Category Archives: Poker

Maria Ho is only 37 years is old and is a poker Hall of Famer. In 2018, Ho was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, which was her first year being eligible. And she has continued to prove she's worthy of the honor, earning millions of dollars in winnings and recently placing 22nd out of 705 players in the World Series of Poker Main Event. PopCulture.com had a chance to catch up with Ho who fans might also recognize from American Idol and The Amazing Race who revealed that she never thought she would be a Hall of Fame poker player.

"I definitely took on poker as a hobby and had no idea I could make a living doing it, let alone a career," Ho said to PopCulture. "It's really been my life for the last 15 years. Being inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame was a huge honor for me because I know that women who came before me had a much tougher path to pursue this as a career choice. The fact that it was them that voted me in really made me feel like it's one of my greatest poker accomplishments. ...It's really important for me to carry that torch and be able to show other women that they can find success in the game and hopefully encourage them to play."

Ho is one of the best poker players in the world, but her path to the game started in an interesting way. The California native said she was introduced to poker when she was attending the University of California in San Diego. She had a group of friends that would play but "never got the invite." That led to her gaining more interest in poker.

"Even though I had no knowledge of the game, it made me want to go and see what it was all about," Ho stated, adding that no women were playing in their game. "One day I just showed up at their dorm room with some beer and I feel like it was the way to gain entry into a college kid's game."

"The first time that I played, I was hooked because I've always been a competitive person," Ho continued. "But I really enjoyed the strategy elements of the game, even though I didn't have any idea what I was going."

The college games led to Ho learning more about poker and eventually playing in various tournaments. Her first major tournament was the World Series of Poker in 2007 where she was the last woman remaining in the main event, finishing in 38th place. She repeated that accomplishment in 2014, finishing in 77th place out of 6,683 players. In her career, Ho has won over $4 million in live poker tournaments and is also a top commentator, co-hosting tournaments on CBS, ESPN, NBC, Amazon eSports and PokerGo, the top Poker streaming service in the world.

It seems like Ho has nothing to prove in her poker career. However, despite being a Hall of Famer, Ho says she has more things to accomplish. "I was traveling 250 days out of the year prior to the pandemic," Ho said. "This time where I really have been forced to slow down and travel less, it's really made me realize how much I enjoy staying in one place. ... Even though I'll never miss a World Series of Poker main event, I think that my time in terms of being that full-time traveling tournament pro is dwindling down. ...I do feel like there some things I want to do and accomplish in poker, but I would say I would like to move on to the next thing and there's so many other things that I'm passionate about. It's just about finding the right next thing for me."

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Maria Ho Reflects on Hall of Fame Poker Career, Teases Her Future Plans (Exclusive) - PopCulture.com

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the landpoker players were playing, getting in one last hand.The bad-regs were grinding at the tables with carein hopes that some run good soon would be theirs.

The locals were nestled, all snug in their seats,with visions of jackpots brought on by bad beats.Playing live on the strip, no PokerBros app.Is that Mike Postle with his phone in his lap?

When out in the lobby, someone backed up a truck.I sprang from my seat to see what the f**k.There was Doug Polk celebrating a win,and Joey beside him, a shit-eating grin.

The scene was electric, a buzz filled the air.Like Galfonds big comeback, Im glad I was there.When what to my bloodshot eyes should appear?A high-stakes affair, the big game was here!

With cameras, lights, and high society stacks,a commentary team of Schulman and Platt.As if from a chimney, the great Mori cameand he whistled and shouted and called them by name:

Its Ivey, and Dwan!Theres Doyle and Gus Hansen!Daniel and Bellande!Thats Dan Bilzerian!They all took a seatStacking chips with a grinSplash away! Splash away!Lets go all-in!

They got ready to play, the rail became deep.I was pushed to the back, it was hard just to see.But then the crowd parted, Daniel stood on his seat,he said We need one more! and he pointed at me.

Nervous but ready I knew this was my chance.A seat with the best, a trip to the dance.A Perkins-sized buy-in, its all on the line.Like Mike versus Teddy, its my time to shine.

