Category Archives: Poker

Any person starting off in poker dreams of having their own Moneymaker-esque moment, turning a small buy-in into a life-changing score. However, with the change in the poker landscape over the last 15 years, it now takes a lot more to get to the next level.

Long gone are the days where reviewing a couple poker hands would give you the tools needed to ascend from the low stakes to the big games in a timely fashion. Nowadays, to reach that level, poker players who predominantly play at the low stakes need to develop a deep understanding of the game and put in the work off the felt, if they want to see any real progression.

Thanks to the team at BBZPoker, theyre opening doors for aspirational poker players who grind the low stake tournament scene via their staking and team of elite coaches. The platform has recently embarked on a new adventure with the newly created BBZ Academy a new staking team thats focusing on full-time players, playing around the $5-$20 mark. Managed by Jake Brickman, the academys goals are simple, they want poker players to realize their potential and equip them with all the necessary knowledge needed to progress in this game.

The reason we started this was to get more people from an entry level position into poker. The benefits that players will receive is not only the skills to become a pro but how to act as one. We want to make sure that by the time a player finishes their deal with us that theyre financially stable and able to continue on their own as a professional poker player or transition to one of our other programs such as the CFP (Coaching for Profit) program.

One player who has seen his fortunes turn around since joining BBZ Academy is 19-year-old Brazilian born Eike Onodera. A former prodigy in both tennis and table tennis, it was at a local competition where Onodera first began to swap the rackets and bats he was used to for playing cards.

It was at a BBQ in a very casual tennis tournament that took place in my building, some friends got a deck of cards, poker chips and then we just started playing. Its funny looking back as Id never played poker before and didnt even know the rules

Poker gripped the up and comer instantly. He quickly ran home after his first soiree into No Limit Holdem and found himself googling how to play the game later that evening. Little did he know what that court-side game would result in. Onoderas competitive spirit soon transferred to the online poker felt, with aspirations from the get-go of becoming a professional poker player.

For the first year I already had the goal of becoming a professional, but it was still a bit casual in a certain way, I started with a $100 bankroll on partypoker then managed to increase my bankroll kind of quickly playing the micro stakes. At the time I was studying but it was still very surface level and basic stuff. As well as that, I didnt know too much about how to study correctly or effectively

The Brazilians journey into the BBZ fold began after coming across Jordan Drummonds, founder of BBZPoker, Twitch channel. It was not long after that Onodera found himself joining the aforementioned CFP program. Acknowledging that becoming a staked player was one of the best shots of becoming a fully-fledged poker player, he decided to apply to the newly created BBZ Academy as soon as it was set-up. It was this move that would precede the biggest payday.

Winning a free $109 ticket from the Pokerstars Blowout Series Ticket Machine promotion, Onodera found himself with the opportunity to play an event that was well above his usual buy-in. However, after realizing the ticket was for a satellite tournament for the Blowout Series: $1,050 NLHE [8-Max, The Big Blowout!], $5M Gtd that instant euphoria subsided quickly. Onoderas initial dismay didnt last too long though and soon turned into delight after navigating the satellite event to win the $1,050 ticket prize. After two days of play, he found himself at the final table fourth in chips and over $82,000 already locked up.

The final result saw Onodera bow out in sixth with a six-figure prize of $167,360. An absolutely fantastic achievement being that his first recorded result on PocketFives was a 253rd place finish in a $1.10 online MTT in March 2019.

It was an amazing feeling, I had only been in the BBZ Academy for a month when I had the score, but more importantly I had been studying with BBZ content for almost a year. That definitely was a huge factor in my game and helped me move in the right direction. Despite playing way higher than I ever had before, the lessons I had learned from the coaching I had received made me confident that I would not be so behind when playing against tough opposition.

And when talking about how new poker players can best elevate their skills or looking for potential backing, its no surprise what Onodera had to say.

I think any BBZ content would be great for a beginner as they are very experienced in teaching and explain the game in a very direct and efficient way. Getting a better understandingof how the game fundamentally works and its math is what people should expect.

If anyone wants to be staked, bias aside, I definitely recommend BBZ. Theyve been in the market for such a long time and in the past few months they have been doing a lot of video content. Poker is a competition so the more effort you put into studying, while still being efficient, will keep you ahead of most players. I believe being curious about how the game works, concepts, ideas, etc should be some of the traits of someone whos seriously looking to improve their game

The BBZ Academy is still looking for aspiring poker player who wants to elevate their game to the next level.

Players looking to apply will need to hit some requirements before having the chance to be one of BBZs newest recruits. Theyll need to have put in the hours and played at least 3000 tournaments over the past year to 18 months to be considered. Also, BBZ makes it clear that the Academy is no side hustle, players are expected to commit most of their time and effort in order to succeed.

More information on applications to the Academy can be found on the BBZ Poker website.

More:

BBZ Academy Producing Next Generation of Poker Superstars - PocketFives

College third-year and varsity baseball and basketball player Darien Knowles has bounced around a lot. Since graduating high school, he has been enrolled at four different schools. His winding academic journey was supposed to stop last spring when he started at Oberlin, but the COVID-19 pandemic ensured that nothing would come easy for him. Still, he has managed to adjust and acclimate thanks to help from his teammates, his coaches, and his other passion: playing poker.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Where were you before Oberlin?

