Zee bus? Oui oui I'll throw you under it.

In an exclusive interview with PokerStrategy.com, a lawyer for Groupe Bernard Tapie stated the company’s potential acquisition of Full Tilt Poker was in “serious jeopardy” in part due to unpaid debts from a number of high-profile pros.

As GBT lawyer Behn Dayanim explained to PokerStrategy:

GBT doesn’t want to acquire assets which will need to be litigated over later. In total, the sum owed to the company is between $10 and $20 million. 

Pros named as debtors include Phil Ivey, Erick Lindgren, Layne Flack, David Benyamine, Barry Greenstein, and Mike Matusow.

The only pros to respond so far–and the only one we anticipate to respond–was Barry Greenstein via this post on 2+2. In it, Greenstein admits to borrowing “$400,000 to play on Full Tilt a few years ago, before PokerStars had high stakes games.” He also published an excerpt of a letter he issued to GBT in which he states in some murky logic that:

The consensus in the poker community is that all money owed to Full Tilt or taken by investors after the company became insolvent should be used to pay back player’s funds. If I were to make a deal with you it would look like I had turned my back on the best interests of the American players.

All in all, the statement by GBT left us scratching our heads. There was nothing positive that could possibly come from it. Yes, if pros owe the company money, it should be repaid. But publicly outing the debtors–and having the (de) gall to claim that non-payment puts the acquisition in jeopardy, is highly irresponsible at best or (more likely) a flat-out lie at worst.

For specific reasons as to why we believe GBT made this announcement, plus our analysis of what the GBT statement could really mean, go to Wicked Chops Insider here.

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I zow nothing about any stinking moniez.

2012 is shaping up to be about 47,900x better for Jonathan Duhamel than 2011.

After crushing the 2012 PCA, making 4 final tables and earning over $2M, Duhamel has now recovered about half of the money stolen from him in the armed robbery allegedly spearheaded by his ex-girlfriend, Bianca Rojas-Latraverse.

Says the Toronto Sun:

Officers, acting on an anonymous tip, discovered a padded envelope containing [$80,000] Canadian and U.S. dollars, Euros and pounds sterling.

Still in custody are two of the three alleged perps: 20-year-old hot-ass ex-girlfriend Bianca Rojas-Latraverse, and John-Stephen Clark-Lemay (22). What’s up with all the hyphens?

Another defendant was released on bail.

Read more about the money recovery here.

Bianca Rojas-Latraverse photo dump here.

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2012 WSOP Schedule, 2012 WSOP Main Event

The 2012 WSOP schedule was announced today.

The big news is–despite speculation that it would be axed–the November 9 will remain for one more year.

Except it’ll be played in October. October 28th and 30th to be exact. Expect lots of wacky Halloween costumes in the stands.

The reason for the change: the WSOP did not want to run the Main Event final table during the same time frame as the U.S. Presidential elections.

Otherwise, the 2012 WSOP schedule is mostly the same as the past few years.

The 2012 WSOP will run from Sunday, May 27 (with the first open bracelet event on Monday the 28th, i.e. Memorial Day) through July 16th.

The WSOP clearly expects this year to be bigger and better than its record-breaking 2011 iteration. A total of 61 bracelets will be up for grabs in 2012 (three more than last year). A total of 92 tables will be added this year as well, as the Rio is opening up the Brasilia room to accommodate the expected overflow.

The $1,000,000 buy-in Project One Drop tournament will begin Sunday, July 1st. And the 2012 WSOP Main Event will begin on Saturday, July 7th.

Get a full breakdown of the new events and schedule on wsop.com here.

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Sacreblue! Savior faire is everywhere!

Full Tilt Poker has agreed to final terms with the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) to forfeit the company’s assets.

This completes the latest complicated move which would allow Groupe Bernard Tapie (GBT) to take over the company–after it pays the DoJ $80 million ($40 of which it essentially gets back) for those aforementioned assets.

GBT still must get Full Tilt’s gaming licensed reinstated from the Alderney Gaming Control Commission (AGCC) before the site could operate again.

In an interview with Gaming Intelligence, Laurent Tapie said that he hopes to have a re-branded Full Tilt Poker launched by March 1.

We’ll post analysis of these latest developments on Wicked Chops Insider on Wednesday.
Read more about the story on Poker News here.

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"Man it feels good not having to wear that fucking cap all the time. I bet you fuckers didn't even know I had hair. Where does this win put me on that fucking GPI thing?" - Phil Ivey, January 29, 2012

When play resumed at the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event with 12 remaining, Phil Ivey was short-stacked. However, Phil Ivey is Phil Ivey, so short-stacks don’t mean shit to him. He’s Phil Fucking Ivey afterall.

Phil Ivey was eliminated in 12th place ($100,000 AUD) in the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event. Ok whatever shit happens.

However, Ivey rebounded quickly from the dick kick.

Not long after his elimination, Ivey became one of 16 who entered the $250,000 Super High Roller.

And you know something, the motherfucker won it.

Ivey banked $2-fucking-million dollars and scored his first title in only four events back since his self-imposed exile.

The “in the money” group had a very Full Tilt-ish feel, as Patrik Antonius finished second ($1.2M AUD), and Gus Hansen came in third ($800,000 AUD). Daniel Negreanu bubbled the money in fourth.

Other FTP’ers who played included John “Fuck” Juanda, Erik Seidel, and Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan.

Phil Ivey.

Fuck.

UPDATED: In related news, Oliver Speidel won the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event, banking $1.6M AUD.

* Editor’s Note: Fuck. 

** Photo Courtesy of Poker News.

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