Patio Poker Week ran from May 28-July 4 on PokerStars Ontario and offered over $200,000 in guaranteed prize pools. The week-long turbo series culminated with the $100 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO, Main Event] $20K GTD and a familiar face claimed the title.

Team PokerStars’ Arlie “Prince Pablo” Shaban won the Main Event of the series, and all the action was captured on stream as he navigated his way to victory.

Not only did Shaban win the marquee tournament, but the previous day he notched a profit of nearly $5K, and the day after his Main Event win, he pocketed nearly another $2K in front of an audience playing various tournaments on the PokerStars Ontario platform.

PokerStars Gives Ontario Basketball Fans Red Pass Treatment w/ Stapes & Shaban

The Fresh Prince of Ontario

On June 3, Arlie “Prince Pablo” Shaban fired up his stream, and thousands of viewers watched him fire away in several events. He notched multiple cashes, including a score of just under $3K after a four-way chop in the Daily Super High Roller $500, $12K GTD. At the end of the day, he finished with a sweet profit of $4,917.

The following day on June 4, Shaban made his way back to the virtual felt for another session with an even better result. Among other cashes during his hours-long stream, he captured the title in the Patio Poker Week $100 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO, Main Event].

Shaban claimed the $1,751.68 top prize and picked up a massive $3,920.29 in bounties in the progressive knockout format, nearly seven times more than the next largest bounty winner. Overall that day, he pocketed a total profit of $5,515.

$100 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO, Main Event] Final Table Results

Place	Player	Prize	Bounty
1	Arlie “Prince Pablo” Shaban	$1,751.68	$3,920.29
2	“Phantom 2X”	$1,751.52	$178.13
3	“lyonsden6”	$1,116.70	$245.31
4	“tonami2”	$833.13	$571.87
5	“Element97x”	$621.57	$393.75
6	“smith1952”	$463.73	$268.75
7	“jdawggg1993”	$345.97	$162.50
8	“RiffleRaffer”	$258.11	$112.50
9	“the_chach69”	$221.00	$268.75

The day after his win he put on another show for his viewers and earned another not-too-shabby monetary gain of $1,902, including a runner-up finish in the Mini Monday Heat $20 [8-Max], 3K GTD, and a third-place finish in the Monday Heat $100 [8-Max], 7K GTD. Over the three-day period, the 34-year-old streamer profited a total of $12,334.

Shaban is no stranger to success on the PokerStars platform in the largest Canadian province, as the popular Twitch streamer won an astonishing five ONCOOP titles late last year.

PokerStars Ontario Celebrates Toronto Maple Leafs’ Stanley Cup Success

Other Patio Poker Week Winners

The final day of the series was on June 4, and in addition to the Main Event, there were nine other Patio Poker Week events during the day to ensure other players not named “Prince Pablo” could also earn a nice payday.

In PPW 52: $20 NLHE [Turbo, Deepstack], “SSSMBRFC2/C” navigated through a field of 158 entrants to snag the lion’s share of the $2,875.60 prize pool for a score of $579.05.

“PhatBlunt” took the biggest piece of the $10,465.20 prize pool in PPW 54: $100 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Fast Sunday SE] and claimed the $2,396.89 top prize over the field of 114 players.

Meanwhile, “samcro37” closed out the series with a victory in PPW 58: $30 NLHE [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo, PKO] Wrap-Up for $390.55 plus $520.75 in bounties.

A list of all the Poker Patio Week winners from the final day of the series is available in the table below.

PokerStars ON Poker Patio Week Winners June 4, 2023

After just under 13 hours on the virtual felt, Danny “jackdaniels1” Wong defeated “Brownballa” in heads-up play to win his first WSOP gold bracelet and $130,648 in Event #4: $600 NLH Ultra Deepstack on WSOP.com. The event drew a field of 1,031 players that rebought 625 times to generate a prize pool of $894,240.

Wong can finally add a WSOP gold bracelet to his long list of accomplishments that include over $5 million in career earnings, according to Hendon Mob, with cashes as far back as 2006.

In third was Roman “Romka4ever” Ilin and Adam “misterblue” Saven bowed out in fourth. WSOP champion Ian “IanMa” Matakis rounded out the top five.

Online Event #4: $600 NLH Ultra Deepstack Final Table Results

Many top players joined the field in hopes of a deep run to WSOP gold, but some who weren’t fortunate enough to find a cash included Vanessa “ContainsNuts” Kade, Michael “stiltwalk” Mercaldo, Jamie “DanBilzerian” Kerstetter, and Karapet “Siro74” Galstyan. As well as popular poker YouTubers Ethan “Rampunts” Yau, and Johnnie “JohnnieVIBES” Moreno, who finished just shy of the money.

