Even superheroes need to relax. Clearly when Joe Hachem posed as Captain America this past week, the Amazing Spider-Man decided he wanted to show that Cap wasn’t the only Marvel character who could make a super hero call.
Bonus: Spider-man fans will certainly like this amazing unauthorized video.
Ultimate Poker pro Jason Somerville brings fellow pro Dan O’ Brien on the #RunItUp show to talk all thing poker and…dancing? Dan and some of his fellow UP pros got a little Footloose this past St. Patrick’s Day and found themselves face-to-face with the security at O’Shea’s. Not wanting to take any **** for having a good time, O’ Brien weighs his options as to what to do when faced with the proposal that he can leave on his own accord or he can get bounced. Check it out.
Phil Ivey is so good that even when your identity is hidden behind a computer screen he knows what you have.
Now, through this online training site Ivey Poker, he (or rather they) are offer some basic tips and tricks into gaining an online edge over the dopes you are playing against. If you are an online grinder or even just getting started in the world of clicking buttons, check out this list of 'Top 5’ Online Poker Tells.
Here’s some excerpts to give you a little preview:
Players Who Take a Long Time
What this means is that the player is doing a dozen other things in addition to playing online poker. Many times you will see these players play basic ABC poker and this gives you opportunities to attack their blinds and push them out of pots.
The Snap-Check Raise
This often happens when a player hits a monster hand and they check in the hopes of inducing a bluff. When their opponent bets, they are so anxious to get more money into the pot, they raise instantly.
Insta-check
Players that use the instant check button frequently have nothing and will fold to a single bet. When you see a player check as soon as action is on them, that is indicative of using the instant check button.
We don’t want to ruin all the fun of you clicking over to Ivey Poker, so if you want to “read” all 5 check it out. Though, we’d be curious that if these are the “Top 5” Online Tells, what are the next 5 like?
Heavy is the head that wears the crown. When you are the undisputed “King Of Instagram”, as Dan Bilzerian is, there’s going to be people who want a piece of you. From the looks of it, and this is completely UNverified so take it with a grain of salt, Bilzerian’s famous photos are being attached to those annoying internet ads you see on Facebook…without his permission.
Not leaving poker, just her job with PokerNews.
“I’m addressing you in this video today to share my decision to leave my full time position at PokerNews and I say that with a ton of excitement for the mystery of what’s to come but also with a heavy heart because PokerNews has really become my family.”
The Google Play store is not too keen on having gambling apps in their store, so WSOP.com’s new real-money Android app is now available as a direct download. According to our big bros over at pokerfuse, the WSOP Android app is finally here only 4 months (or so) after it was supposed to come to market.
No matter — it’s currently only for residents of New Jersey anyway. That said it’s another step in the Garden State’s online poker growth. WSOP.com’s Head of Poker Bill Rini took to the 2p2 forums to announce it’s official release and added his comments that the app was born of “blood, sweat and tears” – making it sound like WSOP.com developers were mercilessly beaten for 180 extra days until the new app was officially released. (Which if you come from a tech background you know is true.)
All that matters is that’s it’s here, right? If you wanna download that bad boy for your devise, check that 2p2 link above.
It’s nice to see that the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event Champ, Salty Joe Hachem, still likes to mix it up and have a little fun in his recreational home game. Here he gives us a little glimpse into the “madness” that happens when a group of Aussie’s get together with a pack of PokerStars cards in the basement.
This is the sort of madness that happens at our home games, played in that famous cellar!!
One of the most amazing things about poker is how it translates the world over. If you know how to play, you can play just about anywhere on the planet, including in cultures radically different than your own. With poker tournaments like the APPT continuing to grow, in a variety of markets, poker can take you to new places to see amazing things that you might not otherwise get to experience – like Seoul, South Korea.
Season 8 of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour stops in South Korea's massive city of Seoul, where over 25 million people make their home. While the majority of us are unable to book a flight to see the sights of Seoul to play in the second stop of the APPT, PokerNews has done a nice job of bringing some of the sights to us in this fascinating video.
