Hachem Reflects on Life-Changing Poker Journey
Since winning the 2005 WSOP Main Event the Australian poker superstar has traveled the world as a poker ambassador, played countless tournaments and claimed a World Poker Tour tournament. Oh yeah, he also won nearly $4 million actually playing poker during that span. The times are changing for Hachem, however, as last month he announced he was leaving long-time sponsor PokerStars, which he helped build into the biggest online poker room in the world.
Joe Hachem Enters Partnership with AsianLogic
The 2005 WSOP Main Event champion announced the new partnership during a press conference at the Crown Casino in Hachem’s hometown of Melbourne, Australia, where the Aussie Millions is currently taking place. “Recently I left my biggest sponsor and basically it was about not living out of a suitcase all the time and being able to spend more time at home with my family,” said Hachem. AsianLogic may not be nearly as established as sites like PokerStars or PartyPoker but operates a number of Asian online casinos and poker rooms on the Playtech software platform
Top 10 Biggest Online Pots of 2011
Since the events of Black Friday, PokerStars has slowly emerged as the new home for high stakes players while games on Euro sites like 888poker, iPoker and PartyPoker continue to grow. Regardless of the many changes to the industry there were still some massive hands that were played and we’ve compiled a list of the biggest hands on PokerStars recorded by our online poker stats section below.
PokerStars Unveils New ‘Player Protection Plan’
Called the PokerStars Player Protection Plan, this strategy will see the appointment of a fully independent UK trust company to oversee player funds.
Greenstein, Johnson Make Poker Hall of Fame
Greenstein and Johnson become the 41st and 42nd members of the Hall of Fame and Johnson only the second woman to be inducted alongside Barbara Enright. “I am extremely proud and humbled to be voted into the Poker Hall of Fame,” Johnson said in a release. “I feel lucky to have been involved in many facets of poker over the past 35 years. Being recognized by the industry is a tremendous honor.” Added Greenstein: “I’m happy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside my friend Linda Johnson who has been the most fervent ambassador for poker for as long as I can remember.” The official induction ceremony is scheduled for November 8 in Las Vegas as part of the WSOP Main Event final-table production
Greenstein, Johnson Make Poker Hall of Fame
Greenstein and Johnson become the 41st and 42nd members of the Hall of Fame and Johnson only the second woman to be inducted alongside Barbara Enright.
Laurent Tapie: FTP Could Be Back Up by January 2012
Earlier today Full Tilt Poker and the Bernard Tapie Group released a statement saying they had signed an exclusive agreement to sell the company and all of its assets. According to an interview with iGaming France , Tapie says he “wouldn’t have undertaken such a project if he didn’t believe in its potential.” Tapie went on to say the investment group has shown they have the funds necessary to repay the debt incurred by Full Tilt Poker’s owners and repay players who currently have their bankrolls frozen
Duke, Pollack and Palms Create Pro Poker League
Former World Series of Poker president and commissioner Jeffrey Pollack and his company Federated Sports and Gaming (FS+G) has joined with the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas to create the new pro poker league, with Annie Duke taking on the job as Commissioner. The initial FS+G schedule will include three tournaments from August to December 2011, with a fourth championship tournament to take place in January 2012 at the Palms
WSOPC Inks TV Deal
The deal marks VERSUS’ first foray into poker programming, but the crew producing the shows is a veteran outfit. Poker Productions, which already produces coverage of the World Series of Poker Europe, NBC’s National Heads Up Championship and the popular cash-game show High Stakes Poker and will take the reigns
Tony Dunst Named WPT’s Simon Cowell of Cards
Dunst beat out hundreds of contestants who submitted online audition videos or tried out in person in the WPT’s national talent search aimed at finding the “Simon Cowell of Cards.” A high-stakes online and tournament player, poker writer and instructor, Dunst’s writing is known as an honest and sometimes abrasive look at the poker world that is never afraid to call out the game’s biggest stars, making him a good fit for the critic role producers had envisioned for the segment. “Tony is smart, knows the game, has had success in poker and has an irreverent streak,” said World Poker Tour Executive Producer Joe Grimm. “There were a number of tremendously talented individuals who auditioned for the Raw Deal, but Tony stood out for his candor, his knowledge and his delivery. He’s going to have a big impact on the broadcast.