2006 March 30 Poker News, Events and Happenings

SKYCITY Auckland is giving New Zealand poker lovers one of their best chances to realise the ultimate dream by securing a spot at the 2006 World Series of Poker championship event in Las Vegas, along with a shot at taking home one of the biggest prize purses in sports history!

Robert Varkonyi, the 2002 World Series of Poker Champion, is accustomed to keeping his cool under pressure, but today’s InterPoker.com Extreme Poker Challenge forced him to heat things up in order to stay alive.

The Manchester Wolves and WGIR are putting on their poker faces and partnering to host the first annual Manchester Wolves/WGIR New Hampshire Charity Poker Classic. The tournament will be held on Saturday, April 8, at the Amoskeag Bingo Center (195 McGregor St., Manchester).

LAS VEGAS (PRESS RELEASE) — The organizers of the World Poker Congress last week announced that Steve Lipscomb, president of the World Poker Tour, will deliver a keynote speech at the event, scheduled for June 27 - 28, 2006 at the City Conference Center in Stockholm, Sweden.

Since November of last year there have been announcements that Svenska Spel, a government-owned gaming company in Sweden, would be launching an online poker site. Today, the long-awaited Internet poker room makes its debut, becoming the first ever government-owned and licensed online poker room in history. With about 140 licensed gaming companies owned by different governments around the world, the Swedes have set a precedent, which, if followed, would likely revolutionize the world of online gaming.

Responding to the increasing demand for online poker alternatives, The National League of Poker announced the formal launch of its completely free online poker portal www.nlop.com.

I never really thought about the fate of Internet poker before I took this job as a gaming industry journalist. I deposited my online bankroll, played my nightly Internet games, and assumed it was my right to play wherever and whenever I wanted.