Recently-suspended England and Brentford striker Ivan Toney bet on his own team to lose 13 times, per the Football Association (FA).
The news of Toney’s betting history broke Friday morning less than two weeks after he was banned from all soccer activities for eight months. He has also been officially diagnosed with a gambling addiction.
The 27-year-old took to Twitter around the time the news broke to share his intent to have an honest conversation about the matter.
Toney’s bets against his club came across seven matches between August 2017 and March 2018. 11 of the bets were in favor of Newcastle United, a former club of Toney’s, and two for Wigan Athletic, which Toney was loaned to at the time.
there is no evidence that Mr. Toney did or was even in a position to influence his own team to lose”
“Mr. Toney did not play in any of those matches where he placed bets against his loan club as he was not in the match squad or against his parent club as he was on loan,” said the FA. “There is no evidence that Mr. Toney did or was even in a position to influence his own team to lose when he placed bets against them winning – he was not in the squad or eligible to play at the time.”
Psychiatrist Dr. Philip Hopley interviewed Toney twice as part of the FA’s investigation. He was responsible for diagnosing Toney with a gambling addiction, which, alongside his “great remorse” for his actions, led to his suspension being reduced from 11 months to eight months.
Brentford said that it considers the matter closed and looks forward to Toney rejoining the team in September.
The post Striker Ivan Toney Bet on His Own Team to Lose 13 Times appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
Mystical Ancient Egypt, with all its secrets and great powers hidden somewhere under the colossal pyramids and monuments, has been an inspiration for many. Red Tiger, the famous company which is a part of the Evolution Gaming Group AB, joined the club with its newest release Egypt Megaways, which brings players on an adventure in which the secrets of the legendary civilization will be revealed.
Explore mystical Ancient Egypt:
This game has a lot to offer, including fantastic features which will keep players on the edge of their seats. Thanks to BTG’s popular gaming mechanic, everything is possible in this game!
When the Eye of Horus turns above the four reels situated in the middle, the whole grid is enlightened with the mystic light which uncovers the towering pyramids in the background. When the pyramids are revealed, Super Wilds accompanied by Ways Multipliers appear on the reels. Before the light turns off and Super Wilds disappear from the reels, they can grant the player fantastic prizes.
The next step in uncovering many secrets of ancient Egypt is Free Spins. In this round, the player can choose between three different options, and each one of them will help the player get closer to the big prize.
The player can walk through the streets of the ancient city, where ordinary people sell their goods on busy marketplaces. The player will get a chance to meet the normal population of the ancient civilization and see how it was to live in the shadow of the great pyramids.
In this high-volatility online slot game, the maximum potential win is 117.649x. The game is played across six reels with seven rows and enables the player to achieve the win in many different ways.
The game is available on all devices, including iOS and Android smartphones and desktop and tablet devices. It is available in 31 languages, which enables players all around the world to enjoy the world of Ancient Egypt.
An important partnership:
This game isn’t the only great success of the Red Tiger these days. The company also secured a partnership with REEVO. Red Tiger will supply REEVO with its premium casino content, which is great news for both players and operators connected with this famous provider of gaming solutions.
Red Tiger was founded in 2014 by a team of people with a lot of experience in the industry. The company rapidly expanded to huge markets in Europe and Asia and currently possesses the licenses issued by the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, Alderney Gambling Control Commission, and HM Government of Gibraltar.
Ky Nguyen finally won the big one in the 2023 World Poker Tour (WPT) Gardens Poker Championship at HyperX Esports Arena inside of Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Nguyen outlasted a field of 346 entries to claim his spot on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup and win $375,380. The victory also earns Nguyen a $10,400 seat in December’s WPT Championship.
Chris Lee finished in third and WPT AmbassadorBrad Owen was fourth, while Joey Deluca and Josh Lachman rounded out the final six. Owen fell just short of his first WPT title after a big comeback on the final day in Los Angeles to qualify for the final table.
2023 WPT Gardens Poker Championship Final Table Results
Place
Player
Prize
1
Ky Nguyen
$375,380*
2
Ryan Salunga
$230,000
3
Chris Lee
$169,000
4
Brad Owen
$125,000
5
Joey Deluca
$94,000
6
Josh Lachman
$71,200
The win is the first major title for Nguyen, who has established himself as a popular vlogger and cash game grinder throughout the Los Angeles area.
”A Huge Accomplishment”
“This is so important for me to finally come with a win in such a big tournament,” Nguyen said in a post-win interview with PokerNews. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a long time. I’ve spent a lot of time playing poker and this is definitely a huge accomplishment.”
Nguyen found a double with pocket kings in the opening moments of the day to move up the leaderboard—and he continued to climb, even after the deck didn’t go his way in an unlikely chopped pot.
Nguyen snap-called with six-five for a straight when Salunga put him at risk in four-handed action. Salunga turned over queen-five for a smaller straight, but a six fell on the river to give both players the pot.
The champ bounced back with the elimination of Owen and a big river call on a bluff from Salunga that gave him the lead in three-handed play.
