Fortune Wheel Spin to Win

Six more bracelets were awarded over the opening weekend, meaning there are now eight players from this 2023 WSOP with bracelets on their wrists. Chanracy Khun was the biggest prize winner over the weekend for his $500k win in the $25k Heads-Up game putting up Canada’s first bracelet of the series in the process. The massive Mystery Bounty game got more than 18,000 runners for $16 million in prizes and TWO million dollar bounties.

Event #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions – No-Limit Hold’em

When the dust settled on the $1,000 Mystery Millions game, the final numbers must have been staggering to even the most optimistic pre-series estimates. More than 18,000 entries were recorded for one of the biggest WSOP fields ever and more than $16 million in total prizes.

The numbers were so big, organizers decided to double to biggest prize in the game. Going into the event, there was a single $1 million bounty guaranteed on Day 2, but with the huge field, the organizers added a second one to the bin. Patrick Liang (pictured) and Shant Marashlian were the two players to pull the million dollar envelopes with Klint Tevaearai and Eric Baldwin pulling $500k and $250k respectively.

There are 30 players left in action for Monday’s final day of play, and the final table action will be streamed on PokerGO.

Event #4: Tournament of Champions

Event #4 is a bit of a special one on the schedule as it’s not open to the average player. Only bracelet and ring winners from the 2022/23 WSOP season are eligible to enter, and they all got free entry to the $1 million guaranteed game as part of their winner package at whatever event they won.

The final day played out on Saturday this weekend with Ronnie Day emerging as the winner for a prize of $200k. Day won his ticket to the event just a month ago with his first Circuit ring at a stop in Elizabeth, Indiana.

The entire final table of the event was comprised of North Americans, with 8 players from the USA and a sole Canadian, Justin Hotte-McKinnon. Day took down the special bracelet after a heads up battle with fellow American Brent Gregory.

Ronnie Day, Winner of the Tournament of Champions, pictured with his rail.
Ronnie Day, Winner of the Tournament of Champions, pictured with his rail

Event #5: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed

The first mixed-game bracelet of the series was awarded on Friday night to Chad Eveslage. Eveslage is no stranger to deep runs in mixed games, and players at the table were joking that he is the “best in the world” at Badeucy.

This was Eveslage’s second bracelet after a $1.4 million win last year in the $25k 8-Handed High Roller event. This was his ninth win in general and pushed his lifetime earnings up to $7,366,750.

He was in tough at the final table of this one though. Despite the $1,500 buy-in, the final table included some of the best mixed-game poker players in the world. In addition to Eveslage, Andrew Kelsall, Nick Kost, john Racener, Clayton Mozden, and James Johnson were all at the final table of this one.

Chad Eveslage, Winner of Event #5: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed for $131,879
Chad Eveslage, Winner of Event #5: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed for $131,879

Event #6: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em; Pot-Limit Omaha

Michael Moncek, Winner of Event #6: Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha.
Michael Moncek, Winner of Event #6: Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot Limit Omaha

Michael Moncek picked up his second career bracelet on Friday night and pocketed $534,499 in the process. He had to demonstrate prowess with both two cards and four in this mixed-game event that switched up the games between NLHE and PLO every level.

Fernando “Jnandez” Habegger nearly went wire-to-wire on the final day of this one. He came into the final day with the chip lead and managed to run that all the way up to heads-up play against Moncek.

Among the other players Moncek had to navigate at the final table were Alex Livingston, Christian Harder, and Kristen Foxen (nee Bicknell). Moncek noted that such an early bracelet win in the series means he has a decent shot at a Player of the Year run.

Event #7: $1,500 Limit Hold’em

Vadim Shlez picked up the first bracelet of the series for a player from war-torn Ukraine when he took down the win in the Limit Hold’em game on Saturday night. He won $146,835 and proudly wore the Ukrainian flag in his winner’s photo.

In an unusual turn of events, once the game got heads-up, the bracelet was always going to Ukraine. Shlez was up against countryman Rostyslav Sabishchenko in the final two so no matter how it turned out, there was going to be a Ukrainian flag in the photo at the end.

There were 527 entries for this one and a total prize pool of just over $700k. Among the players the Ukrainians had to best at the final was the “original” David “ODB” Baker.

Vadim Shlez, Winner of Event #7: $1,500 Limit Hold'em for $146,835.
Vadim Shlez, Winner of Event #7: $1,500 Limit Hold’em for $146,835
Chanracy Khun, Winner of Event #8: $25,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship for $507,020.
Chanracy Khun, Winner of Event #8: $25,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship for $507,020

Event #8: $25,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship

Sunday night saw the crowning of the Heads-Up Champion for this series, and Canada bagged its first bracelet of the year. Chanracy Khun picked up his first career bracelet and more than $500k along the way.

The Heads-Up Championship is among the most prestigious bracelets of the series with the field full of nosebleed HU NLHE specialists. Among the players Khun had to get through in his bracket were Alexandre Vullirumier, winner of Event #2 this year, and rising star Landon Tice in his quarter-final match. In the final game, Khun faced down high stakes HU beast Doug Polk, who made his name in the game crushing some of the biggest online HU games in the world.

Event #9: $1,500 Seven Card Stud

Nick Schulman won his fourth bracelet in Event #7 on Sunday night, once again demonstrating his prowess in the less common forms of poker in the modern world. After bagging previous bracelets in Deuce (2) and PLO8, Schulman has now added a seven-card stud bracelet to his collection.

Schulman now has more than $15.5 million in total lifetime earnings, with $5 million of that coming at the WSOP alone from 93 cashes. He didn’t have an easy field to best at the final table either, with John Monnette and Shaun Deeb both fighting for another bracelet for their own collections.

Nick Schulman, Winner of Event #9: $1,500 Seven Card Stud for $110,800.
Nick Schulman, Winner of Event #9: $1,500 Seven Card Stud for $110,800

Event #10: $10,000 Dealers Choice 6-Handed Championship

There are just 13 players remaining out of a starting field of 115 and Chad Eveslage is looking to win his second bracelet of the year in his second Dealers Choice game of the year. Eveslage won with $1,500 version of this game earlier in the week (see above) and he will go into Monday’s final day of play with the chip lead in the $10k Championship version.

Eveslage has 1,371,000 to start Day 3 and is only one of two players with more than a million chips. There is more than a million in prizes for this game with the winner expected to pocket $311,428.

Event #11: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack

There were more than 6,000 entries for the $600 NLHE Deepstack game and Phil Hellmuth survived Day 1 on his quest for his 17th bracelet. He’s competing for a piece of more than $3 million in prizes, but at this point, the money is hardly the biggest thing on the Poker Brat’s mind.

Hellmuth has a respectable stack of 665k going into Day 2 with Kevin Daily (GA) bagging the lead at almost 2 million. The game is already in the money so Hellmuth has already scored his 190th WSOP cash but extending his record bracelet haul by one is surely front of mind.

Event #12: $5,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed

There is almost $3.4 million up for grabs in the $5k Freezeout game with 111 players sharing in the prizes. A total of 735 entries were recorded for this one and 148 players return to Day 2 action. Artem Metalidi leads the counts going into Day 2 looking to secure Ukraine’s second bracelet of the series.

Online Event #1: $333 No-Limit Hold’em Triple Treys Summer Tip Off

The first online bracelet of 2023 has been awarded with Cody “1eggadayMike” Bell taking down the top spot for more than $87k and his first bracelet over Douglas “OpenOpen” May. There were 1,330 entries for a prize pool of $634,800 with 240 players sharing in the prizes.

