Category Archives: Poker

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A Canadian publicly listed company has gone all in on Bitcoin, liquidating its Monero and Ethereum holdings. Cypherpunk Holdings has now become the ninth-largest publicly traded holder of Bitcoin, just behind Hive Blockchain.

The Canadian company announced in a press release on November 26 that it had increased its Bitcoin stash. Cypherpunk bought 72.979 BTC, worth $1.26 million, raising its total BTC holdings to 276.479 BTC, worth $4.76 million at press time.

The increase in Cypherpunks BTC holdings is a result of the full liquidations of positions in Monero and Ethereum, the company revealed. It had also used some funds it raised in a private placement of $505,000 CAD ($388,300). The private placement ended on August 27, with the firm issuing 10,100,000 units at a price of CAD $0.10.

Cypherpunk Holdings becomes the latest public company to increase its BTC holdings. The Toronto-based company is best known in the cryptocurrency community as the owner of Wasabi wallet. The privacy-focused non-custodial wallet gives users full control of their BTC. It also comes with built-in CoinJoin, integrates Tor browser and gives the users coin-control features.

Cypherpunk has also invested in Samourai wallet, yet another privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet. The wallet prioritizes robust encryption and privacy features. Through a partnership with decentralized communication startup goTenna, Samourai also allows users to trade Bitcoin while offline.

At the helm of Cypherpunk Holdings is Antanas Guoga, a world-famous Lithuanian poker player. Better known as Tony G, he was the founding inductee into the Australian Poker Hall of Fame. He now serves in the Lithuanian national assembly, having previously represented the country at the European Parliament.

Cypherpunk is now the ninth-largest publicly traded Bitcoin holder. In what is becoming a fast-rising trend, public firms are buying Bitcoin as a hedge against deflationary fiat currencies. The shift comes at a time when many Wall Street firms have touted Bitcoin to be one of the best assets in the long term. One of the most recent is JP Morgan which claimed that Bitcoin is now competing with gold as the alternative currency of choice for many.

The public company with the biggest Bitcoin stash is Microstrategy. The business intelligence firm invested $425 million in Bitcoin in August and September, leading the way for Wall Street firms. CEO Michael Saylor has been a vocal BTC supporter, hailing Bitcoin as digital gold. The company now owns 38,250 BTC, 0.182% of the total BTC supply. Microstrategys shares have benefited from the Bitcoin bet, with analysts expecting the price to triple in the near future.

Other public companies with sizeable BTC holdings include Mike Novogratz Galaxy Digital with 16,402 BTC, Jack Dorseys Square with 4,709 BTC, Voyager Digital with 1,638 BTC and the controversial Riot Blockchain with 1,175 BTC.

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust remains the largest Bitcoin owner with a stash of 527,966 BTC, accounting for 2.51% of the total Bitcoin supply. Owned by the Digital Currency Group, the fund gives investors exposure to Bitcoin in an SEC-regulated setup.

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Legendary poker player goes all in on Bitcoin, liquidates Ether and Monero - Crypto News Flash

All poker players have heard about the Moneymaker effect. Famously, Chris Moneymaker won a satellite tournament on PokerStars to take part in the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, before going on to win it for $2.5 million.

By: Mark Patrickson

Countless amateur players and interested observers, became believers overnight. If an accountant from Tennassee could go from rags to riches in their first poker tournament, then so could they. The rest is history.

What many have forgotten over the years is that Phil Ivey was supposed to win that event. Already a four-time WSOP gold bracelet winner, the then 26-year-old Ivey was down to the last 10 players and looking good for glory.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Ivey had peeled one with pocket nines on a Qh 6s Qs board and hit gin on the turn when the 9c came. Moneymaker with his AQ wasnt going anywhere. In all the money went and Ivey was a huge favourite with 83% equity and looking at an almost certain place on the final table.

When the river came down an ace, counterfeiting Iveys full house he said it felt like all of the wind was knocked out of him.

Poker history was changed forever. For the better many might say because of what poker has grown into over the years. But nothing will ever make Ivey forget what happened that day. He was already the chosen one. Already thought of as the best all-rounder in poker at such a young age, this was supposed to be his destiny.

I remember saying to myself do not show how disappointed you are. Do not let the world see this.

Brutal. There is no other word for it.

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Phil Ivey's Most Memorable Hand that Changed the Course of Poker History - HighstakesDB

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Someone recently asked me how many tournaments I have to lose in a row before I start to get annoyed. They also asked when I start looking for holes in my strategy. While the answers to these questions are probably obvious to most professional players, many amateurs come up with severely incorrect answers.

First off, you should try your best to remove your emotional attachment to your poker results, both good and bad. If you have watched me win a World Poker Tour event on television, you probably noticed that I did not jump up and down and yell about how I am the best poker player in the world immediately afterwards, which is what you might see from players who run hot enough to win a major event.

The reason why I do not celebrate is because I realize that when I buy into any event, I am going to place in each position some percentage of the time. If I happen to bust on the first hand, bubble, final table, or even win, I dont care too much because I understand I am going to have a fairly random distribution of results over time, hopefully trending in a positive direction because I have an edge in the games.

