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The US saw huge spikes in online gaming a year ago due to the Coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. One year later, those numbers remain strong and online poker experienced a nice monthly gain in March in New Jersey and slight decline in Pennsylvania.

The past year has been good for US regulated online poker. Online numbers remain stable and at highs unseen before the pandemic. 

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New Jersey sees year over year casino gains

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) reports that online poker revenue was up about 9% month over month. Online operators brought in revenue of $2.7 million for March, up from $2.48 million in February.

Three online poker platforms currently operate in the Garden State including:

• WSOP.com/888poker
• PokerStars 
• partypoker US Network (Also operates the BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM skins) 

WSOP.com barely hung on to the top spot with $988,525, up from $955,000 in February. The Online Circuit Series has helped WSOP.com’s monthly totals. The platform continues to share liquidity with Nevada and 888poker in Delaware. 

The partypoker US Network is inching up the leaderboard in the state and had a nice month-over-month gain. Partypoker posted $957,375, an increase of almost 20% from February.

The site has recently partnered with LearnWPT and is hosting live streamed final tables. Partypoker seems to be gaining momentum in New Jersey.

PokerStars was stuck in third place again, but did see an increase month over month. PokerStars reported $754,021 in March, up from $728,945 in February.

New Jersey poker players still have few options for live poker. Borgata and Harrah’s remain the only two live poker rooms open to the public in Atlantic City.

Online gaming has $100 million dollar month in New Jersey

March revenue for NJ Internet gaming as a whole came to $113.7 million. That’s nearly double from last March

Borgata overtook Golden Nugget as the state’s top online casino. Nugget online has consistently reported top numbers monthly for online casino revenue. In March, Borgata brought in $36.1 million compared to $31.7 million for Golden Nugget. 

NJ casinos posted $37.7 million in gaming tax revenue for the state. Gaming taxes represent 8% of taxable casino gross revenue and 15% of Internet gaming gross revenue.

Pennsylvania online poker sees small decrease for March

In the Keystone State, online poker brought in $2.4 million in March 2021 according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). This represented a 4% decrease from February’s $2.5 million.

The PGCB reported that March tax revenue generated from online poker alone accounted for over $350,00 for the state.

With no formal announcements about launching from WSOP.com or partypoker US Network, PokerStars remains king in PA. Stars is the only legal online poker option for players in the Keystone State. 

Even though PokerStars is the only game in town, the operator continues to build its brand. The company recently announced the signing of two Pennsylvania-based Twitch streamers as ambassadors. 

Players in PA await the arrival of other online poker operators. On Feb. 10, the  PGCB approved a manufacturer’s license for NSUS, the parent company of GGPoker. There has been speculation how and when GGPoker might launch in the state. 

Pennsylvania casinos and poker rooms are now mostly all reopened. The reemergence of live poker hasn’t drastically affected the online arena for PokeStars. 

Currently there are seven live poker rooms open. No poker rooms have announced plans for major live tournament events however.

Poker rooms are primarily running cash games and following state COVID-19 guidelines. This includes hand sanitizer stations, required masks, and tables with Plexiglass dividers. Most games are seven-handed with no food allowed at the tables. The following rooms are open:

• Parx Casino
• Mohegan Sun Pocono
• Mount Airy Casino Resort
• Rivers Casino Philadelphia 
• Rivers Casino Pittsburgh
• Meadows Racetrack and Casino
• Philadelphia Live Casino

iGaming continues to soar in PA

Online casino gaming in Pennsylvania continues to boom. The state has been setting monthly revenue numbers of late with another coming in March.

All forms of gaming including fantasy contests reached $403 million in March revenue. That’s a 162% increase compared to March 2020.

March’s revenue banked over $4 million in tax revenue for the state. 

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Michigan sees online gaming growth

Online gaming operators in Michigan reported $95.1 million in revenue for March. That includes $32.3 million for sports betting from a handle of $359.5 million.

“It looks like March Madness added a bounce to the sports betting handle, which jumped 19.1 percent from February, and Internet gaming seemed to increase in popularity with monthly adjusted gross receipts going up 18 percent from February,” said Richard S. Kalm, executive director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

“This led to increases in taxes and payments, which means more funding for the City of Detroit, K-12 education, economic development, and tribal communities.”

