It was a change of pace at the 2021 Poker Masters as, for the first time, a game other than No Limit Texas Hold’em hit the felt. In Event #3, the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha match, Adam Hendrix would reign supreme over the 69 entries that the tournament received. In an interesting sidelight to the… Read more »
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Sean Perry Goes the Distance in Event #2 of 2021 Poker Masters
After coming up short of the final table in Event #1 of the 2021 Poker Masters, Sean Perry completed the job on Thursday afternoon. He would emerge victorious in Event #2, another $10,000 No Limit Hold’em event on the schedule, defeating Jeremy Ausmus in heads up action. The victory allowed Perry to take an early… Read more »
Shannon Shorr Takes Event #1 at 2021 Poker Masters
The battle for the Purple Jacket has begun! Wednesday marked the first final table of the 2021 Poker Masters, the “made for streaming” poker schedule created four years ago by PokerGO. While the numbers were slightly down for the first of a series of $10,000 No Limit Hold’em events (82 entries), the outcome was one… Read more »
888 Holdings is Presumptive Winner of William Hill’s Non-US Assets
Dotting i’s and crossing t’s UPDATE: The companies announced on September 9 that 888 Holdings is, in fact, buying William Hill’s non-US assets for £2.2 billion. 888 has already received support for the move from its largest shareholders, totaling 47% of the company’s shares, as well as from its Board of Directors. It expects the… Read more »
2021 Poker Masters to Return to Live Format on Monday
After going with an online format in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, the “powers that be” at PokerGO have announced that the 2021 Poker Masters will return to a live format for this year’s tournament. The 2021 Poker Masters is scheduled to start this Monday, September 7, and run through September 18. The 12-event… Read more »
Wiktor Malinowski Wins 2021 Super High Roller Bowl Europe
When you defeat 40 players in a poker tournament, you don’t normally expect to win $3,690,000, but not every tournament is the Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) Europe. On Wednesday, Wiktor “Limitless” Malinowski, a high stakes cash game specialist, finished off the six-handed final table for by far the most lucrative live tournament win of… Read more »
PokerStars to Hold Simultaneous COOP Series in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey
The PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) is currently underway, but that does little good for players in the United States, who cannot play on the dot com version of the poker room. Good news, though, as Stars just announced that its sites in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey will all have “COOPs” of… Read more »
World Series of Poker to Require COVID Vaccination PROOF For Entry
In a stunning move this morning, Caesars Entertainment and World Series of Poker officials took a monumental step for their upcoming tournament series. All people who enter WSOP tournaments will be required to show that they have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. This new requirement will extend to the personnel working the event, including… Read more »
The Streak is Over: Tom Dwan Defeats Phil Hellmuth in Latest “High Stakes Duel III”
It had to happen at some point. After defeating some of the toughest players in the game – and an amateur who took his shot – Phil Hellmuth’s streak in the made for streaming poker show High Stakes Duel ended. In the resumption of High Stakes Duel III, poker professional Tom Dwan was able to… Read more »
Phil Galfond Wins $370,000 as Brandon Adams Concedes Latest Heads-Up Challenge
That didn’t last long Phil Galfond is now four-for-four in his “Galfond Challenges” after his latest opponent, Brandon Adams, conceded the match on Monday to the RunItOnce poker room founder. Galfond was $270,000 ahead – he keeps that money – and won a $100,000 from Adams. The plan was to play 10,000 hands of $100/$200… Read more »
Another World Poker Tour Event Bites the Dust Because of COVID-19
The hits keep coming The second summer of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the poker world. On Thursday, the Maryland Live! Casino announced that it has postponed its World Poker Tour stop, scheduled for September 15 through September 28. The Main Event was to be September 24 through the end of the festival. In… Read more »
Pennsylvania Online Gaming Pulls in Over $100 Million in July
It may have taken some time to get off the ground, but the online gaming industry in Pennsylvania is finally beginning to hit its stride. In July 2021, the burgeoning online casinos in the Keystone State cracked the $100 million mark in revenues. Leading the way were online slots and table games, with online poker… Read more »
Kristen Bicknell and partypoker End Sponsorship Deal
There was a day when poker sponsorships were handed out like coupons for a free ice cream cone at Dairy Queen. These deals usually encompassed the online poker rooms paying for a player’s buy-ins to tournaments, with the player holding up their end of the deal by “patching up” in wearing the logo of the… Read more »