Sometimes you are going to go 40 tournaments in a row without cashing, which has happened to me twice in my career. While the experience is certainly not fun, you must accept it will happen if you play enough tournaments.

Going on a substantial downswing does not necessarily mean you are playing poorly, although it could be an indicator. Assuming you have a large enough sample to know you are a winning player, a routine downswing should not cause concern. The reason most players get depressed over long downswings is that they are either playing way too large for their bankroll, or they have not played enough games (or done the math) to realize how much variance there is in poker.

As a quick example, I once won three tournaments in a row and then lost 30 tournaments in a row after that. Does this mean I suddenly forgot how to play after winning three tournaments in a row? I dont think so.

Whether you are winning or losing, you should constantly look for leaks in your game. An extended losing streak should not alter your study time too much, assuming you spend a decent amount of time studying poker on a daily basis even when winning.

When I used to play sit-n-gos online, I would play roughly eight hours per day and study four hours per day. I am confident this is why I was one of the biggest winners at that game. When I play poker today, I write down almost every hand I play and review them both at the end of every day and occasionally when I have free time at home. I suggest you do the same. If you are not looking for leaks and constantly improving your skills, you are certain to fall behind.

Everyone who takes poker seriously should get a poker coach. I have paid well over $25,000 for private coaching throughout my career and I firmly believe that was the best $25,000 I have ever spent. If I could go back in time, I would have actually spent substantially more.

When I used to play a lot of sit-n-gos, I noticed my return on investment was slowly dwindling. I hired a coach, paid him $5,000 for 10 hours of his time, and watched my return on investment immediately rise by two percent. While this may not sound like a lot, I was playing around 2,000 $200 games per month, meaning this coaching made me an additional $8,000 per month. Obviously, that is money well spent.

At some point, you will find you no longer need a private coach. Instead, find a group of peers who play similar games as you. I have a close group of friends I regularly talk to about hands and other poker-related concepts. We bounce ideas off each other and constantly try to find holes in each others strategies. If you try to master this game alone, you will find it impossible.

I understand that paying hundreds of dollars per hour for private coaching is not realistic for most poker players, so I made my training site, PokerCoaching.com, which features over 1,000 interactive hand quizzes, monthly in-depth homework assignments, gigantic courses, live webinars, and private streams.

In addition to having lots of content for novice players, I have also hired many of the best players in the world (including James Romero, Faraz Jaka, Matt Affleck, Jonathan Jaffee, Girafganger7, and many more) to make high-level, cutting-edge content that I personally learn a lot from. If you are looking to take your game to the next level, check out PokerCoaching.com. Good luck in your games!

Jonathan Little is a professional poker player and best-selling poker author with more than $7 million in live tournament earnings. If you want to learn how to play fundamentally sound poker and increase your win rate, check out PokerCoaching.com. Click here to try PokerCoaching.com for free.

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What Losing 40 Tournaments In A Row Should Tell You About Your Poker Game - Poker News - CardPlayer.com

November 25, 2020Chad Holloway

From November 12-22, Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia, Mississippi played host to the 2020 Pearl River Poker Open. The nine-event series catered to 3,492 entrants including players from as far away as Michigan, New Hampshire, Arizona, and Missouri and awarded $865,851 in prize money.

The series kicked off with Event #1: $250 NLH $100K GTD, which crushed its guarantee by drawing 1,735 entries to create a $333,120 prize pool. Of that, $46,600 was paid out in double bag bonuses.

The top 169th finishers got paid including Sean Small (6th - $11,248), Dan Lowery (11th - $3,488), Amy Pullens (25th - $1,774), Ruth Hall (34th - $1,367), Judge Leo Boothe (48th - $873), Randy Hollis (64th - $669), Preston McEwen (70th - $669), Tim Burden (115th - $494), Joe Saleh (142nd - $436), and Captain Tom Franklin (164th - $377).

In the end, Anthony Reynolds of Atlanta, Georgia defeated Thierry Quintin in heads-up play to win the title for $45,894.

The series culminated with the $600 buy-in, $100K GTD Main Event, a tournament that started players with 20,000 in chips and played 40-minute levels. It proved a winning formula as each of three starting flights attracted enough runners to surpassed the guarantee by itself. All told, 671 entrants participated and created a $335,500 prize pool that was paid out amongst the top 63 finishers.

Among those to cash were Dan Lowery (6th - $15,936), Andrew Barfield (13th - $4,026), Tiffany Keathley (20th - $2,684), Donnie Phan (25th - $2,684), Joe Saleh (28th - $2,013), Logan Hoover (42nd - $1,510), Trace Henderson (49th - $1,308), Kelly Hebert (56th - $1,174), and Robert Hankins (61st - $1,174).

In the end, Christopher Nunnally and Matt Higgins struck a deal that saw the latter secure $50,000 in prize money and the former the title and $57,835.

Below is a look at all those to capture titles during the series. One of the more interesting tournaments was Event #8: $125 Rookies NLH, which required players to have less than $10,000 in career lifetime earnings according to HendonMob.

