The CAD $3,500 buy-in, CAD $1.5 million GTD World Poker Tour (WPT) Playground Championship kicked off on Thursday with Day 1a action. The first of three starting flights attracted 143 runners to the Montreal poker mecca, and after 10 levels of play just 44 remained with Giuseppe Corapi and their stack of 401,000 leading the way. Some others to bag big were Zak Vankeuren (370,500) and Tommy Nguyen (342,500), while Rayan Chamas (177,000), Mark Bailey (172,000), Jeremy Platt (87,000), and Casey Yenta (57,500) all punched their ticket to Day 2.

Table Of Contents Unless you’re Allen Kessler, you’ve no doubt heard of Jeremy Renner, one of the most popular and successful actors in both television and film. He’s Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, had breakout roles in The Hurt Locker and Wind River, is a part of both the Mission: Impossible and Jason Bourne franchises, and is The Mayor of Kingstown. Last weekend, the thespian took on a new role as host of a celebrity charity poker event in Las Vegas.

Table Of Contents The CAD $3,500 buy-in, CAD $1.5 million GTD World Poker Tour (WPT) Playground Championship kicked off on Thursday and is the culmination of an already successful festival at Montreal’s premier poker hotspot. For instance, from October 14-21, the CAD $590 buy-in, CAD $400K GTD WPT 500 Playground took place attracting 1,598 entrants over six starting flights. That nearly doubled the guarantee by creating a CAD $799,000 prize pool.

Table Of Contents The World Series of Poker Circuit is headed to the Windy City on November 7 for the WSOP Circuit Grand Victoria. The event is hosted by the Grand Victoria Casino, a riverboat casino posted up on the banks of the Fox River just outside Chicago. The WSOPC Grand Victoria will run until November 26. During that time, as the waters of the Fox wend their way past the paddle wheels, poker players will be floating streets and betting the river in a series of 19 poker tournaments.

Table Of Contents The World Poker Tour (WPT) is back at Montreal’s Playground! The WPT Playground festival started back on October 24, but today the CAD $3,500 buy-in WPT Playground Championship, which offers a guarantee of CAD $1.5 million, officially kicked off. Some familiar faces were in action from the start including Griffin Benger, Chanracy Khun, Eric Afriat, Mark Bailey, Daniel Gagne, and four-time WPT champ Darren Elias. You can follow live updates from the WPT Playground Championship here.

For over a month, a special giveaway was held between the PokerNews Podcast and Life Outside Poker with Connor Richards. Over the course of six episodes, code words were dispersed that spelled out a code phrase – NAPT Ladies Event Champ Kyna Cool – and last weekend listeners had the chance to submit that phrase for a chance to win a $10,000 Gold Pass to the upcoming PokerStars NAPT Las Vegas at Resorts World from Nov.

Table Of Contents The Mediterranean Poker Party (MPP) is returning to the all-inclusive Merit Royal Diamond Hotel and Spa in Northern Cyprus in May and bringing with it a bustling schedule that includes a $5 million guaranteed Main Event. May 2-12, 2025, are the date for your calendars. The 2025 edition of the MPP may be seven months away, but it’s never a bad idea to plan ahead for what will be an incredible 11 days of hot poker action in the Cyprus sun.

Table Of Contents PokerNews has learned that Cory Zeidman, a longtime poker player, will plead guilty to his role in a $25 million sports betting fraud case. The Floridian was arrested in May 2022 and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. He initially entered a not guilty plea in the United States District Court Eastern District of New York. Poker Player to Plead Guilty Zeidman, a 2012 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, vehemently denied any wrongdoing at the time.

Table Of Contents The exciting PokerGO Tour (PGT)PLO Series II inside PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas has wrapped up and saw Ben Tollerene winning the $25,200 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha Championship for $496,000 and his second PGT title in a month. The Omaha specialist’s victory over Finland’s Samuli Sipila locked up the overall series race for Matthew Wantman, who had six series cashes, including a victory in Event #3: $5,100 Pot-Limit Omaha for $178,250.

Table Of Contents Among the eight nominees for the Women in Poker Hall of Fame is Jamie Kerstetter, whose twenty-year career in poker has seen her try her hand at just about everything. Originally an online cash game grinder and now an experienced poker commentator, Kerstetter also works as Marketing Manager for WPT Gold but showed this year she still has the poker skills when required, coming within touching distance of a maiden WSOP bracelet.

