Full Shill Poker

The US Playing Card company, maker of Kem and Bicycle playing cards, has unveiled their new PokerPeek cards, set to debut this year at the World Series of Poker. From the WSOP website-

Professional and serious players were consulted during development, and the United States Playing Card Company’s casino division tested actual decks with PokerPeek in selected casino poker rooms. Average consumers were also shown PokerPeek cards during consumer testing in 2006.

In late 2006, USPC began collaborating with World Series of Poker (WSOP) officials to develop cards for the 2007 tournament. One of the primary concerns was table security, and the PokerPeek face style was instantly adopted as an idea to be evaluated.

The then-current PokerPeek decks were sent to members of the WSOP Players Council in January for evaluation. Feedback noted that the corner markings were just a bit small, and the larger markings in the middle of the card were too close to the corner markings.

USPC revised the faces based on this feedback and came back with three prototype decks for evaluation. These concepts all included larger corner markings, but designed in a way to take up less overall space in the corner. The three designs included an angled corner mark, a horizontal corner mark, and a mark that integrated the number with the suit designation. In all three examples, the corner markings were included in all four corners and the large middle markings on the card were moved down to the middle of the card.

Based on player feedback USPC eliminated all but the angled corner design, removed the extra corner markings, and moved the larger side marking further down on the card to protect the top one-third of the card edge from “flashing” to other players at the table.

THE PRODUCT

Tournament cards used at the WSOP will be the exclusive KEM® brand with the PokerPeek face and a Bicycle branded card back design.

Bicycle Pro, USPC’s retail version of PokerPeek, is slightly different than the version that will debut on the table at the 2007 WSOP. The design of the Bicycle Pro playing cards includes the 4-corners design to offer amateur player additional options for peeking their cards. It is also a benefit to left handed players.

A federal grand jury in San Diego has indicted 19 defendants on charges related to an alleged racketeering enterprise and a scheme to cheat casinos across the country out of millions of dollars, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Karen P. Hewitt announced today.

The three-count indictment, handed down in the Southern District of California on May 22, 2007, and unsealed today, charges Phuong Quoc Truong, also known as “Pai Gow” John and John Truong; Van Thu Tran; Tai Khiem Tran; Anh Phuong Tran; Phat Ngoc Tran; Martin Lee Aronson, also known as Martin Smith; Liem Thanh Lam; George Michael Lee; Tien Duc Vu; Son Hong Johnson; Barry Wellford; Willy Tran, also known as “Duy;” Ha Thuy Giang, also known as Thuy Ha Giang; and Han Truong Nguyen each with one count of conspiracy to participate in the affairs of a racketeering enterprise; one count of conspiracy to commit several offenses against the United States, including conspiracy to steal money and other property from Indian tribal casinos; and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The indictment also charges Khai Hong Tran; John Tran; Tuan Mong Le; Nam Van To, also known as “Tommy;” and Duc Cong Nguyen each with one count of conspiracy to commit several offenses against the United States, including conspiracy to steal money and other property from Indian tribal casinos; and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

According to the indictment, from in or about March 2002 through the date of the indictment, the defendants formed and participated in the affairs of a racketeering enterprise by cheating at gambling in casinos across the United States. The indictment lists 18 casinos that were allegedly targeted by members of the conspiracy, including 10 casinos that are owned and operated by Indian tribes.

According to the indictment, the defendants and others executed a “false shuffle” cheating scheme at some of the listed casinos during blackjack and mini-baccarat games. The indictment alleges that members of the criminal organization bribed casino card dealers and supervisors to perform false shuffles during card games, thereby creating “slugs” of un-shuffled cards. According to the indictment, after tracking the order of cards dealt in a card game, a member of the organization would signal to the card dealer to perform a “false shuffle,” and then members of the group would bet on the known order of cards when the slug appeared on the table. By doing so, the indictment alleges that members of the conspiracy repeatedly won thousands of dollars during card games — up to $868,000 on one occasion.

The indictment also alleges that the members of the organization used sophisticated mechanisms for tracking the order of cards during games, including hidden transmitter devices and specially created software that would predict the order in which cards would reappear during baccarat and blackjack games.

“The subjects arrested and indicted colluded with casino dealers and engaged in a sophisticated card counting scheme to cheat casinos out of large winnings,” said Assistant Director Kenneth W. Kaiser, FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI will continue to cooperate with its local, state and federal partners to conduct joint investigations of organized criminal activities with the goal of disrupting, dismantling and prosecuting criminal enterprises that threaten the American economy and society.”