Upcoming Events on June 5

Event #13: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack

  • Start: 10 am
  • Late Entry: 12 Levels
  • Start Stack: 30,000
  • Reentries: 2

Event #14: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship

  • Start: 2 pm
  • Late Entry: Sart of Day 2
  • Start Stack: 60,000
  • Reentries: 0
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It’s a testament to the health of the real money online poker ecosystem that operators are able to host a lengthy online poker tournament series with such enormous guarantees. The recent Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) 2023 at PokerStars is a typical example, with a whopping total of $75,000,000 in guaranteed prize money for the marathon poker fest – which ran from 7 May until 1 June – being announced before a single card had been dealt!

That’s quite a commitment, but it would be fair to say that it was a result of the brains behind PokerStars’ understanding of the market as well as their faith in both their product and the industry itself. Ultimately, their judgement proved absolutely correct, with an astounding $91,906,701 paid out across 121 events.    

We can add to this staggering statistic the following numerical fact: SCOOP 2023 attracted a total of 1,277,595 entries to a series that, as is now usual, offered three buy-in tiers (Low, Medium and High) in a bid to allow poker fans the chance to take part in big money tournaments, regardless of bankroll.

SCOOP Success

This way, the three SCOOP No-Limit Hold’em Main Events that kicked off on 28 May 28 had buy-ins of $109, $1,050 and $10,300 respectively, with a comprehensive satellite set-up giving everyone opportunities to qualify at bargain prices. All three events – which had combined entries of 27,356 – exceeded their guarantees.

The Winners

It would seem like breaking a familiar trend to not see a Brazilian bag another prestigious title, and so it went that the eventual winner of the $10,300 SCOOP Main Event was Brazil’s Felipe “lipe piv” Boianovsky who, as well as the glory, collected a cool $1,036,199 after finishing atop the field of 587 entries. Note that the prize pool reached $5,870,000…

Latvia’s “rolandinjo” picked up $600,640 for winning the 4,206-entry $1,050 SCOOP-M Main Event, while Ukraine’s “Sodaski” succeeded in pulling off a heroic comeback to win the $109 SCOOP-L Main Event, his reward for topping a field of 22,663 players being $232,582.

SCOOP $25,000 Super High Roller

Brazil had another name on the winner’s list when Bruno “great dant” Volkmann emerged victorious in the largest buy-in tournament of the series, namely the $25,000 NLHE Super High Roller Event 113-H. The 42 players generated a prize pool of $1,030,050 that included the Brazilian’s $362,102 for first.

In fact, Brazilian poker players broke their own record for most events won by a single country, with a remarkable 89 titles increasing their previous best tally of 72, set in 2022.

Leaderboard Results

Bragging rights come in all forms when it comes to poker, and the race to top the Overall SCOOP 2023 Leaderboard proved an exciting one, with Thailand’s “Fal1st” emerging as the winner, his cause helped along by racking up two SCOOP titles series. The 2020 Leaderboard winner Rui “RuiNF” Ferreira finished in second, with last year’s champion,

Patrick “pads1161” Leonard this time managing fourth.

Leaderboard Results

  • Overall Leaderboard: Fal1st (Thailand; $25,000)
  • High Leaderboard: Tobias “Senkel92” Leknes (Norway; $15,000)
  • Medium Leaderboard: Jerry “perrymejsen” Odeen (Sweden; $10,000)
  • Low Leaderboard: Fal1st (Thailand; $5,000)

Finally, check out our dedicated info section for the latest online poker bonuses and offers available. Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

Alexandre Vuilleumier of Switzerland captured the second bracelet of the series in the $25k High Roller 6-Handed for more than $1.2 million. Meanwhile, the Mystery Millions played its second starting day while Tournament of Champions played into the money and will return today with 31 remaining.

Event #2: $25,000 High Roller Six Handed No-Limit Hold’em

World Series of Poker 2023 Event 2 Winner Alexandre Vuilleumier.
Alexandre Vuilluemier

Alexandre Vuilleumier won his first bracelet and more than $1.2 million after taking down a tough final table in Event #2. They came back on Thursday with 9 players remaining, getting down to the unofficial final table of seven players very quickly.

Vuilleumier started the day second in chips but Sean Winter made an early run for the top prize until Vuilleumier found top two for a huge double against Winter leaving his opponent on fumes. Winter was able to double back a few times to stay in it and ultimately finished in 3rd place. That set up heads up versus Chance Kornuth, who was looking for his fourth bracelet, but Kornuth was short-stacked and Vuilleumier hit a straight in the final hand to take it down.

Event #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions – No-Limit Hold’em

Half of the opening flights in the Mystery Millions are now complete after Day 1b saw nearly 3,000 runners, up from just over 2,000 on Day 1a. That puts almost 5,000 entries into this game already with two starting days still to come.

The prize pool in this one is now over $1.8 million and still growing. Day 1c goes on Friday, June 2 at 10 am with Day 1d completing the opening flights on Saturday, June 2. With the numbers so far and bigger fields expected on later starting days, it’s easy to see this one going well above 10,000 entries before registration closes on Saturday. Day 2 will be on June 4 when the Mystery Bounties kick in and one player will walk away with a cool million from a single bounty.

Event #4: Tournament of Champions

Event #4 is a bit of a special one on the schedule as it’s not open to the average player. Only bracelet and ring winners from the 2022/23 WSOP season are eligible to enter, and they all got free entry to the $1 million guaranteed game as part of their winner package at whatever event they won.

Day 2 played out on Thursday June 1, and WSOP commentator Lon McEachern was among the players to start the day.  McEachern managed to find a payslip later on Day 2 for his first ever WSOP cash.

Scott Wilson leads the Day 3 field to start the day with almost 2.9 million while Brent Gregory has just over 2 million and two other players have 1 million or more. The final 31 players will play down to a winner during today’s action.

Event #5: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed

The Dealer’s Choice game is down to just 11 players remaining now after a total of 456 entries. They’ve already handed out more than 50 prizes with 69 total paid spots. Andrew Kelsall finished Day 2 with the most chips and will be playing just under 2 million to start the final day of play.

Phil Hellmuth made a solid run for bracelet #17 on Day 2 but fell a bit short in 21st place shortly before the day ended, but in addition to Kelsall there are still some mixed-game crushers in the field including John Racener, Chad Eveslage, Clayton Mozdzen, and Nick Pupillo.

Event #6: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em; Pot-Limit Omaha

WSOP 2023 Event 6

There is more than $500k for the winner in Event #6 but whoever that is will have to wait until Saturday for their payday. Day 2 action today will play down to the final table but players are already pocketing cash on their way out of the tournament area.

In total there were 568 entries for this one, putting $2,612,800 into the prizes split between 86 players. There are 48 players still in the action with Fernando “Jnandez” Habegger leading the Day 2 chip counts.

Event #7: $1,500 Limit Hold’em

Canada’s Mike “GoLeafsGoEh” Leah bagged the second biggest stack in Thursday’s Day 1 of Event #7. There is almost $150k up top for the winner of this 527 player field and, in total, they are playing for $703,545 in prizes.

Dana Davidson of the US edged out the Canadian, who has one bracelet, six rings, more than $2.7 million in WSOP earnings, and more than $8 million in total live earnings, for the top spot by about 8,000 chips and commentator Nick Schulman also has a top-ten Day 2 stack. 80 players will be sharing in the prizes for this one, but with 169 players still in the game, there will be some work to do yet on Day 2.

Online Event #1: $333 No-Limit Hold’em Triple Treys Summer Tip Off

The first online bracelet of 2023 has been awarded with Cody “1eggadayMike” Bell taking down the top spot for more than $87k and his first bracelet over Douglas “OpenOpen” May. There were 1,330 entries for a prize pool of $634,800 with 240 players sharing in the prizes.