The bubble burst in rare fashion as Jason “Daluxxx” Luxenberg was “sitting out” from the tournament and blinded down to less than an ante and forced all in. Once in the money, the action was fast and furious, with many players going out on the very next hand.

Some familiar faces who made the money include 2013 Main Event champ Ryan “BitC0in” Riess (156th – $1,788), Matt “RubberFist” Stout (138th – $1,877), WSOP.com grinders Michael “BrockLesnar” Holtz (96th – $2,146), Corey “Corgasm” Paggeot (57th – $2,503), and Jeremiah “freestylerr” Williams (56th – $2,503).

Final Table Action

The official eight-handed final table started slowly with many pots going back and forth preflop. The action began to pick up as the blinds increased, and the average stack was just around 20 big blinds.

The first casualty came when “ChloeB23” moved in with queen-eight on the button and was called by Saven, who held pocket fours. The flop fanned out a four, and the board couldn’t find improvement for “ChloeB23” as they were sent to the rail in eighth place.

A few hands later, “maannyyy” picked up queen-jack suited and moved in but ran into the pocket queens for Saven to send them out in seventh place. “UselessTrvia” was atop the leaderboard for much of the later stages, however, after getting in a flip situation with king-queen against the sevens of Ilin, found themselves on the wrong side and was out in sixth place.

Soon after, Matakis would make a great call for their tournament life with ace-seven but was drawn out by the flush of “Brownballa” to eliminate the last WSOP bracelet winner in fifth place.

Four-handed didn’t last long. Saven’s chips hit the middle with pocket eights but were outdrawn by the rivered straight for Ilin to send them to the rail in fourth place.

A short while later, Ilin would be on the losing end of a coin flip when their pocket threes couldn’t hold up against the ace-five suited in the hand of “Brownballa” to send them out in third place.

Heads-up play started with “Brownballa” having an over 2-to-1 chip lead on Wong, however, after a back-and-forth battle, Wong found himself in the pole position.

In the final hand, Wong opened the button for a min-raise, and “Brownballa” moved all in for just over 20 big blinds. Wong quickly made the call with ace-seven and was up against ten-nine suited. The flop saw an ace, and the rest of the board was no help to “Brownballa” as they were forced to settle for a runner-up finish. Wong scored the victory and WSOP gold.

That wraps up the coverage of Event #4: $600 NLH Ultra Deepstack. Be sure to stick with PokerNews for all your up-to-date coverage of the rest of the 2023 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.

Day 8 of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas saw another three players capture gold WSOP bracelets, while four other events saw their field whittled to a more manageable number of runners.

Jeremy Eyer is on cloud nine right now having taken down Event #12: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout. Eyer came out on top of a 735-strong field to become a WSOP champion for the first time; his victory also came with a bankroll-boosting $649,550 prize.

Event #13: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack also crowned its champion, and that winner was none other than Joseph Altomonte. Some 3,200 players entered this event, a record turnout for a WSOP PLO tournament, and Altomonte left them all in his wake. Turning $600 into a $217,102 score plus a coveted gold bracelet is one hell of a return.

The fourth online bracelet-awarding event, the $600 No-Limit Hold’em Ultra Deepstack, may have taken 13 hours to complete due to 1,031 entries, but when the curtain finally came down, it was Danny “jackdaniels1” Wong who had all of the chips in play in their possession. Wong’s reward? A first career bracelet and $130,648.

High-Stakes Gurus Turn Out in Force for the $25K High Roller

Some 264 elite-level poker players bought into Event #16: $25,000 High Roller (8-Handed) but only 93 of them had chips requiring bagging and tagging at the end of the eighth level. Topping the chip counts at the end of Day 1 was Calvin Anderson.

Anderson channelled his inner Phil Hellmuth and bought in fashionably late during the second half of proceedings. Within three levels, Anderson had span his 150,000 starting stack into a tournament-leading 1,609,000, or 161 big blinds if you prefer.

The two-time WSOP bracelet winner leads from Freddy Deeb (1,440,000) and Brian Kim (1,291,000), who are on the overnight podium, while Isaac Haxton (1,195,000), and Alex Nguyen (1,060,000) also bagged up seven-figure stacks.

As you would expect, the field is littered with household names. Such luminaries as recent bracelet winner Alexandre Vuilleumier (774,000), Joao Vieira (620,000), Danny Tang (564,000), Stephen Chidwick (426,000), Adrian Mateos (389,000), reigning WSOP Main Event champion Espen Jorstad (377,000), Erik Seidel (248,000), and a short-stacked Daniel Negreanu (90,000) were among the Day 1 survivors.

