With one day of poker in the books, more than 60,000 players have been eliminated from the Sunday Million 13th Anniversary. Today the 980 competitors who outlasted their rivals will return and play until only one new millionaire remains.

One day down, one to go in the Sunday Million 13th Anniversary

Five hours of late registration built a truly enormous field for this anniversary Milly on the strength of 45,929 unique entries and another 15,413 re-entries. That total of 61,342 gave us a prize pool worth $12,268,400, more than 22 percent above the guarantee. And the scheduled prizes are befitting a tournament of this scale. First place will receive just over $1 million, with $700K+ for second and $500K+ for third.

Standing alone ahead of the rest of the field after 35 blind levels of poker was Brazil’s Deputado1414. After finishing in 58,097th place on the first bullet, the Brazilian player re-entered and rode a stack worth well above the average for the rest of the day. About half an hour before the end of play Deputado1414 seized the chip lead, ending with 8,064,114 chips — good for about 165 big blinds when Day 2 begins.

Blinds and antes will be at 25,000/50,000/6,000 when play resumes. Here’s a glance at the top 10 overnight chip counts:

As for other notables, there are a few. Last week our own Howard Swains had a look at some players who had already proven they had the ability to win a massive tournament like this one. (Check out Part 1 and Part 2 for the full rundown.)

Two-time Milly champ Rob Tinnion is still in it after Day 1 of the Sunday Million 13th Anniversary.

Of those profiled in the first piece, only Anatoly “NL_Profit” Filatov remains in the hunt after the conclusion of Day 1, holding a stack worth 1,217,020 chips. From the second piece, two players remain. Two-time Sunday Million champ Rob “robtinnion” Tinnion is still in with 1,252,124 chips. And Poland’s T3G3S, who has averaged a profit of $1,331 over the course of more than 300 large-field $215 tournaments, is in great shape with 1,366,779 chips.

As of now there’s still no way to know where the eventual champion hails from. The top of the leaderboard features players from Brazil, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic. Other powerhouse poker nations like the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, Denmark, Hungary, and Canada are well-represented as well. The only thing sure is that the final table is going to produce some very happy players: everyone who lasts that long is guaranteed at least $62,745.

The Sunday Million 13th Anniversary resumes play at 1 p.m. ET today.

A recap of the major results from this weekend on PokerStars…

• Sunday Million plays from 60,000 down to 980; $1M up top
• Niklas “lena900” Åstedt wins Sunday Cooldown ($57K)
• Ben “jenbizzle” Jones defeats Steve O’Dwyer to win Sunday HR ($64K)
• All the big High Roller Club results
• All the big results from the weekend majors

980 MAKE SUNDAY MILLION DAY 2

With one day of poker in the books, more than 60,000 players have been eliminated from the Sunday Million 13th Anniversary. Today the 980 competitors who outlasted their rivals will return and play until only one new millionaire remains.

Yep; there’s a massive $1,000,061 up top for the eventual champ, after 61,342 entries created a $12.26 million prize pool. Former Milly champs including Anatoly “NL_Profit” Filatov and Rob “robtinnion” Tinnion are still in, as is PokerStars Ambassador Lex Veldhuis (albeit with two big blinds).

Streamed till 5 AM, deep in the $215 Anniversary. 1000 out of 61.000 people left. Lost most my stack in the last 2 orbits. Made day 2 with 2 bb's. Don't even … Restarting tomorrow at 7 PM CEST. #!$%@$#!~

— LexVeldhuis (@RaSZi) April 15, 2019

Click here for the biggest stacks and a full recap of yesterday’s Day 1 action.

Niklas “Lena900” Åstedt

NIKLAS “LENA900” ÅSTEDT WINS SUNDAY COOLDOWN ($57K)

Another weekend, another huge score for one of online poker’s all-time greats.

Sweden’s Niklas “Lena900” Åstedt emerged victorious in the High Roller Club’s $2,100 Sunday Cooldown PKO for $31,485 plus an additional $25,531 in bounties.

The tournament received 150 entries and was wrapped up in three hours and 47 minutes when Åstedt defeated Bulgaria’s “Kraskata85” heads-up. For his runner-up finish “Kraskata85” banked just over $40K (including bounties).

Steve “Mr. Tim Caum” O’Dwyer

BEN “jenbizzle” JONES DEFEATS STEVE O’DWYER TO WIN SUNDAY HR ($64K)

Any railbirds out there? If so, here’s hoping you were tuning in to last night’s High Roller Club $2,100 Sunday High Roller. This prestigious tournament is always stacked, but yesterday’s final table was something else.

The UK’s Ben “jenbizzle” Jones would come out on top, banking $64,110 and taking his lifetime online earnings up to $2.82 million.

Linus “LLinusLLove” Loeliger

To get the win though, Jones had to overcome a final table which included runner-up finisher Steve “Mr. Tim Caum” O’Dwyer ($49,360), Patrick “pads1161” Leonard (3rd – $38,004), Connor “blanconegro” Drinan (6th – $17,345), Kristen “krissyb24” Bicknell (7th – $13,354), and a man many consider to be the greatest No Limit Hold’em Player in the world right now: Linus “LLinusLLove” Loeliger (8th – $10,282).

The tournament got 159 total entries, creating a $318K prize pool that was split between the top 20. Others who made the money but busted prior to the final table include Lucas “Bit2Easy” Reeves, Niklas “Lena900” Åstedt, and “bencb789”.

ALL THE BIG HIGH ROLLER CLUB RESULTS

ALL THE BIG RESULTS FROM THE WEEKEND MAJORS

Ready to sign up for PokerStars? Click here to get an account.

In less than two decades you, and millions of other poker players, have helped us reach milestone after milestone on PokerStars.

Now the PokerStars odometer is about to tick over to another milestone: 200 billion hands.

The stories intertwined with those are impossible to tell.

Whether it was picking up the blinds and antes, or winning a major tournament, each hand meant something to someone. And over the years that story has been our privilege to tell.

So, while we watch that 200 billionth hand approach, we want to reward as many players as possible who got us there.

Here’s how you can be a part of that.

Coming up over the next two weeks

To mark the occasion, we’ll be having two weeks of festivities ahead of this milestone hand.

Every day you can earn a free spin simply by playing one hand on PokerStars. Those spins could earn you a variety of prizes, including up to $2,000 cash.

Play one hand on PokerStars to earn a free ticket to the $200K mega freeroll

We’re also giving away tickets to what we’re calling a Mega Freeroll, with a prize pool of $200,000.

All you need to do is play a single hand of poker over the next two weeks. Do that, and you’ll receive your freeroll ticket in a rewards chest.

When the 200 Billionth hand hits

And then there’s the 200 billionth hand itself.

If you’re one of the players dealt into that hand, you’ll automatically win $10,000. Regardless of the outcome of the hand.

We’ll also be delivering surprise chest drops during tournaments and cash games. For instance, you could suddenly find the blinds in your cash game multiplied by 20.

Biggest ever Spin & Go’s

And if you’re familiar with Spin & Go’s, we have those too.

They’ll be the biggest we’ve ever held.

For $5 you can win up to $2 million in new Spin & Go’s

A $2 million jackpot for a $5 buy in – with countless spin ups in between.

Those are the details, but they’ll be more promotions and giveaways announced between now and that 200 billionth hand.

Thanks to our players

We’re the first poker site to get that far, something we find incredibly humbling given that it is all thanks to PokerStars players like you.

Whether you play high stakes, micro stakes, or just for play money. It’s as much your achievement, as ours.

That’s thanks to you, our players.

So, check back on the blog for more over the next two weeks. And be sure to follow us @PokerStarsBlog on twitter.

APPT Korea Main Event
Dates: April 11-14, 2019
Buy-in: KRW 1.8 million ($1,580 approx)
Entries: 581
Prize pool: KRW 912,983,400 ($805,250 approx)

In just about every conceivable way, the Sunday Million 13th Anniversary was enormous.

Two days of online poker. More than 61,000 players from around the world. Twelve million dollars distributed among the top 10,000 finishers. And for five players from Europe and Asia who outlasted the field to strike a deal among themselves, a six-figure score that will forever associate them with this historic anniversary.

Day 1 wrapped up after 35 levels of play, giving the 980 remaining players the night off before returning at 1 p.m. ET today to play down to a champion. That task would take a total of eight hours and 19 minutes, and at the end of it all a player from China by the name “wangli0402” would take top honors.

