Le Monde du Poker.

AppId is over the quota
September 25 2011, Elaine Chaivarlis

It's been a week full of Full Tilt Poker news. And if you missed any of it, we're going to catch you up on all of it in the Weekly Turbo. You'll get a peek at Rafe Furst's open letter, find out what the Epic Poker League did with Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson's member cards, and more.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced it was amending the original Black Friday indictments to include Ray Bitar, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, and Rafe Furst.

We're used to silence regarding the Full Tilt Poker drama, so we weren't planning on hearing from Lederer, Ferguson, or Furst, so color us surprised when Furst tweeted the link to an open letter on his blog.

Rather than post the entire letter, here's an excerpt:

"What I would like to express here is concern for my family, friends, colleagues and supporters who believe in me and who feel my pain as if it were their own. It sucks to have to endure the character assassination and potshots being taken at me in the media and social networks without being able to defend myself. Privately though I have received incredible support from many of you, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me. May you never have to endure something like this, but if you do, I hope you have friends as good as mine."

"To the skeptics, please consider that not everything you read is true, and our society is built on a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. It’s difficult to take back hurtful things that you might later regret, when the damage has already been done."

You can make your own conclusions, and if you'd like to read the entire letter, you can, at EmergentFool.com.

We can't say we didn't see this coming. On Wednesday, the Epic Poker League announced that the Standards and Conduct Committee suspended Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson indefinitely.

“The Committee voted to suspend Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson indefinitely, pending the outcome of the Department of Justice’s action," said EPL's Standard and Conduct Committee's chairman Stephen Martin.

Even though the complaint filed against Lederer and Ferguson is civil and not criminal, the committee deemed that "the specificity of the allegations and the fact they came from the United States government made this the right course of action in the best interests of the players in the League."

The committee also said that it would continue to monitor the actions of the DOJ and should any other League members be named, "the Committee will consider additional disciplinary action."

According to the committee, Lederer has signed his League documents granting him a 5-year card, however, Ferguson has not yet signed the League documents. Regardless, Ferguson's card has been suspended.

It should also be noted that Andy Bloch, who is on the Standards and Conduct Committee refused to take part in the consideration of the issue and commissioner Annie Duke does not take part in any committee discussions.

Read more at EpicPoker.com.

No, not this mob. A few days after announcing it ended its exclusive relationship with Full Tilt Poker, The Hendon Mob has snatched up another sponsor — Genting Poker. Weirdly enough, the first sentence of the announcement painted a mob-like picture in our head, so maybe it's not far from the mob linked above. Kidding!

"In a deal struck over a meal at Soho’s Little Italy The Hendon Mob shook hands with the godfathers of Genting, securing the future of the Hendon Mob website and guaranteeing the boys all the pasta they can eat."

According to the announcement, the partnership crosses over both live and online.

If you'd like to find out more, read the announcement on TheHendonMob.com.

The Epic Poker League recently announced its broadcast schedule for its inaugural season. According to the press release, 20 hours of programming are planned, seven of them airing on CBS and the rest on the Velocity Network.

The premiere episode will air on Oct. 7 at 10 p.m. EDT on Velocity; the first CBS episode will run on Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. EDT.

“Players and fans have been asking when they can tune-in to watch the Epic Poker League, so we’re pleased to share our national telecast schedule for CBS and Velocity,” said Jeffrey Pollack, executive chairman of the Epic Poker League and its parent company, Federated Sports + Gaming. “Epic Poker offers an innovative take on America’s favorite card game and our telecasts put an entirely new spotlight on many of the world’s finest players.”

The broadcasts will be hosted by Pat O'Brien along with co-host Ali Nejad.

“The broadcasts of Epic Poker on CBS and Velocity will offer viewers a new and innovative experience that will take poker programming to the next level,” said David Neal, executive producer of Epic Poker League. “Epic Poker productions take a page from the best professional sports programming.”

You can check out the rest of the television broadcast schedule on the press release, and watch a teaser video below.

A petition was created on Sept. 22 to bring online poker regulation to the Obama administration's attention. We the People, is a way to get the public's voice heard in the government. At the moment, the minimum number of signatures needed on a petition to be reviewed is 5,000 signatures in 30 days.

The online poker petition wants the Obama administration to "protect consumers, create jobs, and generate revenue by licensing and regulating online poker."

"Appropriate regulation of online poker will put the U.S. in charge of safeguarding responsible adult players, prevent underage participation and protect those with excessive gaming habits. The current, unregulated U.S. marketplace does not guarantee a single consumer protection," the petition says.

The petition continues, "U.S. regulation of this global industry will also mean the creation of American jobs and billions in new revenue without raising taxes. Licensed U.S.-based horse race wagering sites have proven that online betting sites can be successfully regulated. It is time to allow online poker the same opportunity."

