RealDealPoker will launch shortly. Until then, curious poker affiliates can get a preview of what’s to come on the RealDealPoker channel on YouTube where creator Gene demonstrates the revolutionary online poker product.

“Our players will play higher stakes and stay with the site longer than any other site online,” said Gambrill, previously Head of Poker, Casino, Sportsbook marketing for two leading UK betting and gaming companies. “It’s all about trust.”

RealDealPoker patented Cut N’ Shuffle® system was designed to deter or eliminate the use of Bots. It scrambles, shuffles and deals real decks of cards, digitizes the results and then translates them to its online poker table games. It records real shoes of cards and then plays those, rather than relying on a computerized random number generator. This allows the system to offer players a “cut function” and the deployment of “burn cards”. The system also produces fully audited hand data through its Game Check function.

“The accident happened about midnight Saturday, Atlantic City Police Sgt. Angelo Maimone said. The man was taken to the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, where he was pronounced dead, Maimone said.

“The man’s name and other details were not released pending further investigation, Maimone said. Caesars did not return a call yesterday seeking comment. The security office at the Pier Shops also declined to comment…”

The motion notes that the project has been in bankruptcy for three months and the developer has made no meaningful progress with its lenders to get it restarted. The motion also notes that the bankruptcy court issued a partial denial of a motion asking the court to order lenders to restore funding to the project. Fontainebleau cited the lenders’ decision to deny $656 million in funding as the reason for its bankruptcy filing.

“With completion of the project by debtors not possible, a sale of the project to a third party and liquidation of the remaining assets is the only visible course to realize any meaningful value for creditors,” the motion said.

The motion was filed by a group of five funds, called the term lender steering group, including Los Angeles-based Canyon Capital Advisors, which recently acquired the Greek Isles; New York-based Carlyle Group; and Guggenheim Investment Management.

More than $16 million of the group’s cash collateral has been used since the bankruptcy filing. The term lenders hold more than $1 billion in loans.

Judge Jay Cristol said during a Sept. 16 hearing where the project’s lawyers asked for more time in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection that “I think we can go three weeks (more), but not much longer. I’m very fearful the wheels are coming off.”

The developer has been in court-ordered mediation with unnamed parties. The Review-Journal reported in July that Apollo Management, which owns half of Harrah’s Entertainment, was interested in the project.

Last week, Penn National Gaming emerged as possibly being in talks to acquire the multibillion-dollar project. Gaming analysts expressed skepticism that the Wyomissing, Pa-based company would complete a deal for the project, which is 70 percent finished and has been estimated to need $1.5 billion to complete.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas and two affiliates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from creditors June 9, listing assets and debt of more than $1 billion each.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas could not be reached for comment. The project is on 24 acres on the corner of Las Vegas and Riviera boulevards.

Of course, that all changed when other areas of the world began to pass online gambling legislation, calling for the creation of their very own regulatory commissions. Take the UK, for example. Being a world leader, the UK passed the UK Gambling Act 2005 with provisions calling for online gambling regulation, and has hence served as a magnet for online casinos seeking the highest credibility obtainable, albeit extremely high taxation is now beginning to drive off top name brands.

In other words, Antigua and Barbuda’s online gambling landscape is not like it used to be. That doesn’t mean they’ve lost credibility in the internet betting world. Even though Antigua (along with Kahnawake, interestingly enough) had to fight to get on the UK’s online gambling whitelist - thus allowing Antigua licensed online casinos to advertise in the UK - they got on it, nonetheless. Yet, there are certainly fewer operators based out of Antigua these days - and no thanks to the passing of the UIGEA, a.k.a. attempted U.S. online gambling ban.

The one thing that did look like it might possibly hurt Antigua’s credibility was the recent financial banking scandal at the hands of billionaire banker Allen Stanford. Largely based out of Antigua, Standford’s bank, Stanford Financial, was shut down when U.S. authorities uncovered an eight billion dollar investment scheme.

The good news is that Stanford refused to do business with any online casinos or gambling-related businesses for that matter, citing his Southern Baptist convictions. Never mind the fact that Stanford is being sued by the Las Vegas Bellagio casino resort for over a quarter of a million dollars in unpaid gambling markers, aka casino credits to gamble with. Still, this means no tied-up assets for Antigua-based internet betting operators and their players. If anything, the scandal has prompted the Antiguan government to take a closer look at how their Financial Services Regulatory Commission oversees financial matters. Online gambling regulation goes on in Antigua…and rightfully so.

