Caesars Entertainment has finalized the $500 million sale of the biggest brand in poker to GGPoker’s parent company, according to an announcement on Tuesday. In August, Caesars Entertainment shocked the poker world when it announced that it would be selling World Series of Poker (WSOP) to NSUS Group Inc, a leading investment group and operator GGPoker. The deal was solidified Tuesday and includes a $250 million cash transaction and a $250 million promissory note due in five years.

Table Of Contents The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) festival at Caesars Southern Indiana came to a close with Luis Yepez taking first place in the Main Event. The festival awarded eighteen WSOPC rings over the course of 12 action-packed days of poker. A total of 338 players turned out for the WSOP Circuit Southern Indiana main event. With a buy-in of $1,700, there was over half-a-million dollars in play with $111,979 up top for first place.

Table Of Contents When it comes to Canadian poker players, Patrick Tardif has made quite a name for himself. Originally from Saskatchewan and now residing in Toronto, Tardif is known for his online poker prowess where he’s recorded more than $11 million in virtual felt earnings. So, when WPT Global was looking to add to their Ambassador roster the man known as “Egption” was a natural fit. Since joining the team – which includes Phil Ivey, Brad Owen, Ethan Yau, Jon Van Fleet, Xuan Liu, Angel Guillen, and most recently NHL star Phil Kessel (more on that below) – Tardif has taken his ambassadorship seriously and has been doing a good amount of traveling, including to Montreal for the WPT Playground Championship.

Table Of Contents Our recent visit to Texas included a stop at one of the premier places to play poker in the Lone Star State — Texas Card House Social in Austin. The brand-new card room not only featured more than 40 card tables and a delicious attached kitchen, the club is set to soon launch a Texas-based online poker site. Hijack Poker is currently undergoing a soft launch/beta testing phase, and we gave it a shot while in town to see what it’s all about.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) has not only been busy with its CAD $5,300 WPT Playground Championship in Montreal, but across the pond, they wrapped their second edition of the €1,100 WPT Prime Paris Championship on Monday night. That tournament attracted 1,242 entrants over five starting flights to Club Circus Paris and offered up a €1,192,320 (US $1,285,559) prize pool to the top 156 finishers. After three days of play, France’s Hugues “Hugo” Girard nearly went wire-to-wire at the final table to win the tournament for $183,294 and a seat into December’s 2024 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.

Table Of Contents Top-tier professional poker players often dominate PokerNews’ headlines, but today, it is the lesser-known Daniel Johnson who finds himself thrust into the limelight. You see, Johnson may not be an established pro, but he recently pulled off a remarkable double by capturing packages for the upcoming PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague Main Event and the inaugural Live Spin & Go Championship! Johnson is a proud 29-year-old Scotsman living in Strathaven, just south of Glasgow.

Table Of Contents In a remarkable comeback, Vitalijs Polukejevs rose from the bottom of the pack and, facing elimination with only card remaining, turned it into victory to claim the title of champion of the 2024 International Poker Open Main Event, held at the stunning Bonnington Dublin Hotel. The Latvian cash game player, who currently resides in Ireland, emerged victorious from a field of 909, claiming the lion’s share of the €274,745 prize pool.

Every Friday, as we head into the weekend, a member of 888poker’s stable of incredible poker players publishes a video on the 888poker YouTube channel entitled “Focus Fridays.” The most recent episode features Nick “eastyyy22” Eastwood delving deep into the world of live cash games. Eastwood starts by explaining the key differences between live and online poker. How Should Your Live Cash Game Strategy Change? Considering all of the above differences, how should you change your cash game strategy when battling in the live arena?

Table Of Contents Day 3 of the CAD $3,500 buy-in, CAD $1.5 million GTD World Poker Tour (WPT) Playground Championship had 53 players from the 840-entry field return to action, but by the end of the night just the final table of six remained with Baron Ha and his stack of 11,625,000 leading the way. Another player returning is poker pro Michael Wang (lead image), who has been traveling the world recently for poker and opted to make a pitstop at Playground on his way back home to Las Vegas.

Table Of Contents The Season 13 finale of High Stakes Poker — Episode 12 — aired on PokerGO Monday night, and it was packed with some big bluffs, a plethora of pocket aces, and a Hollywood actress in desperate need of some help on the river. Phil Hellmuth, who made his season debut last week, was back in action competing in the $200/$400 no-limit hold’em cash game. But the “Poker Brat” was silenced by a lack of hitting any quality cards.