Be heard. Sign the petition.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Full Tilt Poker attorney's slammed the U.S. Department of Justice for its allegation that the company ran a Ponzi scheme.

"A Ponzi scheme requires an investment vehicle in order to receive a certain rate of high return," Jeff Ifrah, one of Full Tilt Poker's attorneys, said. "None of those things happened here." Ifrah says Full Tilt Poker "should be likened to that of a problematic bank, rather than an illegal investment scheme."

The attorney for recently accused Chris Ferguson, Ian Imrich said, "While the government has obviously taken issue with the underlying activities of FTP, under any reasonable interpretation, the world-wide operations of the online cardroom are not a so-called Ponzi scheme."

The Wall Street Journal reports that as of Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department had no comment.

WSJ.com has more.

The Boston Herald is reporting that even though U.S. Rep. Barney Frank is "very disappointed to hear the allegations" against Full Tilt Poker's, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and Rafe Furst, they don't change his views on online gambling legislation. "If anything, it strengthens them."

Critics berated Frank, as well as Sen. Harry Reid, for taking money from Full Tilt Poker. "Frank should refund every nickel of the tens of thousands in campaign donations linked to online gambling,” Tim Buckley state GOP spokesman said. “It appears Mr. Frank is another congressman willing to associate with criminals.”

According to the Boston Herald, Frank is willing to put the "donations from Lederer, Furst and Ferguson into a special account and donate it to a fund for victims if the Justice Department sets one up — and if the men are found guilty."

Read more at BostonHerald.com.

In case your week was as busy as ours, we're going to lighten up your Sunday a bit. In the midst of our flurry of work on Friday, we came across our favorite thread of the moment on TwoPlusTwo — Phil Hellmuth Riding a Giant Hotdog on Water. Yes, you read that right, and yes, it's literal — well, almost. We aren't sure if it's Hellmuth on the hotdog, but if it's not, the guy in the photo is a dead ringer for the Poker Brat. The initial image is gold in and of itself, but as you're all aware, there are some Photoshop masters on TwoPlusTwo.

This thread is a must read.

You should follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news. Not only that, like PokerNews on Facebook, and sign up for the Nightly Turbo newsletter below.

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August 24 2011, Chad Holloway

The 2011 World Series of Poker continued its run to the November Nine on Tuesday when ESPN aired two more episodes of the Main Event. Last week, the first two of 24 Main Event episodes were aired and kicked off coverage with Day 3 of the “Big One.” As you surely know by now, the 2011 Main Event drew an impressive 6,865 players and created a prize pool of $64,531,000.

At the start of the latest episode, action continued on Day 3 with a number of notables still in the field including Ben Lamb, Patrik Antonius, Erick Lindgren, Amanda Musumeci, and Daniel Negreanu. Here is a look at the top chip counts at the top of the broadcast:

Let’s Get It On: With the blinds at 1,200/2,400 and a 300 ante, Daniel Negreanu was again at the featured table, which looked like this:

In the first hand, Timothy Joseph raised to 5,600 in early position holding and Max Heinzelmann decided to defend from the big blind with . They were heads up to the flop, and both players checked. When the hit the turn, Heinzelmann bet 5,600 and received a call from Joseph, who happened to hold the nuts. The improved Heinzelmann to two pair, and he fired out 10,700. Joseph counted out some chips and sprung into action with a raise to 31,000. Surprisingly, Heinzelmann wasted little time in sending his cards to the muck.

Playing the Big Stack: Sami Kelopuro, who goes by the moniker “LarsLuzak” online, was interviewed and explained the advantages of possessing a big stack: “If you have the bigger stack at the table, you cannot bust. In that point, you can take flips against the smaller stacks. You can put them in a bad spot because they can bust out and you cannot, so you can play more hands and you can gamble a little bit . . . you can put pressure on the smaller stacks.”

Kelopuro had the opportunity to test his advice when he held the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand and raised to 5,500. Paul Petraglia looked down at in the cutoff and made the call, as did Kristy Gazes and Daniel Negreanu in the small and big blinds respectively. Viewers were given four possible hands that Kelopuro might hold: A.) B.) C.) D.) .

The players were four-handed to the flop, which came down , and action checked to Kelopuro, who bet 12,800. Petraglia called with top pair and the other two players got out of the way. When the appeared on the turn, Kelopuro proceeded to check-call a bet of 20,000, the rolled off on the river, and Kelopuro bet 32,500, enough to put Petraglia all-in. The latter called off only to discover Kelopuro held for the rivered straight.

Goodbye, George: Although the cameras didn’t capture the hand, they did arrive in time to see Jason Alexander saying his goodbyes to the table. His exit came on the heels of both Victor Ramdin and Sam Stein.