They shuffled and dealt, chips and cards flew.I was tight, I was snug, it was all I could do.The pros were relentless, betting and raising.The pots quickly grew, these guys were amazing.

Finally the time to play a hand had arrived.With joy I looked down, I spied Pocket FivesI opened with a raise, but Ivey three-bet.Folded back to me, should I mine for a set?I looked in his eyes, not a read to be had.The poker world will see this, will math nerds be mad?I called and I gulped and awaited the flop.Ivey laughed, turned to Doyle, and said Were on for props!

An ace and a queen with a five in the door.Ivey didnt slow down, he bet even more.Just what I wanted, I set the trap.Lets play for it all, I pushed in my stack.

Ivey snap-called, like I hoped he would do.He flipped over his cards, he flopped top two.We just had to hold, I showed down my set.The turn was a deuce, were not safe just yet.

I used my one time, I prayed to St. NickThe river was dealt, Its a brick, its a brick!With the pot pushed my way, Ivey vanished from sight

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

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'Twas The Night Before Christmas - Poker Edition - PocketFives

POKER POWHER (https://pokerpowher.com/), a subsidiary venture of PEAK6 Investments, was founded in 2020 on the belief that teaching women a game of skill could transform the next generation of female leaders. With a goal of teaching one million women to play, POKER POWHER is flipping the table and were bringing our own chairs. Were teaching women to play pokernot for money but for a pot of skills much more valuable: confidence, risk assessment, discipline, and strategic thinking.Today, we look for those who share the drive and dedication to help us continue to build the unique organization that is POKER POWHER.

POKER POWHER is seekingaHead ofMarketingto help transform their business anddevelop and implement a B2C,go-to-market strategy.This person willbe responsible forbuilding and leading amarketing team withan entrepreneurial, high-growth, mission-driven organization.Wearing many hats, this individualwill have a strong background in building integrated marketing strategies, with a heavy emphasis on developingdigital channels through organic and paid media.The individual will also leadapp/product launches, business growth, andcustomer engagement and retention efforts.Are you ready to help us go all in? Can you combine startup hustle with analytical rigor? Can you collaborate with others to drive our female empowerment brand and product from concept to delivery?

Youll be responsible for:

Youllgain load of experience in this role, butbeforeyou do,you should have:

Read Full Job Description

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Head of Marketing- Poker Powher - PEAK6 - Built In Chicago

Chess and poker are recognized as intellectual sports and the metaphor of "seated boxing" can be used to refer to each of them.It is said of both games that they take a few minutes to learn, but a lifetime to master. Somehow, a few players have managed to excel in both disciplines.

This article is the first part of a series that will look into the similarities and differences between chess and poker.

The 10 players are classified by year of birth.

Dan Harrington is proof that chess players did not wait for the 2003 poker boom to switch to poker. "Action Dan", as he is known in the poker world, is a US National Master and winner of the 1971Massachusetts Chess State Championship.

Harrington then became a professional backgammon player, before moving to poker. He won one World Poker Tour (WPT) and two World Series of Poker (WSOP) titles, including the 1995 Main Event, which could then be considered as the "Real World Poker Championship"!

His series of books "On Hold'em" was a must-read for every player in the 2000's. Harrington has his name in the Poker Hall of Fame and his winnings exceed $6.6 million!

NB: The Hendon Mobonly compile winnings for live tournaments. They do not report how much a player spent in buy-ins (starting fees) and include neither cash game winnings nor online winnings. So the number given is a mere indication.

FM Ylon Schwartz first made a living by playing chess in the New York parks. He soon devoted himself full-time to many sorts of gambling, in chess, but also backgammon, darts, horses and strange proposition bets.

Ylon learned the poker rules in 2000 and won his first two tournaments, walking-out with $12,000 and a new career.

In 2009, Schwartz finished 4th in the WSOP Main Event for $3.8 million.

That year, in an interview to the New York Times, Ylon said:

Chess is a purer game. It is my passion. I love poker, too, but I dont know who gets together to play poker for fun. There is always something on the line.

In 2012, Ylon won his first and only WSOP bracelet.

Schwartz made $5.1 million in live poker tournaments and is still playing chess. His current rating is 2258.