Table Of Contents PokerNews last week gave you an outline of what to expect from the upcoming Stars Season at PokerStars. Now, we can show you the exciting schedule to take you through to October’s end. The first eight of 30 planned Stars Season episodes take place between October 27-31, including a $1 million guaranteed progressive knockout edition of the ever-popular Sunday Million. Stars Season shuffles up and deals at 3:05 p.

Table Of Contents Grinders have been waiting for news about the 2024 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Grand Final sincethe dates were announced at the start of the year. PokerNews is delighted to announce that the wait is over, as Grosvenor Casinos has released the full schedule for the upcoming 2024 GUKPT Grand Final. Traditionally, the GUKPT Grand Final takes place at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London, otherwise known as The Vic.

Table Of Contents Reigning WSOP Online Michigan (formerly WSOP.com) Player of the Year Kevin “GR4ND_THEFT” Ruscitti has been suspended from the poker site in the wake of real-time assistance (RTA) allegations against him, which he denied to PokerNews. Ruscitti won his first bracelet this weekend in the online $500 No-Limit Hold’em PKO as he defeated 2022 GPI Female Player of the YearCherish Andrews. Days later, the multi-World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) ring winner and 2023 WSOP MI POY learned that his account had been suspended after fellow Michigan poker players “accused me of using RTA.

Table Of Contents Ian Cohen has cashed more than 60 events at the Harrah’s Pompano Beach property going back to 2016, back into the time when the property was still called The Isle. However, of all the days he has spent in Pompano Beach pushing chips and raking pots, Monday, October 22 is the day Cohen is most likely to remember. This was the day he won his first World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) ring, taking down the WSOPC Harrahs Pompano Beach $1,700 Main Event for $193,100, by far his biggest score yet.

Table Of Contents Voting is open for the Women in Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2024, and all eight nominees are worthy of a place. Since its founding in 2008, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame has inducted 25 exceptionally talented and dedicated women who have shone as poker players, had a lasting impact on the poker industry, or both. Invited Media and Industry voting panel members each get 10 votes, which they can cast on one candidate or split their votes among several.

Table Of Contents PokerNews is delighted to announce StakeKings as our official staking partner. Pairing the world’s premier poker news website with the industry’s best poker staking was a logical step, and both parties are excited to see where the partnership heads. Who are StakeKings? StakeKings is the number one poker staking company. It offers a platform for individuals to invest in poker players by purchasing stakes in their tournament entries.

Table Of Contents The KO Games festival kicked off online at 888poker this weekend, and seven champions have already been decided. Brazil’s “Lavoisier” helped themselves to a sizeable $17,073 score on the series’ opening weekend, claiming the $150,000 Opening Event title, denying their fellow Brazilian and 888poker Stream Team member Leo “KaizenStyle” Jokura in the process. The $215 buy-in event drew 582 entrants. You don’t need to be a mathematician to see that this attendance resulted in a $33,600 overlay on the $150,000 guarantee.

Table Of Contents The PokerStarsNorth American Poker Tour (NAPT) returns to Resorts World Las Vegas next month, and there have been dozens of opportunities to win seats into the $5,300 buy-in Main Event. Those opportunities included a Gold Pass giveaway on the PokerNews Podcast and Life Outside Poker podcast that saw Luis Rivera winning the $10,300 package to Las Vegas. Check out the winner reveal on the latest episode of the PokerNews Podcast.

Table Of Contents Phil Hellmuth made his Season 13 debut on High Stakes Poker Monday night, and the game wasn’t kind to the Poker Hall of Famer. The 17-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner would correctly call his opponent’s bluff in one hand, but still lose the pot. Jennifer Tilly is also worthy of headlines for her play, especially one hand in which she engaged in an aces versus kings versus kings situation.

Table Of Contents The PokerGO Tour (PGT) continues inside PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas with a Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) series running Oct. 14-22. The PGT PLO Series II, sponsored by PLO Mastermind, culminates with today’s $25,200 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha Championship, which got underway on Monday at 1 p.m. local time. The series has already seen some of poker’s biggest and most accomplished names winning PokerGO titles, such as Daniel Negreanu, who last night defeatedAlex Foxen in Event #6 - $10,100 Pot-Limit Omaha for $265,200.

