Poker Stars - Stout takes prelim event, WSOPC main event begins

Stout takes prelim event, WSOPC main event begins

Event 5

Sunday's action in the poker room at Caesars saw 225 players storm the felt for the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament. The $225,000 prize pool would be divvied up between the top 27 finishers in the event. Players who had already racked up successes earlier in this WSOPC schedule showed up again.

Event 3 winner Todd Rebello added on to that victory and to his third-place finish in Event 1 with another deep run in an event, albeit just to 18th place this time. One of the top players on the East Coast, Anthony Casagrande, also made a deep drive only to bust out in 17th place.

Going to the final table on Monday, Vinny Pajuda was chip leader with a more than 3-1 advantage over his closest competitor. Pajuda controlled the early action at the table, eliminating Lance Carter in ninth and Ed Berger in sixth.

After two hours of play, Pajuda continued to hold his lead, but faced a challenge from Allen Bari. Pajuda endured by eliminating Mike Huguenot in fourth, and Bari kept pace by dispatching Dewey Whitmore in third.

As heads-up play began, though, Pajuda's dreams of a wire-to-wire championship crumbled on one pivotal hand. When Bari was able to catch a three on the flop all-in with A-3, he decimated Pajuda's stack as his A-4 could not catch up. Left with just enough to post a blind, Pajuda was eliminated on the next hand and Allen Bari took down the $72,000 first prize and the WSOPC championship ring.

The final table ran out thusly:

Place	Name	Hometown	Prize
1st	Allen Bari	West Orange, N.J.	$72,000
2nd	Vinny Pajuda	New York, N.Y.	$39,600
3rd	Dewey Whitmore	Martinsburg, W.Va.	$20,250
4th	Mike Huguenot	Pleasantville, N.Y.	$15,750
5th	Michael Scipione	Philadelphia, Pa.	$13,500
6th	Ed Berger	Margate, N.J.	$11,250
7th	Soheil Shamseddin	Houston, Texas	$9,000
8th	Jeff Morrill	Brentwood, Tenn.	$6,750
9th	Lance Carter	Arlington, Va.	$4,500

Event 6

While it wasn't as large as the earlier tournaments with the same buy-in, Monday's $300 No-Limit Hold'em event still had an excellent turnout: 706 runners. Tuesday saw the final table come back to battle it out for the spoils of WSOPC combat.

Local player Rick Chang came to the final table with a slim chip lead that he began to expand almost from the start of play. He took out three final-table opponents and, down to four-handed play, seemed to be on his way to taking the championship. Unfortunately, it slipped away from him on one hand.

Chang decided to put pressure on Jim Stenella (who had eked out a chip lead) by moving all-in with A-Q. Stenella was more than happy to look him up with his pocket kings and, after no ace came on the board, Chang was out in fourth and Stenella assumed a nearly 7-1 chip lead over the two remaining competitors.

The threesome decided on a deal for the prize money, then resumed action to crown the champion. With such a large lead, Jim Stenella simply cruised to the victory in what was one of the shortest final tables at this Circuit stop - just over two hours.

The final-table results were:

Place	Name	Hometown	Prize
1st	Jim Stanella	Bucks County, Pa.	$57,186
2nd	Mustafa Ali	Sao Paulo, Brazil	$29,969
3rd	Joseph hanna	Ashtabola, N.J.	$16,944
4th	Rich Chang	Atlantic City, N.J.	$14,826
5th	Michael Smith	Winslow Township, N.J.	$12,708
6th	Jack Maloy	Connellsville, Pa.	$10,590
7th	Francis Pergine	Schwenksville, Pa.	$8,472
8th	Ralph Van Ormer	Macungie, Pa.	$6,354
9th	Mike Muscatello	Seaford, N.Y.	$4,236

Event 7

Wednesday marked the busiest day of the WSOPC Atlantic City, as the final table of Event 7, $500 No-Limit Hold'em, played out simultaneously with Event 8, a turbo tournament. The final table of Event 7 featured one of PokerListings.com's own duking it out with two top pros.

Matt Stout, a stalwart PokerListings blogger, came to the final table holding the chip lead over Atlantic City pro and WSOP bracelet holder Chris Reslock and 2007 WSOPC New Orleans champion Louie Esposito.

