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Before he was Norway's first World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion, Espen Uhlen Jorstad was a gamer and part-time poker player who cared more about playing video games and partying than he did chasing his dreams and aspirations.

Now a world poker champion, the 34-year-old says he wants to be a good ambassador for the game, encourage a healthy lifestyle, and show his country the positive aspects of professional poker.

PokerNews' Jesse Fullen recently interviewed the 2022 WSOP Main Event champion one-on-one in an intimate conversation that can be heard on the PokerNews podcast.

Drawing on that interview, this two-part series will look at Jorstad's life before and after the $10 million score that made him a household name and catapulted him to the top of Norway's all-time money list according to The Hendon Mob.

Listen to Espen Jorstad on the PokerNews podcast here!

The Norwegian's poker journey began in 2004, when he was still a teenager, in the midst of the poker boom sparked by Chris Moneymaker winning the 2003 Main Event. He remembers the Moneymaker feat and "watch(ing) all the poker religiously, like the EPT, the WPT, the WSOP, I would watch it all; High Stakes Poker was my favorite."

"So I'm a dinosaur, I've been in it forever," Jorstad said. "But I didn't play full-time for all those years."

Between 2006 and 2008, Jorstad "had a bout of playing semi-pro" but "wasn't too serious" about his poker endeavors.

"I was like, playing a lot of World of Warcraft, partying a lot, just like making enough money to live the life that I wanted to live, basically," he said.

"I'm a dinosaur, I've been in it forever"

The young grinder primarily played heads-up cash games online and eventually got sick of it. "At some point, that was just like bum-hunting to make money. And I wasn't really studying anymore."

"At some point, that was just like bum-hunting to make money. And I wasn't really studying anymore."

Finding himself unfulfilled by poker, Jorstad focused on school for six years and ended up earning a master's degree in brewing science, a branch dealing with the science and business of beer manufacturing, and worked in the industry for a year.

"And then poker sucked me back in."

When he left his job to play poker full-time in 2017, Jorstad vowed to take poker more seriously. "I've treated it more as a career, pretty much. Looking at it more professionally."

For Jorstad, that meant focusing on "the financial aspect of it and securing myself for future, and setting myself up and my family up for life," not chasing bracelets or accolades.

"I thought it was cool, but it wasn't like, 'Oh, this is like a lifelong dream. I want a bracelet," he said. "It's never been about that for me."

But thinking back on his two bracelet wins and eight-figure score over the summer, Jorstad reconsidered his approach. "Now that I am quite financially secure, I would say maybe I'll go back to chasing some accolades and trophies and stuff."

After years of results online and at overseas poker tours, Jorstad decided to make his first pilgrimage to Las Vegas to play at the 2022 World Series. The year before, Jorstad finished sixth in the GGPoker WSOP Online $5,000 Main Event Championship for $603,058, giving him a small taste of the Main Event glory to come.

His first WSOP started off well enough with a few cashes. But then "I had like 19 bullets in a row that I bricked, so like a long dry spell in the middle, basically."

In late June, Jorstad found himself heads-up for a bracelet in the $1,000 Tag Team event with his partner, British pro Patrick "Pads" Leonard, against opponents Jamie Kerstetter and Corey Paggeot. The European duo defeated the Americans to earn their first bracelets and save Jorstad's summer with a $148,067 score.

Looking back at it, Jorstad remembers the Tag Team victory as his biggest highlight of the summer, even though he would go on to win the World Championship for an astronomically bigger score.

"Honestly, winning the Tag Team event was probably better emotional(ly) ... I enjoyed that more than winning the Main Event," he said. "Because I won it with my friend, Pads, it was a really f***ing cool experience. We were talking hands in between breaks, we were studying together. It was like a bonding thing, and it was very cool ... The Main Event win was, of course, huge, but it was so overwhelming. It was so much stuff and I just couldn't grasp it, pretty much. It was too big. So I wasn't able to fully enjoy it, or whatever."

Despite having won a bracelet, Jorstad said he felt "rusty" by the time the Main Event came around, noting that "during the WSOP, it was such a grind and marathon that I felt like I was falling behind on the studying."

"I think my confidence was getting worse and worse throughout the series, basically," Jorstad admitted. "I don't know how much (winning the Tag Team bracelet) did for my confidence."

With his Mario Mystery Block card protector in front of him, Jorstad tried to keep a clear mind and had a good start to the Main, ending Day 2abc 40th in chips out of the more than 1,200 players who bagged. Jorstad continued to run well in the middle stages of the tournament until he made "quite a punty play" deeper in the event and managed to fade disaster.

The hand started with an open by Jorstad with queen-jack before he was three-bet by an opponent who "was a reg and he was quite aggro." Jorstad wasn't believing it and four-bet all in with a stack of 41 big blinds, a move that he admitted with a laugh is "questionable."

But the opponent had it this time and snap-called with pocket kings. The king-high flop kept his opponent ahead with a set but gave Jorstad a flush draw. Jorstad made his flush on the turn and managed to avoid a board-pairing river to double up and "have heaps."

