Sean Chaffin, Author at

January 30, 2023January 28, 2023

Pays to Be Bad: Players Rack Up Some Major Jackpots at GGPoker

GGPoker platforms have chalked up more than $300,000 in bad beat jackpot payouts since just before the new year.

It’s been a few weeks of bad beat jackpots across GGPoker platforms. The online poker site has chalked up more than $300,000 in payouts since just before the new year.

A bad beat jackpot is awarded in cash games when a player lands a premium hand and still loses to an even bigger hand. For example, the recent payouts came as players actually lost hands with quads.

The player who loses the hand rakes in the largest share of the jackpot with the winning player also getting a big chunk. The other players at the table also receive a nice reward from the pool as well.

Several players were happy to have been at these tables over the last month.

Bad beat jackpot No.1: Massive payout on GGPoker/WSOP site in Canada

The first big bad beat payout came on Dec. 28 at WSOP.ca. The site that is a partnership with the World Series of Poker in Ontario, Canada. WSOP.ca features championship ring and bracelet events throughout the year and is exclusive to that Canadian province.

In an Omaha cash game in early January, a player named “Bafaym” flopped a royal flush. A second player named “timmy turnem” landed a set on the flop with his pocket Queens. The case Queen then fell on the river and brought about the $130,673 payout.

The winner of the hand collected $27,515 from the pool. The “loser” grabbed $84,853 and three other players at the table scored $6,788 each. The huge hand seemed to kickstart a few weeks of massive payouts on GG.

A casual $130K Bad Beat Jackpot hit this morning at 10/20 PLO.

Congrats to timmy turnem for taking home the lion's share.#wsop #ontariopoker #BadBeat pic.twitter.com/6BlddIEx8R

— GGPoker Ontario (@GGPokerOntario) December 28, 2022

Bad beat Jackpot No.2: King Richard with Queens

Another batch of Omaha players cashed in again on Jan. 19 for another $94,924. During the hand, “Jakob Madsen” was in a great spot by flopping four Kings.

Another player named “richardtkr94” held Queens and landed a third on the flop. When that fourth Queen hit on the river, the bad beat jackpot was triggered.

That meant some hefty winnings for all players at the table. Richardtkr94 was rewarded with $65,016 while his opponent landed $19,913. The other two players at the table won $5,201 for just being at the table.

What had been a much smaller pot ballooned to a massive payout.

🚨 #Badbeat #Jackpot Alert! 🚨

A massive jackpot prize of $94,924.69 has been won! Congratulations to richardtkr94 on his 65k score! 🙌

Who will win next?!💰🎉#ThanksGG pic.twitter.com/wBZPu8BOHN

— GGPoker (@GGPoker) January 19, 2023

Bad beat Jackpot No. 3: Quads quiver on the river

As if those two payouts weren’t enough, another table cashed in on Jan. 22 when two players were heads-up with huge hands. A player named “Africabomb” held 9♠9♦ and found a third 9 on the flop.

An opponent named “Martin Neil” scored a flush and gutshot straight draw with his 10♣7♣. The 9♣ on the river gave Africabomb four of a kind. However, that also gave Martin a straight flush.

For the losing hand, GG shipped Africabomb a payout of $70,700. As the winner, Martin scored $22,897. The other three [ayers no doubt appreciated their share of $5,612 each for a total of $108,040 paid out.

Sometimes being in the right place at the right time really pays off.

🚨 #BadBeat #Jackpot Alert! 🚨
Another absolutely massive jackpot! Over $108,000 given out! A rivered 9c makes the quads but also completes the straight flush, resulting in one of the biggest Bad Beat Jackpots of the year so far! #ThanksGG pic.twitter.com/Mxfheuwqik

— GGPoker (@GGPoker) January 22, 2023

★★★ Ready to get in the action at GGPoker? Click here for a complete site review with exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

January 27, 2023January 27, 2023

PCA Update: Bubble Bursts in Main Event, BSOP Winner, Strange KO, & More PokerStars Platinum Passes

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure rolled on in the Bahamas this week with plenty of big names still alive in the $10,300 Main Event. The winner scores a seven-figure payday and a huge bullet point for the poker resumé.

Some of those still alive in the series include Nick Petrangelo, Chad Eveslage, Justin Bonomo, and Ramon Colillas. More players also found wins in side events over the last couple days.

One “unique” bust out made some news from the Main Event. Here’s a complete look at some of the recent action.

PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event bubble bursts; massive payout for winner

Players celebrated reaching the money in the $10,300 PCA Main Event on Thursday. The bubble burst just after 3 pm and all 127 players remaining earned at least a min-cash of $17,600.

The tournament brought in 889 players for an $8.6 million prize pool and just 54 players remain. The winner walks away with a payday of $1.5 million and the runner-up grabs $1 million.

Spain’s Sergi Reixach led the players returning for Day 4 on Friday with 1.7 million. Reixach has $82 million in live tournament winnings and is looking to add more to that with a deeper run.

In 2021, Reixach was singled out as a member of Bryn Kenney’s online poker stable and faced allegations of collusion. He denied many of the allegations but admitted to “making some mistakes.”

This is the state of play ahead of Day 4 of the #PCA Main Event
🇧🇸 54 players left, $29,400 locked
🇧🇸 Sergei Reixach leads
🇧🇸 Sam Grafton & Ramon Colillas still in
🇧🇸 Konnikova, Petrangelo, O'Dwyer, & Bonomo among the big names to advance
🇧🇸 Live streaming resumes at 18:30 CET pic.twitter.com/J1mJl6feZO

— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) January 27, 2023

Christoph Csik returns in second with 1.4 million and Michael Rocco in third with 1.3 million. Other players still alive include Anton Wigg, Giuseppe Pantaleo, Nick Petrangelo, Chad Eveslage, Chris Brewer, Jonathan Little, Justin Bonomo, Jesse Lonis, Steve O’Dwyer, Dylan Linde, and Anthony Hu.

PokerStars ambassador and winner of the first PokerStars Players Championship, Ramon Colillas, also remains in the hunt with 437,000.

Author and part-time poker player Maria Konnikova also is hoping her deep run in the tournament continues. She returns to the action with 312,000.

In the money in the @PokerStars PCA Main Event! Let’s go! pic.twitter.com/6rmFr79esi

— Maria Konnikova (@mkonnikova) January 26, 2023

A look at other winners

The Main Event hasn’t been the only tournament underway at the PCA. The $1,100 Brazilian Series of Poker Main Event also played a major role in this series.

The tournament saw a field of 460 entries for a prize pool of $446,200. Canada’s Allan Barnes took the top spot for $86,650. This becomes the biggest score of his poker career and he now has $175,822 in live tournament winnings. Spain’s Vicente Delgado finished runner-up for $54,550 with Germany’s Christian Rudolph grabbing third for $38,950.

Jonathan Little, of the United States, finished fourth for $29,950. This highest-finishing Brazilian was Brunno Botteon , who took fifth for $23,050.

