History of the World Series of Poker Main Event

Online Poker News & Industry Updates

Nevada and Delaware both passed legislation legalizing online poker in 2013 and other states followed suit over the next decade including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Michigan. But it would take several years for millions of dollars to be paid back to Full Tilt players. However, Full Tilt only had $60 million on deposit in its bank accounts, meaning over $300 million was still owed to players worldwide. The complaint alleged that, as of March 2011, Full Tilt Poker owed approximately $390 million in player funds around the world, including $150 million to US players. The US Attorney’s Office amended its complaint to allege that Full Tilt Poker was a Ponzi scheme that Raymond Bitar, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Rafe Furst used to defraud players. On April 20th, both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars reached an agreement with the Department of Justice that allowed them to regain the use of their dot-com sites to help distribute player funds.

Even if I win this thing, can I get back to the final table again? It’s one thing to make the Main final table once and one thing to win. Most tournaments don’t go outside of day five, so hopefully I can make another run like Joe Cada did.

However, it was only in June 2025 that residents of West Virginia had a legal and regulated platform on which they are able to play, following the launch of BetRivers Poker. Among Washington state casinos are Muckleshoot Casino, Tulalip Resort Casino and Emerald Queen Casino, to name just a few. There are nearly three dozen casinos in Washington operated by more than two dozen different tribes. Charities are permitted to hold bingo, raffles, and casino nights.

This product consolidation isn’t growing the game. But some people don’t have time for the stream. As your own questions to me attest, being a tournament reporter was always considered this horrible grunt work. The fact these episodes are lost to time guts me, as I would give a lot to be able to go back and listen. Getting to share some of the stories from a tournament day that weren’t the headlines but were memorable nonetheless was a very special opportunity. Out of all the work that I did in poker, getting asked to be part of Poker Road Radio was always the work I remember most fondly.

The bill also includes online casino games and pari-mutuel wagering, meaning it covers a broad range of online gambling options. Unlike New York’s proposal, this bill explicitly includes a provision for player pooling with other states, making it a much more promising prospect for online poker. Joe McKeehen won the $5,300 SHRPO Championship for $462,600, while three players made poker history by winning four events each at the 2026 festival.

This gives beginners more of a genuine chance to compete and win in both cash games and tournaments. The poker site features good cash game liquidity and steady MTT schedules, plus shared player pools for better traffic. Backed by GGPoker and the iconic World Series of Poker, WSOP Online offers a mix of cash games and marquee events like Online Circuit and Bracelet series.

There’s also plenty of juicy cash game action for players at all bankroll and skill levels. Its tournaments are well-structured, with a mix of progressive knockouts, daily guarantees, and satellites to popular live events like the PartyPoker MILLIONS. Because it attracts players from across 888’s casino and sportsbook, the action is never-ending.

Banned in Tennessee Three states – Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Iowa – have recently taken legislative action against sweepstakes casino sites as pressure for the sites to comply with state laws ramps up. A new trend in tournament poker is sparking discussion, to the point that it could come up at the 2026 meeting of… Read more » After a Monday night that seemed like it would last forever, it was a rather rapid Tuesday for the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table.

Just before the flight started, a cement truck ran into a power line right outside of the venue, knocking out the electricity in the entire casino. Justin Hammer talks about the first flight of the RunGood Finale series being cancelled due to a power outage and how they went about figuring out whether to honor the guarantee. \”2004 was the only time where I felt like I am the best at this. I won like $4.5 million – the biggest buy-in was $10K.\” And he did so in an era of poker when five-figure buy-ins were far from the norm.

There is no online or live poker in Vermont and state lawmakers are unlikely to consider changing that in the near future. Online casinos and sports betting are also forbidden and the Beehive State as the law prohibits citizens from betting anything of value “on the outcome of a contest, game, scheme, or gaming device.” South Dakota does allow casinos and poker on tribal lands and the city of Deadwood is a historically important poker site as it is where James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok played the “dead man’s hand” before being killed in 1876. There is no online poker in South Dakota and it isn’t something lawmakers have considered in recent years. However, although it became the eighth state to legalize online poker, regulated platforms haven’t launched there just yet. PA, MI and NJ all migrated, meaning PokerStars on FanDuel players from the three states will compete with one another in a shared, multi-state player pool.

History of the World Series of Poker Main Event

888poker LIVE will return to Glasgow with a packed schedule, highlighted by a £250K Main Event and a full week of tournaments for both locals and visiting players. Rania Nasreddine is one of nine players still chasing the title in the WSOP $1,500 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em event, while Michel Molenaar leads the final table race and Daniel Negreanu remains in contention. Gamblers Connect covers the operators, tournament series, software providers, regulation and major moves shaping live and online poker. Show’s over in Arizona ClubWPT Gold has withdrawn from the Arizona online poker market, giving players just a few days to submit prize redemption requests. Well over one million online poker players have taken advantage of PokerListings’ exclusive sign-up deals and we’ve paid out several million dollars in freerolls over the past years.

