Jean-Robert Bellande headlined the first high-stakes Venetian Poker Live stream Friday night, and he played, and won, the show’s first six-figure pot. The no-limit hold’em cash game, played at $100/$200 stakes, aired on PokerGO. Bellande, who has been a regular in various poker shows and streams for the past 20 years, quickly made his presence felt at the table. Venetian’s new poker room opened last fall in the Grand Canal Shoppes (previously on the casino floor).

Ebony Kenney is the second ACR Poker pro in the past few weeks facing criticism for having an exposed real-time assistance (RTA) chart visible while playing on the controversial unregulated online poker site. Instagram user Eric James (@nemoplayspoker) clipped a screenshot from a January 2024 IG story that clearly shows an RTA chart open. After two incidents, many are wondering if the ACR team simply doesn’t care about preventing online cheating.

Back in 2008, a poker book was published with little to no fanfare. Confessions of a Crossroad Gambler was written by “Gentleman” Jack Newton, a high-stakes gambler from the post-depression era through the birth of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in the 1970s. The book was filled with gambling history (including stories about Jack Binion, Doyle Brunson, and Billy Walters), marked cards, and other tales of cheating. It was quite an entertaining read, which is why renowned poker agent Brian Balsbaugh of Poker Royalty purchased the rights to the book and released an audio version narrated by one of the most popular poker players in the world.

Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker variant in the world, with the game dominating online poker rooms and live card rooms worldwide. However, if Philadelphia native Scott Hill has his way, there will soon be a new challenger to Texas Hold’em’s crown: Tennessee Hold’em. Tennessee Hold’em is the brainchild of Hill, a former architect, composer, musician, and producer who turned game designer a few years ago. He not only invented Tennessee Hold’em but also jumped through hoops to get the game patented and is now taking his exciting new poker variant to poker rooms around Europe and the United States.

Table Of Contents The 2025 PokerNews Online Championship Mystery Bounty Main Event at 888poker has a $300,000 guarantee on its prize pool. Time is running out if you want to be in with a shout of winning a slice of that pie because only a handful of $215 buy-in Day 1s remain. The Main Event requires 1,500 entrants to hit the lofty guarantee. At the time of writing, 766 players had bought in over 15 flights, with only 88 navigating through the shark-infested waters into Day 2.

Table Of Contents Justin Zaki won the eighth and final event of the 2025 PokerGO Cup — $25,200 No-Limit Hold’em — on Thursday. But Joey Weissman, who finished in second place, was the star of the series. Weissman began the series last week by losing heads-up to Michael Moncek in the first event and then getting revenge against the same player heads-up in Event #2. His run was far from over as he’d book two additional second place finishes, marking one of the best series performances in PokerGO Tour history.

Poker vlogger Ethan “WPT123” Yau’s downswing continued on Hustler Casino Live Wednesday night when he lost $150,000 thanks to a brutal bad beat against his friend. The WPT Global ambassador entered the $25/$50 ($50 big blind ante) no-limit hold’em game against some familiar foes such as Eshaan “Brown Balla” Bhalla and fellow vlogger Mariano Grandoli. WPT123 and Mariano played the largest pot of the night, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has followed these two players the past year as to who won the hand.

Table Of Contents The second leg of the 2025 888poker UK Poker League (UKPL) sees the popular live poker tour head to the Grosvenor G Casino in Newcastle from April 1. It marks the first time an 888poker-branded event has headed to Newcastle since the Aspers Newcastle hosted a £220 888poker LIVE Local event in July 2015. Only a £220 buy-in tournament took place back then. Fast-forward to April 2025, and the vibrant 888poker UKPL Newcastle schedule boasts several events, including a £560 buy-in, £100,000 guaranteed Main Event, and a £1,100 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller with £50,000 guaranteed.