An official with the country’s Department of Higher Education denied the idea that the university courses encouraged gambling. Rather, the courses are intended to teach students how to manage casinos as well as other tourism operations. According to a department spokesperson, the courses have nothing to do with teaching players how to gamble nor encouraging students to make wagers on their own.

Early this year, the Taiwanese government passed a law that allowed outlying islands to vote on whether or not they wanted to have casino gambling available in their areas. Later this week, citizens in the county of Penghu are scheduled to vote in a referendum on establishing the first casino in the country’s history on the tiny island.

Anti-gambling protestors are also organizing to defeat the Penghu referendum as well as trying to close the university casino management classes. The leader of one of the country’s teachers’ unions stated that she has seen the lives of her students and their parents destroyed by gambling debts, and thus opposes any growth of gambling in the island nation. A number of other activists want to stop casinos from taking root.

One graduate student from the Penghu area is organizing a group of residents to vote down the referendum. He said that the influx of tourists and the level of changes to the island’s infrastructure to house them would be overwhelming to the small area and destroy much of its natural beauty. Also, since the casino license lasts for five years, other islands will start building casinos and Penghu will lose its monopoly on the industry.

Casino Dice is a single number draw game where players try to predict the roll of a pair of dice. When players correctly predict the combined total of a pair of dice, they win and get a chance to double their money.

“Quick, easy to play mini-games like Casino Dice have proven to provide an excellent supplemental revenue stream for licensees of G2’s casino, poker and sportsbetting products,” said Dominic Mansour, Head of Casino & Games at GTECH G2. “By combining the resources of Dynamite Idea, Finsoft, Boss Media and St Minver, and with the strength GTECH behind us, we are able to offer operators a broader range of igaming products than other games and back-end providers.”

“We’ve found that many of our customers enjoy playing simple side-games. They like the pace and their odds of winning.” said Kevin O’Neal, Press Officer of bwin. “For bwin as a “House of Games” it is important to offer our customers alternatives, and products from GTECH G2 integrate well with our management systems.”

Casino Dice was developed by the games designers at Dynamite Idea, one of four leading digital gaming companies acquired by lottery industry giant, GTECH to form GTECH G2, their new interactive gaming division. The Dynamite Idea team specializes in developing innovative online interactive betting games including several unique hi lo, dice and number games.

In addition to the new products in its suite of mini-games, GTECH G2 is also adding two new games to their Boss Media download casino. Keno Cash and 4Play Hi Lo Bingo will now be included in the downloadable games at online casinos.

The movie is provisionally titled ‘Poker King’ and will be directed by famous Chinese language director Chan Hing-Kai and Janet Chun and, produced by Amy Chin and Chan Hing-Kai. It tells the story of two bitter poker rivals competing for world championship glory. The cast will be all-star, A list Chinese actors and pop stars with a cinema release across the region set for later this year. Actors with the coveted starring roles include Louis Koo, Sean Lau Ching –Wan, Stephy Tang, Cherrie In and Josie Ho.

There have been several famous gaming films in the region, most notably the 1989 Chinese language classic ‘God of Gambler’s’ starring Chow-Yun-Fat which spawned dozens of spin-offs – but ‘Poker King’ is set to be the first release that focuses on poker.

Tom Hall, CEO of Asian Logic, owners of the Asian Poker Tour said: “This is a very exciting project and is sure to provoke even more excitement about The Asian Poker Macau Festival in August. Players across the region and throughout the world are encouraged to come to the Starworld and play at the Asian Poker Tour Macau – the movie crew will be needing lots of extras and even players to take on roles if they choose! Rounders, starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton, is always highlighted as a key catalyst for the growth of poker in the western world. ‘Poker King’ has the promise to deliver this and potentially much more. Gross revenue from poker in Macau is estimated to have risen by 400% in 2008 alone and continues to rise and with this blockbuster movie the game could become even more popular in a land where baccarat is king. Think of how many people have seen Rounders and at least quadruple it and you can only speculate at the kind of impact ‘Poker King’ could have on the game. We’re delighted to be involved.”

The Asian Poker Tour Macau is a hotbed for the world’s top poker professionals and negotiations are ongoing about giving the Tour’s sponsored ambassadors ‘The Poker Pack’ significant roles in the film. The Pack includes recent World Series of Poker bracelet winners JC Tran and Steve Sung, as well as Quinn Do, Nam Le, David ‘Chino’ Rheem and Kwang Soo Lee. Together, they are amongst the most feared players on the world circuit.

The Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival will run from August 12–23, 2009 at the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino in Macau. Last year, the event attracted some of the most famous names in the game. Poker legend Doyle Brunson was one of those that attended and said: “I thought Las Vegas was the gambling capital of the world but I was wrong, it feels like coming home.” The Main Event was won by 20-year-old US hotshot Yevgeniy Timoshenko, who scooped US$500,000 after emerging triumphant from the star-studded field that featured players from over 40 countries. Timoshenko has gone on to become one of the hottest talents in the game after taking down the WPT Championship earlier this year.

This year’s Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival will be bigger and better with 12 days of non-stop poker action and fun. The buy-in is set at US$4,300 (US$4000+$300). Aside from the Main Event, the Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival will feature the largest range of side events ever seen in Asia - guaranteed to make the poker fest even more exciting and appealing to players at all levels. Organizers and tournament director Matt Savage promise a lengthy and varied side event schedule that will appeal to all tastes, details of which will be confirmed in the near future. High-limit games and sit-n-go tables will run throughout the duration of the festival.

The last Asian Poker Tour event was held in the Philippines in January 2009 and was won by Manila rounder Neil Arce, who scooped US$185,000 for first prize after overcoming a field of 262 players from over 40 countries. The runner-up was the Republic of Korea’s Steve Yea, who repeated his second place in the Asian Poker Tour Macau 2008.

Like 2008, online qualifiers are also expected to flock to the StarWorld as the Asian Poker Tour continues to gain support from leading online poker networks hosting satellites to the Main Event. The Asian Poker Tour is supported by the iPoker Network, Titan Poker, DafaPoker, PKR, PartyPoker, , 32 Red Poker, Betfriends, Ongame Network, Red Kings.

Wolpert beat European Poker Tour co-founder John Duthie to win the $10,000 Head-up No-Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #29). The Syracuse native lost the first match in his best-of-three showdown against Duthie. But he settled down to win the next two matches and take home the $625,682 first prize.

“I was steaming a little bit (after losing the first match to Duthie). I’m not going to lie,” said Wolpert. “I just decided I have to grind back and get the best two out of three. So, I stayed calm and remembered there was another match coming up. And hopefully I could run a little better the next time. I would not say it strengthened my resolve. I would say I was already pretty resolute (to win).”

While his resolute approach helped in the final, it was his simple approach that helped Wolpert get there.

“I tried not to play any huge pots without the goods,” Wolpert said when asked to explain his heads-up strategy.

Wolpert used to play poker professionally. Now he plays to pay his way through law school.

“The University of Virginia is a top-ten school. I had a big score last year, so that has been helping to finance my education,” Wolpert added.

“I just finished my first year at law school this spring. Actually, I have to go back home and check my grades. They are posted up now, so I have to see what I got.”

While Wolpert was celebrating his first bracelet, Tran was busy winning his second in the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha tournament (Event #30). The poker pro from Sacramento took home $235,685 for his first-place finish. And he really likes the fact that he won a non-Hold’em tournament.

“It means a lot (to win at Pot-Limit-Omaha),” Tran said after his win. “I learned to play PLO less than two years ago. I play the biggest stakes. I had some swings. PLO is the kind of game where you always have room to learn.”

“Even after I win this bracelet, I still feel I have a lot to learn,” Tran added. “Being able to win a non-Hold’em event — most of my victories are in Hold’em, and I have never even won any tournament outside of Hold’em, – it goes to show that I can play a game outside of Hold’em. I would like to learn mixed games in the future, as I know how to play them, but I do not know enough to sit down in a big buy-in game. But this helps.”

Tran also said that winning a bracelet last year made this victory easier.

“The win last year meant the pressure was off,” Tran said. “I was more comfortable and more relaxed when I cam in. My head was clear. I was not too worried about trying to win. (I) just played poker and let it come to me, instead of forcing it. And, it came to me.”

Unlike Tran, Mueller felt the pressure when he beat Pat Pezzin to win the $10,000 Limit Hold’em world championship (Event #33).

“It’s like huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” said Mueller, who picked up his first bracelet after six final table appearances and two second-place finishes at the WSOP in the last three years. “I was starting to think I was a second-place pony there for a while. I had nightmares, even heads-up. When he won a pot against me, I thought, ‘My God, this could be the biggest choke ever.’ But, it feels unbelievable and I am so happy right now.”

