Table Of Contents The Mediterranean Poker Party (MPP) returns to the Merit Royal Diamond Casino and Spa from May 3, bringing with it more than $16 million in guaranteed prize pools, including a monster-sized $5,300 buy-in, $5 million guaranteed MPP Main Event. The 2025 edition of the MPP runs from May 3 through May 13 and wastes no time in exploding into action with the first of several seven-figure guaranteed events.

Table Of Contents Grosvenor Casinos placed a £1 million guarantee on the 2025 edition of the Grosvenor UK Open Main Event, a £1,500 buy-in tournament held in Coventry. By the time late registration closed on the final Main Event flight, 951 players had bought in, including 240 re-entries, resulting in a £1,219,660 prize pool and a £219,720 top prize. Andrew “Stato_1” Hulme wrote his name into Grosvenor’s history books by becoming the last player standing.

The world’s top mixed game players are grinding away in Las Vegas at the PokerGO Tour (PGT) Mixed Games 2025 festival taking place Feb. 25-March 5. Chino Rheem is the latest winner at the mixed game series as the three-time World Poker Tour (WPT) champion took down a $10,200 buy-in 8-Game event for $195,500. He defeated Josh Arieh, a six-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner and the 2021 WSOP Player of the Year, after finishing third in the previous event for $114,000.

Table Of Contents There’s a new King of Tallinn, and his name is Kaspars Butans. The Latvian grinder isn’t one for the spotlight—he keeps his poker scores private, turned down interviews, and just quietly goes about his business at the tables. But in the record-breaking 1,181-entry €1,100 Kings of Tallinn Main Event, he made a statement loud and clear, walking away with the €182,000 top prize. Coming in as the start-of-day chip leader, Butans rarely lost his grip on the tournament, picking his spots and staying composed.

Table Of Contents Mallory Klaus accomplished every low-stakes recreational player or grinder’s dream — hitting a life-changing score. Not only did the Oklahoman who now lives in Texas secure a $211,745 cash for winning a $800 buy-in tournament. She did so in front of her friends and co-workers at Texas Card House Dallas, one of the top poker rooms in the Lone Star State. Klaus, who spoke with PokerNews to discuss her win that “didn’t seem real,” has been a dealer with TCH Dallas, although her role with the poker club now is running the livestream and as an ambassador.

Table Of Contents One of poker’s leading industry members has launched a new venture. Award-winning journalist and author Lance Bradley recently debuted The Overlay, a Substack built around poker coverage that will include feature articles, interviews, and commentary. Poker fans can subscribe for free (for now at least) and get content from Bradley, who wrote the poker book The Pursuit of Poker Success: Learn from 50 of the world’s best poker players.

Table Of Contents The €1,100 Kings of Tallinn Main Event is down to the wire. After battling through a record-breaking field of 1,181 players, the final nine have returned to the Olympic Park Casino, all with one goal in mind—taking home the title, €182,000 and the glory that comes with it. Calling this final table “stacked” doesn’t quite do it justice. Priit Parmasto, the 2023 champion, is back and proving his rapid rise through the poker ranks is no fluke.

The poker stars will head out to Hustler Casino on Sunday at 1 p.m. PT to help raise money for the thousands of Los Angeles fire victims. Mike Matusow, poker vlogger Mariano Grandoli, Ryan Feldman, and many others will be in attendance at the popular Southern California card room for some low-stakes action, and everyone is invited to play. Hustler Casino Live and the Lucky Lady Casino Live streams are teaming up together to help raise money for a good cause.

Phil Hellmuth has livestreamed for more than a dozen hours this week on BetRivers Poker, and he’s provided poker fans some entertainment and a glimpse into what the online poker site is all about. The “Poker Brat” became an ambassador for BetRivers Casino in January. He spent much of his day on Wednesday and Friday grinding low-stakes and micro-stakes tournaments and cash games on Twitch, and although he didn’t earn any big scores, he came away impressed with what he saw from Pennsylvania’s newest poker site.

Table Of Contents At the start of the Kings of Tallinn €150 Ladies Event, a major announcement was made: the dates for the third-ever Queens of Tallinn, an all-women’s poker festival that has quickly become a force in Northern Europe since its debut in 2023. “It’s a beautiful get-together and social event.” Queens of Tallinn is set to take place from August 21–24 at the Olympic Park Casino. While only the dates have been officially confirmed so far, hints suggest that this will be the biggest edition yet.

Table Of Contents GGPoker Integrity Ambassador Fedor Holz had a simple message for online poker cheaters: using real-time assistance (RTA) on the platform “will” lead to a ban from the World Series of Poker (WSOP). His statement came after GGPoker, in partnership with GTO Wizard, closed 31 player accounts for violating fair play rules. When Patrick Leonard asked if those players would be prohibited from the WSOP, Holz’s reply was crystal clear — “That’s the plan, and that’s what will happen.

The first event of the Triton Poker Jeju festival, a $15,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament, set a tour record with 379 entrants (266 unique players). Through three events, it’s not even the largest tournament of the series. Records are being broken in South Korea this week as the new high roller series is underway. Zhao Hongjun won the first event of the series for $818,000, the biggest chunk of the $5,685,000 prize pool.

