Category Archives: Poker

The death of a man who was struck by a car last week outside a Riverside poker club is confirmed a homicide.

David Mills, 58, was identified Friday by Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger as the man who died Monday at Miami Valley Hospital.

Riverside police and medics responded around 11:15 p.m. Oct. 4 to the parking lot of The Poker Hub at 5520 Burkhardt Road on a report of a disturbance.

A 911 caller told dispatchers a couple was outside fighting when two people in a vehicle ran over a man, later identified as Mills, according to Huber Heights Communications Center records.

Hes barely moving, the caller said. Hes on the ground.

The people in the vehicle fled the scene.

When officers arrived, they found Mills with a head injury, as well as other injuries, said Riverside police Maj. Matthew Sturgeon.

Mr. Mills death has been confirmed a homicide. Furthermore, this has been our investigative approach from the moment it happened, Sturgeon said Friday.

No arrest has been made, but Sturgeon said detectives are making great headway in this investigation and have interviewed multiple persons of interest.

The investigation is open and ongoing.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Riverside Police Department at 937-233-1801 or dispatch at 937-233-2080 or email at police@riversideoh.gov.

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Man hit by car outside Riverside poker club ID'd; death 'confirmed a homicide' - Dayton Daily News

As the gambling and entertainment capital of the world, there is never a shortage of interesting things to do in Las Vegas. But a new attraction, a 366-foot tall, $2.3 billion ball wrapped in 560,000 square feet LED screens that looms in the horizon of the Las Vegas Strip, may have taken entertainment in the city to a whole new level.

The Sphere at the Venetian Resort, which opened on Sept. 29, is a giant spherical entertainment venue (it holds 18,000 people) that Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) has billed as "a revolutionary venue to enjoy immersive shows, concerts, and events like never before."

With its rotation of bright, dizzying displays a gasping yellow emoji, a bright-white full moon, a hyperrealistic human eyeball it is difficult not to be enthralled by the captivating pull of the entertainment venue straight out of a sci-fi novel.

The interior of the giant mystical orb, which PokerNews got a glimpse of on Oct. 6 at the premiere showing of Darren Aronofsky's Postcard From Earth, is equally as captivating and should be checked out by Las Vegas visitors, including the tens of thousands of poker players who find themselves in Las Vegas every summer for the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

Read About The Top Things To Do In Las Vegas!

A week after the Sphere opened its doors with the first performance of U2's residency U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, Postcard From Earth, an immersive blend of science fiction and wildlife filmmaking that explores Earth through the eyes of two humans, premiered for an audience of over 5,000.

Around 7 p.m. on a warm Friday evening in Las Vegas, those attendees couples, groups of couples and families, made their way through a winding line at the base of the massive ball that, at close proximity, appeared to have the porous texture of a glowing and pulsating strawberry.

Those who survived the line were ushered into the inner base of the Sphere, a blue-lit atrium guarded by a half dozen humanoid robots named Aura that serve as interactive guides. One of those metallic humanoids reached out a hand and locked eyes with a giggling child as cell phone-equipped spectators documented the extra-human interaction.

After a trip up a set of escalators (two or three escalators for those on the upper decks), attendees disappeared into another layer of the Sphere and through a black hallway plastered with soundproof foam and were greeted by a screen of oscillating pink and white light at the center of the futuristic coliseum.

As 8 p.m. rolled around and the last of the attendees found their seats, Postcard From Earth Director Darren Aronofsky, who was in attendance for the premiere, prepared the eager audience for what he called "a real historical moment."

"No one has ever seen 18K images before," the Mother! and The Whale director told the crowd. "There (are) 500,000 gigabytes of data that were about to flood you with for the next 50 minutes."

What followed Aronofsky's introduction was a true flood of overwhelming imagery that made a Pink Floyd light show look like an ensemble of kindergarteners with a box of laser pointers.

The film begins with a man and woman, Fang and Byron (respectively portrayed by Arielle Jacobs and Brandon Santana), sleeping in pods as they float through outer space. They are awoken by a narrator who informs them Earth has become desolate due to overdevelopment and that all life on Earth has perished.

The narrator, Zaya, then takes Fang and Byron and the audience on a journey through the oceans, jungles and tundras of Earth's "past," made possible through stunning drone footage, 360 video and seat-vibrating technology that makes viewers forget they are inside a giant ball in the middle of the Nevada desert.

An endless school of fish moving through the water like a cyclone; a towering elephant inching toward the screen and appearing to "walk" over viewers; a green and red chameleon resting on a jungle branch before locking its eyes and shooting its tongue to capture its unsuspecting prey.

The imagery then breaks from nature and explores the wondrous creations of humanity, from pious temples to looming skyscrapers a state-of-the-art concert hall that give the film an appropriate meta aspect.

