Poker Player Newspaper 1983-2016
All entries in Poker Player Newspaper 1983-2016
RAISING THE STAKES: STORY OF THE POWER POKER DAME
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper May 8, 2005 Introduction: This part of Chapter 7 takes place at the 1988 Binion’s Hall of Fame Tournament. Wendeen, a legal consultant by day, has taken a respite from the stressful role of a crisis consultant to James T. Sherwin, Vice Chairman of GAF Corporation , a defendant […]
WENDEEN EOLIS SAYS 60 MINUTES HAS SET THE DATE
October 30, 2008 The highly anticipated 60 Minutes online poker story is set to air November 9th, according to Wendeen H. Eolis, a legal consultant and one of the best connected insiders in the poker industry. Eolis, says, “60 Minutes is wrapping up critical pieces for the blockbuster program that spotlight cheating scams that were […]
Player Profile: Wendeen H. Eolis
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TAJ POKER ROOM FALLS FOR THE BORGATA
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper March 30, 2015 The Trump Taj Mahal Casino (‘Taj’) poker room drew its biggest crowd in years, for its closing weekend, last month. The nostalgic full house bore respectful witness to the downfall of Atlantic City’s once most iconic card room. People were there for a host […]
INTERNAL MANAGEMENT CHANGE AFOOT AT POKER STARS
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper December 10, 2014 BREAKING NEWS: From the Continent to the Isle of Man and across the ocean to North America, word on the street is that the latest round of musical chairs inside Poker Stars has ended with Michael Hazel, Rational Group’s CFO, taking the seat at […]
CALLING OUT SEXISM IN POKER: BEYOND MOLLY’S GAME
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 18, 2014 The bloom was still on the rose of the poker boom when James (Jimmy) Woods strolled into the Commerce Casino, just outside Los Angeles. We met up for coffee and then walked over to a no limit hold’em game with “open seating.” Tobey Maguire was in the […]
WSOP BRANDING MACHINE: CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 1, 2014 Until moments after the 2009 WSOP final table proceedings in the fall, Jeffrey Pollack was the public face of the WSOP. And then, suddenly, he announced his resignation and rushed off to take interviews that controlled the immediate spin on his departure. He said he was ready […]
WSOP BRANDING MACHINE: PLAYERS ARE THE STARS
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper June 9, 2014 Hours before the curtain rose on the 45th annual World Series of Poker, last minute wrangling amongst the collaborators was at a fever pitch. Behind the scenes, the organizers and the operator of the fabled tournament were still debating the planned theatrics to open the festivities. […]
WSOP GRAND POOH BAH: TY STEWART
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper May 30, 2014 In the days leading up to the opening of the 2014 World Series of Poker, Ty Stewart, the Grand Pooh Bah of the World Series of Poker, was beaming. A five day trip had taken the WSOP Executive Director from Las Vegas to Macau where he […]
WILL AMAYA ACQUIRE POKERSTARS’ MIDAS TOUCH?
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper August 4, 2014 Now that Amaya Gaming has completed its purchase of PokerStars, Isai Scheinberg and his son Mark, for whom he founded the company, are totally out. Daniel, Baazov Chairman and CEO of Amaya, and the architect of the PokerStars deal, is totally in. And today, U.S. gaming companies are better positioned to compete against the online […]
BORGATA TOURNAMENT DECISION IGNITES DEBATE
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper April 22, 2014 During the past week, since the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement issued its final order concerning the first event at the Borgata Winter Poker Open (“WPO”)last January, players have been arguing fiercely about the fairness or unfairness of the rulings. Chatter has turned into full on […]
POKER PLAYER NEWSPAPER TAKES FORWARD STEP
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper May 19, 2014 Last week, Stanley Sludikoff, publisher of Poker Player Newspaper, addressed card room personnel in an open letter saying, “For the past 30 years PPN has faithfully served card rooms across the country with a print edition available every two weeks.” He continued, “Costs to provide this service […]
DECISION: BORGATA COUNTERFEIT CHIPS
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper April 14, 2014 Minutes ago, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement reported at its website its final order arising from its investigation of the Borgata counterfeit chip debacle in January of this year. Last Friday PPN provided an overview of the outcome of the order which was in place then and […]
BORGATA CHIP INVESTIGATION COMPLETE
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper April 11, 2014 After nearly 3 months of silence, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) is poised to announce its decisions regarding distribution of the remaining prize pool that has been left in limbo following the cancelation of Event #1 in the Borgata Winter Poker Open last January. […]