Thousands of 888poker players are competing in the 2025 edition of the PokerNews Online Championship (PNOC), including a man considered a superstar in his field. YouTube sensation Jack Dean, better known to his 1.35 million subscribers as “JaackMaate,” recently streamed his played from PNOC events live on 888poker Twitch channel, and should be hitting the tables again before the end of the series. JaackMaate joined 888poker as a cultural ambassador in August 2022 and has featured several times in the online poker site’s content.

Table Of Contents The Global Poker Grizzly Games VIII series was a rousing success on the US-facing social poker site. But for some players, namely the Gold Coin (GC) and Sweeps Coin (SC) champions and overall series winners, it was an even bigger success. Global Poker hosted the massive series from Jan. 27 to Feb. 16, with multiple tournaments taking place each day from start to finish. The event was part of the 2024-2025 Global Poker Championship (GPC) season.

Table Of Contents Kristen Foxen took down PokerGO Cup Event #7:$15,100 No-Limit Hold’em for $348,300 on Wednesday. In doing so, she moved into first place on the 2025 PokerGO Tour leaderboard. The Canadian high roller defeated a field of 86 entrants to claim the largest chunk of the $1,290,000 prize pool. She overcame the smallest stack at the start of the final table, and eventually beat Patrick Leonard heads-up for the title.

Finding a $100 bill you’d forgotten about in your jeans pocket feels like winning the lottery. Kevin Martin, a reality TV star and poker player, came across a “sock drawer” full of Benjamins. The GGPoker ambassador informed his X followers on Tuesday that he’d logged into StakeKings for the first time in “over a year” only to discover he had $2,400 in his account. That was a pleasant surprise for the Big Brother Canada contestant.

Table Of Contents Long before Phil Ivey was regarded as one of the greatest poker players of all time, his mom knew he was gifted. Pamela Ivey realized this 25 years ago when her son won a $500 buy-in event at the First Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open in Mississippi for $53,297 — more than her yearly salary working in insurance. The April 2000 event was 23-year-old Ivey’s second-ever Hendon Mob result and featured a final table that included 1983 WSOP Main Event runner-up Rod Peate and eventual 2021 WSOP Player of the Year Josh Arieh.

Table Of Contents Online poker’s most famous tournament, the PokerStars Sunday Million, will soon celebrate its 19th anniversary. PokerStars is placing a $6 million guarantee in its prize pool, but before we get to that, we have a six-week Sunday Million season to get out of the way. The Sunday Million Season runs until April 6. During that time, there are $18.7 million in guaranteed prizes, a $100,000 leaderboard, and $300,000 worth of tickets to be won.

Table Of Contents Alexander Puchalski may currently be almost 13,000 kilometers from his Ontario home, but the Canadian isn’t lonely because he has plenty of Benjamins to keep him company. Why? Because Puchalski won the WPT Prime Cambodia Main Event for a career-best score worth $233,680. Puchalski’s six-figure prize includes a $10,400 seat in the 2025 edition of the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. WPT Prime Cambodia attracted 1,483 players to the tables, with 186 of those starters seeing a return on their investments.

Table Of Contents Poker is a game of skill, strategy, and mental endurance—but for women, it often comes with an extra set of challenges. With over 1.3 million in live earnings, two WSOP Circuit rings, and several WSOP Circuit final tables, Jessica Vierling has consistently proven she belongs at any table she sits at and in any event she plays. In this piece, she shares her personal experiences at the tables, the moments that shaped her journey, and her thoughts on the game’s future.

Table Of Contents Fire up the lobby for the completed PokerNews Online Championship Event #11 at 888poker, and you’ll see a familiar name at the top of the payout list. 888poker Stream Team member Aaron “aabarone68” Barone came out on top in the $33 buy-in, $10,000 guaranteed Daily Gems Marathon Special, taking home $1,868. The tournament attracted 322 entrants, including 72 re-entries, resulting in a small overlay on the $10,000 guarantee.

