Hosted by Lance Bradley and Donnie Peters, The Fives Poker Podcast runs each week and covers the latest poker news, preview upcoming events, and debate the hottest topics in poker.

A busy week in the poker world gives Lance and Donnie plenty to discuss on this episode of The FIVES Poker Podcast.

For the first time in nearly a year, the World Poker Tour crowned a new champion in a live venue with a nearly record-sized field turning up for the Lucky Hearts Poker Open at the Seminole Hard Rock. That wasnt the only headline that the World Poker Tour found itself in this week. The company was sold to an investment firm for more than $78 million and they also announced a new online series with a brand new partner.

The Doug Polk vs. Daniel Negreanu Challenge is nearly 80% complete with Polk bringing a new strategy to the table that seems to have tilted his opponent. Polk maintains his position as the leader but a big win by Negreanu has given his fans and backers some hope.

The guys also discuss the ending of the Phil Galfond vs. Chance Kornuth match in the Galfond Challenge, the Winamax Team Pro who qualifies for dumbest multi-accounter of all time, and give American online poker players some hope for a brighter future.

Subscribe to The FIVES and never miss an episode available everywhere you enjoy your favorite podcasts.

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The FIVES Poker Podcast: WPT in the Headlines, Polk Tilts Negreanu - PocketFives

Online poker revenues in New Jersey for the month of December have been released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, and that means we have the full-year data for 2020.

Combined, the three online poker operators generated just over $3 million in revenue in December, marking a 74% increase over 2019 and an all-time high for December in New Jerseys seven-year history.

Sign up to partypoker NJ today to get a First Deposit Bonus up to $600

It continues the ten-month streak of year-over-year growth of at least 50% following the outbreak of COVID-19 which has helped fuel New Jerseys online poker market which otherwise had been declining since 2016.

All combined, the three online poker rooms namely WSOP.com operating on the 888poker network under Caesars license, PokerStars NJ under Resorts and the partypoker US Network under the Borgata license brought in nearly $40 million in 2020.

This is by far the most revenue reported in a single year, beating the previous record of 2014 when online poker rooms collected $29 million in revenue.

All operators enjoyed gains year-over-year, but the partypoker US Network which recently has been the smallest of the three was the standout in 2020.

Of all three operators offering online poker in New Jersey, the partypoker US Network comprising three skins: partypoker NJ, BorgataPoker and BetMGM saw the best growth in 2020.

Particularly, in the last quarter of 2020, the online poker rooms under the Borgata license reported the biggest annual increase in revenues, going up by 101.5%.

In comparison, WSOP.com saw growth of 53%, and PokerStars NJ grew by 46% in Q4.

Sign up to partypoker NJ today to get a First Deposit Bonus up to $600

Online poker under the Borgata license exceeded $1 million in monthly revenue for the first time since May and only the third time this year.

In fact, it did so well it not only leaped over Resorts in absolute revenue but also almost surpassed Caesars to take the pole position in the market.

It ended up accounting for 35% market share which is by far its largest in a long period and the closest it has come in leading the market. In November, it represented only 29% of the market.

The upward trajectory was primarily bolstered by the WPT Online Poker Open held last month boasting a record-breaking $1 million in guarantees. The $3500 buy-in tournament ended up attracting 395 entries to build a prize pool of $1,264,000 the largest in the history of the partypoker US network.

In fact, pretty much throughout 2020, the partypoker US network ramped up promotions, running cash game promotions and a tournament series every month. It reported $9.7 million in 2020 compared to $5.1 million in 2019 a 92% increase year-over-year.

Caesars on the other hand, with its WSOP/888 network sharing liquidity between New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware, retained the top position in December yet again, bringing in $1.17 million in tournament fees and rake which was just $100,000 more than Borgata. It held a market share of 39%.

It was the same month that saw WSOP.com host the $10,000 WSOP Main Event for US players. 705 players participated, generating $6.8 million in prize money unprecedented for any segregated online poker network in the world.

It even ended up drawing a bigger turnout than the international leg held on GGPoker open to players in most parts of the world.

Sign up to PokerStars NJ today and enjoy $30 FREE or a $600 first-deposit bonus

Meanwhile, PokerStars NJ under Resorts saw a big dip in market share in December, going down to 25.6% from 30.7% in November.

It reported $774,039 in online poker revenue in December much lower than its competitors but still representing an annual increase of 36%.

Unlike its competitors, PokerStars NJ has slowed down in promotions. It did run a cash game promotion and hosted a $100,000 New Jersey Classic tournament, but those events were significantly smaller compared to the offerings on the partypoker US Network and WSOP.com

The lack of big-sized promotions by PokerStars in New Jersey is surprising, to say the least. PokerStars is the market leader in almost every other jurisdiction it operates in. The operator has little experience in playing the underdog.

Although PokerStars NJ generated $12.6 million in 2020, over the last few months, the gap between the online poker giant and the partypoker US Network has narrowed.

In fact, in Q4, the partypoker US Network generated more revenue in rake and tournament fees than PokerStars NJ.

However, with the Federal Appellate Court rejecting the Trump administrations Wire Act reinterpretation, the Pennsylvania online poker market (which currently consists of just PokerStars PA) is expected to join the Multi State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA).

Adding the liquidity of a state with a population of nearly 13 million would likely propel the PokerStars US Network to pole position in New Jersey.

The partypoker US Network and WSOP/888 have yet to launch online poker in the Keystone State, though, the scenario is expected to change in 2021 especially with the Wire Act out of the picture.

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Partypoker US Network Posts Big Online Poker Revenue Gains in New Jersey During the Final Quarter of 2020 - Pokerfuse

California Governor Gavin Newsom gave Los Angeles poker rooms the green light to reopen this week for the first time since November. But, the card rooms will be forced to operate under strict guidelines that may not be appealing to some poker players.

Newsom on Tuesday lifted regional stay-at-home orders across the state, relieving bans on in-person dining, live poker, and other activities. Los Angeles County has the most coronavirus cases (1,085,044) and COVID-19 deaths (15,592) of any county in the country, by a wide margin. As a result, Newsom had taken extreme measures to limit the spread of the virus.

The Democratic politician, however, is hopeful the county, and the state as a whole, can turn things around. As such, he is now permitting restaurants and card rooms to begin accepting customers outdoors. That means if youre looking for a legal card game in Southern California, youll have to play outside.

There are some additional restrictions imposed by the governor, including seating capacity. Card rooms are only permitted to operate at 50% of their maximum allowable room capacity, as determined by fire code. So, it would be wise to call ahead to put your name on a wait-list. Otherwise, you may end up waiting for hours. As soon as the doors open, you can rest assured hundreds of poker players will be excited to play.

Its been nearly two months since a legal poker game ran in Los Angeles County. The area is home to some of the biggest and best card rooms in the world, including Commerce Casino, which boasts more than 200 poker tables. Gardens Casino and Bicycle Casino (The Bike) also have more than 180 tables.

But, the number of tables available will be limited for quite some time due to COVID-19 restrictions. Each of the Los Angeles poker rooms will offer seating outdoors in makeshift, covered rooms. Thats been the norm in most California casinos since the coronavirus struck last year.