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Christopher Nunnally Wins Pearl River Poker Open $600 Main Event ($57835) - PokerNews.com

For every fantastic poker movie of the past 25 years (Rounders, Mississippi Grind), theres been another which missed the mark. But the poker world (for better and for worse) isnt lacking in incredible storylines, interesting characters, and dramatic tension. From epic biopics and romantic melodramas to buddy comedies and political thrillers, the poker world should be a screenwriters goldmine.

Imagine cast sheets packed with pokers biggest names (Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Stu Ungar) and the A-list Hollywood stars who would portray them.

Here are five of the best real-life poker plot lines that could be and should be made into movies.

Lights, camera, ACTION!

Director: Martin Scorcese

Starring:

Russell Crowe (Doyle Brunson)Christopher Plummer (older Doyle)Armie Hammer (younger Doyle)Tom Hanks (Johnny Moss)Owen Wilson (Amarillo Slim)David Koechner (Puggy Pearson)Timothee Chalamet (Stu Ungar)Matt Damon (Chip Reese)Danny McBride (Todd Brunson)

Synopsis:

In the early 1950s, a devastating leg injury crushes the NBA dreams of prodigious college athlete Doyle Brunson. He turns to illegal poker games to fuel his competitiveness and soon finds himself on the road with a motley crew of Texan card sharks. Over the next 60 years, Brunson writes the book on poker, wins 10 World Series bracelets, and navigates the online poker boom while becoming the greatest player of all time. At 87, Brunson decides to step away from the tables, but one final high stakes game brings the Godfather of poker out of retirement.

This is a no brainer. A three-hour biopic of the legendary Doyle Brunson directed by the equally legendary Martin Scorcese? Yes, please. In fact, why hasnt this film been made already?

Texas Dolly would make such an awesome movie. Brunson has sixty-plus years worth of stories to cherry-pick from a lifetime of playing the highest stakes poker games in the world. Imagine the backroom poker scenes, gunpoint robberies, tender family moments, and busto-to-robusto drama that Scorcese could reimagine on the big screen. Hes made plenty of big, bold biopics before (Goodfellas, Raging Bull, The Aviator, The Wolf of Wall Street, to name just a few) so Brunsons story will be in the safest of hands.

Instead of going down the digital de-aging route like Scorcese did in 2019s The Irishman, cast different actors to play Brunson at the different stages of his life. Have Armie Hammer as the young NBA-ready Doyle for the first 45 minutes of the film, followed by Oscar winner Russell Crowe as Brunson for the next 90 minutes. Finally, Oscar winner Christopher Plummer bringing things home as Brunson today.

Then just look at that merry band of Texan road gamblers in the supporting cast. A bald Tom Hanks with thick-rimmed glasses and a cardigan would make for an amazing Johnny Moss (Brunsons mentor) and seeing the late Amarillo Slim reimagined by his fellow-Texan Owen Wilson would be superb. Anchormans David Koechner taking on Puggy Pearson, young superstar Timothee Chalamet bringing Stu the Kid Ungar to life, and poker-movie royalty Matt Damon becoming one of the games all-time greats in Chip Reese (Brunsons best friend before Reeses death at the young age of 56).

Oh, and lets not forget Danny McBride bringing some light comedy to proceedings as Brunsons son Todd, also a successful high-stakes poker player in his own right.

Its actually ludicrous that the Godfather of Pokers story hasnt already been told on the silver screen, because the rounder lifestyle of pokers pioneers is just so damn romantic. It feels like this film would resonate with a large audience, whether the majority are poker players or not. But then maybe the lack of biopic is Brunsons doing. Perhaps he wants to keep his life story close to his chest, just as he has with cards throughout most of it.

But with his blessing, then please, someone please write the script (*cough* Brian Koppelman and David Levien *cough*) and make this movie happen.

Director: Adam McKay

Starring:

Jeff Daniels (Howard Lederer)David Krumholtz (Ray Bitar)Billy Bob Thornton (Chris Ferguson)Mandy Patinkin (Isai Scheinberg)Michael B. Jordan (Phil Ivey)Michael Fassbender (Gus Hansen)Sam Rockwell (George W. Bush)

Synopsis:

Its 2011 and the poker boom comes to a crashing end when the United States Department of Justice issues an indictment against the three largest online poker websites in the country: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker. Popular PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg is among those indicted, but things are about to get even worse for the poker community when its revealed that Full Tilt Pokerrun by Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and shady businessman Ray Bitarhas been defrauding poker players out of more than $300 million and doesnt have the funds to reimburse them.

A brutally honest telling of online pokers darkest day could make for the most important poker movie ever made.

The pros of a Black Friday film? Its a story that has everything. Rags-to-riches tales from online poker greats; government dealings and courtroom drama; the shock of the day itself; and both likable and downright unsavory characters for us to root for and against.

The cons? It wouldnt exactly paint online poker in the finest light.