Here’s a short report from Day 1a:
This past weekend, during the World Poker Tour Canadian Spring Open at the Playground Poker Club in Montreal, the casino’s $415k Bad Beat Jackpot was hit by a player who had just busted out of the tournament. In what was better-than-perfect timing for Richard Figiel, the WPT entrant busted out of the Main Event on Day 1a and quickly jumped into a $1/$2 cash game when the above photographed hand took place.
Figiel’s quad 7’s were defeated by fellow player Dimitri Morcos' quad 10’s and thus Figiel became the beneficiary of the bulk of the massive Bad Beat Jackpot. Figiel may have lost the meager pot but took home $157,865 for his sick beat – which was just $3134 less than if he played 4 days and WON the Main Event.
Marcos didn’t fare too bad either, pocketing $78,955 for having won the hand. Everyone else dealt in still had an amazing day at the tables as they got to tell their wives they “found” $11,279 in some bushes while “at work.”
Not a bad return for a $1 video poker machine.
In Allen Kessler like fashion, the notorious Chino Rheem posted this photo of spiking a Royal Flush and scoring $12k on the main board for his luck (and you can see he’s got $14k+ in credits).
Before he was the star of Frozen or on broadway as the lead in The Book Of Mormon, actor Josh Gad did a web series of the befuddled “stranger in a strange place” Gigi. In this particular episode he gets roped into a back alley poker game and unlike the multitude of April Fools’ Day jokes we endured, hilarity ensues.
Another clip from poker fanatic news anchor Matt Rogers showing how sitting for hours on end at the poker table could lead to some interesting opportunities…provided you keep it social.
“There’s a lot of time to chat it up if you want…”
How mainstream is poker? Enough so that Spokane/Northern Idaho NBC affiliate KHQ news anchor Matt Rogers chose “poker pro” as his alternate dream job.
When asked what Rogers’ dream job would be, in promoting a local job fair, Rogers picked poker and went on to produce a human interest piece on how poker is no longer the seedy, sketchy, underground game it was once thought to be. Now, as he reports, after Chris Moneymaker and the poker boom, it’s more of an above board, legit serious hobby for most and an actual profession for some. (Something we’ve known for a long time).
Watch as Rogers makes his case for the popularity of poker. You can just tell by watching that he’s a true poker enthusiast.
Antonio Esfandiari wows the crowd once again in the latest episode of Ultimate Poker's “Strip Magic.”
What’s that? You’ve never heard of the, now former, Team PKR superstar Sofia Lovgren? Well, here’s what you need to know – she’d been signed by Team PKR at early age of twenty and gave them some of the best (4) years of her life. Now though, still with some good poker years left, the 24 year old has been presented with a new opportunity that finds her embarking on her “next big adventure.”
Read: Sofia Lövgren — Team PKR’s One To Watch
Here’s a little of what she posted on her Facebook page:
After four amazing years as a Team PKR Pro I’m today leaving the team.
It is now six years since I started from the lowest levels building a bankroll on PKR. After grinding millions of hands and just turning 20 I was given the responsibility to be the first female Team Pro. I was from day 1 very well treated by this unique and friendly community. So many people have tried to encourage me and made my poker life enjoyable.
PKR has been like my second family and it has been an absolute pleasure to work with so many genuine and nice people and to represent this unique poker site and community.
So what’s next for Sofia? Well, whatever it is…the world will know pretty soon as it looks like it was an “opportunity”, not a change of heart, that pulled her away or so says PKR forum mod PKR Danski.
After four fantastic, memorable years, Sofia leaves Team PKR Pro today to begin the next chapter of her poker story. She has been offered an opportunity which any of us would find hard to decline, though it was nevertheless a very difficult decision for her. It is of course a great shame to see her go, but equally we are glad that we have been able to watch and help her grow into the complete ‘poker pro’ package you see today. Of the more than 20 Team Pros we have been associated with, Sofia has had the greatest impact on our own players, and outside PKR’s walls. Her poker ability and more importantly her loyalty, professionalism, determination and work ethic are the reasons she has done so well, and why new doors have opened for her. We wish her the best of luck for the next step of her journey and we will always root for her (unless she is up against one of ours!).
