Two weeks into 2019, Gavin Smith died in his sleep, unexpectedly, at the age of 50. He is survived by his two young sons, Kingston and Keegan, and multitudes of friends in the poker community. His sudden death took the poker world by surprise, with some having just seen him
Money can buy a lot of things, especially in the world of politics. Casino magnate and billionaire Sheldon Adelson has shown that it may take time, perseverance, and very large sums of money, but it can be done. His dream of banning internet gambling – in one way or another
Illinois was close last year. There was a strong bill championed by State Representative Robert Rita and others, there were hearings, and there was widespread support for the sports betting part of the bill. Online poker and casino games were also included in that gambling expansion bill, along with new
During the holidays, word spread that the US Department of Justice had written a reversal of a pivotal 2011 Wire Act decision. The new opinion from the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel reportedly overturned that decision, which had allowed states the unequivocal right to offer online lottery ticket sales and
As 2019 got underway, Poker Central launched a partnership and new series. And only one month from now, the first series of live high-stakes tournaments begins at the ARIA in Las Vegas. The folks at Poker Central are always busy providing online shows, broadcasting cash games, and arranging high-stakes live
It may be tough to remember, but it did happen. West Virginia did offer up online gaming legislation in the past, back in early 2017, in fact. It was easily missed in any news cycle, though, because the bill garnered no support from the majority of the legislature and died
It happened. Not only did PokerStars make history with the largest-ever $25K buy-in tournament in the history of live tournament poker, the company’s investment in the event paid off in a unique way. One of the Platinum Pass winners won the tournament for $5.1 million. PokerStars awarded 320 Platinum Pass
Day 4 of the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) was an exciting one, as the remaining players dove deep into the money and pursued potentially life-changing payouts, all with the goal of making the final table. And at the top of that final table awaits $5.1 million and
Just before Christmas in 2018, the World Series of Poker offered up its core dates and some information about the 2019 summer schedule. It seems there is a lot in store for the 50th anniversary of the WSOP, all of it scheduled to happen in Las Vegas between May 28
Once upon a time, California appeared to be the state most likely to legalize online poker. There were bills introduced each year, and the majority of lawmakers saw the benefits of regulating the game, especially when Nevada did it and the possibility of sharing poker liquidity looked more realistic. And
One could say that 2018 was a year of adjustments for the Poker Alliance. It started the year as the PPA (Poker Players Alliance) but with more financial troubles than at any time in the past decade, and it ended as the Poker Alliance, a new group financed by Poker
There was little doubt that the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship was going to be a large tournament. Not only was the live tournament in the Bahamas to be rake-free, PokerStars planned to add approximately $9 million to the prize pool for the January event. A new record for
