CarbonPoker’s Bad Beat Jackpot Pays Out $734,542.27

A Freeroll player, and 8 others at his table cashed in huge as the jackpot paid out $734,542.27.

Dublin, Ireland. June 11, 2009 – A lucky player on the Merge Gaming Poker Network recently had the loss of a life time as the Bad Beat Jackpot paid him an astounding $257,089.81 for losing in a poker hand with Quad 7’s against Quad Queens.

After the flop, both “Ween10” and “kdawg1979” both had 3 of a kind – 7’s and Queens, respectively. Betting escalated between each player as kdawg1979 caught his 4th Queen on the turn and Ween10 got his 4th 7 on the river.

When this took place, kdawg1979 won $60.92 on the hand and $128,544.90 for second place in the Bad Beat Jackpot. Ween10 was greatly rewarded for his “loss” as well.

The remaining seven players each received $18,363.55 from the jackpot for being present when it happened.

The Bad Beat Jackpot is triggered when a hand of quad 7’s or better is beaten. That is the lowest qualifying hand in the industry – if this happened at another site, the jackpot simply wouldn’t have gone off. Ween10 was rewarded with this very hand.

123maryc, a player at the table, had this to say, "I was playing six Bad Beat tables and after folding I didn't even watch the rest of the hand, and then I saw the message that the jackpot was hit and looked up and the money was already in my account. Wow was that a great surprise. The $18,000 means a whole lot to me. To other poker players, play lots of hands on the bad beat tables, it is a great deal."

This is the second time the Bad Beat Jackpot has been awarded this year. The accumulated Jackpot had nearly reached $750,000.

CarbonPoker spokesman, Jay Manning states, “The size of the Jackpot was really getting our players excited. Though this jackpot wasn’t as big as our world record $1.2million jackpot won in February, when you are talking about this level of payout, it becomes life changing. Every day that it builds, we are getting more players on the Bad Beat tables. You get players literally hoping to lose. One of them finally got their wish.”

When reached for comment, player kdawg1979 had these inspirational words to say:

“I also just wanted to let you know that two or three nights ago, I played in a freeroll, came in third and won five bucks. I got it up to $60 and went to the Bad Beat tables for about two hours and hit it for $128,000. I’ve never made a deposit and I’ve never had so much money before!”

kdawg1979 continued on, “It all came from the freeroll. I’m happy with my winnings. Thank you! It came at the right time. I have three boys and a wife. We were literally getting evicted. This was a blessing from God. Thank you again, Merge”

Previously, $1.2Million Jackpot paid out to a New York-based student on February 13, 2009. That loss sent the player home with over $400,000 and hundreds of thousands split amongst the others at the table.

Since mid-2008, the Bad Beat Jackpot has been a leading feature of CarbonPoker’s arsenal of trend-setting products.

At time of release, the Bad Beat Jackpot sits at $148,054.53. You can track the new Bad Beat Jackpot in real time at: CarbonPoker.com.

CarbonPoker is a fresh face in the online poker world. With rapid growth and a stylish look, CarbonPoker is dedicated to providing the best and most current gaming experience online. In addition to being a poker leader, Carbon sets an environmental example – our entire operation remains carbon-neutral since 2006.

For more information, please contact:

CarbonPoker Media Relations Team

Courtesy of CarbonPoker.com

PDC Poker & Carbon Poker Reload Bonus Offer

Carbon Poker and PDC Poker, both long standing rooms on the Merge Poker Network, are offering existing players a very generous, limited time, reload bonus.

Use the bonus code TOUCHDOWN200 when you make your next deposit at either poker room to earn an exceptional 200% up to $600 (max deposit $300) bonus!

This offer expires on 4th October 2008 at midnight Server time.

Carbon Poker & PDC Poker are both 100% US player friendly. Not playing at PDC or Carbon? Click the link below to read our detailed review of Carbon Poker. Since PDC Poker offers the same games, promotions and software as Carbon we have not provided a review of their room.