From the very beginning the Day 2 action was brisk, and past performance was not an indicator of future results. Lex Veldhuis came back with a few big blinds and stretched them as far they would go, finishing in 741st place for $1,345. Two-time Milly champ RobTinnion made a little further to 685th place and earned the same payout as Veldhuis. Even overnight chip leader Deputado1414 of Brazil was only able to last until 141st place ($3,920).

As the day’s sixth break approached, the bubble burst. The U.K.’s patpef open-jammed for 49.8 million chips with K♦Q♣ and ended up heads-up with kacer148’s A♠J♠. patpef was drawing dead after the flop came A♥A♦9♠ and finished in 10th place for $44,367.

That gave us this final table lineup with blinds and antes set to rise to 3,000,000/6,000,000/750,000 after the break:

The final table of the Sunday Million 13th Anniversary

Seat 1: t4rz4n_21 (250,012,046 in chips)
Seat 2: RMarland (104,076,802 in chips)
Seat 3: sega1989 (48,183,574 in chips)
Seat 4: idzake (287,972,826 in chips)
Seat 5: xbambi (366,875,807 in chips)
Seat 6: wangli0402 (141,211,309 in chips)
Seat 7: pantherwang2019 (57,307,975 in chips)
Seat 8: ZoMbiE2808 (78,106,863 in chips)
Seat 9: kacer148 (199,802,798 in chips)

The first knockout came early on in a standard race. Georgia’s ZoMbiE2808 jammed for 62.3 million over the top of xbambi’s 12 million opener, only to see RMarland successfully isolate from the big blind. The latter’s J♣J♥ held up against the former’s A♠K♥ and ZoMbiE2808 was gone in ninth.

RMarland finished in 8th for $88K

That win turned out only to be a stay of execution for RMarland. Two orbits later the player from the U.K. opened in the hijack seat with 8♦8♠ for 84 million chips, leaving 5.2 million behind, and picked up a call from idzake on the button. idzake called and showed J♥J♦ when RMarland moved in on the 4♣2♣Q♦ flop. RMarland needed a two-outer but didn’t find it on the turn or river and left the tournament in eighth.

idzake and t4rz4n_21 tangled a couple of times over the next 10 minutes and shipped a few hundred million chips back and forth in the process, but it was sega1989 whose tournament would next come to its conclusion. The Russian player opened for 48 million chips under the gun with A♠J♠, leaving 28.7 million behind, and then called those off when wangli0402 re-shoved for 97 million in the cutoff seat. wangli0402’s A♣K♦ had the pre-flop edge and nothing changed when the board fell 10♥7♦3♦3♠8♦, sending sega1989 to the rail in seventh.

pantherwang2019 lost a race to finish in 6th

A second final table KO for idzake would shrink the lineup again after another two trips around the table. All the chips went in before the flop, with idzake min-raising 3♥3♠ to 20 million, pantherwang2019 jamming for 74 million with K♠Q♠, and idzake calling. idzake jumped out front with bottom set on the K♦Q♥3♣ flop and dodged the remaining kings and queens in the deck on the turn and river, showing pantherwang2019 the door in sixth.

The five remaining players were all guaranteed $250,991 at this point. After t4rz4n_21 doubled through idzake with K♠K♣ against J♣J♥ to take over the lead and even out the stacks a bit, they decided to forgo the shot at a million dollars and strike a deal to lock up major money for everyone. As soon as the moderator presented the numbers, everybody typed the magic words — “I agree” — and the new minimum payout at the table was $509,000.

With two days of poker in the rear-view and just $50,000 left to play for, the action moved quickly. t4rz4n_21, who as chip leader had already locked up the largest share of the deal, pushed the action. But it was wangli0402 who ended up taking charge of the proceedings.

With the deal locked in, wangli0402 took charge of the proceeedings

wangli0402 min-raised to 20 million under the gun and t4rz4n_21 flat-called on the button to bring the 8♣6♣K♦ flop. wangli0402 check-called 30 million there and another half-pot bet of 60 million on the 2♦ turn, before leading out for 120 million — more than half his remaining stack — on the 8♥ river. t4rz4n_21 raised to put wangli0402 all-in and showed J♥Q♦ for kings and eights when the Chinese player called. But wangli0402’s trip eights with A♠8♠ took down the 662-million-chip pot to claim a significant chip lead.

Five hands later t4rz4n_21 open-shoved for 78.9 million (just under seven big blinds) with K♥2♥ on the button. idzake isolated in the small blind with A♥9♥, but t4rz4n doubled up with a pair of deuces on the Q♥2♦7♦Q♠6♥ board.

t4rz4n_21 finished in fifth but still earned the largest share of the deal

t4rz4n_21 open-shoved again on the next hand, this time for 175 million with K♠10♦, and wangli0402 called with 7♥6♥. That went from slight pre-flop underdog to a pair of sixes with a flush draw on the 4♥6♣Q♥ flop, to two pair on the 7♠ turn, to a flush on the J♥ river. King-high didn’t cut it and t4rz4n_21 swung free in fifth.

wangli0402 struck again three hands later. After limping in for 12 million under the gun with K♠9♠, the Chinese player called when kacer148 shoved for 177 million on the button with A♦3♣. The board ran out 8♣7♦K♥3♠K♦, giving wangli0402 trip kings and ending kacer148’s tournament in fourth.

wangli0402 took another swing on the next hand and jammed with 9♣8♦ in the big blind after xbambi limped in from the small blind. It was a trap, though, and xbambi’s A♠K♥ made top pair on the flop to double to 541 million chips. But wangli0402 got it all back five hands later after raising with A♥A♠ on the button. idzake jammed with K♦Q♥ and got no help from the board, exiting in third.

That win gave wangli0402 the edge with 973 million chips to xbambi’s 559 million as heads-up play began. The duel would only last three hands.

xbambi opened the betting with a min-raise to 24 million on the button. wangli0402 called and checked the 5♥10♣4♦ flop, then raised xbambi’s 16.8-million-chip bet to 45.6 million. xbambi three-bet to 108 million and then snap-called when wangli0402 moved all-in. xbambi had the edge with A♣A♥, while wangli0402 had an open-ended straight draw with 7♣6♠. That draw came home on the 3♦ turn and brought this truly massive tournament to a close.

The European Poker Tour (EPT) is once again stopping in Monte Carlo this month. Here’s all you need to know, and more, about this most celebrated gambling destination.

OVERVIEW

Europe’s historical gambling capital plays annual host to one of the continent’s most celebrated poker events when the European Poker Tour (EPT) swings into Monte Carlo every springtime. Ten of the first 11 EPT Grand Finals took place here, awarding some of the era’s richest prizes. They include the €2.3 million won by Pieter de Korver in 2009, which is still the biggest single score at an EPT event in mainland Europe, and the legendary Season 9 tournament which produced the best ever final table for a Main Event in poker’s history. The tournaments are invariably well attended — including a €100,000 entry Super High Roller event — and the limits rise high in the bustling cash game area too. Meanwhile the Salle des Etoiles at the Sporting Club, part of the Monte Carlo Bay Resort & Hotel, is the most spectacular tournament room in all of world poker, and it is just one captivating location in Europe’s glitziest city.

The Salle des Etoiles at the Sporting Club, Monte Carlo

LOCATION

Everything you have heard about the tiny principality of Monaco is true: it is lavish, ostentatious and eye-wateringly expensive. But it is also exceptionally beautiful with a fine beach and stunning views across the Mediterranean. It is full of high quality restaurants, galleries and museums, not to mention the world’s most famous casino and grand prix racetrack. Monte Carlo is the only place in the world where the low-priced practice of “watching the world go by” feels like attending the most illustrious international boat show, car show and fashion show at the same time.

The most spectacular tournament room in world poker

The main tournament room for the EPT — the Salle des Etoiles, or Room of the Stars — is perched on a promontory jutting into the Mediterranean Sea. It offers floor-to-ceiling views over Monte Carlo Bay and has a retractable roof to allow the sun to sweep across the room. (Don’t worry, it closes again before play begins.)

Address: Sporting Monte-Carlo, 26 Avenue Princess Grace, Monte-Carlo 98000, Monaco. The license holder and operator of this event is Société des Bains de Mer.

2019 TOURNAMENT INFO

Festival dates: April 25 – May 4, 2019

April 26-29 – French National Championship
Buy-in: €1,000; Three starting flights
Re-entry permitted into following flight

April 27-29 – EPT Super High Roller
Buy-in: €100,000
Unlimited re-entry

April 29-May 4 EPT Main Event
Buy-in: €5,300; Two starting flights
Single re-entry permitted

May 2-4 – EPT High Roller
Buy-in: €25,000
Single re-entry

Full tournament schedule

GETTING THERE

The closest airport to Monaco is Nice (NCE), which is about a 45-minute taxi ride away. However, it’s also possible to get to Monte Carlo via bus, train or helicopter. As you might expect, the latter is the quickest, but also the most expensive.

