The Daily Rewind: Merge Responds to Indictment Rumours, McDonald Wins EPL
Today, we cover the Merge Gaming Network's response to recent indictment rumours, and toast Mike "Timex" McDonald's victory in the EPL Main Event #2.
The Daily Rewind is your one-stop-shop for a sharp review of the day in poker. Join us here for a mix of the latest news and a more irreverent insight into the poker world. Today we discovered the following topics for you:
Merge: "Business as normal"
According to a recent article on Subject Poker, and subsequent forum gossip, Merge was set for a purge at the hands of the Department of Justice (DoJ).
The article had stated, "According to our sources, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland plans to seize the assets of payment processors who facilitated transactions between the Merge Network and its U.S. customers". The DoJ was expected to swamp Merge and its payment processors in mid-September.
Well, two sites on the Merge network have now responded to the rumours. Lock Poker representative Eric Rizen Lynch quashed the Subject Poker allegations on twoplustwo and pocketfives, noting "AFAIK there isn't any truth to this... I doubt the DOJ would leak this kind of info to a site, and if they did I would feel like they would do it to a site that gets a lot more traffic".
Carbon Poker gave a less convincing, more abrupt response, merely stating "It's business as usual".
Obviously fearing they might get into muddy waters, Lock Poker and Carbon Poker changed their domain names to .eu and .ag respectively in the wake of Black Friday. This would presumably stop the DoJ from seizing the websites and stopping new traffic.
If action was to be pursued against the Merge Network, it would be the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, not the Southern District of New York, that would be responsible. The former targeted DoylesRoom and True Poker back in May, whereas the latter brought charges against PokerStars, Full Tilt and Ultimate Bet / Absolute Poker.
Of course, we can't know anything for sure until the DoJ releases an official statement. Merge stopped accepting new US players back in June, citing a backlog in payment processes.
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Mike "Timex" McDonald in EPL Triumph
Mike "Timex" McDonald clinched victory in the Epic Poker League Main Event #2 to the tune of $782,410.
He navigated his way through a stellar, 97-player field, and a final table that included the likes of Erik Seidel, Isaac Baron and Nam Le. The Seiborg continued his remarkable vein of form by securing 4th for $184,100.
McDonald resisted a rampant comeback from David Steicke by calling Steicke's all-in with A-4. Steicke showed K-2, but the board offered no repreive and McDonald's Ace high secured him the champion's ring. McDonald's biggest score remains the $1,370,161 he received for winning the 2008 EPT Dortmund.
Here are the final EPL Main Event #2 standings:
| EPL Main Event #2 Final Standings | ||
| Position | Player | Winnings |
| 1 | Mike McDonald | $782,410 |
| 2 | David Steicke | $506,260 |
| 3 | Fabrice Soulier | $299,160 |
| 4 | Erik Seidel | $184,100 |
| 5 | Nam Le | $126,570 |
| 6 | Isaac Baron | $92,050 |
| 7 | Sean Getzwiller | $69,040 |
| 8 | Dutch Boyd | $57,530 |
Hot Shot of the Day
Today's hot shot of the day may be minus one for originality, but it's plus one for beauty. Shannon Elizabeth is a gorgeous Hollywood actress come poker player, who shot to fame in hit American comedy series American Pie. She came 3rd in the 2007, $25k NBC Heads-Up Championship for $125k.
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