Flutter’s H1 2020 investor presentation contained some good news for poker players, as it announced its intention to be more generous with promotions.
The post Flutter Interim Results Presentation Hints At Rewards For PokerStars Players appeared first on Online Poker Report.
With three weeks remaining in the World Series of Poker Online at GGPoker, American and Canadian players have performed well in the bracelet hunting.
That includes 10 bracelets between the two countries. The US has the most of any country with six total and Canada is tied for second with four.
With 14 events remaining, there’s still time for both countries to grab even more gold.
It’s been a nice run for American players so far. Lev Gottlieb scored the first US bracelet on July 26 when he won Event 43: $10,000 Short Deck NLHE Championship.
The win brought his first bracelet and $276,393. Next up was Frank Crivello, who won Event 53: $800 Double Stack Pot Limit Omaha for $94,253. This became the first bracelet for this player from San Diego, California.
Plenty of big names turned up for the $10,000 Heads-Up Championship. Longtime pro David Peters took the title for $360,480.
This marked the second bracelet for this player from Toledo, Ohio. He’s one of the most successful players in the world and seventh on the all-time money list.
Seth Fischer of Atlanta, Georgia, scored a bracelet in Event 56: $150 GGMasters WSOP Edition. The $1 million guaranteed event paid out $444,869.
On Aug. 16, Florida’s Bradley Ruben scored his first bracelet and $220,160 in Event 62: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha. The most recent American winner is Nick Maimone, who won the $1,500 Marathon for his first bracelet and $302,472.
This player from Charlotte, North Carolina, Maimone has $2.2 million in live tournament winnings. This isn’t Maimone’s first major WSOP finish. In 2009, he took 15th in the WSOP Main Event for $633,022.
For players north of the border, Alex Stasiak got the winning started on July 19. Actually, he won Event 33: $1,111 Every 1 for COVID Relief on July 26.
A server glitch forced most of the tournament to be moved. Despite that snafu, Stasiak won his first bracelet for $343,204.
If that weren’t enough, Stasiak added a second bracelet. On Aug. 6, he won Event 52: $1,000 NLHE for $273,505 – quite a run.
Kristen Bicknell added her name to the winner’s circle on July 29. She won the $2,500 NLHE Six-Handed event for $356,412.
The event brought her third WSOP bracelet after winning the Global Poker Index Female Player of the Year for the last three years.
One of the hottest players in poker at the moment, Bicknell also scored in the WPT World Online Championships. In that series, she won the $5,200 High Roller for $79,275 and also finished runner-up in another event.
In the $1,500 Millionaire Maker, Daniel Dvoress topped a field of 6,299 for $1.5 million. He also currently leads the Online Bracelet Leaderboard with Stasiak in second.
While Americans can’t legally play on GGPoker, it appears many have headed to Canada or Mexico for the action. The chance to play a packed schedule and possibly win a bracelet lured many players across the borders.
The prize pools have been huge. The $500 Mini Main Event attracted 15,205 entries and a $7.2 million prize pool.
The $50 Big 50 attracted the greatest number of entries in the series – 44,576. Several major events remain including the $5,000 Main Event, with a $25 million guarantee.
The American and Canadian win totals could have been even better. Five US and one Canadian have finished runner-up.
The US had a chance at another addition to the win column on Wednesday. The $25,000 Poker Players Championship final table was set to finish.
That tournament featured a $10 million guarantee and three Americans at the final table. Jason Koon sits first in chips, Shankar Pillai in second, and Aram Zobian in fourth.
Here’s a look at all the winners so far followed by a schedule of remaining events.
