Latest World Series of Poker News
Gray market sites and ‘app games’ have proliferated. Of course, once online poker exploded, all that stuff was penny ante. There was damn little money in poker – people who made their living in the game followed Canada Bill Jones’s axiom that, \”It’s immoral to let a sucker keep his money.\” These offers vary by platform and can be an excellent way for players to maximize their earnings. Yes, at Somuchpoker, you can find rakeback offers for most online poker rooms.
He went on to win that tournament for $2.5 million and helped spark the “Poker Boom.” Here’s a look at some of the most significant points in the history of the legality of poker in the US. Here’s a look at the various ways Black Friday impacted the poker industry as a whole. If you’ve been around poker, you’ve probably heard of Black Friday.

Legal online poker sites in the United States varies from state to state, but among the biggest are WSOP.com, PokerStars on FanDuel, BetMGM Poker, and BetRivers Poker. Instead, they must deal with each state individually, and only those states with applicable laws will allow online poker as part of their gaming offerings. Rising out of the ashes of poker’s Black Friday was the opportunity for state-regulated online poker sites.

New Jersey already has a well-established US online poker scene, but a new bill could shake things up this year. New York has flirted with online poker legislation for years, and 2025 is shaping up to be another big push. The timeline for player pooling is still up in the air, but early 2025 — likely April — is the target. If you’re a poker player wondering what’s happening in key states, you’re not alone.
That’s the regular sort of man and woman and not the cliched world view of people who love card games and esports. Veronica Brill has won her anti-SLAPP case against Mike Postle The poker pro failed to show up in court for the final hearing He will now have to pay $27,745 to Brill Victoria Brill has won an anti-SLAPP lawsuit against Mike Postle, who will now have to pay her $27,745 after dismissing the defamation lawsuit … Not knowing if they would ever see the money, many left poker and never returned. The Full Tilt roster at this time included poker heavyweights like Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Mike Matusow, John Juanda, Gus Hansen, Jen Harman, Erik Seidel and Patrik Antonius. Black Friday also revealed mismanagement of funds by the leading poker site Full Tilt Poker and its executives Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson, who at the time were among the most recognizable and respected faces in poker.
Why should American players come to play APTs? How is the competition different from American players? With his vibrant, playful personality both on and off the tables, he’s a star in demand by fans here as well, taking time away from the tables to chat and pose for pictures. Last time on Venom, a trip of big stars were on the marquee for the two final tables. We experimented with short-form videos, guest blogs from players, including how many blinds a player had, and even just invented a recap show no one at WPT ever asked for called Jess & BJ. When people remember the boom-era WSOP, they tend to focus on famous players and televised hands.
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.
One of the least populated states in the country, there are no casinos or racetracks in operation and residents must travel to outside states like Connecticut if they wish to gamble. The legality of these poker rooms remains under some dispute. Bars and taverns in South Dakota have a limited number of “video lottery terminals” that offer keno, blackjack, bingo, and video poker. The state does allow lotteries, in-state and multi-state drawings and “Charitable or House-Based Gambling,” but only under very strict definitions. South Carolina has some of the most stringent anti-gambling laws in the country and it is illegal to even own gambling devices. Legalized gambling in Rhode Island dates back to 1934 when voters approved parimutuel betting on horse races.
The very first WSOP online bracelet tournament was in 2015, with the $1,000 WSOP.com Online No-Limit Hold ‘Em won by Anthony Spinella over a field of 905 for $197,743. The first World Series took place in 1970 and featured no tournaments at all. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a live poker festival held every year in Las Vegas. We do not operate as an affiliate and do not earn from player activity. PokerNews produces and provides live play-by-play updates and chip counts for publication on the World Series of Poker website, as well as on PokerNews.com. GGPoker is running an exclusive WSOP Online series across 45 days of non-stop action, along with more than $350 million in tournament prizes and over $5 million in exclusive promotions.
Its schedule includes massive series like SCOOP and WCOOP, alongside daily events at every buy-in. 888poker has a friendly, low-pressure environment with plenty of freerolls and beginner-specific tables. Bet365 Poker offers a clean, reliable platform backed by one of the most trusted names in online gaming. If your goal is to win your way into live poker’s biggest stages, WPT Global makes that path straightforward and fun. PartyPoker, a legendary poker site with an impeccable reputation since the early 2000s, blends trusted longevity with a focus on fair, recreational-friendly play.
Playing on reputable sites with proper safeguards in place means you can focus on enjoying the game with peace of mind. The leading poker rooms have been operating for many years and are regulated by reputable gaming authorities. Use these features early to manage your time and budget just as you would in a live poker room. A poker site needs to be fast, stable, and easy to navigate, whether you’re multi-tabling on a PC or playing a quick Sit & Go on your phone. The best way to checkout and compare all the best online poker bonuses is to visit our dedicated bonus page. The best sites don’t just offer Texas Hold’em, they also feature Omaha, Sit & Gos, Mystery Bounty events, fast-fold poker, and other variants.
- That said, I’ll probably end up going, because I won both the $10K and $25K APT events in January, and each champion got a seat to the APT Main Event in November.
- There are many reasons to do so, and there are many ways to transition to real-money games without making a large investment or starting with a huge bankroll.
- McKeehen outlasted a wild final table that included Loni Hui, Darren Rabinowitz, Jose Nadal, Eddie Pak, and eventual runner-up David Greufe.
Check out the best no deposit online casino bonuses for August 2026. The easiest guide on the planet to play Texas hold’em poker Watch live poker on the PokerNews Twitch channel. Watch the best poker action at the partypoker live stream. 888poker has one of the best poker live streams in the world.