Of course it would be hard not to imaging that the opportunity might still be in poker and speculation is abound that she may be headed to the deep pockets and higher profile of either PokerStars or Full Tilt Poker.
In anticipation of Lovgren’s departure though, Team PKR filled that spot with a new signing. Meet Eleanor ‘Elz442’ Gudger, the latest addition to the team. According to PKR Gudger is the most successful female MTTer on their site with roughly $225k in cashes.
The ad wizards behind Sheldon Adelson's attempt to ban consenting adults’ freedoms employ game playing kids and iDevices in his latest video.
Imagine if you will completely unsupervised kids who play games like Angry Birds and Candy Crush finding their way into regulated online gaming, like blackjack, roulette and poker. These kids, who apparently don’t spend money in those games but when prompted, decide to play for big bucks on games that are not nearly as entertaining when you don’t understand them. Continuing to lie to their parents about what they are doing, and possibly even stealing their parents credit card at some point, this “innocent” kid gets his family in quite a pickle by losing the farm.
Once again, Adelson is using fear mongering to control the people and pull on heartstrings. Do you think this one will work?
The new Tonight Show has been off to a tremendous start and likable host Jimmy Fallon has been known to put himself in all sorts of competitions on the air. In this bit, he faces slight of hand expert Ricky Jay and, as expected, he doesn’t stand a chance.
Watch this character reel for a potential show on the mid-stakes world of guns and gambling in the South. (via Pokertube)
Everyone likes a good laugh and on April Fools’ Day everyone’s a comedian. Case in point, the poker media. Not to be left out of the day when the internet takes their jokes to the next level, a few of the “hipster bloggers” out there decided to audition for a job in the SNL writers room on their websites. Here’s a rundown on what we could find (so far).
Global Poker Index –
The GPI went all in on April Fools’ Day. Not only did they create a whole webpage devoted to the idea of a poker dating app, they littered their homepage with fake news stories…some of which aren’t even really that funny, just fake. But kudos to them on cornering the poker AFD market though as no one in the industry has devoted as much time to hilarity as the GPI.
All In Magazine –
While not doing their namesake in comedy, All In did dip their toe into the water with their Chris Moneymaker changes his famous name article. Hoping to cash in on the bitcoin crazy, the man responsible for the Moneymaker effect becomes the new face of the online currency.
Casino.org –
Wouldn’t it be hilarious if anti-online poker dinosaur Sheldon Adelson reversed course and launched a brand new site? If you think that WOULD be hilarious…then check out this article about AdelVicePoker.com, Sheldon’s latest “secret deal” with Full Tilt Poker finds him ready to jump ship on his opposition to online and crush some SnG’s. Plus Sheldon ages 12 years over the course of this one article.
If we catch any more LOLs, we’ll update this post later in the day. If you find a good (or bad) one, let us know!
The UK poker community was stunned last week when word spread of the death of well-known poker player, casino regular and father-of-three, Mehmet Hassan. Yesterday, three individuals, 2 men and a young woman, were charged at Highbury Magistrate’s Court with his murder.
According to the London Evening Standard, friends feared that Hassan, a UK poker fixture and noted “born gambler”, was the victim of a pre-planned robbery or, as some call it, a “honey trap.” Hassan, who had on the night of his murder, won roughly £3,000 playing poker left the Mayfair Casino with a young woman only to be found later in his flat beaten to death.
One of the accused charged is a 24 year old home care worker that is “suspected of enticing” Hassan back to his own apartment where he was tied up, beaten and left for dead. Initial reports also suggested that, in addition to the 3k he may have had one him, Hassan had kept roughly £20,000 in cash on hand in his home. Police are looking to piece together what exactly was stolen and the entirety of Hassan’s movements on that night.