Things then take a turn as the church pillars transition to smoke plumes, pillaged cities and other visual representations of the dark side of humanity and modernity. However, the film concludes on a positive note, with Fang and Byron returning to Earth to replenish the scorched soil and save both humanity and life as a whole.

Given that it is located in the poker capital of the world, it shouldn't be surprising that a few prominent poker players quickly found themselves captivated by Las Vegas' latest novelty.

Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel, a player with a deep passion for creative arts, attended one of the first U2 shows at the Sphere and said it was "like nothing else Ive ever seen."

Poker commentator and comedian Joe Stapleton, meanwhile, also expressed interest in checking out the new attraction.

Then there's the question of whether poker will ever be played in the Sphere, perhaps similar to the World Poker Tour (WPT) final table spectacles that take place inside the dazzling HyperX Esports Arena.

It is a possibility as the Las Vegas-Review quoted MSG Sphere President Lucas Watson in May 2022 as stating that the Sphere would be equipped to host esports tournaments and athletic events.

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Take A Look Inside the Las Vegas Sphere; Will Poker Be Played There? - PokerNews.com

PokerStars announced earlier this year that an exciting program created for women to learn more about poker would return in 2023, and it will now culminate in a special Showdown tournament at the currently underway European Poker Tour (EPT) Cyprus stop.

The Womens Bootcamp, in partnership with Poker Power, is aimed at beginners who will then be mentored by PokerStars ambassadors including Jen Shahade, Lali Tournier and Georgina GJReggie James.

The final recruits battled it out in Home Games Tournaments, where the winners were awarded the chance to travel to Cyprus and compete in the ultimate Showdown, which is slated to take place on Oct. 18.

The winner of the Showdown tournament in Cyprus will be awarded a full package to EPT Prague in December, giving them a chance to chase life-changing money at the final EPT stop of the 2023 season.

Were delighted to be joining forces with Poker Power for the second year and continue developing our commitment to encouraging women into poker," said Rebecca McAdam Willetts, PokerStars' Director of Partnerships, PR, and Consumer Engagement. "We are doubling the length of our Bootcamp to eight weeks, and we will not only teach women how to play poker, but also provide them with skills that can be applied to their daily lives.

According to research by PokerStars in the United Kingdom, 42 percent of women who play poker believe the game brings improved focus and concentration while 38 percent believe it could improve their ability to make decisions. Despite this, over half of women surveyed (55 percent) said they feel that poker is not inclusive.

Here's a look at the women that will be competing in the PokerStars x Poker Power Womens Bootcamp Showdown in Cyprus.

Learn More About the Women's Bootcamp!

Born and raised in Germany, Yvonne Mai moved to New York and then London, where she received her Marketing degree the first in her family to do so. With a degree under her belt, she followed her dreams to become an actress, starring in hit TV shows, independent films, and Hollywood action movies. She loves to try new things and push boundaries, keeping in mind her personality, her friend, Alexandra OBrien suggested she try poker. Yvonne feels intimidated in the beginning, with many different moving pieces to watch out for in both the online and live games. Once she got the hang of it, her confidence grew and she enjoyed playing poker more than she thought she would winning her first tournament and came first in stack size. She is in it to win it.

23-year-old Laura Lebailly is from France, and is about to start her final year in Business School (Luxury Marketing). She has always been intrigued about poker especially the rules and strategies but have always thought it too difficult. She started to learn more when she read a book about poker, and wished to play poker both online and live ever since. She learnt about the Women Bootcamp when reading an article by PokerStars on their website, and is excited to attend EPT Cyprus to learn more about poker and improve her skills.

Katie Hopkins is from the suburbs of Philadelphia and is working as an Associate General Counsel at Nasdaq, focusing on securities law. She is first introduced to poker via a golf group she is involved in (Fore the Ladies) and Nasdaq in an intro session by Poker Power. She thought that it was the perfect time to dive in and try poker when she saw the Womens Bootcamp opportunity as she was injured due to a stress fracture in her foot, which means that her usual hobbies of running and doing triathlons were off the table. She now loved poker and have added it to her list of hobbies.

Drea Renee is a poker personality and reporter who came from San Antonio, Texas, but has been residing in Los Angeles for over a decade. Her involvement in the poker industry began 14 years ago when she worked as a massage therapist in poker rooms. She transitioned into sideline reporting about seven years ago, thanks to the encouragement and guidance of Maria Ho, a prominent figure in the poker world. Throughout her career, Drea Renee has been associated with various poker-related projects and events. She has worked for the Heartland Poker Tour, hosted episodes of Poker After Dark, and had her own show on PokerGo called Deep Issues. On her show, she conducted interviews with notable poker personalities such as Kevin Hart, Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Tilly, and Phil Hellmuth. During her longtime involvement in the poker industry, she developed a personal interest in playing poker. She initially dipped her toes into the poker scene by participating in charity events. With the support of Poker Power and PokerStars, she is preparing to make a more substantial foray into playing poker professionally, making her an emerging player to keep an eye on in the poker world.

