PokerListings Blog

You know how poker keeps trying to get rid of its reputation of being a 'shady' game played by 'shady' people in 'shady' places? Sure you do. But how did poker get that rep in the first place? We’re going back to the Wild West and the early days of poker to show you.

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For over a decade poker players have journeyed to Barcelona to play PokerStars events. It’s undoubtedly one of the marquee stops on the entire poker circuit and has played host to some of the biggest tournaments ever held. But there's much more to Barcelona than just poker tournaments. It's one of the most culturally rich, downright beautiful places in the world. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks to leave the casino so here's a little peak at some beyond-the-poker table activities to try to entice you. Bottom line: Barcelona is amazing. Don't miss it.

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The 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event final table is set and — for the first time in over a decade — the winner will be decided in just a few days time. The so-called November Nine, which featured a 3+ month delay between the 10th elimination and the final table, was finally shuttered by the WSOP this year and replaced with a modest two-day break. That means media will have just two days to highlight the final nine players before they play to a winner.

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PokerStars brand-new loyalty program Stars Rewards is now live and players have to get used to very different-looking rewards landscape. The previous loyalty scheme was very beneficial for the most industrious players who would earn a high rakeback (also known as cash back). For some of these players the rakeback was providing them with their daily bread and butter as games are becoming tougher and tougher.

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We thought the World Series of Poker would be a happier place if instead of cell phones, everyone spent all their time looking at kittens.

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Johnny Moss (Left) Photo: UNLV Special Collections via Wikipedia Commons “Legend” - a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated, Merriam Webster Dictionary Legend, icon, hero – all these are terms used way too often and too easily today. But Johnny Moss -- the first superstar of poker, the “Eye in the Sky” -- was all that and more. Among his many legendary feats? Moss somehow came first AND second in the first WSOP. And he played the most famous, 5-month long heads-up match ever played. Or did he?

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42 years after winning his first bracelet, Billy Baxter is still the uncrowned king of lowball poker. He's also, technically, the first "Robin Hood of Poker." In case you were thinking, “but I always thought the Robin Hood of Poker is Barry Greenstein," it is. But that’s a different story. And Billy Baxter was first.

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The World Series of Poker parking lot is a gargantuan expanse that’s littered with some of the most expensive (and cheapest) cars that you can purchase. It makes sense considering winning a large tournament at the WSOP should be able to get you a decently equipped BMW or Mercedes at the very least. You’ll need something to haul all that cash around, right? We’re going to give you a peek at some of the cars that routinely make appearances in the VIP lot at the World Series of Poker.

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Bluffs gone horribly wrong, different winners on every street, an online bankroll challenge eventually going the right way ... We've got stories from Barcelona, Monaco, Montreal and Doug Polk’s place this time around in PokerListings’ collection of the best poker videos of the month.

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If this is your first year attending the World Series of Poker you might not realize the event looked dramatically different just one year ago. Yes, there is still a seemingly endless sea of poker tables but the long-running series has actually undergone its most dramatic overhaul since introducing the gargantuan Pavilion Room in many years ago. The Amazon Room, which has long been the crown jewel of the WSOP with multiple feature tables and the ESPN mothership, is now just another room of poker tables. On the other hand the Pavilion Room has been renovated to include a high-stakes cash game area and lounge that’s sponsored by European poker giant King’s Casino. It’s a whole new world for the WSOP.

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Comedian Kevin Hart is competing against some of the most elite poker players in the world in the $300,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl but he’s already beating them in one category. Hart is, without question, the most entertaining player in the room. The Philly-native hasn’t toned down his larger-than-life personality one bit despite playing for a $6m prize.

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The November Nine experiment is over. Earlier this month the WSOP announced that after nine years it was ditching the November Nine concept to play out the final table with a more reasonable two-day break. Some would argue the November Nine lasted a little too long but it has given us some interesting stories over the years. In total 80 players competed in the three-month delayed Sit & Go (that’s Mark Newhouse twice, natch) winning tens of millions. For some players their November Nine experience was just a stepping stone to a bigger poker career while others were basically never heard from again. We’re going to take a look at the most successful November Niners over its nine-year existance and what they accomplished when you take away their big Main Event score.

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For years online poker sites have been searching for the best place to interact with their players. Online forums, both official and independent, have sometimes fulfilled that role with varying amounts of success. Poker sites have also tried to utilize social media, which has also been hit-or-miss. Now PokerStars is taking a page out of video games' playbook by starting its own channel on Discord.

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While Slovenia in general and Ljubljana in particular are still relatively 'off the beaten path,' they attract more and more tourists each year. It’s no surprise why: Slovenia is the perfect destination for people who like beautiful scenery and peace and quiet. Surrounded by Italy, Austria, Croatia and the Adriatic sea, Slovenia’s weather is ideal in summer. It’s so nice, in fact, that more and more people like Kara Scott, 888poker ambassador and famed ESPN WSOP host, have fallen in love with it and moved there.

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Twitch.tv has had a pronounced effect on poker with online stars like Jason Somerville and Jaime Staples amassing legions of fans logging in to witness the grind. Now a select group of poker players are taking it to the streets. Or more accurately the real-life felt. Vlogging is the latest trend when it comes to letting people behind-the-scenes of the professional poker lifestyle. The format has actually been around for years but Jake Cody, Trooper97 and even old-school pros such as Mike Matusow have taken it one step further and started shooting footage at the poker tables.

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Want to get better at poker? Some very-skilled poker pros are giving tons of information completely free on services like Twitch.tv. The theory used to be that once you found a way to beat poker you kept everything you learned a secret. Giving away that information was giving away your edge. Well, an entirely new generation of poker player is taking a vastly different approach by live streaming themselves playing online poker. The following is a quick-start guide to getting started with poker livestreaming.

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Every month PokerListings looks back at poker hands that stand out from all over the world.  Poker hands that have become modern classics. Hands that might have been overlooked. Hands that have been played particularly good or bad. And hands that are just weird. This month we've found four great poker hands worth watching again including a Viktor Blom golden moment, a man called Crocodile, girl power and Gus Hansen. Yes, the Gus Hansen.

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Got a poker question? We might have the answer for you. Every week PokerListings tries to answer some of the more basic poker questions you might have. These questions are mostly for new players so feel free to ask anything. There are no stupid questions.

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*Not every There was a time when the idea of televising a poker tournament was absurd. Who would want to see mostly old white men play a card game? You might as well have televised a bridge tournament from a retirement home in Boca Raton. Cue Chris Moneymaker, hole-card cameras and the online poker boom.

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You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. PokerListings is going to answer some of the more basic poker questions you might have in a new ongoing weekly feature. These questions are mostly going to be of the new player variety so no question is too simple.

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