Gambling giant bet365 has announced that its Non-Runner No Bet (NRNB) markets for this year’s Cheltenham Festival are now live. Extra markets were launched today, January 30, allowing punters to place safe bets on every single race of the racing event.
Bet365 Provides Players with Much-Needed Safeguards
The launch follows the success of earlier NRNM and Best Odds Guaranteed offerings. Such markets have been available on the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Ryanair Chase, the Stayers’ Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup since the beginning of the month. In the wake of high player interest, bet365 decided to extend the offering to cover all 28 races.
The Non-Runner No Bet is a fairly simple concept where players’ bets are voided if the horse they have wagered on does not show up for any reason. This provides customers with an important safeguard, allowing them to bet with confidence. In addition, NRNB markets often have attractive prices.
In addition to the NRNB offering on every race, bet365 announced that it will also be offering multiple boosts on selected horses ahead of each event.
Patrick Cooney, bet365’s horse racing guru, commented on the launch of the new betting markets. With the Dublin Festival at Leopardstown just around the corner, Cooney believes that there could not have been a more perfect time to launch NRNB markets on all 28 Cheltenham Festival races.
Of course, all 28 standard Ante Post books will remain open until the Festival many prefer the all in run or not angle of Ante Post betting, so we will also keep that option available too.
Patrick Cooney, horse racing guru, bet365
Cooney added that people tend to have a favorite horse. However, they are rarely certain which race to back it in. This is where NRNB is a very useful concept, as it allows bettors to wager without worrying that their pick might not show up for a particular event. In addition, Cooney advised punters to have multiple entries, thus boosting their chances to land a winning bet.
As a final piece of advice, bet365’s horse racing guru said:
Gaelic Warrior is perhaps the horse with the most options, we have an NRNB price for him in six different races, and are currently laying him in all six!
Patrick Cooney, horse racing guru, bet365
In other news, two weeks ago, bet365 was named the official betting partner of the boxing match between Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith, which took place on January 21. During that game, the operator’s brand was prominently promoted.
Sports are only as interesting as the theater they produce, whether it be Week One of the preseason or the Super Bowl.
Scores have ranged from as wide a margin as 55-10 to as close as 20-19
There have been 56 Super Bowls in the NFL’s 100+ years of operation and, of the 32 modern franchises, 20 champions. Scores have ranged from as wide a margin as 55-10 to as close as 20-19.
Every moment of the NFL year is spent in anticipation of winning the coveted Lombardi Trophy. For 31 teams, those moments die in vain, but for one, they are ingrained into permanent football lore. Today, we revisit the most dramatic finishes in Super Bowl history.
Super Bowl XLIX: New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
The 2014 NFL playoffs went just as expected in the early stages. The Patriots and Seahawks, the top seeds in their respective conferences, stormed their way through the bracket until they finally met in Super Bowl XLIX.
The Patriots were fresh off of a 45-7 demolition of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game, while the Seahawks were emblazoned with youthful passion from the “Legion of Boom” and a smashmouth offense.
14 unanswered of their own in the fourth quarter
The teams traded blows through the first half and went into the intermission knotted at 14. The Seahawks then scored ten unanswered points in the third quarter to go up 24-14. Tom Brady and the Pats, as they have been known to do, responded with 14 unanswered of their own in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead touchdown with 2:02 remaining.
The Seahawks were not ready to roll over and die. In less than one minute, they moved the ball down to the Patriots’ one-yard line and were on the verge of clinching their second straight Super Bowl – then came one of the most infamous plays in franchise history.
Rather than handing the ball to bruising back Marshawn Lynch, Seattle dialed up a quick slant pass that was intercepted by undrafted rookie free agent Malcolm Butler. New England took a couple of knees, and the game was over.
Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19
Some things in life just can’t be explained. Many Buffalo natives believe that Super Bowl XXV was the start of a supernatural curse placed over the franchise, and for good reason.
The Bills entered the 1991 championship bout with the best record in the AFC and the feeling that they could win their first title in franchise history. With Jim Kelly and Thurmon Thomas at the controls and a terrifying defense to complement them, they just needed one more win.