I graduated high school and I decided to do a year of prep school in Arizona [at Hillcrest Prep] after graduation because a lot of college coaches wanted me to gain weight before college. So, I went to prep school to try to gain the weight. Things went well. Basketball wise, recruitment wise, everything was looking good. And then I ended up having surgery on both of my knees. That knocked me out the following year while I had to rehab and recover. Then I spent a year at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. That just wasnt a good fit coaching wise, so I went to Glendale Community College in Arizona to get re-recruited. I ended up tearing my meniscus again in the first game of the season, which sucked. So now Ive had three knee surgeries. And then, after being out in Arizona for those two years, I was just really, really tired of being that far from home. Im from Amherst. I actually live like 10 minutes from the school.

How did you end up at Oberlin?

Ive had a relationship with the Head Baseball Coach Adrian Abrahamowicz since I was in high school. Ive been working with him for years and it never really hit me that there would be any chance I would attend Oberlin. But, when I was transferring from my JUCO [junior college] and I realized I wanted to play baseball, I was actually on campus at Oberlin with Abrahamowicz working out and my mom came up and were all talking and it clicked We put it in motion and I got accepted.

How did you become a dual sport athlete?

My whole life I was actually the baseball kid, and basketball was something that I did for fun. Then, my junior year in high school, it kind of flipped in my head. I started to love basketball more and baseball took a backseat. I still played baseball my last two years of high school, but I didnt take it as seriously. So, after I graduated, I didnt play baseball again until last spring. At first I wasnt sure if I was going to be playing both here or not, but the basketball coach approached me and the baseball coach was very cool about it, so I decided to play both.

What was it like transferring to Oberlin last spring and having your first semester and baseball season cut short?

It was really upsetting. We went through our full pre-season. We had been practicing for a while and then we got to play four games before they ended up cancelling the season. We were actually like two or three days away from leaving to go to Arizona for a couple of days, which we were all looking forward to. But I got to meet the guys, and theyre all great.

Have either of your teams been able to help you with the transition to Oberlin?

Shout out to [College fourth-years] Lawrence Hamilton and Alexis Castillo. Those are my guys, but really both teams, all 30, 40, 50 guys as soon as I came in the atmosphere and environment that they created, it was incredible. I walked in on day one, not knowing a single person, but left feeling like I was almost immediately a part of this family and culture. I think the school community does a perfect job of that as well. Everybody Ive met has been so down to earth and just welcoming and helpful. In my experience, at my other colleges, its almost difficult to get somebody that wants to help you, but here it seems like anybody would be willing to help you with anything.

Outside of sports, what was it like transferring right before the pandemic hit?

It was a lot, especially because Oberlin is so far advanced [academically] compared to where I was, so I was trying to transition into a harder curriculum. Then the pandemic hit and it just all happened so fast. At first, it didnt seem real. It was like, okay, theres a case in the U.S. No big deal. And then, a week later, the whole country is upside down and were all at home. But I think academically, it almost calmed things down because there was so much else going on. A lot of my professors realized that, and kind of pulled back a little bit and became a little more lenient. So it actually, I think, helped my academic transition. But it was still a lot to process.

What do you do outside of athletics and academics?

I watch a lot of movies and TV shows. I bowl, but mostly I play a lot of poker.

Do you play online or do you have a group you play with in person?

One of my buddies has a huge basement around the corner and before the pandemic wed all go play over there. Itd be anywhere from eight to like 22 people. If we got that many people, then wed have two tables. But Ill go play at the casino or online. Ill play anywhere.

Would you consider yourself to be good or is it just for fun? If you went to Vegas, how would you feel about your odds of winning?

I consider myself to be good, 100 percent. I think were all good. In my friend group, theres one or two of them that are top level, like could almost compete professionally. Then theres me and then the rest. Id do pretty good in Vegas.

Anything else youd like to say?

Ill say, for the football fans, that the Browns are going to the Super Bowl next year. And, for the basketball fans, LeBron James is the GOAT.

Read more from the original source:

In The Locker Room with Darien Knowles, Two-Sport Athlete and Poker Player - The Oberlin Review

For over a year now, PokerStars PA has been the only online poker operator in Pennsylvania. While there have been numerous hints over the previous months that WSOP.com could enter the market, the launch kept getting delayed.

Now, it seems that all pieces have finally fallen into place: The launch of WSOP PA appears imminent. In the next few months, players from Pennsylvania will likely get another option for their online poker needs.

One of the best hints that WSOP is indeed coming to the Keystone State is pages on the companys official site, spotted by pokerfuse, that list specific rules for PA players. It certainly seems like the operator is getting in position for launch.

888, WSOPs platform provider, has already received a license from the PCGB, and the existing partnership with the Harrahs casino in Philadelphia, all technical requirements have been met.

The pair have extended their relationship for US online poker, and in a recent interview with pokerfuse, 888 said that it was hoping to launch with its partner under the WSOP brand this side of summer.

Awaiting the official announcement, we will try to answer some of the biggest questions you may have about the upcoming launch of WSOP.com in Pennsylvania.

