Following a bout with an undisclosed illness, Nikhil “Nik Airball” Arcot returned to Resorts World in Las Vegas Sunday to compete against his new bitter rival Matt Berkey in a high-stakes heads-up feud, and he booked a six-figure win.
Airball entered the contest earlier this month against the Solve for Why founder, whom he referred to as a “scammer.” While it’s still early and the sample size has only been 27 hours of play, far from enough hands to prove one player is superior to the other, it does appear that this match might turn out to be more competitive than anticipated.
For poker fans who are interested in the heads-up battle, unfortunately, there is no live-stream of the action. Berkey’s Only Friends podcast co-host and friend Landon Tice has been providing brief updates during breaks, as has Airball’s Hustler Casino Live pal Eshaan “Brownballa” Bhalla.
There’s been a stark contrast in tone throughout the first three sessions between tweets from Bhalla and Tice as neither is hiding which competitor they’d like to win.
“Rampage” Headlines Hustler Casino Live $1M Buy-In Poker Game Lineup
How the Heads-Up Poker Match is Going
On April 2, the feuding poker players went to battle for the first time, and it was Berkey booking a $133,000 win, according to Tice’s count. The following day swung in Airball’s favor as he cut the deficit by about $100,000.
Last week, the players took a break due to an undisclosed illness from Nik Airball. Some poker fans, especially the Solve for Why community, questioned if he really was sick or just wanting to take some time off to study.
Either way, the players returned to action at Resorts World’s poker room on Sunday afternoon with, as Bhalla tweeted, Berkey buying in for $100,000 and his opponent having him easily covered at $560,000.
By the end of the session, Nik Airball reportedly had about $682,000 in his stack, giving him a win of approximately $122,000. Tice reported that the margin of victory was $123,700, or around $90,000 across the first three sessions.
Overall Match Stats of @berkey11 vs. @nikairball
— Landon (@LandonTice)
With no audience in attendance, the public doesn’t get to know many details about the hands outside of a few pots shared by Tice or Bhalla on Twitter.
Bhalla did tweet out one crucial hand from Sunday’s session that represents a large chunk of the six-figure differential. In that hand, on a paired board with a flush possibility out there, Berkey check-raised the turn to $10,000 and then bet $25,000 on the river with jack-high and was called by a straight.
Airball open jx8c Berkey call. Flop t T73r Berkey check airball bets 900 Berkey call. Turn 9c backdoor fd comes in… https://t.co/XK3hJRVe7W
— Brownballa (@The_Brownballa)
Without a live-stream going, there aren’t many hands to report. Perhaps, the match would draw more interest if the fans could actually watch it. During the pre-match discussions, Airball suggested they stream the competition, but his opponent required the game be played without cameras rolling.
The heads-up foes are scheduled to return to the felt on Saturday for Day 4, followed by Days 5 and 6 on Sunday and Monday April 23-24. There’s a $1 million stop-loss in play for this high-stakes competition. For now, it appears that the match is going to be more competitive than the Solve for Why crew projected. Of course, that could all change with a couple of big Berkey wins in the coming sessions.
Two years after the first edition in Bratislava, The Pokercode Festival ventured to Gran Casino Via, Madrid, for an exclusive tournament. After three days of competition, the €550 Main Event saw Poland’s Sylwester Fortuna walk away as the champion after he defeated Samuel Mullur in a brief heads up showdown.
Fortuna took home the huge trophy and a nice prize of €40,000 in addition to a €1,200 Pokercode Festival package. A total of 459 entrants registered for the tournament, and the field generated a prize pool of €225,000.
2023 Pokercode Festival Madrid Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
Sylwester Fortuna
Poland
€40,000
2
Samuel Mullur
Austria
€22,000
3
Sebastian Schulze
Germany
€16,860
4
Benoit Kuhn
France
€13,000
5
Tom-Aksel Bedell
Norway
€9,500
6
Antonio Ponce
Spain
€7,000
7
Marcos Fernandez
Spain
€5,530
8
Oleksandr Krasnov
Ukraine
€4,450
Final Day Action
The eight finalists came back at 1 p.m. local time for the final day, with all of them guaranteed €4,450. French player Benoit Kuhn was leading the finalists, as he was at the beginning of Day 2.
Ukrainian player Oleksandr Krasnov was the first out after his two pair was bested by the better two pair held by Sebastian Schulze.
Spanish players Marcos Fernandez (7th, €5,530) and Antonio Ponce (6th, €7,000) were the next to bust, meaning no Spanish player would get the win on home soil. Runner up Muller downed Fernandez with ace-queen and then despatched Ponce with the same hand thirty minutes later.
High Stakes player Tom-Aksel Bedell was the short stack for a long time. He finally finished in fifth position (€9,500) before former chip leader Kuhn exited in fourth-place for €13,000.
Pokercode Grindhouse members Schulze and Mullur were the favorites but Fortuna wasn’t going to roll over so easily.