Chamath Palihapitiya floated the idea of starting a unique high-limit poker tournament circuit that would prohibit players from wearing facemasks or using recreational drugs. The billionaire entrepreneur who is close friends with Phil Hellmuth tweeted out some general details about his proposed poker tour. He asked his followers to share their thoughts on what would certainly become an intriguing venture. Does Poker Need Such a Tour? Palihapitiya, founder and CEO of Social Capital, was an early Facebook executive.

Table Of Contents It has been a rapid-fire news week for the World Series Of Poker over the last seven days, and that’s only going to continue in the near future. Several big headlines dropped in quick succession. First, Maurice Hawkins won his 17th WSOP Circuit ring, putting him one behind Ari Engel for the all-time top spot. Then the schedule for this summer’s WSOP dropped. And that was almost immediately followed by Phil Hellmuth almost threatening to boycott the Main Event over how long the days will be.

Table Of Contents All-time bracelet leader Phil Hellmuth shocked the poker world Tuesday when he announced he will not be playing in the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event due to its demanding structure. “It’s turned into an endurance test,” Hellmuth, who has played in every Main Event since 1988, said in a video posted late Monday night on X. “I don’t think the WSOP Main Event is measuring skill.

Table Of Contents The third annual Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) Awards took place in Las Vegas and had some heavy hitters in attendance. Eleven-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Ivey headlined the Feb. 12 ceremony at Via Brasil Steakhouse in Las Vegas alongside a few family members. Ivey, widely regarded as one of the greatest poker players of all time, attended the ceremony with his sister, Cheyanne Ivey, the founder of the Las Vegas-based consulting firm Ivey Solutions, a new presenting sponsor of the CSOP.

Table Of Contents The World Poker Tour (WPT) and artist Daniel Arsham have collaborated on an exclusive, limited-edition poker set, with only 100 pieces available worldwide. The two have previously collaborated in 2023, with all WPT Season XXI winner’s trophies designed by Arsham. With only a few poker sets left, PokerNews spoke with both Arsham and WPT CEO Adam Pliska about this fusion of poker and art, which offers a unique collectable for enthusiasts and collectors alike.

Table Of Contents The PokerStars Bounty Builder Series wrapped up on February 17 with the crowning of the festival’s Main Event champions. In a stroke of coincidence, players hailing from Argentina triumphed in both the $109 and $1,050 buy-in Main Events. Between them, “Sucess005” and “EVOllOVE” took home $226,894. The $1,050 edition of the Bounty Builder Series Main Event drew in 988 entrants, resulting in a minor overlay on the $1 million guarantee.

Table Of Contents Monday was already a huge day for poker with the release of the highly anticipated 2025 World Series of Poker schedule. But just hours after the WSOP dropped its full itinerary, Phil Hellmuth stunned the poker world with a major announcement. The all-time bracelet leader and 1989 World Champion announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he would not be playing this summer’s WSOP Main Event—citing the gruelling length of the tournament and the toll it takes on older players.

Table Of Contents 888poker is one of the oldest online poker sites, meaning thousands of players already have an account. Mexico’s “El_hombre” didn’t have an 888poker account, but decided to change that fact three days ago. Perhaps the lure of the PokerNews Online Championship (PNOC) was strong enough to have them sign up for an account? One of “El_hombre”’s first tasks as an 888poker player was to enter the $109 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed PNOC Opening Event PKO.

Table Of Contents The 2025 Champions Club Winter Poker Open $1,500 Main Event has finally come to its dramatic conclusion as Ryan Freeman hoists the trophy after defeating Dora Coyle heads-up. Along with the trophy and the title, Freeman takes home $181,000 while Coyle is awarded the runner-up prize of $161,000. This tournament was one for the books here in Houston as 849 players took their shot in the seven starting flights.

