Rakeback News

WCOOP Profile: Price of ChopSueyyy goes up

09/05/2009:

Kaapo Martinmäki cannot just walk out of his house a find a casino to play poker.

"There's no live poker here besides random home games," he lamented.

Furthermore, he can't even call a father, mother, sister, or brother for a quick heads-up game of poker.

"I am the only one who plays poker in my family," he continued.

Despite it all, Martinmäki has all he needs to be a poker champion. With an internet connection and a little knowhow, Martinmäki claimed his first WCOOP bracelet early this morning after a 19-hour marathon of poker in Event #1, $215 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Max.

We caught up with him after he'd had a few hours to rest and dream about the more than $234,000 he won. He was still in shock.

"I hardly remember anything about the final table because it all happened so fast," he said. "It hasn't really sunk in yet. Winning the final-hand just felt really really awesome."

www.pokerstarsblog.com

European Poker Tour Relocates Russian Stop to Ukraine

07/25/2009:

The PokerStars.com European Poker Tour has announced that the August, 2009 EPT Russian Open, scheduled to be held in Moscow, has been moved to Kiev, Ukraine and retitled as the EPT Kiev Sports Poker Championship. The move was necessitated by a recent change in poker law adversely affecting poker’s status in that country, and making it impossible for a tournament to be held in Moscow.

The new EPT Kiev stop, scheduled for the same dates, August 18-23, 2009, is held in conjunction with the Ukrainian Poker Federation and authorized by that country’s Ministry of Youth, Family and Sport. The event will have a buy-in of €5,000 (€4,700+300).

www.pokernews.com