33-Year-Old Poker Pro Matt Marafioti Found Dead by Apparent Suicide
Marafioti’s troubles were known for years Tragedy has struck the poker community as law enforcement has confirmed the death of poker pro Matt Marafioti in an apparent suicide. Marafioti, 33, leaves behind a one-year-old son. Marafioti was of the generation who rose to prominence during the poker boom and around Black Friday. The Toronto-native won… Read more »
Harrah’s New Orleans Patrons Must Furnish Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination, Per City Order
Get vaccinated or stay home On Monday, August 16, Harrah’s New Orleans casino becomes what is believed to be the first casino in the United States to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test for entry. The decision comes not from casino operator Caesars Entertainment, but from the City of New Orleans itself.… Read more »
WSOP Clarifies Rule 115, No Automatic DQ for Simple Contact
Earlier this week, Caesars Entertainment and World Series of Poker officials ignited a storm of controversy. By simply introducing one new rule into their books for the 2021 competition beginning in September, the WSOP seemed to shoot themselves in the foot with the only contingent that could come to this year’s event, the U. S.… Read more »
PokerStars Releases Complete 2021 World Championship of Online Poker Schedule
20th anniversary for online poker’s highlight series PokerStars has announced the complete schedule for the 2021 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), the 20th running of the granddaddy of all online poker tournament series. Running August 22 to September 15, the 2021 WCOOP will have 102 events and $100 million in guaranteed prize pools. Through… Read more »
Bally’s Corporation to Rebrand All but One Casino With Bally’s Name
Consistency across the board Bally’s Corporation plans to rebrand almost all of its casinos with the Bally’s name within the next year. Continuing a branding push since acquiring the Bally’s brand, the company’s president and CEO explained in an investors conference call on Monday that the decision is about increasing brand awareness. “In the next… Read more »
Florida Gaming Compact Approved by Interior, But Legal Challenges Await
After a long wait, the Florida Legislature, the office of Governor Ron DeSantis and the office of Seminole Tribe chair Marcellus Osceola, Jr., got the answer they were waiting for. The U. S. Department of the Interior, by taking no action against the compact signed in April, has given their consent to said compact. That… Read more »
Ali Imsirovic Takes Over Lead on Major POY Boards
With the return of tournament poker to the poker community, the different Player of the Year races have also sprung back to life. One thing has remained the same, however. The different “High Roller” events have made for an unbalanced leaderboard, as evidenced by high roller regular Ali Imsirovic’s ascension to the top of both… Read more »
Phil Hellmuth to Face Tom Dwan on High Stakes Duel
Fans have been waiting for this PokerGO has announced that the next matchup in its young, but increasingly popular High Stakes Duel series will be the undefeated Phil Hellmuth versus Tom Dwan. The contest will take place on August 25 at 8:00pm ET at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. The above image my look… Read more »
WPT bestbet Scramble Postponed Because of COVID-19 Surge in Florida
No-go for now, hopefully not for good It’s happening again. On Monday, the bestbet Jacksonville casino announced that it has postponed the World Poker Tour (WPT) bestbet Scramble because of yet another strong wave of the COVID-19 virus. The Main Event was originally scheduled for August 27-31, while the entire festival was to begin next… Read more »
Phil Hellmuth Continues Heads Up Rampage, Defeats Nick Wright in “High Stakes Duel III”
If it were arguably anyone else, the poker world would be utterly amazed. Since it is 15-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and Poker Hall of Famer Phil Hellmuth, however, people seem to continue to gloss over his heads-up dominance. Hellmuth continued to demonstrate his skill in that particular discipline on Wednesday, defeating FS1… Read more »
Dapo Ajayi Wins 2021 WPT Choctaw Main Event
Dapo Ajayi had come painfully close to winning multiple big tourneys in his poker career, but always fell short. That all changed on Tuesday when he won the World Poker Tour Choctaw Main Event for his first WPT title, collecting $558,610 for his efforts. “It’s difficult to articulate. It’s been a really interesting week. I… Read more »
Will the 2021 WSOP Be Held? Likely, But…
After the debacle that was the 2020 “World Series of Poker” (first held online then having a “Main Event” in a half-assed live manner), EVERYONE has to be happy that the 2021 event is making its comeback. Earlier this year Caesars Entertainment, WSOP officials and the poker world breathed a sigh of relief that the… Read more »