Following the successful outing at the SCOOP series, PokerStars has now added 6+ Hold’em (Short Deck) to its weekly tournament schedule on a trial basis.

Starting Monday, June 10, every day there will be five 6+ Hold’em MTTs with buy-ins ranging from $1.10 to $11. Each of them will carry a guarantee and will be played with button blind structure as seen in the spring series.

The operator is also running On-Demand Sit & Go’s for 6+ Hold’em game. They are available at three different buy-ins: $2.50, $7 and $15.

PokerStars is now gearing up to host yet another online tournament series, UFC KO Poker Series as part of its partnership with UFC. Details for the series has yet to be announced.

It seems that the online poker giant is exploring deeper integration with the UFC brand, PokerStars exclusive poker partner as the operator looks to extend its partnership with the launch of a UFC branded Knockout tournament series.

Although no details have been revealed officially, based on the teaser revealed today on PokerStars’ Twitter account, the UFC KO Poker Series is set to kick off on June 23.

Last time, the operator scheduled a bounty exclusive online tournament series was back in October 2018 when it ran $20 million guaranteed Bounty Builder Series. The series was a great success as it smashed its guarantees by 47% and ended up paying nearly $30 million.

There may be more UFC branded games coming soon on PokerStars.

In April, our sister site pokerfuse and Poker Industry PRO exclusively revealed that the company is planning on a much deeper and prolonged partnership that may cover other poker games and promotions including UFC Tornado, UFC KO, UFC Perfect Pick as well as the UFC edition of PokerStars VR, the company’s virtual reality game product.

Watch this space for more UFC branded PokerStars games that may appear in the near future.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is in full swing and so the WSOP online bracelet events.

The first of the nine online WSOP bracelet events kicked off on June 2 drawing in close to 3000 total entries creating a prize pool of just over $1 million.

Despite a buy-in of $400, the event drew some of the world’s best high-stakes player including the likes of Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler, Alex Foxen, James Obst as well as Phil Hellmuth who ended up reaching the final table under the screen name “lumestackin.”

After several hours of play, it was Korean poker player Yong Keun “LuckySpewy1” Kwon who outlasted a field of 2825 total entries, denying the Poker Brat his 16th WSOP bracelet by eliminating him in 5th place.

Hellmuth took home close to $40,000 for his efforts while Yong Keun finished with a top prize of $165,263.

Watch some of the highlights of Phil Hellmuth’s play at the final table which was being live streamed on Twitch by streamer Jeff Plat:

Phil Makes a Hero Call with Pocket 8s:

Phil Doubles up with A6o:

Another Double Up:

Bustout Hand:

Eleven years ago at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, one of the most brutal hand was witnessed when a Japanese poker player was eliminated by the best hand in poker.

Japanese poker player Motoyuki Mabuchi holding Aces improved his hand to Quads on the River but his opponent Justin Philips also improved his hand to the Royal Flush, eliminating the Japanese pro in a most brutal way.

According to ESPN commentators, the chances of such a showdown are an astronomical 1-in-in 2.7 billion.

One would think its unlikely to ever happen again but it did. Drew Gonzales, Twitch streamer playing a satellite to the WSOP $1000 online event encountered the very same statistical improbability.

Watch how Drew Gonzales lose his hand with Aces to a Royal Flush:

Daniel “Jungleman” Cates said that the infamous durrrr Challenge should be wrapped up “pretty soon” during a conversation with Joey Ingram on the Poker Life podcast last week.

Ingram responded to that comment with a bit of skepticism replying to Cates, “I’m pretty sure you gave me this answer three years ago.”

Jungleman then went on to say that we should expect some news to be announced by the end of the World Series Of Poker. He also said of Tom “durrrr” Dwan that “in his mind” he has some “disagreements” about the Challenge. So, who knows how this will actually play out.

On a personal level, Jungleman said of Dwan, he “can be very charming, that’s for sure.”

You can check out the durrrr Challenge conversation and much more below.

PokerNews anchor and podcast host Sarah Herring aka Aunty Chardonnay accidentally revealed she was pregnant on the PokerNews podcast in the most genuine of errors!

Check out the clip below!

Congratulations Sarah!

The eagled eyed among you may also notice that Herring and Kara Scott (who is just back from maternity leave) are seemingly talking about the pregnancy in the below video.

Former Unibet ambassador and founder of FLIP (Fantastic Ladies in Poker) Daiva Byrne attended her first MPN event at the Prague stop, this past week.

MPN took the opportunity to catch up with Byrne, who talks about her motivations behind encouraging like minded women to play poker, both live and online.

Check out the interview below.

You can also catch Byrne on the Chip Race podcast as she often jumps in to help the boys out when it comes to the strategy segments.

Many poker players look for alternative outlets beyond their friend’s makeshift weekly games in their basement. That is when they turn to online poker. According to research conducted by Poker Players Research, they found that 40 million people play poker online regularly. With that amount, it is understandable why there might be so many online poker sites out there that are trying to lure the next player. If you are an aspiring pro player, it can be challenging to figure out which online site is the best for you to learn the game and expand your skillset. As a way to help you sort through the clutter, we have compiled a list of what we consider to be six of the best online poker sites for wannabe pro players.