Table Of Contents Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek didn’t win PokerGO Cup Event #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em. But he took third place in the 100-entrant tournament, continuing his dominance the past week against a series full of top pros. The Texas Longhorns fanatic doesn’t like to be referred to as a “pro,” but he’s performing at an elite level against some of the best tournament players in the world despite battling heart conditions.

Table Of Contents The schedule is out for the first ever World Series of Poker (WSOP) under GGPoker’s ownership, and it will feature a 56-year record for most live gold bracelet events. Poker players from all over the world will flock to Las Vegas from May 27 to compete in a portion (or all) of the 100 bracelet event schedule. It all kicks off with the $1,000 Mystery Millions, offering a $1,000,000 mystery bounty prize, and wraps up with the WSOP Main Event final table on July 16.

Table Of Contents The last time the World Series of Poker Circuit was held in the WSOP room at the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, it was October 2019. Two months later the first case of COVID was identified in Wuhan and a few months after that, the U.S. was locking down and masking up while poker went on hiatus. More than five years on, the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Baltimore is back for the first time since the start of the current pandemic.

Table Of Contents The Asian Poker Tour (APT) Manila Classic is over and once again the tour has broken several records. It seems the APT sets new records for attendances and prize pools at every stop, and Manila continued that impressive trend. By the time the last champion lifted their trophy aloft, APT Manila Classic had seen 1,268 unique players purchase 8,406 buy-ins and create prize pools worth a combined PHP 350,124,235 (approx.

Table Of Contents The PokerStars Sunday Million is one of online poker’s iconic weekly tournaments. It is the Sunday major that every poker player dreams of winning, not only because of the huge top prize but also because of the kudos that come with taking down the industry’s most famous weekly event. Several special edition Sunday Millions have run over the years. Players have battled it out in progressive knockout and mystery bounty versions, and who can forget the gargantuan anniversary editions?

Table Of Contents The 2025 edition of the PokerNews Online Championship (PNOC) exploded into action at 888poker on February 16, with the first five events of a bustling 43-event schedule taking place. Four of those events crowned their champions, with Brazil’s “WHATaDREAM” getting off to a perfect start, taking down the $35,000 Opening Event Mystery Bounty for $4,235. The $35,000 Opening Event Mystery Bounty was the third PNOC event to shuffle up and deal on the opening night of the festival.

The poker world received sad news over the weekend when it was announced that actor Kevyn Major Howard (January 27, 1956 – February 14, 2025) passed away on February 14. Howard died in Las Vegas after being hospitalized for several weeks with a respiratory illness. “It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of my dear friend and supporter of many years of Ante for Autism, Kevyn Major Howard,” poker player Karina Jett, pictured above with Howard, shared on social media.

A hand on the stone-bubble of the PHP 150,000 (USD $2,600) High Roller at the Asian Poker Tour (APT) Manila Classic took quite the dramatic turn after the flop. The single-day no-limit hold’em side event on Feb. 13, which attracted 85 players, had a PHP 11 million prize pool (USD $190,000 approximately). Kunal Patni won it for just over $50,000, his second victory and fourth cash of the series. He defeated Nopparut Piyatassakorn heads-up for the title.

Ali Imsirovic, the high-stakes crusher who admitted to some cheating allegations against him, entered Saturday’s Day 1 flight in the $1,500 Champions Club Winter Poker Open Main Event. But he was quickly tossed from the event by the tournament director and banned from the Texas poker club. The Bosnian poker star was on top of the poker world just three years ago. He won three Global Poker Awards in 2021, including GPI Player of the Year after dominating the high roller circuit.

While negative headlines often dominate the poker news cycle – such as Charlie Carrelcalling out a scammer and SCOTUS lawyer Tom Goldstein getting in trouble for failing to pay poker taxes – it is important to remember that the game can be used for good. Perhaps the greatest example of that is the untold millions raised via charity poker tournaments. There are high-profile charity tournaments like those hosted by the Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) and Jack Binion in Las Vegas, but all across the world there are events of all sizes for different causes.