In a recent interview for Pokerfuse, Yaniv Sherman, SVP and Head of US at 888 Holdings, stated that the company is currently prioritizing Pennsylvaniathe clearest sign yet that WSOP has eyes on PA.

Right now, we are looking to prioritize Pennsylvania with our partner Caesars to deploy it for the WSOP brand. We then will aim for a phased rollout across the states, he said.

The company plans to roll out before the summer and the start of the 2021 World Series of Poker. If things go according to plan, we should see WSOP PA go live before June 2021.

Like with the rest of state-licensed operators, players on WSOP PA will have to be physically present in the state to join real money cash games and tournaments.

The minimum age limit to legally register with the site is 21 and the operator reserves the right to verify the information provided by the player by requesting their documents.

As things stand right now, PA players will likely be ring-fenced to begin with, i.e. they will only be able to play against other players from the state.

There are negotiations underway, which would allow combining the player pool with those of WSOP New Jersey and WSOP Nevada. For this to happen, PA regulators would need to sign on to the MSIGA (multi-state igaming agreement) that permits operators to pool liquidity across state lines.

Whether this happens or not also depends on the Wire Act interpretation and what happens with it in the months to come. With some positive developments in this area disputing DoJs interpretation of the document, path could be paved for many interstate compacts in the future.

While it is hard to say for certain, based on the products in other states, we can speculate on what kind of offers new WSOP players in Pennsylvania are likely to have access to.

WSOP.com PA will likely welcome all players with a no deposit bonus of $10. For this one, all you have to do is register an account and confirm your identity.

The free cash is available on a completely risk-free basis, so it will be a nice way to get familiar with the site, check out the software, and test the waters in some real money games playing with the house money.

When and if you decide to make a real money deposit, there should be a nice deposit bonus waiting for you. If it is similar to what WSOP offers in other markets, players will get a 100% match up to the maximum of $1000.

As is usually the case with poker bonuses, you will need to play to release the bonus funds. With WSOP.com PA, it will probably look something like this:

New players have two months (60 days) to clear the bonus. Any funds that are not released by that date will be voided.

Like other regulated poker rooms in the US, WSOP.com offers a variety of banking options. Pennsylvania players should have no problems funding their accounts or withdrawing their poker winnings.

To add money to your WSOP.com account, you will probably have access to the following options:

When it comes to cashing out, WSOP PA will probably feature several options such as:

For withdrawals, NETELLER is the fastest option, so if you want to have quick access to your funds, go with this. Bank drafts and checks are very reliable, but they longer to process.

The offering of cash games at WSOP in Pennsylvania is likely to be very similar to that in New Jersey and Nevada. In terms of variations, this means Texas Holdem, Omaha, and several stud games, in no limit, pot limit, and fixed limit formats.

As for the stakes, the highest available games will probably be $25/$50, at least for no limit and pot limit variants.

There are no fast-fold poker variations offered by WSOP.com at this time, so you will have to make do with regular tables.

The maximum number of cash game tables you can have running at any one time is 10. There is no limit to the maximum number of tournaments you can have open, though.

According to the WSOP.com Pennsylvania page, the operator will be rolling out BLAST tournaments when they go live in the state.

In case you are new to WSOP, BLAST poker features four-handed sit and go tournaments with random prize multipliers between 2x and 10,000x the buy-in. When the play starts, the countdown timer is initiated. Once the time runs out, players can no longer make decisions and they will be all in every hand until there is the winner.

The WSOP.com online platform is powered by 888 and both rooms have a very similar design and features. The software has seen many upgrades in the recent period and it offers a high quality gaming environment.

The lobby features several sections to make the navigation easier. You can use additional filters to find the games you are looking for and get a seat at the table or register in a tournament of your choice with no problems.

For Pennsylvania specifically, WSOP.com is looking to roll out with a brand new client called Poker 8, pending certification. From what we have seen of the new client thus far, it features a sleek, modern design that seems to be a significant upgrade on the current software.

WSOP.com offers quality mobile apps for Android and iOS devices, and players from Pennsylvania will certainly have access to these once the room goes live.

The current mobile apps live in Nevada and New Jersey only support play at one table at the time and only for Texas Holdem cash games.

However, if 888 is able to roll out Poker 8 in time for PA, as they plan, then these restrictions will be lifted. The new mobile app supports PLO and multiple simultaneous tables.

See more here:

WSOP Pennsylvania FAQ - when will the iconic World Series of Poker launch online poker in PA? - Pokerfuse

Liverpool are in the hunt for RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano, who is considered the dream signing for manager Jrgen Klopp.

Thats according to BILD, who say the Reds play poker with Chelsea and Bayern Munich to secure the highly-rated Frenchman.

Upamecano is widely expected to leave Leipzig in the summer, having established himself as one of the top centre-backs in Europe in recent years.

He has a release clause worth 42.5m in his contract that activates this summer, a price that several top sides in Europe consider a bargain in the current climate.

Embed from Getty Images

Liverpool are one of those to have been named among his suitors, with them desperate to find a long-term partner for Virgil van Dijk, particularly after their defensive woes this season.

BILD back up their interest today and state that Upamecano is the dream transfer for Klopp this summer.

They explain that while Liverpool urgently need defenders, they wanted to wait until the summer and then invest heavily.