The game went back and forth and was defined by defensive stands rather than highlight plays. The Giants led most of the fourth quarter, but had succumbed to the mercy of the Bills, who had the ball lined up for a 47-yard field goal with just four seconds left.
pushed his would-be game-winner wide right
With over 73,000 fans present in the stands, Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood pushed his would-be game-winner wide right, handing the Giants the first one-point win in Super Bowl history.
January 27, 1991: With :08 left in the game, Scott Norwood’s 47-yard FG attempt sails Wide Right and the Giants beat the Bills 20-19 to win Super Bowl XXV in Tampa. pic.twitter.com/Z1sckOpbIr
Sounds like simple bad luck, right? Where was the curse in all of this?
Much to the horror of Bills personnel and supporters, the team made it to each of the next three Super Bowls and lost them all. To this day, no team in league history has made four straight Super Bowls other than Buffalo, and they did not win any of them.
Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
Everyone knows the story of David and Goliath. Super Bowl XLII was just that, and it played out exactly the same way.
they went 16-0 in the regular season
The Patriots were the big bad menaces of the NFL in 2007. They went 16-0 in the regular season, during which Tom Brady won league MVP and Randy Moss set the record for most touchdowns in a season (23). They also won each of their first two playoff games by two scores and looked completely unstoppable.
The Giants, meanwhile, finished the year 10-6 and were the fifth seed in the NFC. They barely snuck by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship 23-20 and were enormous underdogs heading into the big game.
New England led 7-3 by the time the fourth quarter came around. Both defenses were playing lights out and neither offense looked comfortable.
The tide finally turned when the Giants scored a go-ahead touchdown, only for the Patriots to respond with one of their own. That left the underdogs trailing 14-10 on what became their final drive of the game.
With their backs against the wall, backup wide receiver David Tyree made one of the most memorable receptions ever with what is remembered as “the helmet catch.”
That set up a 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left and secured the win for the Giants, their first since 1987.
Super Bowl LI: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28
The best players step up when the lights are the brightest.
In 2017, Brady was back in the Super Bowl for the seventh time in his career. He’d already won four times, but was hungry for another as his 14-2 Pats met up with MVP Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons.
Bostonians everywhere were stunned when their hometown heroes went into halftime trailing 28-3. Nobody had ever embarrassed Brady, Bill Belichick, or the franchise the same way the Falcons had in the first half, and hopes of coming back seemed bleak at best.
Fast forward to the end of the third quarter, and there was still serious doubt that New England could come back. Both teams scored one touchdown and the Falcons’ lead was still a daunting 28-9.
Luckily for the Patriots, the G.O.A.T. was ready to play. They burst into the fourth quarter with 18 straight points, including a one-yard touchdown run with 57 seconds left, to force overtime. By then, there was simply too much momentum for the Falcons to overcome.
New England solidified the victory with a James White two-yard run in the extra period and took home their fifth Super Bowl as a franchise.
February 5th, 2017 Super Bowl 51
Trailing 28-3 in Q3, the Patriots scored 31 unanswered points, clinching the 34-28 OT victory on James White’s third TD.
The Patriots (-3), ended up winning & covering. Truly a BAD beat for Falcons bettors.
Brady finished with 466 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, and was named Super Bowl MVP. The Pats scored 31 unanswered to close out the game.
Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16
Football is a game of inches. Nobody knows that better than ex-Titans receiver Kevin Dyson, who came up a hair short of changing NFL history forever in 2000.
The high-powered Rams offense had run roughshod over the league throughout the regular season, so much so that they earned the nickname “The Greatest Show on Turf.” The Titans were not as historically dominant, but had a well-rounded squad that had built real momentum throughout the preceding playoff games.
Steve McNair led the Titans on a last-second drive down the field for a potential game-tying score
To no one’s surprise, St. Louis had its way with the Tennessee defense. Kurt Warner racked up 414 passing yards and two touchdowns, with wideout Isaac Bruce claiming 162 yards and one touchdown from that total. However, they could do nothing but stand on the sidelines as Steve McNair led the Titans on a last-second drive down the field for a potential game-tying score.
Tennessee worked its way to the 10-yard line with just six seconds on the clock and dialed up what they knew would become the final play: a quick slant off the right side to the right hash.
