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Chris Moorman said his Poker Hall of Fame nomination felt “pretty cool” and argued it was “about time” online poker got more recognition. In a PokerStrategy interview, he said the game he built his career on deserves more respect because many of poker’s best players grew up online.

He said online poker was once seen as a step below live poker, especially when the format was still very new and players could not see their opponents. Now, he said, the games are more interchangeable, and sharpening a game online will often help a player make a successful move into live poker.

Moorman also said online is more important overall for him because it is what he specialized in and prioritized. He added that live success was a huge deal because it was tough at first, and he traced part of his comeback story to a massive bankroll hit, a step back to look at the big picture, and help from his mind coach Stephen Simpson.

He used the interview to make a broader case for European players. Moorman said Europeans sometimes get forgotten, that there are lots of European legends who have not really had a sniff at Hall of Fame induction, and that the Hall is often treated as just the WSOP hall of fame. He also said British pros are not all nits, describing them instead as tight-aggressive players who fight hard when they enter a pot.

Moorman said that if there were an online poker hall of fame, his first-ballot pick would be Niklas Astedt. He called Astedt an inspiration to every online grinder and said a main-event run a few years ago topped off his legacy. Looking ahead, Moorman said he wants to become a more well-rounded player by adding mixed-game prowess to his résumé.

The WSOP said eight finalists were named for the 2026 Poker Hall of Fame on June 24. PokerListings said this was Moorman’s first shot because he did not reach Hall eligibility until the summer of 2025, after voting had closed.

The WSOP said Moorman built his reputation through online tournament success before later winning a World Series of Poker bracelet live. It also laid out the revised process, in which surviving Hall members each get up to four votes and any finalist who clears a two-thirds threshold gets inducted. PokerStrategy said the field was chosen in a public vote before the final decision goes to a panel of living Hall of Famers, after the scoring criteria changed following Michael Mizrachi’s automatic induction last year. The induction announcement is set for the WSOP Main Event final table on ESPN from August 3-5.

BCPoker has rolled out a dedicated desktop client for Windows and Mac, alongside a wider software update that adds new cash-game rewards, a redesigned Spin & Go format, CLUBS, stability fixes, and tournament upgrades. The package is aimed at faster play, cleaner multi-tabling, and less friction than browser-based sessions.

According to PokerStrategy, the desktop release is built specifically for real-money poker and is meant to remove many of the limits of browser play. The client supports up to four tables at once across cash games, tournaments, and freerolls, and its Auto-Tile feature automatically arranges every table on the screen.

PokerListings also reported that the standalone client is now available for Windows and macOS, quoting BCPoker on “faster performance and improved stability” and on cutting out the need to rely on a browser and unnecessary lag during play. The cross-platform setup also lets players multi-table on desktop before switching to the mobile app when they are away from the computer.

The software push goes beyond the new client. BCPoker says it has spent the past month stepping up its cash-game offer with faster software, up to 50% rakeback, and lower rake caps across several key formats, with selected caps cut by as much as 70%. The result is lower playing costs and more money left in the bankroll.

The update also adds BC Fair and BC Flair to NLHE cash games. BC Fair automatically awards Casino Free Spins after qualifying losses, while BC Flair can trigger instant Free Spins after qualifying winning moments, with both systems fully automatic and requiring no registration or opt-in. Any Free Spins are credited instantly, and higher stakes can unlock bigger surprise rewards.

Mario Boos has become the last French player standing at the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table, and he has already locked up $1 million for making it this far. The WSOP lists him with 44 million chips, or 29 big blinds, as the final nine prepare to play for the $10 million top prize and the bracelet.

PokerOrg said Boos has been flooded with support from the French community, with thousands of messages coming in, and he also has 10 people staying with him in a Las Vegas house, with 10 more on the way.

Boos described the moment as a dream most poker players would want. He told Craig Tapscott that everybody texted him and said he is living the dream of every poker player who wants to be there and play this final table.

He also said he can picture himself as a teenager watching the Main Event final table on TV, when his only goal was to play poker. He said he will probably realize the importance after the tournament.

This is also his first time playing the Main Event in Las Vegas. PokerOrg described the early stretch as an intense ride, starting with a tough Day 1 table that left him around 27,000 chips down from a 60,000 starting stack before he climbed to about 165,000 on Day 2.

