For the first time all summer, Ali Imsirovic has graced the poker community with his presence at the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP), although some likely weren’t thrilled to see him appear.

The former GPI Player of the Year and high-stakes crusher was accused of cheating last year by many of his peers, including Alex Foxen. He was said to have colluded during live events and used real-time assistance (RTA) tools to assist his online play.

One year after being accused of cheating and remaining silent, Imsirovic admitted to some of the allegations and denied others in a lengthy YouTube video last month. The poker pro claimed he multi-accounted online during COVID but only during a period of less than six months. He also downplayed the usefulness of RTA’s and hinted that some of the players who accused him of cheating are doing the same, although he didn’t provide specific names.

Controversial Poker Pro Enters WSOP Event

On Day 1 of Event #85: $1,500 Shootout, Imsirovic quietly took his seat inside the Paris Ballroom. It was the first time he’d made a live poker appearance since being indefinitely banned from PokerGO events in September 2022. He competed in a number of events at the 2022 World Series of Poker last summer despite facing some serious allegations.

At the time of publishing, Imsirovic was one of seven remaining players at his table, which originally began with 10. In the shootout format, players must win their table to advance in the tournament. Imsirovic was at 45,000 chips, up from his 25,000-chip starting stack. There were nearly 1,000 players registered.

Following Imsirovic’s YouTube video, many within the poker community weren’t buying what he’s selling. Some high-profile players weren’t satisfied with his comments. Matt Berkey, on the Only Friends podcast, went so far as to say the high-stakes pro showed “no remorse” in the video.

Follow Live Coverage of the $1,500 Shootout

Team PokerNews has been busy during the summer transfer window and is proud to announce the first PokerNews Ambassador, Lukas Robinson, is joining our ranks and streaming poker action from his home on Twitch.

Robinson famously became the first player to stream his poker sessions for 1,000 hours over 100 days back in 2021, and has been a mainstay in the Twitch Poker Community since. Robinson is now here at PokerNews, bringing you live poker streaming across our major partners’ sites four days a week.

The streaming star will showcase the best multi-table tournaments each site offers, including those PokerNews-exclusive added-value events. Expect plenty of giveaways and promotions on Robinson’s Twitch channel. In addition, Robinson will connect with the evergrowing PokerNews Discord community, offering an insight into what it takes to be a top-tier poker grinder.

Speaking to PokerNews, Robinson said, “I am super excited to move on to the next chapter of my poker career, and working with the most prominent poker outlet makes perfect sense to me. It’s a dream to offer my loyal audience added value on my streams, play across all sites, and showcase poker daily.”

Be sure to follow Robinson on all of his social media platforms and look out on the PokerNews channels, in which Robinson will be creating both short and long-form content, so those who cannot tune into the stream can still follow his exploits on the poker streets.

Robinson will also be traveling to live event stops worldwide in addition to his usual online poker grind, where he will battle with the biggest names in the industry, and look to bring home a title or two. At the same time, his viewers will have the opportunity to qualify for and play in some of the biggest online and live events.

Robinson’s streaming schedule kicks off at PokerStars on July 14, with two special freerolls marking the occasion.

Both freerolls will start at 7:00 p.m. BST, and you should do everything in your power to play them both. One freeroll as an incredible twenty MicroMillion Main Event seats in its prize pool, while the other has a whopping $1,000 prize pool.

The passwords required to enter these awesome free-to-play tournaments will only be made available on Robinson’s stream or in the PokerNews Discord Channel, so tune in and get ready to bring your A-game to the tables.

Robinson will also stream while playing poker at PartyPoker, WPT Global, and 888poker, so be sure to keep an eye on his schedule and tune into his stream because there are some great giveaways lined up. These include tickets to major online tournaments, value-added freerolls, and chances to win some fantastic live event packages.