Mueller, a Canadian who played professional hockey in Europe for several years, won $460,841 for finishing in first place. And like a true hockey player, Mueller drew on the Stanley Cup, which was in the Amazon Room for as part of a bracelet presentation, for some extra inspiration.

“To be real honest, when they did this – seeing the NHL players and seeing the Cup and hearing the anthem, I had goose bumps. I was so jacked you know because of the anthems and the hockey,” said Mueller. “I saw the Stanley Cup and I said to myself, ‘Maybe this is destiny. Maybe this is my night.”

And like a good hockey player, Mueller kept things simple at the final table.

“I never panicked once. I was just really disciplined. I was really confident,” Mueller said. “My chips were never in jeopardy. I was never really low. I had a good table image. I stole when I had to steal. It’s weird. This was like the least-stressful final table I have ever been at, but it might have been the toughest.”

• The 2009 World Series of Poker $1,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low champion is Thang T. Luu, from Las Vegas, NV.

• Luu accomplished one of the most astonishing feats in many years at the WSOP. He successfully defended his title as the $1,500-buy-in Omaha High-Low champion after winning the same event last year. Furthermore, Luu managed to finish second in this same 2007 event. This means Luu has now finished second, first, and first – in the same event over three consecutive years. In the future, poker historians will debate poker’s greatest accomplishments and this feat is certainly among them.

• The last time any player has finished 1-1-2 (in any order) was Johnny Chan’s accumulated record in the $10,000 buy-in Main Event between 1987-1989, when he finished 1-1-2. However, it may be argued that since Chan’s number of opponents was considerably smaller, that Luu’s accomplishment is even more impressive. In 2007, he finished second in a field of 690. In 2008, he topped a field of 833. In 2009, he defended his title with 918 entrants.

• Luu is 34-years-old. He is a professional poker player. Luu is originally from Vietnam. He arrived in the United States at the age of 17. Prior to becoming a poker pro, Luu worked as a table games dealer in Las Vegas. He is single, and is also known as ‘Tiger Luu.’

• Luu is primarily known as a cash game player. He plays regularly in $80-160 limit games at various casinos in Las Vegas. His favorite game is $200-400 mixed games when it’s spread, because he does not think many players play multiple games well. Luu doesn’t play tournament poker very often, but does try to play in most major Omaha High-Low Split tournaments, which he enjoys. Aside from Omaha High-Low Split, Luu says his favorite poker game is Badugi.

• In a post-tournament interview, Luu stated: “It feels even better than the last one,” in referring to the comparison of winning the previous year.

• “I think these kinds of $1,500 buy-in events are the best for me,” Luu said. “There are a lot of new players in the (lower buy-in tournaments).

• An interesting coincidence: Luu remembered that he won the same event last year at the exact same level (30,000-60,000 limits).

• Luu stated afterward, “I know one thing for sure. I will play in this event every year from now on!”

• Luu collected $263,135 for first place, the largest cash prize ever awarded in an Omaha High-Low tournament. He was also awarded his second WSOP gold bracelet. He now has cashed five times at the WSOP and has amassed $727,755 in career winnings.

The Players

• The final table was comprised of two former WSOP gold bracelet winners – Freddy Deeb (2 wins) and Thang Luu (1 win).

• The runner up was Ed Smith, from Twentyninepalms, CA. Smith appears to be snake-bit with “second-itis” at the WSOP. He has now finished second three times in WSOP events. Smith finished as the runner up in tournaments played in 1999 and 2000.

• The third-place finisher was Ming “Joy” Reslock. She is from Atlantic City, NJ. This was Reslock’s best WSOP finish ever. She is married to former WSOP gold bracelet winner Chris Reslock.

• The fourth-place finisher was Robert “Animal” Price. He is a poker pro from Cornwall, UK. He previously worked as an accountant and was born in Honk Kong. Price also cashed in the 2006 WSOP Main Event.

• The fifth-place finisher was Pascal Leyo, from New York, NY. He is a day trader. This marked his first time to cash in a WSOP event.

• The sixth-place finisher was Jordan Rich, from Portland, OR.

• The seventh-place finisher was Jim Geary, from Phoenix, AZ. He is a pro poker player who is a master gamesman. Geary was the chess champion at Arizona State University at age 17. He is also a four-time U.S. representative to the World Scrabble Championship.

