Category: Poker People

US Online Poker Pros Moving Abroad

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The crackdown of Pokerstars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and UB on Black Friday took the favorite pastime away from millions of American poker players. Other poker sites such as Lock Poker, Bodog and Cake Poker are working around the clock to provide all US players with a new home.  They are doing a great job, most of the  casual players are happy to play at those sites. Some things are different though, the choice in games offered is lower and the waiting time for some sit and go formats is a bit longer. Does this mean the DoJ actions didn’t have an impact on the US poker players? No, there is a group of players which found itself in serious trouble: the online poker pro.

When we think of poker pro’s we usually picture the high profile players who we see on tv shows like High Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark or the Big Game. These pro’s represent the big sites, live the good life and make millions in the process. There is however another complete different order of poker pro’s and they aren’t nearly as visible and high profile as the established pro’s like Doyle Brunson, Tom Dwan or Daniel Negreanu.

These online poker pro’s make their living playing or teaching online poker and they don’t make millions. Instead, they grind out the cash tables and sit and goes all day and most of them make only a modest salary. On top of that, grinding online poker can be a very stressful job. Playing poker is probably the only job in the world where you can end the day with less money then you started with. Variance is the one thing you can’t use when you are depending on your play to pay the rent. Variance is the enemy to the online pro and to limit it they play as many tables as they can, sometimes up to 24 tables.

Suddenly unable to play at the Big Three, they are in serious trouble now. Because they can no longer play the amount of games they used to, they don’t make enough money anymore to pay their rent. Some of these players played professionally for years and have considerable gaps in their resume’s, others decided to drop out of college to play poker full time. Their options are limited: Finding a job in the current economy is very hard, they can’t wait until the US regulates online poker and they also don’t have the time to wait until other sites and networks offer the games they need. On top of that their entire bankroll is currently frozen and they can’t touch it. This bankroll is not only money for them, they need it to make money, it is their livelihood.

Moving abroad has become a viable option for them and a lot of grinders are looking into that option now. Canada is the favorite haven to play followed by Malta. The UK is also amongst the top destinations because online winnings aren’t taxed there. The short term goal for the movers is to regain access to their frozen funds. For the long term they can keep playing at their favorite sites abroad until the US has figured their legislation out. The DoJ’s actions of Black Friday really had an impact on these people that nobody ever anticipated.

Is this a bad thing for poker? Not really. With a lot of these mass tabling grinders out of the way the game becomes more fun again. No longer waiting for the guy who plays more tables then he can handle to finally act and less grinders in the sit and goes means the casual player will most certainly see his ROI improve. People wondered when the next poker boom would be after the Moneymaker boom in 2004. Well, this might be it.

Zigmund quits Full Tilt Poker and Pokerstars

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With everything going on in the poker world Finnish Poker Pro Ilari ‘Ziigmund’ Sahamies, PowerPoker Pro, announced recently that his days playing at FullTiltPoker and PokerStars are over.

Since the beginning of 2010, Sahamies has experienced an incredible downswing, losing over $2 million in the past 16 months. Most of this happened at FTP, after which Sahamies moved over to PokerStars under the screen name ‘Ilari Fin’. This change of venue, however, has done little to halt the downswing, and he has been steadily losing there as well.

While it is doubtful that Sahamies is done with poker for good, we can speculate about where he may go next. His home site may not have the nosebleed action that he prefers; where will the Fin go now? There’s only a handful of online poker sites that currently have the high limits that Zigmund likes to play so we should know soon.

Chad Elie Marries a Playboy Bunny One Day After Online Poker Indictment

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One of the men facing criminal charges stemming from the “Black Friday” online poker indictment didn’t waste any time after he made bail that same day. Chad Elie is facing major criminal charges including fraud, which is being prosecuted by the Federal Trade Commission. He was one of the several arrests made on April 15th, following the online poker crackdown against Full Tilt, PokerStars and Absolute Poker/UB.com.

Elie is said to be behind over $275 million dollars of illegal monies spent on online poker, but he didn’t let that get him down. Wasting no time, he quickly married his Playboy Playmate girlfriend in a small ceremony at Little Church of the West, in Las Vegas Nevada. Destiny Davis is the new blushing bride and has a business model of her own. While it has nothing to do with online poker, readers may know what her online career consists of since her background as a Playboy Bunny isn’t exactly privileged information.

