Over the last few years, Texas has become one of the major loci for live poker in the United States. This fact is reflected in the scale and frequency of the local poker festivals. A case in point: coming up this Thursday, the Winter Poker Open kicks off at Champions Club Texas in Houston. The festival is set to be massive with the Main Event sporting a $1 million guarantee.

Table Of Contents Monday’s High Stakes Poker episode on PokerGO, the fourth of Season 14, had a Friday night Hustler Casino Live vibe. Alan Keating, Ryan Feldman, Britney, and Peter, all of HCL fame competed in what was one of the most action-packed episodes of High Stakes Poker the past few seasons. One hand in particular stood out that will have those who study game theory asking “WTF.” Keating, as he always does, brought the action and made it difficult for his opponent’s to get a bluff through.

ACR Poker says it investigated the real-time assistance (RTA) allegations against sponsored pro Nacho Barbero and concluded that “at no point did he use real-time assistance (RTA) to aid his or any other player’s decision-making during live hands.” Barbero, Argentina’s all-time money leader with $21.6 million in Hendon Mob earnings, came under fire last week for posting a photo apparently showing a GTO Wizard solver output pulled up during an online poker session on the unregulated poker site.

There isn’t much Jesse Lonis hasn’t accomplished in the poker world over the past three years. He’s notched seven figures each year and is coming off a career year in 2024 where he amassed $7,586,501 in tournament earnings according to the Hendon Mob. He’s won live and online World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelets and rings, taken titles inside PokerGO Studio and on the Triton Poker Tour, and finished runner-up in the GPI Player of the Year last year.

A small township in Ohio, after months of debate, has officially banned the opening of new poker clubs. The same rule applies to medical marijuana dispensaries in Perkins Township, a community within the Sandusky metropolitan area. But local card players can still legally play live poker, they’ll just have limited options. Where Can Locals Play Poker Legally? Ship it Poker Club within the Perkins Twp. opened in March of last year.

Table Of Contents The PokerStars Live at The Hippodrome Winter Festival Main Event saw 313 entries processed, mostly from players who call the United Kingdom home. However, Australian Luke Tanner emerged victoriously after a three-hour final table. Tanner turned his £550 investment into a career-high prize worth £27,415. Tanner, who hails from Sydney, only had two results on his Hendon Mob profile before this £550 buy-in affair. He won an A$330 No-Limit Hold’em tournament at The Star Casino for A$14,500 in March 2019 and cashed in a low-stakes tournament in his native Sydney in June 2024.

Table Of Contents Head to the Grosvenor Casino Merchant City in Glasgow, Scotland, from March 13 if you want to be part of history. March 13 is the date of the opening day of the 2025 888poker LIVE Glasgow festival, marking the first time the popular tour has stopped off in Glasgow. The 11-day festival will see grinders from the United kingdom and further afield battle it out at 888poker-branded felts across several tournaments, including the £250,000 guaranteed £888 buy-in Glasgow Main Event.

Table Of Contents The first OlyBet Showdown of 2025 is in the bag, with the OlyBet Showdown Vilnius Ace Breaker Main Event crowning its worthy champion on February 2. Finland’s Rasmus Sihvonen is that champion. He navigated past 295 opponents to turn his €555 investment into a career-best €28,760 score. Sihvonen only had eight live cashes dating back to July 2023 before this Main Event. Those cashes weighed in at a combined $31,831.

Table Of Contents The National Poker Series has its new champion! The inaugural edition of the festival, hosted by Texapoker at the Pasino Grand in Aix-en-Provence, saw 469 entries in the €800 King 6-Max Main Event. The 469-entry field was packed with both quantity and quality but only 12 players returned for Day 3, all chasing the prestigious title. After a grueling final table, Kevin Naegelen emerged victorious, defeating Florian Ribouchon heads-up.

Table Of Contents Global Poker is an exciting social poker site that provides most Americans with an opportunity to play poker online legally, either by playing for fun with Gold Coins or playing with an opportunity to redeem prizes for cash with Sweeps Coins. Not only is Global Poker a social poker site where players can redeem cash prizes, but their games are fun and exciting, and the website is safe and easy to use.