Sabrina Chevannes is a former professional chess player who is now running a creative agency. She decided to learn poker to improve her decision-making and how to handle failure and losses better. In just a few weeks of the bootcamp, she has changed the way she approached her business, and she is able to assess things better with little information available. She finds learning poker more difficult than chess, and constantly reading about the comparisons between the two. With poker, she realises that there is a lot of variances, and she needs to adapt to peoples strategies. While it is similar to chess, there is usually a right or wrong answer in chess. Poker is also more flexible than chess. She is really enjoying her poker journey thus far, and is excited to keep on learning and see where it can take her.

28-year-old Katerena Nowosad is from Leeds and is an accountant for a financial services company. She has always had a strong interest in poker and have friends who would regularly play at university but she has never joined as she felt like she did not have the right skills or knowledge. She has enjoyed her poker journey with PokerStars and Poker Power, and loved attending the weekly sessions and learning about the different skills, techniques, and strategies to improve as a player. She has also enjoyed playing on the PokerStars app between home games, and learn how different players approach the game. She is looking forward to EPT Cyprus to compete in her first live game with other Womens Bootcamp attendees.

Patrice is a business leader whose drive and determination are deeply influenced by her Caribbean heritage. With a strong foundation in finance and commercial sectors, she has gracefully navigated her way through leadership roles at British Airways, Royal Mail, and Virgin Atlantic. On top of these, she is also a certified Executive Coach who is all about heart-led leadership. In 2022, she took a leap of faith and fully invested in her Leadership Development and Commercial consultancy, Eminere. She focuses on creating leadership teams that only excel but also reflect the diversity of the world. She is the maestro in reverse mentoring, amplifying voices that deserve to be heard, and making a lasting impact. She met Jen Shahade in May and was inspired by her to join the launch of the Womens Bootcamp in June and came second. This fuelled her to participate in the 8 week bootcamp and hone her skills. She is looking forward to play poker live in Cyprus.

Jennifer Jenny Larsen began her Poker Power journey after conducting a quick search for fun ways to develop her leadership skills. Having grown up with amazing support from her parents, family, and teachers; she knew that life could be challenging, and maintained a stubborn determination to get the job done in order to achieve her goals. During the one-hour virtual poker lessons, she quickly saw how being aggressive at the poker table could develop her assertiveness in the Board Room, and is most grateful for how discipline in the game has helped her to better choose her battles in life! Jenny enjoys living as full a life as possible, filled with gratitude and positivity, seeing the best in people, and saying yes to opportunities and adventures!

Ines Lafosse is a photographer, content writer and trained hotelier. Born in Argentina, Ines fell in love with Brazil after visiting Rio De Janeiro in 2017. Now Brazil is her most frequented destination. Through her social media she covers the following topics: travel destinations, accommodation, ecotourism, extreme sports and photography.

Ines's Poker Journey: I started playing on the Pokerstars event in the Bahamas and I was so excited to be playing poker live. Was amazing to experience the feelings around all the players. After this, I was available to participate in the Women's Bootcamp and I learned so much. It makes a big difference in my decisions in life and playing poker.

Ive somehow reached my mid-fifties and have spent the last twenty years building up a business that teaches people how to buy and sell Microsoft licenses. Its a complex subject but I love taking difficult-to-understand things and making them comprehensible to people. That must be why I originally trained as a maths teacher. I live by myself, which gives me plenty of time for a whole range of hobbies I love cooking, playing the piano, and Ill have a go at any craft, with paper crafting being my current favourite. New hobbies this year include learning Spanish to take my GCSE next year (!) and, of course, poker.

One of my best friends has played poker for years, winning entry to tournaments all over the world, but it was never something I considered trying myself. Then, this summer I read a book where the female lead character was a poker player. I didnt understand all the terminology that was used as it described her games, but it kindled a desire within me to learn how to play. I love learning new things and so I found the PokerStars online training and started to work through that. Then I came across the opportunity to apply to join the Womens Bootcamp.

It was the perfect timing! Id literally been learning for a week or two and then the bootcamp came along. I loved the Poker Power app to teach the basics and I played the bots in practice mode every lunchtime and evening. The first home game was a bit of a shock playing on the PokerStars app but after that I started playing the micro stakes games and won the very first one I tried. Obviously, it wasnt quite that easy after that and Ive made lots of mistakes as Ive carried on learning.

*Images courtesy of PokerStars

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Meet the Women of the PokerStars x Poker Power Women's Bootcamp Showdown - PokerNews.com

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On the trail: Playing poker with pheasants | Outdoors ... - La Grande Observer

An alleged fraudster is accused of pitting two prominent Hustler Casino Live regulars against each other to run an elaborate scam.