Table Of Contents Albania may not be the first country you link to high-stakes Pot-Limit Omaha action, but it will be once the Diamond Poker Series PLO Grand Slam concludes in Titana, the Albanian capital. The Diamond Poker Series is throwing everything at the PLO Grand Slam to ensure it is a roaring success, including offering free travel and accommodation while guaranteeing over €3 million across the week-long PLO festival.

Table Of Contents After entering the final day of the 888poker LIVE Coventry series second in chips, Chris Da-Silva was not ready to let another big opportunity slip away in the £888 Main Event. The veteran English player was around the chip lead all day at Coventry Building Society Arena, finally defeating Mindaugas Kurlenskas heads up while denying his opponent some history to finish an exciting 11 days of poker action.

Table Of Contents A staggering 456 high rollers came out to compete in the $10,300 EPT High Roller at the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus, but in the end, one man stood head and shoulders above the rest. Ryan Mandara dominated the final table, clinching the $709,285 top prize after making a heads-up deal with Poland’s Sebastian Malec. Inside the luxurious Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, Mandara added the stunning PokerStars trophy to his collection in dazzling fashion.

Table Of Contents The $10,200 No-Limit Hold’em was one of the final opportunities to win a trophy at the PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus, and nobody wanted it more than Mikalai Vaskaboinikau. Vaskaboinikau has been on a heater this year, taking down a Triton event for $4,737,000 in May worth more than half of his total live tournament winnings. Here at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, the hot run continued.

Table Of Contents Daniel Negreanu capped off a dominant final table performance in the PokerGO Tour $10,100 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha tournament on Sunday with a victory and $265,200. The GGPoker ambassador defeated Alex Foxen heads-up to finish off the tournament. He beat a field of 104 entrants to claim the largest share of a $1,040,000 prize pool at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. Negreanu Wins Again Winning high rollers is never easy even for the best in the world.

Table Of Contents In the world of poker, where superstition is rife and the saying “bad things come in threes” often holds true, Oliver Weis stands out as an exception. The German player, known as “sk2ll_m0dR” and a big winner in online poker circles, began an impressive 2024 with a victory in the €10,300 High Roller at EPT Paris, followed by an online bracelet win in the $5,000 Short Deck Championship.

Table Of Contents The 2024 Norwegian Poker Championship took place recently in Norway with nearly 4,000 participants and ten new national champions crowned. There were plenty of notable Norwegian players present, including high-stakes pro Kayhan Mokri, 13-time WCOOP champion Tobias Leknes and former WCOOP POY Mikal Blomile, who took down a Deepstack event for 360,000 NOK (around $32963 USD). A total of 3,693 players participated in the series, making for over 11,500 entries across 29 tournaments.

Table Of Contents It’s been a long and intense week of poker, but the crown jewel of the 2024 European Poker Tour Cyprus is now within grasp as just six of the original 1,284 entrants remain in the $5,300 Main Event. Tomorrow, they will return to the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel and Spa and battle on the felt for the trophy, $1,030,000 first-place prize, and title of EPT Main Event Champion.

The PokerStars Big Game on Tour cash game show is coming back in 2025, and you — yes, you — have an opportunity to get in on the high-stakes action even if you can’t afford to play. PokerStars, as the online poker giant did one year ago, will be hosting three free qualifiers to find the next “Loose Cannon” (details on how to enter below). All qualifying tournaments take place at Resorts World in Las Vegas during the upcoming North American Poker Tour (NAPT) series, which runs Nov.

Table Of Contents There’s plenty of action coming up on Global Poker as the social poker site as multiple festivals running this fall, including the Grand Prix Turbo Series Austin Edition that kicked off today and the Eagle Cup VIII that will run Oct. 21-Nov. 10 and feature nearly a billion in Gold Coins guarantees and 2.3 million in Sweeps Coins guarantees. Before that, the Grand Prix Turbo Series Austin Edition will run through Oct.

