So the last two weeks have seen plenty of action on the MTT online felt, with SCOOP running on Stars. We will have a full recap of how kiwi’s faired in the SCOOP shortly. In the meantime, we will cover all the action across the hundreds of tournaments daily across the web.

Tournament Victories

We kick off with KingPaulie who took down $4343 in the 109$ No Limit Turbo, taking down a tough field of 202 players.

Mstark87 this fortnight continued to crush the tournaments on Carbon Poker (CrazyPakeha). Taking down an exceptional 5 tournaments (and 3 runner-up performances)! Rather than go through them, we will simply list them:

Also string together a bunch of victories was KillerNorbit, once again lets list them.

SiacO took down one of the few tournaments on Stars that does not have a guarantee winning the $109 No Limit Holdem tournament that still managed a $9800 prize pool taking home $2450 defeating the 98 players.

In what is quickly coming a pattern, Snowman888 put up multiple victories again, this time taking 2 tournaments down on TitanPoker (playing as Houusnurhh). Winning the $1000 GP Freeze earned him $310.55 in the 135 player field. Taking down $3000 GP R/A earned him a nice, $705.63, nice return on the $5 entry.

And new entrant into the top 10 revengaa, who put in significant volume came out with a bang, putting in some epic volume, which resulted in four wins in the last two weeks, including three in one day on Pokerstars! Once again let’s see them in a list!

Also notching up wins for New Zealand was botoxman ($2966.68), ssfulbynam21 ($1988.12)

Current Top 10 in New Zealand

The top 10 this week saw the addition of revengaa who joined P5’s two weeks ago but has been playing the micro – mid MTT’s since mid-2010, and slots into 8^th place. There were some small changes in the rankings, with emufart69 having the largest fall of 3 places, in saying that he has not put in significant volume as of late. With mstark87 putting up so many victories, will he be able to break into the top 2 in the coming weeks?

New Zealand maintained its ranking of 30^th in the Country rankings.

1. BluffingX  ( – )

2. KingPaulie  ( – )

3. mstark87 (up 1)

4. EeeTee (down 1)

5. zebkiwi ( – )

6. KillerNorbit ( up 1)

7. SiacO (down 1)

8. revengaa (new entry)

9. emufart69 (down 3)

10. Snowman888 ( down 1)

As part of Pokerstars’ recent birthday, they have let out a number of promotions and new tournaments from which players can benefit.  Promotions thus far have included increased cash game rewards via leader-point bonuses, deposit rewards and other available benefits to players. Starting today however, is the first of the promotions special tournaments, which will begin today at 6:30 a.m. NZST with the $1 “World Record Tournament.” The micro buy-in guarantee’s a whopping $250,000, and features a classic turbo structure common on Pokerstars.

Continuing the celebration tournaments, Pokerstars fields their next big guarantee on December 11^th, also a Sunday, where the $11 “Sunday Storm” guarantees $1,000,000 in prizes and a massive field with many regulars and amateurs. The crown jewel of the series however – and the talk of many top players; is the 10^th anniversary Sunday Million. Promising more than $10,000,000 as a total prize pool, and more than $2,000,000 alone for first, this prestigious tournament begins on December 19.  For nine lucky players, it’s going to be a special kind of early Christmas.

The final tournament being offered as part of the promotion is the $10,000 high roller event. Tailored to be a battle of the best, the high roller event features a structure similar to WCOOP and SCOOP events hosted previously, with each player starting 10,000 chips deep, and 20 minute blind levels built in. With some of the best online pros in the industry already registered, it’ll be an interesting tale to see how this one unfolds.

For more information about Pokerstars promotions, and specifics about their 10^th anniversary tournaments, click here. With events and satellites catering to a wide range of players, there’s something for everyone this Christmas online.

While the DOJ has released liability from most FTP shareholders, individual indictments to those such as Howard Lederer remain.

Late Thursday the 16^th of November, multiple news sources confirmed that French investment firm Groupe Bernard Tapie has finalized the purchase of Full Tilt Poker’s assets through the U.S. Department of Justice. The agreement involves the repayment of players internationally, while U.S. based players will be repaid via the DOJ. Exact details of repayment are unclear, but Tapie has confirmed that they have the funds to carry out such a venture, with player funds worldwide totalling nearly $350 million. The arrangement was confirmed independently by CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and PokerNews, amongst others.