BUS: The 110 Express between Nice Airport and Monaco runs every hour, seven days a week. It leaves Terminal 1 at 15 minutes past the hour, then makes an additional stop at Terminal 2, before travelling on to Monte Carlo. The journey takes approximately 55 minutes and there are nine stops in Monaco, including outside the Monte Carlo Bay Resort, the Meridien Hotel and the Fairmont. The first bus is at 9.15am and the last at 8.15pm. Full details: https://www.niceairportxpress.com/en/home

TRAIN: A direct train runs from Nice’s central station to Monte Carlo four or five times per hour and costs less than $5 for a single ticket. The first train is around 5:30 a.m. and the last at 11 p.m. Trains run in the opposite direction at between similar times and with similar frequency. Local buses 98 and 99 link the airport to Nice’s central railway station. English language websites, including TheTrainLine.com have full timetable and reservation details.

TAXI: PokerStars Travel can arrange a taxi service from Nice Airport to your hotel in Monaco, as well as a return trip. There are several taxi companies that will also fulfil your booking for around €70 (if arranged in advance). Uber also operates in Nice and quotes around €50 for a ride to addresses in Monaco. However, the service is not licenced in Monaco itself so cannot pick up from addresses in the principality.

HELICOPTER: If you want to arrive to Monaco in real style, then the seven-minute helicopter ride from Nice Airport is the answer. Prices are between €130 and €170 each way (a return trip is slightly cheaper.) You can book directly through PokerStars Travel or Monacair, whose desk is located in Nice Airport. Price includes a transfer from the heliport in Monaco to your hotel.

ACCOMMODATION

The closest hotel to the EPT Main Event is the five-star Monte Carlo Bay Resort. The Salle des Etoiles tournament room is in the Sporting Club towards the back of the resort property.

The Monte Carlo Bay resort

Monaco is small and numerous other hotels are within walking distance or a short taxi ride away. They include the four-star Méridien Beach Plaza (22 Avenue Princesse Grace, Monte Carlo 98000 Monaco), only a few minutes from the tournament venue and with its own beach, and Fairmont Monte Carlo, which sits on the iconic hairpin of the Monte Carlo grand prix and has an exceptional view across the bay.

Cheaper options are also available, including the four-star Riviera Marriott Hotel La Porte de Monaco and the three-star Novotel Monte Carlo. The former is around 10 minutes by car through the centre of Monaco, but PokerStars provides a free shuttle service between the hotel and the tournament room. The Novotel is closer to the centre of the town.

You can book rooms for many Monte Carlo hotels through PokerStars Travel.

Several AirBnB properties are also within walking distance of the tournament.

INSIDER TIPS

There’s more to Monte Carlo than meets the eye. Specifically: not everything is as expensive as it might seem. PokerStars Blog has been travelling to the principality with the EPT every year and we are only too happy to share a few insider tips.

DINNER IN FRANCE?

Cross the line into France for cheaper eats

If you want to spend a few satellite buy-ins on your dinner, Monte Carlo is truly the place to be. Food options are spectacular here, but there’s no denying that they’re pretty pricey too. That said, there are options that won’t break the bank.

The Monte Carlo Bay Resort is at the northern end of Monaco and is only a few hundred metres from France. You can therefore take a walk across the border and find yourself in the French commune of Roquebrune Cap Martin, in which there are at least three options for food. Le Vietnam is a perfectly serviceable Asian restaurant (Chinese as well as Vietnamese food); Zamane Couscous, across the street, is a Moroccan restaurant serving delicious tagine (which also delivers); and Pizza Di Famiglia is a takeaway pizza outfit.

The quickest, though lung-busting, route to the area is via a staircase up to the hillside directly over the roundabout outside the Monte Carlo Bay Resort. Alternatively, walk down to the Meridien and take the elevator up, or wend your way on the street past the Monte Carlo Tennis Club.

Other reasonable options close (or close-ish) to the tournament include:

Miami Plage — Decent pizza and salad on the beach level, just beyond the Meridien. La Note Blue is also next door, which is pretty good too.

Meridien — There’s a daily dinner buffet open to anyone in the Meridien restaurant. The price isn’t exactly a giveaway, but you can go back as many times as you want.

Il Giardino — A small family-run Italian restaurant with a neighbourly feel, which is not to be underestimated in an often standoffish place like Monte Carlo.

A CHEAP NIGHT OUT? LOOK NI FURTHER
The Ni Box in Monte Carlo has one of the most recognisable locations in the city: just at the end of the tunnel, by the hairpin on the Grand Prix racetrack. But this is also your best option for an affordable night out — and one that will bring back memories of being 16.

There’s a bowling alley in the basement, whose bar sells the cheapest beer we’ve found in Monte Carlo. There are pinball and air-hockey machines too, just to continue the teenage date-night vibe. Oh, and McDonalds is upstairs (which also sells beer).

NEED TO KNOW

They do their best to disguise it, but Monégasque need groceries too. Arguably the world’s most hidden Spar can be found in the Metropole shopping mall close to Casino Square. Look for the bakery counter on Avenue des Spelugues and the door to the supermarket is beside it, leading downstairs. There’s everything you’d expect in there — including wine, beers, and bathroom essentials — at relatively normal prices.

A DAY AWAY FROM THE TABLES

Although it’s easy to miss if your focus is on either the poker tables or the boutiques and bars, Monaco also has a historical old town. It’s located on high, on a hill surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean, and with dramatic views over both major ports, the winding streets that comprise the grand prix racetrack and the football stadium, among other sights.

More to see in Monaco than just the inside of a tournament room

This is also where you’ll find the royal palace, replete with attendant guards, the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, which is the final resting place of a succession of royals (including Grace Kelly), and the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. The latter is part aquarium part national history museum and offers the most charming respite from the high pressure environs of the gambling halls. (Who wouldn’t prefer to live under the sea?) You can while away several hours up here in Monaco-Ville, where the restaurants tend to be more basic and affordable, and your major battle is only with the hundreds of jutting elbows of fellow tourists, rather than pinchers of your big blind.

EPT MONTE CARLO TV EPISODES

There’s been a TV show from Monaco on every season of the EPT, and you can watch pretty much all of them on the PokerStars YouTube channel. It doesn’t take much more searching around to find footage dating from the very first year, when Rob Hollink prevailed and production values and commentary were, well, let’s say developing.

However, if you only have time to watch one episode, make it the one where all of Daniel Negreanu, Steve O’Dwyer, Jake Cody, Johnny Lodden, Jason Mercier, Noah Schwarz, Andrew Pantling and Grant Levy made the final table. It’s never been matched.

Only three EPT tournaments in Europe have ever awarded winners’ prizes of more than €2 million, and all were in Monte Carlo. In addition to Pieter de Korver’s €2.3 million Main Event triumph in 2009, Glen Chorny won €2.02 million at the 2008 Main Event and Erik Seidel won €2.015 million in the 2015 Super High Roller.

A FULL RECAP

Here’s the full list of results from former visits to Monte Carlo. Click the winner’s name for the tournament reports.

HIGH ROLLER

SUPER HIGH ROLLER

Monte Carlo winner’s gallery (swipe left to right)

UFC and poker fans should take note of a new contest running this week.

It’s called Tap Out or Bluff. And for one winner, it will mean a trip of a lifetime to UFC237 in Rio next month.

That includes flights, accommodation, plus two tickets to the weigh in and the fight itself.

So, if you like the idea of being ringside for one of the fights of the year, here’s how to take part.

Guess your way to Rio and UFC 237

This week we’ll be posting three competition videos on Social Media. One today, tomorrow, and on Thursday.

Each video will feature part of a live poker hand. All you have to do is guess what happens next.

Will the players involved tap out (give up)? Or will they bluff?

When you think you know the answer let us know on social media before 23:59 ET, being sure to use the hashtag #UFCPokerStars and your [Stars ID].

You’ll get the answer the next day.

If you guess right, you’ll win a ticket to the UFC 237 Social Media Freeroll this Sunday. The winner of that will be Rio bound for UFC 237 on May 12.

Be ringside for a night to remember

And if UFC isn’t yet your thing, this is the kind of trip that will make it one.

After you fly to Rio we’ll transfer you to a four-star hotel for three nights in one of the world’s most vibrant cities.