Three-handed play lasted for a while before German player Schulze was the victim of a bad beat, with his jacks beaten by Fortuna’s king-jack suited.
Therefore Fortuna started heads-up with the biggest stack and triumphed in quick fashion after his ace-queen stayed ahead of Mullur’s ace-jack.
A warrior is worthless unless he rises above others and stands strong in the midst of a storm.
Welcome to ancient Japan. The storm, fight, and action await in the newest Play’n GO release, Ronin’s Honour.
Captivating gameplay:
This newest addition to the company’s portfolio of premium slot games leads you on the adventure with The Ronin, a warrior and free samurai who has been trained by both ninjas and samurais and knows their skills perfectly.
The brave ninja Hannya is Ronin’s archnemesis, and you need to help the samurai win the fight with the ninja. The main inspiration for this themed slot game is classic samurai movies. Fans of such movies will surely fall in love with this new video slot. Loyal fans of Playn’GO’s games may find a resemblance to the game Tale of Kyubiko, which was released last year and rapidly became a hit largely due to its supernatural theme and fantastic mechanic.
How to play:
Ronin’s Honour also brings all the action and amazing features of the best Play’n GO releases. The first mission of a player is to collect three matching symbols to achieve a win. However, if you want something more from the game, you should wait for the Mystery Splitting symbols. When they land on the reels, they can be either stacked or split. The way they appear will determine their destiny. Their mission is to create many Dynamic Payways, after which they will pair the sword of the main character with the gameplay.
If you’re lucky enough, you’ll find three Scatters. They will immediately trigger the Battling Free Spins section. Then, the Ronin, which is situated on the left side of the reels, will start fighting with the Stacked Wilds, which represent Hannya. Each character has three lives, and a life can be taken from Hannya if Ronin splits the Wilds.
When Hannya is finally beaten, the player gets a Guaranteed winning spin. However, if Wilds stay in one piece, the player will lose their life.
There are no limits when it comes to the Battling Free Spins, so you can fight to the death with your enemy.
Thrilling, action-packed slots:
This game is a great addition to the online casino software developer’s portfolio, which consists of many popular action-packed slot games such as Wild Trigger, Gunslinger Reloaded, and the recently released Game of Gladiators: Uprising.
George Olekszy, Head of Game Retention at Play’n GO, said: “Ronin’s Honour is pure fun. Although this slot is for everyone, enthusiasts will feel right at home with this title. The battle mechanics and mystery symbols really elevate this slot, and we couldn’t be prouder. The way Ronin’s Honour blends the narrative and features is seamless.”
In 2022, Ontario became the first Canadian province to legalize, regulate, and segregate its online gambling market. Since then more than 40 igaming operators have moved into the market, making it one of the most competitive gambling markets in the Americas.
In such a big market it can be hard to pick out the best casino apps without some guidance. That’s where PokerNews comes in. We’ve sorted through the long list of Ontario casino apps to find the best casino apps Ontario has to offer.
Ontario Casino Apps Comparison – A complete overview
Ontario has a profusion of legal online casino apps. Comparing every one of these apps can present the average punter with an oppressive range of choices.
So to help you out, here’s a table comparing a few of the best casino apps in Ontario. It’s a great place to start when searching for the best casino apps for your personal needs.
Find the best legal online casinos in Ontario
The Best Casino Apps in Ontario 2023
Some of the best casino apps Ontario players can access are detailed below. Remember that most of these come with both an iOS and Android version. The best casino app for your situation will vary from player to player, but here are some casino apps to check out when you first start looking.
They represent some of the best casino apps in the Ontario gambling market.
JackpotCity Casino Ontario: JackpotCity is a high-quality online casino. As an online casino, JackpotCity has a heavy focus on slots, and the slot gaming experience on the app is excellent. However, it does have a selection of table games on the app so you are not short of options.
888casino Ontario: The 888 brand is one of the biggest international online casino brands in the world. As a result, you can expect that experience to show in the quality of the 888casino Ontario app in particular and in the gaming experience with 888casino’s online casino in general.
BetMGM Casino Ontario: BetMGM brought together the online gaming experience of Entain and the North American casino nous of the MGM empire. The resulting partnership, BetMGM Casino, has one of the slickest apps and smoothest user experiences available in Ontario.
NorthStar Bets Ontario: A homegrown gaming company that originated in Toronto, Northstar Bets is an online casino and sportsbook, all available from the Northstar Bets Ontario app.
PokerStars Casino Ontario: Few brand logos are as immediately recognizable as PokerStars’s red spade symbol. PokerStars brought its iconic poker client and casino platform to Ontario in 2022. With all that money behind it, you won’t be surprised to find that PokerStars Casino Ontario has one of the best apps available in the state.
The Best Real Money Casino Apps in Ontario
Real-money casino apps offer players a chance to place bets from anywhere they can take their phone and still get on the internet. This makes the best casino apps a popular option for a gambler on the go.