An injury to Joel Matip forced them to move for Ozan Kabak in the January transfer window and while BILD say he can be signed for 30m at the end of his loan deal, Klopp would rather add the 12.5m and sign Upamecano instead.

They face competition from Chelsea and Bayern Munich for his signature, though, with it now very much presented as a three-way race between these clubs for his signature.

Go here to read the rest:

Liverpool 'play poker' for Klopp's 'dream' defensive signing - Reds now prepared to invest heavily - Sport Witness

On the afternoon of October 25, 1946, the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein held a graduate seminar in his rooms at the University of Cambridge. The discussion centred around the issue of what it means to say that you talk to yourself. Ironically (given the subject matter), as was typical of his seminars, it was a conversation carried out in silence. Wittgenstein was more a collector of acolytes than students. Most of whom were a bit scared of him.

Later that day, he attended a packed meeting of the universitys Moral Sciences Club. During this he threatened the visiting speaker, Karl Popper, with a fireplace poker.

Or did he?

The details of what happened that evening are charmingly interrogated by David Edmonds and John Eidenow in their 2001 book Wittgensteins Poker. The verdict? That Wittgenstein may or may not have been guilty of a failure of donnish etiquette (or attempted assault). The Edmonds-Eidenow prosecution file is an agreeable condensation of most of the historical issues. I cant recommend it highly enough. It is a beautifully written portrait of the idiosyncrasies of the main protagonists (including Bertrand Russell no show without Punch), and a faithful characterisation of the other witnesses/attendees a sort of carnival of philosophical grotesques.

Wittgensteins Poker is wonderful psychology but incomplete philosophy. Wittgenstein was a scion of one of the wealthiest families in Austria; Popper was a member of the more professional Viennese classes. He was the deeply ambitious up-and-coming philosopher of science; Wittgenstein, at that point in his career (he died five years later), didnt think philosophy was a thing. A deeply serious person (and a very practically minded one) he considered it a diversion, one which merits little more attention than a crossword puzzle. Its alleged that this incident instantiated a feud its more likely that whilst Popper still wrote about it several decades later, Wittgenstein had forgotten about it ten minutes after it happened. Genius tends towards solipsism. The book brings all this out very well. But it misses a trick.

Poppers paper was titled Are there problems in philosophy?. Youd think it would be self-evident that there are, but we who are trained to argue about everything will end up arguing about anything. Wittgensteins view was that the huge philosophical issues are no such thing, that they are instead illusions thrown up by our systematic misuse of language. Just as the Buddha thought we can be tricked into a fake view of the universe by getting our words out in the wrong order, so Wittgenstein thought that the deepest questions that trouble the human mind are caused by a certain slovenliness about the way we speak and (therefore) think.

How do you seriously answer questions about whether other people have minds, whether God exists, or what it makes something true rather than false? Wittgensteins answer was that you dont take the question seriously in the first place. The deepest questions of philosophy are best addressed not by argument but by therapy. Our ways of thinking imply that what we take to be deeply counter-intuitive is probably no more than linguistic mischief, a mischief in which we collude. Just as the early Church argued that as soon as we act, we display our tendency to sin, so Wittgenstein believed that as soon as we start philosophising, we go deeply wrong.

But there is something obviously wrong here, isnt there? You could argue that Wittgenstein is guilty of a form of self-refutation, and that the position he advances is, in itself, a redolently philosophical one. The claim that there are no really interesting philosophical problems is surely contentious? And, if contentious, then its a metaphysical claim?

More interestingly, what happened on that evening is in itself a question with some philosophical import. Who was right?

What, in other words, is the status of propositions which make claims about the past? Wittgenstein, in an earlier iteration, had sided himself with the Vienna Circle of philosophers who wished to assimilate all knowledge to what can or cannot be empirically verified. Their manifesto announced a theory of language according to which a statement can only be meaningful, as opposed to true, to the extent that it can be subject to some experiment. The logical positivists had declared war on speculative metaphysics (dangerous to the scientistic agenda) without noticing that their own position was hilariously self-refuting. How do you verify its own articles of agenda? And how, more interestingly, can you maintain that statements concerning what happened five minutes ago let alone 75 years ago are meaningful?

Popper made his name dismantling that theory of meaning. So maybe we should score that one to him?

One thing we do know, is that this was the first and only time these two ever met. Unless, of course, theyre chatting now. Thatd be a Round 2 worth watching. Wittgenstein talking to himself; Popper irate that hes being ignored.

Link:

Wittgenstein, Popper and the poker - TheArticle

According to the latest cash game traffic figures, seen exclusively by pokerfuse, PokerStars.MI is right now the largest regulated real money online poker network in the USlarger than the combined WSOP/888 network, bigger even than its Pennsylvania counterpart, PokerStars PA.

PokerStars launched its online poker room in Michigan ten days ago. It is the third regulated online poker site in the US ran by the company, following on from its 2016 launch in New Jersey and its late 2019 debut in Pennsylvania.

All three online poker rooms are segregatedmeaning the player pools are not connected together, nor with the global dot-com player liquidity. Yet despite this, thousands of players from Michigan statepopulation approximately 10 millionhave flocked to the new online poker room.