Stout eliminated three of the first five players from the table, benefiting from some fortuitous breaks along the way. While Thomas Kim was able to draw close, when Stout eliminated Reslock in third place, he still held a 3-2 lead over Kim.

Both Stout and Kim were the two top stacks at the start of the final table, so it was only fitting they would battle it out for the championship. After a brisk two hours to take care of the previous seven players, the twosome would take nearly another hour to decide the victor.

Starting out heads-up on a cautious note, both players moved once they caught hands they felt were worth their chips. The final hand saw Stout move in with A-Q and Kim make the call with pocket jacks. The flop was innocuous, but the queen on the turn gave Stout the lead. An ace on the river locked up the title for Stout.

The final-table results were:

Place	Name	Hometown	Prize
1st	Matt Stout	Atlantic City, N.J.	$59,210
2nd	Thomas Kim	Brooklyn, N.Y.	$30,560
3rd	Chris Reslock	Atlantic City, N.J.	$15,280
4th	Frank Passantio	Holmdel, N.Y.	$13,370
5th	Elizabeth Grey-Pardo	Yonkers, N.Y.	$11,460
6th	Lou Esposito	Howard Beach, N.Y.	$9,550
7th	Steven Merrifield	Fairmont, W. Va.	$7,640
8th	Bayarsaikhan Batkhuu	Arlington, Va.	$5,730
9th	David Godfrey	Belleville, N.J.	$3,820

Event 8

As Stout was pwning Event 7, the $200 Turbo No-Limit Hold'em event was playing out as well. A field of 607 stepped up to take part in the tournament. Its 20-minute levels were put in place to ensure that the preliminary action would be completed before the start of the $5,000 Championship Event today.

Ten hours after the start of action on Wednesday, New Jersey musician Leo Donofrio emerged as the first champion of a World Series-sanctioned turbo tournament.

The final-table results were:

Place	Name	Prize
1st	Leo Donofrio	$29,666
2nd	Justin Renna	$15,562
3rd	Bruce Bartfield	$8,476
4th	John Hirsch	$7,416
5th	Jonathan Calipes	$6,357
6th	Ronnie Bardah	$5,297
7th	Stephen Kimet	$4,238
8th	John Todaro	$3,178
9th	Angel Molina	$2,119

With the end of action on Wednesday night, the felt is clear for the $5,000 Championship Event today. Top professionals, including the aforementioned Reslock and Esposito, will be a part of the action, and perhaps some of the participants already out of the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star will make the cross-country flight to attempt to take down top honors.

PokerListings will have a lock on the action in this three-day event in our Live Tournaments section and, come Saturday evening, the latest champion on the World Series of Poker Circuit will be crowned.

Related Article: WSOPC Atlantic City Off to Explosive Start

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Rep wants net gambling settlement details

DeFazio (D-Ore.) circulated a letter to all members of Congress last week encouraging them to join his efforts to get a copy of the concession agreement. His request could be an indication that that attempt by the Bush administration to resolve the WTO Internet gambling dispute is in jeopardy.

"There is a concern that the USTR may have been ambitious in its use of a 'national security' classification to avoid any publicity of which new business sectors are to be subject to the GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) treaty," DeFazio said in his letter.

The U.S. Trade Representative had recently rejected a Freedom of Information Act request for the same document, claiming it was classified for national security reasons.

The only details that were released about the agreement were that it will allow EU service opportunities in research and development, postal and courier, storage and warehouse and testing and analysis services sectors in the United States.

The agreement followed several months of negotiations after the United States announced its intentions to withdraw from World Trade Organization commitments around online gambling and betting services. However, if members of Congress take a closer look at the deal, it could be compromised.

According to Nao Matsukata, formerly director of policy planning for USTR Robert Zoellick and now Alston & Bird LLP senior advisor, the bigger issue may be whether the U.S. Trade Representative abused its authority by granting new market access to the EU without first getting consent from Congress' trade committees.

"Ultimately this could invalidate the deal with the EU and cause various WTO members to revisit the issue of fair compensation from the United States," Matsukata said.

Should the deal fall apart, negotiations would have to begin again or the EU would be free to take the dispute back to the WTO for it to settle the matter.