Carbon Poker Review
Download Carbon Poker Now and receive a 100% sign up bonus to a maximum of $500
Download PDC Poker Now and receive a 100% sign up bonus to a maximum of $500

PIC Club - A new deposit method for US players

Pic Club is the newest deposit method for American players. This is a brand new concept and apparently makes depositing funds into casino and poker accounts legal. The concept is a bit complicated and there has been quite a bit of discussion in the forums as to whether Pic Club is a safe option for US players.

We have been discussing Pic Club over at APCW and to our surprise, Chuck Kidd (founder of Pic Club) dropped by to answer our questions.

The following is Mr Kidd's response to our comments....

My name is Chuck Kidd and I am the CEO and Founder of PIC-Club. My friends call me CharlieK so lets keep it on that level.

The idea for PIC-Club was conceived just 1 week after the UIEGA was passed when I read the new law and found that they had excluded trading companies. See they can't turn of Charles Schwab, E F Hutton or the Chicago Commodity exchange from using the wire services to transfer money. So with a little help and encouragement from a group of poker playing friends I bought a trading company and PIC-Club was born. The company that owns PIC-Club is Ledvil International a fully licensed and authorized trading company. We just happen to be the only one that ever thought of trading in poker.

I first introduced at this idea at a Poker Conference in Dec. 2006 in Costa Rica. It was well received by some and others found it silly. One man that didn't find it silly was a speaker at the conference and happens to be one of the foremost legal minds in this industry. He was impressed with the idea and it was with his words of encouragement that I pressed on.

After obtaining good legal council and getting the opinion of all 50 states laws as they pertain to online poker, PIC-Club was launched on April 22. 2007 with one poker room willing to give us a try and help us develop this unique concept in gaming.

I have controlled the growth of PIC-Club very carefully as we are dealing in your money. As a poker player I remember the frustrations of deposits being lost and customer service being useless. I vowed to make PIC-Club the dominant force in the industry for processing your funds into and out of a poker room in a manner never used before and doing it in a safe, secure and accountable way.

We are a CLUB; when you join you add to our strength in numbers, we are over 5000 strong and growing. This gives us some bargaining power to obtain the best deals for you at the poker rooms. The poker rooms have always had the upper hand, as there was never a reason to stop doing business as usual. Well the PIC-Club is changing how poker rooms do business with the players.

I read in this forum a concern about our fees. Let me assure you that PIC-Club makes no money from the players. We only charge the cost of processing to our members. If it cost PIC-Club 5% to process a credit card, that is what we charge you. Our company makes its money from the poker room every time you deposit your money into your playing account.

While we are on the subject of money let me address our CSA (common shares account). This is an account that all members of PIC contribute to. This is your money not ours, it sets in a bank collecting 3.5% guaranteed interest. $1.00 from every deposit goes into this account. We also deduct .05% of winning withdrawals from a member and add it to this fund. Last year in December PIC-Club added 6.8% to the total CSA pool. That means that PIC-Club members at Christmas time received 14% on those dollars. Easy math there, $1.00 in $1.14 out. Heck even the worst donk in the world who lost every hand he ever played that year made money from PIC-Club if he was a member. You tell me what other processor offers this.

We are growing, getting stronger every day. With the BetCris family of poker rooms joining us and the Merge Gaming Network now live at the PIC-Club, we service over 50 rooms. Everleaf Gaming, home of Poker4ever and their 35 rooms have just joined us and will be live very soon. If your favorite room isn't using PIC-Club why not drop them an email and tell them to wake up.

I will stop by from time to time to answer any questions you may have and you are also welcome to stop by the PIC-Club and ask our customer support for help on any issue. Just so you know, our customer support is made up of online poker players working from their homes as they help you. If you have read any of the online forums you will have seen from the postings that our 24/7 support team is world class.

I'm still on the fence as far as the legality of such a club but, it seems to be a viable alternative for those in the States.

Here's the link for those who want to check out their website.

Drop into The Pokerkeep to check out our review of Carbon Poker, the flagship brand of the Merge Network.

Update...Make-A-Wish Charity Tournament

The Make-A-Wish charity ball is now being hosted across the entire Merge Poker Network. This means that you can participate in the game from within Carbon Poker, Reefer Poker, Poker Nordica or Poker.com among others.