Online casino gaming, including poker, came in at $62.8 million. The state doesn’t separate out statistics for online poker but there are currently two operators in the state:

• PokerStars
• BetMGM (part of the partypoker US Network)

BetMGM led the state in online gaming revenue as a whole with $30.8 million, followed by FanDuel with $18.9 million. MGM’s leading position may offer a chance to grow its online poker product in the state.

BetMGM launched online poker on March 22 and is working to gain ground on Stars.

Small decrease in Delaware for online poker

Delaware online poker saw a 9.3% decrease from February’s reported numbers. The state reported revenue of $36,711 for March 2021.

The First State reported a decrease from March 2020 as well. A year ago players were undergoing a Coronavirus lockdown. This saw a huge increase in numbers across the board.

The state’s online poker is operated by 888poker. Currently Delaware hosts three skins though the state’s racetrack casinos:

• Delaware Park
• Dover Downs
• Harrington Casino and Raceway

Delaware Park held strong for the biggest winner in March by reporting $22,891. The park accounts for almost two-thirds of the poker revenue in the state. On a brighter note, Harrington online casino saw a small increase month over month.

Delaware continues to be one of the last states in the country to reopen live poker in casinos. The state’s poker rooms remain closed through April 2021 under Gov. John Carney’s (D) plans from 2020. No announcements have been made to reopen yet. 

Poker is not currently available during this Phase. We will update when we are deemed to be able to open poker with the state’s guidelines.

— Dover Downs Casino (@DoverDowns) April 5, 2021

The post US Online Poker Continues With Historic Highs in March, NJ Sees Nice Increase appeared first on .

There have been plenty of changes for the World Series of Poker over the last two years. Much of the 2020 series moved online and now this year’s event shifts to the fall. The WSOP added a big change on Monday as well – naming CBS Sports as the series’ new broadcast partner.

Beginning this year, CBS Sports Network will be the exclusive domestic television home of the WSOP. The network announced a new multi-year rights agreement with PokerGO as its new television partner for WSOP events.

CBS will feature 15 hours of Main Event coverage and 36 hours of 18 additional gold bracelet events

“CBS Sports has long been a pioneer in covering a broad range of championship sports,” WSOP executive director Ty Stewart said in a news release. “We couldn’t be more excited to see increased television coverage of the WSOP in the coming years and benefit from their growing media platforms.”

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Details on the WSOP/CBS deal

The announcement didn’t include dollar figures or an exact number of years, but means a major change for the series. The network noted that additional coverage details will be announced in the coming months.

The full WSOP schedule is expected to be released by this summer. The deal is expected to include coverage across other ViacomCBS platforms including the company’s streaming partner Paramount+.

The agreement comes as more networks offer viewers streaming services. This has meant some interesting deals in recent months.

In January, NBC announced the acquisition of WWE Network’s programming for its own Peacock Network streaming service. The Wall Street Journal reported that the WWE would shut down its own streaming network and the deal pays the company $1 billion over five years.

The NHL recently signed a seven-year deal with ESPN, which also calls for ESPN+ and Hulu also showing exclusive games.

The WSOP news may come as a shock to many in the poker industry. ESPN has broadcast the WSOP action for more than two decades with Lon McEachern and Norman Chad calling the action.

That includes Chris Moneymaker’s historic 2003 Main Event win that helped launch the poker boom as well as other memorable moments. The WSOP struck the previous ESPN deal in 2017, but that ran out with the 2020 series.

Fans will now be shifting to another network for WSOP action beginning this year. ESPN reaches 86 million households while CBS Sports Network is available in only 61 million.

That’s a significant downgrade in number of people reached. However, the network may be hoping more hours boosts television and streaming numbers from poker fans.

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Renewing a relationship between WSOP and CBS

There is a precedent of CBS broadcasting the WSOP and the new agreement rekindles a past partnership. CBS was the first network to broadcast poker in the US and the WSOP.

Main Event coverage was highlighted on the CBS Sports Spectacular program throughout the mid-1970s.