Event #16: $25,000 High Roller (8-Handed) Top 10 Chip Counts

Day 2 shuffles up and deals at 12:00 p.m. local time, which is when late registration slams shut. The players sit down in Level 9, meaning blinds of 5,000/10,000 and a big blind ante of 10,000.

Max Hoffman Leads the Final 13 in the Seven Card Stud Championship

Max Hoffman (1,522,000) holds the chip lead going into the final day of Event #14: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship where only 13 players remain in contention for the tournament’s bracelet and $311,433 top prize.

Hoffman is one of two players armed with a seven-figure stack, Maxx Coleman (1,238,000) being the other.

No fewer than eight of the final 13 already own at least one piece of poker jewellery, including the aforementioned Coleman. Brian Yoon (800,000), Ben Diebold (684,000), David “Bakes” Baker (586,000), Chad Eveslage (472,000), Ben Yu (422,000), Alex Livingston (309,000), and Julien Martini (273,000) are all looking to add to their collection of WSOP hardware.

Event #14: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship Chip Counts

The players return to their seats from 1:00 p.m. on June 7, and the action continues for as long as it takes to crown a champion.

Former Champ Reaches Day 2 of the 6-Max NLHE

Only 161 of the 2,454 starters managed to progress to Day 2 of Event #15: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, and the champion of this tournament from 2021, Bradley Jansen (651,000) is among them.

Jansen’s impressive day at the felt sees him return on Day 2 with a top 20 stack and with a realistic chance of becoming a two-time WSOP champion.

However, Brandon Hall will have something to say about that happening because he bagged and tagged a colossal stack of 1,440,000 chips to claim the overnight chip lead. Only Stevens Chen (1,100,000) finished with more than one million chips.

Others still in the hunt include Allan Le (800,000), Matthew Wantman (774,000), Upeshka De Silva (709,000), John Monnette (640,000), Maria Ho (409,000), and Joseph Cheong (236,000).

Event #15: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Top 10 Chip Counts

Play resumes at 10:00 a.m. local time on June 7 with the blinds at 5,000/10,000 and a 10,000 big blind ante.

Charismatic Chris Tryba Among a Bunch of Omaha Hi-Low Specialists Progressing to Day 2

A record-breaking field of 1,143 players entered Event #17: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better but only 394 of those starters progressed to Day 2 after the completion of 15 levels.

Chris Tryba (146,500) enjoyed himself throughout proceedings and has bagged up an ample stack that should see him go much deeper in this event.

Although Tryba will be happy with his performance, his stack is almost half the size of the overnight chip leader, Adel Shakerian (239,000). Benjamin Vidal (210,500) and Colin Burton (202,500) ended Day 1 with over 200,000 chips each.

Plenty of talented players found a bag on the opening day of this popular event. Look out for Connor Drinan (157,000), Ismael Bojang (145,000), Max Pescatori (130,000), Linda Johnson (129,000), Marco Johnson (120,500), and Mike Matusow (68,500) on Day 2.

Event #17: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low 8 or Better Top 10 Chip Counts

PokerNews‘ coverage of this event resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time on June 7, so join us then for all the action, as it happens, from the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo event.

What to Expect on Day 9 of the 2023 WSOP

June 7 is the ninth day of the 2023 WSOP, and although we risk sounding like a broken record, Day 9 is going to be a busy one!

Event #14: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship will crown its champion, while we will be closer to learning who the winner of Event #15: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed is.

Follow all the action from Day 2 of Event #16: $25,000 High Roller (8-Handed), and the second day of Event #17: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low 8 or Better.

That’s not all because three fresh events shuffle up and deal in their respective Day 1s. PokerNews is reporting from Event #18: $300 Gladiators of Poker, Event #19: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout, and Event #20: $1,500 Badugi!

Event #12: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is in the books, with Mississippi’s Jeremy Eyer capturing their maiden WSOP bracelet and the $649,550 first-place prize.

Eyer defeated GGPoker ambassador Felipe Ramos in an elongated heads-up duel to top the 735-player field and claim the lion’s share of the $3,381,000 prize pool.

The win marked the end of Eyer’s five-year pursuit of poker’s most sought-after accolade. It was his 12th cash at the WSOP, with his first coming back in 2018. Moreover, the victory boosts Eyer to $1,483,523 in live tournament earnings and shoots him to second place in the Mississippi All-Time Money List.

The top 111 players made the money, with notable names such as Kristen Foxen (26th – $18,569), Josh Arieh (39th – $15,873) and 2022 WSOP Main Event champion Espen Jorstad (63rd – $10,952) all cashing the event.

