering opportunities in various sports since the beginning of 2016. For reference, they only added 14 new wagering opportunities between 2011 and 2015.

Expect to see more unique sports wagering opportunities ahead for Nevada. Prop bets and in-play wagering have already helped increase betting handle in Nevada. Mobile wagering makes it much easier for sportsbook operators to implement new options. Additionally, Nevada will want to stay ahead of the competition. In addition to offshore sportsbooks, the potential legalization of sports betting in other states in the United States will increase competition for sports betting dollars.

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Heartland Poker Tour Comes Under Fire For “Guarantee” And Half-Priced Entries

To say things went off the rails for the Heartland Poker Tour during its latest stop in Las Vegas, Nevada would be an understatement.

Things began to go haywire before the series even started at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, and the series was a public relations disaster for the mid-major poker tour and the Westgate throughout.

You keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means

When is a tournament guarantee not a guarantee? When it comes with a lot of fine print.

For several years, some poker tournaments have been using the word guarantee, when what they really mean is an estimated prize pool. If you read the fine print of some events with prize-pool guarantees you’ll discover that it’s not a guarantee, but simply based on attendance estimate.

To be fair, the HPT does have legitimate guarantees, but there is a minimum threshold that needs to be crossed before they kick in.

According to the HPT website for the Westgate series:

“Guarantee will not be offered for Event #1 with less than 250 entries; #3 – 60 entries; #4 – 60 entries; #5 – 60 entries; #6 – 40 entries; #7 – 300 entries.”

Basically, the HPT was willing to slap a $500,000 guarantee on its $1,650 Main Event ($1,440 + $210), but only if the event reaches 300 entries, which would put the HPT on the hook for up to $68,000 in overlay.

But as some tournament structure watchers have pointed out, for HPT events the rake is removed before the overlay is calculated. So, in the event of an overlay, the minimum rake they would collect is $63,000, while at the same time paying out a $68,000 overlay: worst case scenario, the tournament loses $5,000.

But the loose use of the word guarantee (I don’t have much of an issue with it) was just the beginning of the HPT’s Westgate problems.

Westgate-Gate

With the registration period coming to a close the worst case scenario was unfolding, and the HPT and Westgate would be on the hook for close to the full overlay.

And that’s when this happened:

Essentially, with the tournament on the hook for $68,000, they decided to pay half of the entry-fee for certain players. Since each entry would reduce the overlay, this was a win for the tournament — the final tally was 329 entries.

Paying half the buy-in for 25 players (I don’t know the actual number) would cost the tournament $16,500 (assuming they didn’t collect $165 rake from these entries but did collect the $45 staff fee). More importantly, by getting these players to put in $825 of their own money (totaling $20,625) they managed to reduce the overlay to just $26,240.

Assuming 304 full-price entries, had the tournament not offered the half-price buy-in it would have:

  • Collected $50,160 in rake and $13,680 in staff fees
  • Owed $62,240 in overlay
  • Net of -$12,080

When all is said and done, by paying $16,500, the tournament significantly reduced its overlay liability.

  • Collected $50,160 in rake and $14,805 in staff fees
  • Owed $26,240 in overlay
  • Net of +$7,420

Needless to say, this didn’t sit well with a lot of people, particularly one Allen Kessler, who described the potential overlay the tournament might be on the hook for as little more than a rake reduction.

In addition to the definition of “guarantee,” and the half-priced entries, Kessler is arguing that the HPT uses an inflated rake as a backstop against overlays.

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Mistakes have been made

The good news is the HPT is working on coming up with terminology that is amenable to the community.

The tour also seems as frustrated as its players when it comes to the half-priced entries that were selectively given out.

According to Jeremy Smith, the HPT’s Tournament Director, letting certain people enter for half-price was a Westgate decision:

 

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