McNair delivered a bullet to Dyson, just as expected, who caught the ball in stride at the 5-yard line. Rams linebacker Mike Jones hustled over and wrapped him up, but could not completely stop the forward momentum, and the two went spiraling to the ground.
As they were tumbling together, Dyson stretched his long arm towards the goal line…and came up just a few inches short. The clock ran out three seconds later, and the Rams were champions.
No game has ended as physically close, literally, as this one.
The post The Five Most Dramatic Super Bowl Finishes in NFL History appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
The report was compiled by The Times and unveils that Coates, who held the top place for the biggest taxpayer in the UK for three years in a row, came in second within the 2023 list. The first place on the 2023 biggest taxpayers’ list was filled by Alex Gerko, a billionaire born in Moscow who recently renounced his Russian citizenship. Gerko’s tax bill was £487.4 million ($603.1 million), positioning him as Britain’s biggest taxpayer in 2023.
On the other hand, Coates’ tax bill, according to the list is £460.2 million ($569.5 million) for 2022, positioning her as the second-biggest taxpayer in 2023. When compared to the £480 million ($539.9 million) paid by the Bet365 owner for the same period last year, a slight decrease is observed. Only recently, the company reported an increase in revenue combined with a nearly 95% decrease in profit. It is likely that those results ultimately impacted the 2022 tax result as well.
A few places behind Coates, the list positioned the owners of the leading online bookmaker Betfred, Fred and Peter Done. Their tax bill for 2022 was £136.8 million ($169.3 million), positioning them as the fifth-biggest taxpayer in 2023 according to the list.
Gambling Industry Contributes with Billions in Taxes
Focusing on the bigger picture, although Coates hit second place this year, she still remains the biggest taxpayer between 2019 and 2023. In fact, the list reveals that for that period, Coates contributed a staggering £1.95 billion ($2.4 billion) in taxes.
Within the same vertical between 2019 and 2023, Gerko paid £679.8 million ($841.2 million) in taxes, making him the third-biggest taxpayer for the period. Betfred’s Fred and Peter Done, on the other hand, contributed £542.4 million ($671.2 million) in taxes for the same period, making them the fifth-biggest taxpayer within this specific period.
The latest list revealed that the top taxpayers within the British gambling sector contributed £629.9 million ($779.4 million) as of January 2023. When compared to the result from January 2022, which was £651.5 million ($806.1 million), a slight decrease was observed. Still, the two results are way behind if compared to the £764.3 million ($945.5 million) paid in taxes paid for 2021.
Two new players have been unveiled as PokerStars Ambassadors with Brazilian Lali Tournier and Spain’s Irene ‘Frogy’ Albarrán set to join the roster.
The pair join the likes of André Akkari, 2019 PSPC Champion Ramón Colillas and Lex Veldhuis, along with Sam Grafton and Parker Talbot who joined back in 2021.
Scott Goodall, Poker Commercial Director at PokerStars, said he was delighted to welcome Lali and Frogy to the team.
“Lali is an incredible ambassador for the thriving poker community in Brazil,” he said. “Frogy has lit up our screens as part of our commentary team in Spain, and both are fantastic role models.
“We’ve seen both create memorable moments with PokerStars already, and as members of Team Pro, we can look forward to many more.”
Lali Tournier
A two-time World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) champion, Tournier is Brazilian poker pro and streamer, as well as a member of top Brazilian eSports organisation Furia.
“But now, my dream has come true, and it is even better than I could wish for”
“Thirteen years ago I started playing $0.25 Sit & Go’s on PokerStars,” she said. “And I remember looking at the Team Pro page and would imagine my picture there. It was a very distant dream.
“But now, my dream has come true, and it is even better than I could wish for; being a Team Pro, joining my husband Rafa and one of my best friends, Akkari. Thanks, PokerStars! I am really happy to be part of the best poker platform.”
Irene ‘Frogy’ Albarrán
“Being able to share these times with the community as well as the team is something that excites me a lot”
Meanwhile, Spanish poker coach and Twitch streamer ‘Frogy’ will join PokerStars not just as Ambassador, but also as a member of the PokerStars commentary team in Spain cover the PokerStars Players Championship. She says joining PokerStars is a dream come true.