“He was a wonderful, warm man – the original loveable rogue – and he would gamble on anything,” professional poker player Ross Boatman told the Standard. “He was always prepared to put everything on the line and shoot for the stars. He was an extraordinary man and could turn a tenner into a hundred thousand pounds and lose it just as quickly.”
The trio of suspects, were remanded in custody overnight and will have a bail hearing today while four other suspects who were arrested after the death have been bailed until June.
The Global Poker Index, the company that tracks the top poker players in the world, have created a new dating app that only a FOOL would miss out on. That’s right, here on APRIL 1st, the GPI is helping women and the players in the top GPI 300 go “all-in on love.” Check out what they have to say about it right here:
Top poker pros rake in millions of dollars per year – there’s dozens of “Dan Bilzerian” level playboys in the GPI Top 300 list alone – yet many admit that they don’t readily interact with the opposite sex. Indeed, on average only 3% of the people poker players report meeting in a given year are women – a statistic GPI felt was unacceptable given the fact that legions of women are searching for the perfect poker sugar daddy everyday.
According to their “data” 95% of ALL poker players in their rankings are either single or in an open relationship. They have a lot of other facts and figures to back up their assertion that women and poker players need to find some common ground.
GPI realized that women weren’t only missing at the poker tables – they were missing from many poker players lives as a whole. It’s a major problem, and not something GPI founder Alex Dreyfus has taken lightly while developing a solution, as he explained, “The GPI Matchmaker is the product of two years’ worth of hard work from the GPI team. We’ve traveled to hundreds of tournaments to listen in on players’ conversations and figure out what was missing from their lives. For many the answer was simple. Women. The GPI Matchmaker represents a huge step towards changing this, and creating a better poker world.”
So if you are a lovely lady looking for your Dan Bilzerian, check out the free GPI dating app – available starting TODAY – APRIL 1st. Not likely to be available tomorrow.
[but really, it looks like they spent some real time on this practical joke!]
Watch as Full Tilt Poker places two of their Tour Ambassadors (and professional boxer David Haye) in a high speed vehicle – a Mike McDonald-esque Yellow Lambo – and sends them around a racetrack to see how many hands of Rush Poker they can play in a single lap.
Leaks in poker often go unrecognized. Both the player with an obvious leak, and the players sitting around the table that should be exposing those leaks often lose incredible opportunities to get their stack ahead.
The argument between poker being a game of luck and a game of skill can easily be swayed in the direction of those that standby their opinion that poker is a game of skill. Just possessing the ability to spot a leak in another player’s game takes skill. Similarly, having the ability to plug up your own leaks is a skill in itself.
Read: Top 5 Common Exploitable Cash-Game Poker Leaks & How to Plug Them
You can get your head around some of those situations in poker where you just cannot seem put your finger on why certain players seem to read your every move, while at the same time expose a few your opponent’s leaks yourself.
Some of the more obvious tips in this piece from Zazzenlife.com takes a little trial and error to test, but you can always gather free information by taking note on how your opponents play against others. For example you don’t even need to be in a hand to spot a classic weak-passive style.
A default weak-passive style that is incredibly easy to read. This type of opponent bets when they have it, and check/folds when they don’t.
Ignoring pot odds is an explicit leak that much of the poker world suffers from. It attracts aggressive plays, easily extracts your money, and labels you as the table donkey.
If we know our opponent is clueless about pot odds, we can bet a lot more relative to the size of the pot when we have a strong holding.
So if you find that you can’t spot the sucker at the table when you sit down at a cash game, then take the time to check out these exploitable cash game leaks so you can fix your and exploit others.
Late last week many had taken note of the fact that “Mad” Marvin Rettermaier took the time to blog his opposition to the proposed World Poker Tour shot clock. It’s definitely interesting, as he makes points about it being prohibitive to new players and that 30 seconds is just not enough time. He even cites the fact that even though he’s a notorious time-taker if it were good for the game, he’d “be objective” and be in favor of it.
Read: Marvin Rettenmaier – Why I’m Against Implementing A Shot Clock!