Benjamin "Blank Check Ben" Lee and "Wes Side" Wesley Fei, both polarizing figures on the show, have an admitted tense relationship. But the poker players are putting their differences aside to expose someone they believe has extorted them both, which Lee explained via his own blog post.

In August, an anonymous person made some accusations against Wesley in a WordPress blog post, claiming the poker player got him for $250,000 in a cryptocurrency scheme in early 2022.

The anonymous individual then contacted Lee on Instagram to inform him about the supposed crypto scam. Being a proponent of justice and having a disdain for the alleged scammer, as he explained in the blog post, Lee decided to listen to the apparent victim to find out the details.

As the two began to speak, the anonymous person told Lee that he was embarking on a project to expose Wesley's crimes publicly and that he needed financial assistance in doing so. Initially, he refused the request, but then months later things took a turn when the anon victim informed Lee that after Wesley had somehow gotten word of the project, Wesley flipped the script and offered the person who accused him of a scam $35,000 to expose Lee as the "originator of this campaign of character assassination."

Concerned that the accuser could harm his reputation, he offered to help fund the project to expose Wesley even though he knew he was being pitted against his Hustler Casino Live rival in a bidding war.

He first sent a $1,000 wire transfer, and that is where he discovered the anonymous person he'd been communicating with is Russell Thamer, a London-based recruiter for a financial firm.

In the anonymous blog, the author accused Wesley of sending "thugs" to burglarize his home and allegedly admitted to it after the supposed incident took place. Wesley sent out a tweet denying the allegations and hinted that Lee was behind the accusations. At around the same time, Lee wired another $1,500 to fund the project.

Around the same time, Thamer informed Lee that he'd been contacted by someone who claimed to have evidence that Wesley, who is from China, committed immigration fraud in the United States. But he required an 80,000 payment to turn over the evidence. Thamer asked Lee for the money, but the offer was declined. He then came back and claimed he'd negotiated a smaller amount for the evidence, to which Lee also refused to pay.

Jack-Four One Year Anniversary: Live-Stream Poker's Most Infamous and Insane Hand Ever

Following the release of the anonymous blog post, Thamer claimed he'd received threatening voicemails and that he was being stalked, perhaps by Wesley's hired goons. Upon hearing about the threats, Lee felt concern for his own safety, so he hired security to patrol his Los Angeles home, and then he sent another 22,500 in cryptocurrency to get his hands on the supposed immigration fraud evidence so that he could bring Wesley to justice the crimes he'd allegedly committed.

But then a request for additional funds came hours later, and the following day he discovered the documents didn't even exist. Lee would then contact Hustler Casino Live co-owner Ryan Feldman to discuss the matter and set up a meeting with Wesley.

The following day, Lee and the poker player he'd been beefing with for months met to compare evidence (text messages and voice recordings). It was then that they both discovered they'd been scammed and pitted against each other by someone who likely took advantage of their disdain for each other.

In September, Wesley shared with PokerNews a WhatsApp conversation with the then anonymous person, which are visible below and clearly show the attempted scheme to pit the poker players against each other for financial gain.

Both Lee and Wesley have shared proof that Thamer attempted to extort and blackmail them even after his scam was exposed.

"He tugged at my heartstrings and led me to believe that he had lost his entire life savings Wesley's crypto scam," Lee told PokerNews. "Additionally, he also convinced me that his personal safety was at risk. This was when I sent him the GBP 30,000."

Wesley explained that the two have since become friends as they learned that they were being extorted and pitted against each other. For further details about Thamer and his alleged scam, visit ScamClarification.com.

Check out the Hustler Casino Poker Room review here on PokerNews!

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Fraudster Allegedly Extorted Money from Two Hustler Casino Live ... - PokerNews.com

After three days of play, the RunGood Poker Series $600 Main Event at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma has come to a close after over 12 hours of play on the final day. The total number of players from all three flights came to 499 entries, creating a $260,000 prize pool that almost tripled the $100,000 guarantee that the event promised.

After navigating through a tough final day, Tyler Barnes stood alone atop the field, claiming the title, the championship ring and the $52,692 first-place prize. Adding to the champion's purse in a big way is the addition of the Dream Seat package, which provides a full travel package and a seat to the Dream Seat Invitational, the winner of which will be entered into the televised PokerGo Tour Championship $1,000,000 Freeroll which is a 64-played capped field meaning that Barnes could parlay this win into some serious life-changing money.

When the 63 players who returned to play the Day 2 session took their seats, the action started from the onset and showed no signs of slowing down as a flurry of eliminations saw the field cut from 63 to all the way down to 36 within just a couple of hours. From there, stacks were a little deeper, and play began to find a slightly slower pace. The final table of nine was still reached relatively early in the night but would take up the majority of the day as everyone was eyeing the title, and no one was willing to go out easy.