“I have fulfilled one of my dreams; to be the voice of such a big poker community, alongside a great team who also feel like family, representing PokerStars,” she said. “I feel very excited about everything that is to come.
“There are going to be many beautiful moments, and being able to share these times with the community as well as the team is something that excites me a lot. The best is yet to come!”
Will Shillibier
Executive Editor E.U.
Will Shillibier is based in the United Kingdom. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German, and then studied for a NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism at Sportsbeat in Manchester. He previously worked as a freelance live reporter, and video presenter for the World Poker Tour.
The company’s metrics improved across the board with revenues more than tripling. The executives believe that the provider is poised for future growth.
Golden Matrix’s Revenues Went Through the Roof
As outlined in Golden Matrix’s report, the company’s revenues for the year increased to $36 million, which represents a stellar 219% year-on-year increase from FY 2021. The bigger part of this revenue was thanks to the company’s business-to-customer operations, which earned it $21.2 million. At the same time, the business-to-business segment earned Golden Matrix an additional $14.8 million.
EBITDA levels were positive, with the company recording an adjusted EBITDA of $3.5 million. However, as revenues rose, so did expenses. The company reported that its general and administrative expenses skyrocketed from $1.26 million in 2021 to a whopping $5.44 million in 2022. Most of the expenses were related to the RKings B2C brand, Golden Matrix reported. It attributed the higher sum to an increase in marketing and payroll costs.
On the upside, the company’s B2B operations now number 685 and the total number of registered users sits at 7 million. Meanwhile, the B2C segment under the RKings brand now has over 45,000 unique active users each month.
Other reported metrics covered the company’s cash and cash equivalents, valued at $14.9 million as of October 31. In addition, the company reported total assets of $32.5 million. Liabilities as of October 31, 2022, sat at $2.77 million.
The Company Will Close a Major Deal in H1 2023
Golden Matrix’s chief executive officer, Brian Goodman, commented on the results. He called FY 2022 “a highly constructive year” for his company and praised his team for its hard work. He believes that the company is now well-positioned to drive strong and sustainable revenue. Even so, Golden Matrix will not stop improving its products.
To remain competitive in the worldwide gaming industry, we are continually upgrading our systems and gaming content offerings to support the needs of our millions of participants.
Brian Goodman, CEO, Golden Matrix
Goodman used the opportunity to further talk about the company’s acquisition of the MeridianBet Group for $300 million in cash and stock. The deal in question is expected to be closed in H1, 2023. Golden Matrix is certain that this M&A agreement will help the company further accelerate its growth while bolstering its global footprint.
The combined pro forma revenues of Golden Matrix and MeridianBet are expected to be greater than $100 million for FY2022, with an Adjusted EBITDA estimated to be greater than $22 million for the pro forma year ended October 31, 2022, making the combination financially appealing and earnings-accretive.
Brian Goodman, CEO, Golden Matrix
Goodman concluded by teasing that the company plans to double down on its efforts in Mexico and use it as a foothold to make a foray into Latin America.
It’s fair to say her trip to the Bahamas hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts for Alexandra Botez.
She almost missed her flight. She was coolered out of her first tournament. And — perhaps most unbelievably of all — she forgot to bring a chess board.
“One of my close friends is Dan Smith and at every event we get together to play chess for like five hours,” she told PokerNews. “And we were going to do that this time. But I was so late to my flight and I almost missed it — and I forgot to bring a chess board.
“I’m going to have to order a board otherwise I’m gonna start getting withdrawals.”
Warming Up for the PSPC
The popular chess and poker Twitch streamer and YouTuber is in the Bahamas to play in the PokerStars Players NL Hold’em Championship (PSPC) which gets underway today, and was playing in yesterday’s Ladies Event alongside PokerStars Ambassadors Jennifer Shahade and Georgina James.
“I just flew in and jumped straight in. I busted my first bullet in a cooler — I flopped a set and lost to a slightly higher set. I love ladies events — they’re my favorite. In poker, you’re allowed to talk at the table so it’s a lot more friendly, whereas with chess nobody talks and it tends to get super serious.