This wedding may have come to a surprise to those following the case and charges against Elie and nearly a dozen of others as of April 15th. One thing is for sure; if a federal indictment with looming criminal charges, a possible 50 year prison term and multi-million dollar fines won’t stop the happy couple, it’s likely nothing else will.

Lock Poker signs Portugal’s Jose “Girah” Macedo

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Lock Poker is excited to announce the new addition to their LockPRO ELITE team, Jose “Girah” Macedo of Portugal.

Jose represents the face of the new generation of online poker pros. He is one of the youngest poker players to hit the scene and do the impossible. His story is one of passion, determination and skill. At the young age of 16 he took his first try at the game with a $30 deposit and found himself with over 2 million in earnings. He brings incredible insight, passion and sheer objectivity to the room.

“I am determined to be the best player in the world so I wanted to make sure I partnered with the best poker brand,” says Jose “Girah” Macedo. “Lock’s focus on the player experience is unique and inspiring and something I truly wanted to associate myself with. I encourage anyone to come and challenge me on Lock, and look forward to the exciting times ahead.”

“Jose is young, brilliant and incredibly determined. He is putting a new face, age and goal to this game,” says Jennifer Larson CEO/Owner of Lock Poker. “He will be heavily involved in developing the product, marketing and brand in the coming months. His story is one of determination to a degree that is just unparalleled and unrivaled. Lock moves into a new chapter with Pros like Jose leading the way.”

“Jose represents a new exciting episode for online poker,” says Jim Erwood, VP of Operations at Poker Royalty, “and therefore Poker Royalty feels very strongly that he had to be associated with a site that matched his aspirations. Lock Poker is without a doubt that site.”

To start the fun Jose will be hosting a series of free rolls and the top few players will get free coaching from the master himself. Sign up through his link and start playing today: www.lockpoker.com

Chad Brown has Cancer Surgery

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Chad Brown, poker player and actor had emergency surgery to remove a tumor Friday. The only reliable reports come from Chad’s (@downtownchad) twitter account and the account of his wife Vanessa Rousso (@vanessarousso). Vanessa tweeted Saturday that a large tumor was removed on Friday. Subsequent tweets from both their accounts describe it as a 10 pound (4.55 kilo) tumor was removed. I think most of you know that a 10 lb tumor has to be a huge deal for anyone. The tumor was behind his kidneys in his abdomen.

Husband and wife are both sponsored pros at PokerStars.
Saturday night Chad tweeted thanking everyone for their good wishes. A little before that Vanessa said that they had to wait a week for a pathology report before knowing whether further treatment would be required. The recovery from the removal of that big of a tumor has got to be a pretty lengthy process at any rate. Holdem Poker Chat wishes Chad Brown well and hopes for a speedy recovery.

Phil Laak in hospital after ATV crash

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While out in Oregon having fun with friends Phil “The Unabomber” Laak crashed his ATV and was rushed to the hospital with non life threating injuries. According to Phil Twitter post he suffered a massive arm injury and lacerations to his right eye.

We wish Phil a speedy recovery from his injuries.

Liv Boeree leaves UB

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Though the move has been rumored for some time, it is now official. Liv Boeree has left team UB.com. Rumors swirled as the 2010 WSOP Main Event began and Boeree was not wearing any UB.com logos. Still almost a month went by before anyone could nail down the truth. There is no mention of her on the UB.com site now.

Always attractive, Liv’s stock recently went up tremendously with her win in the EPT San Remo Main Event just before the WSOP. Since that victory she has been featured on industry publications and has been a prized interview for anything poker. She has come a long way from reality show contestant.

Liv gained fame initially on a UK television show called Ultimatepoker.com Showdown. Her looks and personality then led to a TV presenter job for GutShot TV. All the while the physics major from Manchester University was studying and learning the game of poker. She began to have mild success at the tables until her big breakout in San Remo.

Naturally, speculation as to which poker site she might sign with next has run rampant. No concrete news on that front is attainable at this time. She has tweeted about a deep run in a Pokerstars tournament recently, so do not be surprised if she lands on their doorstep.