The $5,000 international World Series of Poker Online Main Event on GGPoker roared past its $25 million guarantee thanks to a whopping 5,742 entries, and it was Bert “girafganger7” Stevens who wound up with all the chips, the $2.7 million payday and his first bracelet.
Bert ‘girafganger7’ Stevens right after winning largest WSOP Online Main Event ever for $2.7 Million. (Image: Bert ‘girafganger7’ Stevens)
The Belgian had $69,849 in WSOP cashes before locking up the victory, which he did in front of thousands of viewers sweating and cheering him on through his his popular Twitch stream.
Top 10 of the $5,000 WSOP.com International Main Event. (Image: WSOP)
Although enormous, it wasn’t the largest payout for an online poker tournament. That record is still held by Stoyan Madanzhiev who won the same event on GGPoker for $3.9 million in 2020. That prize pool of $27.5 million was the world-record holder, but was broken this year when when tournament registration closed with the prize pool at $28,609,250.
Yagen Li of China also took more than $2 million away from the tournament for finishing as runner-up. It’s their only result.
The final table with commentary and cards exposed is available for viewing on YouTube.
High roller event wraps up Series
A $10,300 high roller event wrapped-up this fall’s version of the World Series of Online bracelet series on GGPoker. A deal was made heads-up between New Zealand’s David Dong Ming Yan and Sweden’s Eric Mattsson, leaving a half-million and the hardware on top.
But it was Yan who made his 10th WSOP.com cash count in a big way after he beat the former champion heads-up on Monday, good for $1,538,400 and his first bracelet.
This year’s version of the WSOP Online International series started Aug. 20. GGPoker packed in 33 events that ran until Oct. 2., and with buy-ins starting at $108, it gave players around the globe (but not in the United States) chance after chance at a WSOP bracelet and the thousands of dollars that come with it.
The amateurs had to face many international poker superstars and champions like Russia’s Artur Martirosyan, who added $424,698 to his $11 million tournament winnings by become this year’s WSOP Online International $10,000 heads-up champ.
Fan-favorite and MMA fighter Terrence Chan also won his first bracelet in the $2,500 event, and he had to beat 2022 WSOP Main Event Champion Espen Jorstad heads-up to do it. Jorstad is showing that he’s not a flash in a pan: If he won, it would have been his third bracelet.
Several distinctly different poker series start this week, one for the high rollers and a few for the rest of us. The WSOP.com Circuit series begins online in the United States with three separate series, and PokerGO starts up its Poker Masters in Las Vegas today.
Zach “CaptainLevi” Gruneberg won his sixth World Series of Poker Circuit ring online yesterday. (Image: WPT)
The chance to win a WSOP Circuit ring from the comfort of your own home, watering establishment, or bathroom is once again available for U.S.-based players who happen to live in or near Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey or Nevada.
Yes, September’s version of one of WSOP’s signatures is now taking place online in those states. That’s three online slates between them (New Jersey and Nevada play on the same site thanks to the MSIGA).
That means players will win another 36 rings online from now until Sept. 24.
There’s also 26 chances at a rings during WSOP Circuit series at Horseshoe Council Bluffs in Iowa (Sept. 6 to Sept. 18) and Thunder Valley Casino in California (Sept. 28 to Oct. 9).
And while the live events are attracting 100s of entries, the start of the series online hasn’t been as well-attended.
For example, Zach “CaptainLevi” Gruneberg faced only 87 players (54 rebuys) in yesterday’s $215 kick-off event in Pennsylvania to win his sixth ring and $7,769. All his rings came online. He’s in the $2 million poker tournament cash club.
That’s right, you can win a WSOP Circuit ring online in less than seven hours.
PokerGO Masters starts today
The high rollers showing up for the PokerGO Masters that starts today will also be facing small fields, but they’re paying the premium for it.
Running today until Sept. 25, the series with no buy-ins less than $10,000 takes place at PokerGO’s studio at the Aria. The 10-event series has six $10,000 buy-in events, three $25,000 events, and a $50,000 buy-in headliner. All the events will be streamed for PokerGO’s subscribers.
This year, players will earn points and the one with the most will be named Poker Master. They get a purple jacket and $50,000.
Here’s the full schedule:
Sept. 14 — $10,000 No Limit Hold’em
Sept. 15 — $10,000 No Limit Hold’em
Sept. 16 — $10,000 No Limit Hold’em
Sept. 18 — $10,000 No Limit Hold’em
Sept. 19 — $10,000 No Limit Hold’em
Sept. 20 — $10,000 No Limit Hold’em
Sept. 21 — $25,000 No Limit Hold’em
Sept. 22 — $25,000 No Limit Hold’em
Sept. 23 — $25,000 No Limit Hold’em
Sept. 25 — $50,000 No Limit Hold’em
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A Los Angeles deputy is accused of stealing a poker player’s chips, during a traffic stop, Terrance Chan wins his first World Series of Poker bracelet online, and a home version of the Wheel of Fortune slot machine is released are the short stacks CardsChat picked up in its latest orbit of poker news.
Terrance Chan won his first World Series of Poker Bracelet online. (Image: Danny Maxwell for WSOP)
Chan beat Jorstad heads-up in the $2,500 limit bracelet even on GGPoker Aug. 30. He won $64,021 while Jorstad won $48,330. It’s Jorstad’s second runner-up in a WSOP event in less than a month. He also finished second in the £10,400 buy-in in the International Super Circuit event in London Aug. 13.
Chan now has more than $900,000 in cashes from WSOP events. The poker player has also fought professionally in MMA. He has more than $1.3 million in tournament poker cashes.
WSOP bracelets events run until Oct. 17, on GGPoker globally and Ontario, and in the U.S. market of New Jersey/Nevada.
Bring Wheel of Fortune home
Vanna White might be out of the picture, but she will live forever as an gambling enabler in the Wheel of Fortune video slot machine that has been standing in casinos for what now seems like forever (well, since 1997). The game is so popular, it even has its own wiki.
Now, fans of the machine can own a copy for cheap, as the home video game cabinet company Arcade1UP released a version of the iconic casino game this week.
(Image: Arcade1UP)
The cabinet has two LCD screens, dual speakers and is Wi-Fi-enabled with online leaderboards that allow players to post their high scores and compete with others to be on top. It not only has Wheel of Fortune, but also features 24 games including Blackjack, Joker Poker, Mahjong, and others.
It’s now available in stores for $599.
L.A. deputy accused of stealing poker chips
The district attorney’s office in Los Angeles will not pursue charges against an East L.A. deputy accused of stealing $500 in poker chips during a traffic stop after “the driver who sparked the investigation said he feared retaliation from ‘deputy gangs,’” according to the L.A. Times.
The unnamed player claimed to have five $100 chips taken from him by Deputy Braulio Robledo during a traffic stop after playing in Commerce Casino. A police investigation resulted in Robredo’s suspension on Sept. 1, but the case was dropped after the player stopped cooperating with law enforcement, the D.A.’s office said.
The player’s fear of being related against by gangs of deputies is unfortunately grounded in the truth. A L.A. County inspector filed a report last year that said at least 41 deputies are members of “law enforcement gangs.” The gangs even have names like “Bandidos” and “Executioners,” according the report.
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Daniel Negreanu streaming his play while battling for World Series of Poker bracelet events online, a new poker room coming to Florida, and the Venetian finding a strange sportsbook partner are some of the short stacks CardsChat picked up in the latest orbit of poker news.
(Image: YouTube)
Negreanu streaming GGPoker WSOP bracelet action
Daniel Negreanu is in Vancouver, Canada for the next couple of weeks to play in a bunch of WSOP.com bracelet events that are currently being run on GGPoker.
And as GGPoker ambassador, he’ll live-stream the events he plays in, which are available watch for free through Negreanu’s social channels.
We’re watching through YouTube. He played and streamed the $2,500 Limit Hold’em Championship today. Here’s the rebroadcast.
Keep an eye on his socials for his WSOP streaming schedule.
Negreanu is coming off a High Stakes Duel win against Doug Polk. The chat feature is open while Negreanu plays, and fans peppered him with questions about the match (among many other things) during today’s four-plus long stream.
The WSOP series runs until Oct. 2.
The Venetian and Yahoo are now partners
The Venetian announced a branding partnership with Yahoo as part of its newly redesigned sportsbook. The name of the online and media supernova will be plastered on the walls and over machines that can take sports bets. Those machines, as well as the rest of the sportsbook, are powered by William Hill.
The redesign features a 1,770-square-feet video wall.
“We wanted to create the best place on the Strip to watch sports,” said Patrick Nichols, president and chief executive officer of The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. “This redesign pulls through the relaxed feeling of watching a game with your friends – plush sofas, lounge chairs, great game-day eats with the convenience of betting powered by William Hill. And through the partnership with Yahoo, we’re sure to have additional surprises in store for our guests as we move into football season and beyond.”
