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Category: online poker

Online cash games in Italy

Posted in online poker

Monday, July 18, 2011 is the biggest day for Italian games since the day Dario Minieri won a Porsche at Pokerstars, just playing online poker. As Italian players can finally play in cash games at online poker rooms. Yes finally ring games have arrived in online poker rooms in Italy, not just tournaments.

While Italy was the precursor with respect to regulating online poker and controlling operators with a strict licensing system, in the area of online gambling legalization cash games were desperately missing. Indeed online poker had only obtained approval for SNGs and tournaments in the limit of €100 buy-in.

This was a really strange situation to allow tournaments but not cash games. Very odd. It simply did not make sense. Even with an argument regarding games of skills, indeed ring games are generally believed to require more skill than tournaments. But one could say that at least they had some sort of regulation, unlike many other countries including the United States, which don’t not seem to be able to handle this business at all.

After more than four months required to wait between the announcement of the decree and its implementation, there was one final month before the official launch of these Italian cash games. The additional good news is that the maximum buy-in for tournaments is up to €250 while cash games are set at a maximum of €1,000.

As expected on July 18th there was a fury in Italy as anyone and their mother was rushing to try these ring games. The largest poker rooms got the lion’s share of the market, starting with Pokerstars. To be honest it is quite amazing that such a small country as Italy, and with all due respect not a major innovator in computer technology, managed to establish a well run and regulated online poker market, while Americans keep on debating about the question while nothing gets done. Stack up for the summer, what good timing in any case by the authorities.

WCOOP Omaha event

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Hopefully in tomorrow’s WCOOP $530 Omaha/8 event I can get some result. There is one small problem. I am a dreadful omaha/8 player. I would say aside from stud it is my worst poker game. Oh well. Wish me luck!

And I thought I was bad at Omaha/8. during the first hour I played great and increased my chips a nice chunk. At the second hour I played stinky and missed some big draws and found myself with 3 big bets left going into the third hour. At the third hour I played real real good poker, doubled up, then lost them back, doubled up once more, lost them back another time, then finally my bust out hand came.

I have 2.5 big bets at 300/600 (I believe) limits. There is an early position limper and I raise with AA46 single suited. The guy after me calls two bets cold with AJ66, no joke. It is fold around to the limper who calls. The flop is an ugly KQ9. The limper checks and I decide with so few chips, I can’t give up on this pot despite the ugly flop, so I bet and the cold caller calls again (he has a pair of 6s, where the heck is he going right!?). The early limper folds. The turn card is a 4. I toss out the last of my chips (except 38 of them). Again, he opts to call. The river card is a T. yes

Anyway tournament poker is retarded, that is why they are called donkaments. That was stupid, but what can I say, I played the hand correctly and he was so lucky at the river. It is had for me to swallow this kind of bad play that gets rewarded with a nice river card, but this is part of poker I guess. Practice makes perfect as they say.

Team Pokerstars Vanessa Rousso

Posted in online poker

October 2007 was a great month in poker for Vanessa Rousso as she finished runner up in the main even of Pokerstars WCOOP. Every poker player knows that to make it down to two and not win can be painful however Vanessa got a cool $700,000 for her performance as a consolidation prize. It wasn’t too long before Vanessa struck again with a top-notch performance at the well-known NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

Vanessa competed with 64 of the world’s top players and once again finished runner up for a nice payday of $250,000. Vanessa didn’t even get a chance to rest after the heads-up tournament by shortly after astounding poker fans yet again with a first place victory in the EPT High Roller Event in Monte Carlo. Tired of finishing runner up Vanessa plowed through 78 of the world’s best players to win cash in her biggest prize yet, €720,000.

Vanessa Rousso is one of Team Pokerstars sponsored pros, and she plays online poker exclusively at the Pokerstars site.

Pokerstars is offering a 100% bonus up to $600 for all first time deposits (see table below for other currencies). Use the Bonus code “STAR600” in your first real money deposit and enjoy the bonus. Can’t take full advantage of the 100% bonus in one deposit?

That’s all right, you can make up to three deposits that qualify for the $600 bonus within 90 days. After you have made your deposit(s) you can begin earning VPPs which will release your bonus in increments of $10 after reaching 17 times the bonus amounts in VPPs (USD figure, see table below for VPP clearance rates in other currencies).

Each qualifying deposit will be given a 6 month bonus clearing period so you will have plenty of time to clear that bonus and enjoy your rewards.

So if you have not yet done so, visit pokerstars.com today.