Gossip, twitter, etc.
After being arrested in late 2018 on a variety of federal and state drug charges, poker professional Micah Raskin has pled guilty to a lesser federal charge of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and seen all state charges dropped. Although the plea bargain takes some of the more severe charges off the table, it is still… Read more »
Poker playing robots – more realistically, poker programs that utilize artificial intelligence, or AI, to make their decision – have been under development for the last 20 or so years. And with each ‘bot,’ they have gotten better at the game. Now comes the development that the AI that defeated four top professional poker players… Read more »
The poker world is mourning the loss of Gavin Smith today, who passed away unexpectedly in his sleep last night at the age of 50. Smith, a native of Guelph, Ontario, was one of the most formidable poker pros during the poker boom and was by far one of most loved, most popular players among… Read more »
After spending much of 2018 in a state of hibernation, the Poker Alliance – the Poker Central-owned entity that used to be the “Poker Players’ Alliance” – seems to have come to life at the start of 2019. The Poker Alliance has named an Advisory Board for the group, three top professionals who are well… Read more »
He was arguably one of the best players ever to come out of Europe and, in particular, England. He was at times incorrigible, unrestrained, crass and boorish while simultaneously being an enchanting personality, funny, endearing and entertaining. He was the late Poker Hall of Famer David ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott and a documentary on his life will… Read more »
Since everyone is breaking out the new calendars, that must mean that we have come upon 2019 and the New Year. It is also a time that people reflect on the year gone by and the year yet to come and try to make some plans. With that in mind, here’s three things that are… Read more »
This was written 14 years ago, circa this time of the year, as a way of letting people know that there is more to life than the world of poker. Sure, some of the names have become dated; some may even be, shall we say, despised. But rather than update the names, I’ve always left… Read more »
Despite writing for a poker site for nearly a decade and a half, I am not much of a gambler. I can’t say I have ever played three card poker in a casino and I know if I did, I would only place the most basic bets. It’s a good thing Harold M. of Lakewood,… Read more »
In a stunning reversal, a Kentucky appeals court has overturned what was the largest ever judgment against a company in the state’s history. In that ruling, the three-judge panel voted to release PokerStars, now the Stars Group, from the $870 million judgement awarded by a trial court judge back in 2015. Largest Ever Decision in… Read more »
When my wife took her job at her current employer a bit over a year ago, she was required to sign a Non-Compete Agreement (NCA). It said something to the effect of disallowing her from accepting employment elsewhere in a similar role within a certain geographical area for a year after (and if) she departs… Read more »
It is over. The controversial prop bet between Rich Alati and Rory Young has ended ten days early. If you are thinking that it’s too bad for Alati that he made it two-thirds of the way through his 30-day term of pitch-black solitary confinement only to lose, you would be wrong. It was Young, the… Read more »
The world of poker woke up on Wednesday to the tremendously saddening news that one of the true legends of the game, Norwegian Thor Hansen, had passed away after battling cancer for several years. Hansen was 71 years old and passed at some point on the evening or morning of December 4 or December 5.… Read more »
According to several outlets, including James Guill at PokerUpdate, Tony Miles – the man who came up just short at this year’s World Series of Poker Championship Event final table – has picked up another impossible challenge: reality television. Yes, It Involves a Prop Bet… Miles, who earned $5 million by finishing second to John… Read more »
If you’ve been around gamblers for any length of time, one thing you will see is that they are willing to gamble on pretty much anything. If it isn’t cards, dice, sports or racing of some type, they will set up special bets – called proposition, or “prop” bets – to wile away the time… Read more »
The parent company of one of poker industry’s largest content sites, PokerNews.com, is in hot water as a number of American music labels have filed a lawsuit against it for copyright infringement. The lawsuit, initially made known to the public by TorrentFreak and confirmed by multiple media outlets, is seeking as much as $7 million… Read more »
If you enjoy partaking of the festivities in Las Vegas, it is the one book that you don’t want to find your name in. According to reports from journalist Richard Velotta of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, two new names have been added to the notorious “Black Book.” The new entrants will be forever banned from… Read more »
In the history of poker, there have been a plethora of instances where ethics haven’t been a part of the game. Look back at the early days, when sharps traveled up and down the Mississippi and worked the “rubes” with marked decks that allowed them to stack the deck. Fast forward to the days of… Read more »
The long running battle between the online behemoth PokerStars and 2016 World Series of Poker Championship Event runner-up Gordon Vayo has apparently reached its end. With a hearing looming, Vayo has voluntarily dropped his lawsuit against the online poker site, but PokerStars isn’t done yet with the battle. According to court documents, PokerStars will be… Read more »
There’s plenty that people can complain about PokerStars for – their rake increases, the way that they messed up the European Poker Tour (don’t get me started) and other things – but every once in awhile they do get a situation right. Such a time arose recently in a PokerStars promotion which saw a competition… Read more »
As much as the world of poker stays the same, there are always those that are looking for the next great innovation. This leads to the creation of new and different games, like “Short Deck Hold’em” that is currently sweeping the poker world, and the innovation of the “big blind ante” instead of everyone putting… Read more »
Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, a Sheldon Adelson ally and opponent of online poker, was defeated in his bid to become the next Governor of the Silver State, losing to Democrat Steve Sisolak on Tuesday night. Sisolak received 49.4 percent of the vote to Laxalt’s 45.3 percent. Laxalt is a RAWA Fan Nevada was the… Read more »
It may seem surprising but poker – and especially the World Series of Poker – hasn’t always been the cultural milestone that it is nowadays. Only a couple of decades ago, the world of poker and the people around it was still considered second-class citizens, at best. A new podcast from ESPN’s award winning “30… Read more »
Midterm elections in the States of America usually aren’t highly important. In most cases, the highest-ranking office that is up for election is the House of Representatives, unless a Senator is facing his constituents at the conclusion of his or her six-year term. In some states, however, there is a Governor’s race that is up… Read more »
In February of this year, poker professional Micah Raskin’s world came to a crashing halt when he was charged by Nassau County (NY) authorities of operating a major drug ring. Now the federal authorities are getting into the game, with Raskin facing more charges in a federal court along with his state charges. Earlier this… Read more »
Gambling legend and long-time Las Vegas gaming executive Bobby Baldwin will soon be out at MGM, according to an announcement from the company late last week. The 1978 World Series of Poker Main Event champion and four-time bracelet winner has been with the company or one that was later acquired by it for about three… Read more »