If theres one filmmaker who could get across the importance of Black Friday and explain the difficult concepts involved in an entertaining, educational way, its Adam McKay. While he cut his teeth making some of the best comedies of the past two decades alongside Will Ferrell (Anchorman, Step Brothers, The Other Guys) its McKays 2015 film The Big Shortabout the investors who made a fortune by taking full advantage of the impending economic collapse in America in 2008where he knocked it out of the park and booked the Black Friday writer/director gig.

As for the cast, Jeff Daniels would make an excellent Howard Lederer. Daniels has carved a niche for himself lately playing powerful, unlikeable characters, and when it comes to Ledererwell, you can make of that what you will. Joining him at Full Tilt Poker would be the great Billy Bob Thornton as Chris Jesus Fergusonan ambiguous character whose involvement in the disgracefulness remains unclearand David Krumholtz as Ray Bitar.

The film would also feature top actors portraying some of pokers biggest names for the first time on screen. Michael B. Jordan would provide the coolness Phil Ivey deserves, while Michael Fassbender as Gus Hansen would just be a joy to see. As for PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg, give Mandy Patinkin from Homelandthe role, while Sam Rockwell who played President George W. Bush in McKays 2018 film Vice,could revive the role here for a few government scenes.

Director: Greta Gerwig

Starring:

Anna Kendrick (Kristen Bicknell)Channing Tatum (Alex Foxen)Cameron Diaz (Jennifer Harman)Will Poulter (Kahle Burns)

Synopsis:

Inspired by her poker-playing hero Jennifer Harman, Kristen Bicknell works her way to the top of a male-dominated game and becomes one of the best poker players around. When she falls in love with another top player, Alex Foxen, it feels like a match made in heaven. But complications arise when the two fierce competitors both wind up at the same final table of a major poker tournament and then get three-handed with Kahle Burns.

In just about every poker movie, female characters are simply used as props to either annoy or inspire the leading man.

Screw that.

Its about time there was a poker film with a woman crushing the game instead of just organizing it (Mollys Game), and while there still arent enough women playing poker, there are plenty of world-class players who are as feared at the tables as any dude. As the No.1 ranked GPI female player in the world for the past three years running, Kristen Bicknell is undisputedly one of them.

Like many other poker couples, Bicknell and Alex Foxens relationship was once just a lovely inconsequence to the poker community. But in 2018 it was suggested that they had gone easy on each other during the final table of the $5,000 MSPT Venetian, particularly when they got three-handed against Kahle Burns. The question is: can two competitive players really put their loving feelings aside and play coldblooded versus one another when deep down they both want to see each other succeed? Its just a tricky situation and one ripe for some melodrama.

Unlike other road to the final table poker films (looking at you, Lucky You), the conflict in this romantic dramedy doesnt come from characters hating each other but rather characters loving each other, to the point where their game integrity is called into question. Its also about what happens after the game is over.

Greta Gerwig would be an incredible choice to direct Suited Connectors, a story largely based on a successful woman striving for greatness, who falls in love with someone completely different and yet perfectly similar to her. Gerwigs two films so far (2017s Ladybird and 2019s Little Women) are both female-led stories, and she writes and directs with honesty and style.

Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick has been brilliant in films like Up in the Air and The Voices and could pull off Bicknells dauntless determination, while Channing Tatum (aside from the fact hes big and athletic like Foxen) has proven himself a fine (and funny) actor in films like Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street, and The Hateful Eight. As for Jennifer Harmanthe player who inspired the real-life Bicknellcoaxingh the great Cameron Diaz out of retirement for the role seems like a win.

Director: Paul Feig

Kevin Hart (Bill Perkins)Jaime Staples (himself)Matt Staples (himself)Mike Vacanti (Zac Efron)

Synopsis:

Two professional poker playing brothers find themselves in a high stakes game on the yacht of an eccentric billionaire, with who they make a large bet: Brothers Jaime (304lbs) and Matt (134lbs) have to weigh within 1lb of each other in exactly a years time. If they can do it, theyll win big. With the help of a strict personal trainer, theyre going all in. But life on the road makes losing and gaining both weight and money harder than they thought.

Lets lighten the mood a little with a road-trip buddy movie. The Staples brothers (Jaime and Matt) had the entire poker community rooting for them in 2017/2018 when they bet Bill Perkins that they couldnt weigh within one pound of each other in 12 months time, all the while streaming poker online and traveling to live events. They did it, of course, in a great story of perseverance and hard work paying off.

For the sake of the film, however, instead of the brothers streaming online poker, have them playing poker on the road. And make the Perkins character wilder and more erratic than Perkins is in real life, just to spice things up.

Theres no better pick to play the brothers themselves, so theyll both have to get some acting lessons prior to filming. But for Perkins, lets throw his real-life friend and poker enthusiast Kevin Hart in the mix. Hart is one of the biggest movie stars in the world and anyone who has observed his spontaneous antics at the poker tables knows he would make this thing hilarious, as would Zac Efron as a fictional draconian version of the Staples personal trainer Mike Vacanti.

In the directors chair would be Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat), one of the reigning kings of comedy movies. The whole thing could be like the section of Rounders where Mike and Worm go on the road to run up a stake, only instead of trying not to get caught base dealing, the brothers are trying not to eat the wrong things.