Newsom initially forced poker rooms to close statewide in March. He then briefly permitted Los Angeles card rooms to reopen in June before ordering them all to close again a couple of weeks later. They were allowed to reopen for a second time in early October before getting shut down again just after Thanksgiving.

Is the third time a charm? Thats what poker players in the area are hoping for, but it all depends on if businesses reopening across the state leads to another spike in COVID-19 cases.

Written by

Jon Sofen

Semi-pro poker player with 17 years experience on the felt and more than five years working as professional poker media.

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For a limited time, BetOnline is offering their players a 5% boost on Bitcoin deposits.

To qualify, all you need to do is opt-in. The 5% boost is automatically added to your cash balance, not as a free play bonus.

Of course, if this is your first time depositing with cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Dash, or Litecoin), be sure to use the promo code CRYPTO100, and youll also be eligible for a 100% deposit bonus.

Existing players wont be left out. Players can also reload their BetOnline account with cryptocurrency and still receive a 35% bonus by using the promo code CRYPTO35.

BetOnline is much more than an online poker room, they want their players to feel at home. As a result of their focus on the player approach, BetOnline has quietly built a very strong reputation by offering their players the most enticing promotions, as well as some of the best online technology today.

With the sites $1 Million Windfall Jackpots, players can turn a buy-in of just $10 into a seven-figure payout. These three-player hyper turbo sit-n-gos feature a random prize pool that can be up to 100,000x the buy-in.

Of course, theres always the possibility that you can lose and still win big at BetOnline with their massive bad beat jackpot. One player scored a $273,000 payout!

If youd like to get started, but dont have an account, sign up today and use the code NEWBOL.

Online Gaming Sites: Enjoy free games and, before playing in real-money games, please check with your local jurisdiction regarding the legality of Internet gaming.

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BetOnline Offering Players A Bitcoin Boost On Their Online Poker Deposits - Poker News - CardPlayer.com

December 12, 2020Matthew Pitt

Poker has featured on the silver screen on many occasions but very few movies manage to reproduce realistic hands. One famous hand took place in the 2006 remake of Casino Royale, a James Bond film first launched in 1967; Ian Flemings book hit the shelves 14-years earlier in 1953.

The original Casino Royale saw James Bond take on the villain of the movie, Le Chiffre, in a game of high stakes baccarat. The 2006 reboot, directed by Martin Campbell, saw baccarat swapped for a $10 million buy-in winner-takes-all No-Limit Holdem tournament with $5 million rebuys.

As poker hands go, the final hand in the 2006 Casino Royale is as unrealistic as they come, despite Campbell hiring a professional poker player to assist them the poker scenes. It is beautifully shot thanks to the editor Stuart Baird telling Campbell to shoot everything he could possibly think of, especially eyes, looks, close-ups. The hand itself is a very stereotypical Hollywood poker hand.

Which Poker Player Would Make the Best James Bond?

Polygon interviewed Campbell and other key personel recently and its apparent he was please with how the poker scenes of his movie panned out.

I think the sequence was pretty convincing. What you realise is its not just the card games its the stakes. Its also two guys eye-f****ing one another, basically. That was the secret.

Campbell revealed he spent countless hours watching gambling classics, including The Cincinnati Kid, in an attempt to learn the nuances of poker on TV. He enlisted the help of veteran producer Michael G. Wilson as an informal poker consultant as Campbell strived for the ultimate in poker authenticity.

Tom Sambrook was drafted in a the films poker consultant. Sambrook was a regular at The Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London, better-known as The Vic, where hed won the 2,525 buy-in European Poker Championships in 2002 for 120,000. Sambrook answered the call in 2005 by which time hed only amassed an additional 16,380 from nine more tournament cashes.

The actors underwent tuition from Sambrook who showed the actors, including Daniel Craig (James Bond) and Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) how to compose themselves at the table, and how to handle chips and cards.

Sambrook told Polygon he had an input in how the final, infamous hand, played out.

I put in [the script] that Bond does the teaser re-raise, inducing the big all-in. It took maybe six weeks to get that up to martin Campbell [] I said, Youve got to read this because most people wont know or care, but there will be hardcore poker players that will just say, Theyve done it again. Why cant they get this stuff right?

The didnt get this stuff right despite Sambrooks apparent expert advice.

'Molly's Game' Review: The Poker-Themed Film Does Not Disappoint

The final hand sees four players remaining in the tournament, including Bond and Le Chiffre, and all four have made it to the river of the board. Player 1 moves all-in for $6 million, Player 2 calls all-in with his last $5 million putting $35 million in the pot.

Le Chiffre raises to $12 million before Bond shoved for $40.5 million. Le Chiffre eventually calls off his remaining $27.5 million in chips and the cards are revealed.

Player 1: for a flushPlayer 2: for a full houseLe Chiffre: for a better full houseBond: for a straight flush what else would the films hero have?

The hand is flawed on many levels. You can argue a case for Player 1 and player 2 because theyre just super-rich people playing poker. Not for Le Chiffre who is billed as a mathematical genius and an elite poker player.

Le Chiffre, holding only the second-best full house could have folded, leaving himself $27.5 million to Bonds $87.5 million and still be in with a chance of winning the $115 million pot he so desperately needed. Surely Le Chiffre would duck out of the way and fight Bond with a 3:1 chip deficit heads-up, instead he calls a three-way all-in in a hand he is basically never going to win.

Dont think people fold full houses? Search on YouTube for Roberto Romanello correctly folding jacks full to Mike Matusow at the 2008 World Series of Poker.

Sambrook conceded the final hand was unlikely to happen in a real game, however.

Its not representative of an average hand. But the thing about holdem is it does create these factories of madness. Thats why I love the game. It creates this very close, explosive situation. Once youve got a board with cards that close together, everyones thinking about the house, everyones thinking about the flush, everyones thinking about the straight. And in there is the sick feeling, Christ, does one of these guys have a straight flush?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sambrook hasnt cashed in a live event since November 2009 although he has some pretty cool memories of playing cards with legitimate movie stars.

I played my last game literally as the wheel of the plane hit the tarmac in Heathrow. I won with king-high, it was just fantastic.

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Get the Inside Story on THAT James Bond Poker Hand - PokerNews.com

Elite poker pro Isaac Haxton has expanded and clarified his thoughts and concerns about players continuing to play live poker as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge, and widespread availability of a vaccine remains some months off.

By: Haley Hintze

Late last week, Haxton stirred the pot with a series of tweets about the worsening pandemic numbers in Las Vegas:

Haxton received plenty of support but also a fair amount of pushback for his statements. In an exclusive for HSDB, Haxton has clarified and expanded upon what he sees and fears for the live-poker-playing public.

I'd clarify that I am calling for players to not play, he told HSDB. Calling for venues to stop offering live poker as long as the state is allowing it is beside the point. They're structurally incapable of considering whether it's an ethically responsible thing to do. As long as they're allowed to do it and it will make them more money, it's what they'll do."

That goes for daily operations of poker rooms, anyway. WSOP seems to be going out of their way to lose money doing something irresponsible, which is an interesting choice. Maybe there's something I don't understand about their TV contracts that makes it make more sense.