PokerStars on Betfair: New Co-Branded Offer for Players in UK

Pennsylvania PokerStars players can still play PokerStars from their state, but must do so on FanDuel Poker by signing up for a FanDuel account. The first legal poker site in the state, PokerStars PA, went live in 2019 and other sites followed suit in 2021, including WSOP PA and BetMGM Poker PA. Online poker has been legal in Pennsylvania since 2017 when lawmakers www.pokernewsdaily.com passed HB 271, which also legalized other forms of online gambling. Additionally, Oregon does not regulate lawful poker rooms outside of charity games and real cash poker betting facilities.

Medium stacks often play conservatively to lock in a cash. The bubble (just before the money) is where strategy shifts. As blinds increase and stacks shrink relative to blinds, stealing becomes profitable. ”You can’t win the tournament in Level 1, but you can definitely lose it.” Good bankroll management and solid tournament strategy will take you a long way. Once you’ve found your game, register and take your seat.

During the live stream the last two days it seemed you were playing pretty tight. To say Mueller is overjoyed at his journey to this year’s Main Event final table would be a big understatement. The former pro learned the game while traveling between cities and found that many of the same qualities that made him successful on the ice carried over into poker. Professional player, coach, and author Alex Fitzgerald shares the four questions you to ask yourself when you are deciding whether to bet. That tournament is just so great to play. It felt like I was playing a home game with friends.

• But sometimes for me the smallest pots are the most fun.
• Online poker has been legal in Pennsylvania since 2017 when lawmakers passed HB 271, which also legalized other forms of online gambling.
• On the flip side, I think poker tours consolidating media in house or to official contractors has really killed the rest of poker content.
• That’s why I’ll join APT events as often as my schedule allows.
• The best poker sites for real money are PokerStars and GGPoker.

In 2014, a tribal casino in Coeur D’Alene opened a live poker room, but the state fought to have it shut down and eventually won the case. Even worse, poker players in Idaho don’t have any nearby places to travel outside of Eastern Washington and Northern Nevada (Reno/Tahoe), but those are a bit of a hike. As for live poker, there are two major card rooms in the state, both of which you’ve probably heard about – Mohegan Sun and the legendary Foxwoods Casino, which has long been home to some of the biggest games in the northeast. Unfortunately, for those who live outside the continental United States, there isn’t much optimism that online poker or live poker will become legal in the near future. The state of online poker varies from state to state due to a number of factors including state laws, gaming interests, and of course, politics.

And lastly, I think Greg ‘FBT’ Mueller played very, very tight at the final two tables, but that was a bit of an over-adjustment. I think it’s clear Jumalon is the favorite, and as long as he can play a good final table, he should secure a nice payday. Poker pros predict who will win the 2026 WSOP Main Event as Lucas Jumalon leads the final table into poker’s biggest showdown. And I’ve been receiving so many nice tweets and shout-outs from a lot of well-respected players; Matusow, Hellmuth, David Baker, Alex Livingston, the list goes on. I’m asking players their pick to win, and many of the older guys are rooting for you.

If a player is participating in a tournament that PokerNews is live reporting from, he or she can update his or her own chip counts, post comments, and share photos with other PokerNews readers from around the world. The season ending 888poker LIVE London festival is a couple of months away, and the operator is looking to send as many players as possible to the Main Event. The new WSOPC Circuit Online series is offering 12 WSOP Ring events and a $250k guaranteed Main Event, while a half-price Sunday on Aug 16 brings the best weekly tournaments at discounted prices. We posted a lot of videos on social media to reach out to all the area’s poker players. Day 2 is scheduled to play until the bubble bursts, at which point the surviving players will bag up for Day 3, where they’ll join the 39 players who advanced from the Natural 8 ‘Onlive’ flight.

Backed by a respected casino brand and offering easy access to promotions and support, you can’t go wrong with Borgata Poker. The only site where you can win real WSOP bracelets online in the United States is WSOP Online. The WPT Global deposit bonus and free tournament tickets are generous, but the real appeal lies in its tournament ecosystem. PartyPoker is ideal if you want balanced action, steady rewards, and a friendly environment without predatory play.

Sorry, no real money games are currently available in your region, but you can play these Free Online Games If things stay fragmented, players will be the ones who suffer most — grey zone sites, weak oversight, and fraud. 2025 is more than just another chapter in online poker’s legal battles — it is an important turning point for the game’s sustainability. Regulation, even the most favourable, means nothing if players don’t trust the poker platforms. When Pennsylvania joined in 2025, it proved the point — player pools grew, games flowed, and everyone won. For poker players, the key takeaway is that change is happening.

