Home / Poker News September 2009 / Poker industry news: Yang back in the spotlight?
Poker industry news: Yang back in the spotlight?
Posted by: James Carter. - Sat, 2009-09-05 13:05
Who said Jerry Yang took his 2006 WSOP Main Event winnings and rode out into the sunset? The player often referred to as the one who did the least for the game has finally re-appeared in poker circles and will take the spotlight once again. The Jerry Yang Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament is set to kick off at the Tachi palace Hotel and Casino in Lemore, California, on September the 5th, aiming to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House.
Several A-list celebrities are expected to show up together with the organizer, among them actor Stephen Baldwin, Maria Ho and Christina Lindley.
The buy-in for the vent will cost $300 (well affordable by pretty much every poker enthusiast) of which $100 will go to the charity.
Apparently, Yang is not alone in the charity poker tourney business these days. Poker professional and Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth will also host a charity event, one that is meant to benefit a foundation for fallen law enforcement personnel. The event will take place in November at the Fort McDowell Casino in Fort McDowell, AZ.
In other news: a previous safe-haven for online gambling and online poker companies, Costa Rica is getting greedy. Not satisfied by the trickle-down economic benefits offered by the presence of these companies in the country, finance minister Guillermo Zuniga is aiming to reach a little deeper into the cookie-jar. He has recently introduced a bill meant to levy a 2% tax on all online gambling and online poker related activities in the country.
The initiative has drawn the wrath of the industry representatives, although it is unclear yet whether the bill has passed or not.
Gambling operators targeted by the measure are already eyeing neighboring Panama in case the tax becomes a reality indeed.
The puzzling phenomenon which consists in November Nine members putting in uncharacteristically strong performances in various live events around the world continues to unfold. November Nine member Antoine Saout has been the latest WSOP final tablist to flex his poker muscle in the PPT (Partouche Poker Tour) Main Event. With day 2 of the event completed, Saout is once again in the chip lead, having amassed just over half a million chips. Martin Tureniec is in close pursuit though, with 479,000 chips, and according to many he’s the one who should be considered the favorite. Never underestimate the apparently magic status of a November Nine member though.
The remaining day 3 field harbors several other hopefuls too. JJ Liu and Ivan Demidov are both there on larger than average stacks, and one shouldn’t count Alex Kravchenko out yet either, despite the fact that he only has 63,000 chips left.
In an apparent attempt to replicate the WSOP’s recently introduced final table policy, the PPT will also have a delayed final table. The field will play down to the final 9 and action will conclude on September 5th. The final tablists will then return to wrap it all up on November 21st.