The $50,000 No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed also concluded with New Zealand’s David Yan collecting $485,690 for first. The win came after a deal with runner-up Orpen Kisacikoglu, of Turkey, who took home $458,058. The high roller action saw 31 entries for a $1.7 million prize pool.

In the $2,100 Hyper Turbo Knockout, Tommy Wang found the winner’s circle for $20,040. Hormando Vaca Diez Jimenez, of Bolivia, took the win in the $1,050 Hyper Turbo KO Freezeout for $9,540.

Bizarre bust out from ‘Poker Bunny’

One of the more interesting events over the last couple days was the bust out of Paulina “Poker Bunny” Loeliger. She called off her poker life in the Main Event on the river with a pair of threes.

When Daniel De Souza showed three of kind, Loeliger attempted to send her hand to the muck. But she didn’t want her cards revealed and tussled with the dealer to keep it that way.

All cards are revealed when a player is all in and the dealer was able to eventually turn the cards up. The interesting hand generated quite a bit of buzz on social media. Poker pro Chance Kornuth was right behind the table and took the entire scenario.

“I had a front row seat for the Poker Bunny bust out – not wanting to show down or muck when you lose an all-in happens fairly frequently to high stakes regs, myself included,” he noted on Twitter. “What doesn’t often happen is an arm wrestling match with the dealer for the mucked hand.”

“Curb Your PokerBunny”

starring @PokerBunnyy

guest appearance by: @ChancesCards

Quite possibly the greatest 14 seconds in poker history 🤣 pic.twitter.com/aLK2U2s8tR

— Snoopdoug 🃏🧨💸 (@PuntingStacks) January 27, 2023

More Platinum Passes up for grabs in Bahamas

It seemed PokerStars had already dished out all the Platinum Passes up for grabs but apparently saved some for the PCA. The company announced on Thursday that some reserve passes are being added to other PCA tournament prize pools as well.

That included the $3,000 Mystery Bounty tournament that kicked off Thursday. The prize is now included as a bounty. Since players are already in the Bahamas, players will receive a cash prize as well as a $25,000 entry into the PSPC.

Stars is also offering several $300 and $600 step qualifiers for passes along with $30 and $60 Crazy Pineapple flips.

★★★ Ready to get in the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review with exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

January 26, 2023

MicroMillions coming to PokerStars Players in Southern Europe, Italy With €5 Million Guaranteed

PokerStars announced this week that the MicroMillions series returns for players in Southern Europe and Italy from Jan. 29 – Feb. 12.

Online poker players in Europe are in store for some low stakes PokerStars action in the coming weeks. The company announced the MicroMillions series returns for players in Southern Europe and Italy from Jan. 29 – Feb. 12.

Players can expect more than €5.4 million in guaranteed prizes between the two series. Stars operates a combined platform in southern Europe (Spain, France, and Portugal).

The company also runs a ringed-in platform for Italian players as well. Here’s a look at the MicroMillions action and what to expect.

PokerStars MicroMillions highlights

This year’s MicroMillions festival in southern Europe features 159 events. The schedule includes €2.8 million guaranteed with buy-ins ranging from €1 to €100.

The action is highlighted by the €50 Main Event on Feb. 12 with €300,000 guaranteed. Other key tournaments include:

€30 Sunday Slam – Feb. 5, €100,00 guaranteed
€10 Classic PKO (progressive knockout) – Jan. 29, €50,000 guaranteed

Players can qualify for the series via satellites that start at €0.50. Qualifiers for the €50 Main Event start at just €1. Here’s a look at the complete schedule