8-time Dutch Champion Loek van Welyplayed in the elite tournament of the Wijk-aan-Zee festival 25 times.

Loek reached the world top 10 in 2001 with a peak rating of 2714.

Loek made his first poker cash in 2009 and his best in 2018 with a 4th place for$33,210, making his total live earnings +$82k!

In 2019, Van Wely was elected to the Dutch Senate.

Daughter of two chess coaches, Almira Skripchenko became U16 Girls World Champion.

In 2001, Almira scored her biggest achievement by winning the European Championship. After the Moldovan obtained French nationality, she played in the mixed French Championship two times and won the Women's French Championship six times.

She was taught how to play poker in a cab by twochess friends while going to her first tournament. She eliminated her two teachers on her way to the final table, discovering a hidden talent.

For a few years after 2008, Almira, known as "ChessBaby" in the poker world, was part of the Winamax Team, alonside the Belgian poker legend Davidi Kitai, the international footballerVikash Dhorasoo and the French singer Patrick Bruel. The later won a WSOP bracelet, contributed a lot to popularizing poker in France and is a decent chess player. You can watch him play a friendly game against Garry Kasparov [Spoiler Alert: Bruel lost]

Almira finished 2nd for $50k in the 2011 WPT Celebrity Invitational, behind her teammate Davidi Kitai. Her live earnings exceed $250k.

A pupil of Iossif Dorfman during his youth, Eloi Relange became an IM at 18 years old and a GM at 22.

Having work as a pioneer in online chess commentary between 1999 and 2001, Eloi then turned professional in poker.

In 2005, Eloi founded Poker Academie, which is still still running as the largest poker school in France, with more than 100,000 students. [NB: I also work for Poker Academie]

Eloi was mostly a cash game player and his biggest win in a live tournament is "only" 25k in 2006, for 2nd place behind Davidi Kitai.

Eloi Relange is running as a candidate for election to the Presidency of the French Chess Federation.

Jeff Sarwer won the U10 World Chess Championship in 1986.

Jeff is portrayed in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer as Jonathan Poe, Josh Waitzkin's rival who lost his game after refusing a draw. In the real game, though, Jeff did refuse the draw offer from Josh but the game was still drawn when they reached king vs. king.

He quit chess at a very young age and became famous in poker, where he won some $800k in live tournaments!

Jeff made a quick comeback to chess in 2015 and reached a peak rating of 2344.

Jennifer Shahade was born into a chess family, with an FM father, Mike, and an IM brother, Greg.

Jenn won the US Women's Championship two times, in 2002 and 2004, and became a WGM in 2005.

To attract girls to play chess, she wrote two chess books:Chess Bitch: Women in the Ultimate Intellectual Sport, and Play Like a Girl: Tactics by 9Queens.

Jennifer also explores gender dynamics in chess in her art, with works such as Not particulary Beautiful or Naked Chess.

In 2014, Jennifer won a Chinese Poker HighRoller tournament in Prague for 100k and became an ambassador for Pokerstars. She has $350,000 live earnings.

Regularly working as a chess host, especially for the Saint Louis Chess Club, Jennifer actively contributes to the popularity of her two passions.

Super Grandmaster Alexander Grischuk obviously needs no introduction on chess24!

Some of you might even remember a 2017 interview for Soviet Sport that we translated.

To the question: "A few years ago you said that poker had become your second profession. Does that statement still stand?"

Sasha answered:

Not anymore. Now if you want to achieve success in poker you need to devote your whole life to it. You simply cant turn up and play, even on the internet, since the level of players has risen so much. Therefore you could say that poker is in the past.

It turned out it was a bluff by Sasha!

This year, because of the COVID crisis, the WSOP took place online for the first time. Sasha made no less than 8 cashes, including a 6th place for $30k!

With his unique sense of humor, Sasha found an analogy between poker and the 2018 World Chess Championship, during live commentary on chess24:

Dan Smith reached a rating of 2100 when he was 16 but at that point he was already focusing on poker, in which he pursued a full-time career at the age of 18.

Since then, Dan Smith has grown to be one of the absolute best poker players of all time!

James Obst was a talented young chess player who reached a 2100 rating when he was 15 and played in a few World Youth Championships.