The final table got off to a fast start with the first few eliminations happening in short order, the first of which being Bryce Laymance, who fell in ninth place when he lost a flip versus the eventual champion. Next to hit the rail a short ten minutes later was Justin Barraza whogot the last of his stack in on a flop that gave him a straight flush draw but ultimately finding no improvement on the turn or river against the flopped top set of Kami Hudson.

Then, another short 15 minutes later, PokerNews' own Liam Gannon found the exit in seventh place when he ran into aces and couldn't get lucky to extend his run at a RGPS main event title just a few short days after a runner-up finish in the Flip'n'Go event. One level later, Dustin Messner would exit the tournament area in sixth place after getting his money in good but getting out-flopped in a preflop all-in confrontation.

Kami Hudson would be next to hit the payout desk after getting in a flopped top pair against a set and failing to find runner-runner to survive. Next out would be Brazos Roberts, who was forced to the rail after jamming to steal the blinds from the button and running into a big hand in the blinds.

From there, the final three players would discuss an ICM chop but ultimately couldn't come to an agreement and ended up trading chips, stealing pots and doubling up through each other for over three hours, with everyone holding the chip lead at least once. On a number of occasions, stacks were close to dead even and it looked like the three-way battle could drag on forever, but eventually, after losing a number of pots to find himself short, Miguel Degollado would fall in third-place when he jammed from the small blind, getting called by the big blind and remaining unimproved through five cards to make way for what promised to be a highly contested heads-up battle.

Although Tyler Barnes would enter heads-up play with roughly a 3:1 chip lead, Mark Barrientos would not make closing out the title easy on him as he jammed over a number of opens and battled to take down every pot he could. In the end, it would be a classic flip that would decide that champion, and Barrientos would find himself on the losing end, taking second place in the same casino where just six weeks ago, he took down a WSOP Circuit main event for almost $127,000.

The victory marks Tyler Barnes's first RGPS ring, and he certainly proved himself a worthy champion with solid play, well-time aggression, and absolute control throughout the entirety of the event.

The next RunGood Poker Series kicks off on October 19th at Graton Casino Rohnert Park in Rohnert Park, California, and with the fun and friendly atmosphere that the RGPS stops consistently provide, this is a stop that you want to visit and a series tour that should absolutely be on your to-do list as a poker player!

That closes out coverage from this stop, but as always, keep it locked to PokerNews for up-to-date coverage of all major tours and news stories within the poker industry!

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Tyler Barnes Takes Down the RGPS Tulsa Main Event for $52692! - PokerNews.com

The world seems to be rampant with disappointments, disasters, and persistent obstacles. Conflict drives drama, but does real life have to be so hard so often? Sometimes, theatre can provide answers, comfort the life-weary, or entertain so thoroughly that you forget your problems. The Richmond Hill Barn Theatre's production of The Seafarer does all three.

Debuting in 2006 at London's Royal National Theatre, this work by Irish playwright Conor McPherson earned four Tony Award nominations with one win, plus two noms from the Olivier Awards (the U.K.'s Tonys) with one win. It's been described as a black comedy, which I'd dispute you can't slap a label onto this one. What made me want to see this play was not a genre descriptor, but the New York Times' Ben Brantley's observation: "The Seafarer may just be the pick-me-up play of the season." I attended Thursday's opening night, a gamble based on that blurb, and won an extraordinary theatre experience even better than I'd expected thanks to director Justin Raver and his skilled cast, crew, and staff.

In a little house near Dublin, on a Christmas Eve, we have a coterie of prone-to-violence alcoholics guys grousing, drinking, not drinking, wanting to drink, sneaking drinks, and berating others' choices as to whether and what to drink. The Seafarer, though, isn't really about liquor, but rather relationships, duty, and trying to get by. Caregiving is not for the faint of heart, and when one's charge is a family member, it adds complexity to this already-demanding vocation.

James Sharky Harkin, played by the physically imposing Matthew McConville, is resigned, determined, yet sizzling with resentment as he enters his brother Richard's house. Easy to understand once we realize that Richard is not just in a mood, he is a mood and I'd feel the same way, were I in his slippers. The blind, querulous Richard is hard to like, but his impeccable portrayer Gary Talsky made it impossible for me not to. Despite his situation, Richard tries to be cheery and look forward to simple (and pitiful) Christmas revels. I also commend Talsky for both his convincing manifestation of Richard's disability and skill in not injuring himself or others while doing so.