| Event | Buy-in | Total entries | Prize pool | Winner payout | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #32: The Opener NLHE | $100 | 29,306 | $2,696,152 | $265,880 | Marcelo Jakovljevic Pudla | Brazil |
| #33: Every 1 for Covid Relief | $1,111 | 2,323 | $2,580,853 | $343,204 | Alek Stasiak | Canada |
| #34: Super Turbo Bounty NLHE 6-Handed | $525 | 2,214 | $1,107,000 | $117,650 | Shoma Ishikawa | Japan |
| #35 Pot Limit Omaha Championship | $5,000 | 328 | $1,558,000 | $306,622 | Juha Helppi | Finland |
| #36 FIFTY STACK NLHE | $1,500 | 1,342 | $1,912,350 | $297,496 | Michael Clacher | South Africa |
| #37 Bounty Pot Limit Omaha | $1,050 | 971 | $971,000 | $161,887 | Hun Wei Lee | Australia |
| #38 Monster Stack NLHE 6-Handed [Asia Time Zone] | $600 | 2,007 | $1,143,990 | $171,389 | Aaron Wijaya | China |
| #39: NLHE [Asia Time Zone] | $1,500 | 922 | $1,313,850 | $216,213 | Roberto Romanello | United Kingdom |
| #40: Pot Limit Omaha | $2,500 | 532 | $1,263,500 | $224,493 | Klas Lofberg | Sweden |
| #41: COLOSSUS | $400 | 12,757 | $4,796,632 | $595,930 | Ranno Sootla | Estonia |
| #42: PLOSSUS | $400 | 4,356 | $1,637,856 | $221,557 | Yuri Dzivielevski | Brazil |
| #43: Short Deck NLHE Championship | $10,000 | 301 | $812,700 | $276,393 | Lev “LevMeAlone” Gottlieb | United States |
| #44: NLHE 6-Handed | $2,500 | 892 | $2,118,500 | $356,412 | Kristen Bicknell | Canada |
| #45: Bounty NLHE | $840 | 2,382 | $1,906,500 | $245,448 | Patrick “Muddington” Kennedy | United Kingdom |
| #46: Deepstack NLHE | $500 | 2,307 | $1,095,825 | $189,098 | Sung Joo “ArtePokerTV” Hyun | South Korea |
| #47: Short Deck NLHE | $1,000 | 487 | $462,560 | $88,202 | Paul Teoh | Malaysia |
| #48 MILLIONAIRE MAKER | $1,500 | 6,299 | $8,976,075 | $1,489,289 | Daniel Dvoress | Canada |
| #49 Turbo Deepstack | $500 | 2,978 | $1,414,550 | $192,523 | Vladas “apuokos” Burneikis | Lithuania |
| #50: Bounty Championship | $2,100 | 1,168 | $2,336,000 | $327,319 | Enrico “GTOExploiter” Camosci | Italy |
| #51: Pot Limit Omaha | $400 | 2,005 | $753,880 | $100,945 | Eoghan “DrRoche” O’Dea | Ireland |
| #52: NLHE | $1,000 | 2,006 | $1,905,700 | $273,505 | Alek Stasiak | Canada |
| #53: Double Stack PLO [Asia Time Zone] | $800 | 831 | $631,560 | $94,253 | Frank Crivello | United States |
| #54: Heads-Up Championship | $10,000 | 128 | $1,241,600 | $360,480 | David Peters | United States |
| #55: NLHE Asia Time Zone Championship | HK$8,000 | 3,247 | $3,184,074 | $458,261 | Luis Eduardo Assuncao Garla | Brazil |
| #56: GGMasters WSOP Edition | $150 | 2,153 | $3,068,025 | $444,869 | Seth Fischer | United States |
| #57: GGMasters WSOP Edition | $150 | 9,835 | $1,357,230 | $183,526 | Anatoly “Pohitrusha” Suvarov | Russia |
| #58: NLHE 6-Handed Championship | $5,000 | 672 | $3,192,000 | $531,513 | Ravid “jerbi9999” Garbi | Israel |
| #59: NLHE Double Stack | $2,500 | 1,061 | $2,519,875 | $399,047 | Leonardo “Babaehduro” Mattos | Brazil |
| #60: $525 Bounty NLHE 6-Handed | $525 | 3,170 | $1,585,000 | $180,177 | Orhan “yirtil” Ates | Turkey |
| #61: Monster Stack NLHE 6-Handed | $300 | 3,491 | $973,989 | $127,660 | Alexander “MightyWarior” Stacey | United Kingdom |
| #62: Pot Limit Omaha | $1,500 | 990 | $1,410,750 | $220,160 | Bradley “DrStrange7” Ruben | United States |
| #63: Mini Main Event | $500 | 15,205 | $7,222,375 | $843,460 | Ivan “zufo16” Zufic | Croatia |
| #64: Super Turbo Bounty NLHE | $840 | 2,207 | $1,765,600 | $131,461 | Kartik “Mandovi” Ved | India |
| #65: NLHE Deepstack | $600 | 2,911 | $1,659,270 | $227,906 | Dmytro “Too Bad” Bystrovzorov | Ukraine |
| #66: Pot Limit Omaha | $800 | 1,281 | $973,560 | $139,453 | Toby Joyce | Ireland |
| #67: NLHE | $500 | 706 | $335,350 | $45,101 | Gregor “soulsntfaces” Muller | Austria |
| #68: Deepstack NLHE [Asia Time Zone] | $500 | 2,315 | $1,099,625 | $150,460 | Yan Shing Tsang | Hong Kong |
| #69: Marathon NLHE | $1,500 | 1,438 | $2,049,150 | $302,472 | Nick “rdcrsn” Maimone | United States |
| #70: NLHE Poker Players Championship | $25,000 | 407 | NA | NA | * event not yet completed | NA |
| #71: BIG 50 NLHE | $50 | 44,576 | $2,050,496 | $211,282 | Huahuan “F7588” Feng | China |
| TOTALS | 174,507 | $79,083,002 | $11,512,996 | |||
| Bracelets by County | ||||||
| Average (8/26/20) | 4,363 | $2,026,475 | $295,205 | US – 6 | ||
| Average (8/19) | 3,641 | $2,134,553 | $313,654.00 | Canada – 4 | ||
| Averages (8/11) | 3,830 | $1,997,347 | $299,896 | Brazil – 4 | ||
| United Kingdom – 3 |
| Date | Event Number | Tournament | Buy-in | Prize Guarantee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, August 27, 2020 | 42 | $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha | $1,500 | ||
| Saturday, August 29, 2020 | 43 | $300 Double Stack No Limit Hold’em | $300 | Asia Time Zone | |
| Sunday, August 30, 2020 | 44 | $400 FORTY STACK No Limit Hold’em | $400 | ||