Vice President and Head of West Region Digital Operations at William Hill US, Michael Grodsky, is only happy they are now set up on The Strip.
“We are thrilled to power this new sportsbook on The Strip,” Grodsky said. “Our market-leading tech has provided a best-in-class retail sportsbook experience in Nevada for a long time, and we can’t wait to bring this high-powered partnership to life for more sports fans alongside our new William Hill mobile sports wagering app.”
Seats for 109 spectators and a new bar was also added so patrons can drown their tears in Patron after Dicker the Kicker misses the walk-off. Hey, at least the seats will be lush and comfortable.
New poker room coming to Ocala, Fla.
Ocala Bets, a small casino in north-central Florida, is gearing up to open a new poker room later this Summer. It will be the third poker room in the city, joining Oxford Downs and Ocala Gainesville Poker & Jai Alai.
The room will have 35 tables and a full bar. And they’re hiring.
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A man awaiting trial for attempting to murder his wife won a World Series of Poker bracelet online in Michigan.
A recent WSOP bracelet winner is awaiting trial for murder in Michigan. (Image: WSOP.com)
Rudy Gavaldon of Travers City won the $500 NL Hold’em Turbo 6-Max bracelet for $20,193 on June 18. A man with that same name was arraigned in the 86th District Court on Aug. 1, 2022 on a charge of assault with intent to commit murder, according to Yahoo! News.
Gavaldon is a repeat offender who spent 11 months in jail and three years on probation after pleading guilty of breaking into people’s houses to steal prescription drugs in 2011.
While it’s difficult to confirm with 100% certain that the Rudy Gavaldon who won the bracelet playing under the name “Flyheim86” is the same man who is accused of attacking his wife so violently that she nearly lost her life along with her right eye, there are several clues that he is (hat tip to Jon Sofen of PokerNews, who broke this story).
Sofen confirmed with the Grand Traverse Correctional Correctional Facility that Gavaldon hasn’t ben incarcerated since last August. Michigan’s inmate inquiry website also doesn’t list Gavaldon as a prisoner.
His “Flyheim86” username offers another clue. Gavaldon was born in 1986 and the only other “Rudy Gavaldon” listed in the White Pages is in his 70s.
“Flyheim86” also nearly won a WSOP.com Circuit ring a week before he got a bracelet, but stalled in third, winning $2,858. He started his mini run the first Sunday of June with a tenth-place finish in the $500 Bankroll Builder event for $1,242.
A terrible night
The police account of what Gavaldon is accused of doing to his wife, Lara, a little after midnight on July 29, 2022 is brutal and stomach-churning.
Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office say neighbors called deputies after Gavaldon knocked on their on doors and told people he was dying. He was carrying his 9-month-old baby when officers arrived. Police say Gavaldon said it was his wife that was dying and needed help. A 9-year-old was also present, but the children were physically unharmed.
According to Up North Live, a “woman could be heard yelling for help and approached the deputy walking down the road….The deputy saw the 28-year-old woman had significant injuries to her face and called for an ambulance.”
Gavaldon was arrested and charged while Lara had to be airlifted to a bigger hospital because of the severity of the injuries to her face and head.
Gofundme for Lara
Before the attack, Lara worked as a family medicine physician assistant, but she hasn’t been able to work since.
According to a GoFundMe page that was set up last September to help her and her children get through this tragedy, the injuries she sustained caused her to have her right eye removed. She also had to have several stages of nasal reconstruction surgery and a titanium plate placed to stabilize her orbital bone and sinus area.
It’s June, and that means its World Series of Poker bracelet season not only at the Horseshoe and Paris in Nevada, but also for players in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and bracelets aren’t the only bling up for grab this month, as WSOP.com is running a Circuit series as well.
Win a WSOP bracelet from home — just like GPI Female Player of the Year Cherish Andrews, who had her bracelet “for breakfast” after winning it from Pennsylvania. (Image: Cherish Andrews/Twitter)
The online bracelet series kicks-off in Nev/NJ tonight (June 1), while players in the separate markets of Michigan and Pennsylvania have to wait until Sunday (June 4).
A 12-event Circuit series starts in all three markets today.
Pennsylvania and Michigan June WSOP.com Circuit Scedule (all times local)
(Image: WSOP.com)
New Jersey/Nevada Circuit events
(Image: WSOP.com)
The WSOP.com bracelet events begin this evening in NJ/Nev with the $333 Triple Treys Summer Opener.
NJ/Nev bracelet events (all times local)
(Image: WSOP.com)
In the markets of Pennsylvania and Michigan, players will vie for bracelets every Sunday until July 16.
Pennsylvania and Michigan bracelet events (all times local)
(Image: WSOP.com)
International players have to wait until August
Players outside the US will have to wait into the end of August for their bracelet series, but it’s a big one. From Aug. 15 to Sept. 26, GGPoker, the WSOP’s international partner, will hold 33 bracelet events.
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Players lucky enough to live in Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, and Nevada will have one last series of events to win both a World Series of Poker Circuit ring and a seat into the $1 million Tournament of Champions on May 30.
Benjamin Kaupp won last year’s WSOP Tournament of Champions for $250K. (Image: WSOP)
Last year was the first time the WSOP brought all the winners of it signature events together in a Tournament of Champions. But in 2022, the event took place at the end of the WSOP. That tournament featured 507 WSOP bracelet and Circuit ring winners of the 2021-22. Benjamin Kaupp, who got into the free roll by winning a $215 Circuit ring online in Pennsylvania last February, won it for $250,000.
Moving forward, it will kick-off the WSOP. Next year’s 2023 bracelet winners will play in the 2024 Tournament of Champions, if the WSOP chooses to continue the promotion.
The schedule is filled with its usual spread of mid-stake buy-in events. It kicked-off last night with its only PLO event, and will run until May 21 is all three markets.
Another week, another full slate of poker tournament series that take place around the world. From a nice smallish stakes series in Colorado, to the five-figure buy-ins in Cyprus, there are events in most corners of the globe to satisfy most poker tournament players.
The Almighty comes to the Borgata in May. (Image: The Borgata)
The Almighty Million in Atlantic City
It’s Almighty Million week at the Borgata on the shore, which means that players will have a chance to turn an $800 buy-in into a six-figure score thanks to its $1 million guarantee.
How can the Borgata promise such a big prize pool with a fairly small buy-in? Four starting flights, baby! Also, online players played for $2,000 prize packages that included an entry and accommodations through BetMGM’s starting in April.
The first starting flight was yesterday, but players have until Wednesday to get into the Almighty Million. The flights start at 2 p.m. ET. Day 2 begins May 11, and the final table will play out on May 13.
Nose-bleeders heading to Cyprus
A full slate of 15 high roller events are set to begin Wednesday with a $25,000 buy-in event that kicks-off another Triton Super High Roller series.
Taking place at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel in the city of Kyrenia, the series features events with buy-ins ranging from $20,000 to the $200,000 invitational that will feature “affluent VIPs and poker professionals battling for prize money and the coveted title and trophy,” according to the website.
The $100,000 main event begins in two weeks (May 22). The rest of the schedule can be found here.
Become a champ at Bally’s Blackhawk
Meanwhile, for the rest of us: The Colorado Poker Championship Series at Bally’s BlackHawk starts Wednesday, May 10, and is scheduled to run until June 3. The series launches with a $400 buy-in event with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. It has four starting days, which run until Saturday.
The three starting days of the $1,200 Main Event with its $200,000 guarantee takes place May 25, 26, and 27. But most of the 39 tournaments have buy-ins for $300 or less, making this a packed schedule for players who only can dream of playing on the high roller tournament trail.
Celebrate Spring in Minnesota
The Spring Poker Championship Series at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., starts Wednesday, May 10 and runs until Sunday, May 21. Featuring 10 trophy events, its $1,100 headliner starts May 18. This event has three starting flights.
The poker room at the racetrack has been feeding the headliner since April, when every winner of its $250 and $350 deepstack events got an entry. Satellites into the headliner also start May 18.
Most of the events are in the $250-350 range, with $80-$150 “bonus events” taking place every evening.
Mid-Stakes in Michigan
The Mid-Stakes Poker Tour brings its show to FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek May 11-14. The $1 million guaranteed main is the only tourney on schedule, but players have been earning entries into the $1,110 buy-in event since satellites as low as $70 began in March.
It has three starting flights (May 11, 12, 13), and will conclude on Sunday, May 14.
After that, the MSPT heads to Silverado Casino in Deadwood May 19-21 for its $200,000 guaranteed South Dakota State Poker Championship, and then to the Venetian in Las Vegas for a $400,000 guaranteed event May 26-29. Both cost $1,110.
