Fourth Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) Concludes --  The fourth quarterly edition of the FTOPS at Full Tilt saw more outstanding turnouts and a whole pack of happy winners.  The biggest winner of all was John_McClane17, who came to the Main Event’s final table as the chip leader, but then fell well behind KingDan23 during heads-up play before storming back for the win.  John_McClane17 picked up over $336,000 and a custom "FTOPS" avatar on Full Tilt for the win.

Cheadle and Cheadle / Darfur Fundraisers Times Two --  Two major fundraisers benefiting Darfur relief efforts, and actor/poker player Don Cheadle plays a major role in both of them.  First to be announced was a million-dollar donation by online heavyweight PokerStars, in conjunction with the stars of Ocean’s 13, which includes Cheadle.  The big donation will be made at the Cannes Film Festival, with additional PokerStars efforts generating further monies for the cause.  Soon after, the WSOP announced a major charity tournament scheduled for July 5, organized by Cheadle and Annie Duke, that will likely raise hundreds of thousands more.

Louisiana Poker Measure Dies in State House --  Another statewide measure attempting to increase poker’s availability generated broad support but failed to move deeper into the lawmaking process.  This time Louisiana was the local, and a bill to allow more than 6,000 state businesses to conduct poker operations actually passed (48 to 47), but fell well short of the two-thirds majority needed to move on to the State Senate.

Citadel, Optimal/FirePay Funds Seized by Feds --  Online payment processors Optimal Group (parent company of FirePay) and Citadel Commerce have announced the seizure of money held in merchant accounts by U.S. authorities in continuing money-laundering investigations.  The exact connections to online gambling remain unclear, though it is believed instigated by the sportsbook situation that led to the NETeller arrest and seizure.  The amount of funds seized is smaller as well, a combined $28 million or so, compared to the $150 million-plus in NETeller customer assets still held under virtual lock and key.