Apps are usually optimized for the size and operating system of a phone, whereas the browser version is normally built for a wider screen (like that of a laptop). As a result, it’s often worth switching to the app if you do most of your wagering from your phone.
Some of the best casino apps in Ontario that will allow real money bets are:
JackpotCity Casino Ontario is a real money casino app with a focus on slots, but it also provides a more traditional casino experience including live dealer games. Players will be pleased by this attractive and well-built slot.
PokerStars Casino Ontario has an excellent real money casino app with a wide range of games along with excellent security and tech support. One of its biggest draws is simply the reassurance of being part of the well-established and reputationally strong Stars brand.
BetMGM Casino Ontario has produced one of the best apps in the industry. The user experience is smooth and easy to get to grips with. If you do encounter problems, BetMGM backs the UX up with top-quality customer service.
The Best Android Casino Apps to Play in Ontario
Most of the best casino apps in Ontario are available in versions for iOS and for Android. As a result, most players will be able to access all of the best casino apps Ontario-based devices have available to them.
If you’re an Android owner, here are a few of the best casino apps available on your phone.
PokerStars Casino Ontario Android App One of the best apps in the business, the PokerStars Casino Android app offers live dealer games, table games, and slots in a format that works on your phone.
The PokerStars Casino app for Android in Ontario is a similar build to the international PokerStars Casino app, and so comes with more than a decade of tweaks, upgrades, and quality-of-life improvements. It really is one of the best.
BetMGM Casino Ontario Android App BetMGM Casino’s Android app is a pleasure to use, being one of the smoothest user experiences in the industry. It also comes with almost all of the same features and games as the browser version, but in a more phone-friendly format.
BetMGM also has a high-quality poker app available in Ontario.
JackpotCity Casino Ontario Android App JackpotCity’s Android app is one of the few apps that comes with live dealer games, giving it a (somewhat) unique selling point in the market. However, where JackpotCity really shines is as a slot machine platform. If slots are your go-to casino games, then JackpotCity might be the best Android casino app for you.
The Best iPhone Casino Apps to Play in Ontario
If Android owners have plenty of choices for online casino apps, then iPhone owners are positively spoiled. Despite the Apple store’s controversial policies for developers, Ontario casino apps are plentiful on the App Store.
Among the best of the best casino apps for iPhone in Ontario are the following.
JackpotCity Casino Ontario iPhone App For fans of playing slots, the JackpotCity iPhone app seems to have been made with you in mind. Ontario gamblers will be pleased with this specialist app.
However, there is no need to feel hemmed in as the JackpotCity Casino iPhone app also allows Ontario players access to a range of table games, including live dealer versions of roulette, craps, and blackjack.
PokerStars Casino Ontario iPhone App: PokerStars Casino Ontario also has an iPhone app, and it is one of the best all-around bits of software on this list. For ease of use on an iPhone, PokerStars’ enormous bank of experience has paid off. The app has most of the same features as the browser version and in feels like a more natural fit for playing most slot machines on.
If you already play poker, then you will also be pleased to find how easy it is to move between the two apps. The casino app and poker app both share similar formats.
888casino Ontario iPhone App The 888casino Ontario app for iPhone is a well-built piece of software with a good record for stability. The app comes with the full range of games available in the browser version.
Players can also access a range of 888casino exclusive slots which can only be played on the 888casino app and related platforms.
Online Casino Apps in Ontario FAQs
Are online casino apps legal in Ontario?
Yes. Since April 2022, Ontario has had licensed and regulated casinos available to people located within the province,
What is the best casino app to play for free in Ontario?
There are plenty of casino apps to choose from, and most have a play money version available. A good place to start would be the .net version of PokerStars Casino Ontario.
How do I download a casino app in Ontario?
Click on one of PokerNews‘s download links and follow the instructions. There are several download links for the best casino apps in Ontario in this very article.
Does PokerStars Casino have an app in Ontario?
Yes. The PokerStars Casino app is available in Ontario.
Does BetMGM Casino have an app in Ontario?
Yes. BetMGM Casino has an excellent app for Ontario-based players.
Does PartyCasino have an app in Ontario?
Yes it does. PartyCasino is available to players in Ontario.
Does Borgata have a casino app in Ontario?
No. Borgata is not yet licensed for the Ontario market and as such Ontario players cannot legally play on any of Borgata’s apps.
What is the largest casino in Ontario?
PokerStars Casino is one of the biggest and most recognizable casinos in Ontario.
What is the best casino app in Toronto?
For relatively new casino players the BetMGM casino app is the best starting point. If you’re a fan of slots, Jackpot City may be the best app for you. And if you come from a poker background, the PokerStars Casino app is excellent.
The promotion presented on this page was available at the time of writing. With some Casino promotions changing on daily basis, we suggest you to check on the site if it still available. Also, please do not forget to read the terms and conditions in full before you accept a bonus.