The deal also expands previous agreements between PokerGO and CBS. In past years, PokerGO offered some of its daily WSOP coverage exclusively on the previous incarnation of Paramount+, CBS All Access. PokerGO has also offered other content on CBS Sports Network.

“Following our past success with PokerGO, we are excited to expand our relationship with the highest-profile and richest event in competitive tournament poker featuring the best players in the world,” CBS Sports Executive Vice President of Programming Dan Weinberg said. “This deal fits perfectly in our strategy to combine best-in-class events with our CBS Sports brand.”

The announcement noted that the deal becomes a new high for the WSOP in regards to daily network broadcast and streaming coverage. An announcement has yet to be made about how much PokerGO will be streaming on its own platform.

However, if the service continues with its own packed schedule that should mean plenty of live poker for viewers.

The WSOP also recently announced a deep schedule of online bracelet events this summer at WSOP.com. The international partner and that schedule is also expected to be announced soon.

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Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of Black Friday. For poker players, this was the day federal authorities virtually shut down the freewheeling online version of the game.

Ten years later, the online poker landscape has changed significantly but is once again surging around the world. That includes the regulated online poker in the US market.

A decade later, here’s a look at some of the events of Black Friday and where the industry stands now.

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Online poker gets shut down

On April 15, 2011, the federal government cracked down on online poker after the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Congress passed the act in 2006 as part of the SAFE Port Act.

The move barred online gaming companies from “knowingly accepting payments in connection with the participation of another person in a bet or wager that involves the use of the Internet and that is unlawful under any federal or state law.”

In essence, the act regulated banking transfers for online gaming companies. Some sites like partypoker and 888poker left the US market entirely because of the move.

Others like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and UltimateBet continued operations in the US. But on Black Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) seized the sites of all three operators.

Investigators indicted numerous officials and payment processors, including PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg. 

The moves left plenty of uncertainty with players unable to access their accounts with funds locked. The situation at Full Tilt Poker only added to the controversy.

The feds indicted CEO Ray Bitar and referred to the company as a “ponzi scheme.” Full Tilt had been paying ambassadors and owners using player money rather than separating those funds, the feds argued.

The company didn’t have funds to meet player obligations. The US government charged that Full Tilt leaders paid out $444 million to themselves.

Company founders Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson became villains among many players for the missing funds and lack of communication.

Settlement reached, online poker returns to US in different environment

In the end, PokerStars settled with the federal government in a deal that saw the company purchasing Full Tilt for $731 million. That included $547 million going to the federal government to pay back affected players.

The agreement also stipulated that Bitar, Lederer, Ferguson, and other company officials could never be employed by PokerStars. 

Stars shifted operations away from the US and remains the largest online poker operator in the world. Players who had been accustomed with the ease of opening a laptop and playing cards were mostly out of luck.

But that wasn’t the end of online poker’s story in the US. In 2011, the Obama-era DOJ offered an opinion stating that the Wire Act only applied to sports betting.

That paved the way for legalization on a state-by-state basis. In 2013, the states of Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware officially legalized online poker.

Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have followed suit more recently. Since the Coronavirus pandemic began, the US online market has experienced record revenue numbers.

Other states like Illinois and Connecticut are now considering legalization.

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Players look back on turbulent times

Many players took to Twitter to share their thoughts on Black Friday. It was a day of frustration for many. The shutdown left those who relied on online poker for a living in a state of limbo and confusion.

“The thing I remember the most about Black Friday was the sadness and uncertainty in the days and months after,” partypoker US Network team pro Katie Stone said.

Poker pro and World Poker Tour  commentator Tony Dunst noted that the day became a major learning lesson for some. Players left millions of dollars in their online accounts.

Black Friday: The poker world’s yearly reminder to never keep money where it can be easily seized by the whims of government douchebags.

— TonyDunstTV (@tonydunsttv) April 15, 2021

Johnny “Vibes” Moreno offered an interesting look at the game’s roller coaster ride over the last decade. Like many, Moreno shifted to live poker. Series like the World Series of Poker and WPT grew rapidly during that time.