CNN commented that this arrangement essentially dissolved the U.S. government’s plans to pursue civil forfeiture proceedings, meaning that FTP’s assets would be released to Bernard Tapie provided that FTP shareholders agree to the $80 million dollar sale. Given the circumstances, it seems extremely likely that the mandatory two-thirds of shareholders would agree. The deal does not, however, disregard individual indictments taken out against key FTP shareholders Howard Lederer, Ray Bitar, Chris Ferguson and Ray Furst. On the matter of those individuals, Full Tilt attorney Jeff Ifrah commented that the deal “will have no impact on individual proceedings, but it removes the potential liability for shareholders, as it removes all pending proceeds against FTP.”

Moving forward, Groupe Bernard Tapie has also made it clear that they intend to re-open Full Tilt, and keep the brand. When interviewed by IGaming France regarding the matter, Tapie affirmed: “The brand is not in question, it’s a well-known brand and the technology is widely recognized as being possibly the best in the industry. The management of the company is being questioned and it will be changed [should the takeover be concluded]. I believe we have the tools necessary to once again make the site one of the leaders in the online poker sector.” When asked when such a re-opening may occur, Tapie stated that if everything ran smoothly, the site could be back in action as early as January.

Stay tuned to PokerNZ as we follow the progress of the deal and FTP’s re-emergence into the international online poker market.

FTP CEO Ray Bitar.

Over the last few days a Subject:Poker has had a number of sources confirm that Groupe Bernard Tapie (GPT) – a French investment company interested in purchasing and taking over Full Tilt, have nearly solidified an arrangement to have all players paid back. The company has a wealth of experience, including recovering the Adidas brand, which was, at the time, behind the rest of the market.  The arrangement itself entails an agreement that was reached between the US Department of Justice and GPT, where GPT would be responsible for payment of players internationally, and the DOJ responsible for paying the US customer base.

In response to the tentative agreement, CEO Ray Bitar passed on the following email to Tiltware shareholders:

Dear members,

I am pleased to announce that today the Department of Justice and Groupe Bernard Tapie have reached an agreement in principle regarding the acquisition of the companies comprising Full Tilt Poker. My understanding is the deal provides that in exchange for an agreed upon payment by GBT, and a GBT commitment to assume responsibility for payment of ROW players, DOJ will reimburse US players and settle the outstanding civil litigation with the companies comprising FTP. Beyond these conditions, issues like the time frame and process for repayment of players remain unclear at this point and time.

With DOJ’s consent now in hand, GBT may now proceed to finalize an agreement to acquire the companies or assets that comprise FTP. That agreement will very likely address the status of your shares or interests in the successor company. When I receive that agreement, I will coordinate with our attorneys to ensure the terms of that proposed agreement will be shared with the membership and voted on.

-Ray

While other sources such as PokerNews.com and PocketFives.com have confirmed that this arrangement has not been set in stone, additional details and finalities should come to the foray in the coming weeks. As for GBT’s stance on repaying players and re-opening Full Tilt Poker for play, Tapie confirmed his intentions to open the site as early as January, provided that the rest of the process runs relatively smoothly.

Other independent news sources have also reported that GBT contracted Red-Poker, the biggest Spanish based poker community and news website, who conducted a survey with a number of players who have a large amount of money tied up in FTP. The survey itself looked at payment options for players who had a large equity stake in the site, offering gradual payment, stock options, or other possibilities for paying back large amounts which presumably could not be available immediately to all players on an international level. Stay tuned to PokerNZ for future updates regarding the FTP saga as it unfolds in the coming weeks.

Yesterday breaking news came to the foray when former Full Tilt “Red Pro” Tom “Durrrr” Dwan came forward to the online poker community to divulge all information he could regarding Full Tilt’s recent behaviour and operations since Black Friday. The answers came at first from a thread which Dwan created on the 2+2 forums, where he offered up a post to contextualize the situation, and then followed to answer questions. The full 2+2 thread can be found here.

Tom Dwan is the first Full Tilt "Red Pro" to come forward about FTP.

Dwan had not previously been able to come forward due to a non-disclosure agreement he had entered with Full Tilt, which effectively became void this week after the U.S. Department of Justice declared Full Tilt “a massive Ponzi scheme against its own players” on September 21^st, naming a new list of individuals who were to be included in the original Black Friday indictment. The names listed this time specifically included Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and Rafe Furst.