Former Chelsea FC forward Eidur Gudjohnsen has revealed that he lost about £6m ($7.5m) gambling during his career. He believes the recently announced ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship in the UK Premier League is a step in the right direction.
would often spend £2,000 ($2,483) on just one online roulette spin
The former Icelandic player spoke over the weekend about his gambling habit, explaining that it was when he was out of action dealing with an injury that his gambling began. He said that during one five-month period, he lost £400,000 ($496,530) and he would often spend £2,000 ($2,483) on just one online roulette spin.
It didn’t take long for Gudjohnsen’s gambling to spin out of control. He said that athletes often look for other ways to get an adrenaline rush, which is when gambling and other vices like alcohol can enter the picture.
Gudjohnsen won two Premier League titles with Chelsea and a UEFA Champions League medal with Barcelona.
The 44-year-old believes that the front-of-shirt ban was long overdue. He talked about how influential a shirt sponsor can be due to the sheer number of people who see it. Gudjohnsen would like big clubs to promote worthier causes on their jerseys. The former forward cited UNICEF previously sponsoring FC Barcelona and the huge awareness that created for a good cause.
The post Former Chelsea Star Reveals He Lost £6m Gambling, Approves of New Front-of-Shirt Ban appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
Team PokerStars’ Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg and Lex “L. Veldhuis” Veldhuis helped themselves to titles on Sunday at their sponsor’s online poker site, PokerStars. Spraggy came out on top of the $215 Bounty Builder for $8,677 while Veldhuis triumphed in the $320 Bounty Builder and took home $3,666 for his efforts.
Some 224 players bought into the $215 Bounty Builder, ensuring the $40,000 guarantee was surpassed by $4,800. A whole host of stars were among the starters, including the aforementioned Veldhuis, Patrick “thebigdog09” Brooks, Juan “Malaka$tyle” Pardo, and Vojta “vojta555cz” Skalak, although they each failed to navigate their way to the final table.
Chris “ImDaNuts” Oliver did reach the final table but his time there was limited, and he busted in ninth for $1,089 with bounties included. Guntis “[email protected]” Aleskins ($1,063), Arsenii “josef_shvejk” Karmatckii ($966), and Lithuania’s “VIgnasPokerV” ($2,041) busted, leaving five players in the hunt for the title.
Those five became four with the elimination of “fcb-serv” ($1,852), then three when “BrowarFans” ($2,612) fell by the wayside. The untimely demise of “Lordof0512” ($3,880) sent the $215 Bounty Builder into the heads-up stage, where Spraggy took on “zepf86” of Germany. Spraggy got the job done and his hands on $8,677, leaving the runner-up to console themselves with $5,326.
$215 Bounty Builder Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Bounties
Prize
Total Prize
1
Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg
United Kingdom
$4,846
$3,831
$8,677
2
zepf86
Germany
$1,496
$3,830
$5,326
3
Lordof0512
Austria
$1,385
$2,495
$3,880
4
BrowarFans
Poland
$725
$1,887
$2,612
5
fcb-serv
Brazil
$425
$1,427
$1,852
6
VIgnasPokerV
Lithuania
$962
$1,079
$2,041
7
Arsenii “josef_shvejk” Karmatckii
Montenegro
$150
$816
$966
8
Guntis “[email protected]” Aleskins
Latvia
$446
$617
$1,063
9
Chris “ImDaNuts” Oliver
Costa Rica
$575
$514
$1,089
“DNegs98” Captures Titans Title
The biggest score at PokerStars this weekend went to “DNegs98” after the British grinder came out on top of a 79-strong field in the $5,200 Titans Event, a result worth $87,387 after a heads-up deal.
Any of the nine players that navigated their way through shark-infested waters would have made a worthy champion, but the very nature of poker tournaments means there can only be one true champion.
Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson ($12,446), Adrian “Amadi_017” Mateos ($15,539), and Dominik “Bounatirou” Nitsche ($20,108) saw their title aspriations dashed for another week. Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi ($26,019), “uwintakeit” ($33,668), and 2013 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event champion Dimitar “KuuL” Danchev ($43,566) fared better but still came up short.
Sweden’s “Hendurr” bowed out in third ($56,374) before DNegs98 and “Jesper8” struck a deal to make the pay jumps less severe. Dnegs then defeated their heads-up opponent to lock in an $87,387 score, resigning Jesper8 to a $79,951 consolation prize.
$5,200 Titans Event Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
DNegs98
United Kingdom
$87,387*
2
Jesper8
Austria
$79,951*
3
Hendurr
Sweden
$56,374
4
Dimitar “KuuL” Danchev
Bulgaria
$43,566
5
uwintakeit
Canada
$33,668
6
Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi
United Kingdom
$26,019
7
Dominik “Bounatirou” Nitsche
United Kingdom
$20,108
8
Adrian “Amadi_017” Mateos
United Kingdom
$15,539
9
Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson
Sweden
$12,446
*reflects a heads-up deal
Other PokerStars Highlights From April 16
Online poker veteran Nicolas “PKaiser” Fierro padded his bankroll with almost $39,000 when he came out on top in the $1,050 Sunday High Roller PKO event. Jans “Graftekkel” Arends also won big, reeling in $20,201 after becoming the champion of the $1,050 Sunday Supersonic.