Patrick Kelley plays Richard's friend and occasional caretaker, Ivan, as a slightly befuddled yet fundamentally genial man. I'm unsure whether the character's bewilderment is inherent or due to his inebriation but as he's never sober, it's a moot point. Kelley is genuine and very appealing in the role the kind of friend I'd want helping me. It turns out that Richard, to Sharky's fury, has invited a family acquaintance to drop by and play poker that night, and Bobby Metcalf's Nicky comes off as a (comparatively) well-to-do nerd trying to be cool. This fresh-faced lad's entrance is itself a comedic moment, as Sharky has painted Nicky as an utter villain, having both moved in with his ex and driven his car around town. (To be fair, I'd be furious at either transgression, too, never mind both, and wouldn't want to spend a holiday with this wanker.)

When he arrives, Nicky brings his new acquaintance, Mr. Lockhart, to join the game. (Unsurprisingly, they met at a pub.) Bruce Carmen's Lockhart is even more well-off than Nicky: articulate, polite, jovial with a touch of smug not really the sort to grace a working-class cottage. Carmen plays Lockhart's slow emotional transitions, as well as his sudden mood swings, with marvelous style. But then, each Seafarer actor has exceptional moments. At one point, McConville simply stares in shock, fear, and indecision while the others natter on. He doesn't move, but I couldn't look away. Raver's actors are a tight, cohesive ensemble, as well. As diction, inflections, and accents are particular interests of mine, I must say that the brogues here are near perfection, with only one character not quite as Irish-sounding as the others.

The Seafarer's uncredited set designer expresses Richard's home in Richmond Hill's traditional theatre-in-the-round manner as a living room on the central stage, with furniture and set dressing in each of the four corners, which also represent exits to other rooms and the outdoors. In truth, the decor is a touch too neat and refined for the Harkin brothers; here, the disarray in their lives is echoed by the acting, not the surroundings. I did especially admire a long, rough-looking stairway up to the front door that underscores the characters' emotional and physical difficulties in leaving, as well as in letting others in. Additionally, some moments are enhanced by lighting changes courtesy of designer Jennifer Kingry, aided with sound cues by Kingry and Larry Lord.

I've seen three of The Seafarer's on-stage gents in other shows, and after enjoying them together in Raver's demanding production, I expect more fine performances from each. Truly: Make it a point to see this show. Though set at Yuletide, it's an excellent way to celebrate the spooky season, as well as a compelling drama with laughs, unexpected edge-of-the-seat moments, and one morbidly fascinating monologue that is utterly chilling. You can't fit that in a theatrical publisher's catalog.

The Seafarer runs at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre (600 Robinson Drive, Geneseo IL) through October 15, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)944-2244 and visiting RHPlayers.com.

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Red-Hot Poker: The Seafarer, at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre ... - River Cities Reader

Today's $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em event, running at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa as part of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus, has now reached its conclusion and a winner has been crowned.

A total of 29 entries were made to the event, which generated a prize pool of $696,290. Of those entries, five players made the money.

Artur Martirosian and Paulius Plausinaitis were the last two players left standing. Martirosian came into the heads-up battle with a significant chip lead, but Plausinaitis soon doubled up to bring it even. He then managed to make a flush to claim most of Martirosian's chips and leave him short, moments later winning the match.

Martirosian took second place for $170,600 and Plausinaitis was crowned champion to walk away with the trophy and $264,690.

There wasn't too much difference in stack sizes as nine players reached the final table, although Alex Kulev was out in front and Martirosian sat in second place.

Ren Lin was short stacked and became the first to exit. He got his ace queen in against Maher Nouira with king-queen. Nouira found his pair of kings and Lin was sent to the rail.

Nouira couldn't build on that momentum, losing a chunk of chips before getting the rest in against Kyle Cheong and losing out to Cheong's trip aces to bust in eighth.

Short stacked Aleksejs Ponakovs found a double up but then moments later lost a flip against Martirosian to bust out in seventh. By this point, Martirosian had built a stack of nearly one million and had took the lead.

It was time for the bubble and Cheong, who had a decent stack at the start of the final table, ran into Mikalai Vaskaboinikau's pocket kings to bust out just shy of the money.

A little over ten minutes later, Vaskaboinikau's run came to an end. He ran his ace queen into Martirosian's ace king to bust in fifth place. Martirosian further extended his lead.

By this point, Kulev found himself short and made a reshove against Plausinaitis. Kulev lost the flip and was eliminated in fourth place.

Leon Sturm had laddered up to third but was then firmly in the danger zone and well behind the other two players. He did manage to find a double up before busting in third to Martirosian, which brought Martirosian up to two million chips as play went heads-up.

Martirosian had a significant chip lead against Plausinaitis as heads-up ensued, but Plausinaitis got paid for his rivered flush to double up and bring the stacks back to even. After a bit of back and forth, Plausinaitis got his pocket nines in against Martirosian's pocket threes and held to leave Martirosian short.

