Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Poker News Media: PartyPoker Launches Double Hold’em

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The game went live almost a month ago, but PartyPoker just made it official with a press release this week: Double Hold’em has landed. The new poker variety is available at both real and play money tables and should prove to be a fun change of pace for even the most devoted Texas Hold’em players.

In Double Hold’em, players are dealt three hole cards rather than the traditional two. After the flop, one of the three cards must be selected as the “point” card (unless the player opts to fold, of course). This point card is then physically moved in between the other two cards and pushed up slightly, creating a triangle of sorts with the three hole cards. The point card is now used to create dual two-card starting hands, one with each of the other hole cards. The two non-point cards do not play together. At showdown, just like in regular Hold’em, the player with the best five-card hand wins and either pair of hole cards can be used to make the best hand. The betting rounds play the same as Hold’em: pre-flop, flop, turn, and river.

Let’s go through an example. Say you are dealt 6h-Ac-5c. You decide to play this hand, so you call pre-flop and see a flop of 3s-4h-Kc. At this point, PartyPoker will give you a few seconds to set your point card. In this case, it looks like you’ll want to at least put the 5 and 6 together so that you have an open-ended straight draw, so the logical option is to make the 5c the point card. With your rearranged hole cards reading 6h-5c-Ac, you now have two sets of cards to run with: 6-5 off suit, which gives you the aforementioned open-ended straight draw, and Ac-5c, which gives you a backdoor flush draw. The 6h and Ac have nothing to do with each other from here on out.

After a round of betting, the Qc falls on the turn, giving you a club flush draw (Ac-5c) to go along with your open-ended straight draw (5c-6h). Another betting round ensues and then the river is dealt: 2d. Using the 5c-6h, you hit your straight. Your busted flush draw doesn’t matter. One more betting round and the cards are flipped over, just like in standard Hold’em.

Double Hold’em was created by E. Mark Gross and Zvi Lando, CEO and CFO, respectively, of TableBrain. In an exclusive blog post at PartyPoker.com, Gross billed Double Hold’em as giving players “more playable hands, more action, and bigger pots! It’s a poker game built by poker fans for poker fans.”

Gross wrote that he and Lando created the game back in 2006, but it took a long time to refine the concept and get it just right in order to achieve their goal of creating “fun, intelligent games that allow players to have more continuous action and decisions at the table.”

TableBrain has also developed a video poker version of the game, which it calls EZ Double Hold’em. There are two variations of this. One is the standard video poker-style game in which a player places a bet before the cards are dealt with no further betting; the other is similar to the live game, with betting rounds at the start, prior to setting the point, after the flop, and after the turn. EZ Double Hold’em can be played for free on TableBrain’s website.

According to industry monitor PokerScout.com, PartyPoker ranks third in terms of cash game traffic behind PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. PartyPoker had been in a tight battle with the iPoker Network, but has recently gained some separation. It owns a seven-day average of 4,250 cash game players versus iPoker’s 3,650. They are both comfortably ahead of the Ongame Network, but light years behind Full Tilt, so it appears that the two will be jockeying for the third spot for quite some time to come. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Sunday, January 9, 2011

Poker News Media: Win a poker trip to the Philippines with PKR - 7th January 2011

PKR.com the world's most popular 2D and 3D online poker room has done it again.

It's back and it's better than ever!

Book your seat at the APT Philippines 2011 with PKR.com and you could be soaking up the sun and winning huge cash prizes.

Qualifiers are rolling right now from just $2.08 that lead to weekly final satellites where one in every 25 entrants will win $5,000 packages to this amazing event.

PKR.com also offer a host of other world class online poker promotions and now also a wide variety of online slot games and sports betting facilities.

PKR.com have a number of awards and commendations to their name including EGR Poker Operator of the Year Award 2010 and Media Man and Casino News Media 'Online Poker Room Of The Month' - December 2010.

Press Release

PKR.com Wins EGR Poker Operator of the Year Award

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - Dec 8 2010 - Next-generation poker room PKR.com celebrates another big win after picking up the highly sought after Poker Operator of the Year at the 2010 E-Gaming Review Awards ceremony that took place in London recently.

