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Irish Open Poker Championship Organisers Show Unneeded Concern

Due to the recent economical events happening across the world, the organisers of the well attended Irish Open feared for its participation figures this week.

The recession has hit alot of tournaments and companies all over the world, reducing the income that they would usually receive.

The organisers were expecting a drop in the participation figures in the tournament, with 667 players turning out for the tournament last year.

But as the tournament opened it became clear that their concerns for the figures were uncalled for, with 701 players turning out to take their seat at the felts.

The registration of the 701 players means that the prize pool for the tournament reaches €2.2 million.

The reason behind the great turn out for the tournament was the work that the dedicated team of organisers placed into the setting up of the tournament after one told of how much work they had to place into the promotion of the tournament to avoid disappointing numbers.

But the turn out was something that even they didn’t expect with Paddy Power host Paul Burke saying:

A lot of poker players don’t have the same disposable income they had this time last year. If we had got 600 players we would have been very happy.

Almost half of the entered players were from overseas, showing that the attraction to play in the tournament was great to even players from the likes of Canada, with one car sales man taking the trip to buy into the tournament.

When asked why he had been attracted to travel the distance to enter the tournament, he simply said that the thrill of playing poker is the winning.

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Poker Stars Launches New Poker Leagues For UK and IRE Players

As the online card room stamps its claim to been the biggest online poker room on the internet, Poker Stars have annouced the birth of a new poker league that will feature on their site.

The new league is aimed at rewarding players who gain the most points while facing up against other Poker Star players.

The points system will offer players points for entering into events, paying higher points the higher the player finishes. The whole aim of the league system is to make players enter more tournaments with the promise of the top 100 players been rewarded $300 into their account.

• Division 1 - $1 buy-in
• Division 2 - Free to enter (2,000 play money chips buy-in)
• FPP Division - 25 Frequent Player Points buy-in

Many feel that this should be an easy move to make the top 100 across any of the 3 divisions, but players should know that poker stars is home to over 20 million players now!

This move shows players that poker stars is out to offer incentives to players to become more active within the lobby.

Read our Poker Stars Review to hear more about the site.

Poker Stars Reaches 20 Million Members

Poker Stars recently signed up their 20 million-ith online player, firmly stamping their watermark on been the biggest poker room on the internet.

The amazing figure is almost as equal as the population of 3 major cities in the U.S., Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.

With well into the billions of poker hands dealt, the site continues to grow, pulling in online players from all over the world.

Rewarding the 20 million-ith player, Poker Stars rewarded the Slovakian player with a $215 tournament entry, not a bad reward for just signing up to the card room.

The large number of players have flocked to the felts of Poker Stars in the last 3 years, in March 06 the site revealed that their player base was 5 million.

This means that over the last 3 years, Poker Stars has managed to attract an average of 5 million players a year for the last 3 years!

Giving players generous rewards is something that Poker Stars are known for doing, with more than one other occasion when the company have paid out to players to reward them.

We don’t have to look far for the last payout they offered, February 16th 2009 saw the 25th billion hand dealt one the infamous felts, within a Omaha high/low game, there were 3 players sat at the table, only 2 entering into the hand but as a reward for been with Poker Stars as it dealt its 25th billion hand, the 3 players were awarded $33,333.33 each.

I guess there are small elements of luck involved in poker….

The money ’strings’ won’t be tightened any time soon either as the company rolls out plans to offer $30 million in prize money over its Spring tournaments.

One thing is for sure, Poker Stars isn’t willing to pass on the title of been the worlds biggest poker room any time soon!

Why not try Poker Stars out? After all its not the biggest poker room online for no reason….

Read the Poker Stars Review and find out more information on the site and thatsGambling thoughts.

Have you played at Poker Stars?

Do you have stories to tell?

Online Poker Freerolls - Friend or Foe?

When poker players join up to online poker rooms the majority of them head start to the game lobby and check out the line up of tournaments that they are going to try their hand in.

If asked which was more attractive, a tournament with a $100 buy in or a freeroll offering up to $10,000 prize pools, there is obviously one of the answers that is going to appear most…

Freeroll.

Looking at Online Poker Freerolls, many see these as an opportunity to face up against others, with the intent to reach the final table and ultimately take the 1st place without any investment.

What they think is correct, they are a great way to plump up the bankroll but what alot of players forget is that thats exactly what all the other players online are thinking, including the new players who regard ace/king in such a high regard that they are going to call your all in as the flop hits 5, J, 7.

Freerolls are a great way to invest only time into a poker game in the bid to win a fair stack to invest back into the online game.

These types of tournaments aren’t ‘all good’ due to their appeal to bad players, or in cases that we have seen good players playing badly. With all in’s on most starting tables before the flop with jack,10 off suit etc.

In most cases, winners of the freeroll tournaments are average players, people who can play but need that element of lady luck shining on them as they enter into their biggest pot of the tournament…

Don’t get us wrong, freerolls are a definate must for online poker rooms, as they try to compete to become the biggest and wealthiest within the gaming community.

thatsGambling staff have played a fair few freerolls, placing in some and others showing that sometimes worse players fail to be beaten.

Do you play freerolls? How often do you look for their registering? Any freeroll stories to tell us?

Online Gaming Banned In Germany

As of January 1st, Germany will be banning all forms of online gambling. Out of 16 of the country’s states, 13 of them have submitted documents to approve this law. Eric Braum, a spokeman for Hess governement expects the other 3 states to follow suit by New Years Eve.

In mid-December all 16 of the country’s legislatures voted to approve the new online betting laws which they negotiated after the ruling in 2006 where the Federal Courts stated the former law was unconsitutional. This new law is geared towards the monopoly the current governement has in how thier state lottery is runned.

The legislatures have heard plenty of criticism from Internet betting companies such as Bwin Interactive Entertainment, due to the newly appointed stance the governement is taking on internet gaming within the country. The new guidelines allow the state to order ISP providers to place a complete block on web sites promoting any illegal activity or who are opertating an illegal betting operation. They will also order banks to refuse money transfers to and from customers. Advertsing gaming will no longer be acceptable on the Internet or television, however it can be approached through other forms of media so long as it is an informative piece and not attempting to “lure” players.

The new law clearly outlines the definition of online gambling in germany as;

” Placing a bet from German territory over the Web with a company based outside of Germany”

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