This has resulted in one of the highest traffic levels ever observed by any online poker room in the US regulated markets at any time in history.

PokerStars USA: The worlds largest online poker room is legal and regulated in Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Jersey!

According to figures tracked by GameIntel, formerly PokerScout, the go-to source for independent tracking of online poker traffic, licensed exclusively by pokerfuses Poker Industry PRO, PokerStars Michigan has averaged 410 concurrent cash game players over the last week.

To put that in perspective, PokerStars PAwhere PokerStars is also the only operator, and in a state with population 30% largerwas a tiny pip below, recording 405 players. PokerStars NJ was a third the size, at approximately 140 average seats.

Its nearest competitor in the United States, the WSOP/888 US Networkwhich comprises six online poker rooms sharing liquidity between New Jersey, Nevada and Delawarereported 275 cash game seats.

All figures are based on average concurrent cash game traffic observed over the last seven days, rounded to the nearest 5 seats. All data used under license from GameIntel.com via the Poker Industry PRO Data platform.

WSOP/888, which has been active in Nevada since 2013, has only ever hit 400 concurrent cash game seats one time in its near eight-year history: Briefly for a few weeks last year in the spring in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

PokerStars NJ has never got close to the level: Not even when it first launched in 2016, including a period where it was #1 in the market; nor even during last years global online poker explosionthere, it hit its all-time peak of 330 concurrent seats.

In fact, the only online poker room in the US to consistently report this level of traffic is PokerStars Pennsylvania. Since launch in November 2019, the network has hovered around the 400 seats mark. It briefly saw its traffic explode up to 1000 during the absolute highs of the Covid-fueled online poker boom.

Data provided by GameIntel

While cash game traffic statistics always give the most comprehensive view of the online poker market, the numbers out of the tournaments also show that PokerStars Michigan is enjoying a strong turnoutthough spots are starting to show in the operators aggressive weekend schedule, and the first big overlay has been seen.

As pokerfuse reported last week, its first weekend saw a decent turnout to its Sunday Majors, with all guarantees covering easily. The Sunday Warm-Up, in particular, attracted a strong showing of over 300 entries.

Clearly buoyed by this success, PokerStars MI increased guarantees for the second weekend. Three of the four highlight tournaments saw bumps to their guarantees, and the site also unveiled the Sunday Special: Its new flagship event with a $100 buy-in and a $20,000 guarantee.

The Special certainly had a huge first outing. In total, it brought in 301 entries, generating a prize pool of $27,632by far the largest in the state so far.

However, this did notably have a knock-on effect on other tournaments. The $50 Supersonic grew, easily surpassing its new $2500 with 85 entries to generate a prize pool of almost $400. However, the others saw dips.

The Storm dropped a few entries, but easily covered. The Warm Up was actually affected quite a lot, losing 112 entriesthought it still handily covered its $5000 guarantee.

But it was the High Roller that really suffered. On the first week, it attracted 63 entries to almost double its $7500 guarantee. Understandably, PokerStars then upped the guarantee to $10,000 for its second outing. However, yesterday it attracted just 36 entries, generating prize money of $8388an overlay of $1612.

This could well be the first overlay in Michigan, and it is not a small one. Those 36 entrants certainly enjoyed some valueto the tune of almost $50 each.

The likely reasons for this are twofold: Firstly, the $100 Special will have attracted some players to that instead. Overall, the Sunday Majors generated prize money of almost $50,000, way more than the $28,000 in the opening weekendso the level of spend has not dropped; it just shifted.

However, yesterday was also unique in that it was Superbowl Sunday. This often has impact on tournament turnoutso this could well be a one-off.

Either way, players should keep watch on next Sundays tournaments, as there could be value opportunities.

Meanwhile, all eyes are now on the first big tournament series to be announced by PokerStars MI, details of which could come this week. Pokerfuse has predicted that it could be the first ever MICOOP, which could have a total series guarantee of up to $1 million. Watch this space.

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Exclusive: PokerStars Michigan is the Largest Regulated Online Poker Room in the United States Right Now - Pokerfuse

Hes had one of the more impressive runs in the world of poker. Hes also been able to make an impact on the international politics stage. But, after several years away from the game, is Antanas Tony G Guoga looking to return to the poker world on a full-time basis?

End of His Political Career Could Signal Change

According to casino journalist Rose Varrelli in Australia, the end of Guogas time in the European Parliament might be signaling a change in course for the poker provocateur. In 2016, Guoga ran for and was elected to a seat in the European Parliament, the legislative body for the European Union. After three years on that esteemed board, Guoga lost in a reelection bid but was able to run for and win a seat in the Lithuanian Parliament (Guoga has dual Lithuanian/Australian citizenship as he was born in Lithuania and moved at the age of 11 to Australia). The poker professional has been apparently thinking of his place in both politics and poker since taking the Lithuanian Parliament seat.

In mid-January Guoga, allegedly citing his lack of influence on politics in the body, resigned his Parliament seat. Other information coming out, however, indicated he was not pleased with the direction of the Labor Party leadership in the Lithuanian Parliament. This dissatisfaction came out after several comments from the partys chairman, Viktor Uspaskich, on several hot button issues.