“It’s a lot more intimidating in ladies chess events. You could be friends afterward but [during the match] you’re just staring at each other in silence angrily for like six hours.”
PokerStars Announces the Dates for the 17th Anniversary Sunday Million
Poker and Twitch Streaming
With over a million followers on both YouTube and Twitch, Botez has made streaming chess engaging, exciting and entertaining, in equal parts. Now she’s begun turning her attention to streaming poker, and says it offers different opportunities to make the stream as enjoyable as possible — for everyone involved.
“I definitely play differently and give more action when I’m hosting a game and when there are cameras filming the game. I’ll play more loose and I’ll do things like straddles because I think it’s important to create a good product. Not just for the viewers, but for any potential poker sponsors and for all of the guests who decided to come out on the show.
“I definitely play differently and give more action when I’m hosting a game and when there are cameras filming the game”
“So it does influence my actual play, whereas when I’m playing chess, obviously, it’s perfect information and I’m a little bit distracted because I’m talking or I’m chatting, but poker feels like there’s a lot more pressure to make interesting hands and to get that cool clickable moment because that’s how you kind of create virality in poker
“I mean, you do it a little bit with chess to where you’ll play into something that isn’t as good but it might have some kind of an attack. That said, it doesn’t necessarily correlate to more views or anything like that.
“I suppose I don’t actually think of [making it more exciting] in chess — it’s more just my style! Whereas in poker I’m actively thinking about it while I’m doing the content.”
Did You Know? In May 2022, Botez won almost $500,000 in an eight-hour Hustler Casino Live stream alongside Mr. Beast, Ludwig, and Ninja as well as professional poker players Tom Dwan, Phil Hellmuth and Alan Keating
The Key to A(nother) Poker Boom
The B-word has been thrown around in both chess and poker in recent years, and Botez says she believes the ingredients are there for poker to follow in chess’ footsteps and enjoy a “boom” of sorts.
“A lot of people think the big break for chess was Queen’s Gambit, and it did contribute to getting more players, but what actually was the break for chess was COVID,” she said. “More people were playing casually online because they had more time to do so.
What Can Poker Learn From The Queen’s Gambit?
“I think poker is even more accessible than chess”
“And what happened after is a lot of streamers started doing chess and there was a boom. So I think what actually happened with chess is it became way more accessible to the average person. And I think you can absolutely do that with poker.
“That’s why I’ve also been doing creator games where you bring people who have an audience from somewhere else and you make it fun. It shows that it’s not just about GTO — there are personalities and you get people watching and start being like “Wow, this is actually super fun to watch!”
The Accessibility of Poker is Key
At its core, the game of chess didn’t change as it enjoyed a surge in interest and player numbers. Instead, Botez says there was a change in the way it was marketed.
“It took a while for chess people to understand that you really have adapted the format for the more casual viewers. And I think if you could do that with poker as well, then I don’t see why it wouldn’t be able to. I think poker is even more accessible than chess because there’s RNG. With chess, you can get tired of grinding and it’s all your fault when you lose!”
Poker at its core is recreation — according to Botez, the creator games were set up for people to hang out, laugh and learn — and she says these three tenets are the key to encouraging new players to seek out poker and realize how much they can enjoy it.
“I think poker is even more accessible than chess”
“I think it’s important for people who are getting into poker to think about it in a different way. Think of it like ‘I’m spending $100 to play poker’ instead of ‘I’m spending $100 to try and win’
“It needs to be all about the experience. I spent hours grinding $2/$3 in the casino because I enjoyed it and it was therapeutic! I had earphones on just thinking about life and waiting to get good hands.
“And I was there for a good five or six hours and it was an incredible experience. I just thought about it like I’m not expecting to win but that I’m paying for the experience. That’s what I got out of it.”
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Enjoying the PSPC Experience
Starting tomorrow Botez will be playing for a lot more than just the experience — albeit the PSPC does constitute an experience of a lifetime for many — with millions of dollars in prize money up for grabs in this $25,000 buy-in tournament.
“I know I’m less experienced than most of the people here. I think my coach said I’m like bottom 15% — at least! — which is you know, totally okay. I’m just gonna go and do my best, try to learn and pay attention while I’m at the table. I’m going to be vlogging and creating content while I’m there because after all, that’s my job.