Musumeci vs. Saul Part I: Ara Melikian raised to 5,300 holding and was called by the of Amanda Musumeci from the hijack. Kevin Saul looked down at in the big blind and opted to come along for the ride. The flop saw action check to Musumeci, and she obliged with a bet of 9,200. Saul, never one to shy away, check-raised to 27,800, Melikian folded, and Musumeci made the call.

Neither player bet the turn, but the river prompted Saul to bet 47,700. Musumeci took her time before making the call and taking down the 170,800 pot.

Negreanu vs. Zulker: Mike Zulker raised to 5,200 with and cleared the field all the way around to Daniel Negreanu in the big blind. Unfortunately for Zulker, Negreanu squeezed out and reraised to 17,000. Zulker called and the flop fell . Negreanu checked his set and Zulkner followed suit. He then called Negreanu’s 19,800 bet on the turn. When the appeared on the river, Negreanu grabbed his entire stack and committed it to the pot. Zulkner only had 36,100 remaining and made the call, putting an end to his 2011 WSOP.

Seed Doubles: On the secondary feature table, action folded to Huck Seed in the small blind and he moved all-in for 29,100 without looking at his cards. Ben Lamb called from the big blind and the 1996 World Champion was at risk.

Showdown
Lamb:
Seed:

The flop was no help to Seed, but the turn gave him a pair and the lead. The river changed nothing and Seed doubled to 60,600, which was still short compared to the average of 157,214 with 1,310 players remaining.

Unfortunately, Seed's momentum was short lived. In the last hand of the first episode, Seed was under the gun and raised to 5,300 after looking down at . Marvin Peltola was the only player to make the call, holding and the players were heads up to the flop. Seed led out for a modest 6,000, Peltola moved all-in, and Seed called off for 53,600. Seed was a 56 percent favorite, but the turn left him drawing dead. The inconsequential was put out on the river as Seed exited stage left.

Musumeci vs. Saul Part II: The second hour of broadcast picked up with 1,196 players remaining and Patrick Poirier still leading the pack with 984,200. The feature table was the same, with Daniel Negreanu, who was joined by his friend, Adam Junglen. Tthe first big pot occurred at the outer table when Kevin Saul opened for 6,900 from middle position with and received calls from Ara Melikian who was holding and Amanda Musumeci with .

The flop made Musumeci the favorite with a straight-flush draw, but she checked and allowed Saul to fire out 10,800. Once again both of his opponents made the call, and the dealer burned and turned the . Again Musumeci checked with the best hand, Saul bet 36,900, Melikian folded, and Musumeci made the call. The river gave Musumeci a king-high straight, and she check-called Saul’s bet of 98,200. Just like that, Musumeci raked in the 328,400 pot and climbed over half a million.

Mini-Hellmuth Rant: Phil Hellmuth raised to 7,400 under the gun holding only to have Chee Kian Chan defend from the big blind with . Hellmuth was a 70 percent favorite, but the flop quickly changed that because it gave Chan a pair of aces. The action went check-check to the turn, which saw Chan check-call a bet of 4,800. The river missed Hellmuth, and again the two checked. “Ace-four, yeah of course. You call 7,000 from an under-the-gun raise with ace-four offsuit,” Hellmuth bemoaned when the cards were flipped. In classic Hellmuthian fashion, the Poker Brat stood from the table and uttered a few choice words, which were promptly bleeped by ESPN.

Antonius Eliminated: At the outer tables, Patrik Antonius was all-in preflop for his last 48,100 and called by Christian Kudmore.

Showdown
Antonius:
Kudmore:

It was a classic race, but Antonius needed to improve to stay alive. Much to Norman Chad’s dismay, the board ran out a dry and Antonius exited the Main Event.

While one big name hit the rail, hostess Kara Scott was quick to point out that a number of notables were still in including Freddy Deeb, Eli Elezra, and Sam Simon (co-creator of the Simpsons).

Ignorance is Bliss and I’m Very Happy: On the secondary feature table, Alexander Debus raised to 6,500 with and Marvin Peltola called from the big blind with . The flop brought about two checks. The gave Peltola a full house and he coyly checked and allowed Debus to bet 8,000. Peltola responded by immediately moving all in for 94,900!

“You could just fold,” Peltola launched into a speech. “You bust me, my wife’s gotta go home.” This went on for a few moments. While talking is usually a sign of strength, Debus thought otherwise and spiked in a call. The table seemed shocked when the cards were turned up, with a few noting that Peltola made a terrible play.

“Ignorance is bliss, and I’m very happy,” Peltola stated as he stacked the pot.

Bag ‘Em & Tag ‘Em: After a few more hands, the latest WSOP on ESPN episode came to a close with the end of Day 3. Only 852 of the original 6,865 players remained, with the top ten looking a little like this:

Tune in Next Week: Every Tuesday leading up to November, ESPN will air episodes of the 2011 WSOP Main Event. Be sure to either check your local listings or come back next week for our recap of the action.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

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