Allen Kessler loves slot machines, casino comps, and meat cooked to a hockey puck-like texture. But Formula 1 racing in his hometown? He’ll pass. The second annual Las Vegas Grand Prix takes place on Saturday and will be televised at 10 p.m. PT on ESPN. Friday’s qualifying session begins at the same time over on ESPN2. Poker Player Doesn’t Dig Formula 1 Racing One person who will not be watching the festivities on TV or on the Strip is “The Chainsaw,” who won a $1.

Table Of Contents It’s the second day of action at the PokerStars Women’s Winter Festival at the Hippodrome Casino in central London, and while the first champion has already crowned, with Charlie Waters taking down the High Roller title, there are plenty of other women in action for Day 1b of the Main Event. The festival has attracted a diverse group of talented women, each with their own unique stories and backgrounds.

New York’s Nan Min is heading to Las Vegas after winning a Golden Passport into the ClubWPT Gold $5M Invitational Freeroll thanks to Jamie Kerstetter’s social media giveaway. The event, the largest freeroll in poker history, will take place during the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. Min, a trained research scientist with a PhD in molecular neurobiology, serves as vice president of Pocket Queens, a nonprofit that helps women get into poker.

Table Of Contents London’s Hippodrome Casino kicked off the inaugural Women’s Winter Festival, sponsored by PokerStars, with the fast-paced one-day event; the £1,100 Women’s High Roller. A total of 27 entries were made, generating a prize pool of £25,920. Of this five-figure sum, the lion’s share landed in the hands of eventual winner Charlie Waters who claimed the trophy, title and £10,020 for her first-place finish. After a nearly 14-hour-long grind, Waters was happy to sum up her win in three simple words:

The eyes in the sky and a poker player’s attention to detail led to a poker dealer at JACK Cleveland Casino being fired and indicted for allegedly stealing chips out of cash game pots. Jason Saliba, a 51-year-old Ohio resident, was indicted on 14 casino gaming law violations, a fifth degree felony. He also faces a misdemeanor theft charge. Saliba was indicted Oct. 28 and paid a $2,500 bond. A pretrial status conference has been set for 9 a.

Table Of Contents The poker pro defeated the amateur in a showdown in the 2024 Celebrity Poker Tour Championship between Maria Ho and Impractical Jokers star Brian Quinn as the acclaimed poker comentator won $50,000, the championship belt and her second CPT title. More than 60 celebrities — ranging from retired professional athletes Mike Bibby, Mario Chalmers and Adrian Peterson to influencers Bryce Hall, Tana Mongeau and Vegas Matt and content creators Ninja, Ethan Klein and Sketch — competed in Wednesday night’s championship event inside PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas.

The ClubWPT Gold $5 Million Invitational Freeroll at Wynn Las Vegas will be the largest free-entry poker tournament ever. But, wait, there’s more. A World Poker Tour (WPT) press release on Thursday revealed an extra incentive with another $750,000 in cash and prizes added to the mix via a drawing, and everyone is eligible to enter, not just those who compete in the freeroll. Well, not everyone — but anyone who registers for ClubWPT Gold, the WPT’s new sweepstakes-based online poker platform, can enter.

Table Of Contents Earlier this week, the World Poker Tour (WPT) bestbet Scramble Championship hosted its $5,000 Main Event, a tournament that drew 361 entrants and awarded a $1,642,550 prize pool. Poker pro Nick Yunis emerged victorious to claim a $315,791 first-place prize and to etch his name on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions’ Cup, the first player from Chile to do so. The tournament proved to be an exciting affair as Eric Afriat made the final table as chip leader and was seeking a record-tying fourth WPT title (Darren Elias has held the record since 2018).

Table Of Contents Major changes are coming to Hustler Casino Live, starting with the launch of a 24/7 poker network on the Kick streaming service. High Stakes Poker Productions (HSPP), HCL’s production company, will debut the High Stakes Poker Network (HSPN) on Thursday. The launch will include round-the-clock Hustler Casino Live episodes, additional HSPP produced content, and a new monthly show — Stake Poker Night. Stake Poker Night will kick off Dec.

Table Of Contents The 2024 Bar Poker Open (BPO) Florida World Championship is shaping up to be an unforgettable experience. From December 5-9, nearly 1,000 players will gather at the Poker Room at PBKC in beautiful West Palm Beach for a five-day festival packed with camaraderie, competition, and incredible poker action. BPO Florida World Championship Full Schedule Date Time Buy-In Event GTD Dec 5 11 a.m. $300 Day 1A Monster $100,000 Dec 5 4 p.