Black Friday of online poker 10 years ago was a catalyst for me to quit online poker and switch to live. I thought I was done with online poker forever and was happy about that. COVID changed everything and now I primarily play online again and can’t imagine switching back. 😂

— Johnnie VIBES (@JohnnieVibes) April 15, 2021

Now post-pandemic and a decade after Black Friday, online poker once again has experienced massive momentum. That’s good news for poker players and the industry as a whole.

The post Players Look Back on Online Poker’s Black Friday a Decade Later appeared first on .

Online poker players’ anticipation can begin as World Series of Poker organizers announced this summer’s WSOP Online bracelet events on Wednesday. WSOP officials recently announced the annual live festival would run in the fall this year instead of summer.

While players must wait for the live series action, the online series at WSOP.com should whet players’ appetite for bracelet hunting. The full WSOP Online schedule kicks off July 1 with at least one bracelet event daily through Aug. 1. Players have a shot at a gold bracelet in 33 online events.

“Poker deserves a big finish to 2021 and we’re looking to heat things up this summer,” WSOP executive director Ty Stewart said in a news release. “We expect to offer great value tournaments as well as comprehensive satellites to qualify for Las Vegas in the fall.”

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A look at the WSOP Online schedule

This year’s WSOP Online domestic schedule embraces several themed weeks throughout the series. Premier Week kicks off the festivities with a diverse slate of events.

Two of those include: the $777 Lucky Sevens tournament on July 7 and $888 Crazy Eights  on July 8. Both events feature No Limit Hold’em.

The weekend of Friday, July 9, to Monday, July 12, is billed as Micro Madness. This segment features four consecutive bracelet events priced at $500 or less. 

Fans of Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) are also in luck with four bracelet events on the schedule. PLO Week runs July 14-21, featuring three PLO bracelet events and daily side events with significant guarantees.

WSOP.com also has several other Omaha events planned beginning April 20. Click here for a preview of those events.

The action doubles up on July 25 with two events including the $7,777 Lucky Sevens High Roller and $500 Big 500 Encore.

Championship Week wraps up the series at WSOP.com. The segment begins July 26 with the debut of the $1,000 Online PLO Championship.

The $3,200 High Roller Championship highlights the festival’s final week on July 27. The popular $500 Summer Saver also returns on July 30 and should attract plenty of runners. 

The traditional $1,000 No Limit Hold’em Championship runs July 31. Last year’s event produced 2,126 entries for a $2 million prize pool. That became the largest tournament in the history of US regulated online poker.

The WSOP Online domestic schedule concludes on Aug. 1 with the $500 Grand Finale. The event comes with a $1 million guarantee, the largest in WSOP.com history. Here’s a look at the complete schedule.

2021 WSOP Online

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How to play in the WSOP Online series

WSOP.com is currently available in Nevada and New Jersey as part of the All-American Poker Network. Online poker is legal in Pennsylvania and Michigan as well, but the platform has yet to launch in those states.

“News about availability of WSOP.com in additional states will be released pending regulatory approval,” WSOP officials noted in announcing the series.

Players outside New Jersey and Nevada can set up and fund accounts while in other states. However, they must be located within those states when competing.

In 2020, WSOP Online broke several records for an online poker festival, both domestically and internationally. The domestic series generated prize pools totaling $26.9 million across 31 bracelet events.

That total produced an average of $865,000 per tournament, the largest series held in regulated US online poker markets.

In 2020, GGPoker also hosted additional WSOP Online events for international players. This was the first time players outside the US could win a bracelet online.

The WSOP is also expected to partner again with an international operator for bracelet events this year. A partnership and dates are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The live WSOP returns to the Rio Sept. 30 to Nov. 23 and the domestic schedule will be announced by this summer.

* Photos courtesy WSOP/Melissa Haereiti

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The post WSOP Online Schedule Released With 33 Gold Bracelet Events; $500 Finale Guarantees $1 Million appeared first on .

Omaha fans are in luck next week at WSOP.com. The site hosts another Omaha Mania series from April 20-25 with six events and $60,000 in guaranteed prize pools.

The short series complements two series already underway. The Spring Online Super Circuit runs through April 27 with 18 championship ring events and $1.75 million guaranteed.