Philip N. Hogen, Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), stated, “The NIGC is pleased to have contributed to such a large-scale investigation involving a criminal network that cheated Indian casinos out of millions of dollars. This operation is a good example of the high-quality work tribal gaming regulators do in protecting fair play at their facilities. It also exemplifies the benefits of tribal, state, and federal investigators, and prosecutors coordinating efforts to identify and prosecute crimes against the tribal gaming industry.”

The racketeering conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The conspiracy charge relating to money laundering carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The conspiracy charge relating to commission of several offenses against the United States carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Also today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington announced that two federal grand jury indictments have been unsealed. The first indictment charges Phuong Truong; Van Tran; Martin Aronson; George Lee; Son Johnson; Ha Giang; Thongsok Sovan; and Pheap Norng, with violations relating to alleged card-cheating activity at the Emerald Queen Casino, in the vicinity of Tacoma, Wash. The second indictment charges George Lee; Tien Duc Vu; Levi Seth Mayfield; Kasey James McKillip; and Jason Dyson Nickels with violations relating to alleged card-cheating activity at the Nooksack River Casino, in the vicinity of Deming, Wash.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s San Diego Field Office, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, and the California Department of Justice’s Division of Gambling Control. The investigation has received assistance from federal, state, tribal and foreign authorities, including: the Ontario Provincial Police; the National Indian Gaming Commission; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington; the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Gulfport, Mississippi Resident Agency; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi; the Indiana State Police; the Sycuan Gaming Commission; the Barona Gaming Commission; the Mississippi Gaming Commission; the Washington Gambling Commission; and others. The prosecution of the case is run by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, headed by Bruce G. Ohr, in Washington, D.C. Department of Justice trial attorneys Gavin A. Corn, Robert S. Tully, and Joseph K. Wheatley are involved in the case.

The Indian Gaming Working Group (IGWG) was established in February 2003 to combat crimes related to Indian gambling. The group is spearheaded by the FBI and includes the Department of Interior’s Office of Inspector General, the National Indian Gaming Commission, the Internal Revenue Service’s Tribal Government Section, the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Center, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Law Enforcement Services. The IGWG works to ensure the honesty and fairness of Indian gambling activity for visitors, and fights organized crime groups attempting to commit embezzlement and other scams.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Parties that have information relating to the investigation may contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s San Diego Field Office at (858) 565- 1255.

More than a dozen Hollywood celebrities and sports legends are expected to join poker’s greatest players to raise public awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur in a special “Ante Up For Africa” tournament at the 2007 World Series of Poker Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light.

The brainchild of Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle and poker professional Annie Duke, the Ante Up For Africa tournament is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. July 5 in the WSOP tournament area in the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

Among those who’ve expressed their intent to play, subject to availability, are Hollywood stars Cheadle, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Jason Alexander, Jennifer Tilley, Hank Azaria, George Clooney, Matt Damon, George Lopez, Danny Masterson, Mekhi Phifer, Ray Romano, Adam Sandler and James Woods.

Basketball great Charles Barkley and poker notables Duke, Erik Seidel, Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Gordon, Joe Hachem, Andy Bloch, Chris Ferguson, Barry Greenstein, Robert Williamson III, Phil Laak, Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Ted Forrest, Mike Matusow and Clonie Gowan have also expressed plans to compete.

Participants in the $5,000 buy-in tournament, which is open to anyone, are also eligible to attend a private party at the Voodoo Lounge at the Rio beginning at 10 p.m. July 5. The tournament will feature a fast-paced structure designed to complete the competition within five hours. Seating for the tournament is limited and persons who want to participate are encouraged to pre-register at www.worldseriesofpoker.com/anteup/anteup.pdf .

“We’re honored to host this event and hope that entrants – particularly those fortunate enough to win money – will make donations to help ease the human suffering that defines the crisis in Darfur,” said Jeffrey Pollack, commissioner of the World Series of Poker.

“While a donation is not required to enter, we are respectfully asking players who win prize money to donate half of their winnings to the ENOUGH Project and the International Rescue Committee – organizations whose goals include raising public awareness and providing aid to the survivors of Darfur,” Duke said.

“Four years ago, the specter of genocide reared its ugly head in an area of the Sudan called Darfur,” said Cheadle, whose role as a hotel manager in the true-life film “Hotel Rwanda” earned him an Academy Award nomination. The movie told the story of the government-sanctioned slaughter of more than a million innocents in Rwanda in 1994.