Event
Entrants
Prize Pool
Champion
Prize
$1,050 Sunday High Roller PKO
154
$154,000
Nicols “PKaiser” Fierro
$38,889*
$109 Sunday Fenomeno
1,399
$139,900
Tapiscalle?
$21,461
$109 Sunday Warm-Up
1,333
$133,300
Old brock
$20,661
$1,050 Sunday Supersonic
64
$65,015
Jans “Graftekkel” Arends
$20,201*
$215 Sunday Supersonic
477
$97,670
ExploierCZ
$17,358
$109 Sunday Cooldown
1,362
$136,200
heyalisson
$16,385*
$1,050 Sunday Warm-Up
50
$50,000
SerVlaMin
$15,536
$109 Bounty Builder
1,091
$109,100
MrTermi1021
$14,068*
$109 Sunday Kickoff
552
$55,200
JackRipperJr
$9,744
*includes bounty payments
Jaime Staples Narrowly Misses Out as Rodrigo Selouan Binks The PartyPoker Grand
The $1,050 buy-in The Grand is PartyPoker‘s largest buy-in weekly tournament, a tournament frequented by some online poker greats. Seventy-two of those stellar players bought into The Grand this week, creating a $72,225 prize pool that blew the $60,000 guarantee out of the water.
$2,783 was the least any of the finalists could take home for their efforts, which is the prize Petr Dusek of the Czech Republic helped himself to when he crashed out in ninth. Estonian Sergio Mediavilla De Pedro ($3,066) and Andre Abreu of Brazil ($3,354) were the next to fall before Dimitar Danchev came unstick in sixth ($3,863).
Former MILLIONS Online Main Event champion Endrit Geci ($4,730) busted in fifth, with Rayan Chamas ($6,146) seeing his tournament end in a fourth-place finish. Team PartyPoker Pro Jaime Staples was cut down in third ($8,363), leaving Rodrigo Selouan heads-up against Dan Connolly. Selouan defeated his Irish opponent, and banked $18,110 for his efforts, leaving Connolly to collect the $11,888 second-place prize.
$1,050 The Grand Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
Rodrigo Selouan
Brazil
$18,110
2
Dan Connolly
Ireland
$11,888
3
Jaime Staples
Canada
$8,363
4
Rayan Chamas
Canada
$6,146
5
Endrit Geci
United Kingdom
$4,730
6
Dimitar Danchev
Bulgaria
$3,863
7
Andre Abreu
Brazil
$3,354
8
Sergio Mediavilla De Pedro
Estonia
$3,066
9
Petr Dusek
Czech Republic
$2,783
Other PartyPoker Highlights From April 16
Staples may have missed out on glory but Patrick “Patrick_Leonard” Leonard made up for his team mate by triumphing in The Super $320 for $7,983. Leonard also finds himself in the final 15 of the $150,000 guaranteed Sunday Party, which concludes on April 17.
PokerStars Play is a great, immersive app from PokerStars offering gamers online poker and casino games to play for FREE. This is a great alternative gambling route for those who live in regions without legalized, online play, or anyone who just wants to improve their skills without spending any real money.
We’ve covered the amazing games on offer in our previous articles for the casino and poker games, so this time, we wanted to take a deeper look at some of the added extras you get when you download the PokerStars Play App. Specifically, the scratchers (also known as ‘scratchcards’) are a great addition to the games on offer with PokerStars Play.
PokerStars Play is available worldwide, including in the United States and Australia, but please be aware that it doesn’t include real money gambling or an opportunity to win real money or prizes.
What is PokerStars Play?
PokerStars Play launched in 2017 as a free app to play, offering Texas Hold’em games to Android and iOS users. Since then, we’ve seen the app develop even further to include more online poker, casino games, and other elements, all free to play.
It’s important to note that the PokerStars Play app games are for play money only. If you want to play for real money and live in a country with licensed, regulated gaming, just head to the PokerStars Casino website.
What are Online Scratchers?
Scratchers (or ‘scratchcards’ as they are sometimes known) are instant-win online games that work in much the same way as real-life scratchcards. Due to their simple gameplay and the fact that you can win a prize immediately, these are very popular games, and you’ll often find them available at online casino sites.
Online scratchcards are like a virtual version of the cards you might buy in a shop, the difference here is that you need to use your mouse (or finger if playing on an app or mobile version), to ‘scratch’ off the prize on a card. You don’t need a coin to do the scratching though!
How Do Scratchers Work on the PokerStars Play App?
You’ll see the ‘Scratch’ option as soon as you download and log in to the PokerStars Play App, as the icon is located on the main lobby screen. As every player is awarded a free scratcher each day, the icon will show you that a new scratcher is available for you to use.
Once you click the icon, you’ll be taken to the Scratcher section of the app. Like scratchcards that most of us are familiar with, you just need to hit the scratcher to reveal the symbols hidden on the card. Match 3 symbols to win – could be cherries, lemons, oranges, or watermelons!