In another pivotal hand, the eventual champion flopped a set of fours and put chips in on each street before improving to quads on the river and moving all in. To Jorstad's surprise, he had been behind the whole time as his opponent had flopped a set of sevens only to be outdrawn by the eventual champion, who would've been left with crumbs had he not hit his single out.

"So, of course, there's a lot of hands like this where it would be over (for me) or close to over," he reflected.

By the end of Day 7, Jorstad led the unofficial final table of ten players with a stack of 69 blinds. The Norwegian never took his foot off the gas and ended Day 8 with a commanding chip lead over his two remaining opponents.

Behind a pair of Matrix sunglasses, Jorstad sat motionless in the Mothership on Day 9 and took his time as he made his decisions with life-changing money on the line.

American Michael Duek went out in third place for $4 million when his top pair was no good against the nuts of Australia's Adrian Attenborough with a Broadway straight. Attenborough entered heads-up play with a slight chip advantage but lost most of his stack in the very first hand where he folded his bluff-catcher.

Not long after, Attenborough ended up with another bluff-catcher and couldn't find the fold button this time. He called off for his tournament life with just a pair of fours and was greeted by the full house of Norway's first world poker champion.

A month later, Jorstad said in his interview with PokerNews that he is still processing the victory. But he added that it all became real the moment he called his mom, who was "at home watching the stream and I had to spoil it for her."

"She was crying really hard and I started crying a bit as well," he said. "I was a bit emotional."

To find out what Jorstad has been up to since his 2022 WSOP Main Event win, including traveling to Cyprus to play at the Luxon Pay Mediterranean Poker Party, where he hosted his own meet-up games and finished second in The One Drop to British casino owner Rob Yong, stay tuned for Part 2 of this two-part series.

Poker Community Backs 2022 WSOP Main Event Champ Espen Jorstad in Swap Dispute

Photo courtesy Espen Uhlen Jorstad

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Norwegian Gold Part 1: Espen Jorstad's Road to Winning the 2022 WSOP Main Event - PokerNews.com

Whether you're playing with friends at home or living it up at a casino on a trip, there's nothing like the thrill that can come from a few hands of poker. Thanks to its subtle social elements and personalized play styles, it stands out from other games as one that can be strategized and perfected in an entirely unique way. Fortunately, it's never too late to get a leg up on other players with a few tips and tricks. Read on for some of the best poker playing hacks from pros that will seriously improve your game.

READ THIS NEXT: The 10 Best Casinos in the U.S. If You Love to Gamble.

Even novice players know that poker is a game full of as many social nuances as statistical cues. But if you're just starting out on learning the ins and outs, experts warn that it may not be worth it to bet above your hand.

"Don't bluff. You'll probably be playing with beginners, and most of them do not know to fold," Baptiste Couet, a poker expert, explained in a Quora post. "Instead, bet big with your big hands. Don't worry: You'll find someone to call with a worse hand."

Just be aware that being overly confident can also be a tell when placing your initial bet on a hand. "Never, ever 'limp'that is to say to 'just call'the big blind when no one has entered the pot yet," Couet advises. "Why? If you raise with your big hands and limp with your speculative ones, you become easy to read."

Part of poker's draw is how thrilling it can be to win big on a bet that initially feels like a stretch. However, experts say one of the most essential elements of the game involves knowing how to budget your chips.

"People analyze how to play hands all day, but often the bigger factor of if you stay in action playing poker is bankroll management," Wayne Chiang, a professional poker player, explained in a Quora forum.

But how much is too much? Typically, experts say you should aim to limit yourself to a certain amount while you're starting out. "Your default bet should be half the pot or so when you are learning," one anonymous poker pro suggests in a Quora forum post. "Later, as you become more proficient, you can experiment with small ball bets and slight over bets. Beginners tend to over bet way too oftensuch as going all in way over the topand small ball bets that have no value."

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Even people who've never played poker casually know the iconic lyrics "know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em" by heart. But as standing credit to the immortal words of Kenny Rogers, many experts say that choosing not to ante up on riskier hands can genuinely be essential to staying in the game longer.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

"You should play tight. Don't play junk hands in an early position when you are learning," one former poker pro posted in a Quora forum. "If you are going to play some junk hands, then do that in late position and in the blinds. You can also play a few extra trash hands when you are very deep stacked relative to the blinds."

READ THIS NEXT: 7 Tips on Playing the Slots Without Losing It All.

Even in casual situations, there's usually money at stake when you sit down to play poker. But bringing the right outlook and temperament to the game can be just as important as showing up with your buy-in cash.

"Always be kind and nice to everyone at the table," Robin Martinelli, a private investigator and former poker pro who's played in multiple tournaments, tells Best Life. "It can really sour the mood if someone comes in with a bad attitude or takes out their frustrations on people just looking to have a good time."

"And if you win, alwaysalwaystip the dealer!" she adds.

Holding a regular poker game at home among friends can be a fun way to spend an evening. But if you're seated at a table in a professional setting, you might want to be more guarded against your fellow players.

"Table selection, where there is a choice, is just as important as other poker skills," Steve Waddington, a poker enthusiast with decades of experience, wrote on a Quora forum. "Finding a table with one or more weak players is always sweet."

"It is the reason many pros reside in Las Vegas," he explains. "Tourists go there to play poker, not to fold hands, as good poker requires a lot of the time. I think most pros would agree, a good part of their income comes from those fish."