| Sunday, August 30, 2020 | 45 | $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event [Day 2], $25M GTD | $5,000 | $25,000,000 | 3-Day Event, Feezeout Flights |
| Sunday, August 30, 2020 | 46 | $1,000 Turbo No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed | $1,000 | ||
| Tuesday, September 01, 2020 | 47 | People’s Choice Event [Most Popular] | TBA | TBA | TBA by Vote |
| Wednesday, September 02, 2020 | 48 | People’s Choice Event [Pros Vote] | TBA | TBA | TBA by Vote |
| Thursday, September 03, 2020 | 49 | People’s Choice Event [Spin the Wheel] | TBA | TBA | TBA by Vote |
| Saturday, September 05, 2020 | 50 | People’s Choice Event [Most Popular] | TBA | TBA | Asia Time Zone, TBA by Vote |
| Saturday, September 05, 2020 | 51 | $1,050 Beat the Pros [Bounty] | $1,050 | ||
| Sunday, September 06, 2020 | 52 | $10K WSOP Super MILLION$, $5M GTD | $10,000 | $5,000,000 | 2-Day Event |
| Sunday, September 06, 2020 | 53 | $100 WSOP MILLION$ [Final Day], $2M GTD | $100 | $2,000,000 | 2-Day Event, 1-RE Flights |
| Sunday, September 06, 2020 | 54 | $500 The Closer [LAST CHANCE] | $500 |
Kristen Bicknell photo courtesy WPT/Joe Giron
The post GOLD GLUTTONY: US, Canadian Players Find Success in WSOP Online at GGPoker appeared first on .
The live poker room at Harrah’s Philadelphia appears to be permanently closed.
According to various social media posts by current and former employees, they received word about the decision on August 11.
Various poker room employees at Harrah’s Philadelphia posted on social media about losing their poker-dealing jobs. On the condition of anonymity a now-former employee (“Jake”) discussed what’s happening at Harrah’s Philadelphia poker room with Play Pennsylvania.
He confirmed that it is closed with no plans to reopen the room. Management’s calls to poker room employees came via Zoom on August 11. Jake said that they did not offer anyone positions within the organization. However, Harrah’s did say if they had experience in tables games they could apply, just the same as anyone else coming in off the street, for openings.
Those who asked if any classes would be offered for table games did not get a clear “yes” or “no” answer.
Harrah’s Philadelphia poker room’s Twitter handle no longer exists. Its Facebook page has not been updated since March 13.
Asked whether the poker room closure was permanent, a customer service representative at Harrah’s Philadelphia said:
“It’s closed as of now. We don’t have a date of reopening.”
Harrah’s opened a live poker room in 2010 on the floor below the main gaming floor near where race track betting takes place.
On April 26, 2019 after extensive renovations, Harrah’s Philadelphia became home to the World Series of Poker poker room. Harrah’s corporate parent company Caesars Entertainment owns the popular World Series of Poker brand.
Last fall, Harrah’s underwent a number of major renovations including the new sportsbook, The Book and a Topgolf Swing Suite.
General Manager Chris Albrecht told the Philadelphia Business Journal:
“The poker room was moved from racing level to casino floor to have all gaming action on one floor. It was part of the re-imagination of the back of the casino with new sportsbook and Topgolf.”
Parx has the largest live poker room in PA with 48 tables.
Harrah’s had 27 tables and a full slate of poker promotions and tournaments. On their website they boasted:
“WSOP Poker Room spreads Texas Hold’em, Seven Card Stud, and Omaha. With non-stop action and a range of blinds, even the most discriminating Philadelphia gambler will find a perfectly suited game for their taste. Limit games range from $2-4-6 to $20-40, while No Limit games range from $1-2 to $10-25.”
The following pictures were taken at the vacated Harrah’s Philadelphia poker room in July, 2020.
In mid-March all twelve Pennsylvania casinos closed to slow the spread of coronavirus. Harrah’s Philadelphia reopened on June 26.
When the casinos home county moved to the “green phase” they could reopen at reduced capacity (up to 50%). The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board laid out updated health and safety protocols which included, to start, that poker rooms could not operate due to players handling cards and chips. They said they’d monitor and adjust according to guidance from the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
PGCB Director of Communications Doug Harbach gave this update to Play Pennsylvania on Aug. 25:
“There has been no alteration to the casino reopening protocols released by the Gaming Control Board in May in which poker rooms were not authorized to operate. At the same time, this guideline can be reexamined based on health experts’ guidance. Should casinos wish to explore reopening a casino room, it would need to provide plans to do so safely which would be reviewed by the Board on a case-by-case basis.”