For more than two years, Cheadle has worked to raise public awareness of the Darfur humanitarian crisis. He recently testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee about his visits to Darfur and refugee camps in neighboring Chad. “Not On Our Watch” – a book he co-authorized with human-rights activist John Prendergast – was released into bookstores nationwide this month.

Cheadle, an accomplished poker player, and Duke, who has more than $4 million in tournament winnings, are committed to raising both public awareness about the tragedy in Darfur and funds to aid its victims. As the world’s richest sporting event, the WSOP is covered by more than 600 journalists from around the globe each year and attracts players from more than 50 countries.

Cheadle and Duke are supporting the work of two non-profit organizations as part of their efforts. The International Rescue Committee (www.theirc.org), a leading provider of humanitarian assistance to refugees and those displaced by conflict, offers critical aid to people uprooted by crises in 25 countries, including the more than 700,000 survivors of the ethnic and political violence in Darfur, Sudan. The ENOUGH Project (www.enoughproject.org), a joint project of the Center for American Progress and the International Crisis Group, is dedicated to raising awareness and activism for causes such as Darfur.

The 2007 World Series of Poker Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light will begin June 1 at the Rio® All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. More information on the tournament is available at www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

The WSOP is operated by a subsidiary of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET). Harrah’s is the world’s largest provider of branded casino entertainment through its operating subsidiaries. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, nearly 70 years ago, Harrah’s has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The company’s properties operate primarily under the Harrah’s®, Caesars® and Horseshoe® brand names; Harrah’s also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos. Harrah’s Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.
More information about Harrah’s is available at its Web site — www.harrahs.com

Bodog.com is giving online poker players even more chances to qualify for the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event. Beginning this Sunday, May 27, the online poker powerhouse is holding three “Main Event Semifinal” tournaments each and every week, with two $12,000 WSOP prize packages guaranteed per tournament. The “Main Event Semifinal” tournaments are held Sundays at 2:20pm ET, Mondays at 9:15pm and Thursdays at 9:15pm.

The buy-in for these tournaments is $270, but players can satellite their way to a seat for as little as $1.50, and Bodog.com has also amped up the number of satellite qualifiers into the “Main Event Semifinal” tournaments with the addition of two $29 buy-in “Main Event Last Chance” tournaments that guarantee at least three seats into the Semifinal, with the possibility of up to five seats depending on the number of entrants.

Players who want to use their Bodog Poker Points have the option to enter the twice-daily “Main Event PTS Quarterfinal”, which previously paid out T$250 for every 17 players entered but now pays out T$270 for every 10, all for the same buy-in of 1,000 PTS. The T$270 buys you directly into a “Main Event Semifinal” tournament.

This amped up schedule only runs through June 18 when all WSOP qualifying at Bodog.com will end, so get started now and hopefully we’ll see you in Vegas when the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event kicks off July 6 at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino.

BetonSports, PLC, pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges, U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway for the Eastern District of Missouri announced.

BetonSports, PLC, admitted today to its involvement in a racketeering conspiracy. As part of the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri agreed that as long as the company lives up to its obligations under the plea agreement, including supplying witnesses and evidence in the pending cases against co-defendants, no further criminal prosecution will be brought in this District relative to its participation in the Kaplan Gambling Enterprise between July 2004 and the present date.

“This plea, combined with the terms of the civil junction should put an end to the BetonSports illegal gambling empire,” said U.S. Attorney Hanaway. “BetonSports, PLC is presently the corporate parent, based in the United Kingdom, of the companies comprising the vast illegal internet gambling operations described in the indictment. BetonSports, PLC had been failing to appear and answer the criminal charges in the indictment and Judge Jackson had imposed sanctions against the company. This plea constitutes a submission by the company to the U.S. justice system.”

By pleading guilty to the racketeering conspiracy charge, BetonSports admits that it conducted an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering acts, including repeated mail and wire fraud, operated an illegal gambling business, laundered money, and admitted to multiple state gambling felony charges. As the corporation admitted in federal court, the Gambling Enterprise began as an illegal sports betting business in New York City in the early 1990s. After its founder’s arrest on New York State gambling charges in May of 1993, the founder relocated his illegal gambling operation to Florida, continuing to take sports wagers from bettors in New York by telephone. In 1995, the Enterprise moved to Aruba, in the West Indies. To facilitate its U.S. operations, the enterprise established and controlled toll-free telephone services to accept sports wagers from gamblers in the United States. It also started to accept sports wagers through the Internet. In 1997, the Enterprise relocated to Antigua, and then to Costa Rica.