As well as the Free Scratcher you’ll get every time you log in, you can also earn another scratcher by watching an ad. You’ll see the ‘Watch’ option when you load the Scratcher feature within the app. Clicking this will load an ad within the app, and once you’ve watched this, you’ll be rewarded with a further scratcher.
You can also purchase Premium Scratchers that unlock bigger and better rewards!
What Scratchers are Included with the PokerStars Play App?
The scratchers included in the PokerStars Play App come in two varieties:
Free Scratchers As mentioned, you’ll get a Free Scratcher every day just for playing on PokerStars Play. Your Free Scratcher will be ready and waiting for you in the main lobby when you load up PokerStars Play, so there’s no excuse not to have a scratch.
When you load up a scratcher, you’ll need to scratch off the symbols on the card on screen. Match 3 symbols, and you’ll win!
Earn an extra scratcher by watching an ad – just hit the ‘Watch’ option in the bottom right of the app screen.
Premium Scratchers As well as the Free Scratcher, you can also purchase Premium Scratchers, which are a simple way to increase the rewards you can get. You’ll need to redeem some of your chips to purchase any Premium Scratchers.
If you climb the Leaderboard to reach the VIP Level Shark and higher, you’ll automatically get a Premium Scratcher every 4 days.
What Can You Win With PokerStars Play Scratchers?
PokerStars Play is a games app that runs primarily on chips, so any wins you get from your scratchers will come in the form of additional chips for your stack.
These chips can then be used to play with the poker and slot games you’ll find elsewhere on the app, so its worth building up your chipstack as much as you can.
Ready to start with PokerStars Play? Read our full review to find out more about how to download and sign up for PokerStars Play, as well as more details on the free to play poker and casino games you’ll find.
The RunGood Poker Series Checkpoint has seen the completion of the $600 Main Event at Downstream Resort and Casino outside of Joplin, Missouri. After three days of starting flights, the final tally settled at 683 entrants, creating a prize pool of $348,330, which smashed the $100,000 guarantee initially set for the tournament.
The final table of the main event had the rare distinction of holding two players who have won RGPS Main Events before. Dakotah O’Dell and Blair Hinkle ended up becoming the final two to battle for another main event title to add to their illustrious resumes. After a hard-fought battle, O’Dell emerged as the victor, claiming his second RGPS Main Event title and $63,647.
Final Table Results
Place
Name
Prize
1
Dakotah O’Dell
$63,647
2
Blair Hinkle
$42,427
3
Jason Darland
$31,210
4
Richard Hawkins
$23,338
5
Jared Ward
$17,591
6
Kevin Unkel
$13,411
7
Danny Barnes
$10,345
8
Jael Lewis
$8,081
9
John Reynolds
$6,374
Winner’s Interview
“It feels great,” the newly crowned two-time champion said, exhausted from an hours-long battle at the final table. “This is my hometown casino here,” he said when asked about this win compared to the title he took down just months ago in Council Bluffs. “I travel to many of the circuit events, but doing it here feels like a dream come true.”
While playing cash games for many years, O’Dell only started playing tournaments in 2019, amassing over $300,000 in Hendon Mob earnings since then. “I learn by talking to players better than me, taking in a lot of content, and grinding. It’s not always easy, just staying focused and playing.”
O’Dell came into the final table with just five big blinds, but through a series of double-ups, he arose as those overwhelming chip leader but then dropped down to the middle of the pack in what he described as “a rollercoaster.”
“When you come into the final table with five big blinds, you kinda write yourself off sometimes,” he said, describing his mental state at the beginning of the final table. “I had people in my corner, and this time it worked out.”
When asked about the three-handed match that lasted for many hours, O’Dell remarked, “I had perceived my opponents as better than me, so I had to adjust my playing style. They’re good players and were very hard to play against.”
On top of the ring, the title, and the money, O’Dell won a seat for the Dream Seat giveaway tournament at Thunder Valley Casino later this year. “I believe you’ll see me there,” he said in response to whether or not he would go. “That would be my first trip ever to Cali, but I believe you’ll see me there.”
Day 2 Recap
Early play in the day saw many players eliminated from the competition early. Among the casualties were RunGood Poker Series Legends like RGPS Tulsa 2022 champion Shantanu Garg (75th-$940), two-time RGPS ring winner Joey Gargiulo (64th-$1,149), Youtuber and Poker Pro Ashley “PokerFaceAsh” Frank (54th-$1,289), RGPS Tulsa 2023 Champion Pete Petree (42nd-$1,463), and RGPS Joplin 2014 Champion Mark Martin (33rd-$1,707) all finished outside of the final table. The final player to fall prior to the tournament being brought to one table was Joe Ferguson who ended up getting in his king-jack on a king-high board against Richard Hawkins, who held a set of tens. Ferguson collected $6,374 for his deep run, and the table was then brought to just one table.