• The eighth-place finisher was popular poker pro Freddy Deeb, from Las Vegas, NV. Deeb’s quest for gold bracelet number five ended early at the final table.

• The ninth-place finisher was Senovio Ramirez III, from Mercedes, TX.

• Other notable former WSOP gold bracelet winners who cashed in this event, included Eli Elezra (20th), Annie Duke (30th), Erick Lindgren (34th), Layne Flack (44th), and Todd Brunson (77th).

• This marked Annie Duke’s first re-appearance back in the poker spotlight since her runner-up finish to comedian Joan Rivers on NBC’s hit television show, “Celebrity Apprentice.” Predictably, Duke was bombarded by autograph seekers and with table questions while returning to the green felt of the WSOP.

Odds and Ends

• The tournament began with WSOP President and Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack and WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel at center stage. “Shuffle Up and Deal” honors went to Effel himself, who began the tournament on time.

• Prior to the start of the event, the tournament room was filled with popular music from the year 1970. Since this is the 40th anniversary of the WSOP, much of the music and memories that his year’s series will flashback to the earlier era. The three songs played as background music prior to the start were “American Woman” by The Guess Who, “Instant Karma” by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band, and “Cecilia” by Simon and Garfunkel.

• The final table had to be played on a standard tournament table, rather than on one of the main poker/television stages supplied by ESPN. This was due to two enormously popular events being played on the same day – the finals of the $40,000 Buy-In No-Limit Hold’em Championship and the Champions Invitational, also known as “The Binion Cup.” With all due respect to the higher profile events, Thang Luu’s successful defense of his title had the entire room applauding when the winner was announced at slightly past mindnight. In a very unusual spectacle, many players playing in cash games and other tournaments actually stopped, stood, and applauded Luu’s extraordinary accomplishment.

The Event

• This was the largest live Omaha High-Low Split tournament in history. The previous record was set at the 2008 WSOP when the same event attracted 833 players. The number of entrants this year – 918 – smashed the previous mark and represented a nine percent increase in attendance over the same tournament held last year.

• Omaha High-Low Split has been offered at the WSOP every year since 1990. Omaha (high) was first seen at the WSOP back in 1983. The game phased its way onto the annual schedule as draw poker and lowball began to fade in popularity. All WSOP Omaha events played between 1983 and 1989 were Limit (high) and Pot-Limit. Now, Pot-Limit Omaha and Omaha High-Low Split are the most popular forms of this poker game. Omaha High tournaments are now rare. It was last played at the WSOP in 2003.

• Omaha High-Low Split is also called ‘Omaha Eight-or-Better.’ This means the low hand must be an ‘eight or better’ qualifier to split half of the pot.

• The tournament was played over a three-day period. The End Day One chip leader was defending champion, Thang Luu.

• Jordan Rich arrived at the final table as the chip leader. However, he ended up in sixth place.

• The final table lasted about 150 hands and last six hours and 10 minutes.

• The final hand took place when Luu was dealt Q-9-8-7 double suited. Smith was dealt J-9-9-3 double suited. The final board showed Q-5-4-5-10. Luu’s two pair (queens and fives) bested Smith’s two pair (nines and fives). There was no low hand.

• Thang Luu’s back-to-back defense of his title is the first such feat since 2000-2001. He is one of only nine players to have accomplished this. Here is the list of “Back-to Back WSOP Champions:”

Johnny Moss — $10,000 World Championship (1970-1971)
Lakewood Louie — $5000 Limit 5-Card Draw High (1978-1979)
Bones Berland — $500 7-Card Stud (1978-1979)
Doyle Brunson — $10,000 World Championship (1976-1977)
Stu Ungar — $10,000 World Championship (1980-1981)
Johnny Chan — $10,000 World Championship (1987-1988)
Susie Issacs — $1000 Women’s Seven-Card Stud (1996-1997)
Nani Dollison — $1,000 Women’s Mixed Stud/Hold’em (2000-2001)
Thang Luu — $1,500 Omaha High-Low Split (2008-2009)

• The tournament officially began on Friday, May 29th at 12:01 pm. The tournament officially ended on Monday, June 1st at 12:24 am.

WSOP Statistics

• Through the conclusion of Event #3, the 2009 WSOP has attracted 1,985 entries. $9,361,170 in prize money has been awarded to winners.