Table Of Contents In a recent podcast, Alex Scott, President of WPT Global, outlined his vision for the platform’s future while addressing key challenges facing the online poker industry. Joined by John Andress, head of security solutions at A5 Labs, the duo provided insights to Mobius Poker into how WPT Global is enhancing player experience, ensuring game integrity, and differentiating itself in a competitive market. Combating Cheating with Advanced Technology One of the central topics was WPT Global’s approach to maintaining a fair and secure gaming environment.

Table Of Contents The second edition of the PokerNews Online Championships at 888poker is at the halfway stage, meaning it won’t be long until we discover the Mystery Bounty Mini Main and Main Event champions. Several Day 1s have been completed in both events, with more flights running up to and including November 25, when Day 2 shuffles up and deals. The Mystery Bounty Main Event is the biggest tournament on the PokerNews Online Championships schedule.

Table Of Contents The Olympic Park Casino and Hilton Tallinn Park Hotel is again hosting the Queens of Tallinn festival, with the 2024 edition running from November 28 through to December 1. The Queens of Tallinn festival is a celebration of women in poker, and continues OlyBet’s dedication to inclusiveness. In 2023, the Queens of Tallinn schedule featured seven events, including a €350 buy-in Main Event. Following its successful debut 12 months ago, the 2024 edition has grown to 11 tournaments, with the eagerly anticipated Main Event seeing its total buy-in reduced to a more affordable €250.

Big Deal for One Drop will take place at Resorts World Las Vegas this week in the middle of Formula 1 race week and will feature some of the biggest names in poker and entertainment. Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte is set to headline the $10,000 buy-in charity event alongside racing legends David Coulthard, Martin Brundle, Otmar Szafnaeur and Alex Wurz and F1 photographer Kim Illman and F1 artist Paul Oz.

Table Of Contents The ever-popular Hendon Mob Championship (THMC) returns to the hustle-bustle of London for the first time in five years, and it is going to be a blast. THMC London by Unibet DeepStack Open (USDO) calls Aspers Casino Westfield Stratford home from December 3-8, during which time 15 tournaments and satellite will pack out the vast poker room. If you can get down to Aspers by 1:00 p.m. GMT on December 3, you could find yourself playing in the THMC Main Event by USDO for free!

Table Of Contents At least €250,000 will be won in the Annual All-In Cup Main Event, an exciting tournament the iPoker Network is hosting. Paddy Power Poker is one of the flagship skins on the iPoker Network, so head there now if you want to be in with a chance of winning a slice of a €250,000 guaranteed prize pool. The AAC Championship Event rounds off the latest edition of the Annual All-In Cup, a series of mid-to-high stakes events at Paddy Power Poker and other iPoker Network sites.

Table Of Contents Hai Phong, Vietnam’s third-largest city, is set to be awash with poker players from far and wide this December thanks to the U Series of Poker (USOP) hosting its grand finale at the Pullman Grand Hotel. Now in its second season, the USOP has made significant strides in the Asian poker market, but this USOP Grand Finale is attracting attention from much farther afield. The USOP caters to poker lovers of all skill levels, from recreational players to elite-level superstars, while focusing on creating a party-like atmosphere and creating memorable poker experiences for everyone attending its events.

Table Of Contents Jared Bleznick took out Poker Hall of Famer Patrik Antonius for the second consecutive time on PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel 5, Tuesday’s match being worth $200,000. The sports cards hobbyist once again finished off his opponent in no-limit hold’em, the portion of the mixed game he supposedly is at a disadvantage. High Stakes Duel 5, for the first time, features a no-limit hold’em/pot-limit Omaha mixed cash game with rising blind levels starting at $200/$400 in Round 2.

Table Of Contents The $5,000 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) bestbet Scramble Championship concluded Tuesday evening with Chilean poker pro Nick Yunis taking it down for $347,850 after defeating Yunkyu Song heads-up. Eric Afriat entered play at the final table with a sizable chip advantage over his five competitors. He was attempting to win his fourth WPT title, which would have tied Darren Elias for the record. But his chip lead quickly fell apart a couple hours into play and the Canadian poker pro inevitably bowed out in third place for $165,000.

Frank Funaro has over $3.2 million in live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob. But on Tuesday, his younger brother might have something he doesn’t — a World Poker Tour (WPT) title. Nick Funaro has reached the WPT bestbet Scramble Championship final table, which began at 2 p.m. ET, and he could be hours away from joining the WPT Champions Club and receiving the $347,850 first place prize. PokerNews spoke with the final table competitor to find out more about his poker background, and see if there’s any sort of family rivalry with his brother, who is in attendance at bestbet Jacksonville cheering on little brother.