While live poker is off the menu for the time being (and perhaps permanently at some casinos, like Harrah’s), PA poker players still have legal, regulated online poker as an option. PokerStars PA was the first online poker operator to launch in PA, doing so in November 2019. The lone operator has done well in Pennsylvania, peaking in April with revenue of nearly $5.3 million when all casinos were still shuttered.
And while live poker rooms remain closed, online poker revenue at PokerStars has come down to a reasonable yet healthy $3.0 million for July. But it looks as if PA will soon have more online poker options in partypoker (through BetMGM/ROAR Digital) and ironically, WSOP.com.
While no timeline has been announced for the launch of WSOP online in PA, we know regulatory approval is underway. That makes for rather unfortunate timing for Caesars’ live poker partner to fold, it would seem. But in 2020, anything is possible.
Note: This is a developing story. PlayPennsylvania will provide the latest updates on the Harrah’s poker room closing as they become available.
The post Breaking: Harrah’s Philadelphia WSOP Poker Room Closed for Good, Sources Say appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.
After success with the first New Jersey partnership between the WPT and partypoker, the two companies are back for more. Partypoker officially announced the WPT Online Borgata Series on Tuesday including $275,000 in total guarantees.
Party partners with MGM in New Jersey for online poker and has added its premier Atlantic City casino and poker property to the mix. The casino usually runs the WPT Borgata Poker Open in September and the online series, set for Sept. 13-21, now takes that event’s place.
“The partnership is great because it gives players the opportunity to compete in large WPT events from the comfort of their own homes,” WPT executive tour director Matt Savage told USPoker. “The WPT is proud To partner with a trusted regulated site like partypokerUS Network.”
The Online Borgata Series comes on the heels of a record-breaking WPT/partypoker event in June. The WPT Online Poker Open attracted 868 entries, producing a prize pool of $317,540. That was a nice turnout, topping the $300,000 guarantee.
Other US operators have also seen great results in recent months as players look for action during the Coronavirus pandemic.
In recent months, the WPT has shifted to partner for online events with partypoker on the international market. The site has also heavily promoted its own sweepstakes poker site, ClubWPT.
With Atlantic City poker rooms closed, including the Borgata, another WPT event may be popular with players. The festival showcases three premier poker brands in a single series for rounders across New Jersey.
“Partypoker US Network continues to identify opportunities to provide the best online poker experience for our players,” partypoker US director of poker Ray Stefanelli said in a news release. “We are proud to expand our relationship with the World Poker Tour and provide players across New Jersey with another state-of-the-art offering.
“The WPT Online Borgata Series combines the live prestige of the WPT and Borgata to the online poker community across the partypoker US Network.”
The new series is expected to offer players 11 events. While an official schedule hasn’t been released yet, there are a few highlights that have been announced.
The two-day $1,060 WPT Online Borgata Series Main Event highlights the series on Sept. 20. The final table will be live streamed on Sept. 21.
Organizers haven’t announced a main event guarantee, but this story will be updated if there is one. Another big event is the $215 Kickoff to begin the series on Sept. 13. The Sunday No Limit Hold’em event features a $100,000 guarantee.
Other highlights include:
Players may also “phase” into the Main Event for $109. Phase tournaments have become popular events at partypoker NJ.
A phase tournament differs a little from a traditional satellite. Satellite winners enter into the target event with that event’s starting chip stack. In a phase event, remaining players from Phase 1 enter the target event with the chip stack previously accumulated.
Partypoker and the WPT promise a nice mix of events and buy-ins.
“Our partners have worked diligently to ensure that the schedule has something for everyone at differing buy-in levels,” Savage says, “and gives players so many ways to qualify and satellite into the Main Event.”
In New Jersey, the partypoker network also includes BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM. Players can participate on any of the platforms, but must physically be in New Jersey to register and play.
A full WPT Online Borgata Series schedule is expected to be announced later this week. USPoker first made note of the new series on Monday.
Fresh off another Online Series, partypoker that saw that main event top the $50,000 guarantee. That championship ended up paying out more than $64,000.
Partypoker and WPT officials are hoping the Garden State success continues with the new Borgata event.
WPT Vice President of Global Tour Management Angelica Hael said: “WPT and partypoker US Network have created a unique festival for players of all bankrolls across New Jersey to compete in a weeklong series that combines the best of the live and online realm.”
Check back to USPoker when a complete schedule is announced.
Players looking to get in on the WPT Online Borgata Series action can take advantage of some nice exclusive USPoker bonuses. Click these links to find out more and take advantage: partypoker NJ, BorgataPoker.com, BetMGM.
Borgata poker photo courtesy WPT/Joe Giron.
The post GARDEN STATE GRINDING: WPT Teams Up with Partypoker, Borgata for NJ Online Series; $275K Guaranteed appeared first on .