Guoga made it official in a Tweet to his followers:

Could Guoga Adapt to Todays Game?

There are some in the poker world that would say that the game has changed since Guoga once was a part of it. Even though he has been a part of the political spectrum for several years, Guoga hasnt completely dropped playing the game. In fact, some of his biggest on the felt success has come over the last few years.

2019 was the biggest earnings year of his career, taking down more than $1.1 million in earnings from tournaments primarily in Europe. Guoga won the partypoker MILLIONS Short Deck High Roller tournament in August 2019, earning him $265,859 for his efforts, but that was just a warmup. In Rozvadov at the Super High Roller event (250,000) for the World Series of Poker Europe, Guoga took down fourth place for the biggest payday of his career, more than $880,000 (U. S.).

The fingerprints of Guoga on the world of poker are all over the place. He was the founder of PokerNews back in the early Aughts (before selling the operation to The Stars Group in the late 2010s), which arguably ushered in the age of online poker news operations. But it was his play on the tables and his aggressive, combative nature that drew people to the character Tony G.

He would be a part of several verbal sparring matches when he was at his peak on the tables. One in particular was a particularly tense verbal barrage with Russias Ralph Perry during the International Poker Championships. It was this battle where Guogas catchphrase On yer bike! (used to summarily dismiss Perry from the table) came into the lexicon.

The question would be is whether the game has passed Guoga by or not. Although his success in 2019 was the best of his career, it was in high roller tournaments, not in normal Main Event battles with larger fields. Theres also the factor that Guoga, much like many other poker players, has basically had to sit on the sidelines in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. How much Tony G might be able to add to his $7 million-plus career earnings in a new age of poker play is unknown, but his personality would be a change in the current state of the game.

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Is Tony G Looking to Return to the Poker World? - Poker News Daily

February 04, 2021Chad Holloway

Wednesday's latest "High Stakes Poker" episode on PokerGO was a continuation of the last weeks game, which was played $200/$400/$800 w/ an $800 ante from the third blind.

The episode started with six players in their seats while Tom Dwan was sitting out. Heres how things stack up at the top of the broadcast:

In the first hand of the new episode, Damien Leforbes raised to $2,500 from middle position with the and the ever-aggressive Michael Schwimer three-bet to $9,000 from the cutoff holding the . Action folded back to Leforbes and he called to see the flop, which gave Schwimer trip eights.

Leforbes check-called a bet of $6,000 and then check-called one of $15,000 on the turn. The river was gin for Leforbes, who checked his full house. Schwimer bet $24,000, which left him just $21,000 behind, and Leforbes check-raised all in.

Did you get lucky as shit on me? a seemingly-frustrated Schwimer asked before calling off and discovering the bad news.

I will not apologize for running good, said Leforbes as he pulled in the $153,400 pot.

After reloading to $100,000, Schwimer raised to $3,000 from the hijack and Dwan, who had returned to the game, three-bet to $13,000 from the small blind. Schwimer called, the flop fell . Dwan continued for $14,000 and Schwimer, who flopped top two pair, just called to see the turn.

Dwan made top pair but still checked, and Schwimer followed suit. On the river, Dwan bet $25,000 and Schwimer leaned back in his chair while letting out a big sigh before saying, All in.

It was $73,000 total and Dwan hit the tank.

Didnt snap-call, Im in pretty good shape, Schwimer claimed. Dwan thought long and hard before paying it off, and just like that Schwimer doubled back by claiming the $200,800 pot.

Dwan opened for $2,500 with the and Sean Perry looked down at the next to act. He three-bet to $8,000 and then Jean-Robert Bellande, who had lost a six-figure pot to Dwan the hand prior, four-bet to $30,000 out of the small blind with the .

Dwan folded and Perry, the son of poker pro Ralph Perry, paused for a few beats before five-betting to $70,000. Bellande asked how much his opponent had behind, which was $246,000, and Bellande opted to call.

He flopped top pair on the flop and checked it over to Perry, who bet $40,000 into the pot of $144,100. Bellande called and then check-called a bet of $70,000 when the turn gave him an open-ended straight draw.

After the paired the board on the river, Bellande checked for the third time and Perry moved all in for his last $136,000. Bellande asked for a count and realized he had the bigger stack, albeit by a slim margin of $18,000. Eventually, Bellande called only to see his opponent table the goods.

With that, Perry doubled in a juicy pot worth $637,700.

After Rick Salomon left the game, a new player joined the game in Bryn Kenney, who bought in with a massive stack. Heres how this stacked up at that point in time:

In his first hand of this episode, Kenney raised to $4,000 from the cutoff with the and Perry called from the big blind with the . The flop gave Perry trip eights and he check-called a bet of $10,000.

Perry checked again on the turn, which gave him a full house, and Kenney continued to bluff by firing out $23,000. Perry just called and then checked yet again on the river. Kenney took the bait and triple-barreled it with a bet of $64,000, but had to fold when Perry finally woke up with the check-raise to $219,000. Kenney took an early hit while Perry collected another big pot, this one worth $359,8000.

In the penultimate hand of the episode, John Andress had the $1,600 straddle on and both Dwan and Bellande called, the former under the gun and the latter on the button. Schwimer then raised to $4,000 with the in the small blind and Kenney called from the big with the . All the aforementioned players called and it was five-way action to the flop.