The Department of Justice condemned Full Tilt’s apparent inability to segregate player funds from their own working capital, with U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stating the following:

“Full Tilt insiders lined their own pockets with funds picked from the pockets of their most loyal customers while blithely lying to both players and the public alike about the safety and security of the money deposited.” Allegedly, Full Tilt paid its executives and pros $443 million over the last four years.”

Dwan later explained that it had not been so simple, and that even those at the top tiers of management in Full Tilt may not have been aware of the loop holes which ultimately caused the funds disparity leading to this issue. The disparity had mainly stemmed from a difficulty with processing times on U.S. based payment processors, which meant that at times the funds were not properly allocated from both ends until up to 6 months later. Dwan mentioned that he thought FTP had made a slew of bad decisions since their indictment, but that in general, the intentions to pay players back had been genuine.

Howard Lederer, the co-owner of FTP beside Ray Bitar, has been largely silent since Black Friday.

Howard Lederer, who heads Full Tilt’s operations along with Ray Bitar, was also mentioned in Dwan’s discussions. Despite the massive scrutiny Lederer has faced, Dwan seemed at least somewhat satisfied with how Howard had conducted himself:

“Howard, to his credit, has been very open and picked up the phone and answered questions. I haven’t caught him in a lie yet, and just like anyone who’s in a position that he’s in, I’ve obviously tried because it’s hard to trust someone in his position. There have been times that he’s avoided a question or two, or maybe told a half truth, but it’s still pretty strong for him not to have lied yet. Now who knows, maybe he’s out there lying to everyone else and not me.”

Overall though, there was some justification which occurred on Dwan’s end. He admitted that while he had previously thought Full Tilt’s chances of finding an investor had been quite good when he attended a meeting in Ireland at the company’s headquarters in late April, this was because he valued the power of Full Tilt’s brand and previous peak prior to Black Friday.

Tom also clarified his situation in the 2010 WSOP, where he went heads up for much more than the eventual first place prize that kiwi Simon Watt eventually took home, as Dwan was playing for bracelet side bets that would nearly “double his net worth.” Dwan explained that if he was a “scumbag” he could’ve simply offered Watt double what first place was in order for him to lose, and because he did not, his intentions are not financially orientated.

Whatever the case, the outlook for Full Tilt does not look promising. They continue their look for investors, but with the total player funds owed internationally reportedly sitting at around $390 million, it’s certainly going to be an uphill battle. Also of interest, was Full Tilt’s private hearing with the Alderney Gambling Commission which took place this week on Monday. As of yet no news has come forward regarding any progress for Full Tilt’s gaming license, but Poker NZ will remain in the hunt as more information develops.

Despite his haircut, Viktor Blom, or Isildur1, is actually pretty good at poker. You can bet he'll be in all the biggest events.

With a recent focus on live events, players from all walks of poker now look toward the coming World Championships of Online Poker. Hosted by Pokerstars.net, and featuring a total of 62 events – WCOOP boasts a total guaranteed prize pool of $30,000,000. The games available span all disciplines, from Hold’em to Omaha, to Razz and Stud. 8-game formats are also available, with an overall versatility across events offered in no other series online. A full schedule of events offered can be found here.

Naturally, most of the focus will be on the No Limit Hold’em tournaments. Flagship events include the $10,300 “High-Roller” tournament, numerous smaller tournaments which guarantee’s $1,000,000 or more,  and of course — the $5,400 WCOOP Main Event. There will also be a $10,300 heads up shootout, which tends to bring out the world’s best, with world class players like Isildur (Viktor Blom) and Elky (Betrand Grospellier) in attendance. While a decent chunk of the best talent around will be unable to play because of Black Friday, for many, the lack of Americans makes for softer play, and a different approach.

Pokerstars.tv will be running coverage of the events after they conclude, which includes commentated and edited versions, along with a full showing of final table holecards from start to finish. These replays are certainly at least interesting, and for many players will provide insight into the logic and mindset of the world’s best.  Kiwi players from a range of disciplines will be sure to play a number of the events, with some well known pro’s looking to sell action packages.

Shaun "mathclub" Goldsbury chopped event #20 of SCOOP in 2010, maybe this WCOOP is time for others to follow in his footsteps.

In 2010, Shaun “mathclub” Goldsbury was the first kiwi to post a big result in a similar field — chopping up event #20, a $215 2-day event, for $270,000, in the Spring Championship of Online Poker. While it remains to be seen as to whether Goldsbury will be playing this series, you can count on most of NZ’s top grinders playing at least a few events. Players like “rjmgrace“,“EETEE2008″ and “poker_lord76″ certainly look poised to get in amongst the action.