Table Of Contents In her decade and a half in the industry, Jen Shahade has done more for women in poker than most can claim. From pioneering a PokerStars Women initiative to facilitating women’s boot camps and winning a GPI award for a poignant piece about secondary infertility and poker, it is no surprise to see the poker and chess pro among the eight nominees for the Women in Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2024, including Kristen Foxen, Liv Boeree, Annette Obrestad, Jamie Kerstetter and others.

Five years ago, Toronto’s Connor Daynard was 20 years old and didn’t know how to play poker. That is when the pandemic hit and a buddy of his sent him and some other guys $50 so they could start an online home game. Now, Daynard is closing in on the final table of his first-ever World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event, one of only a handful of live events he’s played.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) is wrapping up its stop at Montreal’s Playground. Still, they won’t rest long as they’re already gearing up for the WPT Korea, which will return to Landing Casino at Jeju Shinhwa World for the Jeju Poker Festival from November 15—December 1. The 2,500,000 KRW (~US $1,860) buy-in WPT Korea Championship Event will run from Nov. 16-22 and boasts a 1.68 billion KRW (~US $1.25 million) guarantee.

Table Of Contents After three thrilling days at the Harrah’s Casino and Hotel Kansas City, the $1,100 Main Event of the RunGood Poker Series has come to a close. The tournament featured three Day 1 flights over two days, attracting a total of 415 entrants, with 50 players advancing to Day 2. They created an impressive prize pool of $402,550, with a minimum cash prize of $1,776 and a top prize of $81,109.

Table Of Contents For the first time in Asian poker history, three major brands are coming together and creating a massive tournament series. The 2024 Jeju Poker Festival takes place at Landing Casino, Jeju, South Korea, between November 15 and December 1, and sees the World Poker Tour (WPT), the Korea Poker Cup, and Red Dragon Poker Tour (RDPT) run exciting festivals back-to-back-to-back! WPT Korea (November 15-22) The Jeju Poker Festival bursts into life with WPT Korea, which runs November 15-22.

Table Of Contents It’s widely considered as one of the most popular poker festivals out there, but after a long absence, it looks like the Aussie Millions might be making a comeback. As reported by the Poker Pulse Podcast, hosted by Australian Poker Schedule founder Craig Abernethy, the event is set to make its return to Crown Melbourne in April 2025. While there has been no official announcement, the much-loved event would be a welcome return to the live poker calendar for 2025.

Table Of Contents Look no further than the KO Games Main Events at 888poker if you want to add some value to your Monday grind. While most of the KO games have put up impressive numbers, the two showpiece tournaments look set to overlay, with only a handful of flights remaining in the $300,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event and the $100,000 Mystery Bounty Mini Event. Another 367 Entries Required in the $300,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event Event #29 is the $215 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed Mystery Bounty Main Event.

Table Of Contents Day 2 of the CAD $3,500 buy-in, CAD $1.5 million GTD World Poker Tour (WPT) Playground Championship saw 286 players from the 806-entry field return to action, but thanks to late registration being open until the start of play, 34 players joined the mix to bring the total field up to 840 runners. That meant a CAD $2,688,000 prize pool – well ahead of the CAD $1.5 million guarantee – was available to the top 105 finishers with CAD $412,300 set aside for the eventual winner.

Table Of Contents Rich Alsup might not be a household name in the poker world, but his list of poker accomplishments would be the envy of most poker players. The Minnesota native has more than $2.4 million in lifetime earnings according to the Hendon Mob, won the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #82: $800 NLH Deep Stack for $272,065 and a gold bracelet, and is a legend on the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT).

When it comes to Meet-Up Games (MUGs), Brad Owen was one of the early pioneers. He’s played in MUGs all around the world, most recently at Playground during the World Poker Tour (WPT) Montreal. On Monday, October 21 at 1 p.m., the poker room was packed with players battling in $1/$3 and $2/$5 cash game action. More than 40 tables were used with Owen, along with fellow WPT Global Ambassadors and prominent Canadian poker players Patrick Tardif and Xuan Liu, rotating tables every 30 minutes.