“But if I do my job well and I enjoy the experience. That’s all I can ask for.”
Will Shillibier
Executive Editor E.U.
Will Shillibier is based in the United Kingdom. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German, and then studied for a NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism at Sportsbeat in Manchester. He previously worked as a freelance live reporter, and video presenter for the World Poker Tour.
International Game Technology (IGT) has received an improved, higher-than-average score from the environmental non-profit company for successfully addressing the impact of its business and improving its environmental management.
“Steadfast Commitment to Sustainability”
IGT’s score, which is higher than the company’s rating received in 2021, came from CDP’s assessment of how the gaming company managed to limit its carbon footprints. This was achieved by IGT sharing crucial information regarding its efforts to lower its carbon footprints.
IGT’s senior vice president, marketing, communications, and sustainability, Wendy Montgomery, explained that the company had “made great strides” to enhance its environmental efforts in the last years. Montgomery also explained that IGT was well-aware that they are directly responsible to generate action plans that would help cut their carbon footprint.
The company’s commitment to helping to put a stop to the devastating climate change has been extended to their customers as well as their own sustainable operations, added the SVP.
The fresh B score from CDP is meant to assure all of IGT’s stakeholders that the company plans to keep advancing using its “steadfast commitment to sustainability.”
What Are CDP Scores?
CDP scores offer quick snapshots of companies’ disclosure and environmental performance. With the help of this scoring, companies can start taking important environmental action by accurately and transparently assessing the impact of their businesses on the environment.
CDP scores explain the way companies together with stakeholders are doing in their efforts to be aligned with a 1.5-degree future with zero deforestation and safe water. When companies choose to fully and openly disclose their progress over the course of consecutive years, they can get a better understanding of their environmental journey’s direction.
The not-for-profit charity’s scoring methodology is completely synchronized with the Taskforce for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures along with other critical environmental standards. This means it can offer a relevant comparable dataset across all markets.
Disclosure is the main driver for action. When companies are scored from D- to A, CDP carries them on a journey from disclosure via awareness and management, culminating with leadership.
A company that has received an A score has not, however, reached the end of its journey. The highest score means that the respective company counts among the most transparent operators in terms of climate change performance and disclosure, along with water security and deforestation.
IGT kickstarted 2023 by signing an important RGS IP alliance with Greentube, partnering with UBetOhio while filing a lawsuit against the UK Gambling Commission in relation to the fourth National Lottery license.
On Monday, the 2023 PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) kicked off, and midway through Level 4 the field is already closing in on 1,000 runners! It’s a truly special event with hundreds of Platinum Pass winners doing battle with some of the biggest names in the game.
While players started with 60,000 in chips and are playing one-hour levels, it didn’t take long for the action to heat up. In fact, there has already been a slew of eliminations with the first coming in Level 1. Ever since there’s been a steady stream of players headed to the exit.
Here’s a look at some of the early bust-out hands from the 2023 PSPC.
Follow live updates from the 2023 PSPC here!
Eliminations Come Quick
Alexandru Papazian
In Level 2 (100/300/300), PokerNews’ Kirk Brown caught a big hand between Alexandru Papazian and PokerStars Platinum Pass winner Hugo Rodilla. They involved in a heads-up pot and faced a board of . Papazian was first to act from the small blind and he bet out 7,400 into the pot of 10,000.
Rodilla made the call from under the gun and the two went to the river . Papazian fired again for 18,200, which left him with a 25,000 chip behind.
After a few moments, Rodilla then moved all in, covering Papazian, and now he was the one under pressure.
Papazian just chuckled to himself, checked his cards once more, and shook his head as he threw in his last chip. He then flipped over for a full house, jacks full of fives, but then Rodilla tabled his hand of for an even bigger full house to win the pot.
The table collectively groaned as they saw what a beat that was, and Papazian was sent to the rail becoming the third elimination of the day.
He was far from the last though as the likes of Juan Pardo, David Yan, Marius Gierse, Fintan Hand, Dan Sepiol, Johan Guilbert, Thomas Boivin, and UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, who earlier in the day had given the traditional, “Shuffle up and deal.”