“I was able to regroup and leave that behind me and just play good poker. It was tough to overcome and once I did I was feeling great with confidence going into heads up.”
Final Table Action
Lachman sat down in the under-the-gun position with just three big blinds and he folded the first hand before he got it in on the next one with a suited eight-three. Salunga looked him up with a suited ace-nine and held on for the first elimination of the day. Lachman went home with $71,200 and that will ease the pain of the broken foot he suffered during the opening stages of the tournament in Los Angeles.
The opening moments of the day were an opportunity for Nguyen, Lee, and Owen to pick up chips to move above the four million mark, while Salunga surrendered a double to Nguyen’s pocket kings to fall down the leaderboard and join them in a four-way logjam at the top.
Salunga soon won a clash with Owen that opened up a small lead and sent the WPT Ambassador below the two million mark. Deluca saw his chance to jam his short stack with jack-ten, but Nguyen was there with pocket jacks to send him to the rail in fifth place for $94,000.
WPT Ambassador Brad Owen Arrives for the Final Table
Read More About Brad Owen’s Run to the Final Table
The final four continued into the first break where Salunga led and Owen held the short stack with just under two million. Owen finally got it in with king-six, but Nguyen called with ace-jack and held on to send him out in fourth place for $125,000.
After Owen hit the rail, Salunga extended his lead with a jump to over 10 million and Lee fell into the short stack with just over 10 big blinds.
Nguyen called Salunga’s big bluff to bring the top stacks near even, and Lee was the odd man out with just over two million. He finally got it in with a suited ace-four and Nguyen put him at risk with pocket jacks. Nguyen held on to send Lee to the rail in third place for $169,000.
Ryan Salunga
Heads-up play kicked off with Nguyen holding just over 10 million in chips while Salunga was close behind with seven million. Nguyen built a quick lead and soon Salunga was down to his last seven big blinds. Salunga picked up a small double for a dash of hope, but it didn’t last long. The big moment came when Nguyen shoved with queen-eight and Salunga went for the double with jack-ten—the flop brought two eights and Nguyen held on for his first WPT title.
*Images courtesy of WPT.
Matt Hansen
Live Reporting Executive
Las Vegas-based PokerNews Live Reporting Executive, originally from Chicago, IL
Last year marked 11 years since PokerNews started publishing predictions ahead of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), and with three days to go they’re back again ahead of the 2023 WSOP.
With the WSOP moving to its new home on the Las Vegas Strip at the Horseshoe and Paris, we asked nine members of the PokerNews team for their thoughts and predictions.
This year we spoke to Global Live Events Manager Shirley Ang, US Executive Editor and former WSOP bracelet winner Chad Holloway, Live Reporting Executive Matt Hansen, staff editors Matthew Pitt, Jon Sofen, Calum Grant and Connor Richards, and Community Manager Jesse Fullen.
2023 World Series of Poker Hub
Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2023 WSOP is here.
Which poker player will win their first bracelet this year?
Chad: Is there any player in Vegas right now hotter than Jeremy Becker? He’s won eight Wynn tournaments since March 25, so if he takes his skills down the street to the Horseshoe, I think he’s going to ride that momentum all the way to a no-limit hold’em bracelet.
Calum: After coming close at the 2022 WSOPE, I think PokerStars ambassador Sam Grafton gets his first bracelet. He’s surely one of the names on the ‘Best without a Bracelet’ list, and I think he scratches his name off that list this time around. But it could also be the year for Dustin Dirksen, he’s finished as the runner-up in three bracelet events now, with two second places coming from 2021 and 2022.
Connor:Adam Hendrix. After being the frontrunner in the 2022 GPI Player of the Year race and being denied at the last minute, Hendrix will be playing with a vengeance this summer and could surely pick up a maiden bracelet.
Jesse: Jesse Fullen, obviously.
Matt Pitt: I went with Shannon Shorr last year, and Shannon is my pick again in 2023. He came super close at the last WSOP, finishing third in the $50K High Roller.
Shannon Shorr is among the best without a bracelet.
Shirley:Seth Davies
Matt Hansen:Chris Brewer
Jon Sofen: I’m going with Seth Davies.
How many players will win two or more bracelets at the 2023 WSOP and who?
Shirley: 4, Jeremy Ausmus, Adam Friedman, Adrian Mateos, and Michael Addamo.
Chad: There will be a trio of two-time bracelet winners this summer. I can’t predict all three, but I will say that I think it’s going to be a good summer for Phil Hellmuth, so let’s see bracelets No. 17 AND 18!
Jesse: Three. Hellmuth, Negreanu, and Matusow. I know right?
Matt Hansen: Three. Brewer, Deeb, and Ausmus.
Calum: Just the one for now.
Jon Sofen: One.
Matt Pitt: Two will win multiple bracelets. Jeremy Ausmus won two in 2021 and again in 2022. Why not go for a hat trick of two in 2023? I think Shaun Deeb (who won two in 2018). Deeb is in the early stages of his big weight loss bet, and his new outlook on health and fitness could help him at the tables.