Table Of Contents Kristen Foxen and husband Alex Foxen had quite a week of poker. The couple had a combined five World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets six days ago. They now have seven. The WSOP Online bracelet series on the Michigan, Nevada, and New Jersey shared liquidity poker site is currently running. Much of the attention to the series has involved allegations against Kevin “GR4ND_THEFT” Ruscitti’s win in a $500 No-Limit Hold’em PKO event for possible use of real-time assistance (RTA).

Table Of Contents 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse. If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, The Hotline is available 24/7/365. Call: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Since 1989, October has been National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. According to NCTSN.org: “Domestic violence is prevalent in every community, and affects all people regardless of age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, or nationality.

Just after midnight as the clock ticked over into Saturday, the Bad Beat Jackpot was triggered at Playground located just outside Montreal, Canada. The CAD $964,471 jackpot – which came three weeks after the property’s CAD $2.2 million jackpot (the second-largest in history) – hit when Aymen Rhammaz won with a straight flush against the quad kings of Chad Whittaker, who took the lion’s share of the jackpot as the “loser.

Table Of Contents The second-ever PokerGo Tour (PGT) Super High Roller Bowl: $100,000 Pot-Limit Omaha wrapped up on Saturday with Seth Davies winning $1.5 million and his second SHRB title in two months. The high-stakes PLO event drew 42 players for a prize pool of $4.2 million, an increase from the 38-player field in 2023 that saw Jared Bleznick winning the inaugural event. The sports cards enthusiast, who used time banks to open a few cards at the final table, looked to defend his title as he entered Day 3 as the chip leader but bowed out in fourth place for $450,000.

Just five players remain in the PokerGo Tour (PGT) Super High Roller Bowl: $100,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, and leading the way is defending champion Jared Bleznick. Bleznick, who won last year’s inaugural event for $1.3 million, will enter the third and final day of play with a dominant chip lead over his four opponents: Artem Maksimov, Josh Arieh, Seth Davies and Sean Winter. Super High Roller Bowl: $100,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Final Table Seat Player Country Chip Count 1 Josh Arieh United States 1,135,000 2 Artem Maksimov Russia 3,055,000 3 Sean Winter United States 2,165,000 4 Jared Bleznick United States 4,370,000 5 Seth Davies United States 1,875,000 The second-ever $100,000 PLO event drew 42 players, an increase from the 38-player field in 2023.

Table Of Contents On Friday night, the CAD $1,100 World Poker Tour (WPT) Prime Playground Championship, which had attracted 1,587 runners over four starting flights, crowned a winner in Yunkyu Song, who won a CAD $241,620 first-place prize plus a seat into December’s WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. PokerNews was on-site for the action-packed tournament, and during that time the WPT Live Reporting Team (shoutout to Liam Gannon, David Salituro, and Ryan Lashmar) captured some game-changing hands.

Table Of Contents Whether running a six-figure bluff on the Hustler Casino Live stream or stacking off on the Big Game felt, Alan Keating is consistently one of the most entertaining poker players to watch. The high-stakes cash game specialist confirmed for Season 2 of PokerStarsThe Big Game on Tour, so expect to see him mixing it up during filming at the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Las Vegas festival running Nov.

WSOP Online issued a statement about game integrity in the wake of real-time assistance (RTA) allegations against the reigning WSOP.com Michigan Player of the Year while also asking that “players not rush to judgment without complete information to which they may not have access.” The statement comes after recent bracelet winner Kevin “GR4ND_THEFT” Ruscitti had his account temporarily suspended on WSOP Online after allegations by a group of Michigan poker pros that he had used RTA.

On Friday, Day 1b of the CAD $3,500 buy-in, CAD $1.5 million GTD World Poker Tour (WPT) Playground Championship attracted 229 runners, which along with Day 1a’s 143 brought the total field up to 372 entries with Day 1c still to go. After 10 levels of play, 74 players remained with Connor Daynard and their stack of 435,500 leading. That was slightly higher than that of Day 1a chip leader Giuseppe Corapi, who advanced with 401,000.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) crowned a new Prime champion on Friday night in Montreal! The CAD $1,100 WPT Prime Playground Championship attracted 1,587 runners over four starting flights, with just 16 players returning for the third and final day of action. After approximately 10 hours of play, Yunkyu Song emerged victorious to claim a CAD $241,620 first-place prize plus a seat into December’s WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.