The blog is no surprise, right? He’s been the poster child for the 20% who were opposed on day one when he Tweeted his ballot plainly stating his opposition.
Here’s what we did find surprising: Matt Savage is against it too.
That’s right Matt Savage. The tournament director of the LAPC, the very tournament where the ballot was given out. The founder of the Tournament Directors Association and last, but certainly not least – especially in this case, the Executive Tour Director for the World Poker Tour itself.
The Executive Tour Director and the WPT’s #1 Tournament Director is opposed to the very 30 second shot clock that the WPT is considering implementing.
Seems strange that the World Poker Tour, where the “in-no-uncertain-terms” opinion (according to Twitter) of the guy who is basically in charge of running the tour is anti-shot clock, would even throw this out there.
But more over, how do you – as the World Poker Tour – implement a relatively radical new rule without the public support of the Executive Tour Director?
You don’t. If the 30-second, or any, shot clock is going to be utilized, it’s going to need the blessing of Savage (or someone in that position) in order to succeed. That would mean it’s going to have to have a whole host of logistics figured out in order, not just to get to a trial run, but also to get Savage on board. Don’t forget, Savage is a poker player too, so he’s looking at all the angles when it come to adopting a shot clock and right now – he’s against it.
So, if you too are against a WPT shot clock, like Marvin is, we don’t think you need to sweat it too hard just yet. If and when you start to see Savage’s tweets gradually come back around to being agreeable to the idea…then it might have a shot at materializing.
Bonus read (as if you aren’t sick of Shot Clock stuff already): Three Warning Signs That Poker Needs A Shot Clock
Selling pieces, swaping and being backed…these are some of the little talked about agreements that poker players engage in to stay in action, to lower their variance or to even have more to sweat.
This past weekend, the Wall Street Journal took a deeper look into the private deals of poker players and how sometimes they bet on the hands of others, even if they happen to be playing against them.
The article talks about how Daniel Negreanu spent roughly $2 million during the 2011 World Series of Poker backing various horses in a variety of events. Even though these are some of the same players he faced at the same table, he says his investment in their success never took away from how hard he would play against them.
Two years ago, he says, he invested about $2 million in 10 players at the World Series of Poker, and at times he has played against some of those he has backed in tournaments. “I play against them as hard as I play against someone I don’t even know,” he says.
Despite handing over large sums of money to fellow players, sometimes staking is done with a contract but quite often, among poker players, it’s done with a handshake.
Done sometimes with written contracts but often with a simple handshake, staking usually involves paying the entry fee known as the buy-in to tournaments over the course of a year, in exchange for 50 percent to 70 percent of the player’s earnings. If the player loses, he typically pays back the investor with all of his future winnings until the slate is clean.
The article touches on more than simply what staking or swaping is but how it’s done and if experts think that professionals can really play as hard as possible against a player they have a stake in. The piece features insight from Daniel Negreanu, Faraz Jaka, Seth Palansky and Brian Balsbaugh among others and is a nice read into poker’s secondary economy.
Over at 4Flush prolific poker pundit Steve Ruddock asks if online giant PokerStars’ ambition to get a foothold back in the USA is turning them from cool kid at the poker party to persona non grata.
PokerStars is making lots of in-roads with some CA gambling institutions like Commerce, The Bike and Hawaiian Gardens but the fight over whether the bill should include a “bad actor clause”, of which PokerStars would easily be considered, is threatening to delay the momentum of bringing online poker to the most populous state in the Union.
If PokerStars doesn’t let off the gas will they damage the changes of online poker in the Golden State, and their own reputation in the process?
Interested? Go read: Is Pokerstars Using a Scorched Earth Approach in the US? Pokerstars Using a Scorched Earth Approach in the US?
Just in time for the World Series of Poker, poker’s “Professor” and Full Tilt Poker fall guy , Howard Lederer finds himself ready for a return to the felt in the new Eminem inspired video from SrslySirius. Having gotten away with all of it Howard dances and raps his way back into the halls of the Rio, dissing all his enemies in the process.