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The 2022-23 season of the World Series of Poker Circuit is coming to a close with events online, in Indiana, and as far away as Amsterdam. This season’s schedule, which started in July, saw 24 series in the United States and 14 internationally.
Win a WSOP ring like this — and entry into the Tournament of Champions — at the final WSOP Circuit events of the season in May. (Image: WSOP)
The WSOP Circuit International at Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary started May 3 and finishes May 15, when the winner of the C$2,200 “high roller” is crowned. The event starts May 14.
The remaining schedule has seven events remaining, including C$1,000 buy-in event today (May 8), a $C$1,000 turbo tomorrow, and the three starting flight C$1,700 Main Event (May 11, 12, and 13).
None of the tourneys at Deerfoot have a prize guarantee, which is left up to the casinos to set.
The WSOP International Circuit at Holland Casino in Amsterdam began last week (Friday), and continues until Saturday, May 13, with the conclusion of its €2,000 high roller, which starts Friday.
The first two starting days of its €1,000 Main Event are Wednesday, May 10, and Thursday May 11. It has a €500,000 guarantee.
And that will wrap up a year that saw the WSOP bring its brand to players in places like Morocco, France, Uruguay, Australia, and Brazil.
Stateside
The final two WSOP Circuit series in the United States before the summer series begins also takes place in May.
The series at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina began May 4 and runs until May 15. The first of the three flights of the $1,700 Main Event with its $1.5 million guarantee begins Thursday, May 11.
The final WSOP Circuit series for the 2022-23 season runs from May 11-23 at Caesars Indiana. Most of the buy-ins are $400, with a few more expensive buy-in tourneys mixed in.
That includes the $1,700 Main Event, the first of two starting flights begin on May 19, and a $2,200 high roller event on May 18.
WSOP.com Circuit also finishing season
Players in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania will also have a handful of chances to win a WSOP Circuit ring and entry into the Tournament of Champions online starting Wednesday, May 10.
There are a dozen Circuit events scheduled in each of the three markets (New Jersey and Nevada share players). The buy-ins start at $215, and the series run one tourney a day until May 21. Here’s the schedule:
(Image: WSOP.com
The players are not only trying for money and hardware, but also an entry into the WSOP Tournament of Champions, which kicks-off the 2023 WSOP in Las Vegas on May 31. This $1 million freeroll is available to all Circuit ring winners across all the WSOP-branded platforms, including online.
A bill that would require the Nevada Gaming Control Board to list people who have been suspended or banned from online poker sites for cheating has been written.
Jake Schindler celebrated his first World Series of Poker title alone after being labeled — along with Ali Imsirovic — as an online poker cheat. (Image: WSOP)
Submitted by Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas), Assembly Bill 380 would have the Nevada Gaming Control Board create regulations that include making public the full name, date of birth, and account handle of people “who have been suspended or banned from an interactive gaming system for cheating.”
Players will have the right to appeal.
“There needs to be some kind of transparency and some kind of accountability. When the WSOP or somebody decides that something is egregious enough that they’re going to ban a player, I think the poker community ought to know that, Yeager, a poker hobbyist, told the Nevada Independent.”
The bill has been referred to the to Committee on Judiciary.
Support for a global ban
Nevada only has one online poker site, Caesar Entertainment’s WSOP.com. But since Nevada is one of the members of Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), players in Nevada also play against players in Michigan and New Jersey.
The bill, in its current draft, appears to also require gaming boards from MSIGA member states to provide a list of players who were banned for cheating by WSOP.com. Yeager indicated that AB 380 would most likely be amended before being weighed on by lawmakers.
Online poker sites are in a constant battle to sniff out cheaters, and players are often banned. But the names of the players or the reasons they were sanctioned are never released, not even when the people behind the banned accounts for cheating are award-winning players like Ali Imsirovic and Jake Schindler.
Both these high-rollers have been apparently banned from GGPoker for cheating, but it hasn’t been absolutely confirmed. They haven’t been active on the site since GGPoker announced they banned 40 accounts in 2020, and they have faced consequences from their online behavior from those within the industry– they were suspended from competing on the PokerGo Tour in September because of the accusations.
Negreanu is one of many pros who are for a global ban for players who are caught cheating online. This would require the sites to work together, which may be an impossibility. At least one company has indicted it would be willing to discuss the logistics of implementing a global online poker blacklist, but cautioned it wouldn’t be easy.
In a blog post, Partygaming’s Head of Game Integrity Juha Pasanen outlined several issues online poker sites will have to face if and when the industry moves towards a blacklist. That includes getting permission from the many jurisdictions the sites operate in: Partygaming alone operates in 14 different jurisdictions.
“Trying to get a universal set of rules in place will be a legislative mountain in practice but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, though,” he wrote.
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Molly Bloom hits the college circuit, Phil Hellmuth’s Las Vegas house for sale, and a poker tournament in Florida to benefit Ukraine war victims are some of the short stacks CardsChat picked up in its latest orbit of poker news.
Molly Bloom was the guest of honor at the University of Colorado in Boulder earlier this month. (Image: CU Boulder)
Molly Bloom visited her old college campus in Boulder, Colo. and found an audience of more than a thousand people filled an auditorium to hear “stories of her notorious past running big-money private poker games, the art of reinvention, and the importance of believing in yourself.”
“Here I am with all of you. It sure feels like a redemptive moment,” she said.
She was the seventh speaker as part of the University of Colorado’s Leo Hill Leadership Speaker series which is made to provide “students the opportunity to hear from world leaders about their own leadership development, growth, and advice as leaders is an important aspect of a student’s own leadership growth.”
According to the University’s website, Bloom touched on how to believe in yourself, making lemons out of lemonade, and accepting responsibility, which is exactly what she did after being nailed for running a high-stakes poker game filled with some very rich and powerful players in Hollywood.
But that was nine years ago. Since then, she served a year on probation, 200 hours of community service, and wrote a biography that was turned into a feature film.
Benefit for Ukraine
Seminole Coconut Creek announced it’s hosting a Hard Rock Heals Foundation Charity Tournament benefiting Ukraine relief efforts on Saturday, April 8. The 11 a.m. $200 buy-in tournament has a $10,000 guarantee.
“Our goal is to help thousands of Ukraine war victims, including Ukrainian children and families who have been injured, displaced or severely financially impacted, in addition to Ukrainians who have lost loved ones as a result of this terrible war, which has passed the one-year mark,” said Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming, Chairman of Hard Rock International and Chairman of Hard Rock Digital.
The online sports book market went live in Massachusetts March 5, just in time for the second-best sport’s tournament of the year after the World Series of Poker’s Main Event — NCAA basketball’s March Madness.
Online poker is not included.
BetMGM was the first operator into the pool. They just announced that their ads will appear on the Green Monster at Fenway Park this season. And again, Pete Rose is still banned from baseball.
Win a WSOP Circuit ring online
Win a World Series of Poker Circuit ring — and entry into the $1 million Tournament of Champions — this month on WSOP.com in the US-based markets of New Jersey/Nevada, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
This month’s online Circuit series runs until March 26, giving players about a dozen more chances in each of the markets. As usual, buy-ins range from $100 to $1,000 with a smattering of satellites for each tourney.
Last night, Vikanty “V4Victoria” Shegal won his first WSOP Circuit ring in the $3,200 high-roller event that was available to poker players in NJ/Nev. He won $41,331 in the event that attracted 71 who rebought 32 times.
Hellmuth’s Vegas home for sale
Phil Hellmuth’s Las Vegas’s home is on the market, and it’s listed by none other than Karina Jett. Hellmuth told his Twitter fans he never lived there full-time, but once used the house as his headquarters during the WSOP.
I bought this house in Las Vegas Country Club gated community (great location). I never lived there, but was going to stay there during @WSOP and other long Vegas trips. I’m selling it now for $525,000. If interested in buying: contact Karina Jett https://t.co/32GXZkERJTpic.twitter.com/mxw9KmhXV6
Jett is a popular Las Vegas-based poker player who used to appear on poker shows on the Game Show Network like “Poker Royale Battle of the Sexes” and “Late Night Poker.”
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Pennsylvania’s Gambling Control Board did not receive any applications from online poker sites in its most recent round of of iGaming licensing. The deadline to apply to operate an online poker room came and went on March 3 with no sites interested in opening shop there, according to an official in the PGCB’s office that was contacted by CardsChat.
Despite being open for business, no new online poker rooms applied for licenses in 2023. (Image: US Chamber of Commerce)
That means Pennsylvania residents will still only have essentially three choices to make when deciding where to play licensed and regulated online poker: The two leaders PokerStars or WSOP.com, or Borgata and BetMGM, which operates on PartyGaming’s platform and is the same site, only with different skins.
More than $35 million in revenue was generated through those four rooms in 2022, a $5 million increase from 2021. All that money comes from players in Pennsylvania, which prohibits people from accessing its online gambling offerings outside of the Commonwealth.
