Poker News Breaking News, Latest Events & All Things Poker Related
Prize pools are formed from all the buy-ins, with most of the money awarded to players who reach the final table. Unlike cash games, where chips represent real money and you can join or leave anytime, tournaments have fixed buy-ins, increasing blinds and structured payouts based on finishing position. Online poker tournaments are competitive events where every player starts with the same number of chips and plays until one winner remains. Some jurisdictions fully regulate and license online poker, ensuring safe play, secure transactions, and fair games through official oversight. Strong player traffic means you can join tournaments, play cash games, and find your preferred stakes at any hour.
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered, too, with the best play money poker apps. Key Takeaways Molly Bloom rose from elite skier to the woman behind some of the most exclusive high-stakes poker games in Los Angeles and New York. Find out what’s going down at the planet’s biggest poker tournaments and pick up a few skills of your own. EvenBet can deploy in 4–6 weeks, with platforms stress-tested for 10,000+ concurrent players.
As well as running several mystery bounties throughout the day, GG’s Battle Royale Sit and Gos offer you the chance to play them at any time you want. If you’re after daily tournaments, it’s clear of the rest. It has a regular, daily schedule which offers a range of well-structured, competitive PKO tournaments at all stakes.
Further, poker players in different parts of the world typically have numerous options when choosing to play poker online. Online poker traffic consists of the number of players on a site at any given time. Making deposits to poker accounts online is one consideration, but all players also want to know how they can withdraw their winnings and do so quickly. Competing for coins and points has its place, but most players – at some point – find their way to real-money poker. New players also want poker sites to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, but which ones do?
Every online poker site offers different bonuses and promotions, and the best ones also offer rewards programs so players who compete there regularly benefit from their loyalty. The internet is filled with risks, so online poker players want to be sure that their poker room takes security and privacy seriously. If you are playing in 99.9% of public poker room games across the US, 80% of the players are no better than they were in 2006.
Harvey Castro outlasted a 1,648-player field at The Lodge in Austin to win the WPT Prime Lodge Championship, earning $225,020 and a spot in December’s WPT finale. A controversial fold at the WSOP Europe PLO Championship bubble sparked plenty of tension while splitting opinions among players and fans. Phil Ivey has 11 bracelet wins, with Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Erik Seidel (10) the only players with double-digit WSOP bracelet wins. In 2024, the WSOP Main Event saw a record 10,112 players. However, from 2017 entries in the Main Event increased year-on-year, with the 8,569 players in the 2019 WSOP Main Event the second-highest ever, just short of the record of 8,773 set in 2006.
In truth, it’s tough to separate the top three sites for satellites. Some sites run freeroll satellites, while other formats include a more traditional MTT that simply awards tickets rather than cash prizes. They’re essentially lower-buy-in qualifiers to a main featured tournament.
Industry
Its global reach, diverse player base, and nonstop action make it the go-to platform for anyone seeking high-volume games at every stake level. If you want to find a game quickly and easily, or play large-field tournaments with bumper prizepools, BetMGM Poker is a great choice. BetRivers Poker might be one of the newest online poker sites around, but it’s already making a big impression on the market. It is focused on returning a high share of rake to players via its iRush Rewards programme, which can deliver 40 %–75 % rake-back at top VIP levels.
MSIGA is the interstate compact that allows players in states like New Jersey, Michigan, and Nevada, where various legal poker sites exist, to compete against one another in a shared player pool. Collectively known as the Wabanaki Nations, these tribes have been granted exclusive rights to operate online poker and casino gaming in the state. There are plently of places to play online gambling games, but only a handful of them provide you with a quality experience. It is usually governed by official gaming authorities and state bodies who ensure that players are safe when gaming online. As long as the online poker USA site you decide to play on is reputable then it is totally safe to engage.
Play money poker means you’re playing on online poker sites with fake currency. Laws around online gambling can be confusing at the best of times, especially for real money online poker in the USA. Meanwhile, states with legalized online poker have combined player pools through the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), creating much-needed liquidity for US players. On April 15, 2011, US poker players awoke to see a US Department of Justice emblem when they tried logging into their online poker accounts. Poker suffered its darkest day in history on April 15, 2011 — 15 years ago to the day — when the US government seized hundreds of millions of dollars in player funds and shut down the biggest online poker sites worldwide. Industry insiders, professional analysis, interviews with top players, and online poker survival guides.
Not only that but even though the state is small, there are plenty of nearby card rooms in neighboring states, which makes Delaware a great place to live for poker players. If a venue is able to offer table games, chances are they’re able to offer live poker if they so choose. Addabbo, who isn’t a poker player himself, said online gambling could bring in millions in revenue and pointed to an upcoming “multi-billion dollar deficit” in New York’s 2026 and 2027 budgets. While they all help, disciplined bankroll management is absolutely essential, and poor financial decisions in poker is often the downfall of even some of the best tournament players. Below, we outline our top five tips and strategies for online poker tournaments.