He started to play poker when he was only 14 and at 19 he was known as "the Australian teen who's won $1.5m in online poker from his bedroom".

In 2016,James played one legendary fold with a full-house against a straight flush late in the WSOP Main Event. Having saved chips that everyone else would have lost, James finished 13th for $428k.

Obst won his first WSOP in 2017 for $265k, and his live earnings have reached $3 million!

We'll be organising casual poker tournaments with GM Jan Gustafsson, GM Laurent Fressinet and others in collaboration with partypokersoon. If you'd like to receive further information, send an email tomarketing@chess24.comor leave a comment below!

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Great minds: 10 players who excel at both chess and poker - chess24

Maria Ho is known for being one of the top poker players in the world. And because of her success in poker, Ho has made appearances on top reality shows. PopCulture.com recently caught up with the 37-year-old poker Hall of Famer, who talked about her experience on The Amazing Race and American Idol.

"The Amazing Race is by far the best experience I had in my entire life, but it was also the hardest," Ho said to PopCulture. "I'm naturally a very competitive person, but even I could not have prepared for what The Amazing Race entailed. It definitely challenged me every step of the way, and it made me feel really inadequate at times as well. But I think it's really nice to be able to have those opportunities in life where you are really pushed to your limit."

Ho competed in Season 15 of The Amazing Race with fellow poker player Tiffany Michelle as her partner. The duo finished in sixth place out of 12 teams and Ho said she "definitely" would do it again. "From the physical side, I would train a lot harder for it," Ho stated. "Every time there was a physical challenge, I would be very intimidated by it. I never felt there was a physical challenge I was going to excel in or be fully prepared for."

Before The Amazing Race and becoming famous in Poker, Ho tried out for American Idol. That was made possible thanks to her sister, who Ho claims is a "better singer" than her and wanted to audition. "We actually went together," Ho explained, adding that she comes from a musical family. "I was 18 at the time and it was not anything I've ever done before, to put myself out there in that way. It was really nerve-wracking but I never even expected anything to come out of it. But singing is definitely something I enjoy doing on the side."

Ho went on to say she never considered making a career out of singing because she felt like the odds weren't in her favor. But she did well in the third season of American Idol, as she made it to Hollywood Week. Performing in front of the judges is one of the biggest parts of the show, but Ho said she wasn't intimidated by performing in front of Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.

"I really didn't have a good sense of who they were or how big they were in the industry," Ho said. "I felt like that kind of helped a little bit. I feel like when I auditioned I really just blacked out. I really had no awareness of the fact that these were the people I was auditioning for."

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Poker Legend Maria Ho Details Her Experience on 'The Amazing Race' and 'American Idol' (Exclusive) - PopCulture.com

Youths are fascinated by online enjoyments services, and live gambling is one of the best ways. Millions of internet users are spending time on different live casinos and get more chances to win big prizes. The web-based platforms have multiple features, and we have to know about them. A real amount of money is used in gambling, and we should avoid it. If you are a lover of poker, then you can go with Idn poker login. The platforms are reliable and unlimited gambling options.

In the starting time, we should not skip any basic because these are essential to begin. The internet has various guides and articles about it. Most of the old players know about live poker matches, and they are experts. Gambling is a fair and legal way in various countries, and we always go with an official website. Now you have a mobile application that supports both android and iOS operating systems. New players should read a proper article about live poker gambling.

Sign in with valid details

First of all, we have to complete the proper sign in method, and this is completed with valid information. The user needs to fill in the username, age, gender, and more details. A mobile number and an email address are required for connecting more users. Both username and password are necessary to log in properly, and we no need to take any tension regarding saved information.

Deposit a minimum amount

In live gambling, we all know the importance of real money, and you should not waste money on worthless bets. A minimum deposit amount is essential for the beginning, and after that, you can add more money. Everyone is here to grab a big amount, but this is not possible with the deposit amount.

Begin with favorite options

The gambling sites are full of many kinds of options, and all are safe to use. Some genuine gambling games are giving us amazing speed, and you can grab a big amount of real money. Most of us are fans of poker games, and we will get an authentic experience on live platforms.

