Nov 6, 2015 | News, US States
In the US, revenues from poker may have dropped in recent years, but that is only in line with what is happening elsewhere in the economy. The US is one of the countries where the game of poker is well established. There are few people, for instance, who have not heard of the popular Las Vegas casinos. What is, however, relatively new to many people is online poker. Yet online poker is one of the betting games that can earn the country lots of revenue if well regulated. Of course, some US states have identified that opportunity and have passed state laws to regulate online poker.
US States that have legalized online poker
Any US resident or visitor who wishes to play online poker without looking over their shoulder will be at home in New Jersey, Delaware, as well as Nevada. Those are the three states that had officially legalized online poker as of 2013. Nevada, the state famous for its casino city, Las Vegas, led the other states in legalizing online poker. That means that the avid poker players who grace the brick and mortar casinos can continue their experience online whether they are playing poker as a hobby or a profession.
The mystery surrounding online poker has diminished with the three states having made the online game legal. There is, therefore, not much fear now that online poker may be detrimental to the economy of individual states. On the contrary, interested states have begun to see the possibility of collecting additional revenues through sites that host online gambling. Following this new outlook, there are a number of states that are likely to be more liberal and make online poker legal. These states include California and Washington; Pennsylvania and New York; New Hampshire and Massachusetts; Louisiana and Illinois; as well as Texas.
How the State Protects Individuals
One positive aspect of legalizing online poker is that it becomes easy to let poker players know the sites that are legal, and thus protect them from unscrupulous hosts who may end up swindling players of their money.
At the same time, there is liberty in the states that have legalized online poker to sign in as a player even when the person does not live within the state. Some sites may even allow someone to make cash deposits from wherever they are outside the state. Such deposits are held safely by the site and the only restriction is the actual location of playing. As things stand, it is necessary that a player be within the borders of the state that has legalized online poker in order to participate in the online gambling.
A good example is a poker enthusiast in the state of Washington. Such a player can sign onto a gambling site within Nevada where poker is legalized and even deposit cash while still in Washington. That money is held safely and the player can use it on the poker hosting site when physically within the state of Nevada.
Beware
Just because a site accepts a poker player’s registration does not mean the site is legal. Sites that are legally hosting poker games may refuse admission to players who do not qualify to play within the concerned state, but most sites operating illegally usually do not have restrictions. While such easy admission may excite an American poker enthusiast, such sites are also risky to the player whose safety of deposits cannot be assured – at least not by any state authorities.
The good news is that it is easy to establish online if a website that is hosting online poker is legal in the US or not.
Nov 6, 2015 | News
DraftKings, the sports provider that has been sponsoring the World Series of Poker (WSOP) for a while now, has withdrawn its sponsorship. Any advertisements, including DraftKings logos, that had been put up for this year’s WSOP or earlier tournaments have been removed since DraftKings’ decision to cut its sponsorship. According to the owner of WSOP, Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings actually wanted those advertisements removed.
Reason DraftKings Left
The withdrawal of the DraftKings sponsorship does not, in any way, mean that the poker sports series is no longer worth sponsoring. It also has nothing to do with the management of the two organizations. Besides, there are many poker enthusiasts who are also excited about the fantasy sports offered by DraftKings. The truth is that DraftKings would have loved to continue with its sponsorship this year, and probably many years to come were it not for the state laws in Nevada.
While sponsoring poker, DraftKings has been taking the opportunity to promote its fantasy sports during the poker series. Among the sports DraftKings promotes are Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) associated with American sports like the NBA, NFL and PGA; the Premier League; UEFA Champions League; NASCAR among others. And all along, the Nevada state laws put these fantasy sports within a sports category that requires licensing.
This time, however, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has stated categorically that any play that touches on DFS is gambling and must be licensed as such. Apparently, the controversy in the poker arena is not just about how to handle online poker or online gambling as a whole. Categorization of the DFS is a case in point.
The Impact of DraftKings’ Departure
DraftKings does not harbor any ill feelings against the management of WSOP but it surely has shown disgust towards the step taken by the Nevada authorities. For starters, the operators of DFS have ceased to accept any Nevada players forthwith. Ordinarily, players of poker, whether online poker or casino based poker, and those of DFS have nothing against each other. Hence, this move to bar Nevada players from DFS is a case of innocent players becoming collateral damage between the fight between DraftKings and the Nevada authorities.
