Le Monde du Poker.

October 24 2011, Brett Collson

The reported layoffs at a Full Tilt Poker subsidiary have prompted former FTP employees to express their thoughts about the controversial online poker site. In this edition of the Nightly Turbo, we bring you the latest news from Pocket Kings Ltd., Tom McEvoy's new online poker team, and more.

In Case You Missed It

Steve Dannenman finished runner-up to Joe Hachem at the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2005 but hasn't been around much lately. We caught up with Dannenman to find out what he's been up to in this edition of Where Are They Now.

Day 3 of the 2011 PokerStars.it European Poker Tour San Remo Main Event was a short one as a field of 144 was trimmed to 64. Get all the details in our daily EPT recap.

How did the Sunday Majors play out yesterday on PokerStars? Who took home the biggest win? Find out in the Sunday Briefing.

Eric Crain and Mark "P0ker H0" Kroon were among the 20 players to reach Day 3 of the World Series of Poker Circuit Hammond Main Event on Sunday. Find out who else is vying for the WSOP Circuit ring in our daily WSOPC recap.

The 2011 World Series of Poker Europe came to a close last week. Take a look through some of the highlights of the series in the PokerNews photo blog.

How did Team PokerStars Pro member Angel Guillen get his start in poker? Find out in our inaugural "Seat Open with..." series.

More Layoffs at Pocket Kings Ltd.

As many as 180 employees of Pocket Kings Ltd. were laid off between Wednesday and Friday of last week, according to a report in The Irish Times.

The Ireland-based company, which has provided software, information technology, customer support, and other services for Full Tilt Poker, has now watched at least 400 employees walk out the door since Black Friday.

Employees were informed in September that the company would be laying off up to 250 workers from its offices in Dublin during a four-week consultation period. That stage ended last week, and employees who spoke to The Irish Times said they had been offered statutory redundancy.

The layoffs spurred a number of alleged former Pocket Kings employees to provide their insights on the company's operation at TwoPlusTwo over the weekend. On Saturday, one of the alleged workers created a thread called "FTP Employees answer questions" and subsequently answered close to 130 questions about the day-to-day activity of the company, the chances of players getting their money back, and much more. At one point, the former employee opined that the sale of the company to Group Bernard Tapie "will not go through." He added that if the deal falls through, he can't see the company lasting past January.

While we can't confirm that the poster has actually worked for Pocket Kings, his answers are very thorough, which leads us to believe he's legit. Take a look at the full thread at TwoPlusTwo.

Tom McEvoy's Game Face

Tom McEvoy parted ways with PokerStars last month, but the former World Series of Poker Main Event champ has already signed on to represent a new poker site.

McEvoy has been hired as a "pro consultant and instructor" for Game Face Gaming, a subscription-based reality gaming social network currently in beta testing. The company will offer a nonwagering online poker site featuring live video, audio, and messaging capabilities, as well as a face-to-face Training University. The launch of the site is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

"We are thrilled to have a person with Tom's credentials join our team," stated Felix Elinson, the CEO of Game Face Gaming, Inc. "Tom McEvoy is one of the best known names in the poker world, not to mention a true gentleman of the game. Tom has an unquestionable reputation for integrity as well as a World Class Poker Player. His years of industry experience and guidance is a powerful addition to the team, while we go through the next stages of development and ultimately product release."

More info on the new online poker site can be found in the Game Face Gaming press release.

Maryland Governor Opposes Online Poker Legislation

On Tuesday, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade will hold a hearing on the online poker bill proposed by Texas Rep. Joe Barton. However, the governor of Maryland is urging Congress to take online poker legislation off of the discussion table.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Gov. Martin O'Malley sent a letter to the co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction saying that he opposes online poker on the basis that it would cause increasing state budget deficits and hinder economic recovery. He also claimed that legalization of Internet gambling could jeopardize Maryland lottery retailers.

“Such proposals would diminish significant sources of revenue for the states when we have already had to endure significant revenue reductions,” O’Malley wrote in the letter. “(Internet poker) would also jeopardize the dollars for K-12 public education, community colleges, and four-year colleges and universities that are generated by new slots locations in our state.”

O'Malley has been one of the major antagonists of online gambling and was among the first to speak out about the legalization of online poker. Maryland is a state with just six slot-only casinos which are located only at horse racing tracks on order to help sustain the horse racing industry.

Get more on the story at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Stacey Reilly Wins Australian Deaf Poker Championship

Seventy poker players competed in the 2011 Australian Deaf Poker Championship over the weekend, making for a historic event at the SKYCITY Adelaide Casino. The event was the second on the schedule of the Adelaide Poker Championships and was exclusive to deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing-impaired players.

The players communicated using sign language and used hand signals to communicate with the dealer and opponents. To call a bet, a player put a hand to an ear as if on a phone. To raise, players showed the amount by using fingers. The sign for all-in was a push with both hands as if shoving chips in the middle.

Stacey Reilly, 41, was crowned the first winner of the inaugural event. She collected $1,960 in prize money after defeating fellow Australian Kathleen Ogders heads-up for the title. The tournament ended on the second hand of heads-up play when Ogders open-shoved with and Reilly called with . The best hand help up and Reilly became the first female champion of the event.

All of the results from the event can be found at the Poker Media Australia website.

World Poker Finals Kicks Off Thursday, Oct. 27

The World Poker Tour will touch down in Connecticut on Thursday, Oct. 27 for the Foxwoods World Poker Finals. The tournament has been a part of the WPT since its inaugural season 10 years ago and has seen several big-name players win titles, including Hoyt Corkins, Tuan Le, Nick Schuleman, Nenad Medic, and Season VI WPT Player of the Year Jonathan Little. Last year, Jeff Forrest took down the $10,000 buy-in event to collect more than $500,000 for his first-place finish.

Among the pros already confirmed to take part in this year's event in Mashantucket include Corkins, defending WPT POY Andy Frankenberger, and recent WPT Season X champions Bobby Oboodi and Will “The Thrill” Failla. The tournament will conclude on Nov. 1 when the final table of six plays down to a champion.

Visit the World Poker Tour website for more information.

Lex Veldhius is a Prop Bet Master

PokerNews' Kristy Arnett is a prop-bet fish. Arnett caught up with Veldhuis during the PokerStars.it European Poker Tour stop in San Remo and got "pwned" not once, but twice, by the Dutch pro.

Are you following PokerNews on Twitter? Like us on Facebook while you're at it, and sign up for the newsletter. You know you want to.

Follow Brett Collson on Twitter — @brettcollson

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