Table Of Contents The PokerStars Stars Season keeps marching towards its thrilling December 1 finale. During the past week, 13 PokerStars players have become champions, while one grinder took down two Stars Season episodes in the space of an hour. Here’s what went down over the past few days. Belarusian Triumphs in the PKO Sunday Million The $109 Sunday Million Progressive Knockout attracted 9,990 entrants, leaving PokerStars nursing a slight overlay on the $1 million guaranteed prize pool.

Next month, the World Poker Tour (WPT) will host the largest freeroll in poker history at Wynn Las Vegas as part of the WPT World Championship festivities. One player in the field will be Las Vegas’ Carolyn Wayne, a longtime poker player who won a Golden Passport into the ClubWPT Gold $5M Invitational Freeroll thanks to Jamie Kerstetter’s social media giveaway. Originally from New York, Wayne moved to Vegas upon retirement and has had her share of poker success, including taking down a Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS) event at Resorts World earlier this year.

Table Of Contents If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again is how the old adage goes, and it appears “d5t6y7” received that particular memo. The 888poker grinder bought into the $109 Opening Event of the PokerNews Online Championships on November 17 and busted. Their second bullet was also a dud, but the third time was indeed a charm because they rode that one all the way to the finish and became a poker champion.

Table Of Contents Arian Kashani’s journey to the pinnacle of the UK and Ireland Poker Tour Nottingham Main Event was as inspiring as it was rewarding. After 11 years of grinding through obstacles and setbacks, Kashani’s persistence paid off as he triumphed over a field of 1,282 entries at Dusk Till Dawn, claiming £201,900 after defeating Philip Joyce heads up. Joyce was a familiar foe for Kashani, as both players made deep runs in the EPT Cyprus Main Event.

The Celebrity Poker Tour (CPT) has held several influencer, YouTuber and athlete-filled events inside PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas this year, and the biggest event of them all will happen this week. The 2024 CPT Championship, which has a $100,000 prize pool, will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 20 with a YouTube live stream kicking off at 6 p.m. local time. The player pool of more than 50 players includes Joe Gatto and Brian “Q” Quinn of Impractical Jokers fame, streamers Ninja and Ethan Klein, influencers Bryce Hall and Tana Mongeau, professional athletes Mario Chalmers, Mike Bibby, and Jose Canseco, poker personalities Ethan “WPT123” Yau, Alexander “Wolfgang” Seibt, and Alexandra Botez and CPT champions Qiyu “Nemo” Zhou, Maria Ho and Princess Love.

Table Of Contents There are just six players remaining out of 361 in the $5,000 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) bestbet Scramble Championship. One of them will take home $347,850 on Tuesday. The tournament reached the money during Sunday’s Day 2 session, and 18 made it through the day. Those players came back on Monday to play it down to the final table, which is scheduled to be livestreamed on the WPT’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

Table Of Contents Brad Owen, a WPT Global ambassador, entered the $5,000 buy-in World Poker Tour bestbet Scramble Championship with something more important than poker on his mind. The poker vlogger went through a terrifying situation recently when his eight-month-old son suffered what was initially considered potentially a “life-threatening” health condition. He explained the situation to PokerNews on Day 2 of the WPT event at bestbet Jacksonville. Poker Vlogger Concerned with Son’s Health Owen entered Sunday’s Day 2 session in Florida with one of the smallest stacks.

If there was ever any doubt that the Asian Poker Tour (APT) is the premier live poker tour in Asia, you only have to look at the numbers from the recent APT Phu Quoc 2024 festival in Vietnam. Each APT stop seems to smash records, and Phu Quoc continued that trend, with some impressive figures generated during the ten-day festival. Across the 78 trophy events, some 5,938 entries were processed and VND 104,420,824,349 (US$4,111,055) in prize money awarded.

Table Of Contents The massive PokerNews Online Championships kicked off at 888poker on November 11, and the festival has already crowned a trio of worthy champions. The four Opening Events shuffled up and dealt, with the $120,000 guaranteed edition whittling its 1,092-strong crowd to a more manageable eight-handed final table; it concludes on November 18. Event #4 was the Opening Event High Roller, a $525 buy-in tournament boasting a $30,000 guarantee.