Connor: Just one, and it will be Shaun Deeb as he competes while in the best shape of his life.
How many events will Phil Ivey play?
Phil Ivey
Connor: I’ll guess that we will see Ivey in 11 events as he chases an 11th bracelet.
Matt Pitt: Ivey cashed in nine events last year, but he’s not logged a single cash in an MTT in 2023. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t play any or put in a ton of volume.
Matt Hansen: Five.
Jon Sofen: Ivey will play 18 events.
Jesse: Eight
Chad: I hear Phil Ivey recently welcome a baby into the world, and it’s not uncommon for players to cut down on tournaments when they have a young one running around. Ivey will still play, but I think it’ll be less than a dozen events. I’ll say eight tournaments is all he’ll play.
Shirley: 15
Calum: Phil Ivey cashed in nine events last year and came close to getting his 11th bracelet. I think we’re going to see a lot of Ivey again like in 2022 so he’s going to be in at least 20-25 events.
How many players will enter the 2023 WSOP Main Event?
Chad: This will be the largest WSOP Main Event in history. My guess is 9,170 players!
Matt Pitt: I was surprised to see the 8,663 attendance in 2022; I didn’t think it would be anywhere near as high. I feel the same way this year as last, so I’ll go with 7,500.
Calum: Surely, it’s time the 2006 record gets broken. I think it’ll be a few entrants shy of 9,000 so let’s go with 8,942.
Connor: I predict there will be a record-breaking Main Event field of 8,774 players.
Shirley: 8,833
Jesse: 9,000
Matt Hansen: 8,800
Jon Sofen: A record 8,999 players.
How to Stay Healthy in Las Vegas During the WSOP
What will 2023 be “The Year Of?”
Calum: Shaun Deeb’s weight loss prop bet.
Chad: It’s going to be the “Year of the 20-Somethings.” I’ve seen an uptick of young people in the game, and now 20 years removed from Moneymaker’s game-changing win, it really is a new era. Look for a lot of young bracelet winners in 2023.
Jon Sofen: The Year of Hellmuth
“I think Shaun Deeb’s body fat prop bet with Bill Perkins will encourage countless other players to make lifestyle changes themselves.”
Matt Pitt: The Pros Calling Each Other Out and Challenging to HU4Rollz
Matt Hansen: The Year of F1 Street Paving Traffic
Shirley: The year of a record number of lesser-known players winning their first bracelets.
Connor: The Year of Physicality. I think Shaun Deeb’s body fat prop bet with Bill Perkins will encourage countless other players to make lifestyle changes themselves. Even Chris Moneymaker has indicated he will be doing so.
Jesse: The year of the broken record. Massive fields across all of the big events!
Who do you think will win a bracelet first – Daniel Negreanu or Phil Hellmuth?
Daniel Negreanu
Matt Pitt: The Poker Brat usually plays more lower stakes events so has an advantage. That said, I have a feeling Negreanu could enjoy a fruitful WSOP in 2023 so I’m choosing him.
Chad: Phil Hellmuth. I love Negreanu and hope to see him win a bracelet, but I’ll never bet against the Poker Brat at the WSOP.
Jon Sofen: I’m predicting that Hellmuth will absolutely crush it this summer like he did in 2021, so I’ll go with him. But Negreanu’s going to eventually close one out.
Matt Hansen: Phil Hellmuth
Shirley: Negreanu
Jesse: Hellmuth
Calum: Hellmuth came close in the $3K last year while Negreanu had a WSOP to forget. I think their fortunes swap for this year and can see Negreanu having a very successful summer. I think through law of averages, Hellmuth might have one of his worst WSOP’s to date.
Connor: While Negreanu appears on top of his game after taking down the Super High Roller Bowl, there’s no one hungrier for another bracelet than Hellmuth and I think he will get it before Negreanu.
Phil Hellmuth
Which former Main Event champion will have the best performance at the 2023 WSOP?
Chad: It’d be great if it was Moneymaker on the 20th anniversary of his win, but I don’t think he’ll play much. Instead, I am going to go with Ryan Riess. It’s also the 10th anniversary of his big win in 2013 (the same year I won my bracelet), so I am pulling for him!
Jesse: Chris Moneymaker. 20th anniversary and this man wants his second bracelet.
Calum: I don’t think you can look past the last two winners in Koray Aldemir and Espen Jorstad. I expect them to perform well again.
Jon Sofen: Phil Hellmuth.
Matt Pitt: Koray Aldemir. He’s definitely the most talented Main Event champion in the past decade or two, and reeled in cashes like they were going out of fashion last summer. Es[en Jorstad is a good shout too depending on how many events he decides to get involved with this year.
Connor: 2023 will be the year of Joe Hachem. I will not be elaborating at this time.
Matt Hansen: Espen Jorstad
Shirley:Martin Jacobson
A Look at the 2023 WSOP Online Bracelet Schedule – How to Deposit
Who will win the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship?
Can Jungleman make it three wins in a row?
Chad:Todd Brunson in honor of his father.