You’ll get two tickets to the weigh in (an event in itself) and to the fight itself. That’s where the likes of local UFC superstars Anderson Silva, Thiago Alves, and Jessica Andrade will enter the Octagon.

No bluffing. It’ll be an unforgettable night.

Get your hands on more prizes

And if you tap out, and don’t make it to Rio, you could still win any of the other prizes we’re giving away.

We’ll be dishing out some UFC Spin & Go tickets to randomly-selected correct entries made on Twitter.

Plus, the freeroll itself will give away thousands of dollars in prize money.

So if you’re ready to get started, the first video is below:

Will Shak attack? 🦈
For a chance of a freeroll seat for a UFC 237 package to Rio, tweet ‘Tap Out’ or ‘Bluff’ with [Stars ID] and #UFCPokerStars by 23:59 ET.
Plus, 10 correct entries win a $7 UFC Spin & Go ticket.
T&Cs: https://t.co/baPqchC1sH pic.twitter.com/lOfkCN4JfH

— PokerStars (@PokerStars) April 16, 2019

A recap on how to enter

To enter, remember to Tweet Tap Out or Bluff to @PokerStars, using the hashtag #UFCPokerStars and including your [Stars ID]. Or do the same on the PokerStars Facebook page.

You can only enter once, but there will be another video, and another chance to win a freeroll ticket, tomorrow, and again on Thursday.

Then it’s all to play for in the UFC 237 Social Media Freeroll.

You can enter on Twitter or on Facebook. But as always there are some Terms and Conditions.

The contest is only open to global equity players. And you’ll need to be free to travel and have valid documents to allow entry into Brazil.

But you can get the full T&Cs by clicking here.

So watch the video above and then make your guess. Will they tap out or bluff?

You want to hone your poker skills. PokerStars School wants to help you. Here’s a look at what’s in store for you at PS School this week.

Winners Wall: Turning 75 cents into $32,000

Four Spin & Go’s and one Sunday Million later, Smart747 had $32,000 in his account

It’s a situation almost everyone has been in before. PokerStars School member “Smart747” was down to the last 75 cents in his PokerStars account, so he decided to try to spin it up to something more substantial.

“I fired up 3 Spin & Go’s and to my surprise, and amusement, I won all 3 of them,” he told PokerStars School in this week’s Winners Wall piece. “I then had a total of $3.50. There was a special Spin promo running at the time where you could win a ticket to the Sunday Million, I played, and you guessed it, I won the ticket…”

If things ended there we’d be in “cool story, bro” territory. But as it turns out, Smart747 went on to finish in fifth place for $32,000 in that Sunday Million. Read Part 1 and Part 2 of this week’s Winners Wall interview for the full story straight from Smart747, complete with hand analysis from another famous satellite winner: Chris Moneymaker.

Hand Of The Week: 200 Billionth Hand Edition

Celebrate with PokerStars School as the 200 Billionth Hand approaches

The 200 Billionth Hand in PokerStars history is set to be played very soon and PokerStars School is in on the action. The upshot of that is lots of chances for you to pick up prizes as we celebrate this historic occasion.

All you have to do to join in the fun is go to the PokerStars School forum Poker Hand Of The Week thread and share a hand you’ve played via the BOOM! hand replayer. The hand you choose should fit one of three categories: Best Bluff, Biggest Pot Won, or Best Fold.

For starters, the first 200 players to post a hand before April 21st will all receive a PokerStars School Community Tournament ticket to the monthly $1,000 freeroll. But there’s more:

On April 21st, our Moderators will then Pick the 5 Best hands which we will add to a Forum Vote Poll. The hand with the most votes by April 26th, will win 100 x $1 Spin & Go Tickets and the title of Best 200 Billionth Poker Hand. 2nd place will receive 75 x $1 Spin & Go Tickets and 3rd place will get 25 x $1 Spin & Go Tickets.

That’s all in addition to the many prizes PokerStars is already giving away to celebrate to the 200 Billionth Hand. Get in on the action now in the Poker Hand Of The Week thread.

Increase your Zoom Poker win rate with these 5 tips

One great way to improve your win rate is to play more hands per hour. And the easiest way to play more hands per hour is to sit down at a Zoom Poker table.

OP Poker’s James Mackenzie wants to help you supercharge your Zoom Poker win rate

But what if you could increase your win rate at the Zoom Poker tables? This week James Mackenzie from OP Poker drops by PokerStars School to share a video with five tips that will turn you into a Zoom Poker superhero.

Check out 5 Tips to Improve Your ZOOM Poker Win Rate and start boosting your bankroll today. And if you’re still trying to become a winning player at the Zoom tables, be sure to check out the PokerStars School Zoom Poker course.

Other new PokerStars School content you might enjoy

• Twitch: Improving Your Poker with OP Poker
• Video: Tournament Format Adaptations
• Strategy: Donk Betting – What It Is and When To Do it
• Article: The Psychology of Folding

Open a PokerStars account today and start learning from PokerStars School. Click here to get started, and then click here to register for PokerStars School.

Ed. note: Adopting his alternate persona as the card-playing detective Short-Stacked Shamus, Martin Harris seeks to solve poker-related mysteries in this series for the PokerStars Blog.

“When was poker invented?”

A friend asked me that question recently. He was half-kidding with the question, to be honest. Someone else had asked how far back in history he’d need to go before he could find a group of poker players against whom his modern-day skills would give him an edge. His humorous response was to ask when the first hand was dealt.

Even so, I felt compelled to respond and say when approximately the game was invented. It’s happened before, in fact, that I’ve been asked questions about poker’s history asking to pinpoint the first time some event occurred. In a lot of cases it is hard to describe with absolute precision many of the historical firsts in poker, given how so much of the game’s history is, well, a mystery. But it is possible to make some educated guesses.

Here are answers to 10 questions about “poker firsts,” starting with that one about when the game was invented.

1. When was the first hand of poker dealt?

All available evidence points to the first decades of the 19th century — the 1800s or 1810s — although  no specific references to poker games during those years survive (those come a little later; see below). In Cowboys Full, James McManus nominates the day of the Louisiana Purchase (July 4, 1803) as a “symbolic birthdate” for poker, and indeed the acquisition of more than 820,000 square miles extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains would greatly help facilitate the spread of the game from New Orleans throughout the “Old West.”

2. When was the first hand of poker dealt for which we have an account?

That would be a hand played in a game aboard the Helen M’Gregor in December 1829. The story appears in Joe Cowell’s 1844 book Thirty Years Passed Among the Players in England and America, the “players” being referred to in the title being actors, not poker players. The only hand Cowell describes in detail involves a player with four kings and an ace beating another with four queens and a third with four jacks. (Yes, there was cheating.)

Andrew Jackson, a.k.a. the Notorious A.J.

3. When was the first account of a U.S. president playing poker?

Most of the early presidents played card games, in some cases for money, though the earliest reference to one playing poker that I’ve found appears in the September 3, 1832 issue of the Washington, D.C. newspaper The Globe sharing an item from another publication. That was an election year, and supporters of the Republican candidate Henry Clay are quoted finding “fault with the moral character” of the incumbent, the Democrats’ Andrew Jackson. After recounting examples of his violent behavior and other faults, Jackson being “notorious for his skill and dexterity at… poker” is also listed as reason not to vote for him. (The complaint was more than a little ironic, as Clay was also known to be an avid poker player.)

4. When was the first reference to poker in a book?

Published in 1836, Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky Mountains compiles letters written by a scout from a couple of years before, including one recounting a late night poker game witnessed by the writer. Proving that the game still probably wasn’t known to many readers, the writer (or editor) saw fit to put an asterisk next to the word “poker” and add a note at the bottom of the page explaining it was “A favorite game of cards at the south and west.”

5. When was the first time poker rules appeared in a book?

That would be the American edition of Hoyle’s Games that was published in 1845. There one finds a short explanation of how to play “Poker, or ‘Bluff,’” one of the games described as being “entirely new in this country.” Poker’s inclusion the “Hoyle” books thereafter was enough to get Edmond Hoyle inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979, even though the Londoner died in 1769 — i.e., decades before poker was invented.

6. When was the first time poker appeared in a movie?

In 1899, a 20-second silent film called Poker at Dawson City was produced by Thomas Edison’s studios, one of about 1,200 different films created by those working for the Wizard of Menlo Park. To be honest, there isn’t much poker shown — the entire film shows the aftermath of what must have been a disagreement caused by the cards:

7. When was the first game of Texas hold’em played?

This is a hard one to answer. Some have claimed hold’em was invented as early as the late 19th century. Johnny Moss once told a biographer he first played hold’em “around 1930,” and elsewhere made statements suggesting he might have played it a few years before. Others have claimed the game started in the 1940s, and in his memoir Doyle Brunson mentions how he first learned of hold’em “Round about 1958.” I would say the 1950s is a reasonable answer to the question, though it wouldn’t be until a 1968 article about “hold me” in Life magazine and the World Series of Poker popularizing no-limit hold’em in the 1970s that most poker players found out about it.