Indicted poker-playing lawyer Tom Goldstein appealed his release conditions on Thursday after a Maryland judge ordered that his electronic devices be monitored. Goldstein was arrested earlier this month after investigators said he violated his bail by sending millions from unauthorized cryptocurrency accounts. Goldstein later provided evidence showing he didn’t own the accounts and Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Sullivan ordered his release. But Judge Sullivan said he was “highly suspicious that Mr.

Table Of Contents The WSOP Circuit Graton Casino came to a close over the weekend with Alexandr Lipkin taking down the Main Event. The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) arrived at the Graton Casino on the same day that the much larger WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Cherokee kicked off. The two events ran in parallel, but do not seem to have hurt each other’s turnout. Despite the competition, the Graton Casino festival drew a good crowd and created its own headlines.

Philadelphia poker players, mark your calendars! The legendary Phil Hellmuth, the all-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet record holder, is in Philadelphia playing and streaming poker online on BetRivers Poker, the newest poker client in Pennsylvania. What’s more, news has broken that Phil Galfond will also be joining him for streams in the city of Brotherly Love this weekend! The “The Poker Brat” holds the record for the most WSOP gold bracelets with 17.

The 2025 edition of the Merit Poker Carmen Series runs from March 11 through March 25 at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel & Casino in Kyrenia, North Cyprus, and it promises to be bigger than ever. Merit Poker has placed a guarantee on every prize pool, including a $1.5 million guarantee on the $3,300 Main Event. In 2024, the $3,300 Merit Poker Carmen Series Main Event boasted a $1 million guarantee.

Table Of Contents Rhys Keen is £72,000 richer than a couple of days ago courtesy of becoming the Grosvenor UK Open £2,000 High Roller champion. Keen found himself being the last player standing from a 150-strong field, and received the lion’s share of the £263,650 prize pool. Keen had come close to winning live evens three times before this victory. He finished 13th in the £1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2024 Grosvenor UK Open, sixth in the £1,650 GUKPT Blackpool High Roller nine months later, and was the 13th place finisher in the £560 UK Poker Championships Main Event in January 2025.

Table Of Contents The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is set to return to King’s Resort in Rozvadov from September 17 to October 8, 2025. One of Europe’s biggest poker festivals returns with a schedule featuring 15 WSOP bracelet events and a guaranteed prize pool of €20 million. Key Events and Highlights The festival kicks off with the €500,000 GTD NLH Bounty Hunter Opener on September 17, followed by the WSOPE NLH King’s Million.

Table Of Contents It was a wild Thursday at Olympic Park Casino as the Kings of Tallinn Festival, ran by OlyBet, turned up the heat. The €1 million guaranteed Main Event smashed its previous entry record, but over in the cash game area, the real celebration was happening at a low-stakes Five Card Pot-Limit Omaha table. That’s where the Bad Beat Jackpot hit in an absolutely brutal hand—though when a BBJ lands, nobody really walks away a loser.

The poker world received sad news on Thursday when word spread that Graeme “Kiwi” Putt passed away. Though he hailed from New Zealand, Putt was well-known throughout the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in Australia. A cause of death has not been revealed. “Sad to hear we lost Graeme Putt today, one of the nicest old guard poker players in Australia and a deserved Hall of Famer,” wrote Australian poker pro Oliver Gill.

Table Of Contents More than a year after being found zip-tied and bloodied on a rural Michigan road and alleging he was the victim of a $2 million extortion scheme, poker player George Janssen is now being accused of fraud by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Janssen, four-time World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) ring winner and Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Main Event champion, was reported missing in November 2023.

Alan Keating made one of the best calls in High Stakes Poker history on Monday’s episode, and he shared what went through his mind during the $910,000 pot, in a video on his brand-new YouTube channel. The high roller has built up a fan base within the poker community over the past few years from his appearances on shows such as Hustler Casino Live and High Stakes Poker. Fans enjoy watching his loose-aggressive style of play and friendly demeanor at the poker table.

The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department raided the Copa Club, a poker room in Westlake, Texas, on Monday. The Forth Worth area club posted a note on its Instagram page to inform customers of the room’s closure. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are closed at the moment. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience, and appreciate your understanding. We will keep you updated, and we look forward to reopening our doors to you very promptly,” the business wrote.

Rising actor Timothee Chalamet celebrated his recent Oscar nomination not with champagne and cigars but with a poker night filled with A-listers like Tobey Maguire, Kid Cudi and Kevin Hart — on second thought, cigars and champagne were definitely a part of the equation. Chalamet, who was first revealed to be a poker player on the red carpet in January, is nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of folk musician Bob Dylan in the biopic A Complete Unknown.

Self-proclaimed “best sports bettor in the world” Sean Perry will step back into the poker arena to face Matt Berkey, whom he referred to as a “clown,” on PokerGO’s next High Stakes Duel contest. Berkey defeated Jared Bleznick in a pot-limit Omaha/no-limit hold’em mixed cash game battle on High Stakes Duel 6 earlier this month. Bleznick was fresh off three straight wins over Patrik Antonius on the heads-up poker show, which began in 2020 with Phil Hellmuth dropping Antonio Esfandiari in three consecutive matches.