With all of its highs, lows, and rapid swings between the two, anyone who's spent enough time playing poker knows that sometimes the most challenging opponent sitting at a table can actually be yourself. That's why many experts say it's just as important to understand how to rein in your confidence and check your ego as it is to build a hand.

"Self-control is paramount, as one poor session of tilt can destroy a month's worth of hard work and disciplined play," Jake Rake, a poker pro with 19 years of experience, posted on a Quora forum.

And no matter if you have days or decades' worth of experience, others point out that your skill can always fall victim to the luck of the draw. "Everyone thinks they are much better than they actually areincluding you," Chiang says.

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6 Poker Playing Hacks From the Pros Best Life - Best Life

Starting with the late-February Florida Powerboat Club-hosted Miami Boat Show Poker Run in which two new catamarans from DCB Performance Boats took center stageMauricio and Angie Vivancos M44 Widebody and Greg Harris and Yvonne Alemns M37R Widebodythe team at the El Cajon, Calif., company, namely Tony Chiaramonte and Jeff Johnston, have been delivering boats and supporting customers at events around the country.

Stephen and Kelly Marino are going to run their new DCB M37R Widebody catamaran in this weeks Lake Cumberland Poker Run. Photo from the 2022 Desert Storm Poker Run by Jeff Helmkamp/Helmkamp Photos

A little more than a week ago, they were in Central Missouri for the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout and Super Cat Fest, and starting tomorrow, they are going to be in Kentucky for the 16th annual Lake Cumberland Poker Run hosted by State Dock Marina in Jamestown. Before those late-summer gatheringstwo of the most popular events in the countryChiaramonte or Johnston (or both) attended poker runs in New York (1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run), South Carolina (Hartwell Lake Charity Run), Texas (Texas Outlaw Challenge), California (Big Cat Poker Run) and Arizona (Desert Storm Poker Run).

I always enjoy going to the Lake Cumberland Poker Runthe lake and the people are a lot of fun, Johnston explained. Were a sponsor of the event and well have two M37Rs participating. It should be a great event.

Johnston said that Alabamas Stephen and Kelly Marino are going be on hand in Unexpected, their twin Mercury Racing 450R engine-powered 37-footer that they took of delivery of in April during the Desert Storm Poker Run in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Joining the Marinos, New York performance boater Ken Lalonde is planning to do the run with his sons, Jacob and Joshua, in the familys beautiful blue M37R Widebody also powered by a pair of 450-hp Mercury Racing engines.

Hopeful that the true-tunnel 37-foot cats will attract some serious attention like the companys first M33R Widebody did four years ago when Chiaramonte and Johnston took the twin Mercury Racing Verado 400R-powered 33-foot cat to the 2018 Lake Cumberland Poker Run.

Editors note: Look for full coverage from the Lake Cumberland Poker Run this weekend.

Related storiesLake Cumberland Poker Run Celebrating Sweet 16 In StyleParticipants Delighted With 15th Annual Lake Cumberland Poker RunDay One Highlights From The 34th Annual Lake Of The Ozarks ShootoutHartwell Lake Charity Run A Hidden Gem RevealedDynamic Duo Complete With DCB M37R Marino DeliveryFirst Eight-Seat M37R Catamaran Going To Repeat DCB ClientsCountdown To Miami 2022: Mad Props DCB M37R No. 9 Dazzles South Florida OwnersFirst Person: An Unforgettable Day At Lake XDCB M37R No. 6 Escaping To New YorkInside SOTW Mag: DCB M44 ProfileNew FrontiersCountdown To Miami 2022: DCB Doubling UpDCB Gearing Up For Cumberland Poker Run, Lake Powell Challenge And Regatta

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DCB Continues Event Blitz With This Week's Lake Cumberland Poker Run - SpeedontheWater

On Day 3 of the $3,500 buy-in World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Main Event, the odds of a new player joining the exclusive WPT Champions Club is growing.

Following the first break of the day, just after 2:00 p.m. in Tampa, 70 players remained out of the original 1,165 entrants. One of those lucky and skilled individuals will walk away with $615,530, and there's a pretty good chance it will be a first-time WPT champion. That's because only three previous winners are still standing Daniel Weinman, Aaron Mermelstein, and James Calderaro.

At the time of publishing, Mermelstein and Weinman had above-average stacks, while Calderaro was nursing a short stack. There's still a shot a past WPT champion will end up winning this massive field event, but even if one of those three poker pros can't take it down, there are still a number of storylines to follow over the final two-plus days of play.

First off, the Season XII (2013-2014) Player of the Year, Mukul Pahuja, has a shot to end the "arguably the best World Poker Tour player ever to have never won a title" reputation. During his POY season nine years ago, Pahuja had two runner-up finishes and three final table appearances. He also had an eighth place finish and a min-cash in a fifth event. It was without question the best WPT season ever from a player who didn't win a title.

Pahuja has four final table appearances, along with a number of other deep runs, during his impressive World Poker Tour career. With a seventh place or better finish this week at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, he'd crack the $2 million WPT mark lifetime.

