Well I almost fell out of my chair this evening. I logged into my online banking account and my Full Tilt Poker balance has been returned.

Bravo! and Finally.

I received the following email today:

The purpose of this email is to inform you that your Petition for Remission has been approved and you are entitled to receive a distribution from the assets forfeited in connection with United States v. PokerStars, et al., pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

A payment in the amount of $XXXX.XX will be paid electronically via ACH to the bank account that you specified in your Petition. This payment represents the full amount of your Full Tilt Poker Account Balance, which you confirmed on the Full Tilt Poker administration online filing site.  Payment will be made within the next seven business days.

If you have any questions, you can call us toll-free at (866) 250-2640, email us at info@FullTiltPokerClaims.com, or write to us at Full Tilt Poker Claims Administration, c/o GCG, P.O. Box 9965, Dublin, Ohio 43017-5965.  For additional information you may also visit the administration website at www.FullTiltPokerClaims.com.

Full Tilt Poker Claims Administrator Garden City Group will start accepting applications for remission of Full Tilt Poker balances on September 16th. You may wish to check and see what they have on record as your balance. To find your current Full Tilt Poker balance, you will have to download your account history. I downloaded mine and it was pretty straightforward. Here’s how to do it:

• Go to FullTiltPoker.com and download the client.
• Open the client and log in. Your old login credentials should still work.
• Go to “Requests” in the menu bar and select “Account History…(Web).” A web page will open where you can initiate a request for your history.
• Select the date range for your request. I chose an end date a couple of weeks after Black Friday (choose something like 5/1/2011) and a start date a few months prior. Once done, click “submit.”
• You will receive an email when the file is ready for download.
• Once you receive the email, select “Account History…(Web)” in the “Requests” menu of the FTP client, download the ZIP file from the web page that opens, and simply open the Excel-compatible spreadsheet.
• If you don’t have Excel (or a compatible spreadsheet program), you have some free options. One is to use Google Docs. Another is to download MS Excel Viewer. I downloaded it myself to verify I could open this spreadsheet. It works fine. Another is to download LibreOffice.

For your FTP point balance, open the cashier in the client. While our cash balances are not there, our point balances are.

Be sure to pay close attention to the dates, as the window is short. GCG will start accepting applications for remission on September 16th and will stop on November 15th.

This is all from the PPA –
A 2013 PPA membership is the smartest bet for the future of our game. Join today for only $15 to receive the great benefits of membership and to help us continue the fight for our rights as poker players!

Bovada has just recently released their own version of Rush Poker called Zone Poker on the site. So far it seems like they are still keeping it low stakes as it started at 5-10 cents and is currently 10-25 cents. Zone Poker lets players play more hands because there isn’t any down time. Once you fold you immediate go to new table with new hole cards.

Bovada is the current leader in US facing sites and my current favorite. They offer online poker players with any size bankroll and any skill level the games they’ve been looking for. As part of a gaming network that has been offering players high–quality and secure online gaming and entertainment since the 1990s, you’re guaranteed the best possible experience. Also cashouts are quick and currently averaging 10 days. Cabon Poker cashouts are currently non existent.

Start your account at Bovada Poker today and you can get a deposit bonus of up to $1,000, and that’s just the beginning.

When you ask players what they’re looking for in an online poker room, they’ll give you a few different answers but it’s virtually guaranteed that “game selection” will be at the very top of the list. Bovada gives U.S. online poker players the best game choices available, ranging from free “play money” online games to their weekly $100,000 guaranteed events where players battle for their share of a massive prize pool. There’s always a sit and go tournament, cash game or scheduled event happening at Bovada, and that means you’re always able to play the game you love.

On top of the robust schedule, Bovada has made it easy and fast to find the exact game you’re looking for thanks to an intuitive, player–centric software design. You can filter game types, buy–ins and other factors with just a few clicks. Bovada also offers an OSX–compatible version of their software, giving Mac owners the best experience going.

Along with game selection, online poker players expect high–quality promotions, bonuses and rewards. The 100% first–time deposit bonus of up to $1,000 is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg for Bovada players. The site hosts ongoing promotions such as the popular King of the Felt heads–up tournament series, where the current wearer of the crown defends their throne and wins $1,000 each week along with cash bonuses and more. Bovada‘s Bad Beat Bonuses help take the sting out of getting outdrawn at the table and new players can look forward to exclusive qualifiers to the site’s largest ongoing weekly event.

In addition to their ongoing programs, Bovada hosts qualifiers and satellites that give players access to some of the biggest and best events in the game. Bovada players have earned seats in the World Series of Poker, Punta Cana Poker Classic, the Asian Poker Tour and more. Bovada also works hard to make it easier for players to find themselves playing in exotic locations with an aggressive qualifier schedule that frequently lets them in on the action for as little as $1.

Game selection and promotions are just the beginning of how Bovada gives its players more. Your wallet is fully useable across all of Bovada‘s properties, including its world–famous sportsbook and online casino. You can use your winnings at the poker table in a blackjack game in Bovada‘s casino and vice versa.

Bovada Poker is committed to player security and they currently use the best possible data encryption and security technology available — the same technology, in fact, used by many of the world’s largest financial institutions. There are very strict controls placed on any data related to a player’s identity and the site regularly performs audits to ensure that the highest standards of privacy and security are met.