Among the Enterprise’s first computer-based sports book was one called the North American Sports Association International, which evolved into betonsports.com, advertised as the largest online wagering service in the world. This website gave gamblers in the United States the opportunity to illegally wager on professional and college football and basketball, as well as many other professional and amateur sporting events and contests. Members of the enterprise formed a corporation, BetonSports PLC, in 2004, which subsequently solicited and accepted wagers from individuals in Missouri and elsewhere throughout the United States. Entities and individuals associated with BetonSports PLC also caused fraudulent promotional materials to be available to prospective and actual bettors and used interstate facilities to further wagering activity in, to and from Missouri, as well as throughout the United States, in violation of federal law.

The company faces a fine of up to $500,000 or more, in that the maximum fine can be double the financial gain from or loss caused by the enterprise. It also faces possible forfeitures and the company is subject to a permanent injunction which requires it to repay money received from U.S. gamblers held by the company as of June 1, 2006. As noted in the plea agreement, at the present time there is no intention to charge any past or present individual BetonSports PLC director, other than those already charged. Sentencing has been set for October 19, 2007.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri and the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, and is a result of a joint investigation by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the FBI. Assistance has also been received from several state and local police departments, including Chesterfield Police Department and departments in Florida and Washington.

No trial date has been set for the remaining co-defendants.

World Poker Tour introduced today Layla Kayleigh, the new WPT hostess for Season VI. Layla will make her debut tonight at the Mirage Poker Showdown, kicking off the first Season VI final table.

Specializing in celebrity interviews, video game industry events, and pop culture trends, 23-year old Layla is already well-versed in television and media. Her vast resume includes being an on-air correspondent for Fox Sport’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period” and The Vegas Insider, as well as co-hosting G4’s Attack of the Show and hosting “The Feed” news segment.

The London native has also previously hosted for MTV in Britain, ABC Football, and on Al Gore’s Current TV, and can be heard weekly on Sirius Maxim Radio on the Covino and Rich Show. Layla has been featured in Maxim Magazine and played the lead role in the feature film “A Simple Promise,” due out in 2007.

“From the first casting interview with her, we knew Layla would be a great fit for Season VI,” said Robyn Moder, Executive Vice President, WPT Studios. “Not only does she have an impressive TV background hosting in the sports and entertainment world, but she is energetic, intelligent and strikingly beautiful — the perfect combination to engage WPT fans. We are thrilled to welcome Layla to the WPT family.”

WPT Season VI episodes will begin airing in early 2008 as part of GSN’s Monday night casino lineup where the network has built a substantial following in the casino game genre. Season V currently airs every Wednesday night on the Travel Channel at 9PM Eastern/Pacific.

Otis at the Pokerstars Blog tells the story best -

It happened at a six-handed $.01/$.02 table.

More than 100,000 players were packing PokerStars tables. Among those 100,000 were PokerStars players Rechargeable, inwooke, The_Moog, XTedForrestX, Ferius, and justine0003.

Suddenly, everything stopped, and the hand number at the top of the Venusia table read: 10,000,000,000.

The Big Ten Billion.

The commentator popped into the chat box and said, “Welcome to the biggest hand of 1 cent 2 cent ever.”

Four of the six players got all their money in and the board ran out:

[Ac Kc Td 9c] [8h]

Justine0003 tabled 3c8c for the flush and the $100,000 win. Every other player at the table received at least $10,000.

So, who is the mystery woman who walked away with $100,000? Her name, as you might expect, is Justine. Justine Hall, in fact.

The 19-year-old woman is a university student from Canada who is waiting tables for the summer. At the time she won the $100,000, she had $12 in her PokerStars account. She started playing poker in high school about four years ago and fell in love with the game. So, naturally, she gravitated toward PokerStars.

While she knew the BIG Ten Billion promotion was going on, she wasn’t expecting to hit it. In fact, when her table stopped, she didn’t even realize that she had hit the big one.

“It was a total fluke,” she said. “I didn’t even realize that it was the major big hand right away,. I thought it was just another one leading up to it!”

So, now, Justine has $100,000 which she plans to use to pay for her education, and, she said, “of course, a little shopping. I’m just really thankful and feel extremely lucky.”