Brad Owen, the most popular poker vlogger ever, is still grinding away in the middle of Day 3. He's seeking his first ever major poker tournament title, and the poker community would certainly be thrilled if he were to win, as would the WPT given that he's one of the tour's newest ambassadors.

Loni Hui (Harwood), one of the top female poker players in history, is another player to watch down the stretch at WPT Tampa. She's seeking her first WPT title and would crack the $4 million mark in live poker tournaments if she does, according to Hendon Mob. Hui has five WPT Main Tour cashes in Florida since 2018, all at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood. The talented poker pro also won a $600 Deepstack event for $85,355 at the same South Florida casino in 2021.

There are also a few inexperienced tournament players remaining who could have their "Moneymaker Moment" this week. That includes David Gaskin, who had just one previous recorded live tournament cash for $5,024, which occurred last year at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Corey Wade, who bagged the chip lead following Day 2, is having a career year thanks to a runner-up finish for $179,010 in a $1,500 Omaha hi-lo event at the 2022 World Series of Poker. He came close to earning his first ever major tournament title this past summer, but has another opportunity this week.

By the end of the day, at around 9 p.m. ET, the tournament will likely be down to around 20 players. On Tuesday, those individuals will return to action to play down to the final table of six, scheduled for noon on Wednesday.

Check out the WPT Hub on PokerNews here!

Photos courtesy of Drew Amato/WPT

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First-Time World Poker Tour Champion to Be Crowned in Tampa this Week? - PokerNews.com

On Tuesday, September 6 at 1 p.m. PT, Joey Ingram welcomed Bryn Kenney to his Poker Life Podcast. It was only the second time following an interview Sarah Herring of PokerNews back in April that Kenney publicly addressed cheating allegations leveled at him earlier this year.

The interview was highly-anticipated by the poker community hoping Ingram would ask harder questions and hopefully receive answers to unanswered questions. So, did those answers come?

The interview started off slow with Ingram asking how Kenney has been dealing with the allegations. Essentially, Kenneys perspective is there are positives to be taken from the negative situation.

Its helped me to grow and maybe see some blind spots I might not have necessarily been seeing, he said.

Ingram then referenced Herrings PokerNews interview with Kenney in which Kenney denied the accusations made by Martin Zamani.

The first topic was the shaman and frog poison story that captivated many outside observers. Kenney, who admitted to doing the process himself, reiterated that he did recommend the practice to Zamani as a way to check his energy, but that it wasnt a requirement for backing.

Kenney was also quick to claim that hes staked hundreds of players that he never placed any requirements upon, and its more of a case-by-case situation. In the case of Zamani, Kenney believed his recommendations of yoga, healthy eating, etc. were a way to help manifest better poker results, and that he may have taken them as requirements as opposed to recommendations.

Check out Martin Zamani's accusations here.

Ingram then shifted the interview to GGPoker and Kenneys role as both an ambassador and agent.

Kenney said he first met GGPoker officials in March 2017 with the hope of setting up his own skin on the network. Upon learning that having a skin would require license, regulation, etc., Kenney left the meeting no longer with the same goal, and that the officials later approached him about being the face of the site.

Ive never been banned on GGPoker ever. Ive never had my account frozen or suspended."

He claimed to have pushed GGPoker to develop a desktop client and to offer larger tournament series, which he helped design in November of that year. From there, he helped recruit players for GGPokers high-stakes games in an agent-affiliate deal, which meant he helped facilitate money transfers, buy/sell transactions, and staked people to help start games.

I was effectively their poker room manager, Kenney claimed.

Ingram then referenced a claim by Justin Bonomo that Kenney vouched for the games he helped start.

I vouched for the money they had on the site, Kenney said while denying he ever vouched for the games security.

He later added: Ive never been banned on GGPoker ever. Ive never had my account frozen or suspended."

Kenney also claimed that: There was never any instance where I told people to collude or soft play at any point,

At that point, Ingram then pulled up PokerNews article highlighting screenshots of conversations from 2018 where Kenney corresponded with Zamani and George Wolff in which it appeared he was aware of ghosting.

Kenney tried to deflect by stating that certain circumstances might require a player to either have or change multiple accounts, but that it didnt constitute traditional multi-accounting. In addition, he once again reiterated that he never pushed his players to collude, soft-play, or ghost each other deep in tournaments, despite text exchanges strongly suggesting otherwise.

Kenneys fallback seemed to be referencing that hes backed hundreds of players who would vouch for him. In one instance, Ingram seized the opportunity to call out that there have been more than one of those players whove said others, specifically Zamani but later backed up by Lauren Roberts.

Ingram then asked about how Roberts entered the mix. Kenney said they met at a poker table and she invited him to stay at her place during his next trip to Vegas. In the summer of 2018, Kenney took her up on the offer and a friendship ensued.

My intention was never to take advantage of her or anybody else, Kenney claimed.

Ingram then brought up the accusation that Kenney had groomed Roberts as a whale and had others target her.

It just didnt happen like that, Kenney said. I gave her lots of credits to play lots of games. She owed me over $2 million At no point did I have any action of hers in any tournament I was never staking her.

Kenney refuted that he ever took advantage of swindled Roberts, and pushed back against the idea that she or anyone have footed the bill Nobody ever bankrolled my life, he said. Ive paid my own way.