Haxton then turned his viewpoint to the players perspective. I'd say there's a pretty wide range of opinions among poker players. Most of my closer friends agree with me. Those are mainly people who play a lot online and play the highest stakes, so I've got to acknowledge it's an easier decision to make when you're not reliant on live poker for income and have enough money saved up to comfortably take time off. I understand that some smaller-stakes live specialists are in an impossible situation and I'm not going to tell people what to do when they're struggling to make ends meet.

Is COVID information fatigue setting in? Haxton acknowledged that some players might not be making the right choices or considering all the data as circumstances change. He said, I do think a lot of people who are still comfortable playing live in Vegas are simply misinformed, though. And that's where I'd most hope to be able to have an impact. Lots of people are in complete denial about the seriousness of COVID, and at this point those people are probably unreachable."

But a lot of others think some version of Well, if casinos are open it must be reasonably safe. I hope those people would consider that in much of the rest of the world, the level of spread we're seeing in Vegas would trigger a complete shutdown. It is by no means clear that America has the right idea about what is an acceptable level of risk to tolerate. When it comes to leisure activities, I think it's probably smart to apply a stricter standard than, Is it so dangerous the American government will stop me from doing it?"

I also think a lot of people don't really appreciate how much worse things have gotten recently. Maybe it was a close decision whether or not to play live poker in August. It's about ten times more dangerous now than it was then and I feel like not that many people have really updated their behavior accordingly.

.

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Ike Haxton Calls for Live Poker to be Boycotted amid COVID-19 Crisis - HighstakesDB

The long-awaited eighth season of the highly popular cash game show High Stakes Poker is set to debut on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET on PokerGO. A week before the first episode premieres, the identities of the hosts for the first season since 2011 were revealed. Gabe Kaplan and AJ Benza will return to the booth, reuniting the commentary team that hosted the first five seasons together.

Kaplan is a 75-year-old comedian and actor who has been around the poker world for decades, with nearly $1.4 million in live poker tournament earnings including a win in Amarillo Slims Superbowl of Poker back in 1980. Benza is a gossip columnist and TV host.

In the sixth season of High Stakes Poker, Kara Scott took Benzas place as Kaplans co-host. The following season saw Kaplan replaced by comedian Norm McDonald. Now the original duo is officially back together to provide commentary and analysis on another season of nosebleed-stakes cash game action.

A new teaser video released alongside the announcement of the hosts for season 8 included hints at seven-figure pots, and confirmed many of the players that will take part in the action. Among those spotted in the clip were Doug Polk, Phil Ivey, Bryn Kenney, Rick Salomon, Tom durrrr Dwan, Phil Hellmuth, Jean Robert Bellande, Nick Petrangelo, James Bord, Brandon Adams, former Major League Baseball pitcher Michael Schwimer, and venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya.

Check out the trailer below:

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Gabe Kaplan and AJ Benza Return As Hosts For New Season of High Stakes Poker TV Show - Poker News - CardPlayer.com

The U.S. expansion of online gambling is still in the early innings, a panel of CEOs of some of the sports betting industrys leading firms said last week during the Betting on Sports America Digital conference.

The focus these days is on traditional sports wagering, a lucrative opportunity on its own. But sports betting has relatively low margins for an operator its primary attractiveness comes by providing betting firms a foothold to offer more lucrative product verticals like online slots and table games in U.S. states, which all regulate gaming within their respective borders independently. To put it another way, casinos hold far less of the sports betting handle in the form of winnings than they typically do for other gambling offerings. One can see why sportsbooks have been viewed as an amenity for a casino.

BetMGM, a leading player in the states that have legalized some form of casino-style betting over the internet, sees the U.S. as the biggest regulated market in the world when it comes to iGaming, said the companys CEO, Adam Greenblatt.

Greenblatt said that the adoption of online sports gambling, made possible by the mid-2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that effectively ended Nevadas monopoly on single-game sports betting, is happening faster than we had imagined. Thats basically the industry consensus.

There is an urgency to adopt sports betting that has frankly taken us by surprise, he said.

Online casino/poker has been slower despite not needing a SCOTUS ruling, with legalization so far in only six states, compared to 15 for online/mobile sports wagering. Indiana is one state that has only online sports betting now and will consider an online casino/poker bill in 2021.

BetMGM, which offers online poker under the partypoker brand in the state of New Jersey, along with Borgata and BetMGM-branded online poker domains, has big plans for online poker down the road in the American market. BetMGM will soon offer online poker in Michigan and eventually Pennsylvania as well, but thats just the tip of the online poker iceberg for the firm.

I think we will see poker have a period in the sunshine, Greenblatt said when fielding a question about the 10-year trajectory of the U.S.-regulated online betting market. I think we will see shared liquidity across all states. The U.S. will once again reclaim its position as a leader in that product vertical.

If that happens within the next 10 years, that would put online pokers comeback at about 20 years since the industry, which previously existed in a gray market in the U.S., hit a brick wall in the early 2010s. The partypoker online poker site was immensely popular in the mid-2000s before the platform exited U.S. cyberspace. Other operators continued and paid a price with online pokers Black Friday in April 2011.

PokerStars, the worlds leading brand in terms of traffic and a competitor to BetMGMs online poker product, stuck around in the U.S. to the bitter end before being forced to leave under a federal crackdown on unregulated online poker. PokerStars has changed hands multiple times since and is now owned by FanDuel parent Flutter Entertainment. It settled with the U.S. government, paving the way for it to pursue licenses in regulated U.S. markets. However, the companys past unregulated dealings in the U.S. have plagued its effort to see online poker legalized in California, which is anticipated to be the nations top online poker state. BetMGM might find an easier path to market access in California.

Greenblatt is optimistic if you look at the past decade of online poker in the U.S. since Black Friday. Only a handful of states have regulated online poker, and just three Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware share liquidity, albeit for a single network controlled by Caesars/888. Liquidity sharing has so far been a dud because Nevada and Delaware have such tiny populations.

The pace of online poker expansion has been excruciatingly slow, with some players taking advantage of regulated platforms in the small group of states that have it and many other Americans using offshore and unregulated platforms. None of those has soared to the heights seen by some of the unregulated platforms that previously did business with U.S. players.

If the results of the past 10 years are an indicator, online poker will need far more than another decade before poker players in all 50 states can log on and play a tournament or cash games against each other. But Greenblatt and BetMGM are bullish that online sports bettings proliferation will prove decisive for online poker finally making a comeback. It is a natural fit for states with mobile sportsbooks.

One reason why states are rushing into sports betting is the concern surrounding corruption/game integrity. If one state sees its neighbor legalize and regulate wagering on sports, including collegiate competition, that provides an impetus for the unregulated state to bring the activity out of the black market as well. Officials are also pursuing tax revenue and seeking to prevent gaming dollars from flowing to neighboring states.

Of course, some states might never legalize online poker (Utah being an obvious example), so 50-state liquidity-sharing might be many, many years into the future, if it ever happens. There are also untapped gambling markets like Texas where its hard to prognosticate about online gamblings authorization. But if were talking about online poker networks becoming available to the vast majority of the U.S. population, that seems like a bet worth making as sports betting continues to go more mainstream, providing that launching pad for iPoker adoption.