Table Of Contents The countdown has begun for the second annual PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) stop at Resorts World in Las Vegas, and this year’s edition comes with $4 million in guarantees. Action begins on the Strip Nov. 1, and the series runs through Nov. 10. There will be many similarities to the 2023 festival at Resorts. But also plenty of new tournaments on the schedule, which you can view below.

Table Of Contents Whittled down from an initial field of 894 entries, Guo Liang Wei was the last man standing in the 40th event of the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus; the $3,000 Mystery Bounty. Among his rail in the auditorium of the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, Wei lifted his first PokerStars silver Spadie, as well as claiming the first place prize of $265,972. Just a week prior, Wei narrowly missed out on his first major title on the EPT circuit, finishing sixth in the $1,100 Eureka Main Event for $78,770.

Table Of Contents In an announcement during EPT Cyprus, PokerStars revealed a groundbreaking addition to its brand new poker series, the Women’s Winter Festival. Set to debut in London this November, the festival will feature the brand’s first-ever women-only £1,100 High Roller event, kicking off on November 21 at The Hippodrome. This Women’s Winter Festival was first introduced back in September at EPT Barcelona, where PokerStars outlined its vision to “encourage women to participate in live poker games with aspirational outcomes.

Table Of Contents Everyone knows that backing a player on StakeKings who goes on to profit in their chosen tournament yields money; that’s the very nature of staking. But did you know that the best stakers receive cash bonuses into their StakeKings account every month? The StakeKings leaderboard awards cash bonuses to the top 25 backers each month it runs. You receive one leaderboard point for every $1 you receive back in winnings, plus an additional 250 points for every package where you are the last person to buy out the package.

Table Of Contents In the scorching heat of Cyprus, PokerStars Ambassador Elias Gutierrez stayed cool to claim his second high roller title of the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus. Earlier in the week, at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, Gutierrez banked $417,570 for winning the $25,000 Super High Roller Warm Up. A few days later, he emerged victorious in the $25,000 Super High Roller Second Chance, pocketing $390,200 and another Spadie trophy.

Table Of Contents Dusk Till Dawn plays host to the PokerStars UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) from November 8-18, which features, among its many tournaments, a £1 million guaranteed UKIPT Nottingham Main Event. UKIPT Nottingham first featured back in 2010 during the tour’s debut season. The Nottingham leg has always proven popular despite a five-year hiatus between 2016 and 2021. Indeed, some of the largest top prizes the UKIPT has awarded have been in Nottingham’s Main Event.

Table Of Contents Federal investigators have a mountain of evidence against Dan Bilzerian’s father, Paul Bilzerian, and the cannabis company the poker player runs in a high-profile wire fraud case. Paul Bilzerian and Ignite International Brands, Ltd. were charged last month with defrauding the United States by allegedly falsifying who controls the business and misleading investors. PokerNews has obtained a 40-page complaint filed in the United States District Court Southern District of New York that lays out the evidence, which includes email exchanges and a timeline of the alleged illegal activity.

Table Of Contents The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) continues on into the fall and will festival at JACK Cleveland Casino in Ohio. The RGPS Cleveland stop, which gets underway on Halloween and runs through Nov. 11, will feature more than a dozen events and plenty of satellite opportunities. The stop will culminate with a $1,000 buy-in Main Event with a $400,000 guarantee attached. Additionally, the series will award a Golden Player of the Series, who will receive a $10,000 Gold Pass package to NAPT Las Vegas and a chance to win a spot in the PokerGO Dream Seat Invitational.

PokerStars ambassador and author Maria Konnikova won her first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet earlier this week. But the victory was surrounded by a bit of criticism from Norman Chad, who opposes unlimited reentry/rebuys. Chad was none too thrilled with Konnikova buying in four times en route to winning the $888 buy-in online poker tournament. Despite Chad’s comments, the popular poker ambassador does in fact own a gold WSOP bracelet.

PokerStars’ generosity is there for all to see during the upcoming Stars Season, with the online poker giant giving away thousands of dollars in tournament tickets between October 27 and December 1. Boosted guaranteed prize pools are expected, too, adding even more value to PokerStars tournament grinders’ schedules. The Season features dozens of multi-table tournaments across 30 Episodes, running from October 27 to December 1. Throughout the Stars Season, some $350,000 worth of tickets will be awarded, including a quarter of a million dollars worth via the popular Ticket Machine promotion.