Poker News

John Caldwell

GREETINGS GREETINGS FROM THE RIO!

Almost all the breaking poker news will be made from the Rio Hotel over the next seven weeks, as the poker world gathers for the 2007 World Series of Poker. All eyes will be on Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, and the great Doyle Brunson as each of them go for their 11th WSOP bracelet, break the three way deadlock, and take the lifetime lead in bracelets won.

The Amazon Room in the Rio convention center is the epicenter of the poker world, and things in and around the Amazon Room have significantly changed. The most notable difference as you walk the long hall into the Amazon Room is the lack of online poker lounges that lined the halls at the 2006 WSOP.

The Poker Kitchen has been moved inside, and in its place outside is a semi-permanent tent like structure that can hold 75 or so more tables. This increased capacity made headlines very early in the series - as the record for most players in a non main event tournament was set. A total of 2,998 players each ponied up $1,500 to play in event number three.

Controversy was the order of the day as players were introduced to a new type of playing card. This PokerPeek card had each card’s value in a little space in the corner, which made them easier to read when lifting them, but when the cards were laid out on the table, they were difficult to read, particularly the sixes and nines, which were very similar. The reviews of the new cards were resoundingly negative, and Harrah’s - to their credit - reacted quickly. New cards were put into place nearly right away, and players had to look for something else to complain about.

The ESPN final table area is called a stadium this year, and I would call that an apt description. There is even a luxury box type bar that sits over one end of the final table. You can settle in with a cold beer, and watch all the action from this lofty perch.

DID YOU EVEN REMEMBER YOU HAD A NETELLER ACCOUNT?

NETeller recently announced that it had reached an agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office for the distribution of frozen funds to US Customers. The press release indicates that distribution will commence when the USAO’s investigation concludes, which will likely be in mid-July. When the distribution plan is implemented, US customers will be able to access their NETeller accounts online for a six month period to get their frozen monies out. Although US funds have remained unavailable to customers since February 2007, no interest will be paid on account balances.

UB SIGNS SAVAGE AS ARUBA TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

Online poker site Ultimate Bet has snagged one of the top tournament directors in the industry, announcing that Matt Savage will be in place as Tournament Director for the 2007 Aruba Poker Classic. Savage, whose extensive credentials include both WSOP and WPT events, has overseen more than 300 televised poker shows. Savage also founded the Tournament Directors Association and was himself the first inductee into the Poker Room Manager’s Hall of Fame. Ultimate Bet has also announced that the Aruba Poker Classic will be pushed back one week and will return to the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino. The event is now scheduled for September 29-October 6, 2007.

Filed under: Poker News