2023 PokerStars MicroMillions Southern Europe

Date	Event	Buy-In	Tournament	Guarantee	Re-entries
Jan. 29	1	€ 30	Deep PKO 8-Max	€ 40,000	5
Jan. 29	2	€ 10	Deep PKO 8-Max	€ 30,000	5
Jan. 29	3	€ 5	Giga Stack	€ 12,500	5
Jan. 29	4	€ 20	Total KO 6-Max	€ 17,500	5
Jan. 29	5	€ 2	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 5,000	5
Jan. 29	6	€ 5	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 12,500	5
Jan. 29	7	€ 10	The Classic PKO	€ 50,000	10
Jan. 29	8	€ 30	Sunday Slam	€ 75,000	5
Jan. 29	9	€ 50	High Roller 6-Max - 2 Day	€ 60,000	4
Jan. 29	10	€ 20	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 25,000	5
Jan. 29	11	€ 5	Bounty Hero	€ 7,500	5
Jan. 29	12	€ 30	The Veteran	€ 12,500	5
Jan. 29	13	€ 10	Bounty Hero 8-Max Turbo	€ 17,500	5
Jan. 30	14	€ 10	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 12,500	5
Jan. 30	15	€ 5	Total KO 8-Max	€ 7,500	5
Jan. 30	16	€ 10	Giga Stack 6-Max	€ 15,000	5
Jan. 30	17	€ 5	The Rookie	€ 7,500	5
Jan. 30	18	€ 10	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 25,000	5
Jan. 30	19	€ 50	High Roller Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 40,000	4
Jan. 30	20	€ 2	Bubble Rush	€ 3,000	5
Jan. 30	21	€ 10	PLO PKO 6-Max	€ 5,000	5
Jan. 30	22	€ 10	Alternating Blinds PKO Turbo	€ 12,500	5
Jan. 30	23	€ 20	Ultra KO 6-Max Turbo	€ 15,000	5
Jan. 31	24	€ 20	Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 15,000	5
Jan. 31	25	€ 10	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 15,000	5
Jan. 31	26	€ 5	Bankroll Booster	€ 10,000	5
Jan. 31	27	€ 2	Micro Dream	€ 3,000	5
Jan. 31	28	€ 30	Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 35,000	5
Jan. 31	29	€ 5	The Rookie	€ 7,500	5
Jan. 31	30	€ 10	Giga Stack 6-Max	€ 15,000	5
Jan. 31	31	€ 3	Bounty Hero	€ 7,500	5
Jan. 31	32	€ 20	Total KO 8-Max Turbo	€ 15,000	5
Jan. 31	33	€ 10	The Sophomore	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 1	34	€ 5	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 1	35	€ 20	Colossal 20	€ 17,500	5
Feb. 1	36	€ 5	Bounty Hero	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 1	37	€ 10	Total KO 6-Max	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 1	38	€ 10	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 25,000	5
Feb. 1	39	€ 5	The Rookie	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 1	40	€ 10	The Sophomore	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 1	41	€ 2	Giga Stack PKO 8-Max	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 1	42	€ 10	The Sophomore	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 1	43	€ 20	PLO PKO 6-Max Turbo	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 1	44	€ 30	Total KO 6-Max	€ 15,000	5
Feb. 1	45	€ 20	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 30,000	5
Feb. 2	46	€ 10	PLO PKO 6-Max	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 2	47	€ 5	The Rookie	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 2	48	€ 10	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 20,000	5
Feb. 2	49	€ 50	High Roller Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 35,000	4
Feb. 2	50	€ 20	Colossal 20	€ 12,500	5
Feb. 2	51	€ 10	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 2	52	€ 5	Giga Stack PKO 8-Max Turbo	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 2	53	€ 30	Bounty Hero 6-Max Turbo	€ 17,500	5
Feb. 3	54	€ 10	Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 12,500	5
Feb. 3	55	€ 30	Total KO 6-Max	€ 15,000	5
Feb. 3	56	€ 5	Giga Stack PKO	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 3	57	€ 5	PLO 6-Max	€ 3,000	5
Feb. 3	58	€ 10	The Sophomore	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 3	59	€ 20	Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 20,000	5
Feb. 3	60	€ 5	Total KO 8-Max	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 3	61	€ 10	The Sophomore	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 3	62	€ 20	Alternating Blinds PKO Turbo	€ 12,500	5
Feb. 3	63	€ 1	Bounty Hero 6-Max Turbo	€ 2,000	5
Feb. 4	64	€ 10	Giga Stack PKO	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 4	65	€ 20	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 15,000	5
Feb. 4	66	€ 5	Bankroll Booster	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 4	67	€ 30	Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 17,500	5
Feb. 4	68	€ 10	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 17,500	5
Feb. 4	69	€ 20	Colossal 20	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 4	70	€ 5	The Rookie	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 4	71	€ 20	Bounty Hero	€ 12,500	5
Feb. 4	72	€ 3	Bounty Hero 8-Max Turbo	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 4	73	€ 10	Ultra KO 6-Max Turbo	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 5	74	€ 30	Deep PKO 8-Max	€ 40,000	5
Feb. 5	75	€ 10	Deep PKO 8-Max	€ 30,000	5
Feb. 5	76	€ 5	Giga Stack	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 5	77	€ 20	Total KO 6-Max	€ 17,500	5
Feb. 5	78	€ 2	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 5	79	€ 5	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 5	80	€ 10	The Classic PKO	€ 50,000	10
Feb. 5	81	€ 30	Sunday Slam	€ 100,000	5
Feb. 5	82	€ 50	High Roller Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 60,000	1
Feb. 5	83	€ 20	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 30,000	5
Feb. 5	84	€ 5	The Rookie	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 5	85	€ 30	The Veteran	€ 15,000	5
Feb. 5	86	€ 10	Bounty Hero 8-Max Turbo	€ 20,000	5
Feb. 6	87	€ 5	Giga Stack PKO	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 6	88	€ 10	Total KO 8-Max	€ 12,500	5
Feb. 6	89	€ 20	Giga Stack 6-Max	€ 15,000	5
Feb. 6	90	€ 10	The Sophomore	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 6	91	€ 20	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 30,000	5
Feb. 6	92	€ 50	High Roller Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 40,000	4
Feb. 6	93	€ 5	Bubble Rush	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 6	94	€ 10	PLO PKO 6-Max	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 6	95	€ 5	Alternating Blinds PKO Turbo	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 6	96	€ 30	Ultra KO 6-Max Turbo	€ 20,000	5
Feb. 7	97	€ 5	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 7	98	€ 2	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 7	99	€ 10	The Sophomore	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 7	100	€ 2	Micro Dream	€ 3,000	5
Feb. 7	101	€ 10	Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 20,000	5
Feb. 7	102	€ 5	The Rookie	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 7	103	€ 30	Giga Stack 6-Max	€ 15,000	5
Feb. 7	104	€ 10	Bounty Hero	€ 12,500	5
Feb. 7	105	€ 10	Bounty Hero 8-Max Turbo	€ 12,500	5
Feb. 7	106	€ 20	Total KO 6-Max Turbo	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 8	107	€ 20	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 8	108	€ 30	The Veteran	€ 15,000	5
Feb. 8	109	€ 5	Bounty Hero	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 8	110	€ 1	Total KO 6-Max	€ 2,000	5
Feb. 8	111	€ 20	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 25,000	5
Feb. 8	112	€ 10	The Sophomore	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 8	113	€ 5	The Rookie	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 8	114	€ 10	Giga Stack PKO 8-Max	€ 20,000	5
Feb. 8	115	€ 10	The Sophomore	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 8	116	€ 30	PLO PKO 6-Max Turbo	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 9	117	€ 10	Giga Stack PKO	€ 12,500	5
Feb. 9	118	€ 20	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 25,000	5
Feb. 9	119	€ 5	PLO PKO 6-Max	€ 4,000	5
Feb. 9	120	€ 5	The Rookie	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 9	121	€ 20	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 20,000	5
Feb. 9	122	€ 50	High Roller Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 25,000	4
Feb. 9	123	€ 1	Bounty Hero	€ 2,000	5
Feb. 9	124	€ 10	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 9	125	€ 30	Giga Stack PKO 8-Max Turbo	€ 15,000	5
Feb. 9	126	€ 10	Bounty Hero 6-Max Turbo	€ 12,500	5
Feb. 10	127	€ 10	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 10	128	€ 30	Total KO 6-Max	€ 15,000	5
Feb. 10	129	€ 3	Giga Stack PKO	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 10	130	€ 5	PLO 6-Max	€ 2,000	5
Feb. 10	131	€ 10	The Sophomore	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 10	132	€ 20	Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 25,000	5
Feb. 10	133	€ 5	Total KO 8-Max	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 10	134	€ 10	Giga Stack PKO	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 10	135	€ 20	Alternating Blinds PKO Turbo	€ 12,500	5
Feb. 10	136	€ 5	Bounty Hero 6-Max Turbo	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 11	137	€ 5	Total KO 6-Max	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 11	138	€ 20	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 17,500	5
Feb. 11	139	€ 3	Bankroll Booster	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 11	140	€ 30	Bounty Hero 6-Max	€ 20,000	5
Feb. 11	141	€ 10	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 20,000	5
Feb. 11	142	€ 20	Colossal 20	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 11	143	€ 5	The Rookie	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 11	144	€ 20	Bounty Hero	€ 15,000	5
Feb. 11	145	€ 5	Bounty Hero 8-Max Turbo	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 11	146	€ 10	Ultra KO 6-Max Turbo	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 12	147	€ 30	Deep PKO 8-Max	€ 40,000	5
Feb. 12	148	€ 10	Deep PKO 8-Max	€ 30,000	5
Feb. 12	149	€ 5	Giga Stack	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 12	150	€ 20	Total KO 6-Max	€ 17,500	5
Feb. 12	151	€ 2	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 5,000	5
Feb. 12	152	€ 5	Ultra KO 6-Max	€ 10,000	5
Feb. 12	153	€ 10	The Classic PKO	€ 50,000	10
Feb. 12	154	€ 50	Main Event PKO 6-Max	€ 300,000	4
Feb. 12	155	€ 100	Super High Roller 6-Max - 2 Day	€ 75,000	4
Feb. 12	156	€ 20	Bounty Hero 8-Max	€ 30,000	5
Feb. 12	157	€ 5	The Rookie	€ 7,500	5
Feb. 12	158	€ 30	The Veteran	€ 12,500	5
Feb. 12	159	€ 10	Bounty Hero 8-Max Turbo	€ 20,000	5
				€ 2,811,500

A look at the Italian PokerStars series

Players in Italy are also in store for some nice MicroMillions action. The festival runs over the same dates as in southern Europe with 134 events across the series

Players will find over €2.6 million in guarantees with buy-ins ranging from €1 to €75. Some of the highlights on the schedule include:

€20 buy-in Main Event – Feb. 12, €150,000 guaranteed
€10 buy-in Monday Jackpot – Jan. 30, €70,000 guaranteed

The Italian PokerStars community can qualify for the series via satellites starting at just €0.50. Here’s a look at the complete series.