POKERSTARS DOES LEGWORK IN NY LEGISLATIVE BILL
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper March 31, 2014 New York State has come to the party later than most, but this year it has its eye on gambling like never before. The necessary referendum to legalize commercial brick and mortar casino gaming passed more than a year ago; a Commission to oversee […]
PLAYER LAWSUIT - BORGATA
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper February 25, 2014 It has been one full month since the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) ordered the Borgata Casino to cancel the opening event of its annual Winter Poker Open, but New Jersey regulators have yet to reach a conclusion to their investigation of bogus chips […]
BORGATA: AFTERMATH OF COUNTERFEIT CHIP CAPER
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper February 13, 2014 The leading suspect in a scheme to rig a poker tournament, at the Borgata last month, has gotten into more hot water with the law, this week. Christian Lusardi of Fayetteville, North Carolina was arrested January 24th in connection with the introduction of counterfeit chips in the opening event […]
MEN "THE MASTER" NGUYEN SPEAKS OUT
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper January 28, 2014 Since January 18th, the 27 remaining players in the Borgata Winter Open’s first event have been waiting for their money while the authorities investigate the particulars of 160 counterfeit chips (5K tournament chips), introduced into the tournament. While the fake chips amounted to a bit less than 1% […]
NJ POLICE NAB SUSPECT IN BORGATA CHIPS CAPER
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper January 24, 2014 This afternoon official word was out. Christian Lusardi, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was nabbed in an Atlantic City motel room, as a suspect in a more bizarre-by-the-minute case of counterfeit 5K chips that compromised Event 1 at the Borgata Winter Open. And, more 5K chips created havoc at nearby Harrahs where the plumbing system was fouled up […]
BORGATA SHOWS RECORD KEEPING PROWESS
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper January 22, 2014 Four thousand plus players journeyed to the Borgata Winter Open, for its first tournament – a $560 buy-in, deep stack confection, with a two million dollar guaranteed prize pool. The numbers proved themselves; it was a “must play” event. But with twenty-seven players remaining in the field, […]
POKER STARS SNUBBED BY NJ REGULATORS
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 8, 2013 Update Bulletin: PokerStars Faces Red Lights in NJ After months of investigation by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the regulators have made their determinations and are expected to step up to the plate today with announcements of the companies licensed for Internet gambling […]
POKER HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS: MCEVOY AND NGUYEN
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 5, 2013 The World Series of Poker did itself proud, deciding to host a full on celebration of the elected inductees in the 2013 class of the WSOP’s Poker Hall of Fame. Tears of pride and joy trickled down the faces of poker professionals Tom McEvoy […]
POKER DOCUMENTARY BEATS UP ON ULTIMATE BET
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper October 22, 2013 In the spring of 2000 Russ Hamilton coached Wayne Newton to a “tie” in a heads-up No Limit Hold’em duel that became part of GQ reporter Elizabeth Gilbert’s published story, “Chicks with Decks”— later that year. James McManus, the author of the poker classicPositively Fifth […]
RUNNER RUNNER APPEALS TO AFFLECK AND AGA
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper October 8, 2013 Last month at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, the American Gaming Association (AGA) upped the ante in its bid to promote progressive federal legislation to regulate online poker while pushing for a strengthened crackdown on illegal online poker operators. AGA Uses Runner […]
LEDERER: HAS HE COME TO HIS SENSES TOO LATE?
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper October 1, 2012 Until Howard Lederer, former president and member of the Board of Directors of Full Tilt Poker (FTP) took interviews at Pokernews.com and twoplustwo.com, earlier this month, and then backed out of a third one planned with poker writer diamond flush, he avoided penetrating scrutiny […]
HOWARD LEDERER ... CURRENT ASPIRATION
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper September 25, 2012 In the weeks before the United States Department of Justice swooped in to crack down on online poker with deadening force, by all outward appearances, Full Tilt Poker was at the top of its game. New offerings were popping up continuously, and Howard Lederer’s […]
JUDGE WEINSTEIN SAYS...
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper September 11, 2012 Since the United States Department of Justice’s (DOJ), announcement revising its position on the 1961 Wire Act, by exempting online poker from federal prosecution thereunder, the gaming industry nationwide has begun to see online poker and other online casino games as the coming of a […]
POKERSTARS RESCUES...
