The Nightly Turbo: WSOP Grudge Match Decided, Spain Issues Online Gaming License, and More
The World Series of Poker is so close we can smell it, so it's about time we tell you which WSOP Grudge Match pairing won the fan vote. We'll also tell you about Spain's first online gambling license, and more.
In Case You Missed It
A new subscription-based online poker site is launching soon. Want to know more? Check out the latest Inside Gaming for the scoop on that, and more.
The annual ESPN Fantasy Poker League draft was held on Tuesday. Here's a look at who participated and who was drafted.
2011 WSOP Grudge Match
A little over a month ago, the World Series of Poker announced its Grudge Matches. Two were already decided and the third was left up to a fan vote. Voting is now closed and a winner has been revealed. We're not going to say our debate on the Grudge Matches swayed anyone's opinion, but that's probably what it was.
According to the WSOP's Twitter account, Erik Seidel and Johnny Chan will relive their 1988 WSOP Main Event matchup on June 2. The Grudge Matches will air on ESPN on July 26 in two back-to-back episodes.
June 2 Grudge Match Lineup
- Phil Hellmuth vs. Johnny Chan (1989 WSOP Rematch)
- Chris Moneymaker vs. Sammy Farha (2003 WSOP Rematch)
- Johnny Chan vs. Erik Seidel (1988 WSOP Main Event)
First for Spain
The first online gaming license was handed out in Spain this week. Casino Gran Madrid received its online gambling license from the Autonomous Region of Madrid and is now licensed to provide online poker, blackjack, roulette, and slots. The website will launch soon and is powered by Playtech software.
"Casino Gran Madrid has always been committed to innovation and this time we could not do less," said Jorge Casanova, director of information systems at Casino Gran Madrid.
"Casino Gran Madrid will continue to operate under one brand because our aim is to leverage synergies for our customers, and remain true to our core values that have guided our performance - professionalism, rigor, experience, transparency, security - and with a software certified by official laboratories."
The company has invested over €3 million on the project and has been developing and testing it for two years.
Find out more at EGRMagazine.com and GamingIntelligence.com.
WPT Spanish Championship
Season X of the World Poker Tour has kicked off with the Spanish Championship at Casino Barcelona. Day 1a of the €3,500 Main Event attracted 94 players, according to the PartyPoker Blog. Among those who showed up are Thomas Bichon, Leo Margets, Juha Helppi, Sam El Sayed, and Jose "Nacho" Barbero.
At the time of this writing, Barbero had already been eliminated from the field and Bichon had doubled his stack after his ten-nine flopped trips on a board of J♦10♣10♦6♣8♣ against his opponent's ace-queen.
Check out all the action from the WPT Spanish Championship on the PartyPoker Blog.
Night On the Town
Even when we could still play online poker in the U.S., we never had a shot at making Supernova, so we're probably not as jealous of this next story as we could be.
PokerStars has made a habit of taking its Supernovas out on the town. Already there have been Supernovas Night Out events in Thailand, Germany, and Canada, both in Vancouver and Toronto. Recently, the Supernovas in London were treated to a night out. Antonio "Tanf07" Martinez, Michael "wazzbot" Piper, Gavin "gavz101" Cochrane, Tom "tjbentham" Bentham, and Phil "Jackal69" Shaw were all a part of this Night Out that included a stretch limo ride to dinner and an unlimited amount of champagne. The players were able to meet and discuss different strategies for playing online.
"This is truly a breath of fresh air and a great way to end the week," Cochrane said .
If you want to find out more, or check out a video of the guys, head on over to the PokerStars Blog.
ESPN Inside Deal
The newest Inside Deal from ESPN was released Wednesday, and this time the desk was a little lighter. Bernard Lee was absent from his seat, leaving Jon Anik and Andrew Feldman to man the ship.
Lee joined the two via Skype to discuss the WSOP Grudge Matches and what his WSOP schedule looks like. The WSOP-C National Championship was also up for discussion as was the ESPN Fantasy Draft.
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