The summer of sport is here, and the excitement is palpable at WPT Global. In the spirit of competition, the platform has launched the all-new WPT Global Games. From July 26 to August 11, players can earn points by participating in five diverse online gaming activities. The Grand Prize? A $12,400 Passport to the 2024 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas this December. The Ultimate Online Pentathlon Forget about swimming, running, or fencing; this online pentathlon brings the action to your screen.

It won’t be soon, and it might not even be all that likely, but actor Matt Damon says he’s interested in a Rounders sequel. The co-star of the iconic 1998 poker film appeared on the Rich Eisen Show, and the host, sportscaster Rich Eisen, asked him if anyone comes to him “with sequel ideas.” And the answer should excite some poker fans. “The one that we’ve been talking about for years, and I just saw Edward Norton a few weeks ago, all of us want to do it is a second Rounders movie, because so much has happened in that poker world in the last 25 years.

Wednesday’s No Gamble No Future, a cash game show on PokerGO, featured one of the most memorable Phil Hellmuth blowups ever. The “Poker Brat” was not on his best behavior during the $200/$400 no-limit hold’em game, and he lost a bunch of money. He was joined by an entertaining table that included Hustler Casino Live co-owner Ryan Feldman, Nik Airball, Alan Keating, Jean-Robert Bellande, Matt Hanks, and Humboldt Mike. And the game was every bit as juicy as you might have expected from that lineup.

Joey Ingram is a well-known poker player and personality who has been a significant figure in the poker community for years. Known for his expertise in Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO), Ingram has recently turned his attention to No-Limit Hold’em, discovering new dimensions of the game and sharing his insights on how poker training and resources have evolved. Speaking with PokerNews, Ingram shared his thoughts on the current state of poker, his journey into Hold’em, and his new and exciting collaboration with GTO Wizard.

The dust has settled for good on the 2024 World Series of Poker as the results are in from the last few online bracelet events. Some players managed to use the dying moments of the summer to salvage an otherwise inconspicuous set of results over the past two months while others built on earlier successes to finish at a high point. Mizrachi Makes it Six Bracelets to Move Back Past Brother It has been five years since Michael Mizrachi won his fifth bracelet in a $1,500 Seven Card Stud event at the 2019 WSOP.

The first stop of the new World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) season wrapped up this week with WSOP Choctaw, a series in Oklahoma consisting of 20 ring events that generated over $3.2 million in prize money. The series, which ran July 17-28, culminated with two-time bracelet winner Justin Lapka taking home $252,282 and his third Circuit ring after denying runner-up Gregg Merkow a third ring of his own. You can read all about Lapka’s WSOPC Choctaw victory here.

The upcoming month of the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) schedule begins on one end of the country and concludes on the other. Circuit action for the 2024-2025 season kicked off in Durant, Oklahoma at Choctaw Casino & Resort earlier this month, just after the World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet series in Las Vegas wrapped. Justin Lapka won the $1,700 buy-in Main Event for $252,282, beating out 1,017 players.

What should Allen Kessler do with the $1.2 million slot machine jackpot he hit Monday night? Celebrate and spend it, of course. But the real answer isn’t as simple as it may seem, at least to those who aren’t regular slot players. In our most recent edition of The Muck, we discussed the poker community’s reaction to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event solver controversy. We’re shifting gears a bit to see what the poker world has to say about a financial issue.

Allen Kessler pulled off a jaw-dropping $1.2 million win on the Buffalo Aristocrat slot machine in at Thunder Valley Resort & Casino in Northern California late Monday night, and you can bet it’s a “Chainsaw Approved” triumph! Kessler, who detailed his win in a video, revealed that he had been playing the Aristocrat slot machine for an intense 12-hour stretch. Throughout this marathon session, he was betting $125 per spin buying bonuses and had a remaining balance of $2,458 when the jackpot struck.

Claudio Elizalde had more than just the 2024 World Series of Poker on his mind when he made it to the sunny and sweltering Las Vegas in late May. He had prototypes for a deck named ‘Hold’em For Dear Life’ that he designed to take poker up a notch. The Global Poker Streamer and PokerNews Live Reporter hoped his design stayed true to the spirit of No-Limit Texas Hold’em while making it a more social and interactive experience.

Pat Donohue is on Cloud Nine today after padding his bankroll with £75,100, the largest cash of his poker career. Donohue collected that colossal sum after coming out on top of a 200-strong field in the £1,500 High Roller event at the Grosvenor Poker Goliath series in Coventry. The 200 entrants created a £259,200 prize pool that the top 20 finishers shared. The 2023 PokerNews Cup champion Johnny Kelly was among the in-the-money finishers, as were Rob Boon, Ben Margedze, and final table bubble boy Ravi Sheth.

Few players are more associated with the first online poker boom than Tom “Durrrr” Dwan. Through his domination of the online heads up scene and his iconic appearances on the original High Stakes Poker, Dwan became one of the most successful players at the poker table and one of the most recognizable away from it. Last week, Dwan joined David Tuchman in 888poker’s Chevy Tahoe for another episode of the 888Ride interview series on Youtube.