First Thing’s First: Playing for Real Money

When you are new to the online poker circuit, it is essential to check out what kind of special offers or bonuses online poker sites have for new players. Finding a website that has a generous welcome package for new players, and one that will allow you to maximize the most of your initial investment is essential to making sure your money goes as far as possible while also providing a fun and beneficial experience. Some of the best US online poker sites can be found at BestCasinoSites.net where you can also find attractive signup bonuses for new players.

Twitch Poker

Online poker tournaments can not only provide a sense of excitement, but they can also be great learning opportunities for aspiring pro players, whether you are a participant or bystander. At Twitch Poker, online tournaments are continually happening and have even been attended by some of the most popular and infamous poker players on the circuit. With Twitch Poker, participants can learn how online poker tournaments are run, the pace of the tournaments, and what sort of rules or “unwritten” rules are often used within online poker tournaments. These types of observances will help you as an online poker player when you decide to enter your first live online poker tournament.

PokerStars

PokerStars is a website that many people, whether they are into playing poker or not, have heard of before. For the most part, PokerStars is widely considered to have some of the best online poker software out there. What helps PokerStars separate themselves from many other online poker sites is their lightning-fast gameplay and the fact it is relatively easy to use in general. The online site’s ability to seamlessly allow players to transition between multi-table functionality, four-color decks, auto reload at the tables and anonymous tables are some additional features that help make PokerStars standout from their competitors.

Titan Poker

Titan Poker, part of the iPoker Network, is a great online poker website for those who consider themselves regular players and beyond the novice status. Titan Poker attracts a large number of new players daily, which means there is often competition from your opponents. Also, there is a very generous $2000 Titan Poker Bonus when players initially join the online poker site. Titan Poker has also extended their gameplay beyond just desktop computer versions into mobile tablets and phones, thus making it even more convenient for the striving professional poker player to win some money.

Full Tilt Poker

Full Tilt Poker is another online poker site that many people beyond your typical poker player has probably heard. One of the attractive features of Full Tilt Poker is their wide selection of buy-ins, with ranges that can satisfy most bankrolls. An example of this is a player can buy-into a game for as little as 30 cents or as high as $5000. Full Tilt does offer various types of poker games beyond just Texas Hold’em, such as Razz, Omaha Hi, and HORSE Fto name a few. No matter what kind of money you have or are comfortable playing with, Full Tilt Poker has the right game and buy-in for you.

Online poker playing might seem overwhelming and intimidating, but it certainly does not have to be. Having the knowledge and understanding of which sites have the best functionality, sign up bonuses, security, and buy-ins are crucial to providing the best gameplay experience. Once armed with this knowledge it will make you a confident player who is ready to take their game to the next level.

Social gaming giant Zynga has expanded its social casino portfolio with the launch of a new slot game Game of Thrones Slot Casino.

The new Slots Casino game has been launched globally via the App Store and Google Play and is also set to become available on Facebook and in the Amazon Appstore very soon.

This latest entry to Zynga’s social casino portfolio “transports players to the realm of Westeros” for a social slots gaming experience inspired by the award-winning TV show Game of Thrones from HBO.

As per the press release, players are immersed in the epic drama, combining the elements of the TV show with Las Vegas-style slot machines. The game features some of the cliffhanger moments across the Seven Kingdoms as well as incorporating sweeping landscapes and locations like The Wall into the world of slots gameplay.

TV show characters like Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion Lannister and House Stark members, Sansa, Arya, and Jon Snow have all been confirmed as characters to play a role in this slot casino game.

“As longtime fans of the series, Zynga is honored to contribute to the Game of Thrones universe, and honor-bound to provide players with an experience that reflects the scale, scope, intensity, and community of the series,” said Bernard Kim, President of Publishing at Zynga.

“The visual and audio design of the game truly evokes marquee moments from the series, and with our House-themed social features, players can band together to chase the throne themselves. Westeros lives on!” Kim added.

The game includes social features and in-game chat functions allowing players to join together to form their own Houses and work together to rally through an interactive map of the Seven Kingdoms.

A weekly “For the Throne” challenge has also been included where Houses of the game show are challenged to conquer each territory on the game map of Westeros, in order to rule them all and take the Iron Throne.

For those uninitiated, Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series based on George R. R. Martin’s series of fantasy novels. The show which recently concluded is insanely popular all over the world. It is considered by many as the greatest TV series of all time.

It has received 47 Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Drama Series three times in 2015, 2016, and 2018—more than any other primetime scripted television series.

However, this is not the first time that a gaming provider has released a gaming title based on a TV show. In April, for example, Swedish-based gaming supplier NetEnt launched a new slot based on TV show Vikings—another series famous for its action, drama, and excitement making it a prime candidate for a slot crossover.

Zynga’s Game of Thrones Slot Casino is available globally for free download in the App store for iPhone and iPad and Google Play for Android devices. The gaming giant has also said that it will soon be available on Facebook and in Amazon Appstore versions.