Event #12: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout Final Table Results

Eyer Spins Up a Short Stack to WSOP Glory

Eyer came into Day 2 at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas with a stack of only 60,000 and squeezed into the paid places, and when the money bubble burst, Eyer pointed to that as the turning point for his tournament.

“Probably my first double after the bubble,” said Eyer in regard to where things started going right for him. “I had king king-ten versus ace-king, and I rivered a flush.”

Eyer is often found on the virtual felt, where he’s been sharpening his skills.

“I’m just trying to improve each year. I’ve been playing a lot online, improving my game, and now I’m transitioning more into live mostly, and that’s helping my game a lot. And coming here, playing with the best players, and finishing first also helps.”

His battle with Ramos lasted three hours and was a true test of wits until the end.

“It was a back-and-forth battle, you know. I had him down a little bit, and he had me down. It was back and forth, and finally, we just got into a cooler, and I was on the right end of it.”

Eyer has ruled out competing for the WSOP Player of the Year title, but the newly crowned champion is still hunting for more gold.

“I don’t play enough mix games for the Player of the Year race, so I’ll probably just stick to the bigger hold’em events and keep trying to win bracelets.”

Day 3 Recap

Just 16 players returned for the final day, and the action was fast and furious as the official final table of eight was established by the first break. The likes of Yuval Bronshtein, Christina Gollins, and Jesse Lonis all found themselves on the wrong side of the rail within the first two levels of the day.

Gollins suffered a huge cooler in a pot for the chip lead after her ace-king couldn’t leapfrog Ramos’ pocket queens in a battle between the blinds.

James Vecchio busted in ninth place on the final hand before the first break after his ambitious hero call backfired. His $51,769 payout was his biggest ever cash and more than three times as much as his total live tournament earnings.

WSOP Circuit Ring winner Shiva Dudani was the next to depart after jamming his short stack in with king-deuce, but he could not hold against Jeremy Eyer’s queen-nine.

Ramos then took the chip lead heading into the final six after making two difficult calls in a row. He called a big river bet from Nozomu Shimizu with ust second pair and then called the four-bet bluff shove from Ivan Galinec. The Croatian tabled pocket fours, and they went into the muck after Ramos’ pair of jacks held out to bring the event to its final six players.

2022 bracelet winner Jinho Hong then scored his first final table elimination after his pocket nines won the flip against Jeffrey Halcomb.

Shimizu then began his ascent up the chip counts after doubling through Ramos and Hong as well as ousting Ronald Minnis with a superior ace.

Hong was down to one big blind after Shimizu doubled through him. Hong was then all in several times over the next few hands. He was denied a couple of double-ups through chopped pots but did manage to double twice before eventually bowing out to Eyer.

With Hong’s exit confirmed, the three remaining players competed for their first bracelet. Ramos and Eyer had previously tasted victory under the WSOP umbrella, but that came on the WSOP circuit in 2010 and 2019, respectively.

The top three would then battle in a war of attrition with the three stacks even for most of the time. However, Ramos sent Shizimu out in third place after his ace-queen held against ace-ten.

The $287,106 score was Shizimu’s biggest payday and follows on from a stellar year where he has already picked up an EPT title in addition to the $194,273 he banked from a €25K High Roller at EPT Monte Carlo.

Like Shizimu, Eyer and Ramos also guaranteed themselves a career-best cash, but that thought didn’t cross the mind of either player as both were gunning for the bracelet, if nothing else.

At heads-up, the chip lead changed back and forth on several occasions. As soon as one player looked like they would pull ahead, momentum shifted in their opponent’s favour.

Eyer then picked off Ramos’ three-high bluff to set himself apart once more, and then a few hands later, Eyer flopped Ramos dead after both players committed their stacks with premium hands.

That concludes PokerNews live reporting for the $5,000 Freezeout but be sure to stick around to keep up with all the action from the WSOP.

The 2023 World Series of Poker has crowned another winner of a coveted gold bracelet at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Out of a field of 3,200 entries in Event #13: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack, Joseph Altomonte defeated Michael Holmes in a short-lived heads-up duel to claim the biggest slice of the $1,632,000 prize pool.

Altomonte claimed his first bracelet, and for his efforts over the last two days, he earned a payday of $217,102, while Holmes was denied the victory and had to settle for $134,171.

2023 has been quite the year for Altomonte as he is just getting back into the poker lifestyle, as he didn’t play for many years due to his ex-girlfriend not liking the idea of it. He has cashed in four WSOPC events online, including a first-place finish in the $3,200 High Roller for $87,676.