Bovada‘s commitment to security and fairness extends to the games themselves with strict measures in place to prevent collusion and cheating of any kind. As Bovada Poker only collects the rake from the games hosted on the site, they’re highly vested in a fair play experience and have a pledge to their players that reflects that. Furthermore, Bovada uses card shuffling software that has been certified by Gaming Associates, a third party dedicated to ensuring that all players have an unbiased experience.

Player support at Bovada is second to none. If you have any questions about your account or any game, they’re available 24/7/365 via email, phone or live chat through the Bovada software. Most issues are resolved within a day, with many handled in the space of a few minutes. Payouts are handled with the same efficiency.

Bovada Poker is more than just another place to play poker online; it’s constantly innovating and engaged with its players. With the best game selection, promotions, security and support, it’s easy to see why so many U.S. online poker players have chosen to go with Bovada poker, an established industry leader.

See you at the tables and good luck to you.

It is hard to believe that 27 months have come and gone since Black Friday. There is finally some news regarding our Full Tilt Poker balances. The announcement at http://www.fulltiltpokerclaims.com/ states that the claims process will begin “very soon,” and is based on balances not deposits. There are very little details but thank goodness it is based on balances.

Hopefully “very soon” isn’t another 27 months….

In Omaha, aces are more difficult to play than in Texas Hold’em. A pair of aces will often be the best hand at showdown in Hold’em. This is not the case in Omaha, the two additional cards dealt preflop allow players to make strong hands at a much higher rate. There are 6 combinations of 2 card hands vs only 2 with Hold’em. Many players will overvalue aces and take them to showdown too frequently. Understanding the concepts of pot-commitment and effective stacks will help you play your aces correctly.

Understand Effective Stacks

If you are playing in a $5/$5 PLO game and you have an $800 stack and your opponent has $300, the effective stack is $300. The effective stack refers to the maximum amount of money either player can risk.

This can be a little confusing with another player in the hand. Let’s say you are in a $5/$5 PLO game with $600, opponent two has $300 and opponent three has $900. Your effective stack is $300 versus opponent two and $600 versus opponent three.

Try to Get Pot-Committed

When you are dealt aces, trying to get pot-committed preflop is usually the best course of action. Being pot-committed means that you will be shoving all-in or calling an all-in on the next street regardless of what happens. A good rule of thumb is that you are pot-committed on the flop if you or your opponents only have a pot-sized bet or so left. The less connected your hand is, the more you should be trying to get as much money in preflop as possible. If your hand is extremely strong meaning well connected, it is still good to try to get as much money in as possible, however, you can be more lenient and sometimes see a flop for cheap or as a friend says “sweeten the pot” a bit.

All Aces Are Not Created Equally

When you are dealt aces, the other two cards you have are very important. The more connected your hand is, the better you should feel about seeing a flop without being pot-committed. The best hands will have nut straight or nut flush potential. Having another high pair is also good, as it doubles your chance of hitting a set. Some examples of excellent hands with aces are:

• A♥ A♦ T♥ Q♦
• A♣ A♠ K♠ K♣
Some examples of hands that are good, but not great are:
• A♥ A♦ 3♥ 3♦
• A♥ A♦ 8♥ 4♦

The first hand has the potential to make nut flushes and strong broadway straights. The second hand can make a set of aces or kings, a nut straight and two nut flushes. The third hand is a little weaker because it can make a set of aces or threes plus a low straight. A set of threes will often be beaten by someone with a higher set; these hands can be dangerous because you can lose a lot of money with what you think is the best hand. The fourth hand is not connected at all, except for the flush and poor straight potential. The first and second hands are examples of hands that you can feel comfortable with playing either way; typically your decision will be influenced by your opponents tendencies. If you have the last two hands, the optimal play would be to try to get pot-committed or see a flop for cheap and try to hit a set or flush.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you can’t go wrong with trying to get as much money in the pot as possible with aces preflop. However, sometimes you won’t be able to get enough money in preflop to be pot-committed. In these situations, you should just limp or call a raise and see a flop. Don’t put too much money in postflop unless your hand improves or you have a draw to the nuts, as aces are often beaten at showdown.

One last thought is that often players automatically pot it with Aces regardless of stack size considerations. This is a major hole in their game. I love playing against these players as their hand is now marked. If you have nice hand such as a run down you should look to call preflop to crack those Aces. That marked player will often pot it after the flop giving you a nice chance to take their stack if you connect with the flop.

Good luck!
Steve Krex
K-REX

This is great news in this very slow and painful repayment process. Visit http://www.fulltiltpokerclaims.com for more info and to register for updates.
Good luck to us all,
K-REX

Federal judge Jack Weinstein in Brooklyn, New York has ruled that the card game poker is not gambling under federal law because it is mostly a game of skill and not luck.

Judge Weinstein based his decision mostly on the testimony of a defense expert in a criminal case who analyzed Internet poker games.

What a great ruling for our beloved game!
Stephen Krex
K-REX

PokerStars is providing $547 million for the U.S. victims of the fraud Full Tilt Poker committed regarding player funds. As part of the deal PokerStars is acquiring Full Tilt. I expect the games to resume for non use players in the coming months. Who knows what hoops the feds will make us USA players jump through to get our money but this is certainly good for the poker economy in the USA.