Calling The Clock: California’s Still Dreaming; WSOP Digital Changes, And More

Calling The Clock: California’s Still Dreaming; WSOP Digital Changes, And More

In this week’s Calling the Clock we bring you news of an 18-0 vote for California’s latest online poker bill, the World Series of Poker reveal digital changes, and much more.

I have no idea how close California are to implementing a fully regulated and licensed online poker market, but the news that Adam Gray’s AB 2863 bill received 18 thumbs up, and not one thumb down, in the state Assembly Governmental Organization Committee on Wednesday, must be positive news, right?

Gray still has a lot of work to do. The racing sector, once a thorn in online poker’s side, is now a supporter after Gray’s bill promised to gift wrap a $60m annual kickback if they turned from dissenter to supporter. But there is still a lot of work to do in finalising the wording around the ‘bad actor’ clause hastily including this week. Until that elephant in the room is squeezed out of a door of Alice in Wonderland proportions, I’m afraid status quo remains.

Calling The Clock: California’s Still Dreaming; WSOP Digital Changes, And MoreIt’s not all bad news for Americans. They can still buy guns at Walmart, and play online poker in Nevada. If they head over there during the World Series of Poker (WSOP) this summer, they will have the opportunity to compete in over 500 online tournaments, win an online bracelet, and take home a share of $2m in guaranteed prize money.

Those were a few of the ‘digital’ changes rolled out by the WSOP this week. Others include a new ‘eQueue Payout System’ designed to reduce varicose veins while waiting for a payout, a new chip count app so players can add their chip counts to the WSOP’s live updates page, the hiring of Kevin Mathers to manage the WSOP’s Twitter feeds, news that headphones can now be worn at any time except the final table, and a whole host of changes to the live streaming process.

No WSOP Love For PokerNews; Poker Central Step in With a Hug

The changes were made in reaction to player feedback, but one glaring omission was the return to PokerNews as their live reporting outlet, instead preferring to go it alone for the second consecutive season.

WSOP’s loss is Poker Central’s gain. The 24/7 poker only TV channel has partnered with PokerNews to launch Primetime Poker Report, a poker news show hosted by PokerNews Editor-in-Chief Donnie Peters. The show will air weekly on Wednesday’s.

The press release suggests that Peters and his team will be conducting some interviews as part of the content. May I suggest that they stick a microphone under the nose of Maurice Hawkins, who earlier this week, won his third World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) gold ring in a month, and becomes the first player in history to win back-to-back WSOPC Main Event titles. Hawkins has won more WSOPC coin in April than anyone has made all season.

Mike Shariati is the WPT Player of the Year; Farid Yachou is the Miracle Man of the Year

Season XIV of the World Poker Tour (WPT) ended with a climax of Game of Thrones proportions. Cate Hall made the unofficial final table of the $3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in the last gasp attempt to beat Mike Shariati to the Player of the Year award.

It was an amazing feat, particularly when you consider, the field if 1,222 entrants. However, Hall finished in ninth place, and her loss was Shariati’s gain as he was declared the Player of the Year after winning the Legends of the Poker Main Event, and finishing runner-up at the LA Poker Classic.

But that story paled into insignificance when compared to the tale of Farid Yachou. The cafe owner from Amsterdam, who won the WPT Amsterdam Main Event in his first ever live event (he had never even been in a casino), overcame his fear of flying, headed to Florida and won the Tournament of Champions.

And Chino Rheem was in the news this week when he became the third person to win three WPT Main Event titles when he won the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale. Carlos Mortensen and Gus Hansen are the other two in that club. Earlier this week Hansen told Danish news sources that he was giving up his Monte Carlo lifestyle to return to Denmark where he would start a family.

Bilzerian Book Deal; Busquets Batters JC

Talking about bad boys, Dan Bilzerian has earned himself a book deal. Simon & Schuster will hand Bilzerian a few white pages. I’m not sure who will give him the crayons. I imagine there will be a few photographs thrown in for good measure.

Olivier Busquet destroyed JC Alvarado in his first-ever mixed martial arts (MMA) fight this week. The referee stopped the fight at the end of the fifth round with the Mexican’s face splattered all over the Octagon. Busquet took up the challenge in the wake of his divorce. Those things can get you kind of angry. Just ask JC.

Unibet Become a Poker Network

Last but not least, everyone’s third favorite Swede (behind Ikea and Martin Jacobson), Unibet have become a poker network, two years after leaving one citing them as not being a part of their future strategy.

They welcome Finnish online poker site Pokerihuone to their standalone software. Both sites will operate as separate entities, but will look the same, and will share liquidity.

Time ladies & gentlemen, please.

Somebody has just called the clock.