A final resolution to the nearly decade-long saga of the legal interpretation of the 1961 interstate Wire Act, which online gambling opponents have used successfully to some extent to slow U.S. expansion, will also bode well for online poker proliferation over the next 10 years.

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BetMGM CEO: U.S. Online Poker Will Again Have Period In Sunshine - US Bets

Monday, December 14th, 2020 | Written by Renee

Live poker players have had a challenging year in 2020 as poker operators all over the world were forced to cancel live poker tournaments due to the COVID-19 vaccine. Just when things looked better and live poker tournaments started to resume, a second wave of COVD-19 forced poker operators in the United States and Europe to shut down once again.

Live poker will continue to struggle in 2021 until a COVID-19 vaccine is rolled out. Till then, live poker players will need to switch over to online poker sites and see if they can continue to make a living. The good news is that a lot of the live poker tournaments have moved online and there are also a number of new online poker tournaments being launched to cater to the growing number of poker players.

First Ever Blowout Series

PokerStars is gearing up for the first-ever Blowout Series, a brand-new series that joins the ranks of the online poker sites flagship festivals such as the SCOOP and WCOOP. Running from December 27 to January 19, 2021, the new series carries a massive guarantee of over $60 million, spread across a total of 268 tournaments, including four events that will give away $5 million throughout the four Sundays of the festival.

All but four of the events on the schedule come in three buy-in tiers, Low, Medium, and High, to give all players the chance to take a shot at winning big regardless of the level of their bankroll.

The lowest buy-in events will cost just $2.20 to enter. PokerStars will also be giving away $4 million worth of tournament tickets for free!

The Big Blowout

The festival is headlined by four weekly events, each offering a whopping $5 million guarantee. The Big Blowout are four NLHE 8-Max tournaments that take place every Sunday (December 27, January 3, January 10, and January 17) throughout the series, featuring entry fees of $109, $215, $530, and $1,050 respectively.

If the buy-ins are too big for you, you can take part in satellites for a chance to join in on the action for a fraction of the price. They are the only ones on the schedule with a single buy-in option. The rest come in low, medium, and high tiers.

PokerStars will livestream the final tables of these events via their Twitch and YouTube channels.

Other Highlights

The Big Blowouts arent the only tournaments on the schedule offering a seven-figure guarantee. Theres a New Years Bash on January 1, which will see players compete for a massive $2 million guarantee, for a buy-in of only $11. Similarly, high roller fans can also take a shot at guarantees of at least $1million, via two events which come with buy-ins of $5,200 and $10,300.

Other high roller events on the schedule with the biggest buy-ins include Event 26-H: $5,200 buy-in, $750K GTD NLHE 8-Max PKO High Roller, Event 36-H: $5,200, $500K GTD) NLHE 6-Max High Roller, and Event 50-H: $5,200 buy-in, $400K GTD PLO 6-Max High Roller. They are just some of the 44 high roller events on the schedule.

You can also hunt for huge value in the following events: Event 84-L: NLHE 8-Max Turbo PKO ($2.20 buy-in, $50K GTD); Event 49-L: NLHE 8-Max PKO, Mini Saturday KO SE ($11 buy-in, $200K GTD); Event 29-L: NLHE PKO ($5.50 buy-in, $100K GTD); and Event 03-L: NLHE 8-Max, Turbo, PKO ($2.20 buy-in, $40K GTD).

Mixed Games

The entire series is filled mostly with NLHE events, but tournaments adopting other formats have also been squeezed into the schedule to accommodate the mixed games enthusiasts. There are more than 10 non-holdem events on the schedule, adopting the following formats: PLO 6-Max, PLO8 8-Max, NLO8 8-Max, 5-Card PLO 6-Max, 6+ Holdem, HORSE, and 8-Game. All of these events also have three buy-in options.

Hyper-Turbo Tournaments

Those who love fast-paced action will also get to enjoy a list of hyper-turbo events. There are 30 of them on the schedule, with buy-ins starting at $2.20. These tournaments will only take around two hours to finish. So for those who want to take home some winnings without spending too much time playing, this is your chance!

The full details and schedule of The Blowout Series can be found at PokerStars.

Link:

PokerStars Blowout Series Offers $60M In Gts | My Blog - Tight Poker

November 03, 2020Mo Nuwwarah

Nov. 3 has finally arrived, and Election Day means the end of a long journey for many.

For the candidates themselves and their campaign staffs, it's the end of months and months of exhaustive work. For Americans, the end of months of being inundated by ads and solicitors.

For many avid gamblers, it's the culmination of months of bets placed into markets open years in advance. They'll be looking at Tuesday as an exciting conclusion to their sweats, as everyone else breathes sighs of relief that it's all over.

Learn how a political junkie is betting the election!

As the final week of campaigning wound down, Joe Biden hovered around the -200 (2-to-1 favorite) mark, and not much changed on Monday, the final full day of pre-Election markets. Biden bounced around between -190 and -200 for the most part, so that seems to be the agreed-upon price heading into Election Day.

Of course, that doesn't mean there hasn't been plenty of action. PokerNews' sister site Oddschecker has been on top of some big stories in the space. For instance, one bettor has reportedly risked a record seven-figure sum on Biden.

Overall, most bettors have been more inclined to place their wagers on Donald Trump, with Oddschecker reporting 66% of the tickets coming in on the incumbent. However, the big-money wagers sided with Biden, as 61% of the dough was behind the former vice president.

Tuesday would see a sizable Biden surge in the early afternoon, and he moved closer to around 70% implied probability.

A Monday tweet from DraftKings painted a stark picture of where the general betting public is at:

Check out the US Political Betting markets on Oddschecker!

One can certainly lump many poker players into the category of "avid gamblers," so it's no surprise many of them have been firing off on the election over the past several months.

Poker legend Tony G is among those with big action:

Jason Mo said he's also heavily invested, though he didn't divulge which side he's on:

Poker pro turned high-stakes DFS player Blake "EmpireMaker2" Stevenson said he had almost $1 million on Biden and seemed happy to book more action.

He got into a Twitter war of words with Fedor Holz and the two made noise about booking a $100,000 bet with Holz risking that on Trump +185. Ultimately, they didn't come to an agreement.

Poker pro Bart Hanson likes the chalk, and he's going all in on modeling from 538 that says Biden should roll:

Jason Mercier said he wanted Biden -180 but then seemed to change his tune on Election Day, hinting that Trump is the value side:

As usual, though, it's Mike "Timex" McDonald who got the best of it:

Whatever happens, the time for political debates and booking bets is just about over. Poker players and America at large will be glued to the TV on Tuesday night as the votes roll in. Whether tickets will be cashed and a winner will emerge on Election Day remains to be seen as a close result could keep things on ice, but the end of the road has finally come.

Photo courtesy of Phil Roeder/Wikimedia Commons

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Election Bets: Who are Poker Players Putting Their Money On? - PokerNews.com

November 03, 2020Will Shillibier

The poker community is waiting patiently for the recently announced Run It Once Poker sit-n-go offering, as Phil Galfond prepares to take the RIO product to the next level.