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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.
Nevada is one of the few states in the US that allows for legal, regulated online poker. If sports betting, with a far bigger market than online poker, can’t get any traction, there’s zero hope for online poker at the moment. Mississippi became one of the first states to jump on board the sports betting train, and it would seem online poker would be a natural fit.
There is no online poker in Oregon and the state has explicit anti-iGaming and anti-poker betting laws that prohibit online poker operators from accepting payments via the internet. Ohio lawmakers did legalize sports betting in 2021 but there has been little movement with online poker. The only live poker options are at the tribal casinos Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel. There is currently no legislation permitting online poker in North Carolina and there hasn’t been any movement in recent years to change that.
See his high-stakes Stake casino streams – $3K spins, bonus buys and crash – plus his full life story. CoinPoker’s GOPC Championship runs Aug 23-Sep 28 with a $50M guarantee, 700+ events and $350K added value. See how the Triton Poker Series reshaped high-stakes poker – Jeju’s record fields, Triton ONE, and next-gen broadcasting. Full 33-event schedule, a $25M Main Event, $5M+ in promos, and how to qualify cheaply.
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Overall, PKOs are a very enjoyable format where the gameplay is slightly more action-filled than a traditional MTT. Progressive knockouts have the same, basic concept where you get a cash prize (bounty) for busting another player, but with one crucial difference. WSOP.com andPartyPoker also have a good range of different Sit and Go tournaments, but they’re just pipped byGGPoker – which brings a unique style to their SnGs. The stakes are another great plus, with micro, low, medium and high-roller games all available.
I think I’m going to be more than prepared for whatever spots the final table brings. I’m also trying to make sure that I’m prepared for everything that gets thrown at me at the final table. How are you preparing for the Main Event final table?
The hope is that by combining the PokerStars brand familiar to North American customers with FanDuel’s sports and casino audience, the new platform will lead to larger fields and bigger prize pools for its tournaments and cash games. Integrating PokerStars into that ecosystem creates immediate cross-sell opportunities, funneling sports bettors and casino players into poker. Thousands upon thousands of poker players compete online from within the US every day. Our reviewers take many different factors into consideration when ranking the top sites for poker, and players can choose the ones they consider the “top” options. The most important consideration when starting to play real-money online poker is how much money to deposit. That is exactly what we aim to do – try them all and save players the hassle of opening accounts at every site, wasting time and money doing research that our experts are paid to do.
The best poker site to play Sit and Gos is PokerStars. In particular, you’ll find plenty of featured tournaments throughout each day, which all have boosted prize pools and effective structures. The industry giant leads the way when it comes to mixed games, offering a range of Razz, Stud, Omaha and more variant MTTs.
The online poker landscape in the US is constantly changing, but here at PokerNews we aim to keep you atop all the latest developments so you can have a great experience at the best online poker sites in the US. “It’s a very competitive arena, whether you’re talking about igaming or online poker,” Addabbo said. Progressive Knockout (PKO) events pay bounties when you eliminate players—and your own bounty grows with each knockout.
The platform is hosting two distinct Sunday Million tournaments, each boasting a $500,000 guarantee. This $150,000 GTD freeroll festival is designed to be accessible to everyone, with four free tickets credited to every player’s account daily. Originally announced last month, the move will create a single, unified home for poker, casino, and sports betting in North America. Click on an individual event and you’ll be taken straight to the tournament coverage.