The Spring Online Championships are also running through April 27 with $2 million guaranteed. The Omaha series now adds to a busy month on the platform. The game has become more popular with players and the site has responded to players wanting more.

“I’m glad WSOP is offering more Omaha tournaments lately,” says Jeff Kehoe, a poker player from Haddonfield, New Jersey. “I like switching gears to play Omaha once in a while. It’s a nice change of pace from all the Hold’em events.“

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WSOP.com offers mini Omaha schedule

In Omaha Mania, players will find multiple variations of the game throughout the mini series including:

• Pot Limit Omaha
• Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (8 or Better)
• Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (8 or Better)

Players will find tournament buy-ins ranging from $50 to $215. A few highlights include:

• $100 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (Event 2 , April 21) – $10,000 guaranteed
• $50 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (Event 3, April 22) – $5,000 guaranteed
• $215 Pot Limit Omaha (Event 6, April 25) – $20,000 guaranteed

The series is available for anyone in Nevada and New Jersey. For a full look at the series look here

WSOP.com Spring Championships continue with added Omaha events

Throughout Omaha Mania, WSOP.com will also be running the Spring Online Championships and Online Super Circuit Series.

Both of these series include Omaha events as well. Here’s a look at the Omaha tournaments coming up in these series:

• $50 PLO, 6-Max (Spring OC Event 30, April 15) – $10,000 guaranteed 
• $215 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, 8-Max (Spring Circuit Event 12, April 21) – ring event
• $100 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, 8-Max (Spring OC Event 53, April 22) – $7,500 guaranteed 
• $500 PLO Big, 6-Max (Spring Circuit Event 14, April 23) – ring event
• $50 PLO, 8-Max (Spring OC Event 58, April 24) – $10,000 guaranteed 
• $500 PLO High Roller (Spring OC Event #67, April 25) – $40,000 guaranteed

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Daily and weekly PLO events

Players new to Omaha may want to test their skills without depleting the bankroll. WSOP.com offers daily events with small buy-ins.

Every day WSOP.com offers PLO events on their site for as little as $5 with guaranteed prize pool. 

Here are some of the operators regular daily and weekly events:

• $5 Pot Limit Omaha (R+A) (Daily) – $400 guaranteed
• $10 Pot Limit Omaha (R+A) (Daily) – $750 guaranteed
• $100 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, 8-Max (Sundays ) – $5,000 guaranteed
• $215 Pot Limit Omaha, 6-Max (Sundays) – $10,000 guaranteed

Need some advice on how to play PLO? Here’s a free video from Daniel Negreanu with some tips on the game.

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The post Omaha Mania Returns to WSOP.com Next Week; Other Events Also on Tap appeared first on .

The US online poker market has gained some traction recently. With more states considering legalization, operators seem to be taking an American expansion more seriously.

For PokerStars, that recently included adding some Americans to its ambassador and streamer ranks. Keith “AccidentalGrenade” Becker and Mark “naigo1” Foresta stream their action on the site in Pennsylvania.

PokerStars remains the only operator in PA and the additions signal the state’s importance to a growing US market. USPoker spoke with Becker and Foresta about their new roles with PokerStars in the Keystone State.

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Keith “AccidentalGrenade” Becker

Poker streaming to link up with friends

Streaming poker seemed a natural extension to producing YouTube gaming videos for this married father from Boiling Spring. With friends spread throughout the country, he missed the “couch co-op” feeling of sharing a gaming experience.

“As soon as I heard PokerStars was bringing online poker to Pennsylvania, I couldn’t wait to stream that as well,” he says.

“Now my friends or fellow players on PokerStars PA will hop into chat and I get to have that feeling again. My mom used to sit next to me on the couch when I would play poker on my laptop, and now she’s one of my biggest supporters in Twitch chat.”

When not playing, Becker works as a software developer and business analyst. He’s been streaming since PokerStars PA launched. 

“It’s all a bit surreal at this point,” he says of being an ambassador. “Growing up, poker ambassadors were some of my heroes – those players were larger than life. I’m extremely excited to join PokerStars and be one of the first ambassadors alongside Mark Foresta and joining the legendary Jen Shahade.”