And after PokerNews were one of a select few to get their hands on the SNG Select product in action, Galfond himself hinted that a full launch may be "just around the corner."

The SNG Select has to undergo some crucial beta testing before the product can be released to the Run It Once Poker playing community.

"Weve been working on these SNGs for so long," Galfond told PokerNews. "Weve done a lot of internal testing to date, but a larger test with real users across the world can always bring up new issues, and is absolutely critical when it comes to being launch-ready."

Although Galfond didn't give a concrete date on when the SNGs would be available, he hinted that subject to testing, the launch may be just around the corner.

Run It Once Poker is calling their three-handed jackpot tournaments SNG Select, and they have their own section within the Run It Once Poker lobby.

Once selected, you are faced with a choice between CUB3D or Classic. Buy-ins for the CUB3D version range from 0.25 to 5 and Classic range from 0.90 to 4.50.

Upon selecting CUB3D, players are met with a "randomizing prize" graphic, after which the eventual prize is sealed in a cube present at the side of the table.

Players who are used to playing on Run It Once Poker will have gotten a feel for the graphics and tables, and there is little different about the SNG Select interface.

Each table comes with a slick dark theme as a contrast to the colorful cash game tables

READ MORE: Theres Never Been a Better Time to Become a Run It Once Legend

With so much of the interface and playing experience similar to the existing Run It Once Poker client, the transition to SNGs is a simple one. However, you soon realize that at the three-handed tables you are playing a lot differently than you would if you were chasing a leadRboard prize or trying to win a hand with seven-deuce to earn a cash bounty!

Once the game begins, it's reassuring to state that even in beta testing the product runs smoothly. The concept of CUB3D SNGs - where the eventual prize is not released until the tournament finishes - meant that every SNG we played in was competitive right up until the end.

Galfond kept his cards close to his chest when it came to a launch date. But from the looks of things, the product is certainly ready to be put out to the masses. And we can't wait for you to get a chance to play it!

In order to be one of the first to try the SNG Select upon launch, you will need a Run It Once Poker account.

All new Run It Once players who download the software via PokerNews are entitled to a 100% deposit bonus worth up to 600. What makes this welcome bonus unique is you can make as many deposits as you like for the first 30 days after your first deposit. This makes it perfect for those players who do not want to or cannot deposit 600 in one chunk.

Another great feature of the Run It Once welcome bonus is it never expire if you play at least once hand every 30-days, meaning you essentially have forever to clear your bonus! As for release rates, check the table below to see how fast the Run It Once bonus clears.

For example, you make three deposits totaling 110 at Run It Once Poker. For every 25 in rake you pay, they release 5 into your account, up to 100. Once you rake another 57.10, they deposit the last 10 in your account for a total of 110 matched.

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Phil Galfond: Run It Once Poker SNGs "Just Around the Corner" - PokerNews.com

There's a famous line from legendary football coach Vince Lombardithat goes, "Winners never quit, and quitters never win."

But as a former professional poker player who has won more than $4 million in poker tournaments, I've found that during times of high uncertainty, the opposite may be closer to the truth. Quitters often win, and winners often quit.

In poker, players are constantly dealing with uncertainty, because they rarely have all the facts they need to make a perfect choice. As they learn more, however, new information may make them want to change their minds.

And a good way to change their minds is to quit. That brings us to the two rules of being a good quitter.

With a raging pandemic, there has never been a more uncertain time in recent history than right now.

If your child's school offers an in-person option, should you take it? Business owners must decide whether to reduce salaries or lay employees off. Investors are faced with decisions about how to manage their portfolios.

Because of the rapidly changing information landscape, no matter what choice you make, it is more likely that, after you decide, you'll learn something new that will make you wish you had chosen differently.

As a result, you may get sucked into an endless loop of analysis paralysis, taking extra time deciding or feeling unable to make any significant decisions at all.

The problem, of course, is that there is no such thing as not deciding. A decision to "wait and see" while you gather more information is an active decision to stick with the status quo. And a decision to defer any changes to the status quo is a decision to stay the strategic course you were already on.

You can't not decide. But you can quit.

1. Take into account the cost of quitting any options that you are considering in advance of choosing among them.

This way, you can prioritize options that make it easier to change your mind later.

A business owner exploring options to preserve cash, for example, would prefer reducing salaries or furloughing employees, which would incur a smaller cost to quit than laying them off.

If you reduce the salary of a valued employee, then when you business starts to have a rosier outlook, you can easily reinstate their pre-pandemic compensation.

If you lay that same employee off, however, they may not be available if and when you'd like to rehire them. That means you'll have to bear the attendant recruitment costs and the uncertainty that comes with a new hire.

2. Make sure you actually quit when you should.

Cognitive science shows that we are surprisingly bad at quitting when the time is right. But establishing the ways the future might unfold that would make you want to change your mind increases the chances you'll pay attention to those signals and quit.

If your school district is choosing an in-person learning option for your child and infections are low in your area, for example, you might choose to take that option.

When you make that decision, clarify in advance the circumstances under which you would pivot back to distance learning. How much would infections have to rise for you to change your mind? What new information about the longer term effects of Covid-19 on children would make in-person learning no longer worth the risk?

When it comes to quitting, clear signposts will help you actually follow through.

The most obvious way to quit is to just reverse your decision, abandoning the course you're on (e.g., quitting a job, breaking off a relationship). This is what Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson mean by "two-way door decisions," where you can walk back through the door you came through.

But you can also quit by offsetting your decision. You can still undo decisions that aren't "quittable" if there will be some option available in the future that will offset the downside effects of your initial choice.

Imagine you bought a stock that you were not allowed to sell. If you later decided you didn't like your position, you could find another stock that was negatively correlated with the first to neutralize your position.

Choosing an option in parallel that will mitigate your losses if things don't work out as you had hoped. Options that have offsets available offer a way to change your mind in the future, even if you can't quit them in the more traditional sense.

Of course, you're going to want to stick to some things. It's hard to succeed at anything if you don't have grit and "stick-to-itiveness." But being "quitty" allows you to make better choices about when to be gritty.

Annie Duke is a decision strategist and bestselling author of "How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices" and "Thinking in Bets." As a former professional poker player, Annie won more than $4 million in tournament poker before retiring from the game in 2012. Follow her on Twitter @AnnieDuke.

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I've won more than $4 million playing pokerhere's my No. 1 secret to successful decision-making - CNBC

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Suncity Group Holdings Limited has announced that its majority-owned subsidiary Summit Ascent Holdings will increase its stake in Tigre de Cristal from 60% to 67.5%, after acquiring shares from two minority shareholders of Oriental Regent Limited (ORL), the sole owner of Tigre de Cristal; and, may further increase to approximately 89.29% if Summit Ascent is the only subscriber of the proposed new issue of ORL.

The planning and design of Tigre de Cristal Phase II is well under way, as such, each shareholder of ORL should pay for its respective share of capital expenditure to build Phase II. The share acquisitions, through convertible bonds (5-year zero-coupon at a conversion price of HK$3.50 per conversion share) and cash, by Summit Ascent, as well as the proposed new issue of ORL, can be interpreted as a strong support from the major shareholder Suncity.