The tables had turned and all that was left was for Plausinaitis to seal the deal. He did so with a simple shove holding ace six and was called by Martirosian holding king jack. Plausinaitis found an ace and it was all over.

Plausinaitis won the tournament, the trophy, and the top prize of $264,690.

That concludes the PokerNews coverage of the second $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em event. Stay tuned for much more to come at the EPT Cyprus, including the EPT Main Event.

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Paulius Plausinaitis Turns the Tables to Win $25000 NLH at EPT ... - PokerNews.com

Dusk Till Dawn is set to be awash with budding poker players from far and wide as the Nottingham-based poker club, the home of British poker, is hosting the 2023 APAT World Championship Of Amateur Poker (WCOAP).

The WCOAP, affectionately known as "The Worlds," is the highlight of the APAT season for recreational poker players everywhere. The 2023 WCOAP runs from August 20 through August 28, and its schedule is designed to put every entrant through their paces.

Costing 180 to enter (150+30), the World Amateur Poker Championship serves as the 2023 WCOAP Main Event. There are six Day 1s, including two online flights at GGPoker, with each allowing players to re-enter on the following day should their first bullet not go to plan.

APAT Announces Partnership with GGPoker

Day 1a of the 2023 WCOAP Main Event takes place at Dusk Till Dawn at 3:00 p.m. BST on August 20. Online flights, which only cost 150 to buy into thanks to GGPoker making them free of registration fees, run at 7:30 p.m. BST on August 21 and August 22.

Last year's WCOAP Main Event attracted 423 entrants, each paying 150 to enter. Those entrants created a 52,875 prize pool, and Dan Owston came out on top, defeating Manuel Simao heads-up to capture a coveted APAT gold medal, a commemorative bracelet, and 10,000 cash.

In total, there are 25 APAT bracelet-awarding events taking place at Dusk Till Dawn between August 10-28. They include a variety of No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments, plus other events including H.O.R.S.E., Razz, 8-Game, Crazy Pineapple, Antes Only, Win the Button, and a 340 buy-in NLHE High Roller.

Garry Bennett is the reigning High Roller champion after he defeated Dusk Till Dawn regular Vahid Amirzahiri heads-up. The victory came with 5,290 in prize money.

APAT Goes Fully International During 2023; Full Schedule Released

Although the World Amateur Poker Championship is the individual tournament every APAT member wants to win, the WCOAP International Team Championship is the event designed for bragging rights.

Scotland came out on top in 2022, beating arch-rivals England by 20 points, with Portugal rounding off the podium. This year's team events see 12 teams, an increase on the nine from 2022, battle it out for their country.

Ben Burnhill once again leads out his band of merry Scots, made up of Nazar Mohammed, Blair Matheson, and Charlie Kearns. Team England look, on paper at least strong, with Wayne Parker leading out Danny Strange, Matt Carter, and Asa McGrath.

However, the United States could be the dark horses of the competition. Jen Mason captains Team United States, which consists of Deborah Worley-Roberts, Ben Mason, and Carey Hollick.

Stay tuned to PokerNews throughout the 2023 APAT WCOAP.

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The APAT World Championship Of Amateur Poker Starts August 20 - PokerNews.com

It took earning $30,000 over three days for Justin Liberto to convince his parents he could make a career out of playing poker. It took him 27 minutes to solidify his stake in the card-playing community.

Growing up, cards were always on the table in the Liberto household.

First, it was pinochle, a trick-taking, ace-10 game requiring two to four players. Liberto was a first grader holding his own against the adults. When they graduated to the slightly more complicated game pitch, the then-fourth grader was handily dismantling the entire family.

The Fallston native and John Carroll graduate has since enjoyed a decadelong run in the World Series of Poker and its traveling circuit, collecting four rings and a bracelet recognizing championships, and nearly $3 million. Liberto is ranked No. 24 in the latest Global Poker Index.

In a moment of reflection, Liberto said with a laugh, I sometimes can envision 16-year-old Justin would be like, What the heck?

Well, playing cards were the first thing Liberto wholly applied himself to.

When Chris Moneymaker, an aptly named accountant and amateur player, revolutionized the sport by turning a $39 entry to an online poker tournament into $2.5 million by winning the 2003 WSOP main event, every 15-year-old was playing poker in their friends basement, Liberto said. Thats basically how I started out.

Liberto refined his chops as a high schooler crowding an at-home felt table on $25 buy-ins, bankrolled by jobs at Dons Flowers and Produce on Bel Air Road, then barbacking at Looneys Pub. He experimented with bluffing, raising and analyzing hands on the fly.

Then came his first big score.