How it breaks down:
PokerStars: $22.5 million
WSOP.com: $8.3 million
BetMGM: $3.2 million
Borgata: $1 million
Thirty-five million may seem like a lot, but within the online gambling space in Pennsylvania, it’s a drop in the bucket for an industry that generated $1.2 billion through online wagers in 2022 (the fiscal year runs ends June 30).
In Pennsylvania, brick and mortar casinos have to partner with online gambling providers in order to offer online products, including poker. Out of the 10 casinos that tapped into this market, only four choose to pay the $4 million licensing fee to include poker.
Pennsylvania is now the only state that has an online poker industry but isn’t a member of the Multi-State Internet Gambling Agreement (MSIGA), which allows its members to share players. Michigan recently joined, and now shares its PokerStars’ players with New Jersey.
It’s quite possible that casinos and online poker sites are wary of sending the money to get into Pennsylvania’s market without assurance that its will join MSIGA to allow the sites to build a large, American-based poker network.
Delaware Lottery allows its three casinos to provide online poker, online slots and online casino games, but require them to use the same provider. Since the online industry launched in 2013, 888 Holdings has been the company. But that 10 year contract ends this year, so Delaware invited companies to submit proposals. Seven companies did.
So why did the tiny state of Delaware pique the interest of seven companies, while none tried to get in Pennsylvania? Well, Delaware is a member of MSIGA and shares its players with New Jersey. Officials will choose between two companies, 888 and Rush Street Interactive, of which Phil Galfond is now part of after selling his Run It Once site to them.
While 888 already operates in all the MSIGA member states — New Jersey, Delaware, Michigan, and Nevada — Rush Street Interactive does not.
Also, the contract is to provide all the online games — including poker — in a state that allows a monopoly. That surely is appealing to the people in charge of these companies.
Officials will hear presentations from the two finalists in April, and will make a decision by November.
The popularity of bounty tournaments cannot be denied, and WSOP.com is giving US-based players a chance to experience them today. Also, the Mixed Game Festival returns to Las Vegas a fourth time, and the CEO is out at Bally’s. These are the short stacks CardChats picked up in its latest orbit of poker news.
Get those bounties at WSOP.com. (Image: WSOP.com Pa)
WSOP.com is testing out a Mystery Bounty tournament formula in two of its US-facing markets, Pennsylvania and Michigan, with many of them scheduled to take place today (Feb. 14). The tourneys are not available in the shared market of New Jersey/Nevada.
Mystery Bounty tourneys are one of the hottest formats at live events. They work this way: When an entrant makes it to a certain blind level — often the second day in live events — they get to draw a prize envelope whenever they knock a player out. The World Series of Poker’s Mystery Bounty tournament that kicks-off the Summer festivities has a top bounty worth $1 million.
In the online versions at WSOP.com, half the guaranteed prize pool goes to the bounties, which kick-in at blind level 17. With blinds running eight minutes, players have to make it 128 minutes. The prizes are distributed randomly.
The buy-in of today’s tourneys range from $10 to $109. The top bounty of the $109 event, which takes place at 8:30 p.m. ET in Pennsylvania, is $2,000. There will certainly be more to come.
Shake up at Bally’s
The Bally’s Corporation is changing CEOs. The Rhode Island-based gambling corporation that owns 15 casinos in 10 states will replace Lee Fenton with Robeson Reeves. Reeves is currently the president of Bally’s interactive division, which includes Bally’s gaming software offshoot, Gamesys. Reeves came to Bally’s after serving as the CEO of Gamesys since 2015.
Fenton, who become Bally’s CEO in 2021, was at the helm when Bally’s bought Gamesys for $2.8 billion. He will step down as CEO and as a board members on March 31.
“I am honored to lead Bally’s and grateful for the support and confidence shown in me by my fellow Board members,” Reeves said in a press release. “We are a unique company with a robust core and an extraordinary set of opportunities ahead of us. I look forward to working hard with my Executive Team and all our teams to take those opportunities and maximize our growth.”
Mixed Game Festival returns
CardsChat Podcast host Robbie Strazynski will bring his mixed-game festival back to Las Vegas for a fourth time in March. The complete schedule will soon be released, but a “save the date” announcement was made through his CardPlayer Lifestyle newsletter yesterday.
Mix it up in March
The Mixed Game Festival IV will take place at Resorts World March 18-23. Bookended by a $260 Omaha 8 or Better/Stud 8 or Better on March 19, and $260 HORSE on March 23, the festival will also feature low-stakes ($4/8 and $8/16) round-the-clock dealer’s choice games.
Poker’s coming back to Twin River Casino
The poker room in Twin River Casino in Lincoln, RI, will reopen on Thurs. Feb. 23.
The 23-table room has been shuttered since the COVID-19 pandemic ruined everything. A Bally’s spokesperson told the Providence Business News that the room hopes to be back to being fully operational in a few weeks.
Tips, corrections, complaints, or kudos, Please contact us.
In fact, this is PokerStars’ first multi-state network in the US since the online poker industry was intentionally destroyed by Congress with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which lead to Black Friday and the fragmented situation American online poker players now find themselves in.
So instead of being able to compete for 20 bracelets this year, players in Michigan will only get to play for seven, with much lower buy-ins and prize pools. It’s the same for players in Pennsylvania, which remains the only state that WSOP.com operates in that isn’t a member of MSIGA.
(Image: WSOP)
And here’s the 2023 schedule for online bracelet events for the shared market of New Jersey/Nevada. A little beefier, wouldn’t you say?
(Image: WSOP.com)
The online championship alone costs more than if a player in Michigan or Pennsylvania entered all the bracelet events. Heck, the online Series on the shared network nearly has as many four-figure buy-in events (six) than the entire schedule of Pennsylvania and Michigan.
But remember, many of the players and professional assassins that will make Las Vegas their home for a few months this summer to play in live events, will also have their phones and computers loaded with WSOP.com to compete online. So this will most likely be the last time for Michiganders to play solely against themselves for a WSOP bracelet. That’s a plus for the amateurs, even if they’re playing for much less money.
Why MSIGA is important for American poker players
MSIGA currently counts four states as members: New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, and Michigan. Michigan is the first state to join the founding members, but more will most likely follow. When and who are the $100K questions.
The most likely candidates are West Virginia, which has inquired about becoming a member, and Connecticut and Pennsylvania, which have not. West Virginia and Connecticut are the only two states that allow its casinos to open online poker rooms, but have none.
The reason these two small states do not have online rooms comes down to simple numbers. The operators, like PokerStars’ parent Flutter, do not think there are enough players in these states to sustain healthy and profitable online rooms. Instead, online sports betting and casino gambling remains the focus of these large multi-level gambling corporations.
The only way the online poker giants might open rooms in smaller states is if they can put the players on one platform across state lines, which is exactly what MSIGA allows.
So while politicians in other states with smaller populations are attempting to legalize and regulate online poker (looking at you, Kentucky), without being able to share player’s pools across state borders, online sites most likely won’t have the financial motivation to open — especially with a vast majority of their money is made through sports betting and slots.
And here’s the thing: The gears of bureaucracy truly do spin as if they are coated in molasses, so it’s going to take more than a few years for more states to not only legalize online poker, but to also join MSIGA. So while online poker fans in states like West Virginia sit and wait in a sort of online poker purgatory, they can only hope their representatives will get moving and start the process of allowing them to play against Americans in other states.
WSOP.com has upheld the ban of the account of a player accused of cheating by pro Jeremy Ausmus after he was beaten by him heads-up in the $7,777 high-roller bracelet event in October.
Jeremy Ausmus took to Twitter to accuse a WSOP.com bracelet winner of cheating. (Image: PokerGO)
Ausmus, who has five WSOP bracelets, gave a delayed update via Twitter yesterday with kudos to WSOP.com “for looking into it and doing something about it,” but the man he’s accused, Jared “jstrizza” Strauss, says it’s all nonsense.
They won't even tell me why they made this decision, except it an email "business decision". I called for weeks and nobody would call me back. I beat you straight you and your allegations are wrong. Loosing with dignity is a better quality you should work on in 2023
“Wsop states their policy is to not disclose any of the findings of their investigations so I’m not sure what they found. But to ban an account they surely found something very concrete whether it was a tool or teamveiwer etc. I’ve never heard of them doing such a thing.
No extra money nor bracelet was awarded to anyone else. Strizza claims he received them. I’ve been told it’s a much bigger deal to take money from players because of gaming etc so possibly that’s why he was paid, I don’t really know much about this area.
A deceitful top player playing other accounts or taking them over when deep and/or using RTA are massive threats to online poker and it’s too easy to do. Hence why I said anything in the first place. Bravo to @WSOPcom for looking into it and doing something about it.”