Fighting off a strong field which included household names such as PartyGaming, 888 and William Hill Online, judges praised PKR for demonstrating how originality and constant innovation could build a successful business in the face of liquidity challenges. The award also means that PKR is the holder of both major industry Poker Operator of the Year awards, having won the IGA version in January this year.

Malcolm Graham, CEO of PKR said; "The EGR Awards are very important for the online gaming industry and it is a fantastic achievement for PKR to have won this prestigious award. 2010 has been an astounding year for us and we look forward to adding this title to this year's portfolio, which also includes the top spot in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100."

The E-Gaming Review Awards ceremony took place at the Honorable Artillery Company in the heart of London on 24th November 2010. The event was hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall, and was attended by over 800 people from the gaming industry.

Founded in 2004 by serial entrepreneur Jez San, PKR is headquartered in Camden, London and now employs over 100 staff. It has over 4 million registered users and has won numerous awards including 'Hotshot Operator of the Year' at the 2008 E-Gaming Review Awards, 'Poker Operator of the Year' at the 2010 International Gaming Award and the UK's fastest growing technology company in the 2010 Sunday Times Tech Track 100.

About PKR (www.pkr.com)

PKR is a revolutionary new concept in online poker that has changed the way the game is played.

Featuring stunning real-time 3D graphics and a uniquely engaging and immersive gaming system, PKR brings an unparalleled and previously unseen level of realism to online poker.

Developed by some of the brightest stars in the video games and poker industries, PKR continues to be the most innovative poker room in the world.
For more information on PKR, please visit www.pkr.com

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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Poker News Media: Gibraltar Raises Taxes on Online Gambling Companies

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The British territory of Gibraltar has announced that it will be drastically inflating its taxes on all online gambling firms starting in January, a decision that could prove costly for several online poker sites. Online gambling companies are currently paying just a 1% tax in Gibraltar, with a ceiling of £425,000, but starting next month, they’ll be forced into the same 10% tax rate as other Gibraltar businesses pay.

Gibraltar has been an ideal location for many online gambling sites due to the low tax rate and has become something of an “online gambling capital” as a result. Poker rooms such as PartyPoker and 888poker currently hold their headquarters in the territory and the online bookmakers Ladbrokes and William Hill made the move to Gibraltar in 2009 – a decision that was expected to cost the Treasury of the United Kingdom about £12 million per year.

Gibraltar’s first minister, Peter Caruana, said the tax increase has been called for by Gibraltar government’s decision to conform to European law. "To comply with EU law, we must phase out the tax exempt company in 2010," Caruana said. "However, in order to sustain our successful economic model, we must retain a commitment to a very competitive corporate tax model."

PartyGaming, which owns and operates PartyPoker from Gibraltar, recently released details concerning its long-awaited merger with online gambling giant bwin. PartyGaming said in a statement that it would keep its headquarters in Gibraltar while bwin continues to operate in Austria. Whether the news of the tax increase changes those plans remains to be seen. "We’ve known about this for some time and we’ve factored it in," said PartyGaming spokesman John Shepherd. "The tax is still going to be very low."

According to a report in The Guardian, while online companies will now pay the standard 10% tax rate paid by other businesses, they will still not be subjected to any Value Added Tax (VAT), meaning that Gibraltar will remain an attractive setting for gambling companies. VAT is a consumption tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service – similar to the state sales tax that most U.S. residents pay.

Many experts seem confident that the tax increase won’t cause companies like PartyGaming to flee to other locations. Victor Chandler, Chairman of independent bookmaker Victor Chandler International, expressed his assurance in an interview with regional newspaper El Pais: "Nobody will leave, although we’ll all complain about the tax going up." Chandler began his U.K.-based company in 1946 that does much of its business online, including sports betting, casino games, and poker.