RobinPoker July Streaming Schedule

While the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is fast approaching its final table, another big tournament has been taking place just down the road at Wynn Las Vegas. The $10,000 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) EveryOne for One Drop attracted 1,676 entries over a trio of starting flights and is slated to award its winner $2,561,480!

Heading into Day 3, 71 players remain with arguably the hottest player of 2023, Bin Weng, holding the chip lead with 3,280,000. Others still in contention include Dominik Nitsche (1,040,000), Bryce Yockey (730,000), Adrian Mateos (680,000), Darren Elias (610,000), Stephen Chidwick (500,000), and 2022 WPT World Champion Eliot Hudon (400,000).

WPT EveryOne for One Drop Top 10 Chip Counts

Phil Ivey Busts Just Short of the Money

On Day 1c, Phil Ivey was one of the last players to enter the tournament with a starting stack of 40,000. Almost straight away, the WPT Live Updates reported that he three-bet jammed for 42,500 from the cutoff with the A♥10♥ and the original raiser from the hijack called with the Q♥Q♦. Ivey was way behind but got luck after the board ran out 10♣7♠5♠A♦5♣ to give him two pair and the double.

Ivey made it to Day 2 and was nearing the money in Level 16 (4,000/8,000/8,000). Hand-for-hand play was in effect, and on Hand #7 there was around 50,000 in the pot and a flop of -js6s4c] when Ivey got his stack of 158,000 all in from the cutoff with the A♦J♥ only to see Eduardo Pereira roll over the K♠K♦. Both the turn and river bricked and Ivey fell a couple spots short of making the money.

Check out the WPT Hub on PokerNews here!

Money Bubble Bursts

In the same level, two more players followed Ivey out the door in the same hand, meaning two players busted on the bubble and split the minimum payout. In the first, David Dowdy and Sergio Aido saw a flop of 8♦7♥6♦ and got all of the chips in the middle. Dowdy held the J♥8♥ for top pair but was in dire straits against Aido’s 6♣6♥. The set held and Dowdy hit the rail.

Simultaneously, Samy Dubonnet got their extreme short stack all in preflop holding pocket jacks and was up against the king-nine suited of Daniel Reijmer. A king on the flop and a nine on the turn sealed the deal for Reijmer, and Dubonnet joined Dowdy on the rail as joint bubble boys.

Day 3 of the tournament will take place at Noon local time on Thursday with just 71 players remaining. Each is guaranteed $35,480 in prize money, but each will be looking to make the final table of six where they’ll make at least $524,500.

Additionally, the $111,000 WPT Alpha8 for One Drop will take place July 14-16.

Stay tuned to PokerNews for more content surrounding the WPT EveryOne for One Drop.

_{*Images courtesy of WPT / Drew Amato.}

There wasn’t much suspense this year. Brian Rast, the heavy favorite to be inducted, is the 2023 Poker Hall of Fame selection, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) has revealed.

Following his win in the prestigious Event #43: $50,000 Poker Players Championship, his third victory in that tournament, arguably the second biggest WSOP event each year, most anticipated Rast would be this year’s selection.

There were nine other players nominated via a fan vote in June (full list here), all of whom present a strong case as to being Hall of Fame worthy. But the PPC win seemed to lock it up for Rast, who was voted in by the other 31 living members of the Poker Hall of Fame.

Hard to Argue

Rast has been crushing it as a poker pro for well beyond a decade at the highest level. He’s won in tournaments and in some of the biggest cash games in the world. Prior to the start of Event #86: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold’em, he was honored by WSOP Vice President Jack Effel for winning the PPC, and then informed he was by Effel he is the newest member of the Poker Hall of Fame.

“Thank you to the current Hall of Fame members for having the power to select me,” a thankful Rast told the crowd inside Paris Las Vegas.

On top of his three Poker Players Championship titles, he has three additional WSOP bracelets. Outside of the WSOP, he was the champion of the first Super High Roller Bowl in 2015, a $500,000 buy-in contest at the time, for $7,525,000, his biggest score ever. The California native defeated Scott Seiver in an epic heads-up match to win in what was Poker Central’s (now PokerGO) debut tournament.