Table Of Contents The $600 Main Event at the 2024 RGPS Rungood Resort Tunica was more than just another tournament for Preston McEwen—it was a heartfelt homecoming. Competing in the casino, he proudly calls home, McEwen triumphed over a field of 598 entries, claiming his sixth Rungood ring and $57,206 in prize money. Surrounded by friends and familiar faces, his joy was unmistakable, a sentiment he expressed in his simple but genuine words after the win:

Table Of Contents In a significant development for the poker community, the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA) has officially recognized poker as a Mind Sport, placing it alongside established disciplines like chess and eSports. Established in 2005, the IMSA is a global organization that promotes intellectual competition and recognizes disciplines that emphasize strategy, mental skill, and decision-making. The decision follows years of advocacy led by the World Poker Federation (WPF), which represents over 45 national federations.

Table Of Contents The 47th place player in the World Poker Tour (WPT) bestbet Scramble Championship busted at around 8:30 p.m. ET Sunday night, ensuring all remaining players would go home with money. Josh Hopkins flopped a nine-high flush and had over 20 big blinds left, but would lose the hand to the bigger stack, Joe Jordan, who flopped a king-high flush. The cooler flop sent Hopkins home one spot shy of the money in the $5,000 buy-in tournament at bestbet Jacksonville.

Table Of Contents From November 18th to 24th, countries across Europe will participate in Safer Gambling Week 2024, a vital cross-continent initiative designed to raise awareness about responsible gambling. This annual campaign unites the gambling industry, government bodies, and charities in a shared mission to promote safer gambling practices while providing essential tools and support for those in need. At PokerNews, we’re proud to champion this important message, highlighting key safer gambling principles and ensuring our readers know where to find support, no matter where they are in the world.

Darren Elias has long held the record with four World Poker Tour (WPT) titles. But one poker pro just might catch that record in the next couple of days. Eric Afriat, who is sitting on three WPT Main Tour victories, is the chip leader midway through Day 2 in the $5,000 buy-in WPT bestbet Scramble Championship. He spoke with PokerNews on a break to discuss the possibility of making history this week at bestbet Jacksonville.

Table Of Contents Registration has closed in the $5,000 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) bestbet Scramble Championship with 361 entries, 205 of which bought into the tournament for Day 1b on Saturday. The final Main Tour event before the WPT World Championship in Las Vegas next month is now ready for Day 2, which will take place at noon ET on Sunday from the bestbet Jacksonville poker room. The eventual winner will take home $347,850, the largest share of the $1,642,550 prize pool.

Raymond Harper earned a seat on ClubWPT into the $5,000 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) bestbet Scramble Championship, which just so happens to be his first ever live poker tournament. The Buffalo native feels fortunate to be in Florida at bestbet Jacksonville, and not only because he won a free seat into the major poker tournament and travel expenses on ClubWPT. He’s survived four strokes and spent two years bedridden, and just being alive has him feeling fortunate.

Last weekend, the Keep Memory Alive Charity Poker Tournament took place at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health near downtown Las Vegas. The annual event is hosted by Daniel Negreanu and Jack Binion, who was actually the defending champ. The $800 buy-in event included a poker tournament, but also wine and spirit tastings, delectable food, entertainment, and a raffle with high-end prizes. The night attracted several luminaries, including a Nevada Supreme Court Justice, as well as several poker personalities including 2013 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Ryan Riess, Joey Ingram, poker agent Brian Balsbaugh, poker veteran Yosh Nakano, and emcee Sean McCormack.

Table Of Contents Day 1a of the $5,000 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) bestbet Scramble Championship had 156 entrants, and a familiar face bagged the biggest stack. Josh Reichard, who won the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in May for $839,300, is up to his old tricks. The Wisconsinite ended the opening session with 487,000 chips, a significant lead over all of the 56 players who survived the day.

Bryn Kenney referring to Phil Hellmuth as a “minor league poker player” didn’t set well with Dan “Jungleman” Cates who defended the “Poker Brat” in a six-minute YouTube video. The insult directed at the 17-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) champion occurred during an interview on the Digital Social Hour Podcast with host Sean Kelly. “A lot of people label Hellmuth as the ‘Tournament G.O.A.T.,” but I’d love to hear your opinion.

The $5,000 buy-in 2024 World Poker Tour (WPT) bestbet Scramble Championship kicked off with Day 1a at noon ET on Friday, and it took one humble high-profile player barely any time to double his starting stack Jeremy Becker, the Las Vegas daily tournament legend, started off strong thanks to a fortunate river card that sent another player home hours before the dinner break. But he’d run into his own misfortune a bit later.