Anytime withdrawal

The withdrawal system is quick for every active player, and each platform has some limitations and conditions. The gamblers can get some percentage of their winning amount in single transactions. You need various confirmations from your connected banks.

Exciting jackpots and rewards

Jackpots and rewards are all time available, and you do not miss them. Rewards are the helping hand of many new users, and we should not neglect them. Big jackpots are shown on the home page of gambling agents. Such kinds of offers are placed for getting more traffic on the platforms, but all are easy to use.All of these basic points are significant for every regular user, and there are many kinds of third-party apps for giving us multiple chances to achieve a big victory. Beginners visit the official poker site and get connected with a simple Idn poker login method.

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What Kinds Of Basics Beginners Should Know In Live Poker Gambling? - - VENTS Magazine

November 26, 2020PokerNews Staff

SimplePoker is one of the leading developers of GTO poker solvers, trainers and tools in the world.

With eight GTO poker apps released and many others in the development, SimplePoker is there for poker players when they need the highest quality software tools to improve their game and learn GTO strategy.

SimplePoker has been developed by a team of mathematicians, analysts and programmers in collaboration with some of the most respected players and coaches in the poker world.

The most common situation in Texas Hold'em, in which the largest sums of money are played out, is playing postflop between two players. Simple Postflop allows players to calculate equilibrium strategies in poker. This solver has become an indispensable tool for working on the game for many professionals. The app allows players to finally answer the question: how to play correctly with any hand for a given situation from a mathematical point of view.

Simple Postflop is designed in such a way that the user has the ability to work with complex mathematical data through a simple and uncluttered interface. For players wanting to achieve the highest success in poker, to become a professional in this game, then learning a basic balanced strategy will be a must and Simple Postflop is there to help along the way.

Situations with three players postflop are not uncommon, and it is extremely difficult for people to know the optimal strategy after the flop when there are three players. Simple 3-Way can help with this.

Simple 3-Way can be considered an advanced solver for calculating GTO strategies post-flop with three players. It is the first and only commercially available solver that allows players to perform these calculations. In addition to the most accurate possible balanced strategy calculations, Simple 3-Way also allows the use advanced technologies to simplify the calculation process, which makes the solver incredibly fast while still maintaining high quality of GTO simulations.

Simple 3-Way is the right tool to learn poker at the deepest possible level.

Adequate preflop strategy is a very important aspect in poker, as depending on preflop decisions, the situation will drastically change postflop. For a long time, calculation of optimal preflop strategies in poker seemed to be impossible due to the fact that this is the first phase of the game and, from the point of view of calculations, it is the most complicated. Simple Preflop Holdem allows players to calculate Nash equilibrium on the preflop, taking into account all kinds of preflop actions, for any number of players at the table and for any stacks.

This Preflop GTO Solver generates optimal strategies with high accuracy and minimal hardware requirements by using cutting-edge algorithms, which makes this product unique in the commercial preflop solvers market.

In this solver, players can solve any poker discipline:

There is no better tool to master preflop strategy perfectly than Simple Preflop Holdem.

If two cards are not enough and a player wants to build postflop expertise to perfection in PLO, then we suggest working in GTO Solver Simple Omaha. This calculator allows players to solve postflop balanced strategies in PLO without abstractions. At the moment, the solver is very demanding on the presence of powerful hardware in order to perform GTO simulations, but the SimplePoker team is actively working on the development and refinement of this tool so that it becomes more and more accessible to ordinary users, and not just High Stakes players.

If work with solvers seems too difficult and exhausting for a player whose passion in poker is the game itself, then we recommend Simple GTO Trainer.

This software tool is designed to teach the optimal strategy in a game format, whilst also closely resembling real game conditions. In addition to the fact that users will play poker against GTO AI and you will not have to pay money for losing, they will also receive real-time information about the mistakes they made, understand how much EV in they will lose when choosing incorrect actions and following the results of training to see the big picture of their training and progress.

The training packs have already been compiled by professional poker players and coaches, and players just have to choose the pack that suits them and start training.

For those for whom the presented training packs are not enough, the Simple GTO Trainer PRO license has the ability to integrate with GTO solvers and create custom trainings based on a players own GTO calculations.