He also is racking up quite the list of live results, as he has seven cashes and two first-place victories previously to taking down Event #13 for a total of $180,760 in earnings.

The final day had plenty of bracelet winners in the mix, including Jonathan Dimmig who just missed the final table finishing in 10th place ($16,772), Shaun Deeb (17th -$8,647), Greg Raymer (88th -$2,051) Brandon Shack-Harris (95th -$2,051), and Koray Aldemir (111th -$1,773).

Final Table Results

Winner’s Reaction

After his dominating victory, Altomonte told PokerNews he was extremely excited to be back in the poker world as he was a professional poker player back in 2010. “My ex said being a poker player wasn’t an acceptable occupation, so I quit for a very long time,” he explained. The now-single Altomonte has only been playing again since February of this year and is already racking up impressive results.

Altomonte was so excited to win the bracelet that he asked to call his parents before the photos and interview began. “It’s a dream come true, you don’t even understand.”

Action of the Final Day

The day started out with fierce action, and players were being eliminated quickly, including 2021 Main Event Champion Koray Aldemir, who was eliminated in the first level of the day. He got all of the chips in with top pair and a double gut-shot straight draw, but couldn’t quite get there against Matthew Grocholsky‘s set of nines.

The action continued to go quickly as 2004 Main Event Champion Greg Raymer busted shortly after. By the first break, only 67 players were remaining, and only nine players were still alive by the dinner break at 5 p.m.

Altomonte came to the final table as the second largest stack and quickly spun it up, as he battled with Kevin Rand who was the chip leader at the time. After a few hands of back and forth, Altomonte finally put the nail in the coffin as he was able to fade Rand’s gutshot and flush draw with his pair of queens, putting him over the 40,000,000 chip mark.

He continued his aggression, raising and three-betting plenty of hands slowly building to have a massive chip advantage entering heads-up as a 12-1 favorite. It was Holmes who was the eventual runner-up, claiming the $134,171 second-place prize, despite doubling up the first hand.

That concludes the PokerNews’ coverage for this event, but dozens more events are on the horizon. Check out PokerNews’ schedule for links to live coverage of other WSOP bracelet events.

The 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is hosting 20 online bracelets – up from 13 last year – awarded on WSOP.com in the merged network of New Jersey and Nevada.

While PokerNews is offering live updates from those tournament, the segregated markets of Pennsylvania and Michigan are also each awarding seven bracelets.

While we’re not able to offer live updates from those tournaments, we will be bringing you recaps for all the bracelet winners from Wolverine and Keystone States.

Below is a look at the first winners from Michigan and Pennsylvania.

A Look at the 2023 WSOP Online Bracelet Schedule – How to Deposit

Estes Claims Second WSOP MI Bracelet in as Many Years

On Sunday, June 4, the first Michigan online bracelet of the summer was awarded. Event #1: $500 NLH Bankroll Builder saw 132 players rebuy 46 times, which resulted in a 178-entry field that awarded its $80,100 prize pool to the top 24 finishers.

Among those to cash the tournament were Rudy “Flyheim86” Gavaldon (10th place – $1,241.55), Eric “EMOON73” Moon (14th place – $1,193.49), Pawel “binarystar81” Galecki (21st place – $1,137.42), and Ryan “rkellyishere” Kelly (24th place – $1,137.42).

After nearly nine hours of play, it was Todd “Rooster_777” Estes defeating Imari “SaveUrTears” Love in heads-up play to capture the $18,623.25 and the bracelet.

It marked the second gold bracelet for Estes in as many years. Last summer, he topped a 326-entry field to win the WSOP MI Event #2: $400 NLH Ultra Deepstack for $27,895.64 and his first gold bracelet. He did so by defeating Corey “C0rgasm” Paggeot in heads-up play.

WSOP Online MI Event #1 Final Table Results

A Look at All the 2022 WSOP Online Michigan Bracelet Winners

Kershaw Wins First PA Bracelet of the Summer

On Sunday, June 4, the first Pennsylvania online bracelet of the summer was awarded. Event #1: $500 NLH Bankroll Builder attracted 110 players who rebought 43 times. The 153-entry field resulted in a $68,850 prize pool that was paid out to the top 18 finishers.

Among those to cash but fall short of the final table were Brandon “B.Mueller” Muller (10th place – $1,377), Mark “NaigoPA” Foresta (12th place – $1,377), and David “DCDiamond” Cole (15th place – $1,335.69).

After more than eight hours of play, it was Andrew “phillytaxguy” Kershaw defeating Derek “4evergr8” Duckett in heads-up play to win the tournament for $16,964.66 and an online gold bracelet.