That could unleash more problems for the United States since the EU already announced this week it was opening an investigation into the U.S. online gambling laws to determine whether U.S. restrictions break international trade rules.

The investigation is the result of a Trade Barriers Regulation complaint filed by the Remote Gambling Association, which represents some of the largest remote gambling companies in Europe.

The RGA claims the United States is in violation of international trade laws because it is threatening and pursuing criminal prosecutions, forfeitures and other enforcement actions against foreign Internet gaming operators. At the same time, U.S. online gaming operators such as state-run lotteries and horse betting are allowed.

The EU plans to spend five to seven months investigating the matter, after which it can pursue discussions with the United States to find an appropriate solution to end the discrimination or it can take the case to the WTO.

"We hope that Mr. DeFazio's colleagues will join him in demanding more transparency, communication, and consultation from the Administration on Internet gambling," said Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative. "A non-discriminatory market for Internet gambling in the United States will restore integrity to the international trading system."

Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has already introduced legislation that could move the United States toward that goal. Last year he proposed H.R. 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, which will legalize and regulate online gambling in the United States.

In conjunction with Frank's bill, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) has introduced legislation that would set up a system to tax the online gambling industry as well.

"Rather than paying out millions in trade concessions, which would have an adverse impact on the American economy, the U.S. should embrace the legislative solution presented by the Frank bill, which brings the U.S. into compliance by regulating Internet gambling and creating a level playing field among domestic and foreign Internet gambling operators," Sandman said.

Related Articles:

• EU Investigating Online Gambling Restrictions
• New Hope for U.S. Net Gambling Regulations
• Trouble Ahead for U.S.-EU WTO Deal?

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New WSOP rule limits celebration in 2008
The floor shows of the likes of Hevad Khan and Humberto Brenes most likely won’t be on display at the 2008 edition of the World Series of Poker. If they do, they might find themselves on the rail. Harrah’s Entertainment released the 2008 edition of its ��...full article

The floor shows of the likes of Hevad Khan and Humberto Brenes most likely won’t be on display at the 2008 edition of the World Series of Poker. If they do, they might find themselves on the rail.

Harrah’s Entertainment released the 2008 edition of its rulebook, which included this entry, which is obviously aimed at stopping the ridiculous yet entertaining outbursts on the poker room floor during WSOP events:

“Excessive celebration through extended theatrics, inappropriate behavior, or physical actions, gestures, or conduct may be subject to penalty. Any player that engages a member of the tournament staff during the celebration or utilizes any property of Harrah’s will be penalized in accordance with Rules No. 31 and/or 51. Harrah’s property includes but is not limited to chairs, tournament tables, and stanchions.” ? Rule No. 36

Here are some other interesting rule changes, listed at cardplayer.com:

“Floor People: Floor People are to consider the best interest of the game and fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process. Unusual circumstances can on occasion dictate that decisions in the interest of fairness take priority over the technical rules. The floor person’s decision is final.” ? Rule No. 44

“A player who is disqualified shall have his or her chips removed from play and no refund will be provided to that disqualified player. Any player who forfeits play for health or other personal reasons after the start of a tournament will have his or her chips blinded off accordingly.” ? Rule No. 52

Nixed Rule:

Last year’s controversial rule that stated, “At the end of a hand, if a player exposes one hole card, he or she must also show the other hole card if asked to do so by any player,” has been removed. Players will now be allowed to show only one card, but only after the hand is over.

Cell Phones and Electronic Devices:

The cell-phone rule is further clarified in that they cannot be used unless the player is at least one table-length away from his assigned table. Players who use the phone at the table will have their hand killed or receive a missed-hand penalty if not involved in a hand. Players should also take note that electronic devices are prohibited that can access the Internet, send or receive SMS texts, or have communication devices. Blackberrys, iPhones, iTouch, and Treos will not be allowed at the table.

Whole thing here.

You can find a listing of all the rules for 2008 here.

Bodog goes patent troll hunting

1st Technology claims the downloaded software used by Bodog customers for gaming violates patents held by the company. It took its case to court, and a company affiliated with Bodog was served with the paperwork at the time.

When Bodog didn't respond in court, 1st Tech was awarded a summary judgement of $45 million as well as the Bodog.com domain name.