Details:
Name: 5th Street Charity Ball
Site: Carbon Poker
Description: The House of Poker Blue's Special Charity Tournament - $2 of entry-fee going to Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Tab Location: Tournament > Private > Scheduled
Limit Type: No Limit
Game Type: Texas Holdem
Money Type: Real Money
Blinds: 10 minutes, starting at 5/10
Campaign: House of Poker Blues
Custom Table Background: House of Poker Blues
Maximum players per table: 10 players
Starting Chips: 1,555 chips
Break Length: 3 minutes
Break Frequency: 90 minutes
Buyin: $2.00
Entry Fee: $2.40
Schedule Type: Monthly tournament
Start Time: 1st Saturday of the month at 1600 lobby time (4pm eastern time)

New Carbon Poker Bonus Offers

Carbon Poker is running 2 new "limited time" bonus offers.

• Option 1: Enter the code GIMME10 to receive an INSTANT 10% bonus up to $100 (max deposit $1000). The bonus cash will be instantly credited to your account! This bonus is available from now until up to and including Sunday April 20, 2008.


• Option 2: Enter the code GIVEME200 to receive a 200% reload bonus up to $2000 (max deposit $1000). This cash will be earned as you play real money games!

I've gotta say, Carbon Poker (Poker.com) has always been one of my favorite sites and this type of promotion is one of the reasons why. Carbon Poker has remained committed to their American players as well, another reason for liking them so much. Loyalty should be rewarded!

Read our complete Carbon Poker Review.

UIGEA - Make-A-Wish Poker Tournament and an update from Doyles Room

News analysis of Wednesday's hearing on UIGEA regulations

3 April 2008

By Vin Narayanan

Let's be perfectly clear here. Wednesday's congressional hearing on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act's (UGIEA) regulations exposed the anti-online gambling law as poorly constructed and nearly impossible to enforce. But it did not kill it by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, Congress sent regulators back to the drawing board with the hopes that they could clean up the enforcement mess that the UIGEA has created.

After the House Monetary and Technology Subcommittee heard testimony from six witnesses – two regulators and four representatives from the banking industry – three things became clear:

•The U.S. payment system is not designed to effectively identify and block online gambling transactions.
•Financial institutions need to know what unlawful internet gambling is, but the UIGEA doesn't offer any specific guidance.
•Financial institutions are highly uncomfortable being placed in the role of determining what is legal, and subsequently handing out any punishment (which also aren't specified in the UIGEA) to account holders for attempting to complete an "illegal transaction."
[Continued]

Reminder...

The monthly 5th Street Charity Ball to benefit Make-A-Wish is today on Carbon Poker. Please come out and support this important charity. The children need your help to make their wishes come true! The buy-in is only $4.40 and $2 goes to the prize pool while $2 goes directly to Make-A-Wish. The tournament begins today (Saturday) at 4pm Eastern Time.

Doyles Room

Doyles Poker Room has made some very cool upgrades to their gaming platform. Check out these awesome new features:

* Resizable/Tileable Tables - One size doesn't fit all, so we let you decide which is the best layout.
* Instant Replay Hand History - Relive your favorite smackdowns or review the errors of your ways, instantly!
* Custom Avatars - Bring your personality to the table by uploading your own images!
* Custom Felts and Flooring - Make it your own. Just a few clicks will have your poker den feeling like home.

Doyles Room is currently offering an exclusive 110% new player sign up bonus (maximum $550) if you join through one of our links and enter bonus code TPKE110B.

Perspectives Weekly

J Todd is attending the Casino Affiliate Conference in Amsterdam this week. Wish I was there with him, it promises to be educational and a whole lot of fun...

The April 4th edition of Perspectives Weekly includes Discussion on the Congressional UIGEA Hearings in the US, plus exclusive coverage of the Casino Affiliate Convention in Amsterdam.

Direct link to Perspectives Weekly - April 4

Make-A-Wish Charity Tournament Saturday on Carbon Poker

REMINDER
The monthly 5th Street Charity Ball to benefit Make-A-Wish is this Saturday on Carbon Poker.
The tournament begins at 4pm ET. Buy-in is only $4.40 with $2 going directly to Make-A-Wish.