For players often on the road and not always able to be in front of a PC GTO Sensei is a mobile poker coach ready to teach the optimal game anywhere on the planet at any time of the day right from a phone. Once downloaded, GTO Sensei helps players start learning poker like the pros do based on pre-compiled training sets. There are several free trainings in the app which is already available on iOS and Android.

GTOBase is arguably the most revolutionary web application for learning optimal poker strategies and available on any OS. The main functionality of the GTOBase application is to analyze the hand histories the user has played, to identify all mistakes made in the game comparing to equilibrium poker strategies.

HH analysis is performed at fast speed on servers with high performance, using advanced algorithms for calculating GTO strategies, does not require a PC's computing resources and does not require solver licenses. In addition to analyzing hand history, the application also allows players to analyze aggregated game statistics and compare it with those of a balanced strategy.

In addition, the application contains a large database of accurately calculated GTO strategies, both preflop and postflop. At the moment, the application fully supports the Spin&Go game format, other formats will also be gradually added to the application. In the future, GTOBase may become the main tool for any professional player to work on the game. Start working with GTOBase now.

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2020 PokerNews Holiday Gift #4: SimplePoker.com GTO Poker Solvers and Tools - PokerNews.com

Back in 2006, Daniel Craig starred in his first movie as James Bond, Casino Royale. The film provided a sorely needed new direction to the spy franchise, doing away with CGI and elaborate gadgets, and replacing them with gritty realism, and in-your-face action. In an interview with Polygon, the director of the movie, Martin Campbell, revealed that the most difficult part of making Casino Royale was not filming the high-octane action scenes, but rather figuring out a way to include the card-playing scenes in an entertaining manner.

Their concern was understandable. Despite its reputation for being one of the best action movies of the past two decades, a large chunk of Casino Royale is dedicated to showing James James Bond playing a high-stakes game of poker against the main villain, Le Chiffre.

After weeks of research and preparation, Martin Campbell finally hit upon a method of doing something that had rarely been achieved before: make a long session of card-playing interesting to the audience. The almost 30-minute sequence was constructed as a microcosm of the rest of the movie and its leading character.

Throughout the game, audiences get to watch Daniel Craig display many of the qualities that made his Bond such a fan-favorite. He takes huge risks, bluffs expertly, and is almost always one step ahead of the competition. Even when caught unawares, and literally poisoned in the middle of the match, Bond is able to leave, stave off a heart attack, and return to the game nonchalantly sipping his drink. For Campbell, Bond's ability to operate under immense pressure and even push back is what makes the whole sequence so memorable.

Despite Campbell's determination to make the game as authentic as possible, at the end of the day they were making an action movie, which needed some cool moments. One such cool moment occurs after the poker match has ended, and Bond has won the prize money. In a generous gesture, Bond casually slides a plastic chip worth $500,000 over to the dealer as a courtesy tip... even though the chip is worth nothing now that the game has ended. Campell still finds that little mistake amusing.

Despite that small hiccup, Campbell and his crew were successful in taking a very long poker match and turning it into a breathlessly exciting battle of wits between Bond and Le Chiffre, even if most of the audience did not understand the finer details of the game they were witnessing. This news originated at Polygon.

Topics: James Bond

Neeraj Chand

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Why Casino Royale Director Sweated the Poker Scenes Over Any James Bond Action - MovieWeb

November 24, 2020Will Shillibier

This weekend, the 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event kicks off on GGPoker, as the first flight of a live-online hybrid that looks set to crown the Main Event champion for 2020.

This unorthodox Main Event will begin across both WSOP.com and GGPoker, culminating in not only two live final tables, but a final heads-up battle in Las Vegas on December 30th.

Much has been made of this "second" Main Event of the year, coming only a few months after the successful series of WSOP Online Bracelet Events.

Here PokerNews takes a look at two competing views and asks what it means for poker.

When the WSOP Main Event was announced, it was WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart who said: "There must be a World Champion in 2020."

In the WSOP's eyes, this new $10,000 freezeout will be the 2020 Main Event, irrespective of the online series that preceded it.