Online poker players of a certain age will remember the excitement and exhilaration of watching the world’s best cash game players battle it out for pots most mere mortals could only dream of winning. Rail Heaven on the now-defunct Full Tilt Poker was a haven for the so-called “nosebleed” stakes players. Poker fans opened tables and watched Goliaths such as Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, and countless others lock horns in cash games with $100/$200 to $500/$1,000 blinds!

Table Of Contents The LA Poker Classic has a long and storied history in the poker world, and few players would know that history better than Michael Nia. The Southern California native has been playing this event for more than 15 years, and earned a special piece of hardware at The Commerce Casino & Hotel. After four days of dramatic action, the 71-year-old Nia reached a heads-up deal with Elvyn Bello, earning the victory in the $10,000 LAPC Main Event.

Table Of Contents As the cherry blossoms bloom and the ocean breeze sweeps across Jeju Island, poker players from around the world are getting ready for one of Asia’s most exciting poker festivals—the 2025 Korea Poker Cup (KPC). From April 7-13, the Jeju Landing Casino will become the ultimate poker battleground, offering high-stakes action and ten figures in combined guarantees. While the cards may be the main attraction, KPC understands that the players want a holistic experience and will deliver top-tier action at the tables and unforgettable moments away from them.

Table Of Contents The Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT) has delighted recreational poker players everywhere by announcing the dates of the 2025 World Championship Of Amateur Poker (WCOAP). Known in the APAT community as “the worlds,” the WCOAP is a week-long festival featuring bankroll-friendly tournaments across various formats and variants. Players flock to the WCOAP in droves, hoping to become a world champion in the amateur realm and capture a WCOAP bracelet and one of APAT’s famous medals.

Table Of Contents Nobody has managed to win the Kings of Tallinn Main Event twice in the popular event’s ten-year history. That fact could be set to change after Karl Karlsson and Priit Parmasto, Kings of Tallinn champions in 2020 and 2023, respectively, progressed to Day 2 of the 2025 edition. Three of five scheduled flights are done and dusted. The current attendance stands at 433 entries across that trio of Day 1s, with 158 players punching their Day 2 tickets.

Table Of Contents The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) festival at Harrah’s Cherokee made headlines, though not for the usual reasons. On Day 2 of the event, a man entered the tournament area during a break and started flipping tables, damaging property and scattering chips. The man turned three tables over before being subdued. After just a couple of hours in which they carefully reviewed the security footage and took counts from the players, the team at Harrah’s was able to reconstruct the overturned stacks and the tournament got back on track.

Table Of Contents Ted Forrest is an annual Poker Hall of Fame (PHOF) candidate, and one poker legend is making a surprising push to get the six-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner off the sidelines and into the exclusive club. John Hennigan, inducted into the PHOF along with Mori Eskandani in 2018, doesn’t speak publicly often. But “Johnny World” feels so strongly about Forrest being deserving that he not only penned an op-ed for PokerNews about the topic, he did so in support of a poker pro he isn’t exactly best friends with these days.

Table Of Contents The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) is returning to Toronto under the new leadership of GGPoker for a Circuit stop running April 10-22 with 11 Circuit ring events. WSOP and GGPoker announced the WSOPC Circuit Toronto stop today, which will take place at Great Canadian Toronto. It follows last year’s inaugural Toronto Circuit series, this time with an expanded schedule and increased prize pools. Returning to Toronto The announcement follows news earlier this year that Great Canadian Toronto in Ontario would be the exclusive partner of GGPoker, meaning all bracelet and ring events will be run through the Toronto casino.

Table Of Contents As the build-up intensifies for the upcoming boxing match between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, the war of words took a surprising turn at Tuesday’s press conference. Benn made explosive claims about Eubank Jr., alleging that the British boxer owes Brazilian football star Neymar £4 million in poker debts. Benn didn’t hold back, questioning Eubank Jr.’s financial motivations for agreeing to the fight. “Do you know why you need the money?

Table Of Contents The World Poker Tour (WPT) Cambodia Championship wrapped up on February 25 with the crowning of the $3,500 Main Event champion. Over the course of the festival, the WPT processed 10,240 entries and re-entries, and awarded $11,242,891 in prize money. Some 750 of those entries and $2,400,750 of the prize money stemmed from the Main Event, with Artem Vezhenkov claiming the $390,650 top prize, the winner’s trophy, and a $10,400 seat in the season-ending WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.

Table Of Contents Tuesday at the Olympic Park Casino was buzzing as the Kings of Tallinn Main Event finally got underway, kicking off with a guaranteed €1 million prize pool and a whole lot of excitement. With Day 1B and 1C flights taking centre stage today, the series’ headline event drew 175 hopefuls, all taking their first shot at glory. After nine levels of battling on the felt, just 60 players survived, locking up their seats for Friday’s Day 2.