The decision will likely add up to big things for Gibraltar in the near future. Under the current 1% tax rate, Gibraltar collected £10.5 million in revenue from online gambling taxes in 2009. So long as online gambling firms decide to stay put, the government can expect to see that number magnify in the coming years.

Online gambling has proven to be an extremely important source of revenue for Gibraltar and it is believed that 2,000 people currently work in the sector, which is around 12% of the island’s workforce. The industry has also helped to protect the local economy against neighboring Spain’s harsh economic conditions. Of Gibraltar’s 30,000 residents, only 600 (2%) are unemployed. The bordering Spanish city of La Línea de la Concepción is estimated to have 10,000 of its 65,000 inhabitants (15%) out of work. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Sunday, December 26, 2010

PartyPoker Reviving Million Dollar Hand in January - 22nd December 2010

In January, PartyPoker will be bringing back one of its most popular promotions ever, the Million Dollar Hand. All you have to do is make a pair in a five-card poker hand to be awarded a prize, and a $1 million jackpot is on the line.

Accumulating cards is quite simple. You’ll get one for every 15 PartyPoints you rack up between January 5th and January 30th. When you’ve amassed five cards, you’ll have a hand. If it contains a pair, then $3 will be coming your way. If it contains two pair, then your prize will be upped to $10. If you manage to score three of a kind, then you’ll get a $20 cash prize. That’s pretty simple, right?

Players who land a straight in the Million Dollar Hand will take home $50, while those who pick up a flush will see $100 come their way. Players who make a boat will get $150, while anyone who hits quads will receive a $1,000 cash prize. Now, we’re into the big money, as straight flushes are worth $10,000. Finally, anyone who manages to score a Royal Flush will divide a $1 million prize pool, which means if two players hit it, each person will actually take home $500,000. If only one person makes a Royal Flush, they’ll take home the seven-figure jackpot.

The best part about the Million Dollar Hand is that PartyPoker is awarding every player his or her first card for free. No play is required! Just log into your PartyPoker account to see what your first card is.

Now, let’s review some of the terms and conditions of the PartyPoker Million Dollar Hand. First, you’ll only be able to acquire 10 cards per day for a total of two five-card poker hands. Second, if you fall short of 15 points, PartyPoker will carry them over to the next day. Third, you have to reveal your cards manually. In order to do so, log into your PartyPoker account and see what you’ve amassed. If you don’t reveal your cards, they won’t count.

PartyPoker players will have until the end of the day Eastern Time on January 31st to reveal any cards they’ve received and only points accumulated at cash game tables will count. Finally, as text found on PartyPoker’s website notes, "Cash prizes will be paid to players within an hour of them revealing their hand apart from Royal Flush winners, who will be paid on February 1st."

PartyPoker is one of the industry leaders when it comes to unique promotions like the Million Dollar Hand. In fact, the site is concurrently running a Million Dollar Hand VIP Points Race for Palladium Lounge members. Players will earn the same cash prizes as in the Million Dollar Hand and also rack up points based on their hand’s value. The top two spots on the leaderboard pay out a World Poker Tour (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic prize package worth $14,000.

The top 200 spots in the Million Dollar Hand VIP Points Race pay out, with a minimum prize of $100 up for grabs. The top 30 spots award four-figures and everyone who reaches the top 500 scores a seat into the Million Dollar Hand VIP Freeroll, which doles out a WPT prize package to its winner. Palladium Lounge members will receive extra race points for accumulating over 300 PartyPoints in a single day.

According to the traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, PartyPoker is the third largest site worldwide in terms of real money ring game volume with a seven-day running average of 3,600 players. It just edges out the iPoker Network, but is well behind PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, which rank first and second worldwide, respectively. PartyPoker’s team of sponsored pros includes Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Mike Sexton, poker bad boy Tony G, and "High Stakes Poker" hostess Kara Scott. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Australian Gambling, Sports Betting Ads, Promos Cop Heat, by Greg Tingle - 18th December 2010

G'day casino and gambling millionaires, billionaires, media moguls, sports nuts, entertainment news junkies, insiders, outsiders, politicians, journalists and everyone else. Today we probe the proliferation of sports betting, casino and gambling mentions and themes in the Australian media, sports and entertainment business. Network Nine and the cricket were quick off the mark via television, followed by the likes of Fox Sports, Centrebet, and now OneHD and Network Ten, the 'Warnie' show and a bush tucker bag of website portals are picking up the ball and running with it, in a way we think WikiLeaks would be proud of. Even News Limited and Fairfax Media newspapers are running tons of ads, promos and news stories are a plenty. Media Man and Gambling911 play media monitor and trace route investigator, and hit 'em for six with this very special and rather clever report...