This year’s November Nine has also been adversely affected by DraftKings’ withdrawal of its sponsorship. November Nine is the main event’s final table in the WSOP; the culmination of the whole poker Series. That means the poker fraternity is set to have their eyes on Las Vegas where the WSOP main event takes place in a couple of days.
For those new to the WSOP, November Nine constitutes the nine finalists who are still standing after thousands have been eliminated from the world poker series. To understand what a feat it is for the finalists, the number of participants at the start of this year’s WSOP was 6,420 and only nine of those qualified to play in the final leg, from November 8th to 10th. Sadly, DraftKings’ withdrawal of sponsorship extends to a finalist the sports site had sponsored for the poker tournament, Max Steinberg.
Prospects of DraftKings’ resumption of sponsorship
It is not certain as per now if DraftKings will resume sponsoring the WSOP next year, but it would not be surprising if it did because the reason for DraftKings’ withdrawal now has nothing to do with its relationship with WSOP or its officials. Poker players and DFS players have similar interests and their two sports have no rivalry. Possibly if the Nevada state laws were modified to become friendlier to DFS hosts, DraftKings might return to the WSOP in 2016. In any case, it is of great benefit for DraftKings to market its fantasy sports directly to the poker fraternity.
Nov 6, 2015 | News
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Source: ESPN
Over six thousand poker players have competed in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament this year, and the culmination of this popular betting sport begins on November 8th when the final phase of the poker competition begins. The poker games between November 8th and 10th are expected to raise a lot of excitement both in Las Vegas where the competitions will be taking place, as well as in homes and pubs where poker fans will be watching from.
ESPN is set to show all the poker games within 30min of the live play. Even avid online poker players are likely to put their play on hold on those three days in order to have the thrill of watching the WSOP season finals almost live. ESPN’s poker broadcasts begin on November 8th at 8:30pm Eastern Time (ET) or 5:30pm Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Massive Monies Involved In WSOP Tournament
The WSOP tournament involves big monies, not just in the preparation of the series but also in prize money. For one, players take away winnings in millions of dollars. Also a lot of money changes hands through economic activities that are fuelled within the area where the poker games are held.
The poker player who takes 1st place at the end of the November Nine competition this year is set to take away a whopping $7.6 million. He will also be honoured with a beautiful and prestigious gold bracelet and be the envy of other poker competitors.
November Nine is a relatively new concept
The concept of having the finals of the competitive poker tournament televised live on their own, and thus the November Nine, was initiated in 2008. It was meant to give ESPN a commercial edge. Before this arrangement was put in place, the poker finals were held as soon as all poker players but nine fell on the wayside. Today, however, ESPN televises sections of the WSOP competition over months, and these are also edited. This whets the appetite of poker players and fans alike and there is, therefore, anticipation for great viewership during the November Nine. And in a place like Las Vegas where state laws are favorable for betting games like poker, November Nine is likely to be on the lips of many.
This year, the finalists for the poker tournament have been known since the month of July, yet the finals have been pending as per the November Nine plan. Now, as November 8th approaches, the poker fraternity is not expressing their anticipation towards legalization of online poker in more US states. Rather, they are focusing their attention on the coming poker finals, and very likely, making bets on the possible winner of this year’s WSOP tournament.
November Nine Champions
People in the poker world are proud of anyone who emerges the winner after such a hotly contested position as the WSOP champion. Whether a player engages in online poker or poker that is played conventionally, they all appreciate that it is not easy to beat other seasoned and well prepared competitors within an environment like the one presented by the WSOP tournament.