WSOP Online PA Event #1 Final Table Results

Click here to see the full 2023 WSOP schedule

Remaining Michigan/Pennsylvania Schedule

Back in 2021, the WSOP offered gold online bracelet events in the segregated Pennsylvania market. In 2022, the WSOP expanded its online bracelet offering into Michigan with eight events.

In 2023, WSOP.com will offer seven online bracelets each in their segregated markets in Michigan and Pennsylvania. The events and schedule are the same in both markets.

On Sunday, June 25, Event #4: $500 Mystery Bounty will take place marking the first time an online gold bracelet will be awarded for the popular Mystery Bounty format.

You — yes, YOU — can have a say on which individual will become the 2023 Poker Hall of Fame inductee.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is now accepting fan nominations through June 18 on the WSOP.com site. Fans can select anyone who meets the strict criteria, which includes first and foremost, being 40 years of age or older. For non-players, the selection must have contributed in a significant way to the growth of the game.

Isai Scheinberg, the founder of PokerStars, and Matt Savage, a long-time Executive Tour Director for the World Poker Tour (WPT), are prime examples of those who are often considered under the “contributor” category.

For players, the prerequisites are to have played consistently well at the high-stakes level and stood the test of time. Winning bracelets, dominating high-stakes cash games, and racking up Hendon Mob stats are among the different factors fans should take into consideration when making their selection.

Many poker fans have debated this ad nauseam, but only one individual — player or contributor — is selected each year as of 2020, and the WSOP has no plans to change that rule. So fans and eventually the final voting panel must compare apples to oranges when choosing if a player or an industry person/non-player is most deserving this year.

Speaking of that final voting panel, once the fan nominations are in, the top 10 selections will be sent to the 32 living members of the PHoF to vote on a 2023 inductee. The late Layne Flack, a six-time WSOP bracelet winner, was chosen by his peers last year.

Who Will Join Layne Flack in the Poker Hall of Fame?

“Back to Back” Flack, who passed away in 2021, beat out the following nine other nominees to become the 61st member of the Poker Hall of Fame.

• Josh Arieh
• Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
• Kathy Liebert
• Mike Matusow
• Lon McEachern & Norman Chad
• Michael Mizrachi
• Brian Rast
• Matt Savage
• Isai Scheinberg

There are some other names who didn’t make the list of fan nominations last year worthy of consideration, including but not limited to Anthony Zinno, Antonio Esfandiari, Ted Forrest, and Jeremy Ausmus. As for those who just became eligible this year, one name that might get some consideration is Steve O’Dwyer, who ranks 12th all-time on the Hendon Mob list with $36.7 million in live tournament cashes.

Who are the Favorites?

It’s difficult to determine who the favorites are because the competition is stiff. But there are a few individuals who have been nominated multiple times, including Savage, who has come close seven of the past eight years.

Savage, who has played an instrumental role in creating uniform tournament rules, is open about how much he wants to reach the Poker Hall of Fame. Rast, a five-time bracelet winner, also openly argues that he is the most deserving candidate. In a 2021 interview with PokerNews, the high roller who became eligible last year said, “if people vote fairly next year, I think I’ll make it in,”

Scheinberg is another name who has been strongly considered as he played an integral role in the growth of online poker. Daniel Negreanu has, on multiple occasions, publicly lobbied for Scheinberg’s induction.

Matusow also has received some public support. “The Mouth” is a four-time bracelet winner and was one of the top poker players in the world during the 2000s, which is often forgotten among the younger generation of fans.

With only one selection permitted, it won’t be easy for fans and the current members of the HOF to make a selection. But there’s going to be a huge backlog of deserving superstars soon as legends of the game such as Tom Dwan, Scott Seiver, Justin Bonomo, Jason Mercier, Jason Koon, and many others become eligible over the next few years.

The 61 Current Members of the Poker Hall of Fame

  Date Time Event # Tournament Buy-In

Wednesday 6/7/23 11am 23 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed $10K Guarantee $300

    1pm 24 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    6pm 25 Night H.O.R.S.E. $5K Guarantee $200

    7pm 26 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Thursday 6/8/23 10am 27 No Limit Hold’em 6 Handed $10K Guarantee $300

    11am 28A No Limit Hold’em $200K GUARANTEE Ultimate Re-Entry $200

    3pm 28B No Limit Hold’em $200K GUARANTEE Ultimate Re-Entry $200

    7pm 28C No Limit Hold’em $200K GUARANTEE Ultimate Re-Entry $200

Friday 6/9/23 11am 28D No Limit Hold’em $200K GUARANTEE Ultimate Re-Entry $200

    3pm 28E No Limit Hold’em $200K GUARANTEE Ultimate Re-Entry $200

    7pm 28F No Limit Hold’em $200K GUARANTEE Ultimate Re-Entry $200

Saturday 6/10/23 11am 28G No Limit Hold’em $200K GUARANTEE Ultimate Re-Entry $200