Bodog is now fighting the summary judgment and claims the company served with the original paperwork in the lawsuit is not a part of the Bodog corporation.

Filing for a reexamination of the patent will not affect the summary judgment in the lawsuit between the two parties, but Bodog said in a press release it hopes the move will prevent 1st Tech and its founder from attacking other online gambling sites.

"1st Technology and its founder, Scott Lewis, have preyed on our industry and others long enough," said Bodog founder Calvin Ayre.

"They count on organizations being forced to make the assessment of whether fighting a patent claim will cost more than to simply settle it. They say their patents are valid. They say their claims are legitimate. Well, it's time to prove it."

Bodog Entertainment explains that a patent reexamination is a process in which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is advised of the existence of "prior art" that raises a "substantial new question of patentability."

"Prior art" means public information that may impact an assessment of whether the patented invention is valid. A patent can only be properly granted when an invention is genuinely novel and unobvious, so if prior art exists, then a patent granted with respect to that invention is not valid.

Even though a reversal of the patent won't help Bodog's case, it could prevent cases against other online gambling sites.

According to Bodog, court records suggest that Lewis and his related licensing companies currently have litigation pending against Playtech, Parlay Entertainment, Tiltware, Electronic Arts, Viacom, Microsoft, Betcorp, Giga Media, Harmonic Systems, Leisure and Gaming and several other gaming-related companies.

Ayre said his company plans to review every patent being used by "licensors" that abuse the patent system in the guise of representing legitimate investors.

"Through no fault of its own, the USPTO is under-funded and overwhelmed and we have the resources to support the research into whether these patents should have been issued in the first place," Ayre said.

"We intend to fund and seek reexamination after reexamination of invalid patents, and we encourage others that have received demand letters offering to 'license' these technologies under threat of litigation to join us. Acting independently, the 'settlement math' almost always favors the aggressor, but together we can turn the hunters into the hunted."

In the meantime, Bodog Entertainment continues to reiterate its stance that the business served with a lawsuit in the patent case was not a Bodog entity, merely a business partner providing services for Bodog at the time.

"Through what was essentially inadvertence, Bodog did not transfer the registrations out of this supplier when the supplier ceased doing business. That was Bodog's oversight and it cost the business those domains," Ayre said.

"However, the harassment continues, as 1st Technology intentionally uses the subpoena process to hound and attempt to intimidate suppliers and business partners."

Related Articles:

• Bodog Gives Update on Patent Dispute
• Judge Declares Bodog Not Subject to Nevada Law
• Bodog Strikes Back at Patent Trolls

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HPT crowns winner in Iowa

Jesse Green, a farmer from Harcourt, Iowa, had plans to vacation in Cancun, Mexico. His decision to stay at home and enter the $1,000 HPT event proved to be a good one when he finished in first place, taking home $80,664 for the win.

"This was really awesome," Green told the HPT after his win. "And it was especially great that my dad could be here to watch the whole thing."

It was Green's father who taught him to play Seven-Card Stud during the long Iowa winters of his childhood.

"I owe it all to my dad," said Green.

Along with the lion's share of the prize pool, Green won a $3,000 seat in the HPT championship to be held at Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Ind., this November.

The HPT main event at Meskwaki drew a field of 189 players, building a $271,881 prize pool. In the end, 30 players cashed in the season's second event.

The final standings came out like this:

Place	Name	Prize
1st	Jesse Green	$80,664
2nd	Mark Cornelius	$40,332
3rd	Pat Schroeder	$24,199
4th	Dan Quade	$18,882
5th	Dave Westrum	$16,133
6th	Larry Barbetta	$13,444

There was a bit more experience at the Meskwaki final table than there had been two weeks earlier at Grand Casino Mille Lacs. Professional poker player Dan Quade, the fourth-place finisher, and technology entrepreneur Larry Barbetta, who finished sixth, both earned their fourth career HPT cash at Meskwaki.

Fifth-place finisher Dave Westrum, meanwhile, became the only player to cash at both HPT Season 4 events held to date (he finished 11th at Grand Casino Mille Lacs).

The HPT returns to action next at Golden Gates Casino in Black Hawk, Colo. Preliminary events will begin March 29, with the main event beginning April 11.

Related Article: HPT Returns for Third Season

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