Past champions in this competition include Peter Eastgate who won in 2008; Joe Cada who did it in 2009; Jonathan Duhamel in 2010; Pius Heinz in 2011; Greg Merson in 2012; Ryan Riess in 2013; and Martin Jacobson in 2014. After November 10th, the poker fraternity will be in a position to add one more name to this list of champions. That name can only come from the nine finalists in this poker tournament who include, Zvi Stern; Pierre Neuville; Joshua Beckley; Max Steinberg; Thomas Cannuli; Joseph McKeehen; Patrick Chan; Federico Butteroni; and Neil Blumenfield.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Nov 5, 2015 | News
The inductees for the hall of fame in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) are scheduled to be announced sometime between 7th November and 10th November this year. Such induction shows that the world of poker is not any different from that of other sports. Some of the inductees may be veteran poker players. Others may be young poker players who possibly even caught the poker bug from playing online poker.
Beginning of nominations
Nominations for the poker Hall of Fame inductees have already started. They are being sent online and poker fans are being encouraged to include a brief explanation when sending the name of their nominee. The aim of this nomination is to honor people who have made tremendous impact in the poker arena. Poker, being an old game, is likely to have many nominees but definitely only a few inductees can be accepted.
Short listing
Poker, like other sports, has firm structures. After the final list of nominees has been compiled and sorted, the Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council will do a thorough review of the top ten names, before handing that shortlist to another panel for the final stage before induction. That final stage is handled by a group of people who are respected in the field of poker; people who are already members of the Poker Hall of Fame. They will be assisted by some blue ribbon media panel.
How many inductees are expected?
It is important to note that the number of people to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame has nothing to do with the state poker law or any other state laws in the US or elsewhere. It has everything to do with the regulations set by the Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council as well as the tradition within the field of poker. This year, 2015, as in other past years, the final pick for inductees will be one or two names from the finalists. And thereafter there will be, as usual, an enshrinement ceremony. This ceremony is normally held in Las Vegas.
Requirements for Qualification as Nominee for the Poker Hall of Fame
- The poker player must have competed against renowned top competition
- The nominee poker player must have engaged in high stakes play
- He or she must be well respected in the poker arena
- He or she must be a consistent poker player and competitor
- There is a minimum age set at 40yrs
- For those nominees who are not serious poker players or not poker players at all, they must have been known for promoting the sport in a manner to leave an indelible mark for posterity.
Any known names hoping to enter the poker hall of fame?
Some of the poker players already nominated for WSOP hall of fame includes Jennifer Harman and John Juanda. They both have had great play in poker for over 20yrs. Obviously, they cannot have made their name playing online poker as playing over the web is a relatively recent development. Their consistency has been on the brick and mortar arena where many prominent poker players have always been competing.
John Juanda, for example, is one poker player who is not just known in the US for being a consistent high stake player, but also in Macau and elsewhere. Jennifer Harman, on her part, has been a constant in the famous Bellagio Poker room in Las Vegas. She is the sole woman who has been at home competing and winning against the men in the high level mixed games. And, of course, she has set the way for other formidable women poker players like Maria Ho.
Nov 2, 2015
Choosing a poker site from the thousands of the best online poker sites can be a daunting task for new players. It’s with that in mind that this list of tips has been made in order to help you decide which site you can play in and also which real money online poker site suits you best. This will help choose not only the best but also the most legitimate, friendly, secure, safe and reputable sites.
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Poker Promotions
Choose the best gaming sites to make money easily. This is based on the promotions, competitions, stakes, games and the bonuses on offer. A comparison of the best online poker sites will reveal hundreds of various promotions that include exclusive cash free rolls to satellites to live tournaments around the world to merchandise and much more. Before deciding where you want to play, ensure you read the site’s promotions section to determine if you like what they are offering.
Poker sites reviews are a treasure trove of information. Many such sites have in-depth and objective reviews which highlight the positive plus the negative aspects of each site based on individual merit. Additionally, most of the top poker site reviews cover a raft of tips on playing at poker sites that include;
These, along with other personal opinions, will help you find the best online poker sites which meet your needs as well as accept gamers from your country. The reviews also provide you with the opportunity to learn and enjoy poker through offering articles on game play and the odds each site packs. Reading reviews will ensure you learn more on these online poker sites and what they offer poker players.
Best Online Poker Sites
Many of the best online poker sites do not accept US players because of past legislation in the United States. However, some top online poker sites do accept American players and they include Bovada and Americas Card room, one of the world’s most trusted brands in online poker. Some of the most popular and best online poker sites are;
Top Rated Poker Sites
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