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper August 14, 2012 Initially, the media flares of July 31, 2012 put out by PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker (FTP), and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), announcing a deal amongst them that would allow PokerStars to acquire the assets of FTP, ignited only a modest amount […]
EOLIS RESPONDS TO POKERSTARS-FULL TILT POKER WEEKEND REPORT
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 30, 2012 The publication of my bulletin, “Full Tilt Poker Stars Negotiations in the Can,” Friday July 27th has been linked by more than one hundred thirty websites, and PPN (Poker Player Newspaper) has counted more than 10,000 visits in the past forty eight hours. But, to […]
EOLIS FULL TILT POKER REPORT: DIGGING DEEPER
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 30, 2012 At the end of last week, Poker Player Newspaper (“PPN”) released breaking news that thundered across the online poker globe, announcing in very careful language that the die had been cast, effectively, for a completed deal between PokerStars and the United States Department of Justice […]
FULL TILT POKERSTARS NEGOTIATIONS IN THE CAN
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 27, 2012 Breaking News: The ups and downs and glitches in negotiations between PokerStars and the United States Department of Justice with respect to Full Tilt Poker have come to an end. Without giving away the identity of a consistently impeccable resource, it is now safe to […]
WSOP, POKERSTARS AND FULL TILT: UNFINISHED BUSINESS
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 19, 2012 Day seven of the 2012 World Series of Poker (“WSOP”) started with the final 27 players. Among the finalists, the poker gods favored two women but burst their bubble in the 11th and 10th spots. Before the day began, the most adored marquee names had […]
WOMEN IN POKER: RAYMOND AND LIU ARE TOP DRAWER
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 3, 2012 Since the 1970s, enterprising men and women in the poker industry have sought to attract women into the fold (as players and industry professionals), but even the World Series of Poker has shown lackluster success in attracting more than a fractionally increased percentage of women […]
WSOP ... IS THE BIG NEWS
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper June 20, 2012 Phil Ivey the most worshipped poker star will take a seat in the upcoming million dollar buy-in tournament at the 43rd Annual World Series of Poker that is now well underway at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. No longer battling with […]
MITCH GARBER: MAN ON TOP OF THE WSOP
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper May 22, 2012 All systems are go for the 2012 World Series of Poker. There are no known hitches or glitches, and no press releases from outer space attempting, as of yet, to upstage the poker industry’s richest and most prestigious tournament of the year. The WSOP remains a […]
FULL TILT POKER, POKERSTARS AND DOJ ARE WINNERS!
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper April 24, 2012 No sooner than Group Bernard Tapie announced its failure to acquire the Full Tilt brand–after months of up and down negotiations with the Department of Justice–word spread across the internet of another suitor for the online site, its arch rival Poker Stars. As previously detailed, […]
FULL TILT CREATES DRAMA AT POKERSTARS
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper May 9, 2012 No sooner than Laurent Tapie hit the send button on an email to employees of Pocket Kings (a Full Tilt Poker company) explaining that discussions to acquire FTP had gone down in flames, word began to spread like wildfire of another suitor for the online […]
TAPIE DEAL: 50 MILLION DOLLARS SHORT?