Schwimer continued for $15,000 with top pair and Kenney raised to $52,000 with his set. Andress folded, Dwan gave up his flush draw, and Bellande got out of the way. Schwimer called and the turn gave him a wheel draw, which he checked.

Kenney bet $71,000, Schwimer called, and the completed the board on the river. Schwimer improved to two pair but checked to Kenney, who bet $165,000. Schwimer snap-called off his stack and then let loose some expletives upon seeing Kenney had the best hand to win the $597,200 pot.

Alright, that was fun boys, Schwimer told the table before giving up his seat in the game.

Remember, High Stakes Poker will air every Wednesday but is only available to PokerGO subscribers. If youre not currently subscribed, you can get a monthly subscription for $14.99, a three-month plan for $29.99, and an annual subscription for $99.99.

*Images courtesy of PokerGO.

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February 06, 2021Chad Holloway

The COVID-19 pandemic decimated live tournament poker in 2020. There were several events in January and February before things shut down in March, and from August onward there were a spattering of events to be had in states that would allow it. Through the limited schedule, a handful of players managed to strike it big including Floridas Ricardo Eyzaguirre.

The 31-year-old originally from Lima, Peru, was one of 2020s breakout stars. He enjoyed a career year winning $434,771 including two big wins at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, which recently played host to the 2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open.

First, he took down the $1,100 October Anniversary Special for $46,000 and a month later won the $1,100 November Holiday Special for $47,000. However, his largest score of 2020 came in January when he finished runner-up in the Borgata Winter Poker Open Event #1: $600 Kick-Off for a career-high $290,000.

My greatest accomplishment to date would be my first six-figure score at Borgata at the beginning of the year, Eyzaguirre said. It really felt like my hard work paid off and I was really anxious and working hard to reach that goal.

Eyzaguirre immigrated to the United States with his mother and three brothers when he was just 10 years old. Now, two decades later, he is a father to two children of his own Ricardo Jr. and Violet. He first learned to play poker at the age of 18 in his brothers home game, and from there he visited local casinos in the Miami area.

Ive been playing poker professionally for about 14 years, he told PokerNews. For the first 10 years, I only played cash games in south and central Florida. Then, in about 2015, I started playing tournaments.

Indeed, in addition to a full tournament schedule, Eyzaguirre dukes it out at $2-$5 and $5-$10 no-limit holdem cash game tables as well as some high-stakes pot-limit Omaha online.

Im a very dedicated person and Im very goal-driven, he said. 2020 was defiantly a weird and troubling year although I feel like it was my breakout year and when all my hard work significantly paid off. With COVID hurting the whole world and so much suffering it is hard to call it a great year, but Im definitely thankful for my scores and look forward to working as hard as I can to have many other years like this one in the future.

Like many others, Eyzaguirre has a goal of winning a World Series of Poker bracelet, which would go nicely with his pair of gold rings. Back in 2017, he won the WSOP Circuit Harrahs Cherokee Event #7: $365 Monster Stack for $74,853, and two years later in December 2019 he won Event #13: $400 NLH Double Stack for $31,386 at the same venue.

Im a very competitive person, Eyzaguirre revealed. I really enjoy playing poker as a career and working on my trade. I attribute my success this year to studying, hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

He concluded: Lastly, I have a very tight family I want to thank my mother for being the best mom I can ask for and always being for me to support me. Im looking forward to playing a lot and learning a lot this year so hopefully, PokerNews will be seeing a lot more of me. Im going to give it all I got!

For those looking to follow Eyzaguirres poker journey, you can follow him on Twitter @ricardoeyz222.

*Images courtesy of WSOP and Seminole Hard Rock.

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Longtime Poker Pro Ricardo Eyzaguirre Reflects on Career Year in 2020 - PokerNews.com

February 03, 2021Chad Holloway

When you think of the Godfather of Poker, you probably think of Doyle Brunson. However, when it comes to being the Godfather of Norwegian Poker, that honor goes to the late Thor Hansen, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Hansen, who many believe is worthy of the Poker Hall of Fame, was active in poker while he fought the cancer, and while those in the know were aware of his health issues, the larger poker community wasnt. Now, more than two years after his death, Hansens story is being told in the new poker documentary Smile by filmmakers Kari Wle and Linn Amundsen.

The 75-minute film is available now on Vimeo and offers an intimate look at Hansens life, particularly his later years while he dealt with his terminal cancer diagnosis.

Heres a look at the films description:

An extraordinary poker talent sends the young Norwegian Thor Hansen on a life journey as an international poker star in Las Vegas. For 23 years he lives a jet-set life, with hundreds of thousands of dollars to play for daily. He becomes a two-time world champion, and is given the nickname "The Godfather". But in 2012, his life changes dramatically as Thor is diagnosed with incurable cancer. He returns to Norway with his American wife Marcella, and is predicted six months left to live. But a death sentence is just a new challenge for a man who is used to winning, even with lousy cards on his hands.