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Starring:

Emma Stone (Veronica Brill)Ben Foster (Mike Postle)Jonah Hill (Justin Kuraitis)Pete Davidson (Joe Ingram)

Synopsis:

Poker player and commentator Veronica Brill grows suspicious that a successful player in her game, Mike Postle, has been cheating for months on a live-streamed Sacramento cash game with the help of cardroom manager Justin Kuraitis. They deny the allegations and will do anything to discredit Brill, so she turns to someone she hopes can help expose the suspected charlatans: popular YouTuber Joe Ingram.

There have been some incredible films with ambiguous endings over the years. You dont get to know whether the robbers gold-laden bus teeters over the cliff edge in The Italian Job; you dont get to know who the Zodiac killer is in Zodiac; and by the end of The Blind Stealthis telling of the Mike Postle cheating scandal which took place at Stones Casino, Sacramento from July 2018 through September 2019you wont know with absolute certainty whether Mike Postle was cheating or not.

The viewers will have enough information to make an informed decision though, and thats all thanks to writer and director Aaron Sorkin. In his screenplays for The Social Network, Moneyball, and his 2017 directorial debut Mollys Game, Sorkin has been able to enlighten audiences on some dense subject matter (from computer algorithms and data analysis to how a game poker works) in just a few pages of the script.

And thanks to Mollys Game, its clear he understands poker and the severity of the Postle allegations against many players, not just Veronica Brill (who brought the allegations to light).

So, with Sorkin at the helm, who would he cast? For Brill, possibly Emma Stone. In films such as Zombieland, The Favourite, and Battle of the Sexes, shes shown herself to be tough and determined with no sign of intimidation.

As for Joey Ingram, Pete Davidson could sling on a tank top and blazer and showcase Ingrams dogged resolve.

Ben Foster would be perfect for Postle. Anyone who saw Foster as Lance Armstrong knows hes a master of playing manipulative, conniving schemers looking to get ahead at any means necessary, even at the expense of others. He could handle Postle too.

Justin Kuraitis is harder to cast as, frankly, there isnt all that much to go on aside from some post-settlement tweets. But based on those tweets, the character in the film is going to be stubborn, goofy, and a bit corrupt. Jonah Hill is a great actor who has been nominated for an Oscar twice (The Wolf of Wall Street and Moneyball). Hes got that down.

The ambiguous ending of The Blind Steal mentioned earlier? It will be a bit like the ending of The Social Network, Sorkins Facebook origin story. Just like Facebook is an ongoing thing, so too is the Postle lawsuits and investigation. But maybe a film like this will inspire more people to seek the truth of what went on during those live streams.

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Five True-Life Poker Stories Primed To Be Hollywood Blockbusters - PocketFives

The big stories of the week in industry news involve poker and eSports partnerships, big jackpot freerolls in Vegas, Macau finally showing signs of recovery and online poker yet again posting positive results!

By: Andrew Burnett

It has been a week of generally good news, but lets kick off with a mixed review, some $120k being handed out on the Vegas Strip, with the MGM Grand at the center of it all.

Up for grabs is the unused jackpot money from three MGM casinos, the Mandalay Bay, Excalibur and Mirage, but the bad news is that the trio of poker rooms have been permanently closed.

Because the jackpot money has to be given back to the players since it was paid in extra rake for jackpot purposes the MGM Grand has decided to host three freeroll tournaments.

Brazilian poker and eSports superstar Andre Akkariadded to his PokerStars team pro and ambassador status with the news that his eSports team Furia has entered into a partnership with the red spade site.

The plan, utilising Akkaris experience and skill across both formats, is to produce unique entertainment content, with the partnership due to unveil a new team of poker streamers. Alongside Akkari himself, the team will include Lali Tournier and Rafa Moraes.

Furia was formed in 2017 by Akkaris Brazilian colleague Jaime raizen Pdua, the team based in the US and the team specialising in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

Akkari said of the new venture: Poker plays a natural part in Furias DNA. Its all about making optimal decisions in the moment for long-term results. The partnership is a natural step for expansion as we look to move beyond eSports.

For PokerStars, Rebecca McAdam Willetts, Associate Director of Public Relations said: The team at Furia work very hard, lead by example, and are always looking to improve and evolve. This approach, as well as their general ethos, sits extremely well with what we aim for at PokerStars. It will be exciting for us to see what we can bring our community and how we can engage new audiences by working together with such a passionate team.

Its been a tough year so far for many places, and Macau has been among the worst hit financially by the global coronavirus pandemic, 90 percent drops in revenue almost every month so faruntil now that is.

Figures for October show that $910million was pulled in, which is only a 72.5% year-on-year drop and hints that things may be looking up for the former Portuguese colony.

Bloomberg have reported that a relaxation in Chinas travel and visa restrictions may be behind the unexpected boost in numbers, which has seen high-spending customers among the first to return.

Joe Liu, director of the citys largest e-payment company Macau Pass S.A., quoted as saying: They shop and eat crazily.