Upcoming WSOP Events on June 2

Event #8: $25,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship

  • Start: 12 noon
  • Late Entry: Reg closes at first draw
  • Start Stack: 25,000
  • Reentries: 0

Event #9: $1,500 Seven Card Stud

  • Start: 2 pm
  • Late Entry: 9 Levels
  • Start Stack: 25,000
  • Reentries: 0

Don’t be fooled by the title – the only thing ‘mini’ about the upcoming Mini Online Super Series (OSS) at Americas Cardroom (4-26 June) will be the buy-ins! This is because there’ll be a guaranteed $6.4 million in total prize money up for grabs across the series. Players will be able to get involved for a tiny $0.27, yet one event alone will feature a $1,000,000 guarantee…

Mini Cost, Max Payouts

Overall, fans of real money online poker can look forward to a packed schedule that includes 145 tournaments, with four Main Events, and there’s even a first for ACR in the form of a $500,000 GTD Mystery Bounty event. Bounty tournaments are all the rage nowadays, and online poker rooms are falling over themselves to offer maximum excitement in a format that sees players able to win cash without even making the prizes by simply picking up bounty rewards for eliminating opponents. The ‘mystery’ element here will see a top bounty of $50,000 provide a lucky player with a potentially life-changing sum.

What to Expect in ACR’s Latest MOSS Series

There’s a very tasty smorgasbord of online poker tournaments to jump into over the coming weeks, kicking off on 4 June with multiple Day 1 Flights to the Main Events. All other MOSS events take place between 11-26 June, and with literally dozens of tournaments, ACR is making sure that there’s something for everyone. Highlights include the following:

$1,000,000 GTD Main Event

Yes – that’s a cool $1M guarantee on offer in this $109 buy-in Main Event. And don’t forget that for this and countless tournaments you’ll get the chance to qualify at bargain basement prices thanks to a comprehensive, bankroll-friendly satellite set-up. Getting a shot at a share of a seven-figure prize pool for a modest outlay is the beauty of online poker.

Details

  • Day 1s: June 4th, 11th, 18th, 24th, 25th
  • Day 2: 26 June at 1:05 pm ET
  • Buy-in: $109

NEW: $500,000 GTD Mystery Bounty

Get ready to hunt down the hidden treasures waiting to be won in ACR’s first-ever Mystery Bounty event! One lucky player is guaranteed to hit a gigantic $50,000 payday for knocking out just one opponent…

Details

  • Day 1s: Every two hours between 4-24 June
  • Day 2: 25 June 25th at 1:30 pm
  • Buy-in: $22

$250,000 GTD Multi-Flight

Running alongside Day 2 of the Main Event, this tournament promises to be a worthy alternative.

Details

  • Day 1s: Multiple Flights per day between 18-25 June
  • Day 2: 26 June at 2:05 pm ET
  • Buy-in: $55

$100,000 GTD The Dream

And here is the No-Limit Hold’em return of the enormous micro stakes tournament, with a $15,000 top prize for a teeny $2.50 buy-in – win this one and you’ll get a 6,000x return on your modest investment…

Details

  • Day 1s: Every two hours between 4-25 June
  • Day 2: 25 June at 2:05 pm ET
  • Buy-in: $2.50

Finally, everyone wants to boost their bankroll, so make the most of the latest online poker bonuses and offers in our dedicated info section. Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

All good things come to an end, as they say, and this week saw the close of partypoker’s successful MILLIONS Online KO Series which, after countless adventures that typify what makes real money online poker so enjoyable, saw the crowning of the Main Event champion.

If you tune into the latest news at PokerListings from time to time you might have noticed that Brazil is becoming a global force in poker, with poker players from the country that for decades has been associated with soccer picking up more than their fair share of titles.

The latest Brazilian superstar whose name will now be added to the poker history books is Brunno Botteon who, after battling through a field of 1,070 opponents, succeeded in taking down the $530 buy-in $500,000 GTD MILLIONS Online KO Main Event. When the play had finally drawn to a close, 162 players were paid, with Botteon’s share of the eventual total prize pool of $535,500 being a juicy $73,417 – a worthwhile reward to add to the bragging rights afforded those who win such prestigious events. Here’s how the Final Table looked:

PlaceNameCountryBountyPrizeTotal Prize 
1Brunno BotteonBrazil$38,754$34,663$73,417
2Henrique CoutinhoBrazil$8,008$34,608$42,616
3Joakim AnderssonMalta$7,111$22,906$30,017
4Victor OnizukaBrazil$9,287$14,834$24,121
5Georgi SandevBulgaria$4,348$10,107$14,455
6Steven Van ZadelhoffMalta$625$7,775$8,400
7Cassandra CharlesUnited Kingdom$5,144$5,705$10,849
8Jerry OdeenSweden$7,683$4,523$12,206
9Christian PedersenDenmark$1,187$3,569$4,756

With each of the nine finalists at the final table guaranteed at least $3,569 for reaching the business end of the event, plus the bounties they had accumulated along the way, there was a lot of money to play for as well as the title of 2023 MILLIONS Online KO Main Event champion. The prospect of a female champion ended with the elimination of Cassandra Charles of the United Kingdom in seventh place, although a consolation of $10,849 isn’t to be sniffed at!

We’re getting used to Brazilians popping up at final tables, and this was no exception, with the countrymen filling three of the top four places (note two players from the tiny island of Malta, too!). Botteon and fellow Brazilian Henrique Coutinho ended up as the last two standing, with the latter having to ‘settle’ for $42,616 as the runner-up.

The big money action continues at partypoker

If you missed out on MILLIONS Online KO glory there’s always plenty to play for at partypoker, with literally dozens of online poker tournaments to get stuck into.

One such is the next Sunday Party event, which kicks off at 19:05 BST on 4 June. There are countless qualifiers for the $109 buy-in tournament, with satellites starting at only $0.01…

partypoker Sunday Party

If you’d like to add to your favourite go-to poker rooms, then check out the latest online poker bonuses and offers in our exclusive info section.

There’s been another demonstration in the world of real money online poker that lightning can indeed strike twice, with Brazilian high stakes player Bruno “great dant” Volkmann becoming the third poker player this year (in the company of Niklas “Lena900” Astedt and “Davideriksso”) to win two PokerStars SCOOP titles on the same night! This time around, weirdly, Volkmann in fact won two versions of the same event!

Win Number One…

Battling away on the PokerStars stream, Volkmann managed to win the $25,000 buy-in Super High Roller (#113-H) for a cool $362,102 after a heads-up tussle against Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden that itself saw the runner-up being denied a second title in as many days!

…Win Number Two

Apparently not satisfied with ‘just’ the one victory, Volkmann then topped a 2,237-entry field in the $215 buy-in NLHE edition (#113-L), adding another $66,557 to his haul. The talented Brazilian is no stranger to SCOOP success, by the way – this was his third title, the first coming in 2021.

PLO Main Events Wrapped Up

Online poker tournaments come in more than just the No-Limit Hold’em format, with the increasingly popular Omaha also being in demand. After the dust had settled in this version’s Main Events, three new PLO champions were crowned this week after marathon three-day tournaments.

The UK’s Richard “raconteur” Gryko was the eventual winner of the $10,300 buy-in Main Event (#110-H), pocketing $215,928 after navigating a tricky 77-entry journey through the PLO tournament jungle. This format seems like it could be a forte for Gryko, who had won a SCOOP PLO title in a $2K event back in 2017 for $118K.

“Argentin_GOd” of Hungary won the $1K buy-in edition (#110-M) for $96,084, while Brazil’s “Moralezz” finished in the top spot in the $109 buy-in event (#110-L), adding a cool $30,160 to his bankroll following a heads-up deal with the UK’s “Neptune04”.

