Daily Rewind: Elie Pleads Guilty, AGCC Review on FTP, Sahamies on Form

Today we report on the latest in the Chad Elie case and reflect on an independent review of the AGCC's handling of the Full Tilt Poker saga. It seems that Ilari Sahamies is also back in form after a tough start to the year.

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:

Chad Elie pleads guilty

April 15th 2011, or Black Friday as it is commonly known, saw 11 individuals indicted with charges including bank fraud, money laundering, and violating gambling laws.

Two of those individuals, Chad Elie and John Campos, looked set to fight the charges, however yesterday a sudden U-turn saw Chad Elie plead guilty to one count of conspiracy.

He admitted to Judge Lewis Kaplan that he knew his conduct was wrong.

Read our full news report on the story here.

AGCC review

An independent review posted on the Alderney Gambling Control Commission website today concludes that the AGCC's actions surrounding Full Tilt Poker "were appropriate, timely and fair."

The 12 page document covers Full Tilt Poker's original licensing processes with the AGCC and the AGCC's decision to revoke FTP's license as well as their actions in the aftermath of Black Friday.

André Wilsenach, Executive Director of the AGCC, welcomed the report and will consider its "valuable recommendations on how we can make improvements in the light of what has happened." He offered his "great sympathy" to players with funds on FTP.

Wilsenach welcomes AGCC report

High stakes corner - Sahamies flying

Last year's biggest winner on PokerStars, Ilari "Ilari FIN" Sahamies has been having a rough ride this year.

His start to 2012 had been nothing short of catastophic in fact, seeing as he was the biggest loser of the year at the start of this week, with over one million dollars deficit to make up.

Things are looking brighter for the outspoken Fin today however, as he is currently basking in the glow of a $400,000 winning session at the high stakes PLO tables on PokerStars.

His victims were no ordinary players either, with Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky, Ben "milkybarkid" Grundy and "Fake Love888" (rumoured to be Patrik Antonius) all padding the Fin's pockets, dropping a combined $360,000 in the process according to HighStakesDB.

Ziggy Starduct - Sahamies finds form

EPT Campione

Yesterday saw day 1a of the inaugural EPT Campione come to a close, with 178 players stumping up the €5,300 entry fee in the search for a slice of EPT glory. 

107 of the starting players made it through to the end and will return on Wednesday for day 2.

Your day 1a chip leader is Italian Davide Andreoni, who bagged up 175,100 chips after a solid day at the tables. Familiar faces left in the field include Alex Kravchenko, Roberto Romanello and Luca Pagano.

Read our full day 1a update here and follow the day 1b action over at the PokerStars Blog.

Davide Andreoni leads day 1a of EPT Campione

Daily Signoff

After his monster start to the week, the Signoff pays tribute to Ilari Sahamies today.

Here's the crazy Fin busting a few rhymes in a rap video back in 2010...