How's the cricket been treating you recently? The Ashes has sure been good to media companies and punters who like to... well, get on the punt. Australia's fantastic sports coverage is helping get the word out on sports betting and gambling.

A number of special interests groups, campaigners, bible bashers and even a couple of medical types are jumping on the anti gambling bandwagon, and the strong gambling coverage tied in with cricket and other sports well positioned in the Australian media seems to be adding fuel to the fire, as we head towards a perfect storm.

One group, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, advised it has been "alarmed" at the rise in gambling ads, promos, as well as frequent references to sports betting odds, in televised sport and particularly the cricket that us Aussies love so much. The cricket is something both Nine boss David Gyngell and Ten and Crown Limited bigwig James Packer, are both fighting over, and we think the sports betting aspect is something that keeps the cricket so appealing to media tycoons - and its not just the modest TV ratings that go with the game if you follow our lead.

It's been debated that any cases of sports betting odds come with a warning to emphasise and make the potential punters aware of the dangers of excessive gambling as well as a helpline for existing addicts to call.

RANZCP president Dr Maria Tomasic was prepared to go on record with "Problem gambling is a real concern in our community. (Yet) there has been little public debate about the introduction of gambling advertising on sports programs, particularly during the day when children may be watching. Frequent exposure to gambling promotion, gambling's association with sport, and the use of commentators and sporting role models to promote gambling and discuss betting odds, can normalise gambling and influence vulnerable people and children."

This particular college has advised sports betting problems were on the rise and reform was needed to promote more "responsible levels of gambling activity" to help minimise its harmful impact on the community. Their list includes: Showing helpline phone numbers whenever gambling odds are broadcast during live sporting events, providing clear warnings at all gambling venues which explain the possible harms that flow from excessive gambling, advice containing details on where to seek help, while more counselling services and other forms of help and the mathematical odds of winning in luck-of-the-draw style gambling should also be on clear display at gambling venues

A Media Man spokesperson said "We think some of the groups proposals do have some merit, but at the same time we need to help ensure proposals and guidelines don't contain overkill. All gambling and sports betting services have some sort of warning about the dangers of gambling. Do we really need the fun police everywhere. People know sports betting and gambling is just that, and not what you would call a business model for one's life financial planning or regular income. Granted, some people are very successful at making sports betting and gambling their main income, but that is the rare exception to the rule. It's hard to protect people from themselves. People need to just enjoy the experience and keep it fun, and not bet over their head".

Dr Clive Allcock, Member of RANZCP's Section of Addiction Psychiatry said "Problem gambling can result in divorce, suicidal thoughts and acts, illegal acts and bankruptcy. Those with gambling problems often also have other concerns, such as depression, hazardous alcohol use and smoking, and personality disorders."

The good doctor also said more research was also needed to develop evidence-based treatments for gambling addiction, as there was currently "not one treatment which is considered to be the best for problem gambling".

Gambing industry bigwigs like Aristocrat's Len Ainsworth said in regarding to problem gambling "A problem gambler is like a problem drinker or a serial killer; you've got to get to the cause".

Ainsworth's comments do have merit, but as is often the case with bright ideas, easier said than done. How do you get inside someone's head, how do you force them to change their ways. Oh, that's right. Let's see what Australia's 'Big Brother' Gillard Labor government can do. Perhaps that's why they are looking closely at biometrics. But, are such solutions the tip of the iceberg for something a whole lot more similar with previous Australian government proposals containing the likes of the 'Australia Card'.