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper February 07, 2012 NEW YORK (February 07, 2012) Today, Wendeen Eolis reports on the latest and gravest developments in the Group Bernard Tapie proposed acquisition of Full Tilt Poker which calls for GBT to pay the US Department of Justice 80 million dollars to acquire the assets of FTP, per agreement reached by […]
RING-FENCE THOSE FUNDS
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper August 17, 2011 In the wake of Poker’s Black Friday last April 15th —the day the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) brought down the hammer on Internet-based poker in the United States—enthusiasts are up in arms about the cloud that has formed on the future of online poker, […]
NORTH AMERICAN POKER TOUR STOPS THE CLOCK
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper June 16, 2010 The North American Poker Tour (NAPT) has attracted a curious crowd of observers at its website this week. They have fixed their eyes on the steadily ascending number of days on the “NAPT Next Event Count Down Clock.” In an exclusive report last Friday, Poker […]
UIGEA GAME CHANGER
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper June 17, 2010 Just as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) opened its doors at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, last month, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (GCB) raised the curtain on its evolving policies in the new environment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling […]
POKER STARS HOVERS OVER BICYCLE CLUB
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper June 04, 2010 Yesterday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (“GCB”) raised the curtain on its evolving policy toward relationships between casinos and online gambling companies. In its publicly posted reply to an unidentified gaming attorney’s inquiry, more than a month earlier, the GCB let it be known it […]
BARNEY FRANK RAISES THE ANTE
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 22, 2009 Just beyond the elegant glass doors of the Palazzo Suite, a representative of the Poker Player Alliance stood at attention eyeing the arriving crowd for possible crashers. United States Representative Barney Frank was scheduled to hold forth at a fundraising reception for heavy hitters down […]
D'AMATO MARCHES TO THE POKER BEAT
Business By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper January 1, 2009 As the new leader of the online poker industry, Alfonse D’Amato has taken command in forming the battle plans to free poker from the constraints of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. As Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, and its chief […]
OUR WASHINGTON INSIDER: AFTERMATH OF SIXTY MINUTES EXPOSE
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper December 11, 2008 Last month, CBS News’ 60 Minutes partnered with the Washington Post in reports on the two biggest online gambling fraud cases in the history of internet poker. The November 30th segment of 60 Minutes titled “The Cheaters,” highlighted several online poker players who helped to […]
SIXTY MINUTES: THE ULTIMATE GAMBLE
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper October 29, 2008 Until CBS correspondent Steve Kroft and his 60 Minutes crew arrived at the World Series of Poker last summer, the biggest buzz in the tournament arena had centered on Harrah’s decision to delay the final table proceedings of the main event until November 9. Will […]
INSIDE SCOOP ON POKER PLAYER ACTIVISM, PART 2
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper August 19, 2008 This is the second and final piece about the World Poker Association’s rise and unraveling, and the significant progress of the World Series of Poker’s Players Advisory Council. Pollack Hunkers Down to Upgrading Customer Experience In January 2006, WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack launched the Players […]
INSIDE SCOOP ON POKER PLAYER ACTIVISM, PART 1
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper August 06, 2008 The summer of 2006 was a turning point for poker players and tournament organizers alike. Unimpressed with prior efforts to organize players or a player-management advisory board, I arrived at the World Series of Poker with no thoughts of getting involved with either the WSOPs […]
PLAYER PROFILE: WENDEEN H. EOLIS
By Phil Hevener Poker Player Newspaper May 26, 2008 More than 20 years of getting to know poker have not eroded Wendeen Eolis’ enthusiasm for it as she prepares for this year’s World Series of Poker, when she’ll be “playing” one of her biggest hands ever as the chair of the World Poker Association, and […]
BERKLEY/PORTER BILL ATTRACTS SOME 60 CO-SPONSORS
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper May 4, 2007 United States Representative Shelly Berkley and her Nevada colleague United States Representative John Porter have introduced their long awaited bi-partisan bill that calls for a study of Internet gaming, and Representative Barney Frank is one of their co-sponsors. Mr. Frank has barely left the podium […]
THE BIG GAME IS ONLINE
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper May 3, 2007 The deed has been done. Congressman Barney Frank (MA) has introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (IGREA) of 2007 into the United States House of Representatives. IGREA is a cleverly constructed piece of legislation. IGREA is an innovative frontal assault on UIGEA Representative […]
TARGETED ATTACK ON UIGEA TO BE LAUNCHED IN APRIL
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper March 28, 2007 Reciting part of Henry Wadsworth Longefellow’s poem the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank stopped short of telling me when he would gear up for an attack on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). I figured it out remembering […]
CAN D'AMATO SAVE ONLINE POKER?