One down, (at least) 17 more to go! The first stop on the highly-anticipated 2024/25 WSOP Circuit season has crowned its Main Event champion, with Justin Lapka winning his third WSOP Circuit Ring in Choctaw. Lapka topped a 1,017-player field and defeated Gregg Merkow heads-up to win $252,282 and a seat for the 2025 WSOP Tournament of Champions. Lapka came into the final day fifth in chips but worked his way back into the mix to clinch his first live piece of WSOP hardware after two online bracelets and two online WSOPC rings.

Though his recorded live tournament results date all the way back to 2008, Lebanon’s Walid Bou Habib doesn’t consider himself a professional poker player. He prefers to play select events at familiar venues, and his time at Merit Poker continues to be fruitful after adding another victory in the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series. Habib came into the added Day 3 second in chips, navigating his way through a field of 193 entries to reach the final table of the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup.

Sticking true to tradition, the $600 Hendon Mob Mid-Major Championship at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort has come to its conclusion after the final eight players have agreed to a true ICM chop for the second year in a row. 12 months after Jagdeep Bal took down the inaugural event, NorCal local Elias Travis is taking home the lion’s share. He was awarded $79,024 for his efforts, along with the coveted Hendon Mob trophy, RGPS ring, and entry into the Dream Seat Invitational.

The $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event final table has a different dynamic this week thanks to the $10,000 jackpot bounty still being in play with only eight players remaining. The $10,000 bounty is usually won before the eight-handed final table is set, but not this time. Some 975 players flocked to 888poker for this week’s event, leaving a slight overlay on the $100,000 guarantee. Two players bagged $3,000 bounties before crashing out: “4KLOVER4ME” and “BYLIA,” who fell in 130th and 108th yet still won more money than some of the finalists!

The GOAT VI series is in full swing on Global Poker, and some notable winners have already been crowned in the latest social poker festival. The GOAT VI series kicked off on July 15 and will run through August 4 as Global Poker dishes out guarantees of Gold Coins (GC) 965,000,000 and Sweeps Coins (SC) 2,230,000. The series includes both GC and SC leaderboards and will see the top players in both gameplay types respectively winning entry into the Gold Coin GPC Season Final ‘24–’25 and the live Las Vegas Sweeps Coin GPC Season Final ‘24–’25.

Season 13 of High Stakes Poker got underway Monday on PokerGO with one of the more entertaining openers we’ve ever seen from the iconic poker cash game show. There were a couple of popular mainstream poker players at the table — Andrew Robl and Jennifer Tilly. Dr. Sean Dempsey, Japanese poker vlogger Masato Yokosawa, Justin Gavri, and Bo Brownstein would join in on the $200/$400 ($400 big blind ante) no-limit hold’em game.

Live poker players in Ontario are in luck because the largest tournament up the year is upon us. In partnership with Pokerstars Ontario, the CNE Casino is holding a No-Limit Hold’em with a maximum prize pool of $320,000. This 40-day poker event by the CNE is presented by PokerStars Ontario this year and serves as a flagship event for the temporary casino.The CNE Casino can be found in the northeast corner of the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto.

With the summer poker season wrapped up in Las Vegas, the results are in for the crossbook between Landon Tice and Jeremy Becker. The bet began on May 28 and lasted nearly two months, ending on July 18. As reported by Poker.Org, Becker was the victor by a margin of $71,742 despite both players ending in the red for five-figure sums. What is a Crossbook? The bet was a 100% crossbook across a minimum of 25 events this summer, both at the World Series of Poker and other festivals, with buy-ins of $10,000 or under.

The 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) International Circuit Tallinn festival concluded over the weekend with the crowning of the €1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event champion. Lithuania’s Aurimas Stanevicius is that champion and the recipient of a coveted gold WSOPC ring and a career-best €167,900 prize. A field of 812 entrants ensured the €1,000,000 guarantee was met and then surpassed, with €1,052,352 awarded to those lucky and skillful enough to navigate their way into the money places.

PokerStars released a video on Wednesday which gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Parker “Tonkaaaa” Talbot’s biggest career cash. The video covers his run in the EPT Paris €2,200 FPS High Roller, where he fired two bullets before eventually making it to second place and taking home a check for €334,180 ($363,700). To watch the full breakdown and hear Talbot’s account of the event in detail, check out the full video below.

The Grosvenor G Casino in Coventry is full to capacity, with hundreds of poker players competing in the 2024 edition of the Goliath. While the lure of a potential £1.5 million prize pool for a £200 entry is tempting, there is more to the Goliath’s series than that event. Several side events are taking place, and one, the £1,100 GUKPT Main Event, wrapped up over the weekend. Some 632 players bought into the £1,100 GUKPT Main Event and created a £667,400 prize pool that the top 74 finishers shared.

The Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series celebrates the notion of the “good life,” of warm, sunny days and carefree relaxation. And life was certainly good for Danesh Zargaran on the final day of the $1,100 IPO Master. Zargaran began the day as chip leader and went wire-to-wire at the final table, defeating Candido Cappiello in a short heads-up match to cap off a dominating run throughout the tournament and win the $146,600 top prize.

Season 12 of High Stakes Poker, which ended in May, featured the largest pot in the iconic poker show’s history, leaving viewers excited to see what’s in store for Season 13. The wait is almost over as the new season on PokerGO kicks off July 29 at 5:00 p.m. PT, with new episodes airing each Monday. Producer and Poker Hall of Famer Mori Eskandani anticipates big things this coming season.

It’s back! After The Big Game on Tour returned to your screens earlier this year, the second installment of five episodes got underway this weekend and we’re here to tell you about everything you missed from the first episode. The players in the second five-episode run of The Big Game on Tour are: 1. Meet the NEW Loose Cannon Move aside Nikki Limo, it’s Lily Newhouse’s turn as the Loose Cannon.

Poker champ Jamie Gold and actor Rob Riggle teamed up at Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles Wednesday night for a charity poker event to help raise money for special needs children. The 12th annual Variety Poker and Casino Night sponsored by Commerce Casino was a huge success. Hundreds of celebrities and poker players showed up for a charity poker tournament, silent auction, food, drinks, and most importantly, to raise money for Variety - The Children’s Charity of Southern California, a nonprofit that helps provide funding, healthcare, and mobility for special needs children.

The 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) shattered records and exceeded expectations, marking a spectacular chapter for the global poker community. With a jaw-dropping rise in entries and a record-breaking total in funds collected, this year’s event has truly redefined what’s possible at the WSOP. Highlights include unprecedented participation numbers, a significant leap in total funds, and standout individual performances. Join PokerNews as we explore the details of this historic poker series.

In news that will make anyone who followed poker in the 2000s feel old, Daniel Negreanu turned 50 years old on Friday. The poker legend known as “Kid Poker” for the past quarter century can probably go ahead and retire that moniker. He’s now officially eligible to compete in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Seniors event next summer. And at some restaurants, he qualifies for a senior discount, provided they offer vegan options of course.

From June 17 to July 7, Global Poker and PokerNews teamed up to present the Global Poker x PokerNews Cup. The Global Poker x PokerNews Cup series is just one of Global Poker’s flagship series (others include the upcoming GOAT festival, the Rattlesnake Open, and the Grizzly Games). It featured all manner of events including mystery bounties, progressive knock-outs, turbos, and deepstack events. One of the highlights of the schedule was was the multiday Global Poker X PokerNews Cup Sweep Coins 100,000 Freeroll Finale.

The luxurious Casino Barcelona will be packed to the rafters from August 26 until September 8 thanks to the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona festival taking place. But did you know that the casino will also be full of poker players in the couple of weeks prior to EPT Barcelona? Why is this the case? Because theCampeonato Espana de Poker is in town. Barcelona is a hotbed for Spanish poker and the Campeonato Espana de Poker (CEP) is one of the country’s most popular series.

The life of a poker player is full of ups and downs; it’s the nature of the beast and Brad Owen’s army of followers get to ride that rollercoaster without having to step foot in a poker room because the vlogger documents his wins and losses at the tables. Unfortunately for Owen and his loyal fans, the rollercoaster took a long nosedive in his latest video. Shortly after winning $25,000 playing cash games in Bobby’s Room, Owen stated that he wouldn’t be playing poker for a while because he would become a father in the next couple of days.

A new episode of the Poker in the Ears podcast, hosted by PokerStars ambassadors James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton, has landed. And the affable duo are joined by the spade brand’s latest acquisition, Belgian poker pro Kenny Hallaert, as well as recapping the big hands and stories from ‘The Big Game on Tour’ which returns to TV screens on Friday, July 26 on FS1 before its wider release on the PokerStars YouTube Channels.

Poker players hoping for a chance to win a seat in the 2024 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas are in luck. Thanks to the WPT Global Summer Festival series taking place July 28-August 18, there are a few opportunities to do so. The online festival, which PokerNews highlighted here, is headlined by the $3,500 buy-in WPT Championship, which runs August 11-18. The event has a $1 million prize pool, with a WPT World Championship seat being the cherry on top.

He’s the $10 million dollar man. Instead of a week of celebrating, relaxing and settling into life as poker’s newest world champion, Jonathan Tamayo has had to deal with cheating allegations and accusations of using solvers in the middle of the Main Event final table. Now, Tamayo has spoken out. In an interview with award-winning podcast The Chip Race, he addressed the concerns of the poker public and said that he would go along with any change in rules to prevent players in the future using solvers on the rail.

In a recent interview with PokerNews, Alex Scott, President of WPT Global, and John Andress, Head of Game Integrity at A5 Labs, shared insights into how their collaboration helps maintain the integrity of online poker games. They discussed the structure and functions of their security team, the technologies they used, and their proactive approach to detecting and preventing cheating. Throughout the conversation, WPT Global and A5 Labs detailed how they collaborate to create a secure and fair gaming environment on the platform.