Just ask Philip Hilm, who started as the 2007 Main Event final table chip leader and ended up being the first out. The 2026 WSOP Main Event final table runs Monday through Wednesday. At the end of the day, depending on how I do, I want to play the big, staged events, like the WPT Championship at the Wynn. And compared to the no-limit games, we’re always joking around.

GGPoker’s comprehensive tournament schedule once again plays trumps in this case, as it offers a wide range of different turbo and hyper tournaments. There’s more action, since players must be more aggressive or face swift blind increases that fatally deteriorate their stacks. However, the guarantees on these daily tournaments tend to be lower than 888poker’s rivals. 888poker is one online poker site that has embraced the mystery bounty craze. Mystery bounty poker tournaments take the basic concept of a KO MTT and add an extra element of fortune and excitement.
Most sites, such as PokerStars on FanDuel, allow players to get the online poker experience for free by playing in play money ring games and tournaments. It consistently ranks as the world’s largest online poker room, with tens of thousands of players active at any time across cash games, tournaments, and unique formats like Rush & Cash and All-In or Fold. Some sites share online poker liquidity with others on the same network to offer more games and larger tournament fields, while others work to attract more players to their standalone sites.
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In just over an hour on Wednesday night, poker history was made. That will be rectified this week as the crème of the European poker world goes to one of its favorite locations, the Casino Barcelona in Spain. All operators listed by PokerListings are licensed and safe to play at.
New York isn’t the only state looking at online poker this year as seven other states have introduced similar legislation. Of all the states looking to legalize online poker, New York stands out as one of the biggest states in the country that could bring much-needed shared liquidity to US online poker. After three years of failing to get online poker through the state legislature, New York’s Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. is back asking lawmakers to bring online poker to the state’s nearly 20 million residents.
Here you can see PokerNews live reporting from past events. For the 8th time in their history, America’s Cardroom (ACR) will be running their massive Venom PKO event. Track the board, the player type, the stack sizes, the sizing you used, and whether your line made sense.
It also means you know you’ll get your money when you’re ready to make a withdrawal. To stay extra safe, always create strong, unique passwords for your poker accounts, enable two-factor authentication whenever possible, and keep your device software up to date. Playing responsibly keeps poker enjoyable and sustainable for everyone. If you ever feel that your play is becoming difficult to manage, take a short break and reach out to a local support service for help.
I had 5K chips in this tournament when the big blind was 500. I’m not where I want to be poker-wise; I’m not where I want to pokernewsdaily.com be in life. Then I slowly started to realize that sometimes I have no control over the result. It really took a toll on me for a long time. From the start, I wasn’t playing the Main Event to get twenty-third or eighteenth. People see this one event, ‘He’s twenty-two, he just gets gifted this spot worth millions of dollars.’ But I was in there competing in events after I turned eighteen.