Some of the most popular sports betting and gambling brands for Australia include:
Betfair, Centrebet, Gamebookers and BetUS (sports betting brands)
PartyGaming, PartyCasino, PartyPoker, Captain Cooks Casino, 888, PKR and World Poker Tour (gambling and poker brands)

Some sports that are currently seeing an increase in betting interest include motorsport (F1 and V8 SuperCars), professional surfing, boxing, wrestling and UFC. The AFL, NRL, tennis and soccer continue to maintain their incredible popularity.

Australian media and gambling tycoon, James Packer, appears to be best positioned to lead Australia into the future of sports betting and gambling, with his 50% ownership in Betfair, ruling Crown Limited - Crown Casino (home to the Aussie Millions) and stake in OneHD...an offshoot of Ten Network Holdings, commonly known to punters are Channel Ten. PartyGaming, listed on the London Stock Exchange, have also enjoyed strong success in Australia and the wider Asia Pacific region, teaming up with mainstream media and entertainment industry brands such as Marvel Entertainment, Sony, Fremantle Media and Paramount Pictures. News Corp's 20th Century Fox is also understood to be wanting to become heavily involved in the Australian gambling landscape, as they are in the United Kingdom. Media and entertainment portals such as Google, Media Man and Yahoo! all appear to be continuing to ramping up their coverage of gambling and sports betting, catering to an international audience via the internet...ideally suited to covering the dynamic nature of the gambling sector.

Whatever the final outcome aka Australian government 'The Final Solution' is, don't get too used to the current Australian gambling and sports betting landscape, and significant changes are just around the corner.

If you enjoy a bet, please do so in a responsible matter, and if you think your gambling may be getting out of hand, please seek professional assistance.

Awards...

Last month was a big month for casino awards. Let's have a look...

PartyGaming's PartyCasino has also come back with seconds, picking up another Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month Award' for November, and also the parent company, PartyGaming, picked up the prestigious EGR Slots Operator Of The Year Award ...Some other top picks of ours who picked up awards at the EGR night of nights were:
Virgin Games (Affiliate Programme)
Betfair (Innovation, Mobile Operator and UK Sports Betting Operator)
Bwin (European Sports Betting Operator
PKR (Poker Operator)

Oh, we almost forgot...Media Man and Casino News Media 'Casino Babe Of The Month': Jenny Woo, 'Poker Babe': Kara Scott, 'Gambling Babe Personality': Pamela Anderson.

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Wrap Up...

Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report on gambling in the Australian media? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis. They also publish Australian Sports Entertainment http://www.australiansportsentertainment.com

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited, Ten Network Holdings and Virgin

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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Poker News Media - PartyPoker News: Qualify For The Aussie Millions Main Event For Free!

Poker News Media - PartyPoker News: Qualify For The Aussie Millions Main Event For Free!

The latest episodes of The Poker Show with Jesse May feature Joe Sebok and Matt Savage. See: PartyPoker.com

Kara Scott and Tony G have been reflecting on a busy week in poker. See: PartyPoker.com

Qualify For The Aussie Millions Main Event For Free! Emulate Tyron Krost Or Join Tony G's Team Zasko

Gibraltar – 13th December 2010 – Qualifiers for the 2011 Aussie Millions continue at PartyPoker.com and get more popular by the week. The online satellites to the southern hemisphere’s premier poker event run until 9th January. As ever, PartyPoker.com offers an industry leading variety of ways to secure a package including daily freerolls.

Last year, PartyPoker.com qualifiers Tyron Krost and Frederik Jensen finished first and second in the Main Event. Tyron went home with over AUD$2,000,000! Tyron, alongside Tony G will be leading PartyPoker.com’s charge for the title in 2011.

Tony G said: "The online qualifiers for Aussie Millions at PartyPoker.com have already been incredibly popular. Most people think that this is because of the inspirational story of how Tyron converted hundreds of dollars into millions of dollars. That definitely is a factor but I think there are some people who want to come to see me bring my German Shepherd Zasko into the poker room. Team Zasko has got bite and is the way forward!"