Poker vlogger Mariano Grandoli made a bold call with 10-high in a six-figure pot during Saturday’s livestream at the Lodge Card Club that paid off against the poker room’s co-owner, Doug Polk, who chuckled when he saw his opponent’s cards. High-stakes livestreamed action returned to the Round Rock, Texas poker club. The game featured some fan favorites on the show, including Polk, Grandoli, T-1000, and Taras. Seven players battled for over six hours in a $50/$100/$200 no-limit hold’em cash game.

A one-of-one Doyle Brunson autographed poker trading card sold on eBay last week for $1,603 at auction, making it one of the highest selling poker cards ever. The five-day auction ended Jan. 29 after 41 bids were placed on the rare collector’s item. Twenty one unique bidders attempted to purchase the 2010 Razor Favorite Hand Auto signed by the late Poker Hall of Famer. Brunson, a 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, passed away in 2023 at age 89.

Table Of Contents It’s almost time for the World Series of Poker Circuit festival at the Graton Resort & Casino in sunny California. The WSOP Circuit Graton will be just short of two weeks worth of low to mid-stakes poker tournaments with 18 gold WSOP Circuit rings up for grabs. The series kicks off on lucky February 13 and runs until February 24. During that time, players will win a minimum of $1.

Table Of Contents NagaWorld Integrated Resort in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is putting the final preparations for the upcoming World Poker Tour (WPT) Cambodia Championship. The luxury resort plays host to first WPT stop of 2025 from February 6 through to February 24. The bustling schedule includes the year’s first WPT Prime leg. WPT Prime Cambodia Championship is a $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament boasting a $750,000 guaranteed prize pool. It features a trio of Day 1s, each shuffling up at 11:30 a.

Table Of Contents Former King’s Resort owner Leon Tsoukernik said he is “absolutely fine” and feeling “fantastic” two weeks after awakening from a 40-hour coma. The businessman and longtime poker industry leader spoke to Forbes Česko after collapsing in his Czechia home earlier this month and being hospitalized in critical condition following a reported overdose of the same drug that killed pop star Michael Jackson. Former King’s Owner Making Quick Recovery A translated version of the Jan.

Backlash against unregulated poker sites continued on Friday when poker star Nacho Barbero was exposed on X for having a GTO Wizard chart up while playing on ACR Poker, the US-facing poker site he represents. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, however, denied using the RTA to assist his own play. But he and the company he promotes — ACR Poker — are facing criticism from the poker community for its response to the allegations.

Table Of Contents After three years of failing to get online poker through the state legislature, New York’s Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. is back asking lawmakers to bring online poker to the state’s nearly 20 million residents. Addabbo, who spoke to PokerNews about his Senate Bill S2614, is not alone in his efforts. Seven other states are considering legalizing online poker, according to gaming industry analyst Steve Ruddock: Virginia, Massachusetts, Indiana, Maryland, Wyoming, Hawaii and New Hampshire.

Table Of Contents Welcome to the Streamer Showcase, a brand-new monthly series from PokerNews! Each month, we’ll spotlight the biggest moments from your favorite poker content creators, bringing you the biggest bluffs, mind-blowing hero calls, and the kind of wild hands that make poker streaming so entertaining. Whether it’s a deep tournament run, a legendary misclick, or just pure streaming gold, we’ve got it all covered. Stay tuned as we break down the most exciting highlights from the poker streaming world—because sometimes, the best hands aren’t the ones you see at the final table!

Brian Hastings shared some videos on X that show possible collusion occurring on Ignition, an unregulated poker site available in the United States. The six-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner posted a thread with a few clips of what he refers to as “fake hands” that transpired during a $1,055 buy-in tournament near the money bubble. “Happening again in Ignition $1055. Players 110-118 all seated at same table playing fake hands like this.

Table Of Contents At the start of 2024, one of the most successful mid-stakes poker tours in the world had awarded $176 million in prize money since its inception in 2009. Now, less than a month into 2025, they’ve crossed the $200,000,000 milestone! Actually, through three stops already in the New Year, the MSPT has awarded a total of $201,250,183. Most recently, poker pro Faraz Jaka topped a 636-entry field to win the MSPT Bally’s Black Hawk Casino $1,110 Main Event for $127,849.

Table Of Contents Poker just got a little bit smarter at 888poker. Players everywhere now have access to a brand-new Heads-Up Display (HUD), giving them real-time insights into their opponents’ playing styles. Whether you’re on desktop, mobile, or playing straight from your browser, this game-changing tool is built right in—no extra software needed. A HUD for Everyone & Key Features For years, serious online poker players have used HUDs to track their opponents’ tendencies and gain an edge.