It’s another home run from the master of poker parody, SrslySirius.
Since it’s WSOP time, let’s revisit another one of his Greatest Hits:
We’ve all been there. You sit down at a cash game and #RunItUp in no time. When this happens is it cool to pack it up, pack it in or do you feel obligated to hang out and give the table some time to take it back from you? PokerNews broached the subject both online with their fans and in person with the pros.
While the general public felt like hitting and running was not a big deal – generating comments like “do what you want”, “why put in overtime” and “I don’t give a ****” – the pros, like Theo Jorgensen, Mike McDonald and ElkY, seem to simply hate it.
Where do you stand?
What’s tougher: the state of modern poker or the current US job market? If you want to get in the poker industry, we got you covered. Here at F5poker, we’re always looking for a better gig…um…we mean…a job for all of you who want to jump into the poker industry.
Look at this sweet 60k+ job posting from none other than the WPT:
World Poker Tour Marketing Manager
Reporting to VP Marketing, this person will help develop and establish marketing strategies and execute tactics to exceed organizational objectives. Responsible for effective management of marketing activities for WPT events, episodes, and ClubWPT. This person will oversee all social media, PR, and promotional activities for the World Poker Tour, and deliver communications through WPT.com, WPT blog, WPT social media channels, talent communications, and our media partners. This person will also manage and direct photographers at WPT events around the world, and effectively maintain WPT photo archives.
We’re pretty sure that this is the same position that former press relations guru Jon Katkin just left:
But if you are looking to get in and you have both a knowledge of the gaming industry and some skillz to boot, then check out this job. It seems like a lot of responsibility for no-so-much money but it could be a ton of fun and if you DO get it…don’t forget who helped find it for you and give us a sweet RT once in a while when we push out those WPT videos, bro!
Though currently outlawed by the Idaho Constitution, live poker will commence this spring at the Coeur d’Alene Casino if the Indian Tribe that runs it has it’s way. According to CDAPress.com, the new live poker game, which may be totally illegal, is set to start dealing Texas Hold’em and MTTs on May 2 as the tribe has determined that poker falls under Class II gaming which is not regulated by State law.
The tribe is doing this not necessarily out of a love for poker, but a strategic move to compete with neighboring Washington’s casinos and protect their business and the jobs that come with it.
The Tribe’s legislative director, Helo Hancock, feels like they are in a good spot. With recent gambling expansion and the player vs player aspect of poker, he doesn’t seem to feel like this will incur any fines or be much of a problem.
br. “In the past, Idaho has been pretty concerned about the expansion of gaming,” he said. “With the authorization of these instant racing machines, that’s pretty clear that this has changed. Idaho appears to be pretty comfortable with an unprecedented expansion of gaming.”
Easily, already, one of All In Magazine's most popular videos, the new mini-documentary on the inner workings of the lifestyle of Dan Bilzerian has almost 100k views.
Episode 1 shows Dan in his native habitat, chugging protein shakes, leaving guns around the house and allowing a Playboy photography session to be had at his mansion.
As 'David After Denist’ might say – is this real life? Apparently, outside the photos that have made him both the most loved and hated man on Instagram, he’s actually living like this on the regular.
If you haven’t already checked it out, it’s for sure an interesting watch and the boys at All In continue to produce some of the best looking video content in the pokerverse.
It’s another well-produced episode of PokerStars' “The Bonus Cut.” This time, Super High Roller beast Erik Seidel faces tough decisions in a big hand early on Day 1 against Christoph Vogelsang. Looking to get three streets of value Vogelsang walks us though how he played AK out of position against a tough opponent like Seidel. Check it out.
We know there’s a lot of grinders and weekend warriors out there who would love to take a stab at making a run at being a poker pro. Meet Ireland’s Gavin O’ Rourke who, 6 months ago, quit his full time job as a train driver for his shot at professional poker.
Kristy Arnett talks with him just before his 9th place finish (and $83k score) at EPT Vienna about what it takes for someone with a family to grind it out on the felt.
