The Nightly Turbo: Poker Player Relocation Services, Online Poker Ads, and More

August 16, 2011

Elaine Chaivarlis

If you're looking for the top poker news stories of the day, then you've come to the right place. In this edition, you'll learn about the new poker player relocation service that's being offered, which state is pushing hard for online poker legislation, and more.

In Case You Missed It

We caught up with Peter Jetten recently to find out more about his life off of the felt. We learned there's more to him than poker, like his love for koalas, busting out all of his moves on the dance floor, and scuba diving.

In the latest PokerNews Podcast, the team broke down the inaugural Epic Poker League event, Chino Rheem's debts, and the sick call that Erik Seidel made during the EPL Main Event. They're then joined by EPL bubble boy Adam "Roothlus" Levy to discuss his future plans and shoes.

Black Friday impacted thousands of poker players in the United States. We caught up with PokerStars Supernova Elite Mike "MeleaB" Brooks, who uprooted his family and moved back to the United Kingdom days after online poker was shutdown in the U.S.

The Epic Poker League kicked off its inaugural event last week, and it was a hit with most of its players. Eric Ramsey and Rich Ryan took sides to debate whether the Epic Poker League will succeed.

Player Relocation Service

On Tuesday, PocketFives announced the launch of its poker player relocation service, Poker Refugees. The service is founded by Kristin Wilson, a former professional surfer. She lives in Costa Rica and is currently focusing on commercial and residential leasing.

Poker Refugees currently features services for players moving to Costa Rica, Panama, and Canada. There's a one-time relocation fee of $1,000 to become a client. Then it's $750 per person for two or more roommates or $1,500 per family.

So what do you get? Information on opening a foreign bank account, access to a relocation specialist to answer any questions, assistance on requirements to set up online poker accounts, relocation to an apartment or home, an orientation guide to the country, and more.

PocketFives.com has more.

Online Poker TV Ads

With only one business-month left for the California legislature, the push is on to get Sen. Lou Correa's Senate Bill 40 passed. The California Online Poker Association has released a series of radio and television ads asking the legislature to pass the bill that would make online poker legal and taxed in California.

With ominous music in the background, the ad says, "California is facing a real emergency. A $4 billion budget shortfall that will result in cuts to police and fire departments, health care and state schools among other. Online poker will provide California with billions of dollars including $250 million immediately, create thousands of jobs and will ensure that the state's online poker market, the largest in the nation, won't be taken over by Nevada and its casinos."

The bill is opposed by other gaming tribes and they issued a letter urging the legislature not to take action.

"Even though there have been hearings on the matter of intrastate internet poker, many fiscal, legal, technical and policy related questions must be resolved before adoption of any intrastate internet gaming legislation. There are numerous stakeholders who stand to be irreparably harmed should legislation be 'ram-rodded' through this legislative year and this surely would be a disservice to ALL Californians, Tribal and Non-Tribal, alike," says the letter from Robert H. Smith, Chairman of the California Tribal Business Alliance.

The Sacramento Bee has more.

Don't Forget

We're sure you have your DVRs set to record the 2011 World Series of Poker on ESPN, but just in case, this is your friendly reminder. Main Event coverage kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. EDT.

"You know who wins the Main Event whether you like poker or not and that's why it's the one event that you still want to win more than any other," Daniel Negreanu said in the teaser video.

We would have embedded the video for you, but the auto-play function hasn't been fixed over at ESPN, and we don't want you to wonder where that SuperCuts ad is coming from.

And while you're over on the ESPN website, check out Shaun Deeb's adorable grandmother, Ellen Deeb. She plays poker 50 hours a week according to Shaun.

New to the Team

PokerStars has added to its team, but not its Pro roster. Alex Payne has joined the online poker giant's senior leadership team as chief marketing officer. Before joining PokerStars, Payne worked in sales and marketing for Bing in the U.K. Before that, he worked for Microsoft for 11 years where he held national, regional, and global marketing roles.

"I'm delighted to be joining PokerStars," Payne said. "I am joining an outstanding business, which is the clear leader in its category and has enormous potential ahead of it. Moreover, it's a product in which I have a huge personal passion."

According to the press release, Payne will be "responsible for the company's brand and advertising, TV programming productions and media buying, online marketing including paid search, organic search, social media, regional customer relationship management and acquisition, conversion and retention campaigns for online and live poker players."

Read the press release for more.

What's My [Screen] Name?

For his latest musical masterpiece, SrslySirius found his inspiration from DMX and the Jose Macedo scandal. Our one warning is don't listen to this if your 5-year-old is by you, or you're at work. The video was posted on QuadJacks Tuesday morning. And when you're done with the video below, make sure you check out Fun Police, inspired by Katy Perry.