Barney Frank will be among those to testify at the latest House hearing on online poker. Rep. Mary Bono Mack will again chair the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee looking at the potential implications of internet poker regulation in the USA. Joining Frank will be fellow representative’s Frank Wolf and John Campbell. Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Mark A. Lipparelli, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission Charles McIntyre, American Gaming Association President Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. and Senior Research Scientist at the University of Chicago Dr. Rachel A. Volberg will also be on hand for the discussion. This second hearing is specifically focused on how consumers and stakeholders will be affected by the changes being put forward. Bono Mack remains vigilant of rushing ahead with legislation before all the affected parties are ready to do so. “Internet Gaming: Regulating in an Online World,” gets underway at 9am ET tomorrow.
Team 888poker has confirmed it’ll be taking part in the inaugural International Federation of Poker Nations Cup. Tonight, Shane Warne, Padraig Parkinson and Sam Holden will take part in the unique contest that takes place at the London Eye. The format of the competition is Duplicate Poker, where players are given identical sets of cards at different tables and the winner is the player that plays his cards best. It apparently removes the element of luck meaning it won’t be long before it’s latched onto by the “poker as skill” stable.
The Grand Series of Poker (GSOP) stops off in the European capital of debauchery, Prague, from 7-12 December and by qualifying online players can seal a package like no other. Qualifying through an Ongame satellite will give you a five-day stay for two at the Corinthia Hotel – but that isn’t all. Anyone that manages to qualify through is entered into a free-roll coin flip tournament for the chance to win one of five pairs of tickets to the next event, in Salzburg from February 1-6, 2012. David Pittel, Managing Director of Ongame Network, explained the concept behind choosing each venue, saying: “We select our host cities and resorts to make the thrill of live championship play even more memorable. We invite all poker lovers to discover it for themselves: Prague in December is a city-wide, non-stop, 24/7 party. Czech it out.”
Finals for online qualifers are running on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday until the deadline on November 27. The tour itself culminates in Punta Cana from 21-28 April. If you’ve never experience Punta Cana before, check out our interview with Poker Classic organizer Ivonna Montealegre.
