From Card Player California has long been home to online poker legalization attempts, but nothing there has ever amounted to much. It has been tough to get a consensus among the tribes and other gaming interests in the state, but this year looks the most promising to date, according to one lobbyist working on the issue. David Quintana, a lobbyist for several of the tribes pushing a new piece of legislation, said that the odds are about 50-50 of something passing. There are a couple of other proposals sitting in the legislature that have hope as well. Quintana said that…

From ARS Technica On April 30, 2013, the poker world saw the launch of the United States’ first legal online poker site, Ultimate Poker. But Ultimate Poker has one significant limit: it is only legal within the boundaries of Nevada. As more sites come online under similar state schemes—New Jersey and Delaware are likely next—online gambling in the United States may be poised for an explosion. It wasn’t always this way. Among online poker players, Black Friday refers to the infamous day in April 2011 when the United States brought federal criminal charges against the founders of three major overseas…

To the experienced online poker player, Station Casinos’ Ultimate Poker website can feel like a trip back to the Stone Age. Players have complained about the software, interface and speed. Station officials say they are aware of the criticism and are working to improve the site. But despite the glitches, they met their goal: being the first legal, real-money poker site in the country. In fact, Station executives say some of the shortcomings may help them grow their audience. It has been a little more than a week since Ultimate Poker launched in Nevada. Within three days, 100,000 hands had…

Ultimate Poker has registered thousands of online poker users from every U.S. state and 20 countries. That’s in just 72 hours. By Thursday evening, the website dealt its 100,000th hand of poker. Around 10 p.m., Ultimate Poker had 50 poker tables with action. “I would say we were the largest poker room in the state at that hour,” Ultimate Gaming CEO Tobin Prior said Friday. Company officials said the launch of Ultimate Poker, the nation’s first legally regulated pay-to-play online gaming website, has exceeded expectations. Ultimate Poker Chairman Tom Breitling didn’t want to reveal official numbers for the website’s first…

A trio of well-established poker pros each announced new sponsorship deals Friday with Nevada based online poker site Ultimate Poker. Jonathan Little, two-time WPT Champion and author of the popular Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker series, announced via Twitter that he “signed with @ultimatepoker and will now be representing them + playing a ton on the site.” At the same time former Full Tilt Red Pro and PokerStars “Big Game” standout William Reynolds wrote that he “Toured @UltimatePoker’s office today..Professional environment with an expert team.. Looking forward to repping UP this WSOP” Finally, bracelet winner Jason Somerville,posted a photo of…