More importantly, you don’t have to be a high-stakes pro to enter WCOOP. Satellites of all forms are currently running on Pokerstars, where it is possible to qualify for free if one is lucky enough. Since many players involved are satellite winners or amateurs “taking shots” at bigger events, there is certainly an edge to be had for a player of any reasonable skill. Moreover, WCOOP offers the best structures of any tournaments online, allowing players to make consistently deep runs where their skill is above most players involved. This means that despite the large buy-in, these events are largely profitable even for mid-stakes grinders. I know a lot of relatively modest players who will be excited to get their hands dirty, playing in at least a few events, myself included.

All in all, it should be a great series. Along with coverage of some of the bigger events, we’ll be on the look out for any kiwi’s poised to make deep runs, and getting closely involved with anyone who posts good results. With Simon Watt breaking out to take the first New Zealand based WSOP bracelet, maybe it’s finally time for kiwi’s to close the first WCOOP bracelet too. Time will tell — stay tuned as series begins to take course.

Please come support this and help us spread the word! Donations welcome too!

This years Highlife Charity Poker Tournament will be for a very good cause as we are raising money for a beautiful but very sick little girl called Eva Mitchell. (See link below for info)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Baby-Eva-Mitchell/152973654734513 <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Baby-Eva-Mitchell/152973654734513>

The buy in will be $30 for 6000 chips and you can pay another $20 to ad on to 10,000 chips. No re buys.

To guarantee your entry, buy a pre sale $30 ticket.
For these you can email:

adamb@highlifeentertainment.co.nz
Phone: 021 649 100

We will have some great cash and product prizes available to win and lots of other cool things happening on the day.

Specials will be available for food and drink too!

So save the date and spread the word to all of your friends & poker crews.

Your support means a lot and you know its gonna be a great day!

If you would like to make a donation, please deposit into the account below.

Account number is:

T and J Mitchell
Westpac bank
03 0481 0118666 25

Cheers

Adam.b, Chico and the rest of the boys from Highlife Poker

Since Full Tilt Poker was forced to close its operations when the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) revoked their license on the 26^th of June, there has been much speculation as to what would happen when the company came to their public hearing, scheduled in London with the AGCC on 26/07/11.

Shortly after the hearing commenced, Full Tilt representatives asked for it to be adjourned, in order to facilitate a private discussion. It was eventually concluded that the hearing should be rescheduled for no later than the 15^th of September, an exact date of which will be decided by the commission in due course.  This decision was reached collaboratively between both parties, with the consideration being that this would allow Full Tilt to continue “commercial negotiations… that might result in a successful re-financing deal.” A full copy of the AGCC’s statement regarding the matter can be found here.

As for the deal itself, it is rumoured that Phil Ivey has been at the forefront of investment discussions. The main aim in these discussions is the acquisition of around US$150 million, to pay back American players since ‘Black Friday’ – the date of Full Tilt’s indictment with the Department of Justice. If Tilt is to return to the online poker market, then payment of players is essential before it can conduct any further legitimate business. The sale purportedly includes a 50% stake in Full Tilt’s brand and operations, and sits with a group of European investors, as reported originally by the New York Times.

Also revealed at the hearing was the fact that Full Tilt owed AGCC around £250,000 in overdue licensing fees, which were paid before the release of the above statement. Some news sources have speculated that this is good news for players, as it shows that Full Tilt is slowly taking steps toward re-entering the market, and legitimizing their license is crucial if they are to do so.

Finally, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC), whom Full Tilt holds its secondary license with, recently renewed their Secondary Client Provider Authorization for two years despite the sites primary license being suspended. In a statement dated the 29^th of July, KGC announced, “Although the eGambling Licences held by Filco Limited are presently suspended pending the outcome of a hearing, these licences are still considered to be valid.” KGC’s full statement can be found here.

What implications the KGC’s renewal might hold for players seems uncertain at this point, as Full Tilt remain shutdown despite holding this secondary license. Only time will tell exactly what Full Tilt intends, as the recent lack of media releases has left players wondering. Still, these events do exhibit some progress, which many find very welcome since online poker’s ‘Black Friday’ on April 15th.

Stay hooked in to PokerNZ for more updates; as we draw closer to AGCC’s hearing on the 15^th, and more information regarding Full Tilt’s operations become available.