2023 PokerStars MicroMillions Italy

Date	Event	Buy-in (€)	Guarantee (€)	PKO?
Jan. 29	1	4	5000	N
Jan. 29	2	1	1000	N
Jan. 29	3	20	25000	N
Jan. 29	4	5	20000	Y
Jan. 29	5	10	40000	Y
Jan. 29	6	2	4000	Y
Jan. 29	7	75	100000	Y
Jan. 29	8	20	30000	Y
Jan. 29	9	10	12500	Y
Jan. 29	10	20	15000	Y
Jan. 29	11	5	5000	Y
Jan. 30	12	4	4000	N
Jan. 30	13	20	25000	N
Jan. 30	14	50	75000	Y
Jan. 30	15	5	15000	Y
Jan. 30	16	2	4000	Y
Jan. 30	17	10	70000	Y
Jan. 30	18	20	30000	Y
Jan. 30	19	10	12500	Y
Jan. 30	20	5	4000	Y
Jan. 31	21	4	4000	N
Jan. 31	22	20	25000	N
Jan. 31	23	5	15000	Y
Jan. 31	24	2	4000	Y
Jan. 31	25	10	30000	Y
Jan. 31	26	20	25000	Y
Jan. 31	27	10	12500	Y
Jan. 31	28	5	4000	Y
Feb. 1	29	4	4000	N
Feb. 1	30	20	20000	N
Feb. 1	31	5	12500	Y
Feb. 1	32	2	4000	Y
Feb. 1	33	10	30000	Y
Feb. 1	34	20	25000	Y
Feb. 1	35	10	10000	Y
Feb. 1	36	5	4000	Y
Feb. 2	37	4	4000	N
Feb. 2	38	20	25000	N
Feb. 2	39	50	60000	Y
Feb. 2	40	5	15000	Y
Feb. 2	41	2	4000	Y
Feb. 2	42	10	35000	Y
Feb. 2	43	20	30000	Y
Feb. 2	44	10	12500	Y
Feb. 2	45	5	4000	Y
Feb. 3	46	4	4000	N
Feb. 3	47	20	25000	N
Feb. 3	48	5	15000	Y
Feb. 3	49	2	4000	Y
Feb. 3	50	10	30000	Y
Feb. 3	51	20	25000	Y
Feb. 3	52	10	12500	Y
Feb. 3	53	5	4000	Y
Feb. 4	54	4	4000	N
Feb. 4	55	20	20000	N
Feb. 4	56	5	12500	Y
Feb. 4	57	2	4000	Y
Feb. 4	58	10	30000	Y
Feb. 4	59	20	25000	Y
Feb. 4	60	10	10000	Y
Feb. 4	61	5	4000	Y
Feb. 5	62	4	5000	N
Feb. 5	63	1	1000	N
Feb. 5	64	20	25000	N
Feb. 5	65	5	20000	Y
Feb. 5	66	10	40000	Y
Feb. 5	67	2	4000	Y
Feb. 5	68	75	100000	Y
Feb. 5	69	20	30000	Y
Feb. 5	70	10	12500	Y
Feb. 5	71	20	15000	Y
Feb. 5	72	5	5000	Y
Feb. 6	73	4	4000	N
Feb. 6	74	20	20000	N
Feb. 6	75	50	75000	Y
Feb. 6	76	5	15000	Y
Feb. 6	77	2	4000	Y
Feb. 6	78	10	30000	Y
Feb. 6	79	20	30000	Y
Feb. 6	80	10	12500	Y
Feb. 6	81	5	4000	Y
Feb. 7	82	4	4000	N
Feb. 7	83	20	20000	N
Feb. 7	84	5	15000	Y
Feb. 7	85	2	4000	Y
Feb. 7	86	10	30000	Y
Feb. 7	87	20	25000	Y
Feb. 7	88	10	12500	Y
Feb. 7	89	5	4000	Y
Feb. 8	90	4	4000	N
Feb. 8	91	20	20000	N
Feb. 8	92	5	12500	Y
Feb. 8	93	2	4000	Y
Feb. 8	94	10	30000	Y
Feb. 8	95	20	25000	Y
Feb. 8	96	10	10000	Y
Feb. 8	97	5	4000	Y
Feb. 9	98	4	4000	N
Feb. 9	99	20	25000	N
Feb. 9	100	50	60000	Y
Feb. 9	101	5	15000	Y
Feb. 9	102	2	4000	Y
Feb. 9	103	10	35000	Y
Feb. 9	104	20	30000	Y
Feb. 9	105	10	12500	Y
Feb. 9	106	5	4000	Y
Feb. 10	107	4	4000	N
Feb. 10	108	20	25000	N
Feb. 10	109	5	15000	Y
Feb. 10	110	2	4000	Y
Feb. 10	111	10	30000	Y
Feb. 10	112	20	25000	Y
Feb. 10	113	10	12500	Y
Feb. 10	114	5	4000	Y
Feb. 11	115	4	4000	N
Feb. 11	116	20	20000	N
Feb. 11	117	5	12500	Y
Feb. 11	118	2	4000	Y
Feb. 11	119	10	30000	Y
Feb. 11	120	20	25000	Y
Feb. 11	121	10	10000	Y
Feb. 11	122	5	4000	Y
Feb. 12	123	4	5000	N
Feb. 12	124	1	1000	N
Feb. 12	125	20	25000	N
Feb. 12	126	5	20000	Y
Feb. 12	127	10	40000	Y
Feb. 12	128	2	4000	Y
Feb. 12	129	75	100000	Y
Feb. 12	130	20	150000	Y
Feb. 12	131	10	12500	Y
Feb. 12	132	20	15000	Y
Feb. 12	133	5	5000	Y

★★★ Ready to get in the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review with exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

January 25, 2023January 26, 2023

PCA UPDATE: PokerStars Launches PCA Online; Isaac Haxton Highlights Bahamas Winners So Far

PokerStars announced on Tuesday that the Mini PCA series is coming to the online felt starting today and running through Feb. 3.

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) is now underway with the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) a major part of the action. Online poker players who can’t make it to the Bahamas can still get in on the virtual action.

Stars announced on Tuesday that the Mini PCA series is coming to the online felt starting today and running through Feb. 3. The series runs alongside the 10 days of PokerStars live coverage from the Bahamas.

