The poker world found out about a month ago, but PokerStars officially announced on Wednesday that it is restricting the use of third party software tools starting Monday, March 4th. In a blog post, Severin Rasset started out by explaining the high-level reasoning for the policy changes: We all sit down at the table as… Read more »
Month: February 2019
Split Omaha Coming to PokerStars
Do you like novelty cash games from PokerStars? Because you are going to get another novelty cash game from PokerStars. The online poker room has made no mention of it and there is no set date that it will launch, but evidence in the latest PokerStars software update points to a new game called “Split… Read more »
Demo Kiriopoulos Wins WPT Fallsview Poker Classic Main Event
After a couple close calls, Demo Kiriopoulos finally nabbed his first major live tournament title on Monday, winning the World Poker Tour (WPT) Fallsview Poker Classic Main Event at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It must have been especially sweet for Kiriopoulos, as Fallsview is right in the Torontonian’s backyard, just… Read more »
Caesars, DraftKings Form Sports Betting Partnership
Daily fantasy sports leader DraftKings and global gambling giant Caesars Entertainment Corporation announced a multi-year agreement in which Caesars will allow DraftKings to piggyback on its online gaming licenses. Specifically, this has major implications in the sports betting world, as DraftKings will be able to get into states where Caesars has a brick-and-mortar presence and… Read more »
Georgia Senate Committee Passes Horse Racing Bills
In what might be a first for me in my nearly decade and a half here at Poker News Daily, I am writing about horse racing. I know nothing about horse racing beyond the “Let’s Go to the Races” VCR game that I played when I was a kid. But when I read that a… Read more »
2019 WSOP to Feature Nine Online Bracelet Events
Remember way back in 2015 when the World Series of Poker introduced its first online bracelet event and half the poker world was all like, “THE WSOP IS DEFILING THE PURITY OF POKER! IT WILL NEVER BE A REAL BRACELET!” They must think the WSOP is a downright mutant now, as this year, there will… Read more »
Final Table of $50K NLHE, Beginning of $100K Main Event Highlight U. S. Poker Open Finale
After eight events that has seen the United Kingdom’s Stephen Chidwick win two tournaments and Sean Winter attempt to keep pace with the Brit for the overall Player of the Series honors (and an extra $100,000), the second ever U. S. Poker Open will close this weekend. Wrapping up the festivities will be the conclusion… Read more »
ARIA’s “The Ivey Room” Gets a Name Change
The Bellagio has Bobby’s Room, the nosebleed-stakes poker room at the Bellagio named after Bobby Baldwin, the 1978 World Series of Poker Main Event champion. It is the place where most poker players dream of playing, though only an elite few (or rich businesspeople) will. In May 2010, just before the start of the WSOP,… Read more »
WPT to Air Old Episodes on New BitMovio Streaming Platform
The World Poker Tour (WPT) announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a partnership with BitMovio to have the video streaming service broadcast WPT Seasons XII and XIII. Those are not the current and/or future seasons; they were contested 2013 to 2015. Of course, you very well may be asking yourself, “What is BitMovio?”… Read more »
New Hampshire Lottery Sues Justice Department Over Wire Act
We knew there would be legal backlash against the U.S. Department of Justice for the Office of Legal Counsel’s revised opinion on the Wire Act and the first shoe to drop comes from New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Lottery Commission has filed a lawsuit against the DoJ and Attorney General William Barr, demanding that the… Read more »
PokerStars Making Changes to Stars Rewards Program
One of the things that tends to be important to hardcore online poker grinders and recreational players alike is a poker site’s rewards program. For the high volume players, rewards can add up to significant chunk of extra income, while rewards can make the poker experience more fun for recreational players, who have a goal… Read more »
Latest Twist in Borgata/Phil Ivey Lawsuit? Borgata Gains Right to Attack in Nevada
The saga regarding the lawsuit between the Borgata in Atlantic City and poker professional Phil Ivey has been one that has dragged out much longer than anyone figured. Now the Borgata is trying to put an end to the case, getting an assist from the judge in the New Jersey case to sign off on… Read more »
Lauren Roberts Makes History, Sean Winter Breaks Through at U. S. Poker Open
Although it may not seem like much since it has only been around a couple years, history was made this weekend at the “made for streaming” U. S. Poker Open on PokerGO. In one event, Lauren Roberts became the first woman to win an event at the USPO (yes, only its tenth tournament, but still… Read more »
