If poker players are willing to pay a fee and pay taxes on their winnings, to take part in a game or two of online poker, you will be hard pressed to find an elected official who will say no. In a time where education budget cuts and city services budget cuts are the focus of so many press conferences, finding willing tax payers is a jackpot for state and local governments. Legalising online poker is surely one way forward.

The eGR Awards reward the top performing operators in the gaming industry and this year reflects the efforts made by 888poker which over the past year has introduced one click easy to use beginners lobby, crisp and engaging graphics including 3D, tool tips and tutorial videos, webcam table technology, team tournament options and private games that give players a unique social platform to play with old and new friends. 888 is one of the world’s most popular online gaming entertainment and solutions provider and it was founded in 1997; 888 has been at the forefront of the online gaming industry for over a decade.

The first way is to play in ten Sit and Go games between 00:00 GMT on a Wednesday and 23:59 the following Tuesday. The second option is suitable for all types of online poker players because it allows you to qualify for MAD Freerolls by earning Status Points by playing any of the games that 888 Poker has to offer. Take part between 00:00 GMT on a Wednesday and 23:59 the following Tuesday. The third and quickest way is through the Fast Track option is so-called because it is the quickest way to qualify for seats in the $888 MAD Freerolls. All you have to do is make a deposit of $100 or more using a special promotion code and you will automatically receive free seats in five $888 MAD Freerolls. Get involved today because it really would be mad not to!

A recent announcement from Full Tilt suggested that they had concluded all their negotiations with European investors from Europe. This has lead to some confusion and it should be realised that it is not the European investors, but Full Tilt Poker that is in deep trouble. The online poker giant has not only lost its reputation, but has also has its licenses to operate suspended. Moreover, the online poker site’s situation is getting worse as it continues to delay refunding its players.

When questioned about this Gold replied; “After Black Friday and all the negativity surrounding online poker, I asked myself what I could do to help our community enjoy playing a game they love legally so creating FreeGoldPoker.com was the clear answer.” It is pretty clear that FreeGoldPoker is unlikely to attract poker pros to the site, but could yet prove a hit with recreational players, and so it will be interesting to see how the business develops over the coming months.

The PPN will stop accepting new customers based in the United States from August 31st, although players who have registered accounts prior to that date will still be able to play on the site. PPN pros are accessible at all levels anyone can challenger a team pro to a heads up game for amounts from $2 to $2,000.  PPN team professionals include Kevin Vandersmissen, the 2010 Belgian Player of the Year, Matias Gabrenja, Stefan Mattsson, Neil Stewart and James Worth.

The 2011 WCOOP will be one of the biggest online poker tournament events ever staged and culminates in the $5,200 NL Hold’em Main Event ($1M 1st Place Guaranteed) on September 25. The prize pool for the main event will be at least $5million, so get into those satellites now!

Although its legality in the United States has been uncertain since 2006, a study in 2009 by Poker Players Research showed that 10 million Americans played online poker, and it had grown into a worldwide industry worth at least $2.5bn Prohibition did not work in another context some time ago and it would seem that it has not again.

Following on from this, Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt is preparing to radically overhaul online gambling licensing rules which have left hundreds of British poker players unable to get hold of their funds after the founders of Full Tilt Poker, the world’s second-largest poker site, found themselves at the centre of money-laundering and illegal gambling charges in the US. Together with market leader PokerStars and number three online operators Absolute Poker, Full Tilt has been accused of using hundreds of bogus online retail websites and corrupt banks to hoodwink the US authorities into believing payments taken from American residents were for goods and services other than poker.

Using data from the 57 tournaments of the 2010 World Series of Poker, it was found that those skilled players made a 30% return on their investment during the series, while the remaining group suffered an overall 15% loss. Also using other sports as models Levitt came to very similar conclusions, for example considering where skilled players finished in tournaments when compared to unskilled players, he found that a skilled player was approximately 54.9% likely to finish ahead of an unskilled player.