The PCA also has declared some winners already in early action. That includes Isaac Haxton chalking up a seven-figure victory. Here’s a preview of the Mini PCA as well as a look at some of the action from the Bahamas so far.

What to expect from PokerStars Mini PCA

In the Mini PCA, players will find 30 tournaments with three low buy-in tournaments per day. Price points start at just $1.10 and the festival includes tens of thousands of dollars in added value.

The $55 Mini PCA Main Event highlights the series on Jan. 29, awarding a European Poker Tour Monte Carlo package to the winner. There is something for every level of player. PokerStars is hoping to offer the next best thing to being at the actual PCA in the Bahamas.

Beyond the Main Event, players will find even more major tournament action. The live PSPC is one of the biggest events on the poker calendar this year and Stars is bringing a version to the online felt as well.

The $25 Mini PSPC gets underway on Jan. 30 with $10,000 added to the prize pool. The tournament follows the same five-day format as the PSPC and utilizes a similar structure.

PokerStars is throwing in another nice reward for players competing in the Mini PCA. EPT satellite tickets are also added to the prize pool of every tournament. This adds a bit more to play for throughout the series. Here’s a look at the complete schedule.

2023 PokerStars Mini PCA

Date	Event	Buy-in ($)	Name	Starting stack
Jan. 25	1	2.20	Deep Stack - Single Re-Entry	50000
Jan. 25	2	11.00	Unlimited Re-Entry - 7-max	30000
Jan. 25	3	1.10	Hyper-Turbo PKO Freezeout	20000
Jan. 26	4	5.50	8-Game	50000
Jan. 26	5	55.00	NLHE - High Roller Unlimited Re-Entry	150000
Jan. 26	6	3.30	Hyper-Turbo Freezeout	20000
Jan. 27	7	1.10	PL Omaha	50000
Jan. 27	8	2.20	Deep Stack, Single Re-Entry	50000
Jan. 27	9	25.00	8-Max NLHE Unlimited Re-Entry	30000
Jan. 28	10	1.10	Deep Stack	50000
Jan. 28	11	11.00	Mini PSPC Warm-Up	60000
Jan. 28	12	2.20	Hyper-Turbo Freezeout	20000
Jan. 29	13	5.50	Deep Stack - Unlimited Re-Entry	50000
Jan. 29	14	55.00	Mini PCA Main Event, Single Re-Entry	30000
Jan. 29	15	11.00	9-max - PKO Freezeout	30000
Jan. 30	16	11.00	Deep Stack - 3 Re-Entry	50000
Jan. 30	17	25.00	Mini PSPC - Day 1	60000
Jan. 30	18	5.50	Heads-Up Total KO	30000
Jan. 31	19	3.30	Deep Stack - Single Re-Entry	50000
Jan. 31	20	25.00	Mini PSPC - Day 2	60000
Jan. 31	21	25.00	8-Max NLHE Unlimited Re-Entry PKO	30000
Jan. 31	22	5.50	6-Max NLHE Turbo	30000
Feb. 1	23	11.00	Deep Stack - Unlimited Re-Entry	50000
Feb. 1	24	2.20	HORSE	50000
Feb. 1	25	25.00	Mini PSPC - Day 3	60000
Feb. 1	26	1.10	Hyper-Turbo PKO Freezeout	20000
Feb. 2	27	109.00	Super High Roller NLHE	250000
Feb. 2	28	3.30	PL Omaha	50000
Feb. 2	29	25.00	Mini PSPC - Day 4	60000
Feb. 2	30	55.00	Unlimited Re-Entry - 7-max	100000
Feb. 3	31	5.50	NLHE - Unlimited Re-Entry	50000
Feb. 3	32	2.20	NLHE - Unlimited Re-Entry 6-Max	50000
Feb. 3	33	25.00	Mini PSPC - Day 5	60000
Feb. 3	34	11.00	Last Chance, Series Wrap-Up	20000

Beyond the Mini PCA, Stars also recently launched the PSPC Online for American players. In the US, Stars operates a combined Michigan/New Jersey platform as well as a Pennsylvania platform. For a complete preview of that series, click here.

Isaac Haxton highlights early PCA winners

With the PCA now already underway, a few players have already earned titles. Fresh off winning the $50,000 championship event at the PokerGO Cup for $598,000, Isaac Haxton was back in action in the Bahamas this week for the first tournament of the series. The American took the title in the $100,000 Super High Roller for $1.1 million.

The win came after a deal with second- and third-place finishers Seth Davies and Adrian Mateos. Both of those players also scored just under $1.1 million. The event saw 49 total entries for a $4.8 million prize pool. Haxton was subdued in his Twitter celebration.

🏆🏆

— Isaac Haxton (@ikepoker) January 25, 2023

The $20,000 Knockout event was also one of the higher stakes events completed so far and offered players $10,000 bounties. The tournament saw 22 entries for a $424,732 prize pool. In the end, Brazil’s Tauan Naves came out on top for $87,932.

A few other events have also seen winners crowned. Here’s a look at some of those:

$300 No limit Hold’em Unlimited Re-Entry – Andre Moreira Marques, Brazil, $5,451 (61 entries for $17,751 prize pool)
$550 Seniors – Farzad Raji, United States, $11,710 (86 for entries for $41,710 prize pool)
$550 NLHE Single Re-Entry – Marcel Schwarz, Germany, $11,625 (85 entries for a $41,225 prize pool)

A look at the PokerStars PCA streaming schedule

Poker fans who can’t get to the Bahamas can still check out much of the action from home, perhaps while even playing in the Mini PCA online.

Stars is streaming several tournaments throughout the series at the official PokerStars YouTube channel. That starts today with the second day of the $10,000 PCA Main Event.

James Hartigan, Joe Stapleton, Nick Walsh, Maria Ho, Griffin Benger, and Scott Baumstein will call the action throughout the series. Live streams are also available with French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German commentary. Here’s a look at all the entire streaming schedule for the series.

Event	Date & time
$10,000 PCA Main Event Day 2	Jan. 25, 12:30 pm (ET)
$10,000 PCA Main Event Day 3	Jan. 26, 12:30 pm (ET)
$10,000 PCA Main Event Day 4	Jan. 27, 12:30 pm (ET)
$10,000 PCA Main Event Day 5	Jan. 28, 12:30 pm (ET)
$10,000 PCA Main Event final table	Jan. 29, 1 pm (ET)
$25,000 PSPC Day 1	Jan. 30, 12:30 (ET)
$25,000 PSPC Day 2	Jan. 31, 12:30 (ET)
$25,000 PSPC Day 3	Feb. 1, 12:30 (ET)
$25,000 PSPC Day 4	Feb. 2, 12:30 (ET)
$25,000 PSPC final table	Feb. 3, 12:30 (ET)

★★★ Ready to get in the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review with exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

January 23, 2023January 23, 2023

Final Two Platinum Passes Dished Out Via PokerStars Podcast Contest; PSPC Starts Next Week

Alex Irwin and Asif Warris became the final PokerStars Platinum Pass winners last week after answering a podcast trivia question correctly.

