Judge Juan R. Torruella passed away on Monday at the age of 87, before issuing an important First Circuit opinion on the Wire Act case.
The post Federal Wire Act Case Complicated By Death Of Presiding Judge Torruella appeared first on Online Poker Report.
The battle of the tank tops is on. After years of animosity, poker stars Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu are set to begin their high-stakes, heads-up matchup on Nov. 4.
After some expected jockeying on social media the last few weeks, it appears details of the match are now finalized. That includes playing live on PokerGO, which is dubbing the event High Stakes Feud. The action then moves online to WSOP.com.
What looked like an unlikely occurrence now seems set to become one of the biggest events in US online poker. Since March, the American market has experienced record revenue and prize pools.
Adding two of the game’s biggest names to the mix only adds to that momentum
After reaching agreement, the first day of play is set for the PokerGO Studio at Aria in Las Vegas. The live play element is a new development in the negotiations.
However, Polk and Negreanu are amenable to the addition and participated in a Zoom call recently to finalize details. Both players’ regular choice of clothing (tank tops) was even mentioned.
Just got off a conference call to discuss my upcoming heads up match.
There were 5 people total on the zoom call, and two were wearing tank tops.
Take a wild guess who those two people were?
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) October 22, 2020
https://t.co/0yjHA33gb2 pic.twitter.com/xNhdbhawYi
— Doug “Truck Driver” Polk (@DougPolkVids) October 22, 2020
When the two men take their seats at the live and virtual tables, here’s what to expect:
PokerGO and the live element of the duel only add to the opportunities for fans to follow the action. Beginning the event on the network makes a lot of sense.
With live poker series like the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour not currently running live events, this offers some much-needed live poker programming. PokerGO looks like it plans to expand on the feud aspect in the future as well.
“With Negreanu and Polk’s perennial rivalry and constant conflicts on social media, High Stakes Feud will be a match fans will not want to miss,” PokerGO executive producer Mori Eskandani said in a news release. “The one-on-one match format between these notable poker professionals, along with the possibility of this game lasting multiple months makes the outcome of each day in this series a must-see.”
The network has also found some success in its High Stakes Duel series. That series has featured three matchups between Phil Hellmuth and Antonio Esfandiari.
The network is also bringing back the popular High Stakes Poker cash game show. The Negreanu-Polk matchup only adds to these efforts.
With millions of dollars potentially on the line, training has taken center stage for both players. Both have taken to social media to outline some of their heads-up No Limit Hold’em work.
While Polk has mostly been out of poker for a couple years, he remains one of the best in this poker specialty. He’s played at some of the highest stakes and has been back in training over the last few months.
In 2013, Polk won a $20,000 buy-in, 15,000-hand challenge against online poker phenomenon Ben Sulsky. Two years later, Polk was part of a group battling an artificial intelligence bot at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania. The challenge involved 20,000 heads-up hands and the humans, including Polk, came out on top.
Polk has been playing plenty of poker lately and making use of online analysis. On Oct 18, he noted on Twitter:
“Was nice spending a day working on my game just studying. Learned some good stuff to implement moving forward. While I think overall the solvers have really hurt online poker, it is nice to be able to use them to learn so effectively.”
For his part, Negreanu has frequently said that he’s an underdog in the competition. That has apparently spurred “Kid Poker” to tackle the heads-up game in depth.
Word is that Negreanu has several coaches working with him. He’s been posting some of his progress on Twitter as well as some polls regarding heads-up play.
“The more I learn about poker, the more I realize how much I don’t know,” he wrote on Oct. 23. “It’s challenging, which makes it fun. Excited to get started and hope to put on a great show.”
Certainly there is no love lost between Negreanu and Polk. A live element to the matchup should be some great viewing, albeit possibly pretty tense. As tense as this?
Remember when this animal came with the shirt power dusted it off and then retired
? Love them both obviously pic.twitter.com/OKIrGYQgOj
— Nick Schulman (@NickSchulman) June 30, 2020
Who knows, but the thought of this matchup actually happening has been a dream come true for many poker fans. That hasn’t always been the case.
Some disagreements over hand histories and real time assistance (RTA) charts seems to have been ironed out. Both players have agreed that these will now be allowed.
True story. You brought up some valid points and we are in agreement
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) October 30, 2020
Other than poker, Negreanu has stuck to Tweeting about politics, sports, and other topics in recent days. Polk has also mixed in plenty of poker and politics, but hasn’t been afraid to mix in some occasional trash talk.
“Lets get this straight, I only retired from poker one time,” he noted on Oct. 12. “I didn’t play a single hand after that. The only reason I am back in the streets is because a complete dolt wants to ship me a million dollars.”
However, Polk did add in some serious analysis for bettors considering putting some money on either side.