Martin Zamani Speaks Out Again; Do Messages Reveal What Bryn Kenney Knew?

At the end of July, word broke that Kenney was set to launch an online poker site called 4Poker in which he serves as an investor and ambassador. Understandably, reaction to that news did not sit well with many in the community.

Ingram asked Kenney why he would start a new online poker site and why he would think players would trust him enough to come play.

My intention with this site from the beginning was to build something that was great for the community, Kenney said.

He referenced others involved in the venture, including former PokerStars executives, and didnt seem to indicate that he thought the cheating allegations would have an effect on the new business.

My goal is to offer people a place they feel safe to play on and to grow the game, Kenney said.

During the interview, Zamani took to Twitter claiming he was owed money for players he signed up to GGPoker. Kenney claimed that GGPoker closed Zamanis agency and that he had nothing to do with it.

Throughout the two-hour-long interview, topics bounced around a good deal due in no small part to Ingram asking various questions from the chat.

Here are some other tidbits revealed during the course of the interview:

Bryn Kenney Denies Cheating Allegations in 70-Minute PokerNews Interview

Despite Ingram asking pointed questions (he did fail to follow up on viewers' request to ask about Team Viewer) in a largely unstructured discussion, the answers and oftentimes deflections he received did not seem to pacify viewers.

This guy wont admit anything, said one commenter.

Another wrote: Bryn is deflecting and hiding.

Yet another viewer shared: Bryn aint stupid, he knows he wont be made accountable and theres scant evidence,

Viewers also pushed for Ingram to add Zamani, who was in the chat, to the show. Ingram declined but offered to host a forum between Zamani and Kenney.

I dont see any point, Kenney said. The guy has clearly lied about many things.

The chat reacted sharply with lots of coward posts before the show ended shortly thereafter, at which point one viewer stated: Never heard someone speak so much without saying anything.

For more on the situation check out the interview PokerNews did with Kenney back in April:

Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.

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Bryn Kenney Addresses Cheating Allegations w/ Joey Ingram; Lots of Talk but Any Real Answers? - PokerNews.com

Progress may not be as quick as players might like, but US online poker has seen some progress over the last few years. The days of wide-open international online poker are gone for American players, but the industry has taken a foothold with the state-by-state approach.

US online poker continues showing historical revenue highs for regulated states. Players can now find legal online poker in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, and Delaware, hopefully with more on the way.

With that in mind, heres a quick look at four things the US online poker industry is getting right.

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Currently, players have three main real money online poker options in the US. Those include:

US online poker operators continue ramping up tournament series each month. The Online Circuit Series continues to attract nice fields each month at WSOP.com. The chance to win a championship ring seems popular with players.

At PokerStars, the platform continues running major monthly series as well. The site offers buy-ins for every level and plenty of poker variants.

After years of running more generic series,BetMGM/partypoker also began bringing more creativity in late 2021 with more expansive series. That seems to be paying dividends and the network has seen a resurgence in 2022.

US operators are finding the sweet spot in reaching across all buy-in levels. A shot at some nice guarantees through a small buy-in or tiny satellite price point is appealing to more players. All platforms continue offering some great nightly and weekly events as well, complete with satellites.

These arent gimmicks, but a connection to players who arent looking to be the next Daniel Negreanu or Phil Ivey. Most recreational players are simply looking for some fun playing poker after a day at work. Poker should be fun and US online poker operators are bringing plenty of it.

Some extra bang for the buck is always nice and online poker operators continue with some nice extras on that front. PokerStars recent announcement of offering up Platinum Passes for US online players is a great example.

Players on the site have an opportunity to win a $30,000 travel package to the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) in January in the Bahamas.

Thats some nice value and Stars is offering passes up for grabs in the upcoming US Championship of Online Poker (USCOOP). Other opportunities continue in the coming months as well. Adding some unique trophy events to USCOOP is also a nice touch.

Again, these types of efforts add to the fun. WSOP.com continues with a nice Player of the Year feature that awards theannual winner:

This is a great promotion and expanding the concept should expand to Michigan and Pennsylvania. Other operators should also pick up the idea. WSOP.com also continues with a freeroll in September with a $10,000 Main Event seat up for grabs.

At BetMGM, Pick-A-Card promotion also offers players a daily shot at tournament tickets. That operator continues expanding its offerings as well. Operators are doing well on the promotional front and players are recognizing that.

One thing many players say about the US online poker market is that it may be small, but its very tight-knit. Legalized states tend to have a friendly atmosphere where players know each other.

A quick scan at USPokers Winners Circle feature shows the loyalty to the game many players feel in each state. Players are also quick to share their successes and discuss the scene on social media.

Pennsylvania online regular and poker pro Jeff Stellwagon echoed those thoughts. He recently spoke with USPoker about his own poker life and the camaraderie among players in the Keystone State.

I cannot wait for online poker to come to more states and to have interstate poker, he said. But I truly love battling against the Pennsylvania player pool every day and the community feel that we have here.

From launch day of PokerStarsPA it has been an absolute honor participating in one of the most amazing communities on Twitch.