Table Of Contents Before the 2025 UK Poker Championships (UKPC) at Dusk Till Dawn, you would have been forgiven for not knowing much about Jake Betts. According to The Hendon Mob Database, Betts had seven in-the-money finishes between September 2019 and December 2024 totalling $5,260. Had is the operative word in that last sentence because Betts now has eight cashes, including an impressive victory worth a cool £85,270. Betts was one of 1,332 entrants in the £560 UKPC Main Event.

Table Of Contents Five days ago, on Day 1a of the €5,200 Opener event at the PLO Grand Slam, Tom-Aksel Bedell was awarded a free ticket to the €10,300 Championship event for having fired the most bullets. The eight entries Bedell made were worth their weight in gold. The Norwegian high roller turned his freeroll into €438,000 after claiming victory over 191 entries in the PLO Championship, bringing home a beautiful Diamond Poker Series trophy to add to his vast collection.

Table Of Contents The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) festival came to a close Monday at Thunder Valley Casino with a big winner in December continuing his prowess in tournament poker. The WSOPC Thunder Valley festival awarded 16 gold rings to some lucky and skilled players as well as awarding millions of dollars in prizes. The Main Event went to Akbar Zamani for $187,882, while elsewhere at the series Scott Stewart won his seventh WSOPC ring just one month and one day after winning $2.

Table Of Contents Brazilian poker players dominated the latter stage of the latest PokerStars Sunday Million, with five samba stars navigating to the $1 million guaranteed event’s final table. Two of those Brazilians, Yuri “tecaoo” Martins Gama and Thiago “KKremate” Crema found themselves heads-up. Between them, they took home $$140,246 of the seven-figure prize pool. This week, the $109 Sunday Million was played to a progressive knockout format. PokerStars processed 9,749 entries, resulting in a $25,100 overlay on the $1 million guarantee.

Table Of Contents Bounty hunting is a complicated profession—one that rewards the bold and punishes the reckless. But in the world of poker, taking risks and chasing bounties is all part of the game. PokerStars’ Bounty Builder Series is back, running from February 2-17, bringing two weeks of high-octane Progressive Knockout (PKO) action with $15 million guaranteed across 169 tournaments. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a low-stakes grinder, the Bounty Builder Series has something for everyone, with buy-ins ranging from $5.

Table Of Contents The $1 million guaranteed XL Winter Series Mystery Bounty Main Event drew in a crowd of 1,145 players to 888poker, and Finland’s “wellyxx” outlasted them all. The Finn sat down at the final table second in chips before navigating to heads-up, where they defeated Romania’s “Hxs87” for the title and a total prize worth $108,020. Surprisingly, “wellyxx” wasn’t the biggest winner from this tournament, thanks to the mystery bounty format.

Table Of Contents The Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Manila, Philippines, will be full to bursting between February 7 and February 16 when the Asian Poker Tour (APT) calls it home for its first festival of 2025. The APT Manila Classic 2025 schedule comprises 100 scheduled tournaments across several formats and disciplines and boasts ₱143 million ($2.4 million) in combined guaranteed prize pools. City of Dreams, Manila, hosted the 2024 edition of this festival and did so in record-breaking style.

Leaf Trading Cards has announced that a brand-new set of poker trading cards, their first since 2012, will be released by the end of the month. The 2025 Leaf Metal Poker set features some of the biggest names in the game today including Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Jared Bleznick, and Patrik Antonius, as well as relative newcomers (at least from the last time a set of poker cards came out) like Nikki Limo, Espen Jorstad, and Brad Owen.

Table Of Contents There have been countless books about Las Vegas, but there’s never been one quite like The Las Vegas Book, a new, high-end coffee table book by Joris Dekkers. “It’s been a great project driving it forward from the first idea to towards completion and I’ve loved every step of the way,” Dekkers told PokerNews. “I’ve always been fascinated by Vegas and being a bit of a historian kind of drove me to ask questions every time I set foot in this crazy desert town, but I don’t think any concrete ideas culminated until I visited the Wynn for the first time, which inspired me so much.