Becker says the Pennsylvania community is a tight-knit group that shares in each other’s successes and struggles.

“For a community centered around a competitive game,” he says, “I’m always surprised how much love there is.”

Home game to PokerStars ambassador

Like many players, Becker’s love of poker comes from home games. He and his friends played using layers of psychology – constantly trying to out-think each other.

“Those days of camaraderie and victory are what I still enjoy about the game today,” he says. “But the scale has changed – now I enjoy the game with a whole Twitch community in addition to my real life friends.”

Engagement with viewers while streaming is a priority. Polish is also a big focus. Becker’s obsessed with tweaking his platform with a new look, tools, and content.

That has included a dual stream with fellow PA ambassador Mark Foresta. They eventually hope to host a live meet-up game with fans. Humor is also a big part of his streaming efforts.

“I love the big poker or gaming moments, but I also love the moments when the stream is just the backdrop to a fun night with people I love, debating nonsense or taking jokes entirely too far in the silliest way possible,” he says. “The connection, that’s what it’s all about.”

When not streaming or playing, Becker enjoys spending time with his family, watching movies and television shows, and reading. He’s excited about the future of US online poker.

“There is so much hype and excitement among players,” he says. “I think it can only be good news for the game and players if more  people see the value of the entertainment, togetherness, and community that can be achieved when players have an opportunity to log on and play responsibly.” 

Mark “naigo1” Foresta

Joining the PokerStars team

Becoming a PokerStars ambassador is a dream come true for Foresta. Originally from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, the 28-year-old now lives in Philadelphia and works as a software engineer. He’s excited about the ambassadorship opportunity and possibly more collaborations with Becker and Shahade.

“The word we’ve been using is ‘buzzing,’” he says. “Every time I hang out with one of my amazing new teammates in their chats I have been asked, ‘are you still buzzing?’”

The answer is yes and PA online poker has been a welcome addition.

“Having PokerStars in PA has been a blast,” he says. “I can say with confidence from speaking with members of the community that having a safe, regulated, and respected poker operator in the state did wonders for the interest of the game.”

PokerStars ambassador Lex Veldhuis served as inspiration to begin streaming. Veldhuis “raided” fellow PokerStars streamer Georgina “GJReggie” James on her birthday. 

A raid means a streamer sends all his or her viewers to another streamer.  GJReggie made it in the money of the $109 Sunday Million and Foresta found the whole episode fun.

“The excitement she had was just so unbelievable and I wanted an opportunity like that,” he says. “I also know in retrospect how excited I was to be there and being able to provide that for others would be amazing.”

His own big run in a $20 NJCOOP Deepstack event also motivated. Foresta was chip leader several times throughout the eight-hour tournament and sprinted downstairs to share updates with friends.

“I went on to win the event and from that moment forward I knew if PokerStars ever launched in Pennsylvania, where I spent most of my time, I was going to give streaming a try,” he says. “Sure enough on launch day I was live.”

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Celebrating poker success and community

In Pennsylvania, online poker remains a “ringed-in” environment, meaning players only compete with others in the state. Foresta believes that gives his stream some uniqueness – focusing on that small community.

That includes keeping tabs on fellow players who may have won a major event or scored in a big satellite. The stream recognizes that kind of success.

“Celebrating victories of the community members is this amazing feeling that I have never had anywhere else, and this connection seems to be a two-way street,” he says. “It feels like when I’m lucky enough to find a final table myself. I feel this energy of people being so invested in our joint success.”

Foresta grew up playing games like “Follow the Queen” and “Blind Man’s Bluff.” When Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker in 2003, he and friends began playing $5 tournaments.

Away from poker, Foresta enjoys traveling and recently spent time in Ocean City, Maryland, for some time at the beach. He also enjoys green felt of a different variety – he’s been a billiards player since he was young.

Foresta believes his experience shows what the US online poker industry might be in store for. With more states considering legalization, he thinks the industry is primed for success.

“The excitement and buzz I see and hear in the Pennsylvania poker community is so apparent,” he says. “I’m sure Michigan is experiencing similar levels of hype. I believe the sky’s the limit and hope I can be there for every step.”

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