The affable O’Rourke is both grateful for and loving every minute of his new job and thankful that some decent scores in the not-too-distant past has given him the financial backing he needs to have security for his family and, hopefully, fade the variance of the live poker scene.
What does Team PokerStars Pro Eugene Katchalov do after winning the Eureka Poker Tour High Roller (for over $207k)? He rubs it in by producing a short video of him working out that would make most men vomit. Here is the newly fit Katchalov giving the gym his “Rocky” treatment.
Got to try some new fun exercises in Vienna while training with Lincon in the famous fighters’ gym here.
Me winning the Eureka High Roller event in Vienna :) #ForUkraine
Australia’s Jeff Rossiter has found himself deep in a number of big tournaments lately. Both EPT Vienna's Main Event and the 2014 Aussie Millions before that, but neither brought him a championship. PokerNews grabs him on a break from the EPT Vienna High Roller to talk about his emotional strategy for grinding out the largest tournaments on the schedule.
More Rossiter: Poker Poll – Music or TV, There Can Be Only One
Jeff employs a “it is what it is” approach when it comes to grinding MTTs. With all outcomes being as equally likely, he mentally prepares himself for the highs and lows that come along with chasing the biggest prizes in the most beautiful cities in the world. If that wasn’t enough to be jealous of, just listen to how he plans on spending his time over the next four months…
World Poker Tour Canadian Spring Championship is in full swing and in addition to all the high profile personalities like Tony Dunst, Kara Scott and Mike Sexton, party poker has imported some of their online qualifiers to the Playground Poker Club.
Tugba Ercan grabs the mic and talks with real life online grinders Maximillian Droegen, Matt Swift and the lovable Pat Johnston who you would love at your table if you didn’t find the need to yell at her for faux pas (she got yelled at twice so far).
Check out this short video and see what it’s like to win your way into one of the nicest places to play on Canadian soil with the WPT.
For updates on all the action, check out the WPT’s Live Update Page.
Watch: One of the Best Laydowns at PSPC, and Possibly of All Time
Thi Xoa Nguyen makes an incredible fold with a full house at the $25K buy-in PSPC event.
It was during day 2 of the history-in-making $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship when a Vietnamese lady by the name of Thi Xua Nguyen stunned everybody by making this incredible laydown versus Athanasios Polychronopoulos, a Greek-American professional poker player with two WSOP bracelets.
220 players remained on the field when Nguyen raised from the button with Ad Qc only to get 3-bet to 37,000 by Polychronopoulos from the big blind who held a pair of Aces.
Nguyen made the call and the flop landed Ks 9s Qd. Both the players checked. The Qh on Turn improved Nguyen’s hand to trips. She bets 17,000 after Polychronopoulos checked for a second time. He made the call and the Ace of Spade gave both the players a full house.
Polychronopoulos once again checked on the river with his Aces full. Nguyen bets 50,000 leaving her 153,000 chips behind but finds herself in a check-raise-all-in situation.
This is where things go crazy!!!
After tanking for a while, Nguyen lays down Ad Qc face up—a freaking Full house!!!. Out of respect for her incredible fold, Polychronopoulos flips out Aces and was himself stunned.
Did she misread her hand? No!!! She knew what she was doing. Nguyen put him on Aces or Kings and she was bang on right!!!
The hand was caught during the live stream and obviously, the viewers glued to the stream went berserk including the commentators James Hartigan, Joe Stapleton, and Lex Veldhuis.
Nguyen eventually finished 153rd for $25,450 and Polychronopoulos also made cash but busted against Platinum Pass winner, Jussi Nevanlinna.
What is more crazier is that on day 1 Nguyen won an EPT Monte Carlo package during a random draw table giveaway.
Lex Veldhuis Ships Sunday Warm-Up Live on Twitch
Last night, Lex Veldhuis took down the PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up Live on Twitch for over $34,000.
#10YearChallenge: PokerStars
Let's have a look at how PokerStars has changed in 10 years.
Just How Much Did Platinum Pass Holders Win at the #PSPC?