That matches Las Vegas Sands Corp COO Grant Chum, who told Bloomberg last month: The patrons returning first to Macau are the high-quality, high-frequency customers.

The Macau industry still faces a long road to full recovery, however, with revenue in the 10 months through October falling 81.4% compared to last years figures.

The online game in Europe has seen a dramatic rise during lockdown, some operators growth numbers up by double or even triple figures according to recent reports.

GGPoker top the list with a staggering 208% growth in the past year, followed by the iPoker network at 62% and then partypoker at 30%, according to PokerFuse reports, based on GamingIntel data.

Their list of Year-over-Year Growth reveals:

GGPoker Up 208%

iPoker Up 62%

partypoker Up 30%

Unibet Up 11%

PokerStars Up 7%

888poker Up 2%

They also report that the most recent cash game traffic in segregated markets within Europe show huge rises, Italy up by 18% and the France/Spain/Portugal trio at almost 30%.

With new lockdowns in place across Europe and the winter season almost upon us, a new or extended boom for online poker may well be on the cards.

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Andre Akkari Brings eSports and Poker Together as Industry Revels in Good News - HighstakesDB

Family of card games

Poker is any of a number of card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules in ways similar to these rankings. Often using a standard deck, poker games vary in deck configuration, the number of cards in play, the number dealt face up or face down, and the number shared by all players, but all have rules which involve one or more rounds of betting.

In most modern poker games, the first round of betting begins with one or more of the players making some form of a forced bet (the blind or ante). In standard poker, each player bets according to the rank they believe their hand is worth as compared to the other players. The action then proceeds clockwise as each player in turn must either match (or "call") the maximum previous bet, or fold, losing the amount bet so far and all further involvement in the hand. A player who matches a bet may also "raise" (increase) the bet. The betting round ends when all players have either called the last bet or folded. If all but one player folds on any round, the remaining player collects the pot without being required to reveal their hand. If more than one player remains in contention after the final betting round, a showdown takes place where the hands are revealed, and the player with the winning hand takes the pot.

With the exception of initial forced bets, money is only placed into the pot voluntarily by a player who either believes the bet has positive expected value or who is trying to bluff other players for various strategic reasons. Thus, while the outcome of any particular hand significantly involves chance, the long-run expectations of the players are determined by their actions chosen on the basis of probability, psychology, and game theory.

Poker has increased in popularity since the beginning of the 20th century and has gone from being primarily a recreational activity confined to small groups of enthusiasts to a widely popular activity, both for participants and spectators, including online, with many professional players and multimillion-dollar tournament prizes.

Poker was developed sometime during the early 19th century in the United States. Since those early beginnings, the game has grown to become an extremely popular pastime worldwide.

In the 1937 edition of Foster's Complete Hoyle, R. F. Foster wrote: "the game of poker, as first played in the United States, five cards to each player from a twenty-card pack, is undoubtedly the Persian game of As-Nas." By the 1990s some gaming historians including David Parlett started to challenge the notion that poker is a direct derivative of As-Nas. Developments in the 1970s led to poker becoming far more popular than it was before. Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker began, in 1970.[1]

Poker on television increased the popularity of the game during the turn of the millennium. This resulted in the poker boom a few years later between 20032006.

Examples of top poker hand categories

In casual play, the right to deal a hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by a token called a dealer button (or buck). In a casino, a house dealer handles the cards for each hand, but the button (typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting. The cards are dealt clockwise around the poker table, one at a time.

One or more players are usually required to make forced bets, usually either an ante or a blind bet (sometimes both). The dealer shuffles the cards, the player on the chair to his or her right cuts, and the dealer deals the appropriate number of cards to the players one at a time, beginning with the player to his or her left. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins. Between rounds, the players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central pot.

At any time during a betting round, if one player bets, no opponents choose to call (match) the bet, and all opponents instead fold, the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and the next hand begins. This is what makes bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that distinguishes it from other vying games and from other games that make use of poker hand rankings.

At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a showdown, in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate their hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker variant being played wins the pot. A poker hand comprises five cards; in variants where a player has more than five cards available to them, only the best five-card combination counts. There are 10 different kinds of poker hands such as straight flush, four of a kind etc.

Poker variations are played where a "high hand" or a "low hand" may be the best desired hand. In other words, when playing a poker variant with "low poker" the best hand is one that contains the lowest cards (and it can get further complicated by including or not including flushes and straights etc. from "high hand poker"). So while the "majority" of poker game variations are played "high hand", where the best high "straight, flush etc." wins, there are poker variations where the "worst hand" wins, such as "low ball, acey-deucey, high-lo split etc. game variations". To summarize, there can be variations that are "high poker", "low poker", and "high low split". In the case of "high low split" the pot is divided among the best high hand and low hand.

Poker has many variations,[2][3] all following a similar pattern of play[4] and generally using the same hand ranking hierarchy. There are four main families of variants, largely grouped by the protocol of card-dealing and betting:

Five Card Draw:A complete hand is dealt to each player, face-down. Then each player must place an ante to the pot. They can then see their cards and bet accordingly. After betting, players can discard up to three cards and take new ones from the top of the deck. Then, another round of betting takes place. Finally, each player must show his or her cards and the player with the best hand wins.