Pennsylvania casinos closed in mid-March to slow the spread of coronavirus. They remained shuttered for over three months. When the casinos reopened, they did so with health and safety guidelines from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board which included key points such as:
Another major stipulation upon reopening was that poker rooms could not operate due to players handling cards and chips. The plan at that time was to continually monitor and adjust according to guidance from the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Poker players have taken to Twitter, email and even picked up the phone to ask when live poker rooms in Pennsylvania will reopen.
PGCB Director of Communications Doug Harbach gave this update to Play Pennsylvania today:
“There has been no alteration to the casino reopening protocols released by the Gaming Control Board in May in which poker rooms were not authorized to operate. At the same time, this guideline can be reexamined based on health experts’ guidance. Should casinos wish to explore reopening a casino room, it would need to provide plans to do so safely which would be reviewed by the Board on a case-by-case basis.”
A spokesperson for Rivers Philadelphia and Rivers Pittsburgh said that plans for reopening poker rooms are yet to be determined.
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh and The Meadows were the first casinos to reopen on June 9. Social distancing decals marked the floors. There were fewer chairs to promote social distancing at slot machines, or plexiglass barriers between slots. They added hand sanitizing stations throughout the floor.
At the reopening of Rivers Pittsburgh, Harbach said poker rooms present a different type of challenge since people are sitting close together in a room.
“The casinos want to walk before they run and make sure they are getting the venue open and then move on to opening up other areas once they know the protocols are working well.”
The following images are from Harrah’s Philadelphia in July.
All twelve of Pennsylvania’s casinos are operating at 50% capacity. Since July 8, there has been a temporary ban on smoking, eating and drinking on the gaming floor.
During the 2019/2020 fiscal year, PA’s ten poker rooms produced a combined $37 million in revenue. That number pales in comparison to the $583 million in revenue from other table games.
Parx is home to the largest live poker room in PA with 48 tables. Harrah’s Philadelphia has 27 tables and Wind Creek Casino has 26.
Casinos are understandably focusing on safety and the unprecedented challenges COVID-19 has brought. Perhaps that is taking priority above reopening poker rooms.
All live poker rooms in Atlantic City, New Jersey also remain out of operation.
In Las Vegas, the MGM Grand poker room opened in early July with plexiglass dividers between players to allow six-handed play. Other Vegas rooms have followed and a few – The Orleans, Venetian, and South Point – are also running small-guarantee tournaments with plexiglass dividers and/or mask requirements.
Here’s a look at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida which restarted poker on June 12.
The Poker Room opens today at Noon! Here are some things to expect:
•We will run at a limited capacity (25 of 45 tables)
•All active tables will have Plexiglass dividers
•All games will run at a maximum of 6 handed
•Team Members and Guests will be required to wear masks pic.twitter.com/NrHjgMFGdF— The Poker Room (@SHRThePokerRoom) June 12, 2020
At MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
7 handed, plexiglass at all tables. Cash games only to start…. pic.twitter.com/a3pqAULTA0
— MGM National Harbor (@MGMNH_Poker) July 13, 2020
Online poker in PA arrived in November 2019. Since then, PokerStars has been the lone operator in the state, however it looks like they will get some competition in the fall with partypoker.
Play Pennsylvania monitored poker traffic which reached 3,616 seats filled on March 22. PokerStars PA had its best month for revenue with $5.3 million in April. Since that peak, poker revenue is back down to earth but still healthy, bringing in $3.0 million in July.
The post When Will Live Poker Rooms Reopen in Pennsylvania? appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.
The second running of Pennsyl-MANIA on PokerStars PA featured a larger guarantee than did the first, and perhaps some bigger expectations, too.
After all, the first Pennsyl-MANIA made history back in May. That event set a standard as the largest tournament ever in the short history of legal online poker in the Keystone State.
Pennsyl-MANIA Part 2 did not break records set by the original. However the event did attract a large turnout, successfully exceeding its huge $350,000 guarantee.
The two-day no-limit hold’em tournament drew 2,026 total entries (1,274 uniques, 752 re-entries). That created a prize pool of $376,836, thereby exceeding the $350K guarantee.
That big field played down to 69 players on Sunday. Then on Monday night “SlotWinna777” emerged as the winner following a four-way chop to take away $44,641.87 and the title.
In the end, the Pennsyl-MANIA sequel featured the second-largest tournament prize pool ever on PokerStars PA.
In May the first Pennsyl-MANIA was also a $200 buy-in event that allowed up to five re-entries. That one drew 2,774 entries, the highest number for any tournament on PokerStars PA. Such an enormous turnout created a $515,964 prize pool that more than doubled the guarantee.
The second Pennsyl-MANIA’s $376K prize pool didn’t reach those heights. But it was a bit more than the $368,200 awarded in the Pennsylvania Spring Championship of Online Poker Main Event (High) back in April.
Pennysl-MANIA should help raise PokerStars PA revenue numbers in August, though not as dramatically as tournament series like April’s PASCOOP and others have done.
Since launching in November 2019, PokerStars PA enjoyed its highest revenue numbers ever during the spring months.