Shirley:Michael Mizrachi
Connor: Jungleman Dan Cates. Could it be anyone else?
Matt Hansen:Ryan Leng
Jesse: Jungleman, obviously.
Calum: I’d love Jungleman to make it three in a row but that just seems like a near impossibility. So, let’s go with Ivey for this one, I think that would be awesome to see.
Jon Sofen:Brian Rast
Matt Pitt: Save everyone the hassle and give the title to Daniel Cates!
Who do you like to win the 2023 WSOP Player of the Year?
Calum: I think a smart guess would be someone like a Shaun Deeb or Daniel Negreanu but I’m going to take a punt on this one. 2023 WSOP POY will be Ethan ‘Rampage’ Yau. There really seems to be nothing stopping him as of late.
Shirley:Joao Vieira
Chad: I’m predicting a big year for Hellmuth, who has finished as WSOP POY runner-up three times. I think he finally captures that prestigious title this year.
Matt Hansen: Shaun Deeb
Shaun Deeb is always a favorite to win WSOP POY.
Connor: Shannon Shorr. One of the nicest guys in poker, and one of the greats without a bracelet, it would be great to see Shorr have a strong summer to pick up POY. And, he’s fresh of a WPT High Roller victory at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.
Matt Pitt: Maybe a little leftfield but let’s say Adrian Mateos. He seems to be playing a lot lately and obviously has the ability.
Jon Sofen: Phil Hellmuth
Jesse: Shaun Deeb
How many ladies will get heads up, and how many will win bracelets?
Chad: I think ladies will make it to heads-up play twice in open events, and they’re going to capture gold on both occasions.
Shirley: 6 heads-up; 3 wins
Matt Hansen: They will go 2 for 2.
Calum: Excluding the Ladies event of course, I think there will be at least one woman to win a bracelet with two getting to heads-up.
Matt Pitt: There are some super-talented ladies, but the lack of numbers limits ladies’ chances of winning some poker gold. I do think we’ll see a female champion in an open event, so I’m going with four heads up and two bracelets including online events.
Connor: Outside of the ladies’ event, I predict two ladies will get heads up and both of them will win.
Jesse: Six ladies heads up and four bracelets.
Jon Sofen: Three bracelets, three runners-up.
Celebrating the Extraordinary Legacy of Doyle Brunson at the World Series of Poker
Who would you like to see inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2023?
Chad: Man, oh man, that backlog is going to get messy if the trend of only one person getting in each year. There are so many deserving individuals – Antonio Esfandiari, Matt Savage, and Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi jump to mind – but it has to be Isai Scheinberg.
Jon Sofen: Matt Savage and Brian Rast are both deserving.
Matt Hansen:Mike Matusow
Calum:Maria Ho or Antonio Esfandiari
Shirley:Jack Effel
Matt Pitt: Isai Scheinberg or Matt Savage.
Is this the year Matt Savage finally gets into the Poker Hall of Fame?
Connor: Michael Mizrachi. At the very least, “The Grinder” deserves to be in the Nickname Hall of Fame.
Jesse:Norman Chad and Lon McEachern on 20th anniversary of the Moneymaker year!
WSOP Main Event Champions 2015-17: McKeehen, Nguyen, Blumstein
Will a known name or a random player draw the $1,000,000 Mystery Bounty?
Chad: This year it’s going to be a random play, but it won’t take long for them to become a known name after that!
Calum: I really hope a non-name pulls the milly bounty.
Shirley: Mystery Bounty: known player, would be funny if Matt Glantz does it again
Matt Hansen: An unknown Las Vegas local will pull the million.
Jesse: It’s probably gonna be Robbi Jade Lew. So, a known player.
Matt Pitt: I’d prefer it to be a random player that pulls out the $1M Mystery Bounty.
Connor: After Matt Glantz pulled the million-dollar bounty in 2022, it seems only fair that this year’s bounty would go to an unknown player.
Jon Sofen: Matt Glantz will win it again.
Matt Glantz pulled the $1,000,000 bounty last year!
How many players will the $250,000 Super High Roller get?
Chad: 75
Calum: 50 if crypto portfolios are performing well, 40 if not.
Matt Pitt: It will get exactly 50.
Connor: 65 players.
Jesse: 75
Matt Hansen: 61
Shirley: 66
Jon Sofen: 69 would be a nice turnout.
Give us one last bold, unique prediction.
The 2023 WSOP is slated to be even bigger than 2022!
Chad: In honor of the late Doyle Brunson I expect a big uptick of players mixing it up with “The Brunson” (AKA Ten-Deuce). Expect a couple of gold bracelets to be won by players holding the famed hand.
Matt Pitt:Ali Imsirovic and Jake Schindler will contest a bracelet heads-up!
Connor:Allen Kessler will try raw fish.
Shirley: A PokerNews team member will make a final table
Jesse: Phil Ivey makes the Main Event final table with an average stack.
Matt Hansen: A player will win back-to-back events.
World Poker Tour (WPT) AmbassadorBrad Owen will return for his shot at a spot on the Mike Sexton Cup after he turned 15 big blinds into the third-biggest chip stack at the end of Day 4 to qualify for the televised six-handed final table in Las Vegas.