The US$16,000 global prize package includes the $10,600 Aussie Millions Main Event buy-in, ten nights’ accommodation at the Crown Promenade hotel and $2,500 spending money. The US$14,000 Aussie Millions Australia satellites include the $10,600 Aussie Millions Main Event buy-in, ten nights’ accommodation at the Crown Promenade hotel and US$500 spending money.

For full information see PartyPoker.com

PartyGaming was established in 1997 and are listed on the London Stock Exchange. They have won numerous awards and commendations over the years including EGR 'Socially Responsible Operator Of The Year', 'Slots Operator Of The Year' and Media Man and Casino News Media 'Online Casino Of The Month'.

Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with PartyGaming, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.

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Monday, December 6, 2010

Kerry Packer Aussie Legend Lives On Via Art And TV, by Greg Tingle - 5th November 2010

G'day punters, casino and gambling millionaires and billionaires, media magnates, journalists, historians and art lovers. Art lovers?! Yes, today we bring you a special Kerry Packer special. The legend lives on, not only here, but now at an Australian artists exhibition, and of course 'Our James' (James Packer) continues to fly the flag and do the family legacy proud with his Crown Limited empire. Not only that, we also cover the pending return of KP to Australian television in an ABC mini series tipped to hit the jackpot, and Network Nine is bringing back 'Underbelly', complete with gambling themes. Media Man and Gambling911 present The Kerry Packer Special...

Kerry Packer & Friends...

Kerry Packer & Friends - NG Art Gallery - 7th Dec - 24th Dec 2010
3 Little Queen Street
Chippendale, NSW Sydney AUSTRALIA
Tuesday - Saturday 11.00am - 5.30pm

Ok punters, here's the rundown. The artist - storyteller is Gina Sinozich. She's an 80 year old, Croat, Sydney based artist who paints in order to help recycle memory. Sinozich's latest exhibition, Kerry Packer and Friends, is her first solo commercial effort in Sydney and is tells the story of the legendary Kerry Packer. She covers the unique personality and complexities of a legend who was known for his astronomical wealth, super whale gambling exploits, running his business with an iron fist, and colourful run ins with the Australian government, amongst other things.

Sinozich migrated down under to Australia is 1956 and began to paint at the age of 75, now having work in Australian and New Zealand corporate and public collections. Her show showcases Packer as 'one of us' rather than the untouchable media tycoon. Sinozich was inspired to tell the story on the premise that we often hear bad before good. This tribute to KP is generous and reveals alot of the most powerful men in the world, who in 2004, was estimated to have a net worth of AUD 6.5 billion. The work of Sinozich will be showcased at NG Art Gallery from the 7th-24th of December and is certain to excite audiences, punters, art lovers or both. A fews Aussie commentator think this blows away much of the art that American gambling tycoon Steve Wynn shows off. Maybe Wynn might like to make a purchase of some classic Packer creations.

Sinozich says Packer gave back to society in a meaningful way and the series was intended to stand as a testament for this man's intrinsic goodwill after his death in December 2005. She recites a story that fuelled her initial interest in Packer, "...one lady said that she was on George Street with two little kids behind her and she was running...running to go on the train, and he (Packer) stopped her and said, 'don't you have a car?' and he wrote a cheque for her and said here, 'buy yourself a car'." Sinozich also fondly recalls, "...when he was playing in casino in Perth he won so much money and the girl who was serving wine...he asked her, 'do you have a mortgage on the house?' she said 'yes', then he wrote a cheque for AUD 600,000."

The talented, even cunning, artist worked like a Trojan horse for a fortnight and managed to produce 26 paintings that deeply explore her subject's nature, removing much of the mystic of Packer as an uncompromising media mogul. All the characters in Sinozich's work have a yarn to tell, and most aspects of his life are covered... birth, death, and much of the in between. Make no mistake, the works are smart, and unique, and are tipped to become collectors items.