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper March 5, 2007 After weeks of protestations that Alfonse D’Amato was only a maybe, today the Poker Players Alliance crows about its catch. As first reported by Poker Player (February 16th), Senator D’Amato is on board as the Chairman of the PPA, an organization that has set itself […]
NO FOLDERS IN LEGISLATIVE GAME
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper March 03, 2007 Since the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, politics and poker have become inextricably intertwined, far beyond the imagination of legendary New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, in the 1959 Broadway musical. Fiorello’s song of politics and poker is fitting background music […]
BULLETIN: POKER ENTERS THE BIG LEAGUES
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper February 25, 2007 A heretofore shy Poker Player Alliance is set to confirm that Senator Alfonse D’Amato will chair the PPA. The three-term former Senator has given the signal of “I do,” as in, I formally accept your offer of the chairmanship of the PPA. The PPA can […]
ALFONSE D'AMATO TO CHAIR THE POKER PLAYER ALLIANCE
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper February 21, 2007 “Signed or unsigned, the deal is sealed,” insists my confidential source, a key player in the global gaming industry. The die has been cast; former New York Senator Alfonse D’Amato has been tapped to sit as the Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance. Unlawful Internet […]
POKERSTARS IGAMING LICENSE AT LAUNCH IS A NO GO
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 20, 2013 As exclusively reported at pokerplayernewswpaper.com, on November 7th, PokerStars will not be part of the iGaming fraternity operating in New Jersey on its historic scheduled launch date of November 26th. Look for statements from PokerStars and/or DGE pledging that the dance continues — but for […]
EAST COAST CASINO LICENSES - INSIDE PANDORA'S BOX
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 19, 2013 The New Jersey gaming license application of Poker Stars has been a bruiser after a series of battles, instigated and propelled by self-righteously indignant opponents united under the umbrella of the American Gaming Association (AGA). But the fallout from the warring parties’ activities is […]
POKERSTARS COMPETITORS GAIN MOMENTUM
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 14, 2013 This past week has seen a frenzy of activity over the license application submitted by PokerStars to New Jersey regulators. This morning previously proven sources with direct knowledge of current affairs reconfirm PokerStars remains shut out of the starting line up for online gaming […]
POKERSTARS DGE LICENSING DANCE CONTINUES
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 8, 2013 Communications arms of both PokerStars and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement have come forward to insist PokerStars’ licensing application remains active without disputing reports in Poker Player Newspaper that regulators have determined to keep PokerStars off the list as of this time as part of the starting line […]
POKERSTARS THWARTED IN FIRST ROUND
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 7, 2013 PokerStars has failed to secure a gaming license this week for opening date of online gaming in New Jersey according to three insiders with direct knowledge – on both sides of the pond. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is said to have become […]
WSOP EUROPE — PUSHING THE ENVELOPE
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper September 10, 2013 This year the World Series of Poker Europe pays special tribute to women with its first ever Ladies Event. It will also cater to world travelers and romantics alike with a change of venue from the French Riviera to the suburbs of Paris. The […]
POKER AT LARRIGATA WITH PROFESSOR LARRY LINDSEY
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper August 13, 2013 A nine hour drive from New York City, six and a half hours from Atlantic City, and four hours from Washington D.C., Larry Lindsey welcomed his “Poker Week” guests at his spectacular ocean side house in Virginia Beach. The former associate professor of economics […]
OBAMA SAID TO GIVE THUMBS UP TO BARTON’S BILL
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 30, 2013 An Exclusive Interview With Congressman Joe Barton By Wendeen H. Eolis During the past month, Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX) has been on the move in his quest to bring about federal legislation favorable to online poker with an equally favorable revenue component for government. At the […]
FEDERAL ONLINE GAMBLING LEGISLATION
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 16, 2013 Just as the 2013 World Series of Poker was beginning to wind up its engines for the main event at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX-) rolled into town for his third visit to the annual WSOP; this […]
POKER ROYALE WALTZ
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper October 6, 2005 When Matt Savage, premiere tournament director and current co-star in the highly anticipated Lucky You movie, calls, poker players listen! Matt has more connections than the ubiquitous poker gods when it comes to putting players center stage on television. With Matt’s pull and my moxie, […]
WSOP GIVES WOMEN MORE LOVE
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 2, 2013 Last weekend, Kristen Bicknell, a twenty six year old cash games grinder from Canada, turned up at the 2013 World Series of Poker Ladies Championship as an unknown player. She proved not only ample survival skills but also the power of discipline, desire, and […]
