New PartyPoker Ambassador

PartyPoker announced it has signed a sponsorship deal with UK player Ian Frazer. Ian will become an ambassador and sponsored player for one of the leading online poker rooms.

Ian is the first cog in a new strategy from PartyPoker. The poker room has previously stayed out of the player sponsorship market with the exception of main site ambassador Mike Sexton. PartyPoker plans to sponsor players as it seeks to create a grassroots team. The emphasis is on VIPs, player loyalty and historic links to PartyPoker. More members of the team will be announced in the near future and more details on the team concept will follow as the team is shaped.

New Ladbrokes Poker Player Club

Ladbrokes Poker is following other poker rooms and launching a Players Club. Ladbrokes players will receive “Poker Points” for all real money play at cash tables and in tournaments.

Players with poker points will be able to join different levels of the new Ladbrokes Poker Loyalty program and use their points to play in Freerolls every month.

Later in the year Ladbrokes will be introducing additional poker rewards, which can also be exchanged for your Ladbrokes Poker Points.

There is no limit to the number of Poker Points you can earn and you can take as long as you like to redeem them, as long as your account is not inactive for six consecutive months.

Dan Martin Banned From PokerStars

Dan Martin, known to online poker players as Wretchy, received a three month ban from the world’s biggest online poker site PokerStars. Dan “Wretchy” Martin was caught playing poker under two names, in addition to playing poker in the same tournaments as his girlfriends.

“I don’t understand what I need to apologize for,” said Wretchy to members of the Pocket Fives poker forum. “I feel that having a cash game account is sorta the same thing as smoking weed. Everyone knows that it’s illegal and yet its a common thing.”

The poker player was banned by PokerStars for a period of three months. Also, Wretchy’s girlfriend will no longer be able to play at the same poker tables as him. Wretchy received similar bans from Full Tilt Poker, where he was banned for a period of thirty days.

32Red Accepts Paypal Deposits

32Red Poker announced that they have added Paypal as another deposit and payment option.

One of top rated online poker rooms has added leading e-wallet provider PayPal as a banking method for their players. Only few online gaming operators are approved PayPal partners and 32Red is proud to become one of them.

Ultimatebet Poker Pro Wins WSOP Bracelet

Ultimatebet poker room announced that Matt Graham, one of the newest members of its Star Players sponsored team, won Event #40, a pot-limit Omaha event, at the World Series Of Poker (WSOP).

Twenty-five-year-old Matt was signed by Ultimatebet in March and he managed to beat 295 players to secure a prize of $679,379 and his second WSOP bracelet.

“Members of the Star Players team continue to prove that online poker players can achieve equal success in the world’s biggest land-based events,” a statement from Ultimatebet says.

Eastgate vs. Demidov Rematch

Team PokerStars Pro Peter Eastgate is to take on his 2008 opponent and fellow team member Ivan Demidov in a unique heads-up charity tournament held online at PokerStars.

When the two first clashed last November, there was over $9 million in prize money at stake. The match took well over 15 hours, the longest Main Event heads-up match in WSOP history.

Now, only days before the 2009 Main Event kicks off, the two will face-off against each other again, but this time they’ll be slugging it out for charity.

The match takes place on PokerStars, June 26 at 18:00 ET, and will replicate the exact same circumstances under which the two pros played in 2008. Eastgate, from Odense in Denmark, will start with 80,300,000 in chips, while Demidov from Moscow, Russia will start with 56,600,000. The blinds will be set at 120,000 / 240,000, with a 30,000 running ante.

Poker Sites Traffic Increase Despite Fund Seizure

Tactics chosen by the Southern District of NY Attorney’s office seems to produce the reverse effect of what was intended.

Latest reports indicate that PartyPoker traffic is up 15% and 12% in the weeks following the seizure of around $34 million of player’s funds. Most interesting fact is that majority of affected poker rooms that cater to US players have seen a boost in traffic. PokerStars is the only exception with traffic down 5% since the seizure.

Baseball Player Wins Half Million

Eric Baldwin, the former college baseball star, won first place in Event 34, a $1500 no limit Hold’em tournament. Baldwin cashed for the seventh time in WSOP events, taking $521,991.

Eric turned pro poker player not a long time ago.

Another PKR Pro Team Member

Karl Fenton became the latest player who joined PKR pro team. The 23-year-old earned his big break in the PKR Sunday Classic in November last year which he won for a $7,500 score. He’s continued his great form throughout 2009 with online tournament winnings topping the $200,000 mark.

Fenton, who is currently at the WSOP trying to add to an already impressive British bracelet haul, said “Quite honestly the first career I have ever been able to see myself making a real success out of was poker. It is something I have a deep interest in and something I have begun to make work. Hopefully this opportunity with PKR will prove to be the springboard to a lifetime of success in the game. Why not start in Vegas?”

New PKR Website

New PKR website is finally launched. Next-generation online poker room PKR.com has a new look and feel and, according to COO Leon Walters, “guaranteed to enhance every single player’s PKR experience”.

New PKR website focuses on community and content. In short, key features include:

• New features in social networking
• New ‘Raise Your Game’ section with poker strategy content
• New community section

Make sure you check it all out at new PKR website.