PokerStars gave away 320 free entries to the $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) over the course of the previous year via Platinum Passes that after accomodations and spending money were valued at $30,000.
Watch: Crucial Hands at the #PSPC Final Table
In case you missed out on the Final Table stream of the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) event, here are clips of some of the most crucial hands at the Final Table of the event.
Bill Perkins Dishes Out The Wisdom At The PSPC
Joey Ingram sat down with Bill Perkins at the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) for a podcast that would almost hit the three hour mark.
This is Why One PSPC Platinum Pass Winner Tanked Two Minutes with Aces Preflop
With life-changing money on the line, one Platinum Pass winner genuinely considers folding aces pre-flop!
MILLIONS Online Will Return in 2019
A historic moment was created on December 4 as partypoker pulled off an incredible feat by setting the record for the biggest tournament in the history of online poker.
Knitting Mom Scores $30,000 Poker Package
Jennifer Carter knitted her way to a $30,000 Platinum Pass from PokerStars, granting her entry into the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) taking place in the Bahamas in January.
Watch & Learn: Phil Ivey Playing Short Deck Hold'em
Short Deck Hold’em, AKA 6+ Hold’em, is one of the hottest poker variants being played today, and courtesy of these highlights from the HKD 500k ($64k USD) buy-in Short Deck Event at the Triton Poker SHR Jeju 2018 series, you can learn from one of poker’s all-time masters, Phil Ivey.
OP-Poker Takes a Look at PokerStars VR
OP-Poker, a team of Twitch streamers and official ambassadors of PokerStars’ Power Up, was recently invited to have a look at PokerStars’ brand new upcoming Virtual Reality Product PokerStars VR held at EGX conference at Birmingham.
Watch: PokerStars Team Pro Liv Boeree's Recent TED Talk
PokerStars Team Pro Liv Boeree in her latest TED Talk gave a six-minute speech on how poker taught her three important lessons that can be used in life.
Rounders Turns 20
Continuing the celebration of Rounders turning twenty this year, The Ringer now brings us “Going All In: An Oral History of Rounders” —which doesn’t disappoint.
Molly Bloom To Speak At Unibet Open Bucharest
Unibet has announced that the Poker Princess, Molly Bloom, who’s “Hollywood high stakes poker game was the subject of the Oscar-nominated and critically acclaimed film Molly’s Game“ will be their special guest!
ICYMI: Phil Hellmuth's Grand Entrance at 2018 WSOP Main Event
Words escape me. Prepare yourself for the grand entrance from WSOP 14 time bracelet winner, Phil Hellmuth (as captured by PokerNews).
Do You Think This is Collusion?
This story still has the poker community talking. Real life poker couple Kristen Bicknell (who is signed by partypoker) and Alex Foxen made the final table of a tournament at The Venetian in Las Vegas last month. Their alleged soft-play and collusion has the poker community riled up with the likes of Doug Polk and Justin Bonomo still talking about it long after play finished up.
Doyle Brunson Will Retire From Poker After Last WSOP Outing This Summer
*Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson has announced his retirement from poker so that he can spend more time with his wife, who is in failing health.
Watch Chris Ferguson's Nothingburger Full Tilt Statement
It has only taken 7 years for Chris “Jesus” Ferguson to apologise for his part in the Full Tilt fiasco that followed Black Friday. He has finally commented via Vimeo. Check it out below.
Jaime & Matt Staples Win Prop Bet!
A year on from agreeing to a crazy prop bet with billionaire Bill Perkins, the Staples brothers have walked away with $150,000 and won their bet to get within 1 lb of each other.
#QUEENRULES At Unibet
Unibet have worked with creative agency FCB Inferno to release a custom deck of cards to accompany the launch of a new poker format where the Queen outranks the King.The project is intended to help draw attention to gender equality and unconscious gender bias in poker.
Daniel Negreanu: "Forget Books...Watch Twitch Streamers"
Daniel Negreanu has taken to Twitter to let his followers know that he thinks Twitch streamers are “more engaging and entertaining than a book”.