Ultimate Poker Holds First Legal US Online Poker Tourney

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

Nevada's first legalized online poker site Ultimate Poker announced that it held its first real money tournament over the weekend, with punters maxing out the field before play even started.

The tournament was a $10,000 Sunday event, which held a field of 200 players. According to Ultimate, the field was completely filled 45 minutes before the first hand was dealt. Because of the tournament's success, the 200 player field will be increased to 400 players next week. Those interested in playing must be at least 21 years of age and post up the $100 buy-in.

Speaking about the tournament's success, Ultimate Gaming Chief Marketing Officer Joe Versaci said, “Since going live on April 30, there has been no downtime whatsoever, and demand to play in our first $10,000 Sunday Tournament exceeded our expectations. We ended up reaching our 200 player cap 45 minutes before the tournament opened.”

The tournament's first winner was Daniel Healy of Nevada, who ended up with $4,173 for the first place finish. Healy, who is an amateur player spoke about his experience, saying “It is really exciting to be a part of history, winning the first tournament. I have been keeping up with the news updates and poker blogs ever since Black Friday hit and was extremely excited to hear that legal online poker is here. I am excited to be living in Nevada and playing my favorite game.”

About the author

Dustin Jermalowicz // News Editor
Dustin Jermalowicz
Dustin has a long-standing passion for gambling. He has been writing professionally on the subject and breaking industry news for Casino Listings since 2011. His favorite casino games include Blackjack, Poker, and Hi/Lo. A proud native of Detroit, Dustin currently lives in Michigan.