Another Double Win

Sweden’s “iamiver” struck while the proverbial iron was hot this week. On Monday he collected $38,566 for winning the $215 buy-in 6-max Turbo (#115-H), yet a day later a second SCOOP title followed when he emerged in first place in the $55 buy-in Phase (#01-H). This event attracted 21,160 entries over the course of the series, with 2,768 qualifying for the Phase 2 stage. Picking up $130,011, then, was a deserved payday…

Meanwhile, yet another Brazilian, “iagok”, continued the amazing run of success of players from the soccer-mad nation after capturing the $109 buy-in Series Saver (#112-M). A three-way chop bagged him $40,123, to which he added $25,372 in bounties for a total of $65,495…

High Stakes Stakelis

Audrius “Stakelis24” Stakelis lived up to his name on Tuesday in the $3,150 buy-in PKO High Roller (#117-H). Once again in a Bounty tournament, the break-up of the winner’s prize of $92,063 is significant for this format, with two-thirds of the total coming in bounties! This was Stakelis’ second SCOOP title of 2023, and third overall.

Audrius “Stakelis24” Stakelis has bountiful SCOOP experience.
Audrius “Stakelis24” Stakelis has bountiful SCOOP experience

Finally, with online poker having so much to offer, we recommend you check out our selection of the latest online poker bonuses and offers in our dedicated info section. 

Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

WPT Global continues to provide a varied and player-friendly real money online poker offering, with a menu that, as well as featuring a comprehensive selection of No-Limit Hold’em and Omaha cash tables and Sit & Go games, includes both online poker tournaments and the chance to qualify for prestigious live poker tournaments around the globe.

In addition to the end of the 84-Event WPT Global Spring Festival that gives players a shot at glory, there will be two Freerolls, namely the Champion of Champions Freeroll and the Second Chance Freeroll – both taking place on 11 June.

The former is open to all Spring Festival tournament winners, and guarantees both a $10,400 entry to December’s WPT World Championship in Las Vegas and $2,100 in travel/expenses (credited to the winner’s WPT Global account).
Seats at the Second Chance Freeroll will be awarded to anyone who reaches a final table in any Spring Festival tournament, and a $1,100 (non-transferable) tournament entry to the WPT Prime Championship in Las Vegas in December will be up for grabs, plus $1,400 in travel/expenses.

Weekly Slam Tournaments

Meanwhile, you can take advantage of regular tournament opportunities that include WPT Global’s Sunday Majors:

  • $110 buy-in, $50,000 GTD Sunday Slam
  • $330 buy-in, $20,000 GTD Grand Slam
  • $11 buy-in, $8,888 GTD Mini Slam

Sunday Slam Tickets for Omaha Cash Game Fans!

Gone are the days when cash game players and tournament players inhabited the same online poker room yet didn’t come into contact with each other. Poker has evolved to the point that most play in tournaments nowadays, and WPT Global – the online platform of the mighty World Poker Tour (WPT) – recognises this.

To this end, racking up 100 PLO cash game hands is enough to collect a ticket for a weekly $15,000 Raffle that boasts both cash prizes and $110 Sunday Slam tickets! You can even earn Double Points between 6pm-10pm ET each night during the recently launched promo.

WPT Global PLO Cash.

As for our ongoing quest at PokerListings to help our community make the most of their time at the tables, check out the latest online poker bonuses and offers in our exclusive info section. 

Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

June 1, 2023 – Casino Employees Event is complete with the next three open bracelet events now underway along with the Tournament of Champions.

Event #1: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em

The first Gold Bracelet of 2023 has now been awarded to Peter Thai after he took down the opening event of the 2023 WSOP for $75,535. It was a big starting field with 1,015 entries and total prizes of $426,300, the third biggest Employees Event ever. There were 153 paid spots in the two-day game with Thai taking down the title over James “Pman” Urbanic.

This was Thai’s first bracelet and it close to tripled his previous total earnings according to The Hendon Mob. His only other live win came in 2018 when he won a $350 event at WPT500 Legends of Poker in Los Angeles for $21,602 with his next biggest score before this week at just over $3k for 7th in the $75 No Limit Hold’em – Facebook Exclusive Tournament at the WPT L.A. Poker Classic in 2014.

Peter Thai, Winner of $500 Employees Event at 2023 WSOP.
Peter Thai, Winner of $500 Employees Event at 2023 WSOP (Photo from WSOP.com)

Event #2: $25,000 High Roller Six Handed No-Limit Hold’em

Axel Hallay is looking to parlay the final table chip lead into his first bracelet and biggest-ever score. Hallay leads the final nine players to start the final day on Thursday, June 1 and he has a substantial lead to start the day with just shy of 8 million compared to 4.455 million for second-place Chris Moore.

The French players is one of three non-Americans at the final table of the event that saw 207 total entries for a prize pool of $4,864,500. The winner at the end of the final table will be pocketing $1,215,864 with everyone coming back for the final nine guaranteed at least$104,733.

Event #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions – No-Limit Hold’em

There is Mystery in the air early at the 2023 WSOP with the opening flight of the $1,000 Mystery Millions. It’s already a pretty staggering field after only one starting flight with 2,023 entries so far. That puts the prize pool at $1,800,470 with three starting days yet to play.

With Day 1a now in the books, Francis Anderson has the early chip lead with 2.75 million, but I’d expect even bigger fields for the remaining Day 1 flights, so the prizes in this one could get staggering.

Event #4: Tournament of Champions

Event #4 is a bit of a special one on the schedule as it’s not open to the average player. Only bracelet and ring winners from the 2022/23 WSOP season are eligible to enter, and they all got free entry to the $1 million guaranteed game as part of their winner package at whatever event they won.

Among the players to find a bag at the end of Day 1 was WSOP commentator Lon McEachern. McEachern won a seniors event on the circuit this season to earn his seat and he’ll be playing 113k in Day 2. Boshuang Gao found the biggest stack at the end of Day 1 with 445k. There are 224 players left in the game playing down into the likely 109 paid spots today with the final table scheduled for Friday. Late entry is still open for winners who didn’t get in yesterday, but it’s unlikely many of the winners missed the opening day of play.

Event #5: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed

The first mixed-game event of the series also got underway on Wednesday, May 31 with 456 entries for a prize pool of $608,760. The winner of the event on Friday will pocket $131,879 with 69 players sharing in the prizes.

Larry Tull leads the chip counts after Day 1 with 217k and the field Day 1 field was full of legendary players like Eli Elezra, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, and Phil Hellmuth looking for his 17th gold bracelet. Elezra was the only player from that Hall of Fame group not to find a bag at the end of the day.

Day 2 action picks up on Thursday with the final day of play on Friday, June 2.

Upcoming Events on June 1

Event #6: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em; Pot-Limit Omaha

  • Start: 12 noon
  • Late Entry: 12 Levels
  • Start Stack: 50,000
  • Reentries: 2

Event #7: $1,500 Limit Hold’em

  • Start: 2 pm
  • Late Entry: 9 Levels
  • Start Stack: 25,000
  • Reentries: 0

Online Event #1: $333 No-Limit Hold’em Triple Treys Summer Tip Off

  • Start: 3:30 pm
PokerListings PokerGO promo code offer.

PokerListings PokerGO Promo Code

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The countless poker fans around the world who enjoy real money online poker regularly can be so used to big-money online poker tournaments and series that they barely take much notice – hence our quest at PokerListings to keep our community informed.

If you didn’t take part in the 275-event online poker tournament marathon that was the $40 Million Online Super Series (OSS) at Americas Cardroom over the last few weeks, then you missed out big time. Everyday life tends not to give people chances to boost their bank balance with life-changing sums of money, but poker is awash with such potential.  

For those who did venture into ACR’s signature Sunday tournaments and massive OSS events, the rewards were well worth the effort. Meanwhile, three poker players were also awarded coveted High Stakes Adventure: London packages!