8. When was the first poker tournament?

Speaking of the WSOP, a check with the folks at the Hendon Mob reveals their earliest entry is for the inaugural series in 1970 where no tournaments were played, just a series of cash games. That would make the 1971 WSOP “World Championship” won by Moss the first tournament result recorded by the database. Brunson called that event “the first poker tournament ever played as a freezeout,” and while there might have been a poker tournament played somewhere before that, I am inclined to agree with Tex Dolly and make the early 1970s a starting point for tournament poker.

The 1973 WSOP on CBS

9. When was the first instance of actual poker being shown on television?

There was a lot of fictional poker on television shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s, but the first example of actual poker being shown on TV probably didn’t come until 1973. That’s the year CBS filmed a documentary chronicling the 1973 World Series of Poker and aired it as part of its weekend sports anthology show CBS Sports Spectacular. You can watch it on YouTube here.

10. When was the first hand of online poker played for real money?

As the internet first became a significant part of our lives in the 1990s, various sites offering casino-style games and sports betting began to appear, as well as some online poker sites for “play money.” On January 1, 1998, the site Planet Poker began spreading the first real money game online, starting with $3/$6 fixed-limit hold’em.

And in case you’re wondering, PokerStars first began offering real money games on December 12, 2001.

Have a poker-related mystery you’d like solved? Tweet your questions to @PokerStarsBlog with the hashtag #AskShamus and we’ll put our P.I. (Poker Investigator) on the case.

It’s the second day of Tap Out or Bluff. This is the contest in which you can win a trip to UFC 237 in Rio, Brazil, for the UFC experience of a lifetime.

We introduced how the contest works yesterday, but here’s a quick recap on how to play.

Today and tomorrow, we’ll be posting a Tap Out or Bluff video on social media (Twitter and Facebook in layman’s terms).

Each features a hand of poker with the action paused at the appropriate moment. What you then have to do is guess what happens next.

Will the player involved Tap Out (fold)? Or Bluff?

When you’ve decided, post your answer “Tap Out” or “Bluff” on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #UFCPokerStars, and including your [Stars ID].

We’ll reveal the answer tomorrow.

If you get it right, you’ll win a ticket to this Sunday’s UFC Social Media Freeroll.

The winner of that will win flights, accommodation, and tickets to both the weigh in and UFC 237 itself.

That’s not all we’re giving away.

They’ll be plenty of other cash prizes in the freeroll itself, as well as random Spin & Go tickets to those who guessed correctly.

And if you get it wrong this time around you have one more chance to enter tomorrow. So, check back then for another shot.

Here’s today’s Tap Out or Bluff hand. Good luck.

Will he make a move with the worst hand in poker? 😱
Tweet ‘Tap Out’ or ‘Bluff’ with [Stars ID] and #UFCPokerStars to win entry to Sunday’s UFC 237 freeroll, plus 15 correct entries win a $7 UFC Spin and Go ticket.
T&Cs: https://t.co/xuQ59psspd pic.twitter.com/UctyahEV8K

— PokerStars (@PokerStars) April 17, 2019

As always there are Terms and Conditions to remember. You can find those by clicking here.

Lex Veldhuis recently played a hand on PokerStars in the $215 Bounty Builder which got a lot of attention on Twitter. Here, the PokerStars Ambassador explains how it all went down.

First, check out the end of the hand below:

Now, over to Veldhuis.

LEX VELDHUIS: So, I called pre-flop against a really good opponent with J♣10♣. I cover him, which is important for the bounties, even though this is a hand I want to play versus an open anyway.

The big blind comes along as well, which is pretty important info for the dynamic on boards like this. They’re going to have a lot of 6-7, 8-9, T-9 sort of hands. It makes it harder to bluff on this kind of board for the other players here.

The board thus far

The flop is checked around and the Q♥ turn brings a one-card straight, completing the rainbow on board.

He bets half pot. In my mind, this bet could be a set, but it’s more likely he bets that on the flop, and he is going to check the turn a reasonable amount as well with a set. For me, it’s a combination of a straight, a set (small percentage), and a bluff with hands like K-9, A-K.

The moment he bets he looks pretty strong. There is a lot of J-X in my range and the big blind is going to have quite a few hands he can come along with, as I said earlier. The moment I call I look massive. I have the big blind’s range behind me left to act still. I’m most likely not calling here with A-Q or K-Q (I’d probably bet the flop with those). The big blind folds here and we see a brick on the 5♠ river.

Now he checks. I don’t think there is a situation here where a bet makes money. We already gave him a set only a small percentage of the time, and even if he has Q-Q he is not expecting me to value bet with hands weaker than top set. So the moment I bet, I’m pretty much saying I have J-X+ for value or a bluff.

With the board being rainbow (ruling out any missed flush draws) and my calling of the turn bet with the big blind behind me, in combination with betting the river, I’m going to have such an incredibly high percentage of straights that my hand becomes face up. So he can play very easily against this. He is just going to fold some random sets, fold his bluffs.

So, he folds all hands I beat, he is only going to call with some chops, and he is going to pound me with K-J. In fact, he could even do something insane forcing a chop out of the pot when he has J-X as well. That doesn’t happen a lot but calling for a chop is a terrible spot for me. All in all a bet for me makes zero sense and makes me zero money. It’s just going to give me headaches. This guy is a beast as well so I really don’t want to open the door to possible check-raising.

In this case, it really worked out.

Catch Lex Veldhuis on his Twitch channel: https://twitch.tv/lexveldhuis 

You can play poker for free on PokerStars. Simply click here to open an account.

Today is the last chance to take part in Tap Out or Bluff.

If you’ve played along for the past two days you’ll know how things work. But if you’re coming to this late, here’s how things work.

Today we’re posting a Tap Out or Bluff video on social media.

Each features a hand of poker with the action paused at the critical moment. What you then have to do is guess what happens next.

Will the player involved Tap Out (fold)? Or Bluff?

When you’ve decided, post your answer “Tap Out” or “Bluff” on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #UFCPokerStars, and including your [Stars ID].

We’ll reveal the answer tomorrow.

If you get it right, you’ll win a ticket to this Sunday’s UFC Social Media Freeroll.

The winner of that will win flights, accommodation, and tickets to both the weigh in and UFC 237 itself.

We’re giving away a few other prizes along the way too.

They’ll be other cash prizes in the freeroll, as well as random Spin & Go tickets to those who guessed correctly.

So, this is your last chance to take part. Here’s today’s Tap Out or Bluff hand. Good luck.

Last chance to win a UFC 237 package to Rio. 👊
Call Chino’s move to win entry to Sunday’s freeroll, plus 20 correct entries win a $7 UFC Spin & Go ticket.
Tweet ‘Tap Out’ or ‘Bluff’ with [Stars ID] and #UFCPokerStars
T&Cs: https://t.co/xuQ59psspd pic.twitter.com/2XJMJE4BaZ

— PokerStars (@PokerStars) April 18, 2019

As always there are Terms and Conditions to remember. You can find those by clicking here.

Tiger is back! Many thought it would never happen, but after a long drought Tiger Woods has won another major.

Fittingly, Woods had to stage a fourth-round comeback to win the Masters last Sunday — the first time in his career he’s won a major without carrying a lead into the final round.

Tiger Woods won his first major championship in 1997, capturing the title in that year’s Masters Tournament at the age of 21. Not only was he the youngest player ever to win the Masters, he set records for the lowest four-day score (an 18-under 270) as well as for margin of victory (12 strokes).

Over the next 11 years he would collect a total of 14 titles in majors (Masters, PGA, British Open, U.S. Open), causing many to speculate that he might break the all-time mark of 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus. Few expected at the time that it would take another 11 years for Woods to win his 15th major at age 43.

Poker has produced similar stories of players going long stretches between successes, particularly during the tournament era. Here’s a quick look at a few examples a players who like Tiger went a long time between winning “majors.”

World Series of Poker

World Series of Poker bracelets continue to enjoy a special status in the poker world, even if the WSOP will be awarding a record-number of 89 of them this summer (!).

This will mark the 50th time the WSOP has played out, and during nearly a half-century of events there have been many examples of players going many years between bracelet wins.