The potential to acquire further stakes in Tigre de Cristal is a strong injection in confidence that both Suncity and Summit Ascent are fully motivated to drive up business volumes in Tigre de Cristal. Besides, the outstanding recovery post-closure was as astounding as it seems during one of the worst business challenges in this pandemic a solid proof that we could sustain in hard times with local businesses only. Going forward, both Suncity and Summit Ascent will continue to tap into the under-served Korean and Japanese markets in the future, Mr. Chau Cheok Wa, Chairman of Suncity and Summit Ascent, said.

Related

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Sudden rush in the Poker Industry in India European Gaming Industry News - European Gaming Industry News

The poker room at the MGM Grand is redistributing unused jackpot money from three unopened Las Vegas Strip through three separate freeroll tournaments.

All MGM Resorts properties on the Las Vegas Strip are now open, but three of those properties, Mandalay Bay, Excalibur and Mirage, have yet to reopen its poker rooms. Since the jackpot money is taken from the players as extra rake and used to fund the rooms promotions, the casinos cant take that money and must find a way to give it back to the players.

Each closed room will have its own freeroll with the jackpot money funding the prize pool. The first freeroll will use Mandalay Bays $24,022 unused jackpot money and will take place today at 5 p.m. Mirages $69,804 will be up for grabs on Nov. 17 and Excaliburs $27,837 will fund a tournament prize pool on Dec. 1.

While there hasnt been an official announcement yet by any of the three properties, the fact that the unused jackpot money is being redistributed makes it much more likely than not that these rooms will be closed for good.

While Excalibur was never much of a poker destination, Mandalay Bay hosted several World Poker Tour main events during the peak of the poker boom. Before the boom, Mirage was home to the biggest poker games in Las Vegas.

During one of the most famous poker scenes in movie history in the 1998 classic Rounders, main character Mike McDermott, played by Matt Damon, uttered the line I want him to think Im pondering a call, but all Im really thinking about is Vegas and the f***ing Mirage right before he lost his entire bankroll.

Registration for todays freeroll is already closed, but you can sign up for the second tournament starting on Nov. 11 and the final tournament will open registration on Nov. 25.

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MGM Grand To Host Freeroll Tournaments Funded By Unused Jackpot Money From Closed Strip Poker Rooms - CardPlayer.com

ome people consider cheating as a part of poker. That shouldnt be the case. As a player, you dont have to struggle with cheating in the game every day. Most players wont even feel comfortable with situations that will cheat them of their hard-earned money, poker inclusive.

Cheating in poker doesnt happen as much as you might think, especially when gambling online. Casino comparison sites like Casimple help players find the top casinos online, all of which have all been tested and audited to ensure the games and casino bonuses are fair and safe to use.

This article provides a list of some of the cheating techniques in poker and how you can identify and avoid them.

This occurs in tournaments. In colluding, some players may form a team to beat other players. It is a common issue in final tables and tournaments where everyone benefits from a players elimination.

To achieve their objective, colluding players use different cheating techniques, including refusing to call a short stack while having the cards and odds to call it. They may also concede a big pot to any of their partners in crime. Other players on the table are usually hurt by this dishonesty.

This cheating technique is usually very difficult to prove. You may find yourself helpless when playing against colluding partners.

When playing against colluding partners, prevent them from playing pots with each other. This helps you to break their connection. If possible, dont allow anyone of them to squeeze you. Sometimes, you may be helpless if one of them is a big stack. If you find yourself in that situation, wait for the right opportunity to break their connection.

This is probably the oldest trick in the gaming world and some players still use it to gain an undue advantage over their competitors. If you are playing some games with strangers cum hosts, watch out for this trick. Some could have marked the cards before the game.

If you suspect a foul play, complain to the house and request to change your deck. Casinos are renowned for taking such statements seriously. Some countries take legal action against players who are guilty of this.

This may be a bit difficult and trickier if you are playing home games. While playing with unfamiliar opponents, pay attention to your environment. If you notice anything that doesnt add up, you may take your leave. You may take up the case with the host. However, if you notice you are a lone ranger, take your leave. The host may be on it too. If you notice any suspicious movement you are not comfortable with, the bottom line is that walk away. You are better off not playing a game than play one where you are already at a disadvantage before the game starts.

Sometimes, colluding players may try to signal their exact cards or strength of their hand to their partners. This is a cheating technique because each individual is supposed to have no other information except their two hole cards. Players who have other pieces of information are always at an advantage over other players.

Experienced cheaters have devised different ways to convey such information to their partners. Chip signaling is one of their useful signals. If the players involved have practiced together beforehand or are experienced using this technique, the cheating may be difficult to notice. Even if you see the cheating and call the cheaters out, you may not get the houses desired support. The cheaters may stop the trick once they realize you are aware of their antics.

Bottom deck dealing is a cheating technique that is common in private games. One of the players and the dealer usually work together on this. Only experienced players can notice this problem because the dealer or card mechanic will do the dealing so fast that you may be unable to catch up with the trick with your untrained eye.

It is advisable to steer clear of private games. Avoid them if you can. Devote your time and attention to participating in official games only, especially with players you know while playing home games. That is an effective mechanism against cheating.

While playing online poker games, you are protected against the cheating techniques mentioned above to a great extent. However, you must deal with some other dangers such as:

Players on a live table must devise strategies and plans for card information sharing as partners. This is a lot easier when playing online. Leveraging communication tools such as Viber or Skype, gamers may connect before a game to discuss a cheating technique that will enable them to take advantage of other players.

This is difficult to prove, although players in most poker rooms have had this experience at one time or the other. However, look out for these red flags: if the same set of players are fond of playing together always and winning beyond what is considered normal in the gambling world. If you see this, play with caution.

When playing for a massive prize, say $1 million or any huge prize, some players may hire a more competent player as a replacement to increase their odds of winning the prize. This is common in online casinos where players have no means of knowing what goes behind the scene.

This is cheating. Someone who hires others to impersonate them has the edge over others who are playing without any assistance. This may turn the game in favor of the impersonator at the expense of an innocent player.

Imagine having to play against, not a human opponent, but a machine, a bot. That is the fate of many unsuspecting players. A poker bot is the future of online gambling and can play some games based on the bots advanced Artificial Intelligence algorithm. The machine has the edge over you. Apart from its advanced mechanism, it isnt human and is prone to make fewer mistakes than you. The bot will never play a bad game out of exhaustion but you can. Hence, many players consider bot ring as another cheating technique players have to contend with.

If you suspect you are set up against a machine, you have the right to walk away.

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How to Avoid the Most Common Forms of Cheating in Poker - TimesOfCasino

Brick and Mortar casinos are great for poker. You get a chance to practice reading your opponents hand. You may even learn to tell when your opponents are bluffing and when they mean what they say: This in my view, is an invaluable life skill thats practical even outside the poker room. Online poker rooms on the other hand are limitless. They have no business hours. Games run 24/7 and you can try out new strategies as much (or as little) as you would like. Each side has its advantages and disadvantages as you shall come to see. Well cover both sides and youll be the judge. Youll understand why some players prefer going to land-based (real) casinos while others play at online casinos like onlinecasinohex.nl.