$250,000 GTD Euro Special (OSS #255)

This $215 buy-in, $250K GTD Euro Special OSS event attracted 1,509 entries, thus increasing the prize pool to $301,800, which was shared out to 171 players.

Top three:

  1. HiTecRedNeck – $51,215
  2. AgoraJaBateu – $37,725
  3. Hercule1 – $28,640

$250,000 GTD Sunday Special

1,315 entries meant that the $250,000 GTD Sunday Special also saw its guarantee broken, with 153 players eventually getting their hands on a chunk of the $263,000 total prize money in this $215 buy-in event.

Top three:

  1. BigPotz2 – $45,393
  2. Angelghost – $32,875
  3. Itzamna – $24,985

$200,000 GTD PKO

Everyone likes the thrills and spills of bounty tournaments these days, and 1,071 entries to this $215 buy-in $200K GTD PKO event increased the prize pool to $214,200, with a whopping $107,100 paid out in bounties! This is the beauty of the knockout format, as here there were 144 paid from the regular prize pool, with many more picking up bounty rewards.

Top three:

  1. Camilo18 – $17,430 + $16,600 in bounties
  2. PoopstainMcgraw – $5,438 + $16,600 in bounties
  3. TruthHurts – $2,664 + $10,388 in bounties

High Stakes Adventure: London Qualifiers

Meanwhile, ACR reminded us of the scale of their promotions that see players sent off around the world to enjoy the megabucks live poker tournament experience. This time, three High Stakes Adventure: London super-packages were awarded, with the recipients heading to London, England for a Super High Roller Series that will take place over July and August.

ACR has a habit of catapulting poker players into the poker stratosphere with 6-figure packages, and these include $110,000 for buy-ins as well as business class airfare and luxury hotel accommodation. There’s still time for you to join them in the UK’s bustling capital, with a second (and final) qualifier scheduled for Sunday, 16 July and at least two more packages up for grabs.

The three package winners:

  1. HighlyRegarded
  2. Hardgainer
  3. TherealPunisher

Finally, you can never have too many go-to poker rooms, so check out the latest online poker bonuses and offers in our regularly updated info section.

Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

Modern poker fans can expect to find their favourite games and formats when exploring real money online poker these days, and one operator that has an impressive and ever-evolving offering is Juicy Stakes Poker which, month after month, continues to impress.

As well as cash games players and Sit & Go enthusiasts being very well catered for, there is, of course, an army of eager, would-be online poker tournament demons with a thirst for competition…

Announcing Juicy Stakes Poker’s $5,000 Sunday Special is another feather in Juicy’s cap when it comes to giving players affordable tournaments with decent prize pools. The tournament will take place at 4 pm ET on 4 June, which gives players plenty of time to qualify via a host of satellites that are already underway, with buy-ins for these bankroll-friendly qualifiers starting at just $4.20!  

Juicy Stakes really is becoming a poker-for-all contender, which isn’t to say that only new and recreational poker players are being considered – each of the events mentioned today is worth anyone’s time, including battle-hardened, serious grinders looking to steadily add to their bankrolls as they work their way up the stakes, as well as those who seek a shot at the big-time in prestigious live events around the globe.  

Get Ready for a Bumper Sunday

Apart from featuring this tasty $5,000 GTD tournament that isn’t to be missed, Sunday also sees an instalment of the popular $10,000 GTD Sunday Myriad, which will add some extra spice.

And there’s more! The much-anticipated EPC Velden Final is also being held this weekend, with a fantastic live poker tournament experience awaiting whoever gets their hands on a $5,200 package for the European Poker Championship 2023 that will be held in Velden, Austria this summer (26-29 July).

Juicy Stakes Bumper Sunday Special.

At PokerListings we’re also in the business of smoothing the path to poker glory (or, simply, making your poker sessions even more rewarding), so take a look at the latest online poker bonuses and offers in our special info section. 

Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

The Eastern side of Europe has long been a favourite destination for poker players from all over Europe and beyond. Countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Romania have served as popular hotspots for live poker tournaments for many years. However, one city, in particular, is emerging as the new poker capital of Europe—Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia.

Bratislava stands out due to its exceptional location for travellers, and the poker offers are all to be found right in the heart of the city centre, making it highly convenient for all types of poker players. Within walking distance from the three prominent casinos that dominate the market, you’ll find several renowned hotel brands. These hotels provide comfortable accommodation options for poker enthusiasts, ensuring they are within easy reach of the action. Additionally, numerous restaurants and bars in the vicinity offer an exceptional culinary experience, adding to the city’s appeal. Moreover, Bratislava boasts a rich cultural heritage, providing players with opportunities to explore and appreciate its cultural offerings. By delving into each of these aspects, we can give you a comprehensive overview of what Bratislava, the poker capital of 2023, has to offer.

Banco Casino.
Banco Casino

Banco Casino

Banco Casino has established itself as a prominent and highly regarded poker destination, poised to become a must-visit casino for poker players from around the world. With its expansive poker rooms and direct connection to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Banco Casino is leaving no stone unturned to provide an exceptional experience.

In recent years, Banco Casino has been proactive in organizing various high-profile live tournament series. Alongside their own esteemed Banco Masters Series and Banco Championships, they have played host to prestigious events such as the Slovak Poker Open, The Festival Series, the Scandinavian Open Poker Championship, and the Polish Poker Championships, among many others. This diverse line-up of tournaments caters to a wide range of players, further enhancing Banco Casino’s appeal as a premier poker destination. Upcoming events such as Winamax Poker Open, Polish Poker Summer Cup, The Festival Series, and Poker Belgique Masters all provide a massive guaranteed prize pool.

One of Banco Casino’s distinguishing factors is its outstanding staff. Guided by a team of well-rounded and professional individuals, the casino delivers a perfect blend of meticulous organization and captivating poker entertainment. The staff’s expertise ensures that players receive top-notch service, ensuring a memorable and enjoyable poker experience.

Banco Casino’s commitment to excellence has propelled it towards the forefront of the poker industry. With its impressive poker facilities, close proximity to a renowned hotel, and an array of exciting tournament series, Banco Casino is primed to captivate poker enthusiasts worldwide and solidify its position as a premier destination for poker players seeking the ultimate poker experience.

Card Casino.
Card Casino

Card Casino

Located on the other side of Bratislava, Card Casino offers an enticing poker experience that sets it apart from Banco Casino. Its strategic location within walking distance from Bratislava Airport and next to major highways, such as the one connecting to Vienna, makes it an ideal destination for poker travellers. The abundance of hotels near the airport further enhances the convenience for players visiting the casino.

Card Casino boasts a rich history of organizing some of Europe’s most significant live poker series. Renowned events such as the Poker North Masters & Norwegian Masters, Vamos Poker Tour, Elite Poker Series, Pedro Poker Tour, and the upcoming Partypoker Live Grand Prix Bratislava Poker Festival have solidified its reputation as a premier poker venue. The casino’s track record demonstrates its commitment to providing exceptional tournament series experiences.

When it comes to services related to poker tournaments, Card Casino excels in delivering pure excellence. With ample rooms available and a stylish interior, the casino offers an inviting atmosphere for players. Its well-designed facilities contribute to the overall enjoyment and ambience, making Card Casino a must-visit destination for poker players looking to cross off items from their bucket lists.

In conclusion, Card Casino’s strategic location, impressive line-up of live poker series, and top-notch services make it a compelling choice for poker enthusiasts. With its inviting atmosphere and commitment to excellence, Card Casino is undoubtedly one of the premier destinations for poker players seeking an unforgettable poker experience in Bratislava.