Why Ausmus decided to bring this issue up now is unknown. Did it take this long for WSOP.com to send him the email with the information? CardsChat reached out to both Ausmus and Strauss.
We also contacted WSOP.com for clarification, but they usually keep mum on their decision making, especially when it comes to cheating accusations.
Sour grapes or something more?
The $7,777 high roller event started Oct. 11, and it took less than 24 hours for Ausmus to take to Twitter and give Strauss a sarcastic congratulations, pointing out that many of Strauss’s previous cashes came in small buy-in tourneys at South Point Casino, a room known for its cheap hot dogs and low-stakes games.
Came up short in 2nd in the @WSOP $7777. Grats to Jared Strauss who I’d never heard of. He def played the best at the ft. I look forward to battling him in the live high rollers as it’s obv that’s where he belongs despite most his live results being in $60 south point birds.
Ausmus failed to mention that Strauss does have a short history of cashing in larger buy-in tournaments, most of them online since 2019. He said the near-perfect play of Strauss at the final table made him suspicious, but was still uncertain something nefarious like real-time assistance (RTA) or having another player play for him took place.
Want to be clear I’m not saying with certainty the guy who won was being ghosted or rta’ing. Just saying there are some cheaters out there and the biggest lead is solver-esque sharp play + limited results. People playing in these events def keep an eye out for these things now
Ausmus, who is a regular on the high roller tournament circuit and has more than $13 million in winnings, contacted WSOP.com with his suspicions, and by Oct. 13, Strauss’ account was suspended.
Strauss took to Twitter on Oct. 29 with a long thread defending himself and confirming that his account was locked.
Hi Twitter world so a lot of you people heard of my name by now, I’m Jared Strauss and I have some things to say! I recently won event #24 the $7,777 High Roller in the @WSOP online bracelet series. You may not of heard of me before this because I don't often play a lot of in
Hi Twitter world so a lot of you people heard of my name by now, I’m Jared Strauss and I have some things to say! I recently won event #24 the $7,777 High Roller in the @WSOPonline bracelet series.
You may not of heard of me before this because I don’t often play a lot of in person HR events, I have played a handful of this exact online high roller though and some others over 3K BuyIn LvL, so it’s not my first rodeo, and yes also wsop online final table not to far back, let’s get that clear first of all!
I got beat up this past summer during WSOP and took a step back to work on my game. I’ve watched countless hours of poker for months as well as getting personal 1 on 1 private coaching. I felt it was time to get back in when WSOP had their what now seems to be an annual online bracelet series.
After making a deep run in the GG series Main Event and having other cashes I felt super confident and continued to the wsop.com series.
I reached what most poker players strive and dream for and that is conquering and winning the coveted gold bracelet trophy, on top of that is was my birthday, I couldn’t ask for a better gift than that win! It was the most surreal and elated feeling I’ve had in my entire life.
Than what’s happens!!! I wake up the next morning to see @JeremyAusmus alluding that I must’ve of cheated, used RTA or that my account was ghosted (none the less by people I’ve never even spoken a word too).
Because why, he’s never heard of me!?!? Firstly, I’m not a big social media guy so that left me completely overwhelmed, for I’ve never dealt with a situation or allegation like that before, which instilled anger, frustration and defamation to my name.
I had a time set to be interviewed by @Normanchad in two days and was super pumped for it, with everything that was transpiring on twitter I felt like I needed to see where this was going to play out to as I didn’t receive my bracelet or my funds from the win yet.
The next day I played event #25 a $2,000 BuyIn and continued my heater finishing in 13th. However, the next afternoon I logged in to play event #26 the $3,200 six max, which I was super stoked for only to see my account was locked and suspended.
I immediately called WSOP to find out what the hell was going on and they didn’t tell me anything or give me a reason to as why it was banned.
I received a phone call the very next morning from WSOP and they asked me a ton of questions including hand history.
I answered and recollected most of what was asked and gave the best answers I could however many days it was after the win, keep in mind I played a ton of hands multi-tabling and playing other tourneys different days.
I waited over a week and they have now determined to permanently ban my account without reason, other than the pressure of the high roller community not knowing who I am influencing @WSOP business decision in this matter.
This is complete utter BS! I played my heart out that tournament, I had Dan Smith give me all his chips to me holding a boat in the early stages of the tourney and from that point on I got blessed with the deck holding with Aces in huge pots every time I got them dealt to me which was more than a handful of times, owning people with AK which I got more times than I could count, Etc. and from the beginning after getting a hold of the chip lead I never looked back, almost going wire to wire, with a little set back in the final table.
Not to mention @JeremyAusmus bluffing away his chips also to me heads up.
ANOTHER thing I would love to clear up, I’ve spent countless hours at various local casinos playing some table games or poker. South Point was one of them, for those giving me shit for playing at the Point, let’s firstly look at the time stamps of when most of those tourneys took place!
It was basically peak Covid when most casinos weren’t running any tournaments, I lived basically within walking distance to the Point and would go there with my local friends just to kick it and have something to do, playing at those stakes is just pure fun, so anyone whose mocked my poker career because I played there glad you had a kick by doing so, I hope you chuckled or at-least smiled while thinking about it.
All in all, although the experience was more than I dreamt of while actually doing it IRL, this twitter poker realm the next day really put a damper on my name and it wasn’t enjoyable nor were the next coming days fun seeing the like of people defaming my name.
On the plus side I saw a lot of positive comments where people saw it from my POV and sent over good vibes my way!
For that I say TYVM it was much needed for me during that time. The reason it took me so long to come out with a statement is because firstly I wanted to see where twitter world was taking this whole situation and more importantly I wanted to wait to receive my much warranted gold bracelet and attain the money that came with it!!!
Watch out poker world I’m here for the long haul and coming for every first place.
Not the first time?
So was the final table of an WSOP.com online bracelet event compromised? Did WSOP.com’s investigators actually find hard evidence that Strauss used RTA or had another player take over and play for him? How did they come to the conclusion that Strauss’ account deserved to be suspended and why wasn’t the bracelet win nullified?
Or did the WSOP.com bend to the pressure of a well-known and successful regular and made a “business decision” with no real evidence of cheating?
And why didn’t the WSOP go public for clarification?
Right now, the official results at WSOP.com still say Strauss is the the bracelet winner of the $7,777 event. Ausmus said he heard Strauss got paid and did receive a bracelet, but CardsChat hasn’t been able to confirm that yet.
Also, was this the first time a WSOP bracelet event was compromised by a cheater? WSOP bracelet winner and professional Dylan Linde says it isn’t:
Similar experience for me this year. Found out the player who won the $3200 bracelet fall ‘21 event turned themselves (and other account user) in for cheating this event. Was told they can’t discuss any actions. No money or bracelet awarded to those effected
Yesterday’s Tweet caused some pros to ask if big buy-in bracelet events even should be held online. Ausmus, who won two of his bracelets online — the most recent coming this summer — Tweeted he doesn’t think so.
Without transparency from WSOP.com, these questions will continue to remain legitimate. If anyone from WSOP.com is reading this, we sure could use some answers.
If you have experienced cheating or suspected it occurred during a WSOP.com bracelet or ring event, Please contact us.
WSOP.com is giving players in the United States and around the globe plenty of chances to close 2022 with a ring and a sack full of cash.
Win a WSOP ring like this — and entry into the Tournament of Champions — at WSOP.com this month. (Image: WSOP)
A WSOP Circuit series starts in Pennsylvania and Michigan on Wednesday where a dozen rings will be won in each state. It joins the online Circuit series in markets around the globe, including Nevada, New Jersey, and Ontario, Canada, that began Sunday.
All winners of Circuit events — both live at casinos and online — also receive an entry into the 2023 WSOP Tournament of Champions. New for last year, it’s a $1 million freeroll for all Circuit and WSOP bracelet winners. The Tournament of Champions will be the last event of the WSOP, which hasn’t released its schedule for next summer’s poker festival.
December’s Circuit series close out a busy year for WSOP.com in the Americas. The brand opened sites in Ontario and Michigan, and held Circuit and bracelet series nearly every month in 2022.
The schedule for Pennsylvania and Michigan is identical.
(Image: WSOP.com)
Super-sized in Nevada and New Jersey
Billed as a “Super” Circuit Series, the schedule for players in Nevada and New Jersey is filled with high-roller events that cost four figures to enter. Most of the world’s high rollers will be in Las Vegas this month for the World Poker Tour World Championship that’s currently taking place, and many of them will surely take their chances at WSOP.com
The first WSOP Online Circuit event in New Jersey and Nevada was a $500 No-Limit Hold’em affair that attracted 200 entrants who rebought 118 times to generate a prize pool of $146K. The top prize was $31K and went to an unknown player.
Also on Sunday was a high-roller event that surpassed its $100K guarantee by $25K thanks to the 25 players who dropped the $5,300 entry fee. It wasn’t a rebuy tournament. The top three got paid, with the most money ($56K) going to Philip “tszsis” Shing, who is closing in on $1.5 million in tournament cashes.
