Poker News: 10/06/09
The WSOP in Vegas is hotting up - and we’re not just talking about the desert weather - with the biggest names in poker clinching yet more titles and bracelets. So if you thought online poker was just luck then news of further success for the likes of Ivey and Negreanu has got to make you think again. Plus we have news on the Dusk til Dawn poker club and the London Poker Circuit. Read on for more poker news.
Negreanu goes close as Ivey claims sixth WSOP title
The 2009 WSOP is in full swing now and the big names have started to register on the radar at last. Phil Ivey has claimed his sixth WSOP bracelet after winning the $2,500 2-7 Lowball event for a $96,367 pay day. Only six men in history have won more bracelets than Ivey now.
Meanwhile another fans favourite, Daniel Negreanu, looked a safe bet to land another bracelet for the “household names” in Event 14 – the $2,500 Limit Hold’em Six Handed tournament. However, the Canadian poker star fell at the last hurdle as Brock Parker defeated him in the heads-up stages. Parker took $223,000 for his victory whilst Negreanu walked away with $138,000 to ease his pains.
Yong re-assures DTD faithful
In the UK the Dusk Till Dawn club owner, Rob Yong, was quick to re-assure regular players and staff following press rumours of their imminent closure.
Yong issued a statement which read; “Following on from some recent speculation, rumour and misquotes, I would like to make it absolutely crystal clear that there is no chance of us closing in the near future, or trading unlicensed to avoid paying higher taxes.”
The DTD supremo also spelt out some of the difficulties the UK’s only licensed poker club is facing at present:
- VAT. This is now based on our total gaming area, so our 46 poker tables are treated exactly the same as having 46 roulette tables – now that is a super casino! Therefore, VAT is not reclaimable on almost all of our running costs, including any capital expenditure spent on the building.
- Business Rates. These have literally gone through the roof and we are now paying the same rates as a 22,000sqft fully equipped casino. It has been indicated that this re-evaluation was prompted by another casino objecting to the level of rates that we were previously paying.
- Gaming Duty. The appropriately nicknamed “Poker Tax” is now payable on all poker tournament registration fees and cash game charges, unlike a full casino, poker is 90% of our income and this new tax is applied to all of our poker revenues - whether we make a profit or not.
So, while DTD will continue to open their doors for the time being, it appears the club is facing some serious long term difficulties. We’ll have all the latest on this saga at the Poker Blog as it happens.
London Poker Circuit re-launched
The London Poker Circuit has announced a brand new schedule starting in July this year. The LPC has struggled to pull in players to their live tournaments earlier this year despite the good feedback from the players who did attend.
The new schedule will feature two super stack events to be held at the Kensington Close Hotel & Spa between Friday 24th and Sunday 26th of July and the Westbury Hotel in Mayfair on Friday 17th of July.
The main events will feature 20,000 starting chips and 1 hour blind levels. The buy-ins have also been reduced in an attempt to appeal to a wider range of players.
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