Olympic Casino.
Olympic Casino

Olympic Casino

Olympic Casino is a renowned casino brand operating in multiple countries, primarily in the Baltics and Eastern Europe, including Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Slovakia. They have also expanded their presence beyond these regions with locations in Malta and Italy. Since its establishment in 1993, Olympic Casino has earned a reputation for its reputable brand, diverse gaming options, and commitment to delivering an enjoyable and thrilling casino experience to its customers.

In Bratislava, Olympic Casino Carlton is making waves with its exciting plans for future poker events. This elegant venue offers stunning views of the picturesque Danube River. Throughout the year, they have will get quite some grand events that will take place at this remarkable location, and we will keep you informed about any upcoming events. The casino’s prime location not only provides breathtaking surroundings but also offers excellent connectivity to the city centre, making it easily accessible from all directions.

Olympic Casino Carlton in Bratislava stands out as a must-visit destination for poker players. Its combination of an exquisite location, a wide range of poker events, and convenient accessibility establishes it as a top choice for poker enthusiasts seeking unforgettable experiences in the city.

The World Series of Poker 2023 (WSOP) starts today, which means we’ve got six weeks of non-stop action from Las Vegas.

Following on from last year’s new-look WSOP, the series returns to Paris and Horseshoe on the Las Vegas strip. The dual set-up seemed to work well in 2022 and, this year, there will be 95 WSOP bracelet events spread across the two casinos.

WSOP Rules Changed to Keep the Action Flowing

In a change to this year’s proceedings, the rules regarding registration have been tightened up. With the organizers expecting record numbers throughout the series, players will no longer be allowed to pay their buy-in and delay their entry to a tournament.

As confirmed by Kevin Mathers, aka Kevmath, on Twitter, a player’s stack becomes live as soon as they buy into an active tournament. In previous years, players were able to pay the buy-in and wait to print off their entry slip.

Only once the entry slip was handed over to a tournament official was the player given a stack of chips and seat number. For the 2023 WSOP, a player’s stack will be put into play as soon as they pay the entry fee.

In addition to changing the way stacks are put into play, WSOP organizers have also imposed a time limit on late arrivals. Anyone who buys into a tournament late has until the start of level four to take their seat. In other words, if someone enters and their stack is live, they’ve got until the end of level three to play before they’re removed from the tournament.

Logistical changes aside, the 2023 WSOP looks set to be one of the most exciting ever. Daniel Negreanu is running another one of his famous WSOP fantasy drafts, as is David Baker. Other pro poker players are giving away WSOP tournament tickets on Twitter, and there are still dozens of Main Event satellites taking place online.

WSOP Main Event Madness Could See Records Broken

As ever, the WSOP’s official partner, GGPoker, is in the midst of a Main Event seat giveaway. Thanks to the efforts of GGPoker and other popular online poker sites, thousands of players will sit down in the $10,000 WSOP Main Event after paying just a fraction of the cost to qualify.

These players have a chance to follow in the footsteps of Chris Moneymaker and become a WSOP World Champion. However, perhaps even more significantly for the poker industry, these players could help make this year’s Main Event a record-breaker.

It’s been 20 years since Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP Main Event and sparked a revolution. This summer, the organizers have said the WSOP Main Event is almost guaranteed to be the biggest ever. Ty Stewart, the WSOP’s Executive Director, said in an online press conference that “plans” are in place to ensure this year’s $10,000 tournament is bigger than last year’s.

For context, the 2022 WSOP Main Event attracted 8,663 players. That left it just 111 players short of breaking the 2006 record of 8,773. Being 1% away from a record set during the peak of the poker boom is commendable, but Stewart wants more. That means more satellites, giveaways, and incentives for people to play this summer.

If the 1% gap is closed, the 2023 WSOP Main Event will go down in history. Not only that, it will show poker is a strong place. After years of rebuilding following the events of Black Friday in 2011, we (as a community) are now living in bountiful times.

Summer Sizzler for Poker Players

The World Series of Poker is a yardstick by which to measure the state of the industry. A summer of broken records will tell us that poker is in a good place. Burgeoning fields are also good news for players who ante up in Vegas.  

Overall, it’s an exciting time for poker players right now. The 2023 WSOP gets underway on May 30 with a $500 Casino Employees event and $25,000 Six-Max High Roller. The Main Event will run from July 3 to 17, and the series as a whole will conclude on July 18.

Banco Casino in Bratislava has once again taken centre stage this week, hosting a highly anticipated Main Event with an impressive guaranteed prize pool. With a remarkably affordable buy-in of only €185, players have the opportunity to compete for a staggering €250,000 guaranteed prize pool. This thrilling event will attract a significant number of Scandinavian players, who are making their way to Slovakia’s capital city to participate. The local players will also demonstrate their exceptional skills, already dominating the event’s first flight with 39 runners only, of which four of them survived the day.

S.O.C.P Main Event – A Lot of Value to Take Here

  • Buy-in: €185
  • Starting stack: 50.000 chips
  • Blinds: 30 min
  • Late Registration: 12 levels
  • 10% of the field qualify for Day 2 / €185 buy-in back after the conclusion of Day 1
  • All players qualified for Day 2 are ITM

The Banco Casino in Bratislava is hosting ten starting flights over six days, promising plenty of exciting live poker action. The event began with an official opening event on Monday and continued with the Main Event’s Day 1a on Tuesday. The Main Event features a guaranteed prize pool, and the €550 High Roller event on Friday, June 2nd, also guarantees a prize of €25,000. Side events such as Pot-Limit Omaha and No-Limit Hold’em Progressive Knock Out are also present throughout the weekend, being joined by a turbo farewell tournament on Sunday for early bust outs of the Main Event. Every day it is possible to qualify yourself for the Main Event as well so that you can even enjoy this massive guaranteed festival for just a small bargain price!

If you happen to have plans in participating in his event, got it on your hips and decide to last-minute book a flight to one of the nearest airports such as Bratislava itself or Vienna, you can always contact [email protected] for any further questions in regard to hotels for example.

Thanks to the world succeeding in taking significant steps to pre-COVID life, the return of live poker events means that many who were either starved of ‘bricks and mortar’ poker or who are yet to play live are now able to venture to foreign lands for a taste of big money festivals.

One to put in your diary – and for which there are already qualifiers underway at partypoker – is the Grand Prix Bratislava Poker Festival (18-23 July), which will be held in the Slovakian capital’s excellent Card Casino and feature, amongst others, a tasty €500,000 GTD Main Event…

Bratislava is both a popular holiday spot and an important poker venue, with the Card Casino having earned a deserved reputation after hosting many prestigious poker festivals over the years. With the casino being the home of 150(!) poker tables and extensive live gaming, as well as top quality dining and even cabaret shows in a luxurious setting, there’s plenty of fun to be had both on and off the tables. And you can win your way there via a quest that can start from just a single cent!

The Perfect Summer Poker Destination

Such opportunities are exactly what real money online poker is designed to offer poker fans who, regardless of the size of your bankroll, can turn online poker tournament success into live poker tournament experiences. With a total of €1 million in guarantees across the series of tournaments, the Grand Prix Bratislava Poker Festival is already a worthy summer poker holiday prospect, but it’s also nice to win your way there!

In fact, there are two package types that you can win.