It must have been quite a phone call last week for Northern Ireland’s Alex Irwin and the United Kingdom’s Asif Warris. Simply answering the phone and giving a correct answer to a trivia question earned the pair a PokerStars Platinum Pass.

The prizes came via the Poker in the Ears podcast hosts James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton. The two called listeners to determine who would win the final two Platinum Passes for the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC). The event is set for Jan. 30 – Feb. 3 at the Baha Mar Resort in the Bahamas.

The PSPC kicks off next week as part of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). Warris may have spoken for many winners when he learned he’d won.

“Oh my God, I love it,” he said. “I can’t believe this.”

Winning a PokerStars Platinum Pass via podcast

To have a shot at the Platinum Pass, players simply had to listen to a recent episode and register on the Stars Discord channel. Hartigan and Stapleton then randomly called those who registered.

Show listeners who answered a trivia question correctly won the pass. Irwin was the first lucky winner after correctly answering his PSPC quiz question. He was asked the number of players making the money in the first PSPC.

Irwin answered 181 entrants of the 1,039-player field cashed in the first edition of PSPC in 2019. That scored him a $25,000 buy-in and tournament package to the Bahamas next week.

Warris, known in the poker community as “The Poker Tourist,” was the next caller. He was asked the name of the other Platinum Pass winner that joined Ramon Colillas at the final table at the first PSPC. His correct answer of Mark Rivera rewarded Warris with a Platinum Pass.

…Speechless!!! Me! Lolz …All I Can Say Is …Thankyou Soooo Soooo Much …Total ❤️❤️❤️ To All @PokerStars esp. @WillieElliot_PS😍… @J_Hartigan @Stapes @PokerStarsUK @PokerStarsBlog @PokerStarsLIVE #PPasses4UrAsses #PSPC #PokerTourist™️😜 https://t.co/mpK0OnnGiI

— Asif Warris (@aseefo) January 21, 2023

Right place at the right time

Simply being by the phone paid off in a big way for these two winners. The first caller didn’t pick up for Hartigan and Stapleton. Irwin was then the second person called and claimed his Platinum Pass. That actually turned out to be his second pass after winning one for the first event in 2019.

The third person gave a wrong answer and Warris became the fourth player. The win also brought his second pass after also winning one in 2019. He knew the answer as soon as Hartigan read the choices and pumped his fists in celebration.

Warris has won numerous tournament packages and events at PokerStars, Stapleton noted.

“You are something special Asif,” the podcast host said. “Random draws and you just seem to connect.”

Irwin was equally enthusiastic about his win, celebrating on camera with some fist pumps and yelling.

He repeatedly said: “I can’t believe it.” He later added: “I’m speechless, I can’t wait to see you and shake your hand.”

This week's #PITE is a PSPC special, including a #PlatinumPass giveaway.

We say giveaway, but Alex Irwin had to earn it. 👇

Congrats to Alex, check out the full episode 👉 https://t.co/8amsfphZpS pic.twitter.com/QXakChNrZb

— PokerStars (@PokerStars) January 19, 2023

Last of the Platinum Passes awarded

The two winners secured the last Platinum Passes up for grabs. In total, more than 400 players and poker fans secured the sought-after prizes. Stars values each pass at $30,000 and includes:

$25,000 tournament buy-in
Six nights of hotel accommodations for the winner and a guest in a five-star hotel
Airfare and airport transfers
$1,900 in expense money
Platinum Pass Winner experiences during the event

PokerScout will be on site next week throughout the PSPC. Stay tuned here for event updates, feature stories, and player interviews.

★★★ Ready to get in the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review with exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

January 19, 2023

PokerStars Unveils Anniversary Sunday Million With $7.5M Guaranteed, $1M for Winner

Ramping up the anniversary of the Sunday Million has become a regular part of the PokerStars calendar each year. The event is the longest-running weekly online poker tournament with a $1 million guarantee and Stars make the anniversary tournament even bigger.

Once again Stars is making plans for a special event this year. The company announced on Thursday that the 17th anniversary Sunday Million is set for March 26. The tournament features a $7.5 million guaranteed prize pool with a guaranteed $1 million prize handed to the winner.

“Players can now mark their calendars for the return of PokerStars’ iconic Sunday Million anniversary tournament,” the company noted in announcing the event.

What to expect from PokerStars’ anniversary Sunday Million

The Sunday Million has come to be recognized as a major part of the online poker ecosystem since its debut in 2006. At the height of the poker boom, Stars launched the weekly event with a seven-figure guarantee for the winner.

The regular $109 buy-in is raised to $215 for the upcoming special event. Players looking for a bargain buy-in will also be in luck.

PokerStars is once again offering several ways to qualify with some extra value for players including:

added via satellites
freerolls
special Spin & Go’s

Look for more details in the coming weeks as the event approaches.

A brief history of Sunday Million winners

As one of the best-known online poker tournaments, the Sunday Million has seen some big names grab titles through the years. That included Canada’s Vanessa Kade coming out on top in the 15th anniversary event in 2021.

Kade scored $1.5 million for her efforts. The tournament brought in a massive 69,876 entries for almost a $14 million prize pool.

The winner considered it one of the biggest achievements of her poker career. No deals were made at the final table and she had 100% of her action, meaning she kept the entire haul.

“I just stopped crying,” Kade said to start her Twitch stream after the win. “I was literally just crying for 20 minutes. This is the best month of my life and it’s not even close. This is the best day of my life.”

We just beat a field of 69,876 to win $1.5 Million.

It feels impossible.
This is the best day of my life.
It's not close.

All the pain was worth it, the dream is real. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/D0GKZSRhNl

— Vanessa Kade (@VanessaKade) March 23, 2021

Last year, Germany’s “Blackbeaty” won the tournament to secure a $931,885 payday. This came following a deal made with runner-up “JanRas1983,” of Denmark.

That tournament saw 52,210 entries for a $10.4 million prize pool. JanRas1983 scored $817,000 for runner-up.

A look at other winners

In 2020, Brazil’s Alex Brito landed the top spot for $1.1 million. That event produced a field of 93,015 entries for a prize pool of $18.6 million.

Brito was unemployed at the time after losing his job six months earlier. He’d been playing poker for more than decade when he won a satellite to earn a seat in the Sunday Million. The big win provided a life-changing moment.

“To be honest, it took me a little time to really understand what happened,” he told USPoker.com afterward. “I can only say that it’s a dream that I’m living. I got the big hit that every poker player wants.”

Other players who have added their names to the Sunday Million anniversary winner’s circle include:

Luke Vrabel – $848,589 (2013)
Brayden Fritzshall – $597,720 (2015)
Luis Felipe – $960,000 (2018)

♠♠♠ Looking to get in on the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review and exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ♠♠♠

January 16, 2023

POKER PUNCH BOWL: Negreanu’s Rap, Spraggy’s Downswing, Platinum Pass, & Bad Beat Jackpot

Poker Punch Bowl offers a look at the interesting, weird, fortuitous, and strange from the world of poker.