From today forward I will be doing that as an official member of @PokerStars Team Online. Thank you so much and I hope we are all ready for a wild ride! pic.twitter.com/4gl1JGqHnH

Naigo1 (@Mark_Foresta) April 6, 2021

Fostering that community feel by poker operators only adds to the success of the industry. One aspect of the modern game adding to that?Streaming. Whether youre new to Twitch or have no interest in watching others play poker online, the fact is that these online poker mini-reality shows continue growing the game.

US streaming may still be in its infancy compared to massive successes like Lex Veldhuis and Jaime Staples, but there is a growing group. That can only help add to the interest in the game and reach younger players.

Adding some synergy from the online game to the live felt offers operators a chance at creating some real buzz around their platforms. The BetMGM Poker Championship this summer proved a nice success.

The company brought a large group of online qualifiers. New Jersey qualifier Benji Folson even finished fifth for $50,000.

I had such warm, quality interactions with the other qualifiers, the Aria staff, the BetMGM staff, and many of the other competing players, he says. I understand the appeal of playing live MTTs much more now, and its not just because I luckboxed my way into a fifth-place finish.

WSOP.com also offered some great online satellites this summer for live tournaments at Ballys/Paris. The Tournament of Champions also seemed like a hit at the WSOP. The $1 million freeroll awards seats to players who win a championship bracelet or ring, whether live or online.

Could PokerStars be getting in on the act as well? The company ran the Moneymaker Tour for Platinum Passes in 2019. Road to PSPC events are already running internationally now as well. Could another live Stars series be in the works?

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There are certainly positives for the US online poker market, but some struggles also remain. The market is still small and merged markets arent moving quickly.

Michigan officially joined the interstate compact with Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware in May. However, no platforms have yet been approved to share liquidity with the Wolverine State yet.

Getting that accomplished could be a major boon for the industry. Adding other smaller states that have also legalized but not yet launched, such as West Virginia and Connecticut, could also be beneficial for the US market.

As USPoker previously reported, a combined US market of current legalized states would potentially place the US among the top 10 in global online poker markets Seeing more states, especially populous ones such as California and New York, could significantly add to the pool as well.

That would mean larger player and prize pools. The growth of sports betting and online casino gaming shows Americans are interested in more iGaming. As more states legalize those gaming options, adding poker seems like an easy add-on. Things certainly arent moving quickly, but there are at least some positive signs on the horizon.

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Moving Up: Four Things the US Online Poker Industry is Getting Right - US Poker

In the wake of my recent column about historian David McCullough and Roger Tubby, President Harry S. Trumans former press secretary, there was public demand to shed light on how I, a refugee from Communist Czechoslovakia, became a friend and confidante of Tubby.

Tubby served as press secretary to the President Truman during the Korean War years. After retirement from government service, he became the co-owner and co-publisher with Jim Loeb another retired, high-ranking government official of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and the Lake Placid News.

I served as a columnist for both papers.

Prior to the 1980 Winter Olympics, held in Lake Placid, Tubby and I teamed up to establish the Lake Placid Council on Foreign Policy. We organized monthly open forums in the Lake Placid Olympic Arena and through Tubbys connections, managed to have top speakers.

Once, during a winter-snow storm, people arrived on snowmobiles and in four-wheel trucks.

Tubby was a great storyteller, with a prodigious memory for details. But to make sure everything he said was accurate, he kept diaries over four decades. These were deposited at Yale University, his alma mater, with the stipulation that they not be available for research until the year 2000.

Obviously, they contained details about people in government that he wanted to remain sealed during his lifetime.

However, during our long conversations and interviews, Tubby was ready to tell stories about his White House years.

He recalled how once, President Truman saved him from being a big loser at a Friday night poker game at the White House. He knew I had four kids, and I couldnt afford the loss, Tubby said. The president came to my rescue.

But there were more substantial memories that Tubby shared with me. He recalled how when he was recommended to President Truman to be chosen as press secretary, he reminded the president that he used to be press secretary to Republican Senator George Aiken of Vermont. The president replied, If you were good for Senator Aiken, you are good for me.

According to Tubby, during informal meetings between the president, cabinet officers and friends, Truman was often asked what the hardest decision was that he had to make during his presidency. Truman, without hesitation, always said it was the decision to order the use of the atomic bomb.

The president, however, never regretted the decision, Tubby said, because he weighted it, first against the danger of enormous casualties among young Americans, which had been predicted by military planners in an assault on Japanese home islands. Second, the prospect of Soviet intervention and eventual occupation of Japan loomed heavily.

Tubby recalled that President Truman, like his predecessor in the White House, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, hoped for a peaceful post-war cooperation with the Soviet Union. But he soon realized Stalin had other plans.

When the Soviet Union reneged on the agreement to hold free elections in Poland, it became obvious that the U.S. would have to stand up to Moscow expansionist policies, Tubby said.

According to Tubby, Truman never lacked decisiveness. This was acknowledged by no lesser personality than Winston Churchill.

Tubby recalled a dinner party at the White House at which he was present: We were sipping brandy after dinner when Churchill suddenly said, You know, Mr. President, at the time of the Potsdam conference I held you in very low regard. Since that time sir, you, more than any other single man, have saved Western civilization. At the time when Britain could no longer hold out in Greece, and the Communists were at the gates of Athens, you and you alone made the decision to help the Greeks and drive the Communists out.