Tom Goldstein entered a not guilty plea in a federal court on Monday, and also signed an agreement to stay away from the poker tables while awaiting trial. The SCOTUSblog founder who allegedly hid millions in poker winnings from the IRS is facing 22 counts of tax evasion, preparing false and fraudulent tax returns, and failing to pay his taxes. Goldstein, the infamous “mystery player” who folded the winning hand in a $540,000 pot on Hustler Casino Live last May, once was a prominent lawyer who represented Al Gore against George W.

Table Of Contents Romania’s “amormori” is on cloud nine today after they turned a $25 investment into $9,158 and an 888poker XL Winter Series title. The Romanian grinder outlasted 4,674 opponents in the $100,000 XL Winter #45 – Mystery Bounty Mini Event and scooped a significant slice of the guarantee-busting $105,187 prize pool. Although “amormori” became the tournament’s champion, they did not walk away with the largest payout. Mexico-based “MuyB1eN” captured the biggest prize of the event courtesy of pulling the jackpot bounty from its golden envelope.

Table Of Contents Justin Gavri might be the unluckiest player in High Stakes Poker history, and the bad run continued during Monday’s newest episode on PokerGO. If there’s a silver lining for him, at least he wasn’t on the short end of a $613,000 pot. Markus Gonsalves, however, was the losing player in the largest pot to this point of Season 14. Seth Gottlieb, on the other hand, won the monster pot without having a monster hand.

Table Of Contents In the RunGood Poker Series Tulsa $800 Main Event, a total of 517 entrants smashed the initial guarantee, creating a $361,900 prize pool. Of those, 63 players cashed, each hoping to end the day with a shiny black ring on their finger. After ten hours of play, only one player’s dream became reality. Kansas’ Brian Craig started the day in 15th place, holding a modest chip stack. He stayed steady throughout the tournament, gradually building his momentum.

Table Of Contents Tom Vogelsang has been a force to be reckoned with in high-stakes No-Limit Hold’em tournaments for the past few years, traveling the European circuit to play five- and six-figure buy-ins. However, Vogelsang also knows his way around four cards, most notably winning a $25,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha tournament in 2022. Today, he added a Diamond Poker Series PLO trophy to his collection by winning the €5,200 Opener at the PLO Grand Slam, conquering a field of 225 entries on his way to victory.

Table Of Contents The Grosvenor Portsmouth Gunwharf was the venue for the first 888poker UK Poker League (UKPL) stop of 2025, and it did not disappoint. The £560 buy-in UKPL Portsmouth Main Event drew in 273 entrants, and Jordan Daniels emerged victoriously after being part of a four-way deal at the final table. Thirty places were paid, with the money bubble bursting on Day 2. Seasoned pros Jack Hardcastle, Thomas Clack, and David Docherty were among the first in-the-money casualties.

Table Of Contents After an enthralling day of action in the $3,300 Main Event at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series, Umberto Ruggeri has been crowned the champion after overcoming a record-breaking field of 791 inside the stunning Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. The Italian player battled through countless emotional highs and challenging moments to claim the coveted trophy after cutting an undisclosed deal with Mihai Niste and Muhtar Taysi when three players remained.

Table Of Contents The massive $1 million guaranteed XL Winter Series Mystery Bounty Main Event has an $888 buy-in, but if you are able to log into your 888poker account this morning, you have a chance of playing in this tournament for free. The Mystery Bounty Main Event needs almost 1,200 entries to hit the seven-figure guarantee, but the current attendance stands at 1,006. With that in mind, 888poker is showing its generosity by running two special XL Winter Series Mystery Bounty Main Event freerolls that have 25x $888 seats across their prize pools.

Table Of Contents The Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT), which kicked off Season 16 in the New Year, wrapped up its stop at Bally’s Black Hawk Casino on Sunday night. The $1,110 buy-in Main Event attracted 636 entries over a trio of starting flights and awarded a $615,420 prize pool. Walking away with a $127,849 top prize and his first MSPT title was established poker pro Faraz Jaka, the patriarch of JakaCoaching.

Table Of Contents Nick Schulman’s recent win in a PokerGO Tour (PGT) high roller brought out the calls for 2025 Poker Hall of Fame induction (as if he hadn’t already done enough). No doubt the now six-time PGT and World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner is HOF worthy. He’s crushed it on the felt the past 20 years and in the broadcast booth, mostly on PokerGO, for what seems to be a decade now.