Welcome to the Poker Punch Bowl, offering a look at the interesting, weird, fortuitous, and strange from the world of poker. This inaugural column offers a look at some poker rap lyrics via artificial intelligence and Daniel Negreanu.

With the PokerStars Players Championship, another well-known online poker player also scored a Platinum Pass over the weekend. A Stars poker streamer also gave some insight on how tournament life can go bad.

All that as well as a huge bad beat jackpot that had several players thankful they chose to jump in the online poker action. Here’s some interesting news in the Poker Punch Bowl.

Daniel Negreanu impressed with AI poker rap

The new ChatGPT tool has been in the news quite a bit recently. Users are astounded by the capabilities of the app and how thorough the results can be. The artificial intelligence (AI) can produce written works, solve problems, hold a conversation, and more.

“We’ve trained a model called ChatGPT which interacts in a conversational way,” research and deployment company OpenAI notes about the app. “The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer followup questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.”

Many have hailed the technology as revolutionary. Investors are eager to get on board and there are even rumors of a possible $10 billion investment from Microsoft.

Apparently there’s also some interest from poker players as well. Maybe some players are interested in how the technology could be used in a man-versus-technology matchup? Or what about as a training tool or to offer some hand analysis?

Those may be interesting considerations, but Daniel Negreanu recently had a more pressing concern. Could the chat app create some unique poker rhymes? The six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner was impressed with the results.

I asked ChatGPS to write a poker tutorial in the tone of Eminem. This AI stuff is wild, instantly spit out this rhyme pic.twitter.com/wcm5eb5n6B

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) January 5, 2023

Facing the reality of a downswing

Ben “Spraggy”Spragg has almost $200,000 in live tournament winnings and much more online. The PokerStars ambassador is known for his streaming and as well as being quite a soccer/football fan.

And despite a long career at the poker tables, Spragg recently took a look at that dreaded poker reality – the downswing. The new year apparently brought a tough run of cards for the Twitch streamer and YouTuber.

Next time you bust out of a couple live tournaments in a row and question whether you even know how to play this game anymore, just remember that I've played 82 online tournament entries in the first 4 days of this year and live poker variance is disgusting.

— Spraggy (@spraggy) January 5, 2023

Dealing with a downswing is something most players can commiserate with. Even the best players experience some time in the red, no matter how well they might be playing.

“In the modern game, everyone knows the percentages and the correct plays,” 1999 WSOP Main Event champion once Dan Harrington noted. “What marks out the top players is how they handle themselves when they are losing.”

Spragg eventually bounced back, notching a 17th-place finish in the Irish Poker Open for $4,213. He also scored a nice online finish as well.

$55 into the $1,832 today. Not bad for a small trophy!

🏆🏆🏆

Got smashed everywhere else so still lost on the session but, for sure, a fun one.

Thanks for watching LIVE on Twitch! pic.twitter.com/WnwEYs6RAj

— Spraggy (@spraggy) January 13, 2023

Vanessa Kade scores Platinum Pass

The PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) is right around the corner. The $25,000 event runs from Jan. 30 – Feb. 3 and the site continued dishing out Platinum Passes in January.

Canadian poker pro Vanessa Kade was one of the latest, receiving a pass out of the blue over the weekend. She was thrilled with her good fortune.

“I was just settling in to play my Sunday game and logged into Stars, and this is the first thing I see,” she said in a video posted on her Twitter account. “Thanks so much PokerStars.

“You guys have already given me three incredible life-changing experiences with the opportunity to win the Sunday Million, a trip to Barcelona, and an amazing trip to Brazil to see F1 (Formula One) and meet so many incredible people. I will happily join you in the Bahamas for yet another adventure, thank you so much.”

Thank you so much @PokerStars!!!

I'm so grateful and appreciative!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I'd like to share my good fortune, and reposted this Tweet because I just decided I'll give 1% of any profits to 5 people (5% total) who like this Tweet, and another 5% to the @BC_SPCA. pic.twitter.com/eGSaVciOOy

— Vanessa Kade (@VanessaKade) January 15, 2023

Kade has more than $1.1 million in live tournament winnings and plenty of major scores online. As she noted, the biggest of those may be winning the 15th anniversary of the Sunday Million in 2021 for $1.5 million.

“This is the best month of my life and it’s not even close,” she said after the win. “This is the best day of my life.”

No doubt Kade is now hoping for an even bigger run in the Bahamas.

GGPoker has players heading to Brazil

Brazil has become a key online poker market in recent years. Poker sites continue reaching out to players in the land of samba and sun, and GGPoker recently made an additional foray into the country.

The company has added its name to Brazil’s largest live poker series, rebranded the Kings Series of Poker by GGPoker. GG hasn’t embraced live poker as much as competitors so far, but continues partnering with other tournament series.

The first stop on the Kings tour is set for Feb. 8-14 in Rio de Janeiro. GG is already offering online qualifiers for a chance at a nice South American getaway.

🌎We're bringing the #Carnaval Heat!💃
KSOP GGPoker is coming to Brazil this February 8th to 14th. #pokerlife #Brasil #KSOP

👇Check out @FelipeMojave's post below for more information!👇 https://t.co/tqtnQWKWkJ

— GGPoker (@GGPoker) January 11, 2023

An awesome Omaha bad beat jackpot

Speaking of GGPoker, the site partnered with the World Series of Poker in 2022 for an exclusive site for players in Ontario, Canada. WSOP.ca features championship ring and bracelet events throughout the year as well as plenty of other action.

The site was also recently home to a massive bad beat jackpot payout in an Omaha cash game. The hand saw a player named “Bafaym” flop a royal flush.

A casual $130K Bad Beat Jackpot hit this morning at 10/20 PLO.

Congrats to timmy turnem for taking home the lion's share.#wsop #ontariopoker #BadBeat pic.twitter.com/6BlddIEx8R

— GGPoker Ontario (@GGPokerOntario) December 28, 2022

Another player named “timmy turnem” held pocket Queens and hit a set on the flop. The fourth Queen in the deck hit on the river and triggered the $130,673 payout.

The winner of the hand scored $27,515 with the “loser” collecting an extra $84,853. The three other players at the table collected $6,788. No doubt these cash game players were definitely saying “good game” at GG on this occasion.

January 11, 2023

Satellites Begin at PokerStars for Irish Poker Open; Players Can Win A Seat, Tournament Packages

Poker players now have the chance to secure a seat or travel package for the Irish Poker Open via PokerStars with qualifiers now underway.

PokerStars announced a deal to sponsor the Irish Poker Open in November and is now launching online qualifiers as well. The live poker series is sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Power, and returns to Dublin April 3-10 at The Royal Dublin Society.

Online poker players now have the chance to secure a seat or a travel package with expense money at PokerStars. Online satellites are currently running on both the PokerStars and Paddy Power platforms.

PokerStars Irish Poker Open online qualifying

Stars and Paddy Power are part of Flutter Entertainment and serve as the new official sponsors for the Irish series. Players will find at least 23 entries to the event guaranteed weekly as the Open approaches.