PokerStars PA operates in partnership with Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono. The site averaged around $2.3 million in revenue during its first five months of operation. Then in April the site’s revenue surged to more than $5.2 million.
Following that peak, the last three months have seen PokerStars PA revenue numbers gradually decline back to just under $3 million in July.
The closure of live poker rooms in PA in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic was an obvious factor affecting online poker traffic during the spring.
Casinos have now reopened in Pennsylvania with limited capacity and safety guidelines in place. However poker rooms remain closed per protocols issued by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
It may be a while, then, before PokerStars PA faces competition from live poker in the state. That said, PokerStars PA’s monopoly as Pennsylvania’s only operating online poker room might be short-lived, as both partypoker and WSOP.com appear to have edged closer to launching in the state.
The post Pennsyl-MANIA Part Two Draws 2,000-Plus Entries, $376K Prize Pool on PokerStars PA appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.
A partypoker NJ glitch left players using the Mac OS Catalina operating system unable to play for a few weeks. As of Saturday, the company resolved the issue in time for the weekend’s final tournaments in the partypoker Online Series.
Partypoker has been working the last few weeks to release new software for its New Jersey platform. Since the last update, players in NJ using Mac computers were unable to play.
Partypoker and its skins BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM all share the same player pool and software in NJ. The fix comes as the platform ran another Online Series with some nice results in the championship event.
New Jersey uses a geolocation system to track players and to verify they’re within the state borders to play legally. New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada online sites use a company called GeoComply for the GPS-like software.
The recent partypoker software update was unable to geolocate players in the Garden State. The issue affected players using the software client for traditional Mac computers, not mobile or tablet users.
“I was frustrated when I found out I couldn’t get onto BorgataPoker.com to grind my Sunday tables,” New Jersey player Eddie Roman said.
Borgata Poker ambassador Katie Stone reported on Twitter over the weekend that the problem had been resolved.
Getting messages from players in NJ that @partypokerUS is now working on Macs
— Katie Stone (@KatieStonePoker) August 22, 2020
This isn’t the first time Mac users have had to deal with online gaming problems. WSOP.com and Golden Nugget’s online casino had issues in October 2019.
Apple released its 16th major software release last fall, Mac OS Catalina (10.15). The system caused a geolocation issue that locked out some players for months.
“Nine months later and I was still worried about updating my Mac to the Catalina system,” New Jersey online grinder Pierre Deissler said, “because I feared I wouldn’t be able to play anymore.”
Macs users on average make up about 10% of the American PC market share. The 10% could account for some of the company’s lost poker revenue from July’s poker revenue report.
The site was expected to launch a “ringed-in” poker platform in August in Pennsylvania. That didn’t pan out and players are now hoping for a September launch.
The resolution of the Mac issue comes after some building momentum for partypoker in the US. Adding Pennsylvania would be another nice coup as the company expands into a second state.
The Online Series ran Aug. 16-23 with 15 events and $160,000 in total guarantees. While several events missed guarantees, a good turnout for the $215 Main Event meant the series topped the guarantee with $180,000 paid out.
“Our focus was on the $50,000 guaranteed Main Event, and that met our expectations,” partypoker US director poker Ray Stefanelli said. “The other prelim events for this series were focused on providing access to lower-priced events.”
The Main Event featured a $50,000 guarantee with $64,314 paid out. Dan Lupo, no stranger to NJ online poker success, took down the event for $14,792.
That comes after Lupo won PokerStars’ Bounty Builder Main Event earlier this month. He pocketed $6,273 and $7,984 in bounties in that event.
Partypoker has had a longtime partnership with the World Poker Tour. The two companies partner on international live and online events.
The two are currently running the WPT Online Championships on the international party platform. In June, partypoker joined forces with the WPT in NJ and held a successful online championship.
The WPT Online Poker Open main event attracted 868 entries for a $317,540 prize pool. That was a nice result, topping the $300,000 guarantee.
David Coleman took down the $400 buy-in tournament for a cool $56,586.
“It feels incredible,” Coleman told WPT.com after winning the title. “Winning a poker tournament always does, but this one was something special. I have a very underwhelming live tournament resumé, so this is for sure the most notable win in my career.”
For winning, the 26-year-old from Livingston, New Jersey, also took home an official WPT trophy and $11,000 prize package to play in the WPT Five Diamond Poker Classic.
New Jersey grinders may soon have another shot at WPT glory. Partypoker and the WPT have plans to team up for a second event in the state, USPoker has learned.
Details haven’t been released yet but another series is expected for the fall, believed to be in September. The timing might be perfect.
The Borgata holds its Poker Open each September and attracts players from around the northeast. However, the property’s poker room remains closed however.
Perhaps a partypoker/Borgata/WPT co-branded series is next in line for the market? Expect more news later in the week.
The post TABLE TALK: Partypoker NJ Resolves Mac Glitch; Online Series Main Event Scores Big, New WPT Event Planned appeared first on .