Churchill, Tubby said, went on to describe and acknowledge the many statesmanlike decisions Truman had made during his tenure in office.

There may have been less flattering episodes that took place in the White House during Roger Tubbys service there, and those are surely recorded in Tubbys diaries deposited at Yale University.

Shatz is a Williamsburg resident. He is the author of Reports from a Distant Place, a compilation of his selected columns. The book is available at the Bruton Parish Shop and Amazon.com

Originally posted here:

World Focus: He played poker with Truman - Daily Press

Posted on: September 2, 2022, 06:53h.

Last updated on: September 2, 2022, 12:47h.

The Goliath X poker tournament, part of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT), kicked off late last month. Already the biggest poker tournament outside Vegas, its set to break a new record before it wraps up.

The first flight of the event, which Grosvenor Casino hosts, was on August 27. That flight registered 1,294 entries, already an indication that this tournament was going to be bigger than others.

Since then, the field has continued to grow. The last live Goliath tournament was in 2019 and saw more than 9,300 entries. This year, the 150 (US$173) Goliath X already broke the 10K mark, with another flight to come.

There are a total of eight flights before players dig in and make a serious run for the money. The fifth flight was on Wednesday and added 1,432 to the running total. The next flight, Flight 1F on Thursday, brought another 1,572.

The Goliath had to take a break because of COVID-19. The following two years continued in an online format, which still proved to be popular.

Now, the live event is back and proving why it can claim to be the biggest poker tournament outside the World Series of Poker. There have been more than 11,800 entries so far, confirming Grosvenors earlier suspicions that it would break the 10K barrier.

Another Day 1, another record as today is our biggest Thursday on record!

Flight 1F has had 1,572 entries!

We are currently 948 entries up on our 2019 number of 9,300! pic.twitter.com/be11HQLloX

Grosvenor Poker (@GrosvenorPoker) September 1, 2022

Because the turnout has been so great, the 1 million (US$1.15 million) guarantee will increase even further. Only after all the flights are done and the entries tallied will Grosvenor be able to announce the complete prize pool and breakdown.

In 2019, with 9,300 entries, Lee Reynolds took the top prize of $78K when he cut a deal with the other four finalists. To put things in perspective for this year, all of the top five finishers that year bagged at least $80K, and 922 players finished in the money.

Theres still a lot of action remaining at the felt. The Goliath X event runs through September 4, when it crowns a winner.

As it makes its rounds, the GUKPT has already begun dishing out the cash. Jack Hardcastle is now a two-time winner after taking down the GUKPT Main Event a couple of days ago.

Hardcastle won the GUKPT Leeds Main Event last year for 72,200 (US$83,506). In taking down this years Main Event in Coventry, he added another 125,450 (US$145,145). The British poker pro has amassed more than $1.2 million in live poker winnings, according to Hendon Mob.

Ciaran Duffy is the perfect example of how poker is anyones game. Before he sat down at the table in the 1,500 High Roller, he only had $2,877 in live tournament winnings. However, he turned a strong performance and a first-place finish into $71,500.

Link:

Poker's Goliath X at the UK's Grosvenor Casino on Track for New Record - Casino.Org News

Online poker is gaining a lot of attention from people these days. The primary reason behind it is that it is pretty exciting to play. You will be surprised to know how many people love to play this game. Apart from that, you will also get the opportunity to make money. So, it is a good option for you.

Some people participate in this game for entertainment, while others play it to earn money. It doesnt matter what your goals are regarding online poker. But you must know some things before playing this game regularly. In this article, we will provide you with all the information you need to know about this game. In this way, you will learn whether you should try this game or not.

Nowadays, it has become pretty convenient for people to play games online. All thanks to technological developments. We can expect more in the future. You will find plenty of websites where you can play poker. It is not a challenging thing to find a reliable one, according to Top10PokerSites.net. Here you will find the best poker sites available online in 2022. Once you choose a particular one, you can begin your journey.

You might be eager to know everything about online poker. So, lets not waste more time and start with it.

If you are in a dilemma about whether you should try it or not, you must consider some things before making a decision. Everyone must have some knowledge regarding the poker they are about to play. Otherwise, the chances of losing it become high, and you cant lose money when playing these pokers. The points mentioned below are some things that are crucial to know before playing it.

Online poker might not be legal in all places. You have to ensure that it is legal where you are currently living. Sometimes, people forget to check the same and later regret playing at an unreliable website. You should never make this mistake if you want to earn money and not lose it.

As different websites provide these pokers, their rules and regulations are also different. There is only one way to avoid making mistakes. You should read them to take care of everything while playing poker. It will also reduce your stress levels as you wont have to think about getting punished for this move.

Another thing that you should know about online poker is that there are some unreliable websites too. You have to research every one of them to find a credible one. Researching is crucial because you will know if it is a good option for you or not. You must do your homework to find a perfect website to play it. It will also give you many chances to win an enormous amount of money.

Reading customer reviews is the best method to identify the quality of services provided by the website. You can trust others in this matter because they have already experienced it before.

