Ladbrokes completed its slot online Millions tournament at the Hilton Hotel in London, recently. It turned out to be the largest televised event in the history of European Poker. This was primarily due to the big payout of $1,000,000. Tony Jones came out as the winner of this tournament. Many people think, his win was way above that of Chris Moneymaker in the year 2003, at the World Series of Poker main events. Both these players have similar stories as both outlasted large online fields to make it to these prestigious tournaments. Both went on to beat a number of professional players to get the first prize. Presently Ladbrokes accepts bets all over Europe though it remains one of the few sites to avoid all the cash from the online U.S. industry. Pokernews.com reprots:
If poker in Europe follows the United States poker community’s response to Moneymaker beating the odds, European action will explode into almost every facet of its culture, not that it already hasn’t considering Europe’s position on the legality of online poker. If the success and scope of this tournament says anything about online poker in Europe, it says that it is here to stay and it will only continue to grow thanks to a non-poker pro winning this event.
Phil Hellmuth – Master of the Game or Master of Publicity
1989 World Series of Poker saw one name make headlines all over. It was that of Phil Hellmuth who has quite a public persona. He has continuously showcased himself and poker in order to forge ahead and earn money in poker related events and deals rather than in actual poker games. Due to his hunger for publicity and because it is felt that he markets himself he has been put by many, among the the small group of ‘bad boys” of poker. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the image of a player goes a long way in putting a particular game into the limelight. Players with an attractive personality contribute to the coverage of the game in the media. Phil began playing poker when he was hardly 23 years old – a face totally unknown and with nothing to his credit. Today besides making a name for himself in the game, Phil is the author of several books, writes articles for Card Player and has made several instructional videos on the poker. Pokernews.com reports:
Hellmuth’s WSOP record is simply amazing. He has won bracelets in limit, no-limit, and pot-limit hod’em, and made the final table in nearly all forms of poker.
Pacific Poker to buy PokerStars?
This is big news. Rumors about the impending consolidation of the online poker industry abound, and the latest rumor is that Cassava, owner of 888.com and Pacific Poker, are looking at purchasing PokerStars, which is the 2nd largest poker site online, right after Party Poker.
Pokerstars is one of the best-run and most-respected poker sites on the internet. They sponsor the World Championship of Online Poker, and they usually have more players at the World Series of Poker final table than any other online poker room. (Moneymaker and Raymer both won their way into the WSOP on Pokerstars.)