Hansen, born June 23, 1947, was a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner with just shy of $3 million in lifetime earnings dating back to 1987. Not only that, he played in high-stakes cash games, including as a personal recruit of Larry Flynt in the mid-1990s. In 1999, he married Marcella Braswell, who is featured prominently in the documentary. They were together until his passing on December 5, 2018.

PokerNews had the opportunity to chat with Linn Amundsen, one of the directors of the documentary, who opened up about the experience, challenges, and of course the subject himself, Thor Hansen.

When and how did you meet Thor Hansen? What was your relationship?

In Norway poker has actually been forbidden to play, and in a way still is. You can play at home with maximum 10 people and about 100 dollars each, but playing bigger tournaments are not allowed. Except once a year since 2015 there has been the Norwegian championship in Norway. Every year there is also the Norwegian championship in Dublin, because of these restrictions.

In the championship arranged in Oslo in 2015, we were doing a job for the Norwegian blood cancer society. They were selected to get the profit from this arrangement, and we were doing the ideal advertising for them. Since these small films were screened among people interested in poker, we wished to do a poker-related film, and we then needed two actors. One we had already found, but when we searched in the poker society Thor Hansen`s name came up. We were told that he was the Godfather in Norwegian poker and that he also had cancer.

We set up a meeting to discuss his little actor role, and fell in love with him in the first meeting. We then asked if we could make a documentary film about his life, and he responded: Why not?

This is the film we made with Thor for the blood cancer association:

How would you describe Thor Hansen as a person? Likewise, how would you describe his battle with cancer?

Thor was a very charismatic person. He was very friendly and interested in people. He had an adventurous life and had almost never had a normal job. He has won so much money, but also wasted all of it since he was a notorious gambler. We met some dealers when we were filming in Dublin, and asked them some questions about Thor. One person started crying when she started talking about him. So many people loved him because he showed real interest in other people.

He knew their names and knew where they came from. When he sat by the poker table, he talked with people, sang stanzas from old songs, and was always in a good mood. Maybe this was also one of his great skills at the poker table, he got to know people and could easier read them.

I think he was a curious and easy-going soul, who lived one day at a time, and this was maybe an advantage when he got his cancer illness. The doctors in the US gave him sixth months to live. When he got back to Norway, he received more than 300 chemotherapy treatments and lived for six years, playing poker to the end.

What inspired you to make this film?

We got inspired by Thor and the way he lived his life. Not his notorious gambling, but to live life to the fullest and enjoy life as much as possible in any situation. While shooting this film we had other projects going on at the same time, so we didnt have much time to apply for financial support.

"We thought Thor deserved this film, and we also got the impression that he was a bit proud that we were making a film about his life."

Kari, my business partner, co-director, and best friend had also had cancer some years earlier, so we knew a lot about this disease. While filming Thor, she unfortunately got a recurrence of cancer and was actually in the same situation as Thor, since there was no cure for her cancer either. When we had been filming Thor for a year or so, and Kari became sick again, it became more important to complete the film, even though we had to pay the expenses ourselves. We thought Thor deserved this film, and we also got the impression that he was a bit proud that we were making a film about his life.

What has been the reception of the film thus far?

We showed it for the first time in Dublin in 2019, under the Norwegian Poker Championship. About 150 people watched it there, mainly men. Most of them were crying after watching the film, and of course, many people knew Thor. We were there with his wife Marcella, and it was very touching to see all the guys after the screening. If Thor was there in his spirit, he would have been very proud, I think.

What were some of the challenges associated with making this documentary?

The main challenges were that we had other big projects during the three years of filming, so we had to try to plan recordings with him in between those. And we had to do the filming when Thor had the energy. Sometimes we had planned to do some filming, but Thor didnt feel well so we had to postpone our plans. We really wanted to go to Las Vegas with him, but this was not possible because of the other projects we had. Besides that, we also had very little money for the project.

What were some of the highlights for you while making the documentary?

The highlight for us making the film was to get to know Thor and his lovely wife Marcella. She was not into poker at all, but gave him so much love and caring during his disease. Every time he had been to a tournament he was so exhausted, but after being in her care for a few days he had renewed his energy.

It was also very interesting to get an insight in the world of poker. We tried to play a few times, but that was really scary.

Can you give us an update on Marcella? How about Thors friend Steinar?

Steinar, who you see a lot in this film, also died just before Christmas. So that was really sad.

Marcella stayed in Norway after Thor died. She went to some Norwegian classes and her goal is to find a job here. Last summer she went back to the US to catch up with her family, but she had a really tough time, because she lost a young family member to the Covid-19 while she was there. She came back to Oslo a few months ago and is still in great grief because of all her losses the last couple of years.

How did you get noted musician Angelina Jordan to do music?

Kari, my co-owner of Zacapa Film, edited a music video with Angelina Jordan about five years ago. Then we got to know her family. Some years ago, we applied for funding on an idealistic project about bullying together with Angelina and her grandmother, who is also a great artist. Unfortunately, we did not manage to get the financial support and a bit later they moved to the States. I think Angelina liked the song Smile, which was important for her. Her uncle is her manager, and he is interested in poker and also liked our film about Thor.

How can poker fans watch the film?

Poker fans can watch the film on Vimeo here.

Read more:

New Poker Documentary Smile Honors the Life of the Late Thor Hansen - PokerNews.com