WSOP Circuit Council Bluffs, EPT Vilamoura and WPT London highlight busy week on the tournament trail

Three of poker's major tours -- the WSOP Circuit, European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour -- are in action this week offering tournaments in very diverse locations. No matter where players may be around the world, there seems to be a poker game around the corner.

In the United States, the newly revamped World Series of Poker Circuit made its debut in Iowa at the Horseshoe Council Bluffs. The last time the WSOP Circuit was in Council Bluffs in March 2010, the $5,000 main event attracted only 46...

Baccarat Dancing Equates to a $250,000 Fine for Caesar’s

A man walked and danced on a baccarat table while the game was in progress and Caesar’s allowed this to occur. Now, they are willingly paying a $250,000 fine to the Gaming Control Board because of it.

The Gaming Control Board’s Complaint

The Gaming Control Board filed a complaint that the casino did not take the proper actions to protect the customer and the game that was being played. Caesar’s and the Board recently reached a settlement to avoid any type of litigation. Next month, this fine will be presented for final approval to the Gaming Commission.

On October 10^th, 2009, a customer was engaged in a high-limit game of baccarat when they decided to climb onto the table from their chair, walk around and do a little dance. This happened on three different occasions during the session. The allegations state that while on the table, he also placed a bet each time prior to standing on his chair and eventually sitting back down.

The Details of the Settlement

In the settlement, Caesar’s acknowledges the action and accepts the allegations of the complaint. They are ready to pay the fine for not taking any action when this incident occurred. Litigation and legal troubles are extremely detrimental to the reputation of the casino, especially with the Gaming Control Board. This is the reason for the choice of a settlement.

Since this is such a rare occurrence in the gaming industry, it is believed that due to the amount of money the patron was wagering in the high rollers room, Caesar’s management did not want to scare away a big fish. As a result, they opted to allow him to pretty much do whatever he wanted as long as he continued to gamble at their casino.

Casinos are in the business of providing entertainment through gambling, nightlife, restaurants and shows. Although this gentleman was wagering large amounts, there must be a line that does not allow high rollers to do whatever they want. Yes they are pumping a great deal of cash through the casino cages, but that shouldn’t allow them to act disorderly and disrespectful to their gracious host.

Caesar’s has found that out the hard and costly way. In the future, it is unlikely they will allow this type of shenanigans to occur. If this behavior continues, they will be paying large sums often just to avoid legal troubles.

Popular Women Poker Pros

Some of the most popular profiles on the site are of the fabulous female poker pros.  Read about the best women poker players and weigh in on who you think is the best.

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A Closer Look at Indiana Gaming Regulations

Indiana is one of the newest states to partake in the riverboat gaming trend. As of 2010, the state of Indiana only allows riverboat gaming, racetrack wagering and the Hoosier lottery. Although new, the structure of the gaming commission is consistent with other neighboring states.

As a result, a limited number of gaming licenses are issued each year. The state permits up to 11 gaming licenses to be issued only to counties along the Ohio River, Patoka Lake and Lake Michigan. All other areas of the state that contain a body of water cannot acquire a license.

The Indiana Gaming Commission reports directly into the Governor and is a segment of the executive branch. The commission board consists of seven total members appointed by the Governor. The requirements of the board members include:

• One member must have a background in law enforcement
• One member must be a CPA
• One member must be a lawyer in Indiana
• Three members must be from a county on the Ohio River
• Three members must be from a country on Lake Michigan
• The final member can be from any other county

The seven members of the board serve a three-year staggered term. Also, to keep balance within the commission, no more than three board members can be of the same political party. Although separate from the Indiana Gaming Commission, the State Police are also involved by conducting background checks and investigations for those applying for a gaming license.

The commission also controls racetrack wagering, the Hoosier lottery and charitable gaming. The riverboat gaming companies must pay the commission $3 per person admission tax from each vessel on a daily basis. Additionally, adjusted gross revenues are taxed at a 20 percent state tax rate.

One interesting rule implemented by the commission in 2003 is the Voluntary Exclusion Program. This allows citizens to be excluded from any gaming-related activities, mailers and hand-outs from a casino. The individual can sign-up in person at any Indiana casino or an Indiana Gaming Commission office. The terms are for one-year, five-years or a lifetime.

The Indiana Gaming Commission follows a similar structure to other riverboat gaming states. Although limited, the commission has a tight hold with strong regulations to ensure compliance. Due to the newness of the gaming concept to Indiana, perhaps in the future they will expand their authority to permit land-based casinos into the state.

WSOP Main Event Winners

The World Series of Poker has almost completed its 40th year -- all that's left is for the 2010 November Nine to meet again in November to play for the WSOP Main Event championship bracelet and almost $9 million dollars. Before they do, read about all the WSOP main event winners from the first event in 1970 to last year's winner, who is in no danger of losing his title as youngest champion of them all, Joe Cada.

