Europe’s largest independent poker network now part of lottery industry giant’s new igaming division
07-08-2009 (Stockholm, Sweden) – An International Poker Network (IPN) player may have been surprised and disappointed when he lost a hand despite having Quad Jacks, however that disappointment soon turned to triumph when he realized he had hit the network’s massive €412,781 Bad Beat Jackpot ($590,000).
“I was so sure my four Jacks would take the pot. My heart sank when my opponent revealed four Kings to beat them,” said the winner, known at the poker table as AlkaliEars. “But then I remembered that by losing with such a great hand I had won the Bad Beat jackpot!”
AlkaliEars received €144,473 of the €412,781 jackpot. The winner of the hand got €72,236 and the other players at the table each got €24,078. The new Jackpot is already over €90,000.
“The Bad Beat Jackpot was created to help ease the frustration of losing even when you’re dealt great cards,” said Mery Blomqvist, Head of Marketing and PR at GTECH G2. “With a jackpot requirement starting at Quad 6s, this has got to be the easiest Bad Beat Jackpot to hit anywhere!”
To qualify for the Bad Beat at IPN poker rooms, players must be at a designated Bad Beat table and use both pocket cards in their winning or losing hand. The losing hand must be four-of-a-kind sixes or better. Four or more players must be dealt into the hand.
The IPN is Europe’s largest independent poker network. It recently celebrated its 3,000,000th player and dealt its billionth hand last year. The IPN, which includes such popular poker sites as VirginPoker.com, PokerHeaven.com and the Casino-Club.com poker room, regularly hosts Guaranteed €1,000,000 tournaments.
GTECH G2 is the igaming division of lottery industry giant, GTECH. It combines the software development and customer management expertise of Boss Media, Finsoft, Dynamite Idea and St Minver and operates the International Poker Network and International Bingo Network.
Details of the IPN Bad Beat Jackpot are available at participating online poker rooms. There is a list of International Poker Network poker sites at http://www.ipnpoker.com/ipn_poker_rooms/area-52.html.
For further information:
GTECH G2
Mery Blomqvist, Head of Marketing & PR, +46 (0) 8 509 200 02
mery.blomqvist@gtechg2.com
About GTECH G2 (www.gtechg2.com)
GTECH G2 brings together — under one brand — the combined expertise of GTECH and its extensive lottery insight with leaders in the interactive gaming world providing a complete gaming portfolio of poker, bingo, casino, sportsbetting, fully managed services and instant games. The group includes Boss Media (www.bossmedia.com), a leading innovator in software and systems for Poker, Casino and Bingo entertainment; Finsoft (www.finsoft.com), a leading provider of enterprise-wide real time trading solutions for the commercial sports betting industry – both interactive and retail; St Minver (www.stminverltd.com), a fully managed service provider of Internet games to media, lifestyle, and other brands; and Dynamite Idea (www.dynamiteidea.com), a developer of unique, innovative digital instant and side games. Consolidating combined talent and expertise into one premiere brand means that GTECH G2 can provide a flexible digital solution to all customers, large or small, wherever they may be.