Poker News Summary in February

PartyPoker welcomes Coral Poker, Ladbrokes to follow later in 2020

With exit plans announced last year, Coral Poker left iPoker Network for PartyPoker. The initial shutdown was scheduled for December 4th before being pushed forward for another three weeks. A surprise turn of events as they return to a platform they once were.

The anticipated move has been in the works for some time, particularly after the parent company of partypoker, GVC Holdings, acquired the Ladbrokes-Coral outfit for a tidy sum of 3.2 billion in March 2018.

A new long-term pact was agreed upon earlier this year between GVC Holdings & iPoker Network owners Playtech, pledging to furnish all GVC brands with its expertise as well as software infrastructure. 

Microgaming Poker Network (MPN) Set To Call it a Night in Six Months

Credible sources state that the Microgaming Poker Network (MPN) certainly will cease operations of its virtual card games in perpetuity from May 19, 2020, concretizing a set date to enact a decision made back in September.

As soon as the news of the closure broke, the gaming outfit Red Star Poker had in the works an announcement to decamp from MPN to the growing iPoker Network.

So it’s official, last chance to find value on MPN’s tables!

Vision Pot-Limit Omaha Trainer Released by Run It Once

The new flavor of the season in the world is the in-sync new Game Theory Optimal (GTO) technique. A lot of GTO tech is specialized on no-limit Hold’em, but what Run It Once has attempted to create is targeted at pot-limit Omaha (PLO) gamers specifically.

This new PLO is expected to be more user-friendly, mobile-friendly, and ready to go on the move. It reduces any inclination to stay on for hours, playing out simulations.

Vision allows you to review specific hands you need an answer to. Plus it will enable you to put your GTO knowledge to the ultimate test with a customizable quiz generator.

PokerStars Now Offering 'Poker Side Bets'

After weeks of testing, PokerStars declares the availability of Poker Side Bets on its platform.

It is quite easy to take advantage of this feature at PokerStars. What gamers have to do is take a seat at a Hold'em table, scroll on the 'Side Bets' tab, and place their bets.

With the client in operation, players now have the unhindered ability to bet on an array of outcomes. These experiences can be achieved on a combination of Hold’em tables available on the PokerStars platform.

Isai Scheinberg of PokerStars turns himself in to Authorities in the U.S.

Isai Scheinberg, founder of gaming outfit PokerStars has turned himself in to the U.S. to answer for allegations predicated on indictments from Black Friday.

He pleaded not guilty and was then let go on a bail of $1 million. Ms. Olga Zverovich, the federal prosecutor said to the court that Mr. Scheinberg and the prosecution team were in talks to negotiate a plea agreement; one they seem to have reached in principle

On the day henceforth referred to as Black Friday, April 15, 2011, an unsealed indictment from the Department of Justice named Mr. Scheinberg amongst a host of some ten men, charging them with unlawful gambling, financial fraud, and money laundering. Domain names were taken over by the authorities as well as player monies.

Macau Casinos Resumed Operations Following Coronavirus-prompted Closure

Gaming operations in Macau were closed for business for two weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak in China but were up and running on the 20th of February.

The government shut down all gambling operations for at least two weeks on February 5 as the virus steadily swept across the country from the Hubei province outward.

Macau’s resurgence is good news for two major American gaming companies. Wynn Resorts’ holdings in Macau put their losses during the closure up to $2.6 million daily. Las Vegas Sands Corp also had a reason for optimism as the virus was plowing into their bottom line too.

The poker world has witnessed as well the effects of the coronavirus on its tournaments’ schedule. The World Poker Tour announced that it was canceling the Vietnam circuit and postponing the Taiwan leg.

Jennifer Tilly Loses At Least $160,000 Pot With Quads Against Straight Flush

Poker player, as well as actress Jennifer Tilly, tacked on a tight beat not seen in a while. For a pot worth at least $160,000, Tilly’s quad 10s weren’t enough to keep Bright’s jack-high straight flush at bay. From the size of the stacks in play, it was apparent that the stakes were of the nosebleed variety. Bright’s stack had four, $25,000 brown chips, and it looked to be that the $1,000 denomination yellow chips were not uncommon in this game. The game took place at the Wynn poker room in Las Vegas, where there is no bad beat jackpot.

Dual WPT Final Day Showdowns on the Circuit

The World Poker Tour had two final tables going on the last Sunday of February: the WPT Germany in Rozvadov and Czech Republic, and the WPT Fallsview Poker Classic in North America. Arash Tafakori was one of the top stories, hoping to maintain his lead and win his first major championship. Another top draw at the event was the now semi-retired Vanessa Selbst, who worked her way into the Top Five at the beginning of the day. She would eventually suffer setbacks that led to her elimination before the final table.

br0keliving Wins Latest GG Masters Leg; mrbradleyy atop POY rankings

On Sunday, February 23, a field of 2,032 GGPoker players battled it out on the decks for a share of the $300,000 tourney kitty.

The lot whittled down to the final nine-hand table. While each finalist was guaranteed a tidy bag of $2,988, the base sum was awarded to the first finalist to fall by the wayside.

 At the very end, for guts glory and neat change, finalists br0keliving and call-call-allin went at it for the lion’s share of the prize pot. br0keliving emerged the victor, taking the spoils of $41,277 and 1,095.48 GG points and leaving the runner-up to the $35,494 consolation prize.

The United Kingdom’s mrbradleyy is the player to catch at the top of the POY standings, with second-place Maltese MwonderchilD only 70.52 points behind the current leader.

Smoke-Free Gaming Legislation in the Works in Pennsylvania

Dan Frankel, a democrat, tabled the HB 2298 bill last week. It is anticipated to broaden the confines of the Clean Indoor Air Act into the realms of clubs, private bars, and casinos. This will effectively put a permanent stop to smoking in the state’s 13 casinos and racinos.

The bill would likewise forbid the use of e-cigarettes in the same establishments.

Non-smoking casinos are an experiment that has been in a trial before and mainly experienced failure. Numerous casinos in the nation have included non-smoking gaming spaces as a compromise.