The third event, a $215 6-max tourney, saw 256 players who rebought 153 times, which beat the $50K guarantee by $31K. Jonathan “Art.Vandelay” Dokler won his third ring and $16.5K for the victory. He also has a bracelet.
Dokler nearly went back-to-back in the next event, but fizzled in second place in Tuesday’s $1,000 high-roller event for another $25K. That tournament was won by two-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael “stiltwalk” Mercado for his first ring and $38K.
The Series goes until December 18, in all the markets.
(Image: WSOP.com)
Internationally, the WSOP is holding its Winter Circuit online tournament series. That also started on December 4 and is capped by its $1,700, $10 million guaranteed main event on January 9.
North of the border in Ontario, the WSOP is holding its Winter Circuit series for Canadian players, which also started on Sunday. There are 16 ring events available to play.
Hard Rock International boosting wages and WSOP.com radio spots in Pennsylvania are some of the short stacks CardsChat picked up during the latest orbit of poker news.
Hard Rock International dedicated $100 million to employee raises. (Image: Hard Rock)
Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming is giving half its employees a raise. The casino and hotel brand announced it will dedicate $100 million to raising the salaries for a chunk of its US-based workforce.
Some employees will see their salaries increase by 60%. The immediate change affects 95 jobs, which include cooks, housekeepers, security, call center workers, and front desk attendants, according to CNBC.
Besides wanting to show his appreciation to the employees during this time of high inflation, the move should help retain workers and shrink turnover, said Chairman of Hard Rock and CEO of Seminole Gaming Jim Allen.
“We could have substantially reduced the total capital that we’re willing to commit to our employees, hypothetically, maybe given $2 or $3 an hour raise versus a $6 or $7 [an hour],” Allen told CNBC. “But I looked at it and said, ‘Let’s be the leader. Let’s be ahead of the curve.’”
Hard Rock International is part of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. It will soon take ownership of the Mirage on the Strip in Vegas, and plans on rebranding the property as a Hard Rock Casino, complete with a giant neon-spitting guitar.
MMA fighter and poker player Elias Theodorou has died
Mixed-martial artist and GGPoker vlogger Elias Theodorou passed away Sept. 11, at the age of 34 after a battle with cancer.
Theodorou worked with GGPoker the last few years as one of its celebrity players, and starred in a series on YouTube about his life as an MMA fighter and poker player called “Gloves and Shoves.”
“It’s so crazy and out of nowhere because he didn’t tell anybody what he was going through,” UFC president Dana White said during a post-fight presser. “And for a guy that is, you know, that healthy. It’s horrible. It’s sad. I don’t know what else to say.”
Finally, the WSOP.com has begun to advertise — at least in Pennsylvania.
This verified Pittsburgher noticed that radio spots letting people know WSOP.com is holding bracelet events started to air on at least one sports station this week.
While sports radio airways here (and everywhere) are inundated with adds begging people to bet on sports, adds promoting the state’s online poker rooms have been few and far between.
The reason is simple: Online sports books in Pennsylvania make about 10-times more money a month than their online poker brothers in Pennsylvania.
In July, for example, online sports betting revenue in Pennsylvania was $25.4 million (spread across 14 sites) compared to $2.7 million for its four online poker rooms.
WSOP.com kicked off its fall bracelet series this weekend with 45 pieces of hardware up for grabs from now until mid-October.
Richard Ali won his first WSOP bracelet online Sunday. (Image: WSOP)
A majority of those bracelets — 33 — will be won by players in New Jersey and Nevada, while players in Michigan and Pennsylvania get to battle for six in each market.
In those two states, there’s a bracelet event every Sunday at 6 p.m. local time. The schedules are nearly identical.
WSOP.com 2022 Fall Bracelet Schedule – Michigan and Pennsylvania
Date
Time
Event
Buy-In
Sunday, September 11
6 pm
NLH Monster Stack
$500
Sunday, September 18
6 pm
NLH
$365
Sunday, September 25
6 pm
NLH Ultra-Deepstack PKO
$400
Sunday, October 2
6 pm
NLH Lucky 7s
$777
Sunday, October 9
6 pm
NLH
$1,500
Sunday, October 16
6 pm
NLH Championship
$1,000
In New Jersey and Nevada, the schedule is more densely packed, but follows a rhythm: a tourney Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET, two on Sundays at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. ET, and one each on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. ET. from now until October 18.
It also has more “high roller” events, including:
$10,000 NLH, Oct. 18, 7 p.m. ET
$7,777 NLH, Oct. 11, 7 p.m. ET
$5,300 NLH, Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m. ET
$3,200 NLH Oct. 13, 7 p.m. ET
$2,500 NLH Sept. 22, 7 p.m. ET
$2,000 NLH Oct. 12, 7 p.m. ET
There are also five $1,000 events, including a PLO event on September 13.
New WSOP bracelet winners
There are a couple of accomplished players who have already added bracelets to their poker resumes this weekend.
In NJ/NV, Israeli Ori “try2trick” Hasson won his first WSOP bracelet on Saturday in a $400 No-Limit Hold’em event that attracted 474 entrants with 281 rebuys. Hasson, who is approaching 50 WSOP cashes, won $58,491. He has $365K in WSOP cashes in total.
In Pennsylvania, Richard “EatMushrooms” Ali won his first bracelet in the $500 No-Limit Hold’em event on Sunday that brought in 149 players who rebought 49 times. Ali won $20,715. He owns three WSOP circuit rings, all won online within the last year.
Ali’s first WSOP cash came in a live event in 2016, and if he continues his online dominance on WSOP.com in Pennsylvania, he’ll most likely pass $400K in WSOP cashes before the year is out.
His WSOP.com account has only been active since August 2021, but according to Sharkscope, he’s already pulled more than $100K from the site in 296 tournaments.
Drew “dudeguydrew” O’Connell picked up his second WSOP bracelet on Sunday by winning the $3,200 high-roller event in NJ/NV for $96K. The event attracted 99 players. O’Connell won his first bracelet last August in the $1,000 WSOP.com championship.
“Rvrruner” was the winner of the $500 bracelet event on Sunday in the combined NJ/NV market. He collected $64,590 in the event, which attracted 508 players and 214 rebuys.
In Michigan, “Full_send” finished on top of a field of 140 (34 rebuys) for a bracelet and $18,204.
It’s Circuit ring time again at WSOP.com and, if the first three events are any indication, there are going to be plenty of opportunities for tournament players in Michigan and Pennsylvania who love it when poker rooms are forced to add money to prize pools.
Win a WSOP ring like this — and entry into the Tournament of Champions — at WSOP.com this month. (Image: WSOP)
Meanwhile, in the connected market of New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware, prize-pool guarantees and player numbers are behaving more like the schedulers imagined. The events are seeing hundreds of players who are battling for bigger guarantees, and which are being surpassed.
The winners of the online Circuit events not only get a ring, but also entry in the inaugural $1 million Tournament of Champions freeroll in Las Vegas on July 18. This freeroll is open to all WSOP bracelet and WSOP Circuit winners. Flights and hotel reservations aren’t included in the bonus.
Overlays in Pennsylvania and Michigan
The opening event, Saturday’s $215 knockout in Pennsylvania, missed its $30K guarantee by $15,300. It attracted 112 players who reentered 35 times. Because it was a knockout, $100 went to the prize pool and $100 stuck with the player as a bounty.
Sunday’s $215 $50K guarantee missed by $8,600, giving the 160 players who also rebought 47 times a little online poker site sweetener for their work. And Monday’s $215 freezeout attracted 97 who saw the $25K guarantee miss by $5,600.
Players in Michigan are seeing nearly identical numbers in the same Circuit events.
Saturday’s knockout event missed its $30K guarantee by $14,200 (109 players, 40 reentries) while Sunday’s $50K guarantee missed by $7,200 (164 players, 45 reentries). Monday’s freezeout came very close to hitting its $25K guarantee, but fell three players short (122 entries).
New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware crushing
While players in Pennsylvania and Michigan are playing the same schedule, players in New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware are offered a Series with chunkier buy-ins and larger guarantees.
And the players have showed up.
Saturday’s $320, $100K guarantee saw 405 players who reentered 189 times to build a $178K prize pool. Sunday’s $215, $125K guarantee brought in 688 players who reentered 232 times to build a $184K prize pool. Even Monday’s $500 PLO event with a $50K guarantee saw 99 players who rebought 80 times to build an $83K prize pool.
There are 15 Circuit events remaining in all three WSOP.com US markets. They run daily until June 28.
WSOP.com has been running its Circuit Series each month this year, and missing or just making guarantees is the norm, not the exception, in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Last month’s Circuit Series in both Pennsylvania and Michigan saw nearly half its tourneys miss the promised prize pools.