When in 2006 the late David “Chip” Reese won the inaugural $50,000 mixed game event later renamed the Poker Players Championship, the tournament concluded with Reese and Andy Bloch playing a memorably long heads-up battle lasting more than seven hours.

Speaking of something taking a long time, Reese’s win came 24 years after he had won his previous WSOP bracelet in 1982. The Poker Hall of Famer was a prominent and successful cash game player throughout that period, so it wasn’t as though he experienced a “drought” as such. Even so, that represents the longest time any player has gone between bracelet wins at the WSOP.

Last year Bill Bennet finished fifth in the Seniors Event. If he had won, he would have broken Reese’s record, since Bennet won his last (and only) bracelet way back in 1984.

There have been some notable Main Event “comebacks” at the WSOP as well. After winning the big one in 1995, Dan Harrington notably outlasted thousands to make final tables in both 2003 (when he finished third) and 2004 (taking fourth).

Joe Cada performed a comparable feat last year, finishing fifth out of 7,874 in the Main Event won by John Cynn. Nine years before Cada topped a field of 6,494 to win the 2009 Main Event, like Tiger at the ’97 Masters doing so at age 21 and also setting a record as the youngest ever to win the Main.

Joe Cada: another comeback kid

Of course, the closest WSOP Main Event analogue has to be Stu Ungar, who after winning back-to-back titles in 1980 and 1981, remarkably returned to win the 1997 WSOP Main Event.

World Poker Tour

The World Poker Tour has been around since 2002, now having reached its 17th season. Over that period there have been a number of players to win multiple Main Events, with Darren Elias currently the all-time leader having won four of them (two in 2014, one in 2017, and one in 2018).

Gus Hansen, Carlos Mortensen, Anthony Zinno, and David “Chino” Rheem have all won three WPT titles, each doing so in fairly short order (i.e., within at least six-year spans).

Among the many other players who have won two WPT Main Event titles, just over seven years passed between J.C. Tran’s titles, the first coming in 2007 and the other in 2014. Antonio Esfandiari took almost that long between his two titles, earning his first in early 2004 and second in late 2010.

JC Tran: Trophy collector

Also worth mentioning is Hoyt Corkins, who won a WPT title in November 2003 and then a second in January 2010. Corkins also has two WSOP bracelets, and also had a significant 15-year gap between capturing them (one in 1992, the other in 2007).

European Poker Tour

Finally, the European Poker Tour has been around nearly as long as the WPT, having staged its first series in Barcelona in 2004.

It was in Barcelona a few years ago that Howard Swains was inspired to investigate this same subject of long stretches between scores when Peter Eichhardt, who made a final table way back in Season 1 (in 2005), was on the precipice of doing so again more than a decade later.

Alas for Eichhardt, he came up just short of that final table, taking 10th and having to watch with the rest of us John Juanda go on to take the EPT12 Barcelona Main Event title. Thus did he fail to join a handful of other players including Luca Pagano, Jan Sjavic, Johnny Lodden, Mike McDonald, and Isaac Baron who had gone more than 2,000 days between EPT final tables.

Last year Patrik Antonius joined that list — and most certainly set a new standard — when he reached the final table of the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event where he finished sixth. It had been 13 years since Antonius had previously made an EPT Main Event final table, making a couple of them in 2005 during Season 2 including winning EPT2 Baden.

Of course, in the history of the EPT only one player has won two Main Event titles, and indeed there was quite a gap between those two wins.

Vicky Coren Mitchell won her first EPT Main Event in London back in 2006 (Season 3), becoming the first woman to win an EPT Main Event. Then eight years later Coren became the first and only double-winner when she won at EPT Sanremo (Season 10). In fact, this weekend marks the fifth anniversary of Coren’s triumph in Sanremo.

Vicky Coren Mitchell: Returned to the top

^{Lead photos: “Tiger Woods at the 2018 US Open,” Peetlesnumber1, CC BY-SA 4.0.}

Poker vlogger Brad Owen is an easy guy to like, and not just because he posts videos with titles like “Phil Hellmuth Check Raises Me And I Have Aces.” Have you seen his acceptance speech for the Peoples Choice Award at this year’s Global Poker Awards?

ICYMI: 🌐🏆 With over 50% of the votes and ten of thousands of unique voters, the 2018 People Choice Award goes to Brad Owen #GlobalPokerAwards – @TheBradOwen pic.twitter.com/IOSSfZ5Gav

— Global Poker Index (@gpi) April 6, 2019

Owen drops by this week’s episode of Poker In The Ears to talk about trying to make it as a poker pro in L.A., losing his entire bankroll, and having to move back in with his parents — what he calls “the lowest point in my life.” After that he studied for his Master’s degree, worked as an accountant for a while (“soul-destroying” work in his words), and eventually made his way back into poker with more success. The interview with Owen starts below at about 26:05.

Check out this week’s episode on SoundCloud, iTunes, or Spotify, and be sure to rate and subscribe to the podcast.

Catch up on all of this week’s PokerStars Blog content…

• “wangli0402” wins Sunday Million 13th Anniversary
• Win a Trip to UFC237 by playing Tap out or Bluff
• EPT Monte Carlo: All you need to know (and more)
• VIDEO: Veldhuis checks back a straight

Plus:

Ask Shamus: When was the first…?

“wangli0402” WINS SUNDAY MILLION 13TH ANNIVERSARY

Two days of online poker. More than 61,000 players from around the world. Twelve million dollars distributed among the top 10,000 finishers. And for five players from Europe and Asia who outlasted the field to strike a deal among themselves, a six-figure score that will forever associate them with this historic anniversary.

China’s “wangli0402” would ultimately take it down for $611K, and PokerStars Blog’s Jason Kirk was on the rail throughout.

Read a full wrap of the Sunday Million Anniversary here.

WIN A TRIP TO UFC237 IN RIO

UFC and poker fans should take note of a new contest running this week. It’s called Tap Out or Bluff. And for one winner, it will mean a trip of a lifetime to UFC237 in Rio next month.

That includes flights, accommodation, plus two tickets to the weigh-in and the fight itself.

So, if you like the idea of being ringside for one of the fights of the year…

Click here to find out how you can take part 

And here for Round 2

EPT MONTE CARLO: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Europe’s historical gambling capital plays annual host to one of the continent’s most celebrated poker events when the European Poker Tour (EPT) swings into Monte Carlo every springtime.

Kicking off on April 25, PokerStars Blog’s Howard Swains gives you the lowdown on the best places to stay, eat, drink, and bowl. Yes, bowl.

Here’s all you need to know about EPT Monte Carlo.

More to see in Monaco than just the inside of a tournament room

VIDEO: VELDHUIS CHECKS BACK A STRAIGHT

Lex Veldhuis recently played a hand on PokerStars in the $215 Bounty Builder which got a lot of attention on Twitter.

Here, the PokerStars Ambassador explains how it all went down.

Watch the video here, then let Veldhuis ‘Lexplain’ his thought process.

ASK SHAMUS: WHEN WAS THE FIRST…?

PokerStars Blog’s resident poker detective Short-stacked Shamus (aka Martin Harris) returned this week.

Here are answers to 10 questions about “poker firsts,” starting with that one about when the game was invented.

Check it out.

MORE CONTENT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:

Tiger-like comebacks in poker

Brad Owen joins Poker in the Ears podcast

Help us celebrate reaching 200 Billion Hands on PokerStars

PokerStars School: Turning 75 cents into $32K

WEEKEND REVIEW: All the big results

Book Excerpt: “Poker & Pop Culture” by Martin Harris (due out in June)

Ready to sign up for PokerStars? Click here to get an account.

You might have heard — PokerStars Blog’s own Martin Harris has a new book arriving this June titled Poker & Pop Culture: Telling the Story of America’s Favorite Card Game.

As the book’s description explains, Poker & Pop Culture presents the history of poker “from 19th-century steamboats and saloons to 21st-century virtual tables online,” while also showing “how the game’s portrayal in the mainstream has increased poker’s relevance to American history and shaped the way we think about the game and its significance.”

Thus in addition to chapters telling of poker being played (and portrayed) on the Mississippi, in the Old West, during the Civil War (and other wars), and in clubs and casinos, the book discusses in detail how poker has been presented in movies, on television, in magazines and books, in music, in paintings, and more.

As the description continues: “From Mark Twain to ‘Dogs Playing Poker” to W.C. Fields to John Wayne to A Streetcar Named Desire to the Cold War to Kenny Rogers to ESPN to Star Trek: The Next Generation and beyond, Poker & Pop Culture provides a comprehensive survey of cultural productions in which poker is of thematic importance.”

