Any suggestions for a future 3-Bet, feel free to leave a note in the comments.
Today in the 3-Bet we find accused payment-processing fraudster Ira Rubin sentenced in a New York court, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi named the ambassador for the International Stadiums Poker Tour and bwin locking in a deal with the world's most iconic football club.
Rubin Sentenced to 3 Years, Forfeits $5 Million
According to a report this morning from Bloomberg News, Ira Rubin, one of the original 11 defendants indicted on Black Friday and accused of processing billions of dollars in illegal online gambling funds, was handed a three-year prison sentence today in New York.
Calling him an “unreformed conman and fraudster,” U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan told Rubin he acted in brazen defiance of U.S. law and said the harsher-than-expected sentence was needed to "protect the community."
The DOJ and Rubin’s attorney had previously recommended a sentence of 18-24 months including the nine months he's already spent in jail.
Rubin was also ordered to forfeit $5 million gained from the transactions he allegedly made for PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker.
Once Rubin is released from prison (which could be as early as 31 months with good behavior), he's also banned from any occupation related to payment processing or financial services.
Mizrachi Signs On as ISPT Ambassador
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, one of the most successful tournament poker players of all-time, announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he's signed on as the new ambassador for the fledgling International Stadiums Poker Tour.
I just want to announce I will be @ispt_poker official ambassadorWill be one of the Biggest tournaments ever held May 31, 2013!
— Michael Mizrachi (@TheGrinder44) July 24, 2012According to the ISPT website, Mizrachi was "enthusiastic" about the ISPT and said, “it’s a wonderful idea and I want to be in this project."
Organized by former Partouche executive Prosper Masquelier and Bernard Tapie Groupe Director Laurent Tapie, the ISPT is scheduled to launch next May in London's Wembley Stadium with a €20,000,000 guaranteed event with up to 30,000 players.
Despite the signing of Mizrachi and a recent press conference in Paris outlining a few more details, the poker community is still a bit skeptical about the ISPT pulling the event off.
As of today, 2,631 players are "pre-registered" for the event and satellites are reportedly running in some brick-and-mortar casinos in Europe.
bwin Replaces Betfair on Man U Jerseys
In a major move on the Premier League sponsorship front, bwin has replaced Betfair as the official betting and gaming partner for iconic football club Manchester United.
The agreement, announced by bwin last Friday, only covers the 2012/2013 season.
According to a statement from bwin, “With Manchester United, bwin.com has enlarged its international sponsorship portfolio.
“As the official online gaming and betting partner, bwin.com has numerous online sponsoring rights, which fit perfectly with bwin.com products.
"Manchester United is famous for its international fan community. The club has more than 25 million friends on Facebook and over 200 official fan communities in 24 countries.”
Betfair was Man U's official betting and gaming partner for the previous three seasons.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com