PokerStars Pro and chess phenom Jen Shahade is giving fans a deep look into the world of elite chess with a new publishing deal. The Woman Grandmaster and two-time US Women’s Chess Champion has signed on with publishers Hodder & Stoughton for a two-book deal.

The deal is for both old and new content. The first book in the deal is slated for very quick publication, with a plan to have the reprint of Chess Queens — a retitled and revised version of Shahade’s 2005 tome Chess Bitch — on bookstore shelves by March 2022.

The second book will be new content and is currently planned for spring 2024. Under the working title of Reset, the publishers said the new book “will reveal the secrets of success from the world of chess, looking at how taking risks, maintaining confidence in the face of failure, and challenging the system can lead to not just success, but a new perspective on what success looks like”.

Shahade is no stranger to wins — whether she is facing 64 squares and 16 pieces, or green felt and two cards — and this new deal looks like a win for both sides. For Shahade’s part, she said she is grateful for the chance to revisit and update Chess Queens, describing the original version as “ahead of its time”.

Anna Baty, Senior Commissioning Editor at Hodder & Stoughton, sees the chance to work with an “absolute superstar” to “advocate for women and girls in this male-dominated sport [of chess]”.

Look for Chess Queens: The True Story of a Chess Champion and the Greatest Female Players of All Time coming to a bookstore near you very soon, and mark your calendar for spring 2024 to get the first look at Reset, the newest insight from one of the best chess players of all time.

After bursting onto the poker landscape with her score of more than $63k on The Big Game, Nadya Magnus has reached the pinnacle of the Global Poker Index (GPI) rankings. With more than 2,000 points, she was named the top female poker player in the world by the industry’s official global ranking system.

She was almost 300 points ahead of breakout MSPT star Kyna England in second, giving Magnus a comfortable lead on her competitors. As part of her victory lap for GPI #1, James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton welcomed her to the most recent edition of their iconic poker podcast Poker in the Ears.

It was clear from Magnus’ first hands-on The Big Game, where she appeared as an early Loose Cannon, that she was destined for big things in the poker world. She played well and ran well, booking a total profit of $63,600.

Since then, she’s gone on to make good on that promise. According to Hendon Mob, she’s had two career wins and almost $1.3 million in lifetime earnings. Now, she can add the honor of GPI #1 to her already impressive poker resume.

Check out clips from the discussion at the YouTube link below, or listen to the full Poker in the Ears episode at SoundCloud.

PokerStars is celebrating the Lunar New Year with a new micro-stakes tournament series headed by its Twitch ambassador, Georgina “GJReggie” James.

The series kicks off on the upcoming Lunar New Year on February 1, 2022, and runs through February 6.

Even though Lunar New Year is primarily celebrated in countries in East and Southeast Asian countries, GJ’s Lunar New Year tournament series is open to all of its players across the globe.

The micro-stakes poker tournament comprises a dozen events — ten of which have an entry fee of $2.20, one has a $5.50 buy-in and the Main Event costs $11 to enter. A wide variety of formats are available including mixed games.

In total, the series guarantees over $50,000 in prize money, including the $11 NLHE Tiger Tournament Main Event, which comes with a $20k guarantee.

What makes the series even more exciting is that PokerStars will be offering Chest Drops randomly to Twitch viewers — the chests will be loaded with tickets that can be used to enter the festival.

Viewers can win free tickets between January 29 and February 5 by watching Twitch streams of GJReggie and other PokerStars ambassadors. However, to be eligible, players must have linked their PokerStars account to their Twitch account. Tickets can be redeemed to enter the 12-event schedule from February 1 to 6.

Doke and Lappin are back with the first Lock-In of 2022.

The boys speak to GPI and Hendon Mob President, Eric Danis — covering among other things, the upcoming GPI Global Poker Awards.

They also discuss the closure of PokerShares, and the demise (and possible reincarnation) of Phil Galfond’s Run It Once Poker — and of course, Doug Polk and Dan Bilzerian’s recent bicker-fest on YouTube.

David has just recovered from COVID-19, but that doesn’t stop Dara from getting in a jibe about his weight inside the first 50 seconds. Some things never change.

DraftKings Sports is live in the Empire State!

The sports betting giant kicked off 2022 by launching in the newest and hottest sports betting market in the US and is offering a panoply of peachy promos to celebrate.

Draftkings Sports NY has daily Free to Play Pools, $100 Free Bets for referring friends, and best of all — up to $1000 bonus on your first deposit. Whatever funds you add to your account, the operator will match.

With the Super Bowl just around the corner, the operator is serving up juicy new offers thick and fast, so be sure to check out the current deals at DraftKings NY.

PokerStars USA kicked off its first online poker series of 2022 over the weekend. The 2022 Winter Series takes place from January 22 through 31 across all three jurisdictions — Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey, promising more than $2 million in combined guaranteed prize money.

With 40 events in each state, and buy-ins ranging from $10 to $1000, PokerStars' 2022 Winter Series offers action for wallets of all sizes.

The PokerStars USA Winter Series has $1 million promised in PA, $650,000 guaranteed in MI, and $500,000 up for grabs in NJ.

BetMGM Sportsbook has launched its mobile sports betting app in New York, becoming the fifth sports betting operator to go live in the Empire State.

Having given its rivals a nine-day head start, BetMGM Sports NY will be keen to catch up to them ASAP.

The self-styled “King of Sportsbooks” means business, so be on the lookout for offers and promos galore as BetMGM NY celebrates its big launch and tries to claim its share of the market in the biggest (and hottest) state for sports betting in the US.