That will soon change for online poker players in Michigan because the state’s gaming control board recently joined an agreement that allows states to share online poker player pools. WSOP.com is the only online site that takes advantage of the Multi-state Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) so far.
When WSOP.com links its Michigan players to its multistate room later this year, players there will see larger buy-in events and bigger guarantees in all its tourneys, not just Circuit Events. Bigger fields and guarantees also mean more players get a chance to cash.
For example, on Sunday, the $215 “Monsterstack” event took place across all three markets. Right off the bat, players in the combined Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware market were playing for more money — a $125K guarantee — than were players in Michigan and Pennsylvania, who were offered a $50K guarantee, which missed in both states..
In the multistate market, 140 places were paid, and the winner got $27,011. Michigan and Pennsylvania players, meanwhile, saw much smaller results with 36 players in each market making the money, and the winners taking home $10,190 each.
A fourth-place finish in the New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware market was worth $10,764.
Players looking to win a WSOP bracelet without ever stepping foot in Las Vegas will get their chance starting Sunday when the first of WSOP.com’s weekly online bracelet events kick off in New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
Be like Daniel Lazrus and win a WSOP bracelet online starting this Sunday. He won the $3,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller Championship for $205K last year. (Image: WSOP)
Nightly satellites into the events are also running in the site’s five US markets. Players in New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware all play together on one client, while Pennsylvania and Michigan players compete against players within their state borders, and on their own clients.
A mega-satellite where up to 30 seats are guaranteed will take place every Saturday in each market. Times vary, but most tournaments are scheduled to take place in the evenings, except of course in Vegas. They start at $33. Check the poker clients throughout the week for more information, as satellites are often added.
Eight bracelets to be awarded in Michigan and Pennsylvania
This will be the first — and last — year Michigan players can win bracelets playing only against opponents located within the state.WSOP.com went live there in March.
Since the site’s launch, state regulators have hitched Michigan’s poker market to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), and WSOP.com will soon hook up players in the Great Lakes State with players in the MSIGA member states of New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware.
Over in the Keystone State, Pennsylvania’s schedule is exactly the same as Michigan’s, with one exception: July 17’s No-Limit Hold’em Championship costs $1,000 in Pennsylvania and $2,000 in Michigan. Both tournaments carry the same $18K guarantee.
Michigan’s WSOP.com bracelet schedule
Sunday, June 5: $500 No-Limit Hold’em (3x re-entry)
Sunday, June 1: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Ultra Deepstack (2x re-entry)
Sunday, July 3: $500 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack (2x re-entry)
Sunday, July 10: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Online Championship (2x re-entry)
Saturday, July 16: $777 No-Limit Hold’em Lucky 7’s (re-entry)
Sunday, July 17: $500 No-Limit Hold’em Summer Saver (3x re-entry)
All events in both states start at 6 p.m.
More states mean bigger prize pools, more chances to win
The schedule for players in Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware is, unsurprisingly, more robust than the schedules in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Players competing in these events will start, and finish, their series with a $5,300 No-Limit Hold’em freezeout. A $100 satellite with a five-seat promise takes place on June 4, and 16.
Players outside of Nevada will have the additional thrill — or headache — of facing bonafide poker champions who might actually be playing against them online while also competing in live WSOP events at Bally’s or Paris.
Too bad WSOP.com doesn’t have a chat feature.
Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware’s WSOP.com bracelet schedule (all times PT)
Sunday, June 5, 3:30 p.m.: $5,300 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller Freezeout
Sunday, June 5, 4:30 p.m.: $500 No-Limit Hold’em BIG $500 (3x re-entry)
WSOP.com is giving players in the US more chances to win circuit rings, and gain entry into what promises to be one of the toughest events of the year, the inaugural World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions.
You can win a WSOP Circuit ring like this at WSOP.com this month and earn the chance to play for a WSOP bracelet at the Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas. (Image: WSOP)
Players in Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan have nine more chances to win a WSOP Circuit ring and to pad their bankrolls before the WSOP starts in Las Vegas on May 31. A Circuit tournament will take place daily in these markets until May 24. Satellites for the events start as low as $2 and also run daily.
The WSOPC ring not only looks good while check-raising the locals in your home casino, it’s also worth an entry into the three-day Tournament of Champions — a $1 million freeroll that starts July 18 — two days after the Main Event concludes. As its name implies, the Tournament of Champions will be made up of winners from both live and online Circuit events, as well as the 88 bracelet events.
Value to be found
There’s been a recent run of tournaments on WSOP.com in Pennsylvania and Michigan that have missed their prize pool guarantees, sometimes significantly. In Pennsylvania, the $320 Circuit event missed its guarantee by $15,800 on Saturday. In Michigan, the same $320 event missed its $50K promise by $14,300, and on Sunday night, the $525 event there missed the $50K guarantee by $5,000.
It’s the continuation of a trend that’s been providing good value to players at the expense of the sites. In Pennsylvania, the 46-event Online Championships that took place from May 1-15 only had 21 tournaments meet prize pool guarantees. Of those 21 events, one of those exceeded its promised prize pool by just $3.
Sunday’s $150K guarantee Main Event in Pennsylvania missed its mark by $50,600.
It’s been a similar story in Michigan, where 14 tourneys in that state’s 46-event Online Championship missed their prize pool guarantees.
Players on WSOP.com’s New Jersey/Nevada client aren’t seeing as many overlays. Those two states, and Delaware, share player pools, and Michigan will soon join them thanks to the Multi-State Internet Gambling Agreement (MSIGA). It hasn’t been announced when WSOP.com Michigan will begin sharing its player pool with Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware, but a clue may have been found in a schedule release: last week, WSOP.com released its bracelet schedule for Michigan players, meaning they won’t be playing for bracelets against players in New Jersey and Nevada until next year.
WSOP.com is the only online poker room to take advantage of MSIGA. This allows the site to offer — and meet — bigger guarantees, as is evident in the schedules of the WSOP.com Circuit events in the different markets.
WSOP.com Online Circuit schedule: Pennsylvania and Michigan
Date
Time
Buy-In
Guarantee
May 16
7 pm
$215
$30,000
May 17
7 pm
$500
$50,000
May 18
7 pm
$109
$30,000
May 19
7 pm
$215
$40,000
May 20
7 pm
$215
$30,000
May 21
7 pm
$215
$50,000
May 22
7 pm
$525
$100,000
May 23
7 pm
$109
$20,000
May 24
7 pm
$1,000
$50,000
WSOP.com Online Circuit Schedule: New Jersey and Nevada (times in ET)
The WSOP Online Circuit meets its guarantees in Pennsylvania, PokerStars launching its Winter Series in three states, and a card room owner suing Washington state are just a few news tidbits CardsChat picked up during another orbit around the poker world the past week.
Richard Ali is currently leading all Pennsylvania players in the WSOP Online Player of the Year race. (Image: Rivers Poker Room)
WSOP.com in Pennsylvania wrapped up its first Online Circuit Series of the year with each of its dozen tournaments surpassing their listed prize pool guarantees. In total, more than $836K was won and every event winner received a WSOP Circuit ring.
The $525 Main Event that took place Sunday attracted 201 players who rebought 85 times. A player named “uneedtherapy” took it down for $27,456. The tournament exceeded its $100K guarantee by $43K.
But if this Circuit series had a “player of the series,” it would be Richard Ali. Playing as “Eatmushrooms,” the Pittsburgher won two rings and finished second in another event. He won his first WSOP ring online in September. Ali currently leads the WSOP.com Pennsylvania Player of the Year race with 5,354.09 points.
Another dozen WSOP Circuit rings will be won by players in Nevada and New Jersey in a series that started Thursday. More than $1 million is guaranteed.
PokerStars’ state-by-state Winter Series start soon
PokerStars will be starting its Winter Series in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey on Saturday, Jan.22. The site will pack in more than 40 events in each market. The guarantees of each series vary from state to state: $1 million in Pennsylvania, $650K in Michigan, and $500K in Jersey.
Buy-ins range from $10 to $200, with multiple tournaments taking place every day until the month ends. Each tourney — even those with $10 buy-ins — offer satellites for as low as $1.
New casino license granted in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control board awarded a license to Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, Inc. for a mini-casino that will be located in Shippensburg, a college town in the south-central part of the state.
The company paid $8 million to acquire the license, which will allow it to build a facility in an old Lowe’s Hardware store in a strip mall. While only approved to operateup to 750 slot machines, the license can be amended to add table games for an additional $2.5 million.
A company that operates card rooms in Washington State filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday claiming that state officials unlawfully gave tribal casinos a gambling monopoly when they allowed the casinos to open sportsbooks.