Regardless of the WPT’s game plan, Las Vegas will be here, and we will be playing poker either way. A few days later, Super High Roller Bowl XI rolls out on Oct. 8 with a $103,000 buy-in for no-limit hold’em players. Most other poker rooms around town will have a regular offering of daily tournaments, and they can be convenient if you are staying nearby. After just over eight hours of play, with the field three eliminations away from the money, it was time for what would be a lengthy two-and-a-half-hour session of hand-for-hand play to burst the bubble. By night’s end here at Paradise City Casino, 207 players had secured at least $2,700 from the $2,148,960 prize pool – more than double the $1 million guarantee.

The platform will form one of the largest regulated online poker networks in North America, with Aaron Dugan, General Manager of PokerStars at FanDuel, looking forward to welcoming players to the table. We cover live news from tournaments, conduct interviews with top players and provide guides on local poker regulations, venues and services. A good place to start is to read our ultimate poker strategy guide and then practice with play money online poker games.

It’s a great place to learn, practice, and build a bankroll while enjoying relaxed, social games. The games are soft, the layout is clear, and freerolls run constantly. Multi-tabling is seamless, the PokerStars mobile app is excellent, and the competition ranges from fun home-game style tables to pro-heavy. You can jump into cash games from as little as $0.01/$0.02, or chase six-figure prizes every weekend. Read on to find what the best poker sites are in your region, or click below to quickly navigate you the relevant section for you. Use our online tools and play responsibly.

This is one of the most undervalued situations in the game today. Almost everybody calls way too much out of the big blind and then does not play that spot very well. Get used to playing like you have ammunition. “It’s not like in physical sports, where you see someone dart across the field and maybe do something fantastic in a ballgame. It’s translating poker’s invisible psychology into a single-panel illustration.

“The launch of PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel brings together two of the most iconic names in gaming” There you can access all the results and photos from each event. The 5th Global Poker Awards will take place, live on PokerGO, on Saturday, February 24th, 2024. ACR Poker revealed that Dwan will be playing on the site under… Over time, the truth will become obvious.

More work will need to be done in addition to the passing of this legislation before Maine players can join forces with other states. Maine joins Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, and Rhode Islandand Connecticut as the only states to have cleared the path for legal, regulated online poker. Maine has officially joined the ranks of U.S. states offering legal online poker, becoming the ninth state in the nation to authorize online poker. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. On top of that, the top three finishers will each receive a $30,000 GGMillion$ package, adding even more value to one of the biggest online tournaments of the year. GGPoker players are also in for a treat, as GGMillion$ Week officially opens this Sunday.

The more poker hands you play, the more points you earn and point will mean real money prizes! PokerStars is my pick for the best poker site for tournaments. If you want guaranteed prize pools and endless variety, this is where to play – especially if you’re a mixed-game fan, given the extensive array of poker variants available. If one thing sets BetRivers Poker out from the rest, it’s the genuine push to reward loyalty and build an environment that is truly tailored to players’ needs.

Ohio was a hotbed for illicit gambling in the early 1900s until 1990 when casino legalization was first introduced to the state. Online poker was late to the game and was legalized in New Jersey in 2013 after poker’s Black Friday two years prior. It’s also the only Nevada-based site to allow you to compete in online bracelet events for a chance at a coveted gold bracelet. As one of the most gambling-averse states, there are very few states further away from legalizing online gambling than Nebraska. But while Montana is pretty relaxed when it comes to many forms of gambling, the same can’t be said about online gambling.

Meanwhile, some states have long embraced poker such as Nevada, New Jersey, and Louisiana. Find out more about the poker scene in each of those six states. Online poker is also legal in Connecticut, Maine and Rhode Island, but as of 2026 no operator has decided to launch there. Be sure to check out the schedules for upcoming events, and come back again soon for the latest updates and information! PokerNews is getting ready to report on the following events and festivals.

While the law is now in place, no regulated online poker sites are operating in Maine yet. The state became the ninth in the US to legalize real-money online poker after LD 1164 became law. What we mean by that is online poker isn’t legal in any form and there aren’t any licensed or regulated poker sites within the Hawkeye State. Illinois isn’t an anti-gambling state, they just haven’t caught on with the online poker. That put an end to an end to any live poker in Idaho outside of the illegal, unregulated underground games.

Check out our poker room and casino reviews, where we cover the latest promotions, bonuses, and rakeback deals. It depends on the poker room, type of game, promotions, and various other factors. We have an international team of reporters who cover live events and produce exclusive content. While Somuchpoker.com covers poker news globally, our primary focus is on the Asian region especially regarding live coverages. He SHFL Lottery is a weekly, provably fair crypto lottery on Shuffle Casino – live prize pool, Powerplay odds and 100% RTP staking. “I used to call Pennsylvania home, and it played an important part in my early poker career. I can’t wait to log in and get in the mix,” Elias said.