Every week Stars is running four direct satellites with buy-ins of €55 and €109. Players advancing in those move on to the €1,150 Main Event, which features a €1 million guarantee.

Competitors can get in the action starting at an even lower buy-in. Feeder satellite buy-ins begin with freebuys, so players can potentially win a seat for nothing. Those successful in those events advance to €1.10, €5.50, €11, and €16.50 satellites.

A player who then finishes in the top spots in those events earns either a €55 or €109 direct satellite seat.

A look at the satellite schedule

Players hoping for a trip to the Emerald Isle have numerous opportunities to secure a seat in the coming months. Here’s a look at the weekly schedule of direct satellites:

Monday – five seats guaranteed
Wednesday – five seats and expense packages guaranteed
Friday – five seats guaranteed
Sunday – eight seats and expense packages guaranteed

Additionally, PokerStars is also running a mega satellite event on March 19. This event offers 20 seats along with travel expenses.

Check out the @PokerStars lobby for the mini-feeders running to tomorrow night’s #IO2023 satellite (Sun 8th Jan) which has a massive 5 x €1,500 PACKAGES GTD @ 7pm

You can qualify for this satellite from as little as €1.10 via the mini-feeders 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xQBCjfNM02

— Irish Open (@Irish_PokerOpen) January 7, 2023

About the Irish Poker Open & complete tournament schedule

Those heading to Ireland for the series will find one of Europe’s most-anticipated annual series. The festival features the longest-running No Limit Hold’em tournament outside Las Vegas, dating back more than 42 years.

In 1984, the tournament grew after a group of 25 American players played in the tournament at Killiney Castle. That included ‘84 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Tom McEvoy.

Others on the trip included Poker Hall of Fame members Stu Ungar, Chip Reese, and Doyle Brunson. The addition of these pros in the Main Event helped draw television and press coverage in Ireland, adding to the series’ recognition and prestige.

In 2022, poker pro Steve O’Dwyer took the title after besting a field of 2,040 entries for the title and €318,700. O’Dwyer has lived in Dublin for the last 10 years and was pleased to win in his hometown. The Main Event saw a €2 million prize pool, twice the €1 million guarantee.

“Ireland is the home of Flutter and we are truly delighted to partner with the already well-loved Open,” PokerStars chief commercial officer Kevin Harrington said in a news release, “and work with our colleagues at Paddy Power and the Irish Poker Open to make this a very special event for all our players, not only for those in Ireland but for players from around the world.”

Players heading to this year’s series will find plenty of interesting events beyond the Main Event. Here’s a look at the complete schedule.

2023 Irish Poker Open

April 3	Event 1: Championship Event – €350 NLH 6-Max
April 3	Event 2: €150 NLH
April 3	Event 3: €115 Main Event Satellite – 5 Seats Guaranteed
April 3	Event 4: €530 Satellite to €5,000 High Roller Satellite
April 4	Event 5: Championship Event €350 NLH Heads-Up (64 CAP) Round 1
April 4	Event 5: Championship Event €350 NLH Heads-Up (64 CAP) Round 2
April 4	Event 6: €530 Satellite to €5,000 High Roller Satellite
April 4	Event 7: €250 “THMC” The Hendon Mob Championship
April 4	Event 8: €150 PLO Deepstack
April 4	Event 7: Championship Event €350 NLH Head’s-Up (64 CAP) Round 3
April 4	Event 9: Irish Open €115 Main Event Satellite – 10 Seats Guaranteed
April 4	Event 10: Championship Event €5,000 High Roller Day 1
April 5	Event 5: Championship Event €350 NLH Head’s-Up (64 CAP) 1/4 FINAL
April 5	Event 11: Irish Open €1 Million Guaranteed MAIN EVENT €1,150 Day 1A
April 5	Event 12: €115 Main Event Satellite – 5 Seats Guaranteed
April 5	Event 10: Championship Event €5,000 High Roller Final Day
April 5	Event 13: Championship Event €350 America’s Cup
April 5	Event 5: Championship Event €350 NLH Head’s-Up (64 CAP) Semi FINAL
April 5	Event 14: €115 Main Event Satellite – 5 Seats Guaranteed
April 5	Event 5: Championship Event €350 NLH Head’s-Up (64 CAP) FINAL
April 5	Event 15: €150 NLH Deepstack
April 5	Event 16: €115 Main Event Satellite – 20 Seats Guaranteed
April 6	Event 11: Irish Open €1 Million Guaranteed MAIN EVENT €1,150 Day 1B
April 6	Event 17: €115 Main Event Satellite – 5 Seats Guaranteed
April 6	Event 18: Championship Event €250 Irish Open Ladies
April 6	Event 19: Championship Event €250 Irish Open Shortdeck
April 6	Event 20: €115 Main Event Satellite – 5 Seats Guaranteed
April 6	Event 21: €150 PLO Deepstack
April 6	Event 22: €115 Main Event Satellite – 20 Seats Guaranteed
April 7	Event 11: Irish Open €1 Million Guaranteed MAIN EVENT €1,150 Day 1C
April 7	Event 23: €115 Main Event Turbo Satellite – 5 Seats Guaranteed
April 7	Event 24: €115 Main Event Turbo Satellite – 5 Seats Guaranteed
April 7	Event 25: €115 Main Event Turbo Satellite – 5 Seats Guaranteed
April 7	Event 26: €150 NLH Deepstack
April 7	Event 11: Irish Open €1 Million Guaranteed MAIN EVENT €1,150 Day 1C
April 8	Event 11: Irish Open MAIN EVENT €1,150 Day 2
April 8	Event 27 Championship Event – JP Poker Masters Day 1
April 8	Event 28 NLH (€25 Scalps) Bounty
April 8	Event 29: Championship Event Irish Open PLO 6-Max Day 1
April 9	Event 30: Championship Event Irish Open €2,000 High Roller 8-Max Day 1
April 9	Event 11: Irish Open MAIN EVENT €1,150 Day 3
April 9	Event 27 Championship Event – JP Poker Masters Final Day
April 9	Event 29: Championship Event Irish Open PLO 6-Max Final Day
April 9	Event 30: Championship Event Irish Open €2,000 High Roller 8-Max Final Day
April 9	Event 31: Championship Event Mini Irish Open Day 1
April 9	Event 32: €1,100 NLH Mystery Bounty 8-Max Day 1
April 9	Event 33: Championship Event Liam Flood Memorial Turbo
April 9	Event 34: NLH Deepstack Turbo
April 10	Event 31: Championship Event Mini Irish Open Final Day
April 10	Event 35: Championship Event – Irish Open Seniors (50 Years Young)
April 10	Event 11: Irish Open MAIN EVENT €1,150 Final Day
April 10	Event 32: €1,100 NLH Mystery Bounty 8-Max Final Day
April 10	Event 36: NLH 6-Max Turbo
April 10	Event 37: €1,100 PLO 8-Max
April 10	Event 38: NLH 6-Max Deepstack Turbo
April 10	Event 39: NLH Deepstack Turbo