Also covered are the ways poker has intersected with politics, business, sports, and other areas of American culture. For example, the following excerpt comes from the chapter titled “Poker in the Board Room” that explores the many connections between poker and Wall Street.

from “Poker in the Board Room”

In early 1988, Warren Buffett wrote his annual letter to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the multinational holding company for which he served as chairman and CEO. It was an especially tense time in the investment world, just a few months removed from the “Black Monday” crash that saw markets plunge precipitously around the world. On that day (October 19, 1987), the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 22 percent, the largest single-day decline in the history of the index.

Amid his analysis – by turns sober and bullish – Buffett conjures the image of “a remarkably accommodating fellow named Mr. Market,” someone his investors were to regard as a kind of business partner. Mr. Market is mercurial and temperamental, and is really an opponent with whom the investor engages in something resembling a two-man poker game. If the analogy weren’t already obvious, Buffett then makes it explicit.

“If you aren’t certain that you can understand and can value your business far better than Mr. Market, you don’t belong in the game. As they say in poker, ‘If you’ve been in the game 30 minutes and you don’t know who the patsy is, you’re the patsy.’”

Poker players instantly recognize the line, long part of poker lore and adapted as the memorable opening to the 1998 film Rounders (“If you can’t spot the sucker in your first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker”). For Buffett to evoke it is only to be expected, given that parallels between poker and the world of business and finance are so readily apparent. In America, a country in which capitalist ideology affects practically every aspect of society and culture, the analogy is all the more striking, with negotiations between self-interested players sitting around the table very much resembling – albeit in a sped up, stripped-down fashion – the transactions of profit-seeking individuals and entities engaged in trade and commerce.

Such comparisons date back to America’s early history. Though not a gambler himself, Thomas Jefferson nonetheless once conceded how the work of merchants, land owners, farmers and others can be construed as “games of chance” in the context of describing such pursuits as “indispensible” and not inherently immoral. We’ve considered as well how John Blackbridge, author of the 1875 book The Complete Poker-Player, began his defense of gambling in general and poker in particular by highlighting similarities between such “amusements” and socially accepted (and legal) forms of gambling that occur in the fields of banking, trade, investing, and insurance….

Being able to perform… mental maneuvers and see correlations others cannot is often a characteristic of the successful entrepreneur. More often than not, those who thrive the most in the world of business have demonstrated an appreciation of the game-like nature of their competition with others. Even though a game like poker is “nonproductive” (as Jefferson observed) and cannot involve on-table coalitions or partnerships (if played fairly), an understanding of how poker is played and the strategies that can produce profit are often both intriguing and genuinely useful to entrepreneurs.

There have been many examples of stock traders, fund managers, professional investors, and other varieties of magnates and moguls who have been drawn to poker, especially recently. Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel was a trader on the American stock exchange prior to his embarking on a successful and lucrative career in poker. Cliff Josephy, Dan Shak, Andy Frankenberger, Jason Strasser, Bill Chen, Rep Porter, Matt Glantz, James Vogl, Talal Shakerchi, Cary Katz and Steven Begleiter help form a long list of poker players who have similarly transitioned from the business world to poker (or who continue to straddle both). Many business leaders frequently turn up at the tables, especially in high-stakes cash games and “high roller” tournaments. Some of these games are spread especially to accommodate the deep-pocketed players anxious to test acumen honed in the business world against some of the game’s best.

There are many others noted for their successes in the world of business who have found poker a favorite, sometimes serious recreation. Their examples and commentary help provide more reason to appreciate poker’s influence in yet another area of American culture.

Poker & Pop Culture: Telling the Story of America’s Favorite Card Game is available for pre-order in paperback and as an e-book at D&B Poker.

D&B Publishing (using the imprint D&B Poker) was created by Dan Addelman and Byron Jacobs 15 years ago. Since then it has become one of the leading publishers of poker books with titles by Phil Hellmuth, Jonathan Little, Mike Sexton, Chris Moorman, Dr. Patricia Cardner, Lance Bradley, Greg Raymer and more, all of which are available at D&B Poker.

The poster for UFC 141 may as well have been the VHS cover of a 90s action movie.

On one side, Brock Lesnar’s square head, monstrous physique and the words “Six foot three, 265 lbs.” On the other, Alistair Overeem, one of the only men in MMA who could make Lesnar’s muscles seem unimpressive and the words “Six foot five, 256 lbs.”

The bout on December 30, 2011 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas represented the wildest dreams of what heavyweight fighting could be.

These two giants would be locked in a cage. And then Lesnar (5-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) would test his wrestling game against the dangerous strikes of Overeem (44-17 MMA, 9-6 UFC).

Overeem was making his UFC debut after amassing a 35-11 record on secondary stages such as PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan, and Strikeforce in the U.S.

After moving from the 205-pound light heavyweight division to heavyweight, Overeem became jacked to the gills. He began running through opponents en route to becoming the hottest non-UFC heavyweight in the world.

He would bring an 11-fight winning streak to the Octagon for his debut against Lesnar, the former college national champion wrestler and WWE superstar.

Lesnar was one fight and 14 months removed from losing the UFC heavyweight championship to Cain Velasquez. In addition to running into a buzzsaw in Velasquez, Lesnar had been sidelined for a second time with severe complications from diverticulitis. The intestinal disorder forced Lesnar out of his scheduled UFC 131 bout with Junior dos Santos.

“They removed about 12 inches of his colon, repaired it, he feels great,” UFC President Dana White said in May 2011. “He said he’s a little sore, but the operation was a huge success.”

Lesnar’s recovery, and the signing of Overeem, matched up perfectly. It resulted in the bout which Overeem took, rather than sit on the sidelines for six months, and receiving an automatic shot at the heavyweight championship.

Overeem’s decision to throw down with Lesnar may have been helped by how he felt their respective styles matched.

“His weaknesses are my strengths,” Overeem said ahead of the bout. “Brock doesn’t like to get hit and that’s exactly what I’m going to do to him. I’m going to hit him, and I’m going to hit him as hard as I can. And I’m pretty good at it. If you think Cain Velasquez hits hard, wait until you see what I’m going to do. I’m going to beat Brock up, it’s going to take me no more than two rounds to do that.”

The idea that Lesnar doesn’t like getting hit, in many ways, seemed unfair. He’d been in with heavy hitters but had only fallen to Velasquez (and Frank Mir by sudden submission in his UFC debut) while he’d weathered a big storm from Shane Carwin two fights prior. Not to mention, who likes getting hit?

Lesnar was asked about this during the pre-fight press conference.

“I’ve just been working on trying to become the best heavyweight fighter I can possibly be,” Lesnar said. “Obviously, I’ve been through a lot of things in the last couple of years. I’ve been focused on my stand-up game. Everybody knows I’m a wrestler. I really don’t know anybody that enjoys getting hit in the face.

“It’s not that I don’t enjoy getting hit, it’s just that we’ve worked on things to try to overcome my defects.

When the two men actually stepped into the Octagon, Lesnar’s striking defects may have been worked on, but he couldn’t catch up to a world class kickboxer.

Lesnar was working to figure out range with kicks to the legs and a pawing jab in the opening moments of the bout and even managed to open a cut on the eyebrow of Overeem.

Overeem figured out Lesnar’s soft spot was his body as he landed a series of knees that sent Lesnar reeling. Another knee to the body forced Lesnar to cover up and eat punches to his head while he attempted to recover.

From that point, Overeem didn’t let off the gas. He targeted the body of the former WWE champion and landing a massive body kick that left Lesnar defenseless against the cage. Overeem fired away with punches until the referee awarded him the TKO victory at 2:26 of the first round.

It’d taken Overeem less than half of a round to not only defeat Lesnar, but send him into retirement.

“I’ve had a really difficult couple years with my disease,” Lesnar said in the cage following his loss. “And I’m officially going to say this is the last time you’ll see me in the Octagon.”

He’d later liken the Overeem kick to “being kicked by a horse.”

Lesnar would eventually return to the Octagon in July 2016. He scored a dominant decision win over Mark Hunt which was eventually overturned to a “no contest” after a failed drug test. Rumors are currently swirling he’ll return for a 2019 bout with UFC champ Daniel Cormier.

As for Overeem, he has 15 UFC fights under his belt and will square off with Aleksei Oleinik (57-11-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN+ 7 main event Saturday at Yubileyniy Arena in St. Petersburg.

He will be looking for his second consecutive win as he attempts to battle his way back to a shot at the championship. He lost in his only title bid when knocked out by Stipe Miocic at UFC 203.