The 2023 WPT Gardens Poker Championship drew 346 entries for a prize pool of $1,678,100.
Owen bagged 3,350,000 for the Day 5 finale and he is joined by chip leader Ryan Salunga with 7,265,000 and Chris Lee with 3,975,000. Ky Nguyen, Josh Lachman, and Joey Deluca round out the final six that will return to HyperX ESports Arena at Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 27 to play for the top prize of $357,380 and a seat at the $10,000 WPT World Championship in December.
Brad Owen
The popular streamer and regular cash game player made a late run that included the eighth-place elimination of Steven Spunt with Owen’s trademark pocket jacks.
“Best jiggities ever,” Owen told WPT at the conclusion of Day 4. “I looked down at it, and I’m sure it wasn’t really visible but I kind of chuckled in my head a little bit and I was like ‘Oh this is fitting.”
Owen held on with the jacks and went on to eliminate Thomas Choi in seventh to lock in his spot at the televised final table in Las Vegas. A fourth-place finish or better would give Owen the biggest score in his career.
2023 WPT Gardens Poker Championship Final Table
SEAT
PLAYER
COUNTRY
CHIP COUNT
BIG BLINDS
1
Ryan Salunga
Phillipines
7,265,000
97
2
Brad Owen
United States
3,350,000
45
3
Ky Nguyen
Vietnam
1,700,000
23
4
Chris Lee
United States
3,975,000
53
5
Josh Lachman
United States
225,000
3
6
Joey Deluca
United States
875,000
12
Ryan Salunga
Everyone is Chasing Salunga
Meanwhile, Salunga has already guaranteed his first big score and a sixth-place prize of $71,200. The lowest payout of the afternoon will take Salunga over $100,000 in lifetime earnings after a series of strong finishes throughout the California poker scene in 2023.
Lee enters Saturday’s final table as the most accomplished tournament player with over $1.5 million in earnings, according to the Hendon Mob. His only other cash in 2023 was a fourth-place finish at this year’s PokerGO Tour PLO series for $207,500. Lee won a WSOP bracelet in 2011 in the $2,500 10-Game tournament and he was the runner-up in the 2017 $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha event.
Chris Lee
Career Paydays
Nguyen returns with a long list of tournament accomplishments and this is his biggest score—a prize that will move him to just short of $400,000 in lifetime earnings. This is also Nguyen’s second WPT cash of the year after a run to 12th in the $10,000 Deep Stack at the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. Lachman, the short stack, is also cashing the largest check of his poker-playing life, but this is his second deep charge at a WPT Main Event after a run to 27th in the 2016 Legends of Poker.
Deluca will enter the final day with the second shortest stack, but he brings with him a long list of cashing finishes on the L.A. tournament scene. He’s also among those picking up his biggest win yet, but he has tallied over $320,000 in tournament winnings in tournaments all over Los Angeles.
The final six players will reconvene on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Vegas time to play down to a winner. All of the action will be featured on the WPT livestream with a 30-minute security delay beginning at 4:30 p.m.
*Images courtesy of WPT.
Matt Hansen
Live Reporting Executive
Las Vegas-based PokerNews Live Reporting Executive, originally from Chicago, IL
Macau has yet another casino resort, fully open and ready to rake in the gambling dollars. The Londoner Macao, a British-themed property, celebrated its grand opening on Thursday. This Las Vegas Sands-owned casino, which cost about US$2bn to develop, features replicas of many notable British landmarks, including Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, and 10 Downing Street. A changing of the guard tourist attraction replicates what happens at Buckingham Palace when guards start a new shift.
You can’t get a better hotel room than what we’ve put in the Londoner.”
Among the high-profile people to attend the ribbon-cutting was former English soccer star David Beckham. Talking about the new facility, Las Vegas Sands CEO Robert Goldstein said: “You can’t get a better hotel room than what we’ve put in the Londoner. You can’t get better spa experience, you can’t get better food experience.”
The resort has been operational for about two years, but the pandemic led to a delay in its full opening. It is located on the Cotai Strip, along with a handful of other Las Vegas Sands-owned properties.
The post $2bn British-Themed Casino Resort Celebrates Grand Opening in Macau appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.
AC says: This is a beginner’s primer on playing craps. It’s a how-to-play article without much discussion about strategy. That’s good, because besides making the bets with the lowest house advantage — for which this article forcefully advocates — there isn’t a winning strategy for playing craps absent external conditions, e.g., playing in a tournament, playing with a coupon, incorporating play with a valuable promotion, etc. One aside. A line at the end of the article that references playing craps at an “expert level” made me think of one of my favorite lines ever in a gambling book. In his book Extra Stuff—Gambling Ramblings, Peter Griffin writes, “The mathematician regards any expert advice on how to bet at craps as being equivalent to expert advice on how to smoke cigarettes or how to be run over by a cement truck.” Another quote I like came from legendary gambler Nick “The Greek” Dandolos: “The best strategy I know of for craps is betting the don’t pass with full odds. Playing that way, I’ve lost millions of dollars.” Gotta love it!