The work is relatively simple, but full of life, and has been described as "traditional representational painting", which one may argue is a dying art. We think KP would have liked the tribute, and we await word to see what living members of the Packer clan think of the works.

Kerry Packer Legend To Return To Australian TV In Cleo Mini Series...

Packer is to return to life on Aussie TV via new ABC drama Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo (not to be confused with the Cleopatra slot game).

Australian readers may recall the public backlash to the introduction of the super sexy womens’ title in 1972. There were Cleo lovers and haters, but we're still talking about it today, so it made an impact, which is better than many of today's rags.

Rob Carlton will play a young Packer opposite Asher Keddie as publishing pioneer, the sexy and smart Ita Buttrose.

Rumours of a sexual relationship between Packer and Ita around the time of Cleo magazine's start off, but this won't be a focus on the mini-series, due to air next year.

Buttrose, who first made her mark as the magazine's editor, was a consultant on the production.

"If there was a supposed affair it didn't happen in this timeframe. I have no idea if there was, we didn't raise it with her," Edwards said.

There ABC publicity brief has whet our appetite for lots of Packer classic stuff and enough scandal to keep us coming back for more.

"It's 1972. Skirts are up, pants are down. Girls can have anything: Fabulous careers, fashionable clothes and oral sex," spruiks the promo.

The drama cleverly follows the death of Sir Frank Packer and the rise of his second son, who defies even family expectation to succeed, in a way no one could have expected.

"It was a real turning point in Kerry's career. It was a period when he made his first big move and it was an astonishing success and one against the odds in some respects," Edwards said.

Cleo magazine itself was a fine, yet controversial work, and introduced the nude male centrefold and sexual hits, tips, tricks and more for women. Media Man friend, actor Jack Thompson, is tipped to have his racy centrefold recreated. Something about a 6th finger, down there.

ABC TV by all accounts have taken a calculated risk on the series. Most quarters of society, both insiders and outsiders we've chatted with believe the gamble will pay off with a tidy jackpot, and whispers already circulate as to how many awards the show and actors will pick up.

Nine's David Gyngell Respects Packer History; PBL Becomes Nine Entertainment Co...

KP put Publishing & Broadcasting Media on the map and grew it to become arguably the biggest media brands in Australia.

PBL - the name, is now history, since Bondi Beach based chief executive, David Gyngell, rebranded it with Nine Entertainment Co.

Gyngell, who announced the rebranding at Nine's 2011 program launch in Sydney on Friday, advised the new name would be more recognisable to the public and large and went on to emphasise Nine's broad range of businesses, which sport Nine, ACP Magazines, Ticketek and NineMSN.

The recognition factor is important since the firm is likely to be floated on the Australian Stock Exchange by its private equity owners, CVC Asia Pacific, in the first half of next year.

It's understood that a strong level of support from a host of retail investors will be key to the $5 billion-plus float's chances of a jackpot.

Gyngell wisely acknowledged it was not an easy decision given he is the late Kerry Packer's godson and great mate of James Packer. History buffs, just in case you wondered, PBL was formed way back in 1994 when KP merged Nine with ACP (Australian Consolidated Press).

"PBL has a long association with the Packers so personally I don't take that lightly. But it's modernising a business that needs to be publicly known. We don't have the luxury of having James Packer or another mogul giving the company real gravitas."

Other media updates down under include Network Seven being backed by Kerry Stokes and Network Ten's board now has James Packer, News Corporation director Lachlan Murdoch, mining magnate Gina Rinehart and WIN TV owner Bruce Gordon.

"Nine is the biggest thing that we have and it is also the thing that supports all the other companies in the best possible way," Gyngell said. "It will be a new year. We are starting again."

Nine confirmed its crime drama Underbelly would come back with a series set in the roaring 20s in Sydney as well as 3 Underbelly movies! And, get this, a good spot of gambling will also be featured.

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Wrap Up...

Readers... er, punters, how did you like The Kerry Packer Special? Tell us in the forum.

If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming and offer political commentary and analysis.

*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited

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