Final Table Recap
The final table began with many short stacks jockeying for positions to ladder, and the first one to go was John “Cracker” Reynolds. The RGPS ring winner moved in his final eight big blinds in over Jared Ward’s raise with ace-ten. Ward looked him up with king-ten offsuit, and while the situation seemed initially favorable, Ward ran out a king-high flush, giving him the pot and leaving Reynolds to exit the tournament in ninth place for $6,374.
Danny Barnes had come into the final table with an overwhelming chip lead, sitting at over 100 big blinds from two tables left onwards to the final. He found his kryptonite in the form of O’Dell, who doubled up through him four times consecutively. Once for eight big blinds and O’Dell holding king-nine while Barnes held ace-ten, a second time for 20 big blinds where O’Dell held king-nine, and Barnes held ace-queen, a third time for 35 big blinds where O’Dell held ace-king. Barnes held tens and a final time for nearly 80 big blinds when Barnes got in his set on the turn against O’Dell’s top pair open-ended straight draw which connected on the river. O’Dell ascended high, holding half of the chips in play with eight left, while Barnes tumbled down the counts to the shortest stack.
Despite this, it would be Jael Lewis who would be next to go when she lost most of her stack, doubling up Barnes when she held ace-ten against his jack-eight. She was left with only a few chips after that confrontation, and while she did find one double, her final five big blinds went in with king-ten offsuit and Kevin Unkel called her with pocket queens. Lewis found no help, and the final woman standing departed the tournament in eighth place, collecting $8,081 for her efforts.
Barnes finished his run in seventh place just after her. He defended big blind against Jason Darland’s raise and then moved all-in on a four-high board with just a king-seven suited for king-high and a flush draw. Darland called with his ace-king for just ace high and doubled into the middle of the pack, leaving Barnes with just two blinds. On the next hand, he was eliminated when his queen-seven offsuit could not improve against O’Dell’s ace-ten, and the start of table chip leader collected $10,345 for his efforts.
What followed was a series of three players doubling through O’Dell, giving the chip lead to Richard Hawkins, who held it until Darland took it in a confrontation between the two of them. The next to go would end up being Unkel, who moved all in on a flop with nine-seven after flopping middle pair against Blair Hinkle, who flopped top pair holding ace-nine. Unkel could not find the two-outer to survive, and last year’s 12th-place finisher improved his finish to sixth place this time around, earning $13,411 for his second impressive run on this property.
Ward found himself ending his run in fifth place shortly after that. After falling to the short stack of the table, he moved in his final chips with ace-nine from the small blind against O’Dell’s button open, only for Darland to wake up with pocket kings in the big blind and hold against his hand. No ace or miracle straight appeared, and Ward collected $17,591 for his deep run, and Darland took nearly half of the chips in play.
Despite an early lead, Hawkins couldn’t find much success beyond the beginning levels of the tournament and his run ended in fourth place. He moved in his final eight big blinds with pocket fours against O’Dell, who called him with ace-queen. An ace-high flop spelt the end for Hawkins, and he wished his tablemates luck as he collected $23,338 for his efforts.
What followed was a 90-minute three-handed battle, where each player shared a decent amount of time as the big stack, the middle stack, and the short stack. Hinkle began three-handed play as the short stack, but a timely double-through Darland saw him take the lead from him. Hinkle seemed to be the runaway leader with well over half of the chips in play, but after a timely double and some three bets, O’Dell took the lead back from his opponents and began applying pressure. At the end of it all, O’Dell raised with ace-seven offsuit and then called an 11 big blind all in from Darland, who held queen-ten. No improvement was had with the queen ten, and O’Dell went into heads up with a 2:1 lead, while Darland finished his impressive run in third place for $31,210.
Despite the early lead heads up, Hinkle took it back when he flopped a straight against O’Dell’s top pair putting the two stacks nearly even. A few hands later, O’Dell raised on the button with ace-five offsuit, and Hinkle moved all in with pocket fours. O’Dell thought about his decision for a minute but called in the tournament deciding hand. The flop came out ace-high, and no set or straight followed it for Hinkle, leaving O’Dell the winner and the two-time RGPS Main Event champion to exit the tournament with an impressive second-place finish for $42,427. This comes after Hinkle only started the day with eight big blinds.
Poker players in Ontario have been enjoying the Ontario Poker Championship on partypoker Ontario this week.
The series kicked off on April 2 and will run until April 18.
Ontario poker players have had a good couple of weeks for poker. Not only is partypoker Ontario running the Ontario Poker Championship this week, but other sites have been running similar series. Ontarians have just had both the first ever ONSCOOP and 888poker Ontario’s The Festival to play.
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With all that competition going on, players on partypoker Ontario have been able to take advantage of some solid overlay.
Players in Ontario Poker Championship #07: $530 The High-Roller 6-max got a $15,000 guarantee on a pot of just $13,500. The Sunday C-Note PKO came in with a $17,600 collection and a $20,000 prize pool. The extra cash went exclusively into the non-bounty payouts, boosting them by 37.5%.