Moneymaker Busts Coutinho
Chris Moneymaker
One player who got off to a good start was 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Chris Moneymaker, who you might recall finished 11th in the 2011 PCA Main Event for $130,000.
In Level 3 (200/400/400), PokerNews reporter Connor Richards caught a hand between Moneymaker and Sergio Coutinho. In it, Moneymaker was on the good end of a massive cooler.
Coutinho was seen getting up from his seat with his face-up against the of Moneymaker with the board reading . Just like that Coutinho found himself on the rail while Moneymaker grew his stack up to 135,000.
Aces Giveth and Taketh for Anthony Hu
Anthony Hu in the PCA.
In Level 3 (200/400/400), PokerNews’ Calum Grant caught a big hand involving Anthony Hu, who you might recall survived the PCA Main Event money bubble in a back-and-forth ace-versus-kings showdown. That hand was featured in our “Biggest Hands of the Week” recap here.
In the PSPC, Hu opened to 800 from under the gun and was called by a player in late position. Tamer Alkamli then three-bet to 4,200 from the big blind and only Hu called.
Hu called bets of 3,600 and 9,500 for the final board to read
Alkamli put in his last 26,000 on the river and was snap-called.
Alkamli tabled for top set but Hu had the for the seven-high straight. Alkamli looked less than impressed when he exited the room.
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ICE London 2023 is set to break the attendance record for the event as exhibitors from 68 nations have already confirmed their participation in the event, announced the event organizers, Clarion Gaming, in a press release.
Affirming as the Industry’s Leading Exhibition
Running from February 7-9, 2023, ICE London will feature 623 exhibitors coming from 68 countries around the world, spanning from Argentina, Mexico and the US, to Australia and Macau. ICE London 2020 featured exhibitors from 65 nations worldwide.
Commenting on the news, Clarion Gaming’s managing director Stuart Hunter highlighted how much the event had grown through the years to reach a level of internationalization “no other exhibition in the gaming space can come anywhere near.”
Hunter added that the industry’s interest in the event positions ICE London as “a global experience with unique access to the smartest gaming innovations drawn from every corner of the world,” adamant that there are “very few exhibitions of scale in any industry sector” that can be compared with the event and claim to be global or world events.
As the biggest B2B gambling industry event, ICE 2023 will feature game creators, distributors, operators, retailers, trade associations, strategic bodies, and industry regulators all gathered at ExCel London to represent every gaming vertical.
A Week That Sets Directions for the Year
“Research that we’ve undertaken has shown that for many people ICE and iGB Affiliate London actually start on the Sunday pre-ceding and finish on the following Saturday,” Hunter continued, sharing the company’s estimations that “in that week, … over 100 gambling industry events will take place outside of the show hours providing a new and compelling perspective on why ICE and iGB Affiliate London are so influential and important to the world industry.”
His opinion was shared by Simon Thomas, executive chairman of The Hippodrome Casino which serves as a member of the ICE Ambassador Group of industry advisers, who stated that “to see ICE as simply being a three-day live event” is no longer appropriate.
According to the casino’s observations, “the industry is arriving in London a lot earlier and staying considerably longer,” making ICE London “a full week of intensive networking, events, presentations, award ceremonies, meetings, and socializing.”
“The phenomenal international credentials make this coming together of buyers, games creators, influencers, and thought leaders into what I would describe as World Gaming Week,” Thomas continued, connecting industry developments taking place over the year “to conversations that occurred during the week in London.”
ICE London 2023 will also feature the biggest Consumer Protection Zone to date, according to an earlier announcement made by Clarion Gaming.
PokerStars is currently hosting the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), and today the second ever PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) begins and runs through February 3. The buy-in for the PSPC will be $25,000, mirroring that of the first installment.
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team has been on-site to offer live updates from a slew of PCA tournaments. Here’s a look at five of the more interesting hands captured in our live updates from the Bahamas.
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Follow live updates from the 2023 PCA here!
Beresford’s Aces Lead to a Double
Conor Beresford & Fedor Holz
On Day 2 of the $50,000 7-Handed High Roller, it was Level 22 (25,000/50,000/50,000) when Dan Smith opened on the button to 100,000 and quickly faced a three-bet from Conor Beresford in the small blind to 260,000. Ben Heath got out of the way and Smith called to see the flop.