PARTY POKER CRUISE ROCKS AROUND THE CLOCK
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper April 20, 2006 With an estimated fifteen hundred poker players on board, the M.S. Westerdam departed from the Fort Lauderdale, Florida pier. A blasting horn signified the official start of the Party Poker Million V, featuring the most prestigious annual Limit Hold’em tournament on the planet. The biggest […]
TWISTS AND TURNS CONTINUE FOR POKERSTARS
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper May 21, 2013 Last March poker aficionados attending the annual “ATLARGE” gathering in Atlantic City, were energized like never before. The buzz in the Atlantic Club and Casino and Hotel (ACC) poker room that weekend was all good news. PokerStars, a staunch supporter of the online poker […]
IN PURSUIT OF AN ADVANCED POKER DEGREE
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 31, 2005 Two decades ago industrious poker players, Yours Truly among them, wore the covers off WSOP two-time grand champion Doyle Brunson’s Super System and poet laureate Al Alvarez’ Biggest Game in Town. Super System was quickly revered as the definitive poker text book, and Al Alvarez’s […]
ATLANTIC CLUB CASINO & HOTEL UPSTAGES POKERSTARS
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper May 6, 2013 The surprise move in the gambits of gaming companies seeking to position themselves for future fortunes in the online and commercial gaming market came last week from an unlikely source, the Atlantic Club Casino and Hotel (ACC) in Atlantic City New Jersey. The casino […]
THOMAS KREMSER'S POKER MAGIC
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper August 17, 2006 Last month it was the galloping poker economy, rather than a disaster in the making, that sent me scurrying off on a trip overseas. The itinerary was London, Barcelona and Vienna. I was trying to keep up with Thomas Kremser, the immensely popular European tournament […]
POKERSTARS-ATLANTIC CLUB PURCHASE AGREEMENT TERMINATED
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper May 1, 2013 PokerStars’ purchase agreement for the Atlantic Club Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City has expired. In a public statement, this morning, Michael Frawley, COO of Atlantic Club Casino and Hotel has confirmed that the purchase agreement is terminated. Nevertheless, it is too early to jump […]
THIS AND THAT FROM THE HALLS OF THE 2005 WSOP
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 25, 2005 Having rolled over 1200 plus players on day one at the 2005 finale of the World Series of Poker, I was one of the estimated 1850 remaining contestants in the competition that boasted 5619 participants at the starting gate, in three separate day one flights. […]
GOVERNMENT PAIRS POKER WITH ORGANIZED CRIME?
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper April 23, 2013 While most of the country was glued to the movements of Boston area law enforcement agents immediately after the Boston Marathon bombings, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York had it sights set elsewhere on a sting against organized crime […]
THE PEP PRINCIPLE WINS BIG DEALS
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper January 26, 2007 As a child I blurted out whatever questions came into my head. More often than not, they were basic and simple questions designed to challenge my parents’ authority: “Why are you asking?” and “What do you mean?” These questions are powerful probes – and asking […]
POKERSTARS AND THE AGA IN AC HOLDING PATTERN
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper April 9, 2013 The application by PokerStars for an Interim Casino Authority (ICA) license at the Atlantic Club Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City appears to be in limbo for the moment. The Casino Control Commission (CCC) has yet to announce the next steps in the process, […]
RAY BITAR GETS CREDIT FOR "TIME SERVED"
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper April 15, 2013 In a video-link proceeding, from a California courtrooom, Ray Bitar, a founder of Full Tilt Poker, was sentenced today by Chief Judge of the US District Court of New York, Loretta Preska, to time served and an estimated forfeiture of $40,000,000. In keeping with the unexpectedly […]
AGA CONTINUES TO POKE POKERSTARS
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper March 27, 2013 The battle for supremacy in the emerging online poker market stateside is in full swing with a series of gambits by the American Gaming Association (AGA). The AGA has effectively delayed PokerStars’ anticipated acquisition of the Atlantic Club Casino & Hotel in Atlantic City by […]
MORALITY PLAY OR ECONOMICS
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper March 18, 2013 Over the past two weeks the American Gaming Association and PokerStars have sparred over the future of the online gaming company’s activities in Atlantic City. There is no end in sight for a battle that has AGA pressing the New Jersey Division of Gaming […]
AMERICAN GAMING ASSOCIATION V. POKER STARS
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper March 13, 2013 Unlikely collaborations as well as predictable conflicts have marked the relationship between Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (formerly Harrahs) and PokerStars (Rational Group) since the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. For the moment the collaborations seem like bygones. The American Gaming […]
POKERSTARS AND CAESARS: WHAT IS THE SCORE?
