US online poker players who were owed money by two long defunct online poker sites — Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet — will be getting more than $30 million of their money back. The US government, via a third party, recently announced it would be refunding “almost $33.5 million.” The news came from the Garden City Group, which is handling the remissions process, via a website dedicated to refunding players’ money. More from the announcement: GCG has been informed that the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Department of Justice (MLARS) has approved a first round of payments…

From Card Player The Russ Hamilton recording released last week had a mention of Annie Duke and her role with the company, which spawned a number of accusations on the Internet with regards to what she did or did not know with as it pertained to the cheating at Ultimate Bet. “I had access to the delayed viewing of cards only for a few UB tournament events where I was a radio commentator,” Duke Tweeted on May 11. Duke followed up by issuing a lengthy statement on Facebook Saturday, defending herself against people who are accusing her of misconduct. “The…