    3pm 28H No Limit Hold’em $200K GUARANTEE Ultimate Re-Entry $200

    7pm 28I No Limit Hold’em $200K GUARANTEE Ultimate Re-Entry $200

Sunday 6/11/23 11am 29 Black Chip Bounty Pot Limit Omaha $10K Guarantee $300

    12pm 28Day2 No Limit Hold’em $200K GUARANTEE – DAY 2 $0

    1pm 30 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    7pm 31 Cheap and Deep No Limit Hold’em $10K Guarantee $130

Monday 6/12/23 10am 32A.1 Bar Poker Open Championship Day 1A (Flight 1) Invitational

    4pm 32A.2 Bar Poker Open Championship Day 1A (Flight 2) Invitational

    7pm 33 Green Chip Bounty No Limit Hold’em $130

Tuesday 6/13/23 11am 32B Bar Poker Open Championship Day 1B Invitational

    1pm 34 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    7pm 35 Tag Team No Limit Hold’em $10K Guarantee $200

Wednesday 6/14/23 11am 32Day2 Bar Poker Open Championship DAY 2 Invitational

    1pm 36 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $50K Guarantee $400

    7pm 37 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Thursday 6/15/23 11am 38 Bar Poker Open Pro-Am $1,000

    1pm 39 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    2pm 32FT Bar Poker Open Championship FINAL TABLE Invitational

    7pm 40 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Friday 6/16/23 11am 41A Mystery Bounty NLHE $250K GUARANTEE (Flight A) $300

    1pm 42 Mixed PLO/8; Omaha 8/B; Big-O $10K Guarantee $300

    2pm 38FT Bar Poker Open Pro-Am Final Table $0

    3pm 41B Mystery Bounty NLHE $250K GUARANTEE (Flight B) $300

    7pm 41C Mystery Bounty NLHE $250K GUARANTEE (Flight C) $300

Saturday 6/17/23 11am 41D Mystery Bounty NLHE $250K GUARANTEE (Flight D) $300

    1pm 43 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $10K Guarantee $150

    3pm 41E Mystery Bounty NLHE $250K GUARANTEE (Flight E) $300

    7pm 41F Mystery Bounty NLHE $250K GUARANTEE (Flight F) $300

Sunday 6/18/23 11am 41G Mystery Bounty NLHE $250K GUARANTEE (Flight G) $300

    3pm 41H Mystery Bounty NLHE $250K GUARANTEE (Flight H) $300

    7pm 41I Mystery Bounty NLHE $250K GUARANTEE (Flight I) $300

Monday 6/19/23 11am 44 H.O.R.S.E. $10K Guarantee $300

    12pm 41Day2 Mystery Bounty NLHE $250K GUARANTEE – DAY 2 $0

    1pm 45 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $10K Guarantee $150

    7pm 46 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $3K Guarantee $130

Tuesday 6/20/23 11am 47 BIG-O $20K Guarantee $300

    1pm 48 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    6pm 49 Mixed PLO/8; Omaha 8/B; Big-O $5K Guarantee $200

    7pm 50 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Wednesday 6/21/23 11am 51 8 Game Mix (NLH, LH, R, ST, ST8, PLO, O/8, 2-7TD) $10K Guarantee $300

    1pm 52 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    6pm 53 Omaha Hi/Low 8 or Better $5K Guarantee $200

    7pm 54 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Thursday 6/22/23 11am 55 Mixed NL Hold’em / Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed $10K Guarantee $300

    1pm 56 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    7pm 57 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Friday 6/23/23 10am 58 Seniors No Limit Hold’em (50+) $100K GUARANTEE $400

    11am 59A Championship No Limit Hold’em $500K Guarantee Day 1A $600

    3pm 60 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    7pm 61 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Saturday 6/24/23 11am 59B Championship No Limit Hold’em $500K Guarantee Day 1B $600

    1pm 62 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    7pm 63 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Sunday 6/25/23 11am 55C Championship No Limit Hold’em $500K Guarantee Day 1C $600

    7pm 64 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Monday 6/26/23 11am 65 Seven Card Stud Hi/Low 8 or Better $10K Guarantee $300

    12pm 59Day2 Championship No Limit Hold’em $500K Guarantee Day 2 $0

    1pm 66 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    7pm 67 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Tuesday 6/27/23 11am 68 Omaha Hi/Low 8 or Better $10K Guarantee $300