This article was written by Frank Scoblete in association with 888Casino.
Crash Course Craps
Don’t be afraid.
I know that many novice craps players or players initially looking over the craps game, perhaps thinking they might try it, can be intimidated by the layout which seems as complicated as cuneiform writing or Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Yes, that layout does seem complicated but in truth the game is easy to play and if played properly gives the player a decent chance of beating the house on any given session. Of course, the key words here are “if played properly.”
Craps is a game that is often played incorrectly by players who make some of the worst bets in the game, which translates into some of the worst bets in the casino as well. Bad bets make it much, much tougher to have a victory over the casinos’ mathematical edges at craps and other games.
TG Lab, a prominent software development studio, has partnered up with the iconic Casino du Liban, the landmark casino of Lebanon and the Middle East, Newswire reports.
The B2B deal will enable the developer to officially launch its state-of-the-art online casino, sports book and other solutions together with the top-tier land-based casino operator which will use the deal to operate the first official online gaming site in Lebanon.
Scope of Supply:
Under the terms and conditions of the agreement, TG Lab will supply sportsbook and casino technology, as well as its advanced software and the associated developments. The partnership will simultaneously facilitate the legendary Casino du Liban to launch a wide array of online sports wagering and casino facilities. The land-based operator will reportedly avail of the partnership to launch an official gaming site and ensure a comprehensive player experience.
Market Potential:
The customer base for the exclusive land-based gaming operator currently refers to the market of around 6 million people who will now have the opportunity to access the operator’s online arm for an outstanding experience. At the same time, the legal gaming market in Lebanon has a reported potential of UD$500m to $1bn within a few forthcoming years which would generate considerable tax revenues for the government as the gaming tax currently amounts to 50% for operators, according to the source.
Leading Technology:
Roland Khoury, Chairman and General Manager of Casino du Liban, reportedly said:“As the exclusive casino in the country it is our responsibility to ensure that players have the best possible experience at our land-based venue and now online. With TG Lab as our platform partner, we can do just that. This news will also hopefully eliminate the illegal online market in Lebanon, with players now having access to a place where they can play online safely and securely.”
Khoury added:“We undertook a very competitive RFP process and TG Lab emerged as the leader to provide the platform and technology for our online sportsbook and casino.”
Unlocking Huge Gaming Potential:
As indicated above, TG Lab will provide software and developments such as retailers that will bring benefits to Lebanese businesses and other participants in the supply chain.
Commenting on the partnership, Ugnius Simelionis, CEO of TG Lab, reportedly said: “We are truly honoured to have been chosen by Casino du Liban to power its online sportsbook and casino.It really is an iconic brand, and we look forward to helping the operator unlock the huge potential of legal online gaming in Lebanon through the combination of its prestigious name and our cutting-edge technology.”
With the 2023 World Series of Poker just around the corner, PokerNews is continuing to look at past WSOP Main Event champions and what they’ve been up to since winning poker’s big one.
Our last installment of the series looked at the winners from 2015-17, with this edition focusing on John Cynn, Hossein Ensan, and Damian Salas who all triumphed in 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively.
2023 World Series of Poker Hub
Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2023 WSOP is here.
John Cynn: 2018 Main Event Champion ($8,800,000)
John Cynn
Entries
Prize Pool
Places Paid
Min-Cash
7,874
$74,015,600
1,182
$15,000
John Cynn must have thought he’d blown his chances of becoming the WSOP Main Event champion when he busted in 11th place during the 2016 edition of poker’s most famous live tournament. The $650,000 Cynn won that day after outlasting most of the 6,737 entrants will have gone some way to numbing the pain, but the nature of large-field poker tournaments means most players do not get many shots at a life-changing prize.
Fastforward three years and Cynn was one of 7,874 entrants in the $10,000 WSOP Main Event, the second-largest Main Event in history at the time. After ten days of intense poker action, including a final table spanning 442 hands, Cynn had redemption for his near miss, and become poker’s world champion.
Cynn found himself heads-up against Tony Miles in what became the ultimate slugfest. Cynn and Miles butted heads for ten hours before something finally gave, and Cynn clinched the title.
With blinds of 2,000,000/4,000,000/500,000a, Cynn opened to 9 million before calling a 34 million three-bet. Miles led out for 32 million on the king-king-five flop, Cynn called, and an eight landed on the turn. Miles moved all-in for 114 million, sending Cynn into the tank for over a minute, before he emerged with a call. Cynn showed king-jack for trip kings, and was way ahead of Miles’ queen-eight. The inconsequential four on the river brought the curtain down on an epic one-on-one battle.