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper March 12, 2013 A complicated relationship between Rational Group (PokerStars) and Caesars Entertainment has begun to reveal itself in earnest in recent weeks with an eclectic crowd of movers and shakers surrounding the players at the top of their respective pyramids. The two companies, with assistance from […]
ONLINE POKER FORUMS: WINDING THROUGH THE MAZE
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper February 26, 2013 The history of Internet-based poker forums is as instructive as it is colorful, from its raw roots in the late 1980s at a forum dominated by zealous blackjack counters and systematic craps players to the latest debates by legal experts fueled by Howard Lederer’s storytelling […]
CAN A COURT TURN LAW UPSIDE DOWN ON POKER PLAYERS?
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper December 6, 2012 Poker players WILL appeal for rehearing in South Carolina’s Supreme Court guilty ruling against a low stakes un-raked home game in Mount Pleasant v. Chimento. So you thought that online poker players had it tough when Full Tilt Poker bellied up! What do you think […]
POKER SKILL ARGUMENT FALLS ON ITS FACE AGAIN
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper December 4, 2012 After two years of silence in the case of the Town of Mount Pleasant v. Chimento, the South Carolina Supreme Court finally reached a decision. On November 21, 2012, the Court found a group of poker players (who had convened regularly in an un-raked low […]
BLACK FRIDAY ... KICKING THE BALL DOWN THE COURT
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 20, 2012 Early in the morning of July 28th the shot heard ’round the poker world was short, sweet, and accurate — but incomplete. A three way deal had been inked hours earlier by PokerStars (Stars), Full Tilt Poker (FTP), and the United States Department of […]
FULL TILT POKER: REORGANIZING THE LEDERER FILES!
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper October 9, 2012 After sitting in the hot seat during two separate interviews with poker media last month, Howard Lederer, a former director and the best known voice of Full Tilt Poker (FTP) had enough. Lederer had enjoyed the stature of Big Man on Campus in the […]
NOLAN DALLA: WSOP MEDIA DIRECTOR BRINGS IT ON (PART 1)
Poker By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 6, 2015 Today Nolan Dalla is in high gear for another starting day of the Main Event of the 45th Annual World Series of Poker at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The WSOP’s longtime media director has been in residence, at theWSOP, since its inception at the Rio in […]
DOUGLAS TIROLA DOES POKER
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper April 10, 2012 Last week, the eagerly awaited poker documentary, All In: The Poker Movie finally hit the big screen. Director Douglas Tirola’s ambitious project was delayed almost a year so as to allow sufficient time to follow through with additional interviews that would explain not only the events of Poker’s […]
THE POKER PLAYERS ALLIANCE: TRANSITION IN PROGRESS
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper March 27, 2012 Down the boardwalk from the recent World Series of Poker Circuit event in Atlantic City, a troop of online poker forum contributors — “ARGERS” — were whooping it up at the annual ATLARGE banquet. The dinner was sponsored by PokerStars. The keynote speaker was John […]
WHO SAYS POKER IS A GAME OF SKILL?
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper February 28, 2012 Any poker player worth his salt knows better than to say, “When I win, it is skill, and when I lose, it is luck,” but until the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, by and large, the poker community ignored the […]
FTP-TAPIE DEAL: LATE ARRIVING INVESTOR ON BOARD
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper March 2, 2012 This morning, Group Bernard Tapie Counsel Behn Dayanim spoke to Poker Player Newspaper, reconfirming his renewed “significant confidence in the prospects of completing the deal” for his client to acquire the Full Tilt brand. He notes, “It could occur before the end of the first […]
POKERSTARS: WALLS OF SECRECY TUMBLE
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper February 14, 2012 As a privately held company, the walls of secrecy surrounding senior management and the operations of Poker Stars were rarely challenged before the United States Department of Justice cracked down on online poker last year. In the Government’s April 15, 2011 indictment, the US Attorney […]
TAPIE NAMES PROS IN DEBT TO FULL TILT
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper February 2, 2012 Tapie counsel, Behn Dayanim has revealed to PPN the names of several high profile players who owe Full Tilt Poker millions of dollars. All but one of the players, is publicly associated with Full Tilt. The names of these players is being withheld by PPN […]
POKER STARS IS TOO BIG TO HIDE INTERNAL NEWS
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper January 18, 2012 Special Note: This article updates the author’s breaking news and follow-up story about PokerStars CEO Gabi Campos’ departure plans, taking into account relevant communications – not marked confidential – between Poker Stars and the reporter. Updated (01/20/2012) The Parade of Unsung Departures In a personal email to this […]
TAPIE-FULL TILT POKER DEAL HITS PAY DIRT
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper January 26, 2012 No formal confirmations of additional investors yet, but the noise is ever louder today; Group Bernard Tapie has lined up at least one moneyman “ready to punt.” According to several generally informed sources familiar with weeks of efforts to raise more funds, GBT has locked […]
TAPIE, DOJ, AND FTP LIKELY WINNERS BUT PLAYERS.......