Liberto was a 19-year-old junior at Virginia Tech grinding away at the online site PokerStars when he hit for $8,000. A few weeks later, after seeing the check, his parents reluctantly agreed to let him compete in a tournament over winter break. Liberto drove up to Verona, New York, to the Turning Stone Casino where the minimum age to gamble is 18 as its on a Native American reservation.

They didnt love me going up there, essentially [saying], Wait until youre 21, Liberto said. Regardless, they let me go and the first tournament I played, I win $10,000. I was supposed to come home the next day but theyre like, Alright, you can stay another day. I won the next one for $12,000.

In that span, I made $30,000, Liberto said. [My parents] were like, Oh, thats about what Virginia Tech costs for a year. From that point, they kind of understood that maybe it wasnt a pipe dream.

Four months after graduation, Liberto was practically down to a chip and a chair. He worked a sales job for the next 15 months to save up and give poker another go. He moved to Pennsylvania with his wife to be closer to a casino.

Libertos first WSOP appearance was in 2013. The World Series consists of dozens of events of various stakes. More than 6,000 people entered the $1,500 No-Limit Holdem Millionaire Maker. Against what was then the largest one-day starting field in tournament history, Liberto finished fourth. His cash prize? A whopping $400,000. I was like, Whoa, OK. Its on now, he said.

Fast-forward to the 2015 WSOP and the $3,000 Six-handed No-limit Hold em event.

Among the field of 1,043 players, Liberto kept relatively under the radar, cruising to the events final table. It came down to him and Seamus Cahill, who held a commanding lead. Play was halted having run late into night three when the Irishman proposed cutting a deal a way to take some money off the table and ensure both a hefty purse.

Liberto, down in chips nearly 2-to-1, mulled over the offer with his best friend. He considered it until Cahill tried to strong-arm the negotiations, refusing to budge on his settling number.

As if he were Matt Damon in the 1998 movie Rounders, Liberto, playing the part of Mike McDermott, looked at his friend with a grin. Lets dance, he said.

[From the archive: North Laurel native Greg Merson wins World Series of Poker Main Event worth $8.5 million]

Liberto estimated the comeback needed to secure his first bracelet might normally have taken close to four hours. Twenty-seven minutes later, he pocketed the $640,711 first-place prize and more importantly, could wrap his wrist with the poker equivalent of a Lombardi Trophy.

Poker is one of those games where you can get in lulls to the point where youre like, Do I even know what Im doing? Liberto said. I was definitely in a very confident zone that day. If you do your work away from the table, you can put yourself in a good position.

Fallston native Justin Liberto has established himself as one of the world's top poker players. He's won titles at the World Series of Poker and on the World Poker Tour and is ranked No. 24 in the Global Poker Index. (Drew Amato/World Poker Tour)

The WSOP is roughly six weeks of non-stop poker. Its not for the faint of heart.

You could get in a tournament at noon, be out by 3 p.m. and jump right back into the next tournament that starts at 4, Liberto said. Basically, every day is about 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Probably half of my years work comes in those six weeks. Its a grind. But I love being out there. I still have the passion for it.

For Liberto, the mental gymnastics doesnt stop when its time to color up. Its back to the hotel room to re-run hands either through an online website or with a friend. Its studying scenarios and opponents.

That might go until 3 a.m.

Christian Harder, a 35-year-old Annapolis native who has endured the peaks and valleys of pokers ultramarathon since he was 21, lauded Libertos table presence. Some players command the cushioned chair, he said, intimidating their opponents, while others sit quietly composed.

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Justin walks a fine line, Harder explained. He has such a confident aura about him but his play is the intimidating part. No one wants to play Justin because he plays a very aggressive style. In a way its annoying to play against, putting you in tough situations. ... Its the unexpected raises and putting you in difficult spots.

His success has carried over beyond the World Series. Hes won four events on the WSOP circuit, each coming with a prized ring. Three of the victories came during stops at Horseshoe Casino Baltimore. Hes also competed on the World Poker Tour, winning one event, making two final tables and cashing in 27 events.

Liberto recently wrapped up his 10th WSOP appearance, cashing on 12 events, including three top-10 finishes.

His top payouts were a second-place finish to David Baker in the $1,500 Razz event in early June, collecting $94,558. In mid-July at the tail-end of the series, he finished fourth in the $10,000 Six-handed No-Limit Hold em Championship where, after calling a prominent bluff from the eventual top finisher, Liberto made out with $306,555.

Out of the thousands of players who take part in WSOP events, Liberto finished 64th in the Player of the Year standings, a point system that takes into account players finishes over all 95 events.

Most recently, he won the $10,000 No limit Hold em Deep stack event at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open on Aug. 1. His first-place prize was $257,000.

I always say I dont know a lot about almost anything but I know a lot about one thing, Liberto said. And thats poker.

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Justin Liberto has strong run at World Series of Poker, ranked No. 24 in Global Poker Index - Baltimore Sun