Stephen Chidwick, Jordan Cristos Win Preliminary U. S. Poker Open Tournaments
Back for its second run despite less than stellar numbers from 2018, the “made for streaming” event known as the U. S. Poker Open has opened up play. Streaming over PokerGO, the first two events are in the books, with the numbers showing improvement as Stephen Chidwick and Jordan Cristos walked away with the gold.… Read more »
Online Poker Bill Introduced in New York Assembly
You can’t fault New York Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow for a lack of persistence. The biggest champion of online poker in that chamber of the state legislature has once again introduced a bill to legalize internet poker in the Empire State. Online poker has had some success in Albany, though it has obviously never been… Read more »
West Virginia Online Gambling Bill Introduced
Perhaps the new Wire Act opinion from the Department of Justice won’t slow down online gambling, after all. A bill was recently introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates that would legalize and regulate online gambling in the state. The West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act (H 2934) could end up permitting virtually any… Read more »
2019 WSOP Broadcast Schedule Announced
The 2019 World Series of Poker is still about three and a half months away, but Caesars is giving us the opportunity to set our DVRs early, as the broadcast schedule for the 50th anniversary WSOP has been released. Like last year, ESPN and Poker Central will be teaming up on the coverage. ESPN will… Read more »
WPTDeepStacks Teams with 888poker, Adds Two More Stops
On Monday, the World Poker Tour (WPT) announced a new partnership with 888poker which will result in two more events being added to this year’s WPTDeepStacks Europe schedule. The three year deal will see 888poker become a co-sponsor of events and run online qualifiers for them on its site. Malta will be the first new… Read more »
Acting Attorney General Tells Congress He Was Not Involved in Wire Act Opinion
During a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee regarding the special counsel investigation last week, Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was surprisingly asked a question about his involvement in January’s new opinion on the Wire Act issued by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). Whitaker denied any involvement. The opinion, as has… Read more »
Ramon Colillas, Rainer Kempe Take Early Player of the Year Leads
We are only about six weeks into 2019 and the two major Player of the Year races are underway. While one is celebrating a player, Ramon Colillas, who had a tremendous start to the tournament poker season, the other is rewarding a player, Rainer Kempe, who has built up several top finishes towards earning the… Read more »
World Poker Tour Announces Distribution Deal in U. K., Ireland with BT Sport
ade by the WPT is with BT Sport, one of the largest broadcast outlets in the U. K. Responsible for the channels BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 3 in the U. K. and Ireland, BT Sport will be broadcasting the Season XV (the most recent completed season) for its viewers. It… Read more »
Caesars Entertainment and Former Customer Settle 2017 WSOP Championship Event Lawsuit Out of Court
Ending a legal battle before it reached the courtroom Caesars Entertainment, the owners of the World Series of Poker, and a player who was ejected from the 2017 WSOP Championship Event have reached a settlement, with both sides keeping mum about the agreement. How Did We Get Here? Back in 2017, poker player Joseph Stiers… Read more »
High Roller Loses $3.8 Million Betting on Super Bowl LIII
Super Bowl LIII, which took place on Sunday in Atlanta, was terrible. Won by the New England Patriots, 13-3 over the Los Angeles Rams, it was an ugly battle between two of the league’s top four defenses. And no, unlike in baseball, where a pitcher’s duel can be a treat to watch, this defensive slugfest… Read more »
New Jersey, Pennsylvania Attorneys General Criticize DoJ for Wire Act Reversal
The Attorneys General of New Jersey and Pennsylvania – two of the four states that have legalized online poker – have written a letter to Acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein, protesting the recent new Wire Act opinion issued by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). In… Read more »
Lottery Trade Association Speaks Out Against New Wire Act Opinion
The North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL), a non-profit trade association of 52 lottery organizations in the United States and Canada, has responded to the Justice Department’s reversal of the 2011 Wire Act Opinion. As one might expect, the response is not a positive one, as NASPL believes the reinterpretation “creates a… Read more »