The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a morning weigh-in, a narrow margin of victory and one very indulgent celebration at the afternoon poker news buffet.
Got a tip for a future 3-Bet? Let us know in the comments.
Today in the 3-Bet we find Phil Ivey about to get into the medical marijuana game, Jean-Robert Bellande turns a slimmer figure into a fatter bankroll and changes at PokerStars spur debate over the new poker economy.
1) Ivey's Game Goes to Pot
It's for my Glaucoma.
Las Vegas City Council this week approved 26 applicants looking to open up medical marijuana dispensaries in the city according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
One of them? Poker god Phil Ivey.
There are still a few hurdles to go before an actual dispensary can be opened, including a go-ahead from the State Health Department, but a first-stage approval is at least necessary to get things off the ground.
"Applicants who receive both city and state credentials," the Review Journal says, "will be routed back to the City Council for a final, as-yet-unscheduled suitability hearing."
The 26 approvals is actually double what State regulators have approved for Vegas so more will eventually have to be culled.
Still Ivey's made Day 2, so to speak.
Is IveyWeed set to become the marijuana of choice for the Vegas grinder? Only time - and product - will tell we guess.
2) JRB: Smaller Waistline, Bigger Bankroll
He did it. He really did it.
Jean-Robert Bellande - aka @BrokeLivingJRB - somehow managed to get down to 245 lbs in his weight-loss prop bet just under the wire and is now $70,000 richer.
Will he keep the weight off? Oh no. And how long will the $70k last? Well given that he's in Macau right now in the heart of the biggest cash game in the world, he might already be back to being BrokeLiving before the money even hits his account. But still ... big win for JRB.
Yum! Goat cheese pastries... My 2 opponents just conceded my win. Lost 43lbs. 70k collected… http://t.co/rPfyI6QrD5— Jean-Robert Bellande (@BrokeLivingJRB) October 31, 2014
3) PokerStars Changes Spark Protest, Debate
If you dabble around in the micro-stakes and play on a bunch of different poker sites, you've likely noticed not much to be different this week than it was last.
If you're a mass multi-tabler at certain stakes on PokerStars, though, your world is quite different today as over the last week (and months) PokerStars has introduced some changes that directly affect some full-time poker grinders.
Stars regs not happy.
Among the changes causing the furor are the introduction of Spin-and-Go games, a 2.5% currency conversion charge, changes to its VIP and bonus program and, most recently, rake increases for specific games and stakes.
Much of these changes have been attributed on poker forums to a "cash grab" by PokerStars' new owners, Amaya Gaming, and a higher priority on the bottom line.
Others attribute the changes to a shift more towards the recreational poker player, PokerStars getting in line with competitors' pricing, a variety of new costs related to licensing demands or the overall reality of the new poker economy.
PokerStars has responded through a couple of channels, including its corporate blog and the 2+2 forums, with opinions still divisive. Some have even called for the main face of PokerStars, Daniel Negreanu, to resign in their support. Negreanu has yet to respond but is likely to shortly.