    1pm 69 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    6pm 70 Omaha Hi/Low 8 or Better $5K Guarantee $200

    7pm 71 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Wednesday 6/28/23 10am 72 Super Seniors (60+ or played Seniors) $50K Guarantee $400

    11am 73 PokerNews Cup NLHE Mega Satellite – 10 Seat Guarantee $200

    1pm 74 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    6pm 75 Triple Stud $5K Guarantee $200

    7pm 76 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Thursday 6/29/23 10am 77 Seniors Championship NLHE (50+) $50K Guarantee $600

    11am 78A PokerNews Cup NLHE $1,000,000 Guarantee Mystery Bounty Day 1A $1,100

    1pm 79 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    7pm 80 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Friday 6/30/23 11am 78B PokerNews Cup NLHE $1,000,000 Guarantee Mystery Bounty Day 1B $1,100

    1pm 81 Ladies No Limit Hold’em $10K Guarantee $200

    7pm 82 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Saturday 7/1/23 11am 78C PokerNews Cup NLHE $1,000,000 Guarantee Mystery Bounty Day 1C $1,100

    7pm 83 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Sunday 7/2/23 11am 84 Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold’em $10K Guarantee $300

    12pm 78Day2 PokerNews Cup NLHE $1,000,000 Guarantee Mystery Bounty Day 2 $0

    1pm 85 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $25K Guarantee $200

    7pm 86 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

Monday 7/3/23 11am 87 Super Deep Stack Turbo No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $200

    1pm 88 Daily Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $10K Guarantee $200

    2pm 78FT PokerNews Cup NLHE $1,000,000 Guarantee Mystery Bounty FT $0

    7pm 89 Nightly No Limit Hold’em $5K Guarantee $130

This article has been updated since its original publication.

If there’s one thing all poker players can agree on, it’s that they love free things – even more so when you get free things frequently.

That’s why the official WSOP app offers players a number of ways to get their hands on free chips to boost their bankrolls, in order to play in their exciting promotions.

Thousands of chips are just a click or tap of the finger away, depending on if you play on desktop, iOS or Android. New players who sign up to the WSOP Free Poker Game will get a whopping 1m FREE CHIPS to start playing with!

Free Chips Every Four Hours

Depending on what Club you are in, just log onto the WSOP app and you will receive free chips every four hours. This ranges from up to 54,000 if you’re in the Jacks Club, all the way to a cool 1,000,000 if you’re in the Grand Masters Club.

Introductory Rewards Bonus

As you join the WSOP social app, with the introductory rewards bonus through the WSOP rewards scheme which is in place for you to be able to gain free chips and additional XP.

In addition to the other bonuses, you can gain an additional 20,000 chips to be able to continue your journey through the games of Texas Hold’em and Omaha to be able to increase your chip count!

Like the WSOP Facebook page

If you’re on the lookout for free WSOP chips, then make sure you’ve liked the official Facebook page. The page has lots of up-to-date information on the latest offers, events, promotions and deals for you to get the most out of the WSOP app.

The WSOP’s Facebook Lounge has a vibrant community that band together to discuss strategy and share their thoughts about the game with like-minded poker-loving players. If you are a fan of the WSOP, you simply have to head to the Facebook WSOP Lounge and become a valued member of this incredible community. You’ll make friends, and your poker knowledge will increase exponentially.

WSOP Free Poker Game – Get Free Chips

Invite Your Friends

Poker is better with friends, so by inviting them to the app you’ll be able to play with them at the same table and compete against one another. As you increase your Club, you gain extra chips for every new player you invite to the game.

Receiving Gifts

You can also gain more free chips by receiving gifts from other players. Whenever a gift is sent to you, the number of free chips you will receive depends on your Club. From 10.8k if you are in Jack Club, up to 54k per gift if you’re in the Grand Masters Club.

WSOP Poker Academy

Every poker player who reaches the top continually improves their poker skills and knowledge. WSOP helps you do this for free via the WSOP Poker Academy, a free-to-use learning tool that helps you get better at poker. The WSOP’s motto is “Don’t get mad, get better” and we fully agree. Try it out today and help take your poker game to the next level.

---

Download the Official WSOP App Today!

By signing up to WSOP today through PokerNews you’ll get your hands on 1,000,000 chips absolutely free! Play the Champions Circuit as well as exciting events like Caribbean Hold’em, Executive Deal and Cash Dash!

By playing hands and winning pots in any one of these games – or indeed at the Hold’em or Omaha cash games – players earn Bracelet Points which players then use to complete collections and earn WSOP bracelets!