Boos said his first table was probably the hardest he had faced in the first six days, even though many players had urged him to take Day 1D because it was supposed to be the softest opening flight. He also said that once the field got deeper, there were no more easy tables.

The event has also forced him out of his normal routine. Boos said the Main Event is eight days completely away from real life, that he had to break his daily gym habit because there was not enough time, and that the break before the ESPN return gives him a chance to reset and get his mind right.

PokerNews added the decisive hand that helped push him into the final table picture. On Day 8, Boos faced Han Feng, thought about folding pocket tens, then chose to play for the win instead of taking the $250,000 pay jump between tenth and ninth; his tens held against ace-king.

Boos entered the tournament with about $240,000 in Hendon Mob earnings, had never cashed the Main Event before 2026, and had only about half a dozen WSOP cashes overall. Most of his results came from smaller events in France, and his previous best score was about $54,700 before this run blew past it.

Boos said he plans to sleep, go to the gym and study the table before returning. The first day of the final table airs live on ESPN on Monday, Aug. 3 at 9 p.m. EST.

RunGood Poker Series is set for another stop at Palace Poker this month, with the RGPS Golden Expedition scheduled for Aug. 13-23. PokerNews described the trip as a return to Dallas, Texas, while RunGood’s own schedule lists Palace Poker in Grand Prairie and says club membership is required to play.

The festival has 16 ring events on the calendar. Opening day starts with the $200 RunGood Texas 20K ring event, which carries a $10,000 guarantee, and wraps with Flight A of the $300 PokerNews PowerStack Mystery Bounty, a tournament that promises at least $100,000 in the pot.

There are six Day 1 flights in the Golden Expedition, with Day 2 set for Aug. 16 for players who bag a stack. The middle of the series also includes a $250 Seniors 50+ event and a $400 Pot-Limit Omaha tournament on Aug. 17, plus a $400 T.O.R.S.E. event on Aug. 19.

The Main Event is a $600 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament with a $200,000 guarantee. Day 1a begins Aug. 20 at 11 a.m., Flight B follows at 5 p.m. the same day, and the remaining starting flights run after that before the event is played down to a winner on Aug. 23.

The final day also features a $200 Closer NLH and a $130 Last Chance NLH. PokerNews says it will provide live reporting on the Main Event from start to finish.

Palace Poker already hosted an RGPS series in March, when the tour returned to Texas for another 16-ring stop. That run featured a $200 opener, a $360 PokerNews PowerStack with a $100,000 guarantee, and a $1,200 Main Event with a $500,000 guarantee.

Ireland’s Gambling Regulatory Authority has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nevada Gaming Control Board to cooperate on gambling-regulatory matters. GRAI expects it to be the first step toward broader cooperation with U.S. regulators, as Ireland continues building out oversight of its online and remote betting market.

The agreement is meant to help the two agencies oversee cross-border wagering and online gaming activity. The document says it is a statement of intent, not a legally binding contract, and that no personal data, third-party information or commercially sensitive information will be shared at this stage.

Any future sharing of that kind would need a separate information-sharing agreement. The MoU also says the regulators can communicate regularly on issues with major implications for the other side, will review the arrangement every two years, and can end it with 30 days’ written notice.

The deal sits inside a bigger reset of Ireland’s gambling rulebook. GRAI was established in March 2025 under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, and the MoU says its functions include licensing, supervising and controlling gambling activities in Ireland, maintaining a register of licence holders and a National Gambling Exclusion Register, and entering information-sharing arrangements with similar bodies outside the State.

Ireland has already started putting that framework into action. Earlier reporting said GRAI began accepting online gaming licence applications in February, and that any operator providing remote gaming services in Ireland must be licensed since 1 January 2026. GamingAmerica also reported that, after a commencement order activated key parts of the Act, GRAI can issue licences, impose fines and order illegal operators to stop.

The Nevada side brings a long-running regulatory model. The MoU says the Nevada board was created by the state legislature in 1955 to protect the stability and integrity of the gaming industry, keep gaming honest and competitive, and oversee reporting and collection of gaming taxes and fees.

GRAI chief executive Anne Marie Caulfield said Nevada’s knowledge and expertise are very valuable and welcomed its insight, guidance and experience, with consumer protection and public health and safety at the centre of operations. Mike Dreitzer said the board was pleased to sign the MOU and looked forward to sharing best practices and advancing collaboration.