Maverick Gaming, which operates 19 card rooms in Washington, is accusing officials of “irrationally and impermissibly discriminating on the basis of race and ancestry” by only allowing sportsbooks in the state’s tribal casinos, according to the Seattle Times.
The first book opened in September at Snoqualmie Casino. Maverick Gaming owner Eric Person has unsuccessfully lobbied state officials to expand casino-style gambling, including sports wagering, beyond the tribal lands.
MJ Gonzales staking a stranger
High-stakes poker professional and Daniel Negreanu’s heads-up coach, MJ Gonzales, told his Las Vegas-based Twitter followers that he will back one of them with $10,000. Those interested in the deal simply need to explain to Gonzales why they are worthy.
I want to give someone a real shot at following their live poker dream Not promoting anything Don’t need to retweet or follow If you live in Vegas and are a low stakes grinder I’ll back 1 person with a 10k stake. Tell me why it should be you GL
Gonzales’ offer resulted in a flurry of Tweets from players explaining why they should receive this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the newest horse in his stable. In the end, Gonzales actually selected two players to back — @bobbyschmidtIII and @sheplayspoker. Check out the full thread for all of the laughs and heartbreak players shared in hopes of making their poker dreams come true.
The World Series of Poker on Tuesday gave a July 12 launch date for real-money play on WSOP.com in Pennsylvania. Players in the Keystone State will not, however, be able to compete in the current WSOP Online bracelet series.
Pennsylvania online poker players will soon be able to play for real money at WSOP.com, but chasing an online bracelet will have to wait for another few months. (Image: Facebook/WSOP.com)
The WSOP announced its expansion into Pennsylvania with a message posted to its Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, providing the Monday launch date, promising sign-up bonuses, tournament guarantees, and a “new and improved WSOP.com poker client.”
As required by Pennsylvania online gambling laws, WSOP.com has partnered with the Caesars-owned Harrah’s Philadelphia casino. CardsChat News reached out to WSOP spokespeople for further details but hadn’t received a response as of press time.
Some limited information came out through the WSOP’s perennial (but seasonal) social media mouthpiece, Kevin Mathers, who last week announced his own return to the WSOP for this autumn’s live series in Las Vegas.
Mathers confirmed that new WSOP.com players in Pennsylvania won’t be able to play in the WSOP Online bracelet series, which began on July 1.
No, you can’t play this month’s Online Bracelet events. There may be a special series for PA players in the near future though.
Kevmath also confirmed that Pennsylvania players will likely be allowed to join in multi-state online bracelet events at some point, though exactly when remains unknown.
“I would expect it to happen by the end of the year, MAYBE joined by Michigan,” he tweeted in reply to an inquiry.
Expanding Player Pools
Population of states with legal online poker
Delaware – 974,000
Nevada – 3.1 million
New Jersey – 8.9 million
Michigan – 10.0 million
Pennsylvania – 12.8 million
West Virginia – 1.8 million
Currently, only Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware have a shared liquidity agreement, which allows players in these states to compete against each other for online bracelets. Expansion of shared player pools is expected, however, as more states offer legal online poker and regulations mature to take advantage of a June decision by the DOJ that allows for interstate online poker.
With the launch of WSOP.com in Pennsylvania, players there now have three options for regulated online poker, joining PokerStars PA and the Partypoker US Network, which powers the BetMGM and Borgata Poker brands.
With a population of 12.8 million, Pennsylvania nearly doubles the number of players eligible to play legal online poker on WSOP.com. Michigan has a population of nearly 10 million, but the Caesars-owned online site hasn’t opened there yet. West Virginia legalized all forms of online gambling in 2018, including poker, but with a population of 1.8 million, the state has attracted only casino and sportsbook operators.
Whether this week’s action had to do with stimulus checks or vaccine rollouts or the arrival of warm weather, the poker economy is continuing its churn, and appears to be building momentum. Regional casinos are drawing huge, record-setting crowds, recently launched online events are showing they have staying power, and in Las Vegas, some fields keep getting bigger, while others miss their guarantees — just like old times, right? But we never would’ve guessed in 2021 a match between Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu, featuring a comeback like something out of March Madness, would only be #5 on CardsChat’s list of big wins for the week ending Saturday, April 3, 2021:
(Image: PokerStars)
Artur Martirosyan
EPT Sochi Main Event
Casino Sochi, Russia
$325,316
COVID-19 may have moved the goalposts in terms of how live events are run but that doesn’t mean bars can’t be raised. The first live European Poker Tour main event of 2021 not only gave Martirosyan his maiden title but was bigger than last year’s. With 852 entries in this ₽175,000 ($2,311) main event — consisting of 548 players and 304 reentries — almost all hailing from Russia, the total field size saw a 51% increase over 2020. Martirosyan’s first EPT trophy was his second-biggest live score (behind $495K in the Partypoker Millions Live super high roller event in March 2020, just before the world started to shut down). “The trophy has such a cool design,” he said to event reporters after the final table. “It was one of the reasons why I didn’t cut a deal.”
With two Mid-States Poker Tour series within a week (and one in January), Iowa has become a hotbed for mid-stakes poker in the COVID-19 era. Sepiol, an Indiana native with a reputation among his peers as a tough grinder, won the 862-player, $1,100 buy-in tournament, which featured a $300,000 guaranteed prize pool that was completely obliterated ($836,140). After all was said and done last Sunday, he picked up the biggest score of his career. He now has over $400,000 in live tournament cashes, including a MSPT title.
(Image: Twitter/VenetianPoker)
Barry Shulman
DeepStack Showdown: NLH MonsterStack
The Venetian, Las Vegas
$75,267
He may be the publisher of our poker news rival Card Player Magazine, but we gotta give props to a poker media legend showing he’s still got what it takes to deliver at the tables. With two WSOP bracelets and a tournament record of wins going back to the 1990s, Las Vegas resident Shulman has more than $5.6 million in career tourney earnings. This $365 event, with a whopping 1,992 entries across five Day 1s, smashed its $200k guarantee, generating a nearly $600k in prize pool. The final day started Sunday at 12 noon and didn’t finish until 1:45 am on Monday with a two-way chop. Supposedly Shulman’s been working out and eating well in recent months, which his wife credited on Facebook for giving him the stamina needed to stay focussed.
(Image: Tomas Stacha/WPT)
Joseph Cheong
‘bIueberry’
WSOP Silver Legacy Circuit
6-Max High Roller
WSOP.com
$51,771
Cheong is no stranger to winning WSOP bling. He has one gold bracelet (won in $1,000 NLH Double Stack in 2019), and now three WSOP Circuit gold rings. Despite falling short in a golden WSOP online opportunity in January, his win Wednesday night, in the $1,000 6-max High Roller (open to WSOP.com players in Nevada and New Jersey was his first WSOP hardware from an online event. Cheong, playing as “blueberry” instead of his better known avatar nickname of “subiime,” topped a field of 266 for his 45th WSOP-branded cash, and his 22nd online.
(Image: PokerGO)
Phil Hellmuth
High Stakes Duel
PokerGO Studio, Las Vegas
$50,000
Why anyone continues to doubt “White Magic” is mind-boggling. It took a six-hour grueling marathon for Hellmuth to erase a 19-1 chip deficit against Daniel Negreanu on Wednesday and book his fourth win in as many appearances on the PokerGO show “High Stakes Duel.” Hellmuth talked a big game entering the $50K buy-in contest, which is perfectly okay if you can back it up, and he did on Wednesday for the umpteenth time in his storied career. You haven’t heard the last of Negreanu, however, and a rematch later this month is in store.
(Image: Partypoker)
Ross Brown
Liam Flood 6-Max Turbo
The Irish Open
Partypoker
€8,495
COVID-19 means players are enjoying the craic online again this year and, as is tradition, paying homage to an Irish poker legend. The Liam Flood Memorial is an annual reminder of his contribution to the game. This year, playing online at Partypoker, 161 competitors anted up €265 both to win some cash and commemorate Flood. He was known as “the Gentleman,” and was a close friend of Irish Poker Open creator, Terry Rogers. He ran the event after Rogers’ death in 1999 until he, too, died in 2014. When the chips had fallen on Tuesday night, Brown ensured the title stayed in Ireland after beating Brit Andrew Hulme heads-up.
(Image: Facebook/WPAMembers)
Jess Welman
Bally’s Power Poker Series Spring Festival
NLH Ladies Event
Las Vegas
$667
Maybe not the biggest win ever, but hey, it was better than what we accomplished at the tables this week. Welman, a longtime poker media personality and former managing editor of WSOP.com (and now a corporate director for Catena Media), booked her first Hend0n Mob-worthy 1st place finish in this $150 No-Limit Hold’em tournament. Admittedly, this addition to her resume came with only seven players, 10 entries, and a friendly three-way chop (with Terry Hatcher and Kathy Chang), but that’s how it goes when a $2,000 guarantee results in a nice overlay.