Black Friday 15-Year Anniversary: How One Day Changed Poker Forever
The 2026 Venetian DeepStack Championship at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas distributed $22,947,285 in prize money across 121 numbered events, running from May 21 through August 2, according to PokerNews. Poker player, vlogger, and influencer Doug Polk has announced that he is “stepping… Introduced by Northern Virginia Democrat Marcus Simon on Tuesday, HB161 would place online gambling under the regulatory authority of the Virginia Lottery Board. Last Friday, Gov. Bill Lee signed Senate Bill 2136 into law, banning online sweepstakes casinos… Read more »
You had a tough position at one of the last tables on Day 8. You have to play according to how the situation dictates it. How were you adjusting to your tables up to that point? “Just as I learned to be able to skate away from an altercation on the ice, I learned to make big folds at the tables.” “As far as the competitive nature of hockey and the discipline required, those are the similarities with poker,” says Mueller. Greg Mueller’s poker journey began on long bus rides during his professional hockey career.
Nothing has been announced yet, but players have been locking in a seat with victories in WPT championships throughout the year, so it’s going to happen. Playing online poker should always be fun. Providing everything you need to play poker online since 2006. Poker News Daily is your go-to hub for all things poker — from real money poker site rankings to expert strategy, tournament coverage, and sports betting picks. Department of Justice seized the three major online poker rooms, Tom “durrrr” Dwan and Phil Galfond turned pokernewsdaily.com to Twitter to try and calm the storm.
Is it Safe to Play Online Internet Poker?
The folks at BetOnline Poker are delivering a week of PKO Bounty tournaments later this month during the Catch-22 Bounty Series. Mizrachi outlasted a 9,735-player field to take down the event and claim the $10 million prize along with his eighth career The Daily Gems are popular tournaments that as the names suggests run daily at 888poker. The $1,000,000 Bounty Hunter Poker Series runs at BetOnline Poker until November 9 with dozens of tournaments and seven figures worth of prize money available to be won. If you’re a fan of bounty poker tournaments then BetOnline Poker is the place for you in early November. While considering an online poker site, there are some primary areas that matter to most of our readers.
Watch fun and exciting live poker streams from Global Poker. Watch poker live streams on PokerStars, the world’s premier poker destination. Those who redeem this current offer will automatically receive a dedicated Poker Welcome Offer once the poker platform officially launches. Players who create a FanDuel Casino account during this initial phase are eligible for a welcome package of 500 Bonus Spins and up to $1,000 back in casino bonuses.
Pennsylvania PokerStars players can still play PokerStars from their state, but must do so on FanDuel Poker by signing up for a FanDuel account. The first legal poker site in the state, PokerStars PA, went live in 2019 and other sites followed suit in 2021, including WSOP PA and BetMGM Poker PA. Online poker has been legal in Pennsylvania since 2017 when lawmakers passed HB 271, which also legalized other forms of online gambling. Additionally, Oregon does not regulate lawful poker rooms outside of charity games and real cash poker betting facilities.
WSOP.com is another notable site, offering players a chance to compete for a coveted WSOP Online bracelet. GGPoker also boast an extensive online poker tournament schedule. Therefore, a two-table Sit and Go can classify as an MTT, but for the most part MTTs are usually tournaments that include large field sizes in the hundreds or sometimes even the thousands.
When reviewing poker sites, the PokerNews team looks at several factors that matter most to new players. A good beginner-friendly poker room should also provide free-play tables, freeroll tournaments, and helpful educational resources to help you improve your skills while building confidence at the tables. GG Poker is a newer operator in the industry, but has made strong innovations with its offering, and sites like WSOP do exceptionally well at actively bridging the gap between live and online poker.
GGPoker is home to the WSOP Online, where players from eligible countries can compete for actual World Series of Poker bracelets. What’s more, most poker sites host frequent series throughout the year, so you’re not short of options. While a fundamental part of the ecosystem, online poker is built around more than just daily grinders and weekly freerolls. GGPoker provides a similar opportunity, running step satellites where players can win full WSOP packages. WSOP.com just makes number one on our list, purely down to the opportunity players have to qualify for the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Where GG might lack poker variants, PokerStars doesn’t and you’ll find some fun turbos and hypers across a range of different poker games.