Playing At A Casino

This may be in form of a quick trip to the closest downtown casino or a well-planned trip to the world-famous Las Vegas. Vegas is filled with gambling parlors and entertainment joints. Theres even an Eiffel Tower Replica. While all the big boys play at the high-stakes table, its never that serious at a casino. Theres ambient music, large TVs, food, drinks and the casino staff are always passing by. Its an immersive experience altogether.

While each casino has games suited for every gambler, their selection is no match for online poker rooms. Youll certainly find a Holdem game mid-play at any time of the day. You may have to wait before playing poker variants like the Seven Card Stud or Razz as there are no dedicated tables for such.

All decent casinos have a high stake or VIP room. This is a lounge where you may see a local celebrity gathering chips. There are regular tournaments (mostly for the bragging rights) held in these rooms on the regular. The biggest advantage of playing at a casino is that you get the real experience in handling chips and cards. Your opponent is across the table and you can gauge their reactions. You look them in the eye and can feel the fear in them. While this social atmosphere is advantageous to players that love reading social cues; a few poker players lose focus in the numerous distractions.

Pros Of Playing At A Casino

1. Its a social place and were all excited in such settings2. Handling real cards and chips3. Food and drinks available4. You can read your opponents hand

Cons

1. Expensive travel costs, drinks, parking etc2. The atmosphere may be distracting3. Players have to keep an eye on their chips, cards and pot size4. Opponents may read your hand too5. Limited poker variants

Playing At An Online Casino

Theyre convenient. You can play from anywhere; as long as theres internet access. You dont have to dress to impress, there are no logistical challenges involved and you can play at any time. Online casinos run 24/7. They attract huge crowds; you will always find opponents even in non-mainstream poker variants. You dont have to get off the bed/couch either. All the decent casinos have responsive mobile apps that let you do everything on mobile.

At an online poker room, you know EXACTLY how much luckyclover777 has in their stack and how much there is in the pot. There arent many things youre keeping tabs on; because they are all on the screen. You would waste time at a land-based casino guess-estimating how much all your opponents chips are worth. Luckyclover777 wont know that youre anxious because youre about to make a risky move.

Pros Of Playing At An Online Casino

1. Convenient2. Ideal for new players that havent yet practiced on hiding hands3. Minimal expenses4. A great place to gain experience5. No distractions6. Players can play for as much (or as little) as they would like7. All stats are accessible8. Many poker variants9. Your hand cannot be read

Cons

1. You lack the real casino experience2. Unable to tell when opponents are bluffing

Summary

Online casinos take the trophy at convenience, ease of playing and costs. Players can win big without leaving their couches.

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The Pros And Cons Of Playing Poker In An Online Casino - Poker News - CardPlayer.com

November 02, 2020Will Shillibier

With Daniel Negreanu confirming that his heads-up match against Doug Polk will commence this week on November 4th, we take a look at the betting markets available on PokerShares to see if any would be worth wagering on.

The site currently has 14 separate markets relating to the match, and here PokerNews runs through some of the more interesting ones.

First set up in 2017, PokerShares has given players the opportunity to bet on all manner of markets, both inside the world of poker and out.

From the Aussie Millions and the Galfond Challenge to the US Election and how many cases of coronavirus there will be in the US (although the latter was ultimately pulled after ten hours due to "negative feedback on social media and reconsideration".)

PokerShares founder Mike "Timex" McDonald said that they wanted to make the challenge as engaging as possible for viewers, therefore offering more than just the normal bets on how the market plays out.

Therefore players are able to place bets on anything from "Will Doug return to professional poker?" to "Will there be any slowrolling?"

McDonald says that PokerShares opened the markets "very early" within only a few minutes of the pair challenging each other to the match.

"The odds started out as even," said McDonald. "I believe 1.93 on each player as we were only going by details on Twitter and didn't even know the format of the match."

However, at time of publication (November 2nd), Doug Polk has moved ahead as a strong favorite to win the match according to the odds:

There are several markets relating to the first session, scheduled to take place live on PokerGO on November 4th. These include whether a player will slowroll during Session 1 (No +105, Yes -128), the size of the biggest pot (Over $100k +105, Under $100k -128) and who will get stacked first (Polk +100, Negreanu -116).

Other markets relate to the potential fallout from the match including:

Odds correct at time of publication - 2nd November 2020

McDonald told PokerNews that he thinks the match has the potential to be "the most exciting grudge match poker has ever seen."

"What makes the challenge especially exciting, is that Daniel decided he wanted to beat Doug at his own game. Originally we expected them to each pick their best game and rotate what they play.

"...the most exciting grudge match poker has ever seen"

"On one hand, you've got Doug, once the clear number one Heads-Up No Limit (HUNL) player in the world, but he's four years removed from competitive play.

"On the other hand, you've got Daniel. Not a heads-up specialist but the most famous and among the most successful all-around poker players of all time."

McDonald says that there has been an interesting dynamic when it comes to those betting on either Negreanu or Polk.

"Generally the guys betting on Doug have never played live, and the guys betting on Daniel have never played online! It's an interesting dynamic where I think online players tend to estimate Daniel, and live players tend to underestimate Doug."

However, he went on to say that PokerShares has seen "shockingly little" volume from any of the players who have substantial experience playing with both.

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We Take a Look at the Polk vs. Negreanu Betting Odds - PokerNews.com

Intertops Poker is celebrating popular Chinese slots created by Betsoft Gaming in a new slot tournament starting today. The $2,000 slots tournament will feature four favorite online slot titles Play Dim Sum Prize, Dragon and Phoenix, Bamboo Rush and Quest to the West starting today to take part in the special event. On Thursday, Betsofts new Miles Bellhouse and the Gears of Time will debut and offer players extra spins via an introductory offer. There is much to explore at the online gaming site this week!

Slots Tournament

From today until November 10, players at Intertops Poker can take part in the special slots tournament. Simply play the four Betsoft games listed and you will earn one point for every spin completed. A total of 16 players will win cash from the $2,000 prize pool. The first place earns a nice $400 prize.

The games highlighted in the tournament include special themes and are quite popular among regular players. Dim Sum Prize features yummy foods including rice noodle rolls and prawns. Wilds can be accessed to earn multiple wins as well as options for extra spins.

Quest to the West takes players on an interesting adventure with a Buddhist monk. Monkey King wilds in the game help you to earn a bonus round that features walking wilds. In Bamboo Rush, the game is set in a relaxing temple garden. Find wilds that multiply wins up to 27x plus an extra spins feature.

Dragon & Phoenix is the last game featured in the tournament. This game features a royal couple symbol that acts as an expanding wild and will trigger payouts up to a whopping 8000x. You can also earn instant prizes in this game via the money tree scatters.

New Game Launching Thursday

On November 5, Betsoft Gaming will debut the new Miles Bellhouse and the Gears of Time. In this game, players get to travel alongside Miles to the Past, the Present, and the Future. Each time period provides a unique aspect of the game. This is a cluster pay game, so you can trigger win after win as you spin. Larger clusters offer bigger payouts, with up to 10,000x up for grabs.