When the general public thinks of poker, scenes of high stakes, big bluffs, and lots of gambling come to mind. The industry’s charitable efforts is an under-appreciated aspect of the poker world.
Million of dollars have been raised over the years for various causes. That’s certainly true of the World Series of Poker over the last two decades. Here’s a look at a few of the charity events involving the WSOP since the poker boom.
Before 2012, WSOP hosted an annual Ante Up For Africa tournament. This was not a bracelet event but was held during the WSOP summer events in Las Vegas.
The event was co-created by longtime poker pro Annie Duke and actor/poker player Don Cheadle. The proceeds from the tournament benefited survivors of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan.
War and genocide devastated the area, and the charity hoped to offer some relief for those suffering. Ante Up For Africa ran for a few years and attracted Hollywood elites such as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Tracy McGrady, Brad Garrett, Hank Azaria, and Ray Romano.
Benefit tournaments for One Drop were part of the growing movement toward high-stakes tournaments. That greatly benefited the foundation for several years.
One Drop helps impoverished nations gain access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The group currently has developed projects in 13 different countries.
The $1 million dollar buy-in for the original event in 2012 drew 48 players with $111,111 of each buy-in going to the charity. Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari won that event for more than $18 million.
This was also the first time a bracelet was awarded for a charity tournament in WSOP history. In 2013, the WSOP expanded and allowed players with lower bankrolls to get in on the charitable action.
The first $1,111 Little One For One Drop was a bracelet event, drew 4,391 players, and raised $500,000. One Drop events continue to be fan favorites each year at the WSOP.
In 2019, the WSOP added something a bit different to the charity mix. The tournament included a patriotic vibe.
The $500 Salute to Warriors charity bracelet event benefited United Services Organization (USO)and other military-related charities. Organizers fittingly wrapped the tournament around American Independence Day.
The special event fielded 1,723 players and Susan Faber, a 71-year-old Ohio resident, took the title for $121,161. The $43,075 raised for the cause was an even better number.
With the world facing a pandemic, WSOP officials postponed this year’s series to the fall. Instead, the series implemented the WSOP Online that included bracelets for international players at GGPoker.
This year, the $1,111 Every 1 for Covid Relief took the place of the annual One Drop charity tournament. On July 19, GG hosted the event to benefit the Caesars Cares.
The foundation assists the company’s employees who have suffered unanticipated hardships. The fund helps employees struggling as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.
Poker players certainly did their part in helping, raising $354,756 for the charity. GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu recently presented WSOP executive director Ty Stewart a check for the funds.
WSOP charity events such as One Drop and Ante up for Africa have also inspired others in the philanthropic arena. Poker player Matt Stout founded the Charity Series of Poker in 2014.
The CSOP is a tournament series that has helped support Three Square food bank in Las Vegas, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, and other groups.
“The Charity Series of Poker started as a grassroots, volunteer side project,” Stout says. “It was an effort by the poker community to leave some of our stops on the tour better than we found them. We’d partner with different casinos across the country and run events for worthy local charities as part of different WPT and WSOP series.”
The series has now raised more than $2 million for various groups. In 2016, Stout won the Charitable Initiative of the Year at the Global Poker Index’s American Poker Awards.
The CSOP will return after the Coronavirus pandemic. Players round the world continue offering up some good vibes through charitable endeavors and that should continue.
The post WSOP RETRO: Two Decades of World Series of Poker Players Anteing Up for Charity appeared first on .
Online poker has boomed since major tournament series shut down earlier this year because of the Coronavirus pandemic. At least one Las Vegas property is dipping its toes back in the tournament pool.
The Venetian announced this week that it would be running its DeepStack Showdown from Sept. 7-27. The series features 32 events with a total guarantee of $400,000.
The Venetian reopened its poker room on June 5 and shifted to eight-handed play in August. Players must still wear masks and Plexiglass dividers are placed between players.
The property has been running daily tournaments in recent weeks. However, the DeepStack Showdown becomes the first major Las Vegas tournament series since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The series comes at a time when some casinos haven’t reopened poker rooms at all.Venetian tournament director Tommy LaRosa says players can expect a safe environment.
The property has put in place the “Venetian Clean” commitment in response to the pandemic. The program includes 800 initiatives to enhance safety and minimize risk for our guests and employees.
“In the poker room, we require all players to sanitize their hands before sitting down at a table, so players will find hand sanitizer stations throughout the room,” LaRosa says.
“In addition, we are frequently wiping down the tables, chairs, plexiglass dividers, hard surfaces, and sanitizing the chips and cards. We continue to make changes that enhance our protocols to insure compliance and accountability.”
Part of the new protocols includes the temporary elimination of food service in the poker room. Tours like the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour remain on hiatus and many will be watching to see how things turn out at the Venetian.
The Venetian is taking a measured approach to the latest series. Guarantees are about 50% less than events prior to March and the shutdown.
Despite that, the room has seen nice action since reopening. Poker room organizers are interested to see how the Showdown performs.
