The Weekly Turbo: Reid and Kyl Join Forces, WPT Slovenia, and More
In this edition of the Weekly Turbo we'll bring you up to speed on everything you may have missed while keeping your eyes on the 2011 World Series of Poker. We'll update you on the poker legislation from Reid and Kyl, the WPT Slovenia, Full Tilt legalities, and more.
By Their Powers Combined...
Last week, U.S. Senators Harry Reid and Jon Kyl joined forces to write a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder. In the letter, it seems that Reid and Holder are attempting to grasp the Department of Justice's stance on Internet gambling.
"We respectfully request that you reiterate the DOJ'ss longstanding position that federal law prohibits gambling over the Internet, including intra-state gambling (e.g., lotteries). Conversely, if for some reason the DOJ is reconsidering its longstanding position, then we respectfully request that you consult with Congress before finalizing a new position that would open the floodgates to Internet gambling," they wrote.
They also requested stronger penalties for companies that violate the law and would like to work with the DOJ to "enhance its ability to fight Internet gambling."
It all sounds a little worrisome, but the Las Vegas Sun believes that this letter could be a "prelude to a web poker bill Kyl could live with."
LasVegasSun.com has more.
Hitting The Nuts Always Wins
We've told you about the poker-themed comedy Hitting the Nuts before. It's the one that has won pretty much every film festival it's been entered in. It won Best Feature Film at both the Cincinnati Film Festival and the Derby City Film Festival earlier this year.
Well, the Las Vegas Film Festival was no different for the movie. On July 16, Hitting the Nuts was screened in front of a sold-out audience at the Las Vegas Film Festival inside the Las Vegas Hilton. The movie won the Golden Ace Award for Superior Filmmaking, making it the third award for the film in as many festivals.
Joe Boyd, producer and director of the movie said, “It really was an amazing reception. The crowd never stopped laughing from beginning to end. We are humbled by the movie’s success. We are grateful to the Las Vegas Film Festival and the international poker community for the support.”
The DVD is only available at www.HittingTheNuts.com but is getting closer to being released as digital versions to outlets like Netflix and iTunes, as well as a larger distribution deal to get the DVD out to major retail centers.
You can find out more at HittingTheNuts.com.
World Poker Tour Slovenia Day 4
The second stop of Season X of the World Poker Tour is in the books. Thanks to the WPT Live Update Blog, we can bring you a look at the action. On Day 4, WPT Slovenia began with nine players. Johannes Korsar took the biggest stack into the day but failed to carry it to the end. Instead, Miha Travnik ended up with all the chips in his corner.
In the first 45 minutes of play, Manuel Blaschke was eliminated when he moved all-in with pocket jacks but ran into queens. Soon, Patrik Hirvonen and Hugh Cohen were eliminated in eighth and seventh places respectively, leaving the field with its official final table of six.
There was a bit of controversy during the color-up when play was six-handed. It took around three hours to get everything sorted. About 10 minutes back into play, Marcello Marigliano was eliminated when his ace-ten went up against Korsar's jacks.
Gaetano Fortugno and Ferdi Ciorabai were eliminated in fifth and fourth places respectively. Start-of-day chip leader Johannes Korsar was the next player to hit the rail. According to WorldPokerTour.com, he opened for 50,000 from the button. Vincenzo Natale three-bet to 127,000. Not to be outdone, Korsar moved all-in for 600,000 and Natale called. Korsar showed pocket fours and was up against Natale's king-jack.
Natale hit a king on the flop and Korsar needed help to stay alive in the tournament. He didn't find it on the turn or river and was eliminated in third place.
Natale took a three-to-one chip lead into heads-up play with Miha Travnik. A little over an hour into heads-up play, Travnik took the lead from Natale and never looked back. In the final hand, Natale moved all-in preflop with king-eight and was called by Travnik with ace-jack. Natale didn't catch any of the help he needed and was eliminated in second place. Miha Travnik from Slovenia was crowned WPT Slovenia champion.
WPT Slovenia Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miha Travnik | $144,399 |
| 2 | Vincenzo Natale | $99,481 |
| 3 | Johannes Korsar | $68,244 |
| 4 | Ferdi Ciorabai | $51,077 |
| 5 | Gaetano Fortugno | $40,524 |
| 6 | Marcello Marigliano | $32,926 |
You can find updates from all the WPT Slovenia action at WorldPokerTour.com.
Full Tilt Poker Investors Eye UK and Irish Assets Only
Negotiations are ongoing between Full Tilt Poker representatives and unknown investors to purchase Full Tilt Poker. As reported on PokerNews on June 29, Full Tilt’s licenses were suspended and have remained that way. It appears, however, that the investors are only interested in purchasing the online poker sites U.K. and Irish assets.
According to EGR’s unknown source “The purchase includes the family of companies in the UK and Ireland [including marketing and technology company Pocket Kings in Dublin] as well as the Alderney licences.”
Lawyers from Jeffrey Green Russell, a London-based firm will be representing FTP in next week’s hearing for its license and in the possible sale. PokerNews will be on hand to give you ongoing coverage of the situation.
Get Your Votes in for the Women in Poker Hall of Fame
The 2011 Women in Poker Hall of Fame elections have begun and you have until July 30 to cast your vote. Yes, we know, not much time so get to it. Inductions began in 2008 when The Hall was founded to honor women who have made significant contributions to the poker world. The 2011 nominees include Phyllis Caro, Nani Dollison, Kristy Gazes, Margie Heintz, and JJ Liu. This year's inductees will join an elite group of women including Jennifer Harman, Kathy Liebert, and Linda Johnson.
Along with honoring women in poker the WiPHOF contributes to organizations that benefit society, as well, and has partnered with Poker Gives, a charity to provide financial support to mainstream organizations from the support of the poker community. You should probably partner with them too, and donate to avoid the bad juju.
The 2011 Induction Ceremony and Celebration will take place on September 2nd at the Golden Nugget Casino Grand Ballroom in downtown Las Vegas.
To learn more about the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, cast your vote, and purchase tickets to the ceremony check out their website at WomenOfPokerHallOfFame.
Are you following us on Twitter? Go follow us now. While you're at it, there's no reason why you shouldn't like us on Facebook.