With nearly half the tournament lineup still to go, there are likely to be plenty more overlay opportunities to come.
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The big winners at the partypoker Ontario Poker Championships
So far we have seen some big wins and exciting plays at the partypoker Ontario Poker Championships
In particular, the half-dozen completed higher roller events saw some thrilling final tables. With the smaller fields, these high-roller events also allowed repeat final table appearances and the accompanying narratives.
For example, two of these events were won outright by “Snoozing.” They won the $530 7-max NLH event and one of several $530 6-max high-rollers, collecting $11.2k for their two victories.
However, the biggest and most exciting event so far was Ontario Poker Championship #53: $530 The High-Roller 6-max. The event fell a little short of its $25,000 guarantee (another bit of overlay for the ICM calculators to account for).
“Alex Schaefer” took the first place prize of C$2,079.31 after beating “bambinno” heads up. They also cashed for an extra C$3,232.66 in bounties.
Check out the best Ontario poker sites
What to look forward to at the Ontario Poker Championships
There are still around 70 tournaments to come, including the Ontario Poker Championships Main Event.
This Main Event comes in two versions. A low-stakes $33 buy-in event and a high-stakes $265 buy-in event. Both events are progressive knock-out events with half the prize pool placed as bounties and half going into the finishers’ payouts.
The Ontario Poker Championships is here!
— Partypoker_Ontario (@PartypokerOn)
The Main Events have multiple Day 1s spread throughout the festival with a final Day 2 playing out on April 19.
If you want a shot at the title, there’s still plenty of time to download partypoker Ontario and join the action.
Eligible iGames conducted and managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in the Province of Ontario. WSOP.ca Ontario operates pursuant to an agreement with iGaming Ontario.
For more information, visit the Ontario Players Homepage
Cristiano Ronaldo is a legend in the world of soccer. With five Ballon d’Ors, five UEFA Champions League titles, and a European Championship victory with Portugal to his name, he will be remembered forever.
struggling to deal with his declining powers in recent years
The 38-year-old has been struggling to deal with his declining powers in recent years, leading him to move from club to club. After an explosive departure from Manchester United, no major clubs appeared to want the troublesome star, which is why he is now playing for Al-Nassr FC in the Saudi Professional League.
He also is no longer a focal point for the national team. Fernando Santos benched Ronaldo in the 2022 World Cup knockout stages after the forward threw a fit when substituted in the last group stage game. Santos ultimately lost his job after the tournament.
Still causing trouble
Ronaldo appears to still be a tricky customer, with his most recent manager getting the boot this week. Rudi Garcia only took over Al-Nassr in June 2022 and leaves the team just three points behind the league leaders with seven games remaining. Reports emerged on Wednesday that an apparent argument with Ronaldo contributed to his demise.
Ronaldo is the Al-Nassr captain and has scored 11 goals in 12 appearances for the club.
The star forward reportedly had talks with the team’s upper management to discuss Garcia’s future. Despite the apparent disagreement, Ronaldo still posted a message on Instagram thanking the departing manager. The Al-Nassr under-19 coach Dinko Jeličić will take over the reins of the senior team for now. Some big names are being linked to the role, including Jose Mourinho and Zinedine Zidane.
A tumultuous time in Turin
The departure of Garcia means that Ronaldo has had seven managers sacked in just four years, beginning with the departure of Massimiliano Allegri from Juventus in May 2019. The club had just won its fifth consecutive Serie A under his direction, and he had the highest win percentage in the club’s history. Allegri has since returned to head Juventus.
Andrea Pirlo then took over for a single season.
Next up was Maurizio Sarri, who lasted just over 50 games when he was sacked in August 2020 following the club’s elimination from the Champions League round of 16 at the hands of Lyon. Juventus legend Andrea Pirlo then took over for a single season. Elimination once more in the Champions League round of 16 and a fourth-place finish in Serie A sealed his fate.
An ill-fated return to United
Ronaldo made the move back to England in August 2021 when he re-joined Manchester United. His former teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjær was in charge, but just a few months later, Solskjær stepped away following a bad string of results. United decided to appoint Ralf Rangnick as the side’s interim manager until the end of the season.
Players seemingly challenged the Rangnick’s authority, with Ronaldo in particular being very outspoken. Ronaldo questioned the appointment, saying that Rangnick wasn’t even a coach, that he was sporting director.
He even refused to come on as a substitute in one game.
Former Ajax boss Erik Ten Haag was appointed as the next permanent manager before the current season began. The Dutchman gave Ronaldo a chance to show that he was buying into his philosophy, but it didn’t take long before he was no longer a starter. He even refused to come on as a substitute in one game.
The Portuguese star then did an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which he attacked his manager and the club as a whole. He said that he didn’t respect Hag “because he doesn’t show respect for me” and believed that the manager was trying to provoke him by not giving him many minutes of playtime. This led to a mutual termination of Ronaldo’s contract.
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