Live reporting a poker tournament is often a thankless job comprised of long hours. Like the players, reporters are subject to the tournament clock, albeit with fewer breaks, arriving earlier and leaving later than everyone else. Many do it because their passion for the game is so strong. Sure, most would rather be playing, but few can actually afford the buy-in. That’s no longer the case for former PokerNews reporter turned poker pro Tyler Warken.

The Sahara Poker Room is closing next month to make way for slot machines in the latest hit to live poker in Las Vegas post-pandemic. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Thursday on the upcoming closure, which is slated for Nov. 16. In a statement, Sahara General Manager Paul Hobson told the Journal, “When it debuts in mid-December, the enhanced offerings will include dedicated slot banks where players can be some of the first in Las Vegas to play the newest test games from top gaming content providers.

Table Of Contents The biggest-everPot-Limit Omaha (PLO) tournament is back with the PokerGo Tour (PGT) Super High Roller Bowl: $100,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, a six-figure, four-card event that debuted last year and saw Jared Bleznick winning the historic event for $1.3 million. One year later, the sports cards enthusiast is closing in back-to-back $100,000 PLO victories. Bleznick ended Thursday’s Day 1 second in chips thanks to a cooler against Samuli Sipila as he made quad jacks to crush the Finn’s aces full, according to PokerGO updates.

Table Of Contents Poker industry veteran Rebecca McAdam Willetts has been nominated for induction into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in recognition of her contributions to the industry. In a candid conversation with PokerNews, McAdam Willetts reflects on her remarkable career journey—from her early days as a poker reporter and presenter to her pioneering efforts in driving global engagement and mainstream awareness. Reaction to the Nomination When McAdam Willetts learned she had been nominated for the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame, she admits she was caught off guard.

Table Of Contents The weekend is upon us, and that means many PokerNews readers are preparing to swap the daily grind of their nine-to-five for battling at the virtual felt in some prestigious poker tournaments. This weekend has plenty of stellar events for you to sink your teeth into, including the $300,000 guaranteed KO Games Main Event at 888poker. The 888poker KO Games has reached its halfway stage, with 16 of 31 numbered events having crowned their worthy champions.

The CAD $3,500 buy-in, CAD $1.5 million GTD World Poker Tour (WPT) Playground Championship kicked off on Thursday with Day 1a action. The first of three starting flights attracted 143 runners to the Montreal poker mecca, and after 10 levels of play just 44 remained with Giuseppe Corapi and their stack of 401,000 leading the way. Some others to bag big were Zak Vankeuren (370,500) and Tommy Nguyen (342,500), while Rayan Chamas (177,000), Mark Bailey (172,000), Jeremy Platt (87,000), and Casey Yenta (57,500) all punched their ticket to Day 2.

Table Of Contents Unless you’re Allen Kessler, you’ve no doubt heard of Jeremy Renner, one of the most popular and successful actors in both television and film. He’s Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, had breakout roles in The Hurt Locker and Wind River, is a part of both the Mission: Impossible and Jason Bourne franchises, and is The Mayor of Kingstown. Last weekend, the thespian took on a new role as host of a celebrity charity poker event in Las Vegas.

Table Of Contents The CAD $3,500 buy-in, CAD $1.5 million GTD World Poker Tour (WPT) Playground Championship kicked off on Thursday and is the culmination of an already successful festival at Montreal’s premier poker hotspot. For instance, from October 14-21, the CAD $590 buy-in, CAD $400K GTD WPT 500 Playground took place attracting 1,598 entrants over six starting flights. That nearly doubled the guarantee by creating a CAD $799,000 prize pool.

Table Of Contents The World Series of Poker Circuit is headed to the Windy City on November 7 for the WSOP Circuit Grand Victoria. The event is hosted by the Grand Victoria Casino, a riverboat casino posted up on the banks of the Fox River just outside Chicago. The WSOPC Grand Victoria will run until November 26. During that time, as the waters of the Fox wend their way past the paddle wheels, poker players will be floating streets and betting the river in a series of 19 poker tournaments.

Table Of Contents The World Poker Tour (WPT) is back at Montreal’s Playground! The WPT Playground festival started back on October 24, but today the CAD $3,500 buy-in WPT Playground Championship, which offers a guarantee of CAD $1.5 million, officially kicked off. Some familiar faces were in action from the start including Griffin Benger, Chanracy Khun, Eric Afriat, Mark Bailey, Daniel Gagne, and four-time WPT champ Darren Elias. You can follow live updates from the WPT Playground Championship here.