2019 WSOP Main Event Final Table Results
Place
Winner
Country
Prize (in USD)
1
John Cynn
United States
$8,800,000
2
Tony Miles
United States
$5,000,000
3
Michael Dyer
United States
$3,750,000
4
Nicolas Manion
United States
$2,825,000
5
Joe Cada
United States
$2,150,000
6
Aram Zobian
United States
$1,800,000
7
Alex Lynskey
Australia
$1,500,000
8
Artem Metalidi
Ukraine
$1,250,000
9
Antoine Labat
France
$1,000,000
Cynn Since Becoming World Champion
Cynn has not been overly active since reeling in the $8.8 million first-place prize of the 2018 WSOP Main Event. Indeed, Cynn has only managed six cashes since becoming world champion.
Two of those scores tipped the scales at six figures. Cynn finished fourth in a $25,000 High Roller at the partypoker MILLIONS South America festival for $110,000 in March 2019.
In March 2020, Cynn was the runner-up in a $25,500 Short Deck event at the partypoker MILLIONS Sochi Super High Roller Series for $252,000.
Cynn’s last recorded in-the-money finish came during the 2022 WSOP Main Event, where his 550th place finish came with a $25,500 prize.
Hossein Ensan: 2019 Main Event Champion ($10,000,000)
Hossein Ensan
Entries
Prize Pool
Places Paid
Min-Cash
8,569
$80,548,600
1,286
$15,000
Iranian-German poker pro Hossein Ensan triumphed in the 2019 WSOP Main Event, which was the second-largest Main Event at the time. Ensan overcame 8,568 opponents to get his hands on $10 million of the $80,548,600 prize pool, adding a WSOP bracelet to the WSOP Circuit ring and European Poker Tour (EPT) title he already possessed.
Ensan navigated his way to the nine-handed final table with more than a third of the chips in play, but the victory was far from a done deal because there were some supremely talented players in contention for the title.
Eventually, Ensan found himself heads-up against Italian superstar Dario Sammartino. On the 301st hand of the final table’s action, and with blinds of 2,000,000/4,000,000/4,000,000a, Ensan made it 11 million to go with pocket kings, and Sammartino looked him up with eight-four of spades. Sammartino check-called a 15 million bet on the ten-six-deuce flop, which had two spades.
Sammartino checked again on the offsuit nine turn, opening the door for Ensan to fire a 33 million bet. Sammartino responded with an all-in check-raise of 140 million, which Ensan snapped off. The river needed to be a spade to prevent Ensan from winning the WSOP Main Event, and although the queen on the river was black, it was a club. Ensan banked $10 million, leaving Sammartino to console himself with a $6 million consolation prize.
2019 WSOP Main Event Final Table Results
Place
Winner
Country
Prize (USD)
1
Hossein Ensan
Germany
$10,000,000
2
Dario Sammartino
Italy
$6,000,000
3
Alex Livingston
Canada
$4,000,000
4
Garry Gates
United States
$3,000,000
5
Kevin Maahs
United States
$2,200,000
6
Zhen Cai
United States
$1,850,000
7
Nick Marchington
United Kingdom
$1,525,000
8
Timothy Su
United States
$1,250,000
9
Milos Skrbic
Serbia
$1,000,000
Ensan Since Becoming World Champion
Ensan almost added a second WSOP bracelet to his wrist a few months after his Main Event victory, when he finished third in the €25,500 WSOP Europe Platinum High Roller. It was a result that added €251,837 ($281,436) to Ensan’s bankroll.
Although Ensan has racked up more than a dozen cashes since his WSOP Main Event victory, only his near miss in the WSOP Europe High Roller and a 14th place finish in the 2022 EPT Prague Main Event weigh in at more than $50,000
Damian Salas: 2020 Main Event Champion ($2,550,969)
Damian Salas
Entries
Prize Pool
Places Paid
Min-Cash
1,379
$13,238,400
Argentina’s Damian Salas will forever be remembered for winning the strangest WSOP Main Event in history. The 2020 WSOP was severely disrupted by global COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the WSOP heading online to the virtual felts of GGPoker and WSOP.com.
There were online editions of the WSOP Main Event held for Americans on WSOP.com and for the rest of the world on GGPoker. Combining those fields meant there were 1,379 entrants in 2020, and combined prize pools of $13,238,400.
Salas reached the final table of the international leg of the 2020 WSOP Main Event, which took place in the live setting of King’s Resort in Rozvadoz, Czech Republic. That final table should have played out nine-handed, but China’s Peiyuan Sun opted not to travel, so they received ninth-place money.
The Argentinian came out on top and hauled in $1,550,969 for his victory, while earning the right to play the WSOP.com Main Event champion, Joseph Hebert, heads-up for $1 million in Las Vegas in April 2021. Salas defeated Hebert in Vegas, taking his total take-home pay to $2,550,969.
2020 WSOP Main Event Final Table Results
Place
Winner
Country
Prize (USD)
1
Damian Salas
Argentina
$1,550,969
2
Brunno Botteon
Brazil
$1,062,723
3
Manuel Ruivo
Portugal
$728,177
4
Ramon Miquel Munoz
Spain
$498,947
5
Marco Streda
Switzerland
$341,879
6
Dominykas Mikolaitis
Lithuania
$234,255
7
Stoyan Obreshkov
Bulgaria
$160,512
8
Hannes Speiser
Austria
$109,982
*China’s Peiyuan Sun has opted not to travel and finished in ninth place ($75,360) as per the rules
Salas Since Becoming World Champion
Salas is quite a prolific poker tournament player, particularly in the online poker world. Just three months after defeating Hebert in Las Vegas, Salas won his first PokerStars Spring Championship Of Online Poker (SCOOP) title, before adding another in the 2022 SCOOP.