€1,500 Grand Prix Main Event full package includes:

  • €550 buy-in to the €500K GTD Grand Prix Main Event
  • Five-night hotel stay at the 4-star NH Gate One Hotel
  • €250 spending money

€5,000 VIP full package includes: 

  • €550 buy-in to the €500K GTD Grand Prix Main Event
  • €3,000 buy-in to the €200K GTD High Roller
  • Five-night hotel stay with VIP room upgrade
  • Airport transfer
  • €400 spending money

Here’s a taste of what to expect in the Grand Prix Bratislava Poker Festival:

EventBuy-inGuarantee
Bratislava Festival Opener                   €150                 €10,000
Mystery Bounty                   €400                 €50,000
Grand Prix                   €550                 €500,000
Euro Omaha Championship                   €2,500                 €100,000
One K One Day                   €1,000                 €50,000
High Roller                   €3,000                 €200,000
Irish Poker Tour                   €250                 €40,000
Bratislava Poker Cup                   €350                 €50,000

Finally, our dedicated info section features the latest online poker bonuses and offers that can help you boost your bankroll… Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

It would be a mistake for new and recreational poker fans to assume that, as low stakes players with limited bankrolls (and often limited time), achieving a level of success that brings substantial financial reward is beyond them.

One of the key characteristics that nowadays is an everyday feature of real money online poker is that it gives literally everyone a chance to win a lot of money. It’s accepted practice among online poker operators to host big money events with what for many are large buy-ins, but addressing this with a comprehensive and universally affordable qualifying set-up.   

PokerStars makes sure to do exactly this, not least for their deservedly popular online festivals such as the latest SCOOP Series which, as always, has had some success stories that exemplify what online poker is all about.

One such is that of 24-year-old Lauri Lehdikko who, in true rags-to-riches fashion, turned a $2.20 satellite into a $44,473 payday! And the beauty of this story is that it could have been anyone.

This particular case also emphasises why following established players with a social media presence can be more than just entertainment. Lehdikko happens to be a regular viewer (and poster) of PokerStars Team Pro Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg’s Twitch channel. The Business student at university in Tampere, Finland has also been giving poker more than just casual though and, after being inspired by Spraggy and picking up invaluable help from the community, set off on a SCOOP quest when sitting down to play a $2.20 satellite for a spot in SCOOP 2023’s $55 Mini Sunday Million which, given the money on offer and cut-price qualifiers, attracted 14,076 entries!

To cut a long story short, the player whose usual online poker tournament investment tends (until now, at least!) to be no more than $22 a throw, found himself two nights later at the final table. A brilliant third-place finish saw him rewarded with a payout of a cool $44,473 and, with it, a bankroll boost that will come in very handy indeed!

PokerStars Team Pro Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg.
PokerStars Team Pro Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg

Meanwhile, a good way to boost your bankroll is to make the most of opportunities, so check out our special PokerListings compilation of the latest online poker bonuses and offers … 

Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

Las Vegas might be the gambling mecca, but Macao – known as the Las Vegas of Asia – is more than just a pretender to the throne… Poker players who like the glitz and theme of Vegas now have a worthy alternative in what is officially known as the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (MSAR), where an attraction that has gone on a PR overdrive recently could be slotted right in the middle of Vegas.

On Macao’s famous Cotai Strip, you could already find famous European landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Venice’s Grand Canal – yes, this most densely populated region in the world is clearly keen to emulate its US gambling counterpart. But Asia’s would-be sin city has gone a step further in the shape of the British-themed The Londoner Macao – complete with its own set of famous London attractions. This even includes an enormous replica of Big Ben!    

Of course, the world of real money online poker is an exciting one, but if you feel like trading in online poker tournaments for the live poker tournament experience in an exotic location, then here is a unique option.

Abbey Road, Palace of Westminster… in Macao

Not only do gamblers and tourists from this part of the world no longer need to fly halfway around it to get a taste of Abbey Road or a typical English afternoon tea, but Londoners can make the trip to Macao and get their own, quite bizarre London experience.

Between your sessions at the tables, you can take in 10 Downing Street (the UK Prime Minister’s residence) or wander at an iconic double-decker London bus inside the hotel. There’s even the so-called Black Cab Escape, a virtual ride around London with a hologram David Beckham, taking in the soccer legend’s favourite London spots. Indeed, Beckham, a Sands Resort Macau Global Ambassador, has even designed a select bunch of luxury suites in the hotel, apparently based on a ‘homely’ theme.

A fortunate by-product of the competitiveness of real money online poker is that it’s not unusual to see bonuses come with extras. A recent announcement by WPT Global highlights this perfectly.

Being launched as the online platform of the World Poker Tour (WPT) in 2022 meant that WPT Global could hit the ground running and, having already become established as a leading online poker operator, its latest generous offering is sure to attract even more poker fans.

Enhanced Deposit Bonuses at WPT Global

Unlike the old days, not all new players start with No-Limit Hold’em or Omaha cash games. Online poker tournaments are so popular nowadays that we’re increasingly more likely to see Welcome Bonuses tied with tournaments rather than cash games.

WPT Global’s so-called enhanced deposit bonuses do just that, giving players a chance to enjoy Sunday Slam events in addition to the current $1200 matched deposit offer.

The Welcome Package consists of:

  • No deposit is required sign-up: receive 2 x $5 Sunday Slam satellite tickets.
  • First Deposit: deposit at least $20 to receive a free $11 ticket for the $8,888 GTD Mini Sunday Slam.
  • Second Deposit: deposit at least $20 to receive a free $11 ticket for the $8,888 GTD Mini Sunday Slam.
  • Deposit $300+ any time to receive a free $110 ticket (one per player) for the $50,000 GTD Sunday Slam.
  • Deposit $1,200+ any time to receive a total of three $110 tickets for the $50,000 GTD Sunday Slam*
  • 100% Matched Bonus: deposit up to $1,200 on your first deposit and it will be matched 100% (minimum deposit $20; bonus released incrementally).

*N.B. After receiving a $110 Sunday Slam ticket from a $330 deposit, a player will receive two more tickets on depositing $1200.

WPT Global Spring Festival

Note that the Slam tickets from the welcome packages can also be used in WPT Global’s big-money Spring Festival (until 4 June), including satellites!

The three Sunday Slams – with three different buy-in levels to suit players of all bankrolls – will have larger guarantees during the Spring Festival. And don’t forget the $1,060 buy-in WPT Prime $200,000 GTD Championship, which has multiple Flights and many qualifiers until 4 June, plus a Last Chance Turbo before the Day 2 Final!

The WPT 500.

Fancy adding to your favourite go-to poker rooms? Check out the latest online poker bonuses and offers in our dedicated info section.

Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

Belgium, where poker is as popular as cycling, football and fries all together! Last week, Namur, the poker capital of the country, played host to the highly anticipated Belgian Poker Challenge. The newly renovated Circus Casino de Namur, in collaboration with PokerStars, set the stage for an unforgettable tournament. With a jaw-dropping guaranteed prize pool of €750,000 in the Main Event, the event would exceed all expectations, attracting 1332 entries, made by players from across Europe. As the chips flew and the cards were dealt, the stakes rose, leading to an impressive prize pool of €1,277,388. In this article, we delve into the electrifying atmosphere of the tournament, the fierce competition among players, and the enchanting city of Namur itself. Join us as we recount the excitement that unfolded during this remarkable edition of the Belgian Poker Challenge, powered by PokerStars.

The Main Event Win Goes to Algeria

Omar Lakhdari, a force to be reckoned with, emerged as the standout player at the final table of the Belgian Poker Challenge. Starting as the second chip leader, Lakhdari had his sights set on victory right from the beginning, and his determination paid off in spectacular fashion. As the final table unfolded, Lakhdari showcased his skills and strategic prowess, eliminating five out of eight opponents, including the last remaining female contender, Baho Hosseini from Germany, who secured a respectable 8th place and a cash prize of €24,770.

Notably, two Belgian players, David Janssen and Jérôme Balthazar, battled their way to the final nine. Janssen demonstrated a commendable performance, finishing in 4th place, while Balthazar secured the 9th spot. As the game intensified and the stakes grew higher, the last three contenders, Lakhdari, Tal Ohana from Australia, and Jerome Arnaud from France, each guaranteed themselves a life-changing sum of €92,100.