The features of different websites might vary from each other. So, what can you do about this? You can check the website for the features they provide to the users, and you will find the answers. Now, you can compare two or more platforms and find the best one for you. The overall process of checking wont take so long if you already know how the services are and why people prefer them over others.

Online poker providers should have unique features to attract more users. However, you will get the best services on a few sites. You can then create your account and get started without issues or problems.

Different websites provide different types of software to the users. Well, some of them might not be a good experience for everyone. That is why you should first learn how the software works. If you find it a little bit complex, then you can switch to another website. After getting used to a particular software, you will vastly improve your playing. It is a good thing because you will earn a lot of money if things go pretty well for you.

It is always better to train yourself before getting started with any poker. Nobody wants to get stuck in poker and lose money. So, it is a crucial thing to consider.

If you are a beginner, you might need some practice to get used to poker. There are some rules and regulations of the game that you need to understand. For this, you can try playing with different people. You will get a chance to learn and improve your skills within a few days.

Poker is all about skills. You must know the best ways to win the game, even though youre a beginner. It doesnt matter if you have enough knowledge and skills. You have to keep working on yourself to reach greater heights.

Every reliable website will provide credible payment methods. So, you have to check them before selecting a particular one. Your decision will be better once you research it.

Payment methods can be of different types. If they are not credible, you will quickly know. That is why it is essential to find this out, especially if you have just started playing poker.

Source: unsplash.com

Some websites providing poker dont have various games. So, people usually play on different websites and earn money. Well, it is not a convenient method if you want to enjoy the game. Also, some people dont get the game they want to play on some websites. In such a situation, it is better to learn about it earlier.

Now, you know most of the things about online poker. So, it depends on you to make a decision. Some people prefer researching first. You should also do the same.

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What You Should Know About The Game Of Online Poker - VideoInk

In North America, online poker is in a tumultuous state. In the States of America, it is a hodgepodge of laws, bans, compacts, and individualist industries. When you go to Canada, it is completely different except for one province. Just what is the state of online poker in North America? It is one that is cloudy, at best.

Who Has the Biggest Player Pool?

If you look at it strictly by the size of player pools, then one compact in the U. S. has control, but just barely. The WSOP/888 partnership between Nevada, New Jersey, and Delawares online poker operations has pushed them to the top of the PokerScout charts. Through a look at the seven-day average of cash game players the metric used to rank the rooms because it is more indicative of players staying on a site to take part in the action the edge of the WSOP/888 combo isnt as large as you might think.

According to PokerScout, WSOP/888 and its three-state compact have 260 players on a seven-day average. This places that outlet over a newcomer to the chart, the newly enacted online gaming industry in Ontario. PokerStars Ontario is building up to try to pass WSOP/888, currently sitting in second place with their 220 players average. That pops them ahead of PokerStars Pennsylvania, who garner 200 players on average over a seven-day period.

Another Ontario entry takes down the fourth place slot on the North American online poker scene. BetMGM Ontario has a seven-day average of 190 players, good enough to push them ahead of PokerStars Michigan (130 average). It gets a bit dismal after that point, with two entities in partypoker New Jersey (95 players average) and PokerStars New Jersey (90 players average) not able to crack the 100-player mark. The Top Ten is rounded out by BetMGM Michigan (90 players), WSOP Pennsylvania (65 players), and WSOP Michigan (60 players).

North American Rooms Lag Far Behind International Community

Dont get excited about the numbers out of the North American online poker operations, because they lag WAY behind those of the top companies in the business.

For the past year, GGPoker has sat atop the mountain when it comes to the international poker community. With a seven-day average of 6400 players, they are untouched as the top player in the game. It becomes even more evident when you look at their peak online numbers; with roughly 308,000 players total, it is almost five times what the second-place contender has.

That second-place contender is the longtime former #1 in the online poker industry, PokerStars. Because of segmentation of the international market by regulations in different countries, PokerStars once dominant edge in the poker world has been significantly diminished. At one point, PokerStars had 10,000-plus players for their seven-day average now, they eke out a 3200-player average.

Perhaps the biggest mystery in the world of poker is the third largest online poker operation in the industry. IDNPoker takes that honor, but few in the Western Hemisphere would know about the company. The reason? They predominantly serve the Asian market, from China to the Philippines. Their seven-day average shows that IDNPoker is a force, however 2300 players cannot be wrong.

Rounding out the Top Five in the international community are a couple of familiar names. Winamaxs French centric outlet remains extremely popular, generating 1200 players average over seven days. Meanwhile, PokerStars European outlet (covering those countries not ring-fenced) is right behind Winamax with a 1150 player seven-day average.

If Only North America Was One

It is sad to think just how the international online poker industry would be impacted if the entirety of the Americas could be combined. Naturally, there would be some overlap, but simply a combo of PokerStars operations in Canada and the U. S. would be nearly 700 players strong. That would be good enough to be the eighth largest poker operation in the industry.

For WSOP/888, it would be similar. Combining their operations in Canada and the States, the WSOP/888 numbers would be near 400 players. That would be good enough to be in the Top 20. It does lead one to wonder just what if? governments in the Americas and perhaps around the world would simply allow for the online gaming industry to thrive rather than shrivel.

Excerpt from:

What is the State of North American Online Poker? - Poker News Daily