With the launch of the new game, Intertops Poker is offering an extra spins deal. From November 7-9, players who have made at least one deposit will be provided 10 extra spins. This deal allows players to try the game at no cost.

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Intertops Poker is hosting a new slots tournament this week - World Casino Directory

October 28, 2020Matthew Pitt

David Arnold is a player you will have battled with if you ever play at Run It Once Poker. You wont know its him because Run It Once employs a Table Alias to keep players anonymous and to protect them from predatory behavior. Not that Arnold is bothered much about that because hes a regular winner on the site.

Arnold has excelled in the Run It Once leadeRboards over the past few months. Winning the PLO20 and PLO50 races a few times and regularly featuring in the top three places, padding his bankroll with free cash and even more Legends rewards.

The 31-year-old from the awesomely named Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan, Canada, which is, apparently, home to the worlds largest moose statue known as Mac the Moose, has played poker for more than 15 years. His Uncle Dave and father Kevin introduced him to poker during a home game.

A few years later, when he was old enough to play online poker, he did exactly that, joining Full Tilt Poker. Arnold started at NL50 and quickly progressed to NL400.

Multi-tabling for me was always easy for some reason. I started out playing four tables and quickly got to 15 tables at once. That was the most invaluable skill as it allowed me to make more money faster, especially back then when the games were very good.

Race To Your Share of 10,000 in the RIO leadeRboards

He switched to Pot-Limit Omaha in 2014 despite all of his success in the Holdem games. This is because he was aiming to hit the now-defunct Supernova Elite VIP level at PokerStars. PLO players earn more points than NLHE players per hand.

In 2015, I reached Supernova Elite playing mainly PLO200. After this, I rarely played no-limit holdem as I just fell in love with PLO. I mean, who doesnt love getting two more cards?

More recently, it is Run It Once Poker where Arnold has spent a large percentage of his time grinding. The relatively new addition to the poker world is continually growing and evolving, doing so with its customers at the forefront of their thoughts. Why did Arnold swap the worlds busiest online poker site for Run It Once Poker?

What first attracted me to Run It Once Poker was Phil Galfond. The guy was and still is one of my poker heroes. So when I heard he was creating a site, I knew it would be something special. The rake is structured in a way where you can win even at the lowest levels and build a bankroll, whereas on other sites this is almost completely impossible it seems. Especially with the leadeRboards, one is able to build a very nice bankroll on the site starting with almost nothing, which is great for poker.

Indeed it is good for the game and should be commended.

Winning any leaderboard is no mean feat due to the intense grinding required. Arnold has never had an issue with putting in long hours at the poker table.

When you are used to driving a tractor for 16 hours a day, sometimes playing a little poker isnt so tough!

A typical leaderboard grinding day for Arnold starts at 7:00 a.m., have a shower, get dressed and check out what games are running. Hell then commit to playing all day until the games completely break up. He then heads to the gym to blow off some steam, comes home, eats, and relaxes by watching some movies.

Sometimes, its 12-hours of straight poker. If its a weekly leaderboard I do this for the first few days and hopefully, gain a good lead. If its a daily leaderboard, then its over in a single day. I enjoy playing both formats, some players prefer the daily ones more.

Grinding for a prolonged period of time can be tough mentally and you can sometimes become your own worst enemy. Weve spoken to leaderboard winners in the past who say its difficult to play your best poker when you have other players breathing down your neck and racking up points. There are hurdles to overcome if you want to be a leaderboard winner.

As far as the biggest hurdles to get over when grinding leaderboards, I would say just try not to tilt as that can quickly ruin your sessions. Also, you may have to play heads-up or short-handed a lot, which can seem intimidating to some players, but it is so much more fun than playing at a full table.

Run It Once Poker Releases Sit-N-Gos Teaser Trailer

Arnold admits that hes not much of a student of the game in respect of reading books and analyzing hands, he prefers learning on the job, so to speak, gaining experience through playing the game. He has watched some PLO strategy videos by his hero Galfond on the Run It Once training site, which he highly recommends doing if you want to take your game to the next level. To succeed in poker, however, you need to be prepared to work hard.

I dont have an end goal in mind, maybe Las Vegas and the Mirage? The great thing about poker is that anyone can learn to win. Anyone can work hard, you just have to put in the work and it pays off in the long run.

For the time being, Arnold plans to continue grinding the PLO20 and PLO50 cash game leadeRboards, but he doesnt have any real poker-related goal in mind. If you want to be a leaderboard grinder, Arnold suggests you should also make sure youre having fun and love playing poker. You should also plan your sleep around the times where the games are busier and dont be afraid to play short-handed or even heads-up.

It shouldnt come as a surprise after reading this interview that Arnold is a big fan of Run It Once Poker.

If youre considering trying out Run It Once Poker, I highly recommend it. The software is amazing with the dynamic avatars and the games themselves are great. It almost feels like youre playing live poker. Ive seen some plays that I havent seen since 2008, which is great for poker! It has a very friendly community and you can build a bankroll from the smallest stakes.

So there you have it, Run It Once Poker should be the next online poker site that you give some business to. If you download Run It Once Poker via PokerNews, you are entitled to a 100% up to 600 welcome bonus.

All your deposits for the first 30-days after your first deposit are matched 100% up to a combined total of 600. You also have forever to release the bonus into your playable balance as long as you play at least one raked hand every 30-days.

The bonus released into your account as shown in the table below:

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The Great Thing About Poker? "Anyone Can Learn To Win - PokerNews.com

So, in August, when the world series moved from WSOP.com to a site called GGPoker, players who remained in the United States were out of luck, particularly because the most lucrative events were scheduled for then, including the Main Event, which, for a mere $5,000 entry fee, offered a chance at a $3.9 million first-place prize. (The in-person version of the tournament last year had more than double the prize pool and a top prize of $10 million, and the entry fee was $10,000.)

Given travel restrictions to and from the U.S.A., it would have been impossible to achieve international participation, even online through WSOP.com, without a licensed third-party to serve these customers in their home market, the W.S.O.P.s Stewart said.

It would also have been a far smaller event had it remained in the United States.

GGPoker, which launched in 2017, is based in Canada and Ireland with gambling licenses in the United Kingdom, Malta and Curacao. It paid W.S.O.P. a licensing fee to host the tournament. As of mid-August, over 170,000 people have played in the international events.

Konnikova is not one of them because she refused to get on a plane for fear of the coronavirus.

I wanted to drive to Canada, Konnikova said. If the border had been open, we would have gone.

Canada, along with many other countries, wasnt admitting Americans because of the U.S.s surging number of coronavirus cases. Some parts of Mexico were letting Americans in but only by plane, not by car. Many of the games most well-known players, such as Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Maria Ho, and poker vlogger Brad Owen, got on planes bound for Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Negreanu, who is a Canadian citizen, could have gone to Canada, but he and his wife preferred to be on a beach so they chartered a private plane from Las Vegas to Cabo, because it seemed like the safest and nicest option in Mexico. We looked at the Covid numbers and Cabo was by far the least affected, he said.

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To Play Poker in a Pandemic, Americans Flee the U.S. - The New York Times