“Our one-day poker tournaments have seen tremendous support even with lower guarantees since we resumed on July 24,” LaRosa says. “We evaluate each DeepStack poker series and make adjustments as participation dictates.
“Players can expect the value, comfort, prize pools, experienced staff, and safety they have always known and experienced at The Venetian. We strive to provide guests and players with the experience they know and love, and we are encouraged by the excitement of our players.”
Players heading to the Venetian will find two daily events during the week that’s beefed up to three on Sundays. Buy-ins range from $125 to $400 with guarantees from $2,000 to $100,000.
Most events are No Limit Hold’em with a few Omaha tournaments mixed in. Th $400 MonsterStack highlights the series and comes with a $100,000 guarantee.
That event kicks off the first of four starting flights on Sept. 23. For a complete schedule, click here.
The Venetian already made some news recently with a massive bad beat jackpot awarded at the poker room.
On a board of 6
78, poker players Adam Lister and Yusuke Sawauchi got into a huge pot. The game was $1/3 No Limit Hold’em and both players put it all in after the river.
Lister noted on Twitter that it took a bit to realize what had actually happened.
Flop was 67H Ad turn 9c and river was 8H. The 9-10 was first, he bet, I raised, he shoved I snapped thinking he had the Ace high flush since he bet on the flop and turn. We flipped, took about ten seconds before I realized what happened, the dealer was counting the stacks lol pic.twitter.com/wd6Q0VygL1
— Adam (@adamclister84) August 13, 2020
Lister ended up losing the pot with 45 to Yusuke’s 910. However, the unlikely straight flush over straight flush saw Lister take home $166,000.
His opponent added $83,000 to his bankroll. Six other players at the table received $13,834 – not a bad payday all around.
Looking to get in the poker action but prefer to play at home? For complete online poker options including some exclusive USPoker bonuses, click here.
The post BACK IN BUSINESS: Venetian Launches First Major Las Vegas Live Tournament Series Since Casino Shutdowns appeared first on .
Online poker continued showing strength in July in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. That meant big revenue totals again including the second-best month ever in the Garden State.
Online poker numbers in other states were big too. Overall online gaming has shown sustained growth since the start of the quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Phil Murphy (D) allowed for the reopening of Atlantic City casinos over the July 4 weekend. However, live poker rooms remain closed in New Jersey
This has led to continuing online poker growth – including the second-biggest month on record. Revenue reports showed NJ poker operators brought in $4.8 million in July compared to $1.8 million a year prior.
WSOP.com held onto the top spot again in July by posting $2.8 million. The site, which shared liquidity in Nevada and with 888poker in Delaware and NJ, scored big with the summer WSOP Online bracelet events.
With the annual summer series postponed, WSOP.com hosted a bracelet event daily throughout July. Those events drew massive player pools. The site is now hosting its Summer Series, which should also bring in plenty of NJ players.
PokerStars NJ hit a million-dollar month again after scoring $1.1 million in July. The operator continues to roll out new tournament series such as the popular Bounty Builder Series.
Partypoker (including the BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM skins) brought in $845,000. Even though party was the lowest of the three operators, revenue was almost twice that of July 2019.
Even with the reopening of New Jersey casinos, online gaming put up record-breaking numbers in Jul. Internet gaming brought in $87.5 million compared to $39.3 million compared to this time last year. That’s a year-over-year increase of 123%.
According to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, that led to total gaming taxes of $26.4 million.
Total gaming taxes represented 8% of taxable casino gross revenue and 15% of Internet gaming gross revenue.
In Pennsylvania, PokerStars holds on for another month as the only online poker operator. In July, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) reported that PokerStars (partnered with Mount Airy Casino) reported $2.9 million in revenue.
This number is slightly down from the $3.2 million reported in June but is still a nice total for the market. At the July PGCB meeting, it was speculated that WSOP.com and partypoker would be granted approval to start operations.
The issue wasn’t brought up at the August meeting however. For the time being PokerStars will hold onto its online poker monopoly in the Keystone State.
Casinos across Pennsylvania continue to reopen, but all poker rooms remained closed in July. The PGCB published reopening protocols on May 19.
“Poker rooms are not authorized to operate due to players handling cards and chips,” the protocols note. “Poker room operations will be re-examined based upon changing CDC and PA Department of Health guidance.”
Legal online poker in Delaware showed a small uptick in revenue in July. Delaware Lottery gaming numbers show poker brought in $62,603 in July.
This was up almost 10% from June. Online poker in Delaware solely operates under 888poker. The company runs three combined player pool skins under Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Casinos.
Delaware brick and mortar casinos are currently open under Gov. John Carney’s ( D) Phase 2 reopening plan. However, all Delaware live poker rooms remain closed.
The mandate calls for 60% occupancy of that allowed by current fire codes. Hours of operation are limited during the week with 24-hour gaming allowed on weekends.
With so many poker rooms closed in these three states, online poker should continue to flourish in coming weeks.
The post POSITIVE SIGNS: US Online Poker Revenue Numbers Show Strength in July appeared first on .