Congratulations to all the players who won money in the milestone hands leading up to the BIG Ten Billion, especially justine0003 who now has a big enough bankroll to 1000-table $.01/$.02 as much as she wants.

reprinted from the PokerStars Blog

The Full Tilt Online Poker Series IV is in the books, and poker blogger and master of the term “fonkey” Hoyazo holds the title of Last Blogger Standing, making it to 101st place on the back of his stealing & re-stealing ways. Congrats to Hoy and Grubby and all the other poker bloggers who made it deep in yesterday’s Main Event!

Join the cast and producer of “Ocean’s Thirteen” and help relieve the suffering in Darfur

Oceans 13 Darfur Benefit Poker Tourney PokerStars has teamed up with the cast and producer of this summer’s Hollywood blockbuster “Ocean’s Thirteen” to offer a truly unique set of tournament prizes. And, just by playing, you’ll be joining PokerStars in sending much-needed funds to relieve the suffering in the war-torn region of Darfur.

The four winners of the second “Oceans’ Thirteen” Charity Tournament (see details of our first group of winners below) will receive a pair of tickets to the movie’s American premiere in Los Angeles June 5th, plus two night’s hotel accommodation and $2,000 for travel/expenses. The top 18 players will also receive a copy of the “Ocean’s Thirteen” DVD (available after its general release) signed by the stars. See full tournament details below.

In addition to providing our players with opportunities to help (see below!), PokerStars is donating $1 MILLION to the charity Not On Our Watch, as part of our continuing work toward social responsibility and giving back to the community.

The film’s stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Don Cheadle, plus producer Jerry Weintraub (pictured) - have together launched Not On Our Watch to focus international attention on the ongoing suffering in Darfur. The donation will be made at a special event on May 22nd, two days before the May 24th World Premiere held at the Cannes Film Festival.

Darfur – the western region of the Sudan, Africa – has been embroiled in a deadly conflict for over three years. At least 400,000 people have been killed and more than 3.5 million men, women, and children are completely reliant on international aid for survival.

If you want to donate direct to the charity it couldn’t be easier. To transfer funds simply go to the main lobby, then to Requests, and drop down to Transfer Funds. Type in the User ID NOOW and the amount you wish to donate. The funds will then be taken from your account and credited to the charity. All money will go directly to the charity and PokerStars will match all funds donated!

NOTICE: Any money contributed to Not On Our Watch through PokerStars may not be considered a tax-deductible donation in some jurisdictions.
Ocean’s 13 Cast

Last weekend, four PokerStars players won trips to the premiere in Cannes, France. On May 24th, PokerStars’ players JaspudUF, SM4RTASS, herbert, and berchem13 will all be on the red carpet.

PokerStars will also host a third charity tournament (date to be confirmed). The winner of this event will receive a professional poker table baize, signed by the film’s stars. If that doesn’t impress your friends at your Friday night cash game, nothing will!

We hope you will join PokerStars and the cast and producer of “Ocean’s Thirteen” in helping such a worthwhile cause.

To find the tournaments, go to the lobby, click Tourney and then Special.

Click here to view the tournament terms

Overview of the “Ocean’s Thirteen Darfur Charity Tournament”

These tournaments are special re-buy tournaments - the entire prize pool will be matched by PokerStars and donated to the Darfur relief efforts. At the conclusion of the event the prize pool, which will be temporarily awarded to the 1st place finisher, will be removed from the 1st place finisher’s account.

The amount will then be matched by PokerStars and sent forward to the Darfur charity. Thank you for participating - go re-buy crazy! – it’s for a good cause. Good luck!

Date: May 27th 2007, 15:30 ET
Buy-in: $10 plus rebuys.
Prizes: Top 4 receive tickets to June 5th premiere in Los Angeles plus 2 night’s hotel and $2k for travel/spending.
Top 18 receive autographed copy of “Oceans 13” DVD.
Total prize pool will go to charity and PokerStars will match the donation.
The tournament is open to all players. Good luck!

PokerTek, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTEK), the innovator of automated poker and PokerPro®, has received a manufacturer and distributor license from the Nevada Gaming Commission.

“Receiving our manufacturer and distributor license is a major milestone for PokerTek,” said Lou White, PokerTek’s Chief Executive Officer. “Getting to this point is a testament to the hard work of our compliance team, which has devoted a tremendous effort over a long period of time to achieve this goal.”

Now does this, coupled with the recent news that PokerTek inked a deal with Harrah’s to provide automated poker tables for the Harrah’s properties (included a WSOP-branded table) mean that we’ll see PokerTek tables at the Rio this summer? I dunno, but I’m asking.