“The bottom line is, you aren’t really betting on me/my ability,” Polk Tweeted. “I will be a very good heads-up no limit player, not world class anymore, but very solid. You are betting on how good you think Dnegs can be at an extremely challenging and complicated game.”
The post FEUD ON THE FELT: Negreanu-Polk Matchup Begins Nov. 4; Live Play Added on PokerGO appeared first on .
Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands looks to sell its remaining US properties for $6 billion. That could be good news for US online gambling.
The post Leaving Las Vegas: If Sands Disposes Of US Assets, Adelson’s War On Internet Gambling Could Become Moot appeared first on Online Poker Report.
After some stops and starts, Pennsylvania online poker players received good news on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) approved an interactive gaming license for BetMGM/Roar Digital.
The two companies partner in the US to offer the partypoker US Network in the US. Pennsylvania would make the platform’s second state offering online poker.
However, a potential launch date hasn’t been announced and Roar officials had no comment.
A new poker site in PA would give players at least another option. Under PGCB regulations, the MGM/Roar is recognized as a Qualified Gaming Entity (QGE). That means it operates as a stand-alone entity and doesn’t need a land-based partner.
The PGCB also approved the company for sports betting (although it would need a land-based partner) and other online gaming. Party’s possible entry into the market comes after some hiccups along the way.
The company was expected to be approved in August. PGCB chief enforcement counsel Cyrus Pitre spoke on the subject at the group’s July 8 meeting.
However, that timeline was delayed and apparently shifted to October. Players will now be awaiting to see when the platform might launch.
In Pennsylvania, players would find another “ringed-in” online poker option. That means users can only play others within the state. PokerStars already operates in this manner.
WSOP.com operates the only shared liquidity pact among Nevada, New Jersey, and with 888poker in Delaware. The future of interstate compacts remains unknown until the legal challenges regarding the Wire Act play out.
Partypoker remains one of the best known online poker sites in the world. The company offers a nice software experience and has made major improvements to its mobile app in recent months.
In New Jersey, the platform also includes the BetMGM and BorgataPoker.com skins. It’s unknown if there will be additional skins in PA.
In recent months, party has ramped up some of its offerings in New Jersey. The company partners with the World Poker Tour for live and online events internationally.
That has also carried over to two recent events in New Jersey. The WPT Online Borgata Series in September featured 11 events and an overall guarantee of $275,000. The series proved a hit and ultimately paid out $912,000.
Pennsylvania offers a nice opportunity for even more events like this if the platform launches. With a population of almost 13 million, the state is the largest with legalized online poker. That’s about 4 million more than in the Garden State.
PokerStars launched in the Keystone State in November 2019 and has had a poker monopoly for almost a full year. The company has seen nice revenue in the state to coincide with other operators in New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware.
While revenue numbers have declined in recent months, those are still at historically high levels. In September, PokerStars achieved online poker revenue of $2.4 million after an August total of $2.7 million.
The site has brought major series like the PA Championship of Online Poker (PACOOP) and major events like Pennsyl-MANIA to the state.
The partypoker approval could bring a second player in the market. The company has been bullish in recent years on expansion and that includes the US.
Beyond online poker, many players have been happy to see live poker return in the Keystone State. Mount Airy was the first to return on Oct. 16. Others that have returned recently include:
PA casinos began reopening in June under added safety protocols. However, poker rooms haven’t been a part of that until now. As gamblers head back to casinos, PGCB officials expect the poker re-openings to spur table game revenues up further.
In September, table games accounted for $59.2 million in casino revenue. That’s down from August’s $65.1 million and $70.6 million in September 2019.
“The reopening of poker rooms will add to the positive performance of table games,” PGCB executive director Kevin O’Toole noted in Wednesday’s meeting about the recent reopening of live poker rooms.
Many Pennsylvania players are also hoping a new online poker room heads their way soon as well. USPoker will continue to update this story as more details emerge.
★★★ For a complete partypoker NJ review with exclusive nous offers, click here. ★★★
The post THUMBS UP: Partypoker/Roar Digital Approved in PA, No Launch Date Announced appeared first on .
Online poker operators have reached out to US players to remedy some issues surrounding a geolocation last week. Players around the country experienced a service interruption last Thursday night that left many unable to play.
While the issues were brief, many tournament players experienced being locked out as blind levels escalated.
While events at WSOP.com and PokerStars continued, partypoker US Network was able to pause tournaments that were underway. Players in tournaments at partypoker (as well as the BetMGM and BorgataPoker.com skins) that had been going for over an hour received auto settlements.
After confirming the geolocation issues that impacted NJ sites and tournaments being paused over an hour, all tournaments are in the process of being auto settled per our tournament cancellation policy.
— partypoker US Network (@partypokerUS) October 23, 2020
Tournaments in progress under an hour on partypoker continued after the delay. Some players at the other two sites reported being blinded off during the one-hour outage. This could have affected a possible higher finish, many noted.