However, it was Lakhdari’s unyielding momentum that proved insurmountable for his opponents. With a formidable display of skill, he triumphed over all obstacles, capturing the prestigious trophy and a remarkable payday of €206,000.

Lakhdari’s victory serves as a testament to the unpredictable nature of poker, where key situations can often shape the outcome. With a series of favourable turns throughout the final table, Lakhdari capitalized on every opportunity that came his way, solidifying his status as a deserving champion.

It wasn’t the first Main Event win of Lakhdari, the player from Algeria has roughly been active for 15 years in the live poker circuit, resulting in €2.600.000 of total winnings. Three years ago he won another big event in Belgium, the WPTDS in Brussels for €92.000.

PlaceNameCountryPrize
#1Omar Lakhdari €206,000
#2Tal Ohana €129,000
#3Jérôme Arnaud €92,100
#4David Janssen €70,830
#5Benoit Grobocopatel €54,480
#6Arthur Thiriart €42,000
#7Paolo Calculli €32,300
#8Baho Hosseini €24,770
#9Jérôme Balthazar €19,073

Side Event Action

With plenty of Side Events on the schedule and big guaranteed prize pools set for these events, also the events alongside the Main Event reached their potential. The BPC Cup had a guarantee of  €50.000, and the BPC High Roller had a guaranteed prize pool of  €100.000. Here are all the results of the most notable side events, where we can see a couple of familiar names, including The Festival Series 2022 winner of Bratislava, Michel Molenaar from The Netherlands.

€2.200 High RollerNameCountryPrize
#1Eros Calderone €73,000
#2Raoul Refos €45,600
#3Antoine Vranken €32,500
#4Wesley Peinen €25,100
#5Christian Alilovic €19,285
#6Johnny Nedved €14,824
#7Eric Denizart €12,055
#8Mark Roovers €10,045
#9Jean Fong €8,370
€330 BPC CUPNameCountryPrize
#1Sebastien Matrige €31,827
#2Raf Ielegems €21,827
#3Kevin Schaefer €21,827
#4Francois Gauthier €21,827
#5Sabri Philips €10,710
#6Unknown €8,240
#7Christophe Colantoni €6,340
#8Unknown €4,870
#9Schayan Schakeri €3,754
€550 NLHENameCountryPrize
#1Michel Molenaar €24,800
#2Romain Louis €15,560
#3Michal Polchlopek €11,115
#4Andreas Puhl €8,560
#5Angelo Mancuso € 6,586
#6Dang Nguyen €5,135
#7Igor Lyubimov €4,280
#8Alexandra Quach €3,581
#9Vegard Melgalvis €3,150

After multiple Brazilian successes over the last year or so, as well as a conspicuous presence at the business end of some tough, high-profile online poker tournaments, the world of real money online poker continues to see its global map undergo something of a redesign, as poker demons from Brazil again showed the rest how it’s done in partypoker’s recent Sunday Party.

This edition of this popular fixture was given special MILLIONS Online KO treatment, meaning that as well as the tasty prize pool, which had been increased to a guaranteed $200,000 to mark the occasion, there was a worthy title up for grabs, too.

A total of 1,734 entries from around the world battled away for glory and their share of the booty but, in terms of national representation at the final table, the balance was noticeably tipped towards one particular country: Brazil.

Team partypoker’s Patrick Leonard and Matt Staples had thrown their hats into the ring, but it wasn’t to be (it’s not like they don’t get more than their fair share of success…), with both busting outside of the money, and without any bounties as consolation.

The Boys from Brazil

When proceedings eventually reached the last phase of this marathon Bounty Tournament the nine finalists featured four from the soccer-crazy nation. In fact, we can round the statistics off nicely by pointing out that 50% of the last surviving 10 players hailed from Brazil, the fifth – Bruno Oliveira – being eliminated one spot from the final table.

Fellow countryman, Tales Braga, was the first out, in ninth, but with three Brazilians still in contention, there was a good chance one of them would emerge victorious. And that’s exactly what happened, thus giving us another Brazilian name to follow…

MILLIONS Online KO #08: Sunday Party Final Table

PlacePlayerCountryBountiesPrizeTotal Prize
1Eduardo CustodioBrazil$9,227$12,709$21,936
2Kevin LebedaMalta$1,405$12,686$14,091
3Tom HallUnited Kingdom$1,493$8,183$9,676
4Luiz GordilhoBrazil$1,023$5,394$6,417
5Michael PanayiotouUnited Kingdom$2,157$3,662$5,819
6Tomas CytrynowiczBrazil$2,408$2,791$5,199
7Pablo Martin-RomoMexico$1,993$2,028$4,021
8Lasse EnjarviFinland$319$1,616$1,935
9Tales BragaBrazil$849$1,268$2,117


Mexico’s Pablo Martin-Romo managed to eliminate 15(!) opponents on their way to the final table.

With MILLIONS Online KO running until the end of May, you still have time to qualify at bargain prices for the remaining tournaments, including the $500,000 GTD Main Event. As well as a host of standard satellites, you can also try your hand in special SPINS qualifiers, where you can turn $20 into a shot at the big time, with tickets worth $55 up to $530 up for grabs in these exciting 3-player hyper-turbo tournaments.

Multiplier1st PrizeFrequency in 1M Games
2 $40 cash600,000
2.75$55 MILLIONS Online KO ticket315,000
5.45$109 MILLIONS Online KO ticket50,000
10.75$215 MILLIONS Online KO ticket25,000
16$320 MILLIONS Online KO ticket5,000
26.5$530 MILLIONS Online KO ticket5,000

Meanwhile, at PokerListings we aim to make life as easy as possible for our community, so check out the latest online poker bonuses and offers in our regularly updated info section. 

Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

When thinking about real money online poker it’s easy to get lost in the headline-grabbing, glitzy, all-bell-ringing aspect of the industry that sees vast sums won and new global stars made week after week. Of course, hosting tasty online poker tournaments and giving players qualifying routes to exciting mega-bucks live poker tournament experiences is becoming the norm nowadays.

But the industry wouldn’t thrive as well as it does without the many new and inexperienced poker players (including those in the future) who, during their formative period, make up the game’s engine room. Moreover, we should remember that today’s poker gods were at one point absolute beginners and learners who, as such, needed help in getting acquainted with poker.

While Juicy Stakes Poker is doing a great job of marrying online and live poker via ambitious promotions, it’s also a great poker room at which students of the game can develop their game while at the same time boosting their bankroll at literally no cost! This is partly thanks to the growing selection of Freeroll tournaments at Juicy Stakes Poker.

Pairing Freerolls With Famous Tournaments

Under the Freeroll tab in the Poker Lobby, you’ll find daily free-to-play tournaments in the usual schedule, while there are also ‘extra’ events running monthly. Furthermore, to connect recreational players with more serious poker, Juicy Stakes pays out Sunday Myriad satellite tickets to prize-winners in their Freeroll tournaments. Note that tickets won in Freerolls must be used within 14 days.   

Juicy Stakes Poker Sunday Myriad

Deposit With Bitcoin at Juicy Stakes Poker

The subject of banking might not be the most exciting when it comes to online poker, but it’s as important as any, nevertheless. If you don’t have confidence in this aspect of a poker site’s set-up, there’s no point joining. With this in mind, it’s interesting to look at how different operators approach financial transactions, and in this regard, Juicy Stakes leads the way in their forward-thinking.     

The latest feature that will interest today’s typical poker fan is the facility to use Bitcoin Cash as a deposit method, thus giving players the convenience of quicker transaction speeds, lower fees and high security – and (importantly) all the while guaranteeing anonymity.

It’s always handy to have a stable of go-to online poker rooms at your disposal, so we’ve put together a special list of the latest online poker bonuses and offers in our dedicated info section.

Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

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