And lastly, I think Greg ‘FBT’ Mueller played very, very tight at the final two tables, but that was a bit of an over-adjustment. I think it’s clear Jumalon is the favorite, and as long as he can play a good final table, he should secure a nice payday. Poker pros predict who will win the 2026 WSOP Main Event as Lucas Jumalon leads the final table into poker’s biggest showdown. And I’ve been receiving so many nice tweets and shout-outs from a lot of well-respected players; Matusow, Hellmuth, David Baker, Alex Livingston, the list goes on. I’m asking players their pick to win, and many of the older guys are rooting for you.
Nevada and Delaware both passed legislation legalizing online poker in 2013 and other states followed suit over the next decade including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Michigan. But it would take several years for millions of dollars to be paid back to Full Tilt players. However, Full Tilt only had $60 million on deposit in its bank accounts, meaning over $300 million was still owed to players worldwide. The complaint alleged that, as of March 2011, Full Tilt Poker owed approximately $390 million in player funds around the world, including $150 million to US players. The US Attorney’s Office amended its complaint to allege that Full Tilt Poker was a Ponzi scheme that Raymond Bitar, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Rafe Furst used to defraud players. On April 20th, both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars reached an agreement with the Department of Justice that allowed them to regain the use of their dot-com sites to help distribute player funds.
Online poker, although not currently offered, could be an option someday soon. MGM Springfield, the first commercial casino in the Bay State, opened to business in 2018. The Expanded Gaming Act, passed on November 22, 2011, allowed MA to have three resort casinos and one slot parlor.
Number of hands played heads-up after 57 were played at the rest of the final table While it took 38 hands to go from eight players to seven, it took only 16 more to reach heads-up play, setting up a memorable battle and a fitting conclusion. Molenaar peeked down at kh,kd in the big blind, covering both players. It didn’t take long to reach the money from there, with the bubble bursting on just the second hand of the final table. The players who dive in really take it very seriously and want to contribute to the team. He played with such heart the whole final table.
Ohio was a hotbed for illicit gambling in the early 1900s until 1990 when casino legalization was first introduced to the state. Online poker was late to the game and was legalized in New Jersey in 2013 after poker’s Black Friday two years prior. It’s also the only Nevada-based site to allow you to compete in online bracelet events for a chance at a coveted gold bracelet. As one of the most gambling-averse states, there are very few states further away from legalizing online gambling than Nebraska. But while Montana is pretty relaxed when it comes to many forms of gambling, the same can’t be said about online gambling.
The UIGEA went into full effect in 2010 and did not exclude games of skill like poker despite lobbying efforts from the Poker Players Alliance (PPA). While poker was booming, a piece of legislation was about to question the legality of online poker in the United States. Following Chris Moneymaker’s iconic victory in the 2003 Main Event, poker sponsorships were going around like crazy and ads for big online poker brands like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker couldn’t be avoided. In a new PokerNews video essay, we take a look at Black Friday, the darkest day in poker history that forever altered the online poker landscape and uncovered widespread mismanagement by some of poker’s biggest names. Yes, while real-money gaming is restricted throughout the United States, free play money options are open to most.
- I played with Mike back in the day at the Borgata, and I always admired his play.
- New Jersey already has a well-established US online poker scene, but a new bill could shake things up this year.
- At the time, players didn’t know what would happen, and their funds, which ranged from a couple of bucks to millions of dollars, were locked in limbo.
- What would you tell young players struggling with heartbreak when a run falls short?
Its schedule includes massive series like SCOOP and WCOOP, alongside daily events at every buy-in. 888poker has a friendly, low-pressure environment with plenty of freerolls and beginner-specific tables. Bet365 Poker offers a clean, reliable platform backed by one of the most trusted names in online gaming. If your goal is to win your way into live poker’s biggest stages, WPT Global makes that path straightforward and fun. PartyPoker, a legendary poker site with an impeccable reputation since the early 2000s, blends trusted longevity with a focus on fair, recreational-friendly play.
In fact, just last week we uncovered clear signs that the company was preparing to combine PokerStars with FanDuel and bring online poker under its platform. Having been in business since 2003, our relationships with online poker operators allow us to offer exclusive bonuses. Of course, there are a few states that have taken it upon themselves to legalize and regulate online poker within their borders, and those laws are very clear. A top poker site for one player may not be considered the best for another. Some players discover this by trial and error, while others check out our research to find the site that best fits their needs. In these 14-plus years, we have been asked every question possible about online poker.
The company didn’t specifically outline a plan for poker in announcing the agreements. The legislation allows poker operators to share liquidity with other states. The company operates a shared poker platform in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. You can still enjoy free-play platforms such as the WSOP Social Poker App. The sites listed on this page score highly across all of these areas. All of the poker rooms we recommend are fully licensed by trusted regulators like the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, or state regulators in the US.