You can relive the full fight between Lesnar and Overeem here:

A recap of the major results from this weekend on PokerStars…

• “Lucky_Jew_17” beats Niklas “Lena900” Åstedt to win the Sunday Million
• Thomas Muehloecker wins the High Roller Club Sunday Warm-up
• Big win for Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet
• “ezynow99” enjoys huge HRC score
• The biggest High Roller Club results
• The biggest Weekend Major results

“Lucky_Jew_17” BEATS “Lena900” TO WIN THE MILLY

One of the most consistently great online tournament players in history almost took down the Sunday Million last night.

Current world no.3 (at the time of writing), Niklas “Lena900” Åstedt outlasted all but one of the $109 event’s 11,212 entries (which created a $1.12 million prize pool).

Niklas “Lena900” Åstedt

Ultimately it was Russia’s “Lucky_Jew_17” who came out on top, banking $114,039. Åstedt was forced to settle for second place and $82,751, meaning a Sunday Million title still eludes him. Prior to yesterday, the closest he’d come was a fourth-place finish back in 2014 worth $81,366.

MUEHLOECKER WINS THE WARM UP

A regular on the high roller live circuit, Thomas “WushuTM” Muehloecker is also a force on the virtual felt, proving so yesterday with a win in the $1,050 Sunday Warm-Up for $51,155.

Thomas “WushuTM” Muehloecker

The event attracted 268 entries, creating a $268K prize pool split between the top 34 finishers. The final table included Finland’s “elmerixx” (5th – $16,059), and runner-up Rory “DeosOner” Young (2nd – $38,290).

BIG WIN FOR “apestyles”

Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet

Canada’s Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet was in the winner’s circle this weekend, taking down the coveted $2,100 Sunday HR title for $56,111.

As always, the final table in this event was chock-full of talent. Michael “imluckbox” Addamo finished second for $43,185, followed by Austria’s “WATnlos” (3rd – $33,237), Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden (4th – $25,581), Niklas “Lena900” Åstedt (5th – $19,688), and Scott “Aggro Santos” Margereson (6th – $15,153).

Van Fleet is no stranger to huge online scores. He’s won WCOOPs, finished third in the Sunday Million twice, and has taken down the Super Tuesday on several occasions. As of today, he has just under $10.5 million in online earnings.

TAKING IT EZYNOW99

Brazil’s “ezynow99”, who currently plays from the UK, had the largest High Roller club score of the weekend. They took down the $530 Bounty Builder HR for $45,397 plus $42,331 in bounties, after defeating Germany’s Oliver “sk2ll_m0dr” Weis heads-up. Weis banked roughly $38K total.

That isn’t the largest career score for “ezynow99” though. Back in 2017 they took down the Sunday Million for $144,913.

THE BIG RESULTS FROM HIGH ROLLER CLUB

THE BIG RESULTS FROM THE WEEKEND MAJORS

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PokerStars Blog’s photographers tell the story of some of their favourite pictures.

PHOTOGRAPHER
Joe Giron/Poker Photo Archive

WHERE ARE WE AND WHEN?
The final table of EPT Barcelona. August 2018.

WHO OR WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT?
Piotr Nurzynski and his girlfriend, immediately after he won the EPT Main Event.

GIVE US SOME CONTEXT
Nurzynski’s girlfriend had been railing him throughout the final table, and a long heads up battle against Haoxiang Wang. On the final hand, Nurzynski pumped his fist in victory and then made his way from the final table over to his girlfriend, in front of the TV set, where they kissed, hugged and celebrated. This celebration lasted about two minutes and you could see Nurzynski savoring the moment he had won the tournament and a Platinum Pass.

WHAT IN PARTICULAR DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS PICTURE?
My main priority as a poker photojournalist is capturing the emotion of the game with storytelling imagery. Often players don’t give much away — that’s the whole point of poker — but I’ve realized they show their feelings more often than you think. That’s especially true at critical moments in poker tournaments and when big money and prestige is at stake. What I like most about this photograph is the complete look of satisfaction and relief on Nurzynski’s face. The heads up with Wang had lasted a long time and this image shows exactly how excitement combines with relief at times like this. It can be absolutely exhausting. I also like his girlfriend’s look of admiration towards Nurzynki and his accomplishment.

ANY ADDITIONAL DETAILS
As a photojournalist, you attempt to include newsworthy, story-telling elements in the background of your images that provide context to the situation. Being able to see other people clapping in the background as well as PokerStars banners and branding adds to the context and provides information to our readers.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
I shot this on my Nikon D800, with Nikon 70-200mm lens, focal length at 105mm. ISO 1600. Shutter speed 320sec @ f2.8.

POKERSTARS BLOG EDITOR ADDS
This is in many ways a classic Giron image. We’re always on the look out for photos that both capture the emotion of the moment and actually illustrate the story we’re trying to tell. As writers, we’re able to relate the details of the cards and the betting and things like that, but quality photography paints the full picture. Joe understands that instinctively.

RELATED IMAGES

World Earth Day, an annual global event demonstrating support for environmental protection, takes place on Monday, April 22. More than a billion people worldwide are taking part, and The Stars Group is proud to be among them.

When you recycle your soda bottles, clean out your empty glass jars, and switch from plastic to paper straws, what difference does it all really make?

A whole lot, it turns out. These small actions might seem fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but when more than a billion people around the world make these changes, it adds up to a huge shift in our impact on the environment.

Small changes can have enormous positive consequences, and that’s what World Earth Day has been about since its inception in 1970. Back then, 20 million Americans took to the streets for peaceful protests regarding environmental reform. Today, nearly 50 years later, Earth Day is considered the largest secular holiday in the world, recognised in 192 countries.

Last year’s theme focused on plastic, and a multi-year campaign was created to end plastic pollution worldwide. It continues to be a major concern, and in 2017 The Stars Group made major reductions to its own contribution.

Surrounded by the sea, our colleagues on the Isle of Man took big steps to remove single-use products to help ensure less non-biodegradable waste ends up in our ocean. Items like disposable plastic cups, stirrers, cutlery, bottles and cardboard hot drinks cups were replaced with environmentally friendly substitutes, and the results have been staggering. Some 26,000 fewer plastic bottles now end up as waste per year.

Single-use takeaway plastic and polystyrene food packaging were also replaced with biodegradable packaging in our staff restaurant, and employees are now encouraged to bring in their own reusable food containers. This has saved approximately 65,000 single-use plastic food containers.

Moreover, in our London office, the ‘Green Stars’ have reduced plastic waste significantly. For example, all vending machines now stocked with environmentally friendly alternatively packaged drinks. Additionally, in the Floria office plastic waste usage was reduced with the replacement of single-use plastic bottles and paper cups by using reusable (and stylish) water bottles.

PROTECT OUR SPECIES

This year’s theme is ‘Protect Our Species’; a response to the destruction of plant and wildlife populations by human activity such as climate change, deforestation, poaching and pollution.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT EARTH DAY HERE

The Stars Group is playing its part. Our new office in Sofia, Bulgaria has a high eco-friendly specification that focuses on saving resources. Features include:

• Thermal insulation minimising the need for heating and air conditioning. 
• A tank which collects rainwater and purifies it for reuse, which will reduce water consumption by over 90%. Renewable sources will be used to heat water for domestic needs.
• A ventilation system controlled by CO2 sensors will deliver fresh air.
• All parking places in the building will be equipped with charging stations for electric cars powered by the photovoltaic plant of the building releasing zero-energy emissions. Bicycle areas will also be provided, the building has direct access to the city’s cycling network.

As a global company, we know that we play a big role in seeking sustainable solutions to help limit climate change. It’s something our employees know too, thanks to in-house initiatives raising awareness of environmental issues.

HOW TO PLAY (YOUR PART)

Usually, we’d be explaining how you can play poker, but here we’ll be looking at how you can play your part for Earth Day 2019.

For the first Earth Day in 1970, anti-pollution cartoonist Walt Kelly wrote: “We have met the enemy and he is us”. But how can you ensure you’re part of the solution rather than the problem? Well, here are some easy tips you can implement today.

• Grab a reusable coffee cup rather than buying throwaway cups.
• Pack your own lunch in a reusable container. You’ll help the environment, and there’s a good chance you’ll save money too.
• Glass can be recycled endlessly. Help out your local recycling centre by cleaning out your empty condiment and peanut butter jars, then recycle them (the same goes for metal tins).
• Try going green with your commute. Where possible switch from driving to using public transport, or even better, walk or cycle.
• Pick up litter and put it in the appropriate bin. Why not get involved in an organised beach clean or litter pick

Click here for more information on The Stars Group’s social responsibility.