This format has decided No Limit Hold'em World Champion since 1972. In 1970, the participants voted on who they thought was the most accomplished player, and in 1971 the buy-in was $5,000.

The $5,000 WSOP Online Main Event was undoubtedly a huge success story, setting a Guinness World Record for largest online poker tournament prize pool, but Stewart maintains that the traditional Main Event format is still important.

"Pokers history is too important," he said. "[The hybrid format] is a unique format for the Main Event, but this is a unique year."

Related: WSOP Main Event at GGPoker Shatters Guinness World Records Title

However, the winner of the $5,000 WSOP Online Main Event Stoyan Madanzhiev has expressed confusion at the decision to host another Main Event.

Madanzhiev spoke exclusively with PokerNews and expressed his bemusement at the announcement, reiterating that in his eyes he was the 2020 WSOP Main Event champion.

"I won it," he said matter-of-factly. "I received a certificate. It says that I'm the 51st annual World Series of Poker Main Event champion. So this means I'm the Main Event champion. I mean, what else does it mean if it's not that?

"I am the champion of 2020. They said it."

The certificate he is referring to is one that he has widely paraded on social media. Madanzhiev uses this as his main piece of evidence that he is the Main Event champion of 2020.

Signed by former WSOP APAC Main Event champion and GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu, the certificate states: "Congratulations on winning WSOP Event #77: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event of the 51st Annual World Series of Poker hosted by GGPoker."

This is something Madanzhiev calls "confusing."

"Everybody started calling me the world champion. It was confusing. [The WSOP] made it look like that with the way they presented the tournament, with the way they gave me the certificate. And I started believing that I am the reigning world champion of 2020. I still think that is correct."

Whether or not you think another WSOP Main Event is a good idea is up for debate.

On the one hand, the WSOP Online Main Event will always hold a special place in WSOP history, whereas others will insist that a $10,000 freezeout will always be needed to crown a Main Event champion.

However, two things are certain as we approach the end of this crazy year. Stoyan Madanzhiev will always be remembered as the first WSOP Online Main Event champion, and that the poker community will have some WSOP action to end the year.

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What Does Another WSOP Main Event Mean for Poker? - PokerNews.com

Poker Club doesnt deliver on its promises, creating a game that plays incredibly slowly and has little personality with a poor quality presentation.

Developed and published by Ripstone, Poker Club is billed as the most immersive poker simulation ever made, which includes support for ray tracing and 4K resolutions. Despite the popularity of poker in movies, there are very few Texas holdem games available on consoles, so this release has been eagerly anticipated by poker fans.

Anyone who is familiar with Texas hold em will be able to get to grips with Poker Club pretty quickly. Players choose from a variety of different modes, such as tournament play or cash tables, and then sit down with other competitors. Once sat at a table, it's possible to viewa hand, see the community cards in the center, and make bets with a stack of chips. It is all very standard for a poker game and works as expected.

Related: Ray Tracing Explained: Does It Really Matter For Video Games?

To help Poker Club stand out, the developer included a wide array of variants to pick from. Although it is only possible to play Texas hold em in this title, players can switch between shootouts, bounties, freezeouts, and cash buy-ins. Poker Club also has a tour that users can progress through, although it's not a career mode and simply involves trying to meet certain objectives in a match to get stars. As users play more matches and unlock more experience, extra custom items become available to choose. These include things like new playing cards and chip designs along with clothing.

Unfortunately, playing Poker Club is a painfully slow experience. Poker is generally not a particularly fast card game, as it requires careful thinking and waiting around for other competitors to decide what they want to do. Poker Clubmakes things even worse, especially when playing with real players. The time limit for each turn is incredibly long, meaning it can take minutes just to go round the table once. This is exacerbated by the leisurely animations for looking at cards or selecting chips.

While most tournaments in Poker Club are played with real life competitors through online multiplayer, the game does support bots. These also come with some issues, such as what seems like very poor AI. The bots make some frankly baffling decisions and will go all in far too often. Of course, this also makes it difficult to practice properly offline, especially when the training mode is just a wall of text to read through without any interactive elements.

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Poker Club: All Bluff And Bluster | Screen Rant - Screen Rant