Brandon Patterson of Altoona, Penn., was one of those. After playing deep in two tournaments on PokerStars, the poker client suddenly locked him out of play. When able to play again, Patterson min-cashed but may have won more if not for the service interruption.
“I was right in the middle of the field right before the money and got blinded out,” he said.
On Monday, WSOP.com announced that the issue affected more than 1,000 players. The site is in the process of refunding players.
Attn @WSOPcom users : All 1,072 entries affected by the outage on Thursday, October 22 have been refunded.
If you have any questions please contact support at :
NV: [email protected]
NJ: [email protected]— WSOP (@WSOP) October 27, 2020
“It is unfortunate there was a statewide issue with one of iGaming’s key vendors, which interrupted service for most New Jersey online poker operators for 45 minutes on Thursday night,” World Series of Poker executive director Ty Stewart said. “We view it as an isolated incident and will look to process the appropriate compensation to impacted players in short order.”
PokerStars offered an explanation to players in New Jersey and Pennsylvania on Friday. The site encouraged those affected to reach out to customer service if there hadn’t been a resolution in their situation.
Yesterday we experienced issues with our geolocation services. We apologize for any inconvenience. This is now resolved, and you should be able to access your account normally. If you were affected in any tournaments, please allow up to 24 hrs for your account to be refunded.
— PokerStarsUSA (@PokerStarsUSA) October 23, 2020
“PokerStars in PA and NJ experienced some technical issues for around an hour last night that resulted in some players having difficulty accessing their accounts,” PokerStars senior public relations manager Moya Wilson said. “We are, of course, currently looking into fairly compensating those players who were affected and reviewing ways to better mitigate this sort of issue in future.”
The issues arose last week about 9 p.m. (ET) last Thursday after a geolocation error. Legal iGaming sites make use of a technology company called GeoComply to make sure players are in a legal jurisdiction.
The system locks anyone recognized as outside a legal state. Players reported seeing their avatar still at the poker table, but weren’t able to complete any actions.
GeoComply reported that the interruptions were part of “an issue that temporarily affected the communication systems within our datacenter.”
“Last night we encountered an unexpected network communications error, which our team responded to and remedied immediately,” GeoComply Vice President of Government Relations Elizabeth Cronan told USPoker. “We have alerted all affected clients and they are aware of the issue and the steps that were taken to resolve it as quickly as possible.”
The interruption also affected sports betting and other online casino gaming. Unlike many gamblers, the lockouts particularly affected poker tournament players with money still in an event’s prize pool.
Similar errors happened occasionally when regulated online gaming first launched in the US. However, these types of issues now remain rare. Players were glad to see the issue lasted only a short time and refunds issues resolved.
Those who may have been affected and think they are in for a refund may want to reach out to customer support. Here’s some information to do that:
The post ROLL ON: After Service Interruption, Online Poker Operators Announce Refund Procedures appeared first on .
Donald Trump was once a casino magnate, yet his administration’s stance on the Wire Act and connections to Sheldon Adelson are troubling.
The post Should You Vote For Biden Or Trump If You Want Legal Online Poker And Gambling? appeared first on Online Poker Report.
Pennsylvania poker players at PokerStars PA experienced a frustrating night at the tables on Thursday. Online poker tournaments, cash games, and other forms of online betting in PA and NJ were interrupted for about an hour around 9 p.m. ET.
It was confirmed today that the issues derived from a network communications error that interrupted geolocation services which online gambling operators rely on. Online tournaments continued while players sat out, many returning to much shorter chip stacks or no chips at all.
As of Friday, the issue appears resolved, with players to receive refunds by Saturday morning. PokerStars communicated the following via Twitter Friday morning:
“Yesterday we experienced issues with our geolocation services. We apologize for any inconvenience. This is now resolved, and you should be able to access your account normally. If you were affected in any tournaments, please allow up to 24 hrs for your account to be refunded.”
This morning, Elizabeth Cronan, VP, Government Relations of GeoGuard/GeoComply provided the following statement to US Poker:
“Last night we encountered an unexpected network communications error, which our team responded to and remedied immediately. We have alerted all affected clients and they are aware of the issue and the steps that were taken to resolve it as quickly as possible.”
The GeoGuard app or plug-in allows online casino and sportsbook players to access their accounts and wager via browser on desktop or mobile. Geolocation software is an important piece of the legal gambling puzzle. It allows operators to confirm a user is indeed within state borders where gambling is approved and regulated. Another company rep confirmed:
“Our internal teams identified an issue that temporarily affected the communication systems within our datacenter.”
The sole reliance on the GeoComply service means most players in Pennsylvania who were gambling online during the outage were affected. Even the mobile gambling apps in the state utilize geolocation via GeoComply, though it is built-in.