Community card poker: Also known as "flop poker", community card poker is a variation of stud poker. Players are dealt an incomplete hand of face-down cards, and then a number of face-up community cards are dealt to the centre of the table, each of which can be used by one or more of the players to make a 5-card hand. Texas hold 'em and Omaha are two well-known variants of the community card family.

There are several methods for defining the structure of betting during a hand of poker. The three most common structures are known as "fixed-limit", "pot-limit", and "no-limit". In fixed-limit poker, betting and raising must be done by standardised amounts. For instance, if the required bet is X, an initial bettor may only bet X; if a player wishes to raise a bet, they may only raise by X. In pot-limit poker, a player may bet or raise any amount up to the size of the pot. When calculating the maximum raise allowed, all previous bets and calls, including the intending raiser's call, are first added to the pot. The raiser may then raise the previous bet by the full amount of the pot. In no-limit poker, a player may wager their entire betting stack at any point that they are allowed to make a bet. In all games, if a player does not have enough betting chips to fully match a bet, they may go "all-in", allowing them to show down their hand for the amount of chips they have remaining.

Other games that use poker hand rankings may likewise be referred to as poker. Video poker is a single-player video game that functions much like a slot machine; most video poker machines play draw poker, where the player bets, a hand is dealt, and the player can discard and replace cards. Payout is dependent on the hand resulting after the draw and the player's initial bet.

Strip poker is a traditional poker variation where players remove clothing when they lose bets. Since it depends only on the basic mechanic of betting in rounds, strip poker can be played with any form of poker; however, it is usually based on simple variants with few betting rounds, like five card draw.

Another game with the poker name, but with a vastly different mode of play, is called Acey-Deucey or Red Dog poker. This game is more similar to Blackjack in its layout and betting; each player bets against the house, and then is dealt two cards. For the player to win, the third card dealt (after an opportunity to raise the bet) must have a value in-between the first two. Payout is based on the odds that this is possible, based on the difference in values of the first two cards. Other poker-like games played at casinos against the house include three card poker and pai gow poker.

A variety of computer poker players have been developed by researchers at the University of Alberta, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Auckland amongst others.

In a January 2015 article[5] published in Science, a group of researchers mostly from the University of Alberta announced that they "essentially weakly solved" heads-up limit Texas Hold 'em with their development of their Cepheus poker bot. The authors claimed that Cepheus would lose at most 0.001 big blinds per game on average against its worst-case opponent, and the strategy is thus so "close to optimal" that "it can't be beaten with statistical significance within a lifetime of human poker playing".[6]

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Poker - Wikipedia

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Online poker is one of the most popular games in the world, appealing to everyone from casual beginners on a budget to serious professionals playing for thousands each hand. It is therefore no surprise that there are numerous online platforms and mobile apps all attempting to attract the millions of poker players.

However, some poker websites and apps are much better than others, so if you are looking to join a new platform, here are five that are definitely worth considering.

Where better place to start than the worlds largest poker site? PokerStars apps for Android and iOs function every bit as good as the desktop equivalent. Players have the options of cash games, tournaments, sit-and-gos, lottery-style spin-and-gos, and Zoom Poker, which allows you to play in a private room with your invited friends.

PokerStars have strived to improve the player experience in recent years and now offer personalized avatars, a large selection of table designs, preset bets, a search feature, a chat feature, and the ability to play quick hands. There is also a web cashier to make quick deposits.

Android and iOS of iPhone users can play up to four tables simultaneously, while iPad users can play up to five tables.

Given PokerStars global reach, you will need to download the app that is relevant to your location: if youre in mainland Europe, then download PokerstarsEU, and UK-based players need PokerStarsUK.

Partypoker has invested plenty of time and money in revamping the app in recent years, and the result has been one of the best apps in the poker industry.

Among its many great features include a new portrait layout so you can play with one hand; a new lobby to find all the games within the app, which can be filtered according to personal preferences; a new interactive chat; and Diamonds partypokers in-game currency which can be used to access special features within the app.

Partypoker also offers one of the best multi-table experiences as well as a hand-replayer function, which is a great feature to help players refine their strategies.

With its many player-friendly features and range of games, partypoker has created one of the best gambling apps in the business.

Part of gambling giant 888 Holdings which also includes 888 Casino and 888 Sport, 888 Poker remains at the forefront of the online poker world thanks in large part to its excellent and popular mobile app.

The lobby is intuitive and easy to navigate, while players have the option to choose from a number of preset avatars. 888 Pokers app also has a bet slider, quick seat option, a chat feature, a web cashier, and large action buttons to reduce the risk of costly mistakes being made by a slip of the thumb.

888 Poker is the platform and app of choice for thousands of casual and professional players and as such the company hosts numerous online tournaments that can be played through the mobile app.

As the official online poker platform for the World Series of Poker, you better believe that GGPoker has one of the best apps in the business. If its a good enough platform for Daniel Negreanu, Bryn Kenney, and Felipe Ramos, then its good enough for the rest of us!

