On this page we've listed summaries of the most important news events of April 2006
Joe Bartholdi wins Season IV WPT World Championship
April 25, 2006 - Season IV of the World Poker Tour was concluded last night at the Bellagio with the WPT World Championship. The tournament was won by Joe Bartholdi, a young poker pro from Las Vegas. Bartholdi took home the first prize of $3,760,165.
Google launches first rake-free online poker room
April 24, 2006 - Google announced today it launched the first rake-free online poker room, GooglePoker. Regular online poker rooms charge a small percentage of the pot, commonly known as rake, as a fee for hosting the game, but the new Google branded poker room is completely free, as revenues will be generated by small text advertisements (AdSense) shown along the right side of the poker table.
Paris Hilton banned from namesake casino
April 21, 2006 - The Daily Star reports Paris Hilton is banned from her namesake casino, the Paris Hotel and Casino, after losing a $175,000 Bentley in a high-stakes poker game. Miss Hilton just recently boasted that "I'm lucky in Vegas. I always win."
PokerStars is preparing for an IPO in London
April 18, 2006 - PokerStars, the second biggest poker room ranking only behind PartyGaming, is seeking a listing on the London Stock Exchange. The company is currently negotiating with a number of investment banks to aid with the listing. The value of PokerStars is estimated at more than $2 billion dollar.
Bodog sued over reality Wild Card Poker TV show
April 12, 2006 - BlueMoon Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based reality TV company, has filed a complaint with the Los Angeles Superior Court in which it alleges Bodog's upcoming "Wild Card Poker" show is virtually identical to it's in-house developed concept for a poker reality show, entitled "Poker Showdown" .
Wayne Rooney loses £25,000 Chrysler in poker game
April 10, 2006 - According to the British tabloid The Daily Mirror, Manchester United's star striker Wayne Rooney lost a £25,000 Chrysler to defender Phil Bardsley in a poker game.
The Venetian opens exquisite 10,500 square-foot poker room
April 3, 2006 - The Venetian Hotel and Casino Resort opened it's new 10,500 square-foot poker room on Sunday with an inaugural poker tournament attracting many professional poker players, including former WSoP champions Johnny Chan (1989) and Doyle Brunson (1976 & 1977). With almost 300 players showing up for the event, the grand opening was a huge success and promises a bright future for the new poker room.
Mansion Poker ends talks with Manchester United (2)
April 2, 2006 - English football club Manchester United is about to sign a record-breaking £60 million shirt sponsorship deal with Mansion Poker. The poker site is owned by Putera Sampoerna, a former tobacco tycoon from Indonesia who sold his company to Philip Morris (Altria) in March last year for $5.2 billion.