Beresford led out for 65,000 and Smith called again to the turn. The action repeated as Beresford fired 80,000 and Smith called to the river.
Beresford used a time bank card before sliding in a bet of 100,000. Smith then used a time bank of his own and announced all in, committing enough chips to put Beresford at risk.
Beresford’s chips moved forward instantly as he tabled for a turned full house. Smith flashed his cards to his opponents before mucking them to the dealer, giving Beresford the chip lead at the end of Level 22.
Beresford went on to win the tournament, which you can read about here!
“There’s No Folding Range!”: Addamo Floats Beresford
Michael Addamo
On Day 1 of the $25,000 8-Handed High Roller, it was Level 9 (1,500/3,000/3,000) when in a three-way pot on a board of , Dimitar Danchev checked in the big blind and Beresford checked from the hijack before Michael Addamo bet 5,500 on the button. Danchev folded and Beresford check-raised to 14,500. Addamo called.
Beresford bet 8,000 on the turn and Addamo sat perfectly still before raising to 24,000. Beresford folded to hang onto his remaining 33,500.
“I don’t know why I tried against this guy. There’s no folding range!” lamented Beresford. “But I’ll keep f***ing fighting.”
Badziakouski Exits Holding Aces; Mikolaitis Soars into Chip Lead
Dominykas Mikolaitis
On Day 2 of the same tournament in Level 20 (15,000/30,000/30,000), Mikita Badziakouski and Dominykas Mikolaitis got it all in preflop for piles, with Badziakouski at risk.
Mikita Badziakouski: Dominykas Mikolaitis:
Badziakouski was on the right side of this cooler going into this hand, but the tables quickly turned on the flop of to give Mikolaitis top set of kings.
The board completed with to secure Mikolaitis’ victory and sent Badziakouski to the rail. Mikolaitis now has a massive stack of 1,900,000 and is the tournament’s clear chip leader.
Find out who won the $25,000 8-Handed Event here!
Double Elimination at the Feature Table
Ramon Colillas
On Day 4 of the 2023 PCA Main Event, just 23 players remained from an 889-player field when, in Level 22 (10,000/20,000/20,000), Michel Dattani raised to 40,000 from early position. Ramon Colillas was in middle position and three-bet to 185,000 leaving himself only 5,000 behind. Elias Gutierrez in the cutoff four-bet to 330,000. Action was back on Dattani who moved all in for 1,005,000. Colillas tossed in his last chip and Gutierrez snap-called.
Ramon Colillas: Elias Gutierrez: Michel Dattani:
Board:
Dattani was in a great position to secure a double knockout and win a huge pot. The board ran out nine-high and eliminated both Colillas and Gutierrez as Dattani moved up to more than two million chips.
Raymond Folds Full House Correctly
Alexandre Raymond
On Day 5 of the PCA Main Event, it was Level 26 (25,000/50,000/50,000) when Pedro Neves raised to 100,000 from early position and was called by Alexandre Raymond from the big blind.
Raymond, with , check-raised to 200,000 on the flop after Neves continued for 70,000 with his . Neves called.
Raymond improved to a full house on the turn and action checked through.
The river then improved Neves to a superior full house and Raymond led out for 325,000. Neves then raised, choosing a sizing of 1,800,000. Miraculously, Raymond found the correct fold and did it without using up a time bank card.
. Papazian was first to act from the small blind and he bet out 7,400 into the pot of 10,000. 
. Papazian fired again for 18,200, which left him with a 25,000 chip behind. 
for a full house, jacks full of fives, but then Rodilla tabled his hand of 
for an even bigger full house to win the pot. 
face-up against the 
of Moneymaker with the board reading 
. Just like that Coutinho found himself on the rail while Moneymaker grew his stack up to 135,000. 
for top set but Hu had the 
turn. The action repeated as Beresford fired 80,000 and Smith called to the 
, 
to secure Mikolaitis’ victory and sent Badziakouski to the rail. Mikolaitis now has a massive stack of 1,900,000 and is the tournament’s clear chip leader.
, check-raised to 200,000 on the