While regular daily tournaments were running at PokerStars PA, New Jersey was playing out Thursday’s NJCOOP events, consisting of:
The series wraps up on Monday, with the $125K guaranteed $300 buy-in Main Event kicking off Sunday. PokerStars will hope for no further disruptions.
A poker player in NJ tweeted the following, indicating at least some players were still online while others were “sitting out.”
Another extremely sad day for online poker .. as the geo location software crashes again and I’m watching players just steal chips from the entire table @PokerStarsUSA @WSOPcom .. at least party froze their games
— Stanton Tentnowski (@Stonniepokes) October 23, 2020
Apparently the same took place at PokerStars PA, with limited players taking advantage and chipping up through defenseless players. PlayPennsylvania has reached out to PokerStars for comment on how this situation will be dealt with, as many players blinded out or down significantly during the downtime.
For any further concerns or issues with the refund, players can contact PokerStars via their customer service page or message @StarsSupport on Twitter.
This story will be updated as additional information becomes available. If you were affected and want to share your story with us, feel free to message us @PlayPANews on twitter.
Lead image via Dreamstime.
The post PokerStars PA To Refund Online Poker Players Affected by Geolocation Outage appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.
A geolocation error briefly affected all three legal American online poker operators on Thursday. The service errors caused some players to be frozen out of tournaments as well as with plenty of frustrations.
The problems began around 9 p.m. (ET) and lasted about an hour. The geo-error affected
GeoComply, which legal gaming sites use for geolocation services, was able to correct the problem. However, many players missed out on tournament play as blinds increasing during the lockout.
Per state regulations, anyone gambling online in legal jurisdictions must be located within that state. GeoComply uses software to track a player’s location to make sure he’s complying with state laws.
When a player registers on the service as outside a legal jurisdiction, that player is locked out of the platform. That appears to be the problem in this case and many players in tournaments weren’t able to play.
The company reported that the interruptions were part of “an issue that temporarily affected the communication systems within our datacenter.”
“Last night we encountered an unexpected network communications error, which our team responded to and remedied immediately,” GeoComply Vice President of Government Relations Elizabeth Cronan told USPoker. “We have alerted all affected clients and they are aware of the issue and the steps that were taken to resolve it as quickly as possible.”
The issue affected other forms of online gaming as well including sports betting. The issues affected players not even near a state border.
Similar errors were an occasional problem in the early days of regulated online gaming. However, those issues have mostly been resolved and these types of service interruptions are now rare. PokerStars players in Pennsylvania reported not ever experiencing this kind of outage.
For many poker players, the interruption meant not being able to play at all. Those in a tournament or sit and go saw their avatar dealt out of the action as play continued.
The poker client informed these players that they couldn’t play because they weren’t in a legal jurisdiction.
Another extremely sad day for online poker .. as the geo location software crashes again and I’m watching players just steal chips from the entire table @PokerStarsUSA @WSOPcom .. at least party froze their games
— Stanton Tentnowski (@Stonniepokes) October 23, 2020
Brandon Patterson of Altoona, Penn., was playing deep in a $10 turbo with a $1,500 guarantee and a $5 tournament on PokerStars.
When play resumed, he min-cashed in the two tournaments. However, the service interruption may have kept him from winning even more.
“I was right in the middle of the field right before the money and got blinded out,” he says.
The service errors certainly led to some frustrations, but play resumed within an hour. Partypoker US Network as well as its BetMGM and BorgataPoker.com skins suspended tournaments once site officials became aware of the problem.
“We have paused tournaments as we investigate possible geolocation issues that appear to be impacting NJ sites,” the company noted on Twitter right after the interruption. “We appreciate your patience.”
The pause allowed players to resume action at the tables shortly with minimal adverse results.
“After confirming the geolocation issues that impacted NJ sites and tournaments being paused over an hour, all tournaments are in the process of being auto settled per our tournament cancellation policy,” partypoker noted shortly afterward.
PokerStars and WSOP.com didn’t pause events however. In a reply to a player on Twitter, PokerStarsUSA asked others to send a direct message about any issues with payouts. As of Friday morning the direct message option wasn’t available.
However, Stars reached out to players and offered some assurances of players refunds.
Yesterday we experienced issues with our geolocation services. We apologize for any inconvenience. This is now resolved, and you should be able to access your account normally. If you were affected in any tournaments, please allow up to 24 hrs for your account to be refunded.
— PokerStarsUSA (@PokerStarsUSA) October 23, 2020
There were no references to the problems on the official WSOP.com or World Series of Poker Twitter or Facebook accounts.
GeoComply resolved the issues and play is back to normal. Players seeking tournament refunds can contact customer service. Here’s some information to help:
The post GAME OFF: Geolocation Error Briefly Locks Out US Online Poker Players appeared first on .