Name: 5th Street Charity Ball
Site: Carbon Poker
Description: The House of Poker Blue's Special Charity Tournament - $2 of entry-fee going to Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Tab Location: Tournament > Private > Scheduled
Limit Type: No Limit
Game Type: Texas Holdem
Money Type: Real Money
Blinds: 10 minutes, starting at 5/10
Campaign: House of Poker Blues
Custom Table Background: House of Poker Blues
Maximum players per table: 10 players
Starting Chips: 1,555 chips
Break Length: 3 minutes
Break Frequency: 90 minutes
Buyin: $2.00
Entry Fee: $2.40
Schedule Type: Monthly tournament
Start Time: 1st Saturday of the month at 1600 lobby time (4pm est.time)

Carbon Poker is currently offering a 200% New Player Deposit Bonus up to $2,000
Use BONUS CODE: STPAT200

Carbon Poker - 10% Instant Bonus

Back by popular demand

Due to popular demand Carbonpoker's incredible 10% Instant Bonus*, up to $200 (Max Dep. $2,000), is back for a full 48hrs!

To take advantage of this great deal, simply enter the code REMARCH10 into the cashier when making any deposit between Friday 7 and Saturday the 8 of March, 2008.

The best part is once you've deposited and received your free cash, you
could win up to another $2,000 during our March Madness promotion.

*This deposit bonus offer has the following play requirements:

• $1 per 100 comp points needed to withdraw bonus
• Cancels any outstanding bonus.
• Bonus not valid for Sidegame bets
• Coupon expires on withdrawal.
• One use only.

Make-A-Wish Charity Tournament at Carbon Poker

A new friend of mine runs a monthly charity tournament on Carbon Poker with proceeds going to Make-A-Wish Foundation. Make-A-Wish is a charity close to my heart. My niece suffers from a debilitating disease and a few years ago Make-A-Wish sent her and her parents to New York City where she met a number of celebrities including Rosie O'Donnel. It was a life changing experience for her and gave her the will, attitude and hope to continue fighting her disease.

The tournaments run on the first Saturday of each month. Kudos to Carbon Poker for hosting this event for The House of Poker Blues.

I urge everyone to jump in and support my friend Earl from House of Poker Blues in his quest. As one of Earl's good friends said recently; "We usually get around 50 players in this every month but it would be great to see the numbers rise and raise ALOT more money for the kids. No matter where you finish at the end of the tournament you win because half of the money goes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Stop and think for even half a minute; how would you feel if that $2 from your entry that goes to the foundation is all that was needed to make it possible for a gravely ill child to do that one thing they wish to do before they die? Personally that thought almost takes my breath away!"

Here are the tournament details:

Name: 5th Street Charity Ball
Site: Carbon Poker
Description: The House of Poker Blue's Special Charity Tournament - $2 of entry-fee going to Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Tab Location: Tournament > Private > Scheduled
Limit Type: No Limit
Game Type: Texas Holdem
Money Type: Real Money
Blinds: 10 minutes, starting at 5/10
Campaign: House of Poker Blues
Custom Table Background: House of Poker Blues
Maximum players per table: 10 players
Starting Chips: 1,555 chips
Break Length: 3 minutes
Break Frequency: 90 minutes
Buyin: $2.00
Entry Fee: $2.40
Schedule Type: Monthly tournament
Start Time: 1st Saturday of the month at 1600 lobby time (4pm est.time)
Announce Period: Immediately

Next tournament is this Saturday March 1. Sign up now!

Carbon Poker is US friendly - American players are welcome here!

Reefer Poker - U.S. Friendly

Reefer Poker is a brand new American friendly poker room.
They offer a healthy 100% to $500 new player deposit bonus.

Reefer Poker is part of the Merge Poker Network meaning you get great customer service, prompt payouts and reliable software.

Carbon Poker and Poker Nordica are also part of the Merge Network.

New Reefer Poker players receive entry into the new player freerolls and all the other great features that Merge has to offer.

Download Reefer Poker and see what all the buzz is about!