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 22, 2011 When CNN ran the headline, “French Investment Firm to Buy Full Tilt Poker,” last Thursday afternoon, it was music to the ears of Full Tilt Poker customers. Until, that is, the story revealed itself as an un-orchestrated curtain raiser that was shut down minutes later, […]
DOJ & GBT REACH SIGNED AGREEMENT
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 17, 2011 CRITICAL NOTE: This afternoon, CNN published a story regarding this deal while it was still embargoed, noting in its headline that the story could not be published without clearance from representatives of Groupe Bernard Tapie. EOLIS International Group had the same information from multiple sources. […]
POKER STARS CEO GABI CAMPOS IS OFF THE GRID
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper January 16, 2012 The current whereabouts of Gabriel Campos Woslovsky, Chief Executive Officer of PokerStars, are murky; only his closest associates may know his GPS location. But the buzz emanating from the Isle of Man offices of PokerStars is loud and clear; Gabi Campos, as he is better […]
THIS WEEK’S REPORT ON POLITICS ‘N POKER
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper December 6, 2011 Since the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006, US-facing online poker companies knew that the United States Department of Justice would not look kindly upon taking bets from American-based customers. Online Poker Goes Down In its crackdown on online poker […]
DOJ MULTI TABLES IN ONLINE POKER GAMES
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper January 3, 2012 Add the New York Times to the list of venerable mainstream media outlets that have bungled material facts and succumbed to confusing messages that emanate from the US Government’s crackdown on online poker. Since the April 15 indictment U.S. v. Scheinberg et al, and the […]
DOCUMENTARY FILM SHINES BRIGHT LIGHT ON NEW YORK POKER
by Wendeen H. Eolis 2006-02-06 (Updated 2014)[Originally appeared in the February 6, 2006 issue of Poker Player Newspaper} Poker Player Newspaper Editor Note: This feature is an adaptation of material that may be part of Ms. Eolis’ planned book, Power Poker Dame. When Charlie Prince’s invitation popped up in my E-mailbox, I assumed, at first, […]
IN DEPTH: POKER STARS JOINS FTP IN HOT SEAT
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 9, 2011 The Acela fast train from New York to Washington provided ample time to review a sheaf of materials describing Behnam Dayanim’s credentials, experience, and reputation as a preeminent lawyer in the e-commerce space. In the preceding months of 2009, Mr. Dayanim had obtained non-prosecution agreements […]
DECODING FULL TILT POKER-DOJ-TAPIE PLANS
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper November 02, 2011 The noise has been deafening since reports of impending victory for full Full Tilt Poker customers began to stream across the internet yesterday. Since the shutdown of Full Tilt Poker’s operations in the United States on April 15 and in Europe on June 29, players […]
FULL TILT POKER: BATTLES FOR SUPREMACY
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper September 27 , 2011 In a stinging denouncement of Full Tilt Poker’s business principles, the United States Department of Justice has significantly raised the stakes in the company’s bid to extricate itself from the government’s grip and escalating financial woes. In a press release last Tuesday, the Government […]
GOVERNMENT HAMMERS OFF-SHORE GAMBLING OPERATIONS
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper April 27, 2011 Across the bottom of the television screen, small print flashed the foreboding news. The United States Department of Justice Southern District of New York announced on April 15th the unsealing of an indictment against the principals of the three largest internet poker companies doing business […]
TROUBLE IS BREWING FOR LADIES POKER EVENTS
By Wendeen H. Eolis Poker Player Newspaper July 10, 2010 At the opening bell of the 2010 World Series of Poker Ladies Championship, Tournament Director Jack Effel took to the microphone, as much to apologize as to welcome the 1000+ women who had made their way into the arena. WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel: Gentleman Sheriff […]
“While the current changes were necessary to respond prudently to current financial pressures in the print media industry, Sludikoff says, “I am eager to continue PPN’s reliable longtime service as the ‘Players Voice’.””