That being said, you dont have to be a professional chasing hundreds of thousands of dollars to enjoy the many benefits of the GGPoker app and site. The app has a social media function that allows you to upload any moments you want directly to your social accounts.

The multi-table experience has been refined and simplified with a swiping feature, so you can now play up to four tables at one time and switch between those tables with a simple swipe of your device.

With lots of games, a slick interface, and the choice of some of the top pros, GGPoker is undoubtedly one of the best poker apps around.

For casual players more interested in less serious and lower stakes games, Unibet Poker has a great app and a thriving poker community.

There are more than 100 preset avatars to choose from, plenty of cash games, multi-table tournaments, daily promotions, and access to lots of other casino games beyond poker.

Beginners and players who may be intimidated by competitive sites like GGPoker and partypoker, then Unibet Poker offers a great alternative.

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5 of the best gambling apps to play real money poker games - European Gaming Industry News

Pennsylvania casinosclosed in mid-March to slow the spread of coronavirus. They remained shuttered for over three months. When the casinos reopened, they did so with health and safety guidelines from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board which included key points such as:

Another major stipulation upon reopening was that poker rooms could not operate due to players handling cards and chips. The plan at that time was to continually monitor and adjust according to guidance from the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Poker players have taken to Twitter, email and even picked up the phone to ask when live poker rooms in Pennsylvania will reopen.

PGCB Director of Communications Doug Harbach gave this update to Play Pennsylvania today:

There has been no alteration to the casino reopening protocols released by the Gaming Control Board in May in which poker rooms were not authorized to operate. At the same time, this guideline can be reexamined based on health experts guidance. Should casinos wish to explore reopening a casino room, it would need to provide plans to do so safely which would be reviewed by the Board on a case-by-case basis.

A spokesperson for Rivers Philadelphia and Rivers Pittsburgh said that plans for reopening poker rooms are yet to be determined.

Rivers Casino Pittsburgh and The Meadows were the first casinos to reopen on June 9. Social distancing decals marked the floors. There were fewer chairs to promote social distancing at slot machines, or plexiglass barriers between slots. They added hand sanitizing stations throughout the floor.

At the reopening of Rivers Pittsburgh, Harbach said poker rooms present a different type of challenge since people are sitting close together in a room.

The casinos want to walk before they run and make sure they are getting the venue open and then move on to opening up other areas once they know the protocols are working well.

The following images are from Harrahs Philadelphia in July.

All twelve of Pennsylvanias casinos are operating at 50% capacity. Since July 8, there has been a temporary ban on smoking, eating and drinking on the gaming floor.

During the 2019/2020 fiscal year, PAs ten poker rooms produced a combined $37 million in revenue. That number pales in comparison to the $583 million in revenue from other table games.

Parx is home to the largest live poker room in PA with 48 tables. Harrahs Philadelphia has 27 tables and Wind Creek Casino has 26.

Casinos are understandably focusing on safety and the unprecedented challenges COVID-19 has brought. Perhaps that is taking priority above reopening poker rooms.

All live poker rooms in Atlantic City, New Jersey also remain out of operation.

In Las Vegas, the MGM Grand poker room opened in early July with plexiglass dividers between players to allow six-handed play. Other Vegas rooms have followed and a few The Orleans, Venetian, and South Point are also running small-guarantee tournaments with plexiglass dividers and/or mask requirements.

Heres a look at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida which restarted poker on June 12.

At MGM National Harbor in Maryland.

Online poker in PAarrived in November 2019. Since then, PokerStars has been the lone operator in the state, however it looks like they will get some competition in the fall with partypoker.

Play Pennsylvania monitored poker traffic which reached 3,616 seats filled on March 22. PokerStars PA had its best month for revenue with $5.3 million in April. Since that peak, poker revenue is back down to earth but still healthy, bringing in $3.0 million in July.

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When Will Live Poker Rooms Reopen in Pennsylvania? - Play Pennsylvania

New Jersey, United States,- Market Research Intellect recently published a report on the Poker Market. The study was supported by data obtained either from primary sources or from corporate databases. The experts in the market have confirmed that the data is realistic and relevant to the particular market conditions and therefore will prove extremely helpful to the user. The factors that have been broken down into driver and restraint systems. The regions, types, applications, and strategies are segmented and subdivided for better and better understanding.

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Leading Poker manufacturers/companies operating at both regional and global levels:

The report also inspects the financial standing of the leading companies, which includes gross profit, revenue generation, sales volume, sales revenue, manufacturing cost, individual growth rate, and other financial ratios.

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In market segmentation by types of Poker, the report covers-

In market segmentation by applications of the Poker, the report covers the following uses-

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Geographically, the Poker market is segmented across the following regions:North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.

Key Coverage of Report:

Key insights of the report:

In conclusion, the Poker Market report provides a detailed study of the market by taking into account leading companies, present market status, and historical data to for accurate market estimations, which will serve as an industry-wide database for both the established players and the new entrants in the market.

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Poker Market Size and Growth By Leading Vendors, By Types and Application, By End Users and Forecast to 2020-2027 - Scientect