2022 was a solid year for Salas, who finished 27th in the WSOP Main Event for $262,300 and busting in eighth-place in the €10,300 EPT Barcelona High Roller for €115,780 ($116,489).
After nearly eight hours of final table play, Jared Jaffee stands alone at the top of the 2023 World Poker Tour (WPT) Choctaw Main Event for his second WPT title. Jaffee took home $400,700 for the victory along with a seat at the $10,000 WPT Championship in December.
“Ten years is a long time,” Jaffee said about his first WPT victory in 2013 in a post-win interview with PokerNews. “This first one was so surreal because it was my first major tournament and I almost couldn’t believe that it happened. Now I can’t believe that it has taken ten years to do this again.”
The feeling is different now and so is the win’s impact on Jaffee’s poker career.
“I feel like that [the 2013 win] was this ecstatic feeling that I did it, and this one is more about solidifying my career and what I’ve been working for.”
Mike Vanier finished third and Bin Weng finished fourth, while Rusty Farrin and two-time WPT champion Erkut Yilmaz rounded out the six-handed final table.
The tournament drew 612 entries to Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant, Oklahoma and 78 players shared a prize pool of $2,142,000.
2023 WPT Choctaw Final Table Results
Place
Player
Prize
1
Jared Jaffee
$400,740*
2
Dojie Ignacio
$261,000
3
Mike Vanier
$192,000
4
Bin Weng
$143,000
5
Rusty Farrin
$107,000
6
Erkut Yilmaz
$81,700
*-includes a seat at the $10,000 WPT Championship in December
Before Thursday night, two WPT champions (Yilmaz and Jaffee) remained at the WPT Choctaw final table, but Weng’s victory in the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown made him the third.
Bin Weng
Weng’s Run Comes to an End
Weng’s bid for consecutive victories came up short with a fourth-place finish for $143,000. He adds that score to his win on Thursday night at the WPT Hard Rock Poker Showdown final table for $1,128,250. A second win would have put Weng into a club of back-to-back WPT winners that includes Marvin Rettenmaier, Darren Elias, and Anthony Zinno.
Read More About Bin Weng’s Win in the WPT SHR Poker Showdown!
Final Table Action
Farrin was the beneficiary of the first of two early doubles that set the tone for the afternoon. The Arkansas native got the last of it in on the river with aces and sixes and Vanier paid him off with kings and fours.
The second early double came when Vanier got his shrinking stack in with a suited ace-king against the pocket tens of Weng. The board ran out with a flush for Vanier and he moved into the third slot on the leaderboard with six players still remaining. The hand came just after Jaffee took a pot from Weng to assume the overall chip lead.
All six players still remained at the first break, with Jaffee on top and Vanier trailing in second. Weng had dropped down to the third slot and Farrin was the short stack with just under 2 million.
Two-time WPT Champion Erkut Yilmaz
Yilmaz was the first to go after the initial break when he shoved with pocket fives and Vanier called with a suited ace-ten. The board ran out with an ace on the turn and Yilmaz hit the rail in sixth for $81,700. Meanwhile, Jaffee jumped to 12 million in a clash that sent Weng down the leaderboard.
Weng got a few chips back in a battle of the short stacks with the elimination of Farrin in fifth place. Both players got it in with an ace, but Weng had the better one to send Farrin home with $107,000. The elimination set the table for the final four players, with Vanier in the lead with over 15 million, while Jaffee trailed with 10 million and Weng and Ignacio fought for third place with just over 2 million each.
Weng’s run soon came to an end when he shoved just over 10 big blinds with king-jack and Jaffee took him out with ace-nine. The fourth-place finish was good for $143,000 and the end of an impressive run in consecutive WPT main events.
The final trio battled and at one point all three players were nearly even, but Jaffee pulled away with the lead and he had around 17 million when Vanier picked up queens and shoved with 7,000,000. Jaffee turned over a suited ace-six and caught runner-runner clubs to send Vanier to the rail in third place for $192,000.
The Final Two
Jaffee entered heads-up play with nearly a 3-to-1 chip advantage over Ignacio, but the oldest player at the final table (53) soon fought back to even the counts. After a bit of back-and-forth, Ignacio fell behind again before he got it in with ace-nine. Jaffee put him at risk with pocket nines and held on for his second WPT title.
Be sure to return on Saturday night for the last of three WPT final tables when the WPT Gardens Poker Championship plays down to a winner at the HyperX ESports Arena in Las Vegas.
*Images courtesy of WPT.
Matt Hansen
Live Reporting Executive
Las Vegas-based PokerNews Live Reporting Executive, originally from Chicago, IL