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H.O.R.S.E. Poker Rules

If you really want to challenge the players at your home poker game, try a night of a rotation poker game or tournament. The most popular of rotation games is H.O.R.S.E, which they play at the World Series of Poker, but you could also do it as a game of S.H.O.E. or pick any combination of these 6 fun poker games.

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Doyle’s Room Review

DoylesRoom.com is the home of Doyle Brunson, the poker great who is synonymous with Texas Hold’em. The Doyle’s Room poker room offers a number of different promo codes, each with a different bonus attached.

Part of the Microgaming Network, Doyle’s Room offers online poker players high traffic and a playing environment that’s secure.

While many poker sites have chosen to pull out of the United States, DoylesRoom is one of the few that have remained. They are open to players from across the United States except for those who reside in Washington State, Kentucky, and Louisiana.

The online poker software offered by Doyle’s Room isn’t the greatest but the slow speed is easier to deal with thanks to the many great promotions always on offer.

You’ll find a wide variety of players at the site thanks to the $1 million in guaranteed tournament every week and that alone will make you want to deposit. However, please note that deposits can be difficult to clear unless you spend the majority of your day at the tables.

In Summary, Doyle’s Room offers poker players a decent variety of promotions and soft tables to make money at. However, the software is inferior to some of the other poker rooms.

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Poker Stars review

Summary

Poker Stars Poker Stars is the biggest online poker site. The majority of online qualifiers for the World Series of Poker come from Poker Stars thanks to the size and scope of the tournaments and the pool of players attracted to them. Pokers Stars offers the highest volume of online poker tournaments and it is known for its high ring game traffic as well.

Seasoned players will be satisfied with the talent pool in the mid-to-high limit games and new players will find that the lower limit games are on par with other sites in terms of shark-to-fish ratio.

In a nutshell, the waters available to test at Poker Stars are vast and signing up now gets you a 100% bonus up to $600 when bonus code STARS600 is used. You can use that code on three individual deposits within 60 days and the bonus will be applied all three times.

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Full Tilt Poker Review

Summary

Full Tilt Poker is considered by many to be one of online poker’s slickest offerings. Slick graphics. Slick marketing. Slick software. And even a slick bonus.

The 2nd largest poker site in terms of daily traffic, Full Tilt Poker attracts new players with a competitive $600 sign up bonus. A large variety of cash games and regular tournaments covering all buy-in levels keep players coming back for more action regularly.

The poker site is regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and the site is famous for its safe and secure software that’s encrypted using the best SSL technology.

The Full Tilt Poker interface is a favorite among the poker playing community. It’s colorful and jovial, and information regarding the game is easy to read. Poker players can pick from several different cartoon-style icons to represent their personality at the table.

The lobby is easy to navigate and tables can be filtered based on a number of criteria to help you find your game faster.

Overall, the software is very user-friendly. Mac users can also natively get to the tables thanks to a dedicated downloadable client.

Software and Extra Features

The software at Full Tilt Poker is rightly considered one of the best around. The table interface is colorful and fun, yet gaming information is clearly presented. Players can choose from a number of cartoon-like icons to represent them at the table and can change the ‘mood’ of these icons with the click of a mouse. Clear hand-history and a ‘bet pot’ option for no-limit and pot-limit games make the Full Tilt software very user-friendly.

The Full Tilt lobby is intuitive to navigate, your desired game and betting level can be located within seconds and statistics such as average pot size and number of people seeing each flop can be scanned quickly. Tournaments and Sit and Goes can be filtered by game time and buy-in level to allow users to get to their preferred games fast. Tables can be resized while playing to ensure that multi-table players can see all their games. Full Tilt Poker has a version of their software client dedicated for Mac users.

Full Tilt Poker has an excellent reputation for customer service. Their system is to have dedicated e-mail addresses depending on the nature of your query (for example cashier enquiries or password resets). In addition there is a ‘system status’ tracker and comprehensive support FAQ available on their website.

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Everest Poker Review

Everest Poker is a multilingual poker site that has attracted many players with a potential to grow enormously. While other poker sites are famous for sticking around in the US and dedicating their business to American players, Everest Poker is famous for attracting players from the rest of the world – and it’s all thanks to its multi-language support. Languages served include Italian, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, and Japanese.

A total of 16 languages are supported, making it one of the most cosmopolitan poker sites around.

Unfortunately, their game mix isn’t the greatest. Only Texas Hold’em and Omaha are offered but that should change soon with the addition of 7-Card Stud in the plans.

While their game variation is limited, Everest Poker does a great job with Hold’em, offering phenomenal Hold’em action through terrific software. The 3D look is an attention-grabber but it doesn’t get in the way. You can create your own custom table, something that not a lot of other poker sites offer.

If you like quick games, Everest Poker is the place to play. On average, a table of 10 can get around 60-70 hands in one hour.

The ability to see whom you are playing against is also a quality of Everest Poker. The feature to “show and fold” is available at Everest Poker as well. If you are the type of player that enjoys showing your cards instead of mucking, you can do that there!

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