In total, Rast has over $25 million in live tournament cashes, according to Hendon Mob. But he’s spent much of his career crushing it in Bobby’s Room (now Legends Room) at Bellagio in Las Vegas where legends, such as Rast, are made. The mixed game specialist who can also dominate in no-limit hold’em earned the respect of his peers within the high stakes community years ago, one of the prerequisites for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame.

During his speech, Rast thanked his parents, who were in attendance, for all they’ve done for him. He then thanks his friends in the poker community, including Andrew Robl and Antonio Esfandiari, for their support.

Rast became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2022 when he turned age 40. The year before at the 2021 WSOP, he told PokerNews he deserved to be in the following year. Layne Flack, who passed away in 2021, was inducted last summer, however. Similar to Rast, Flack was a six-time bracelet winner and among the top players in the world for many years.

Almost every poker player dreams of jetting off to Las Vegas and competing in a massive tournament at some stage of their careers. Unfortunately, for many, doing so remains a dream for most because of the sheer expense. Do you know what the next best thing is? It is playing for free on the official WSOP App.

It is ten years since the WSOP App brought the thrill of live online poker to players’ mobile devices. During that time, the app has come on in leaps and bounds, allowing players and poker fans worldwide to enjoy playing exciting WSOP poker games and win incredible virtual prizes without spending a single cent.

Why the WSOP App is Perfect for Beginners

While you are following live updates from the WSOP events in Las Vegas and watching the various live streams, why not create a free account with the WSOP App and get in on the action from the comfort of your home?

As you would expect from the official social gaming application of the WSOP, there will be plenty to get into on the WSOP App this summer. Here is a sneak peek into how you can keep the thrill of the WSOP going from the WSOP App.

Win Virtual Bracelets and Rings

Ask any poker tournament grinder what is more important to them, the prize money or a WSOP bracelet, and almost all will answer that capturing some poker hardware is what counts. Although there are no monetary prizes on the WSOP App, you can get your hands, or should that be wrists, on a virtual WSOP bracelet.

Play in bracelet-awarding tournaments that make it feel like you are in the heart of Las Vegas competing at the WSOP. Take one of those tournaments down, and you forever get to display a virtual WSOP bracelet next to your avatar, letting the vibrant WSOP App community instantly know that you are a poker champion and a worthy one.

Meet The WSOP App Thrill Team

Emulate Your Poker Heroes

The awesome WSOP poker App Thrill Team members will be on the ground in Las Vegas hoping to bring home some poker jewelry. You can emulate those superstars and copy their bold moves and daring bluffs free from the fear of risking your bankroll because the WSOP App is 100% free to play.

Did you see Patrik Antonius run an outlandish triple-barrel bluff and wish you could try the same? What about watching Vanessa Selbst‘s four-bet all-in during a crucial tournament stage? Why not fire up the WSOP App, enter one of the value-packed tournaments, and copy their moves?

What’s more, each of the seven Thrill Team members has a life-like avatar that you can use to represent your favorite player when playing on the WSOP App. Which team will you be on?

New Features Coming!

Two entertaining features are launching in July, just in time for all the Las Vegas shenanigans. First, there is something called Poker Trip, where you aim to move across the map and between stations by completing poker missions. Each of the stations has some fantastic prizes. Of course, the final station is where the most significant rewards lay in wait; will you complete your journey across the WSOP Poker app Map?

Also coming in July is the WSOP Teams feature. Here, you can create or join teams of like-minded WSOP App players and work together to hit targets and complete missions to be rewarded with prizes for all your team members. This feature will be cool because the WSOP App has one of the world’s best poker communities. What’s better than making friends and winning prizes for free? Not much!

Stay tuned to PokerNews to learn more about the WSOP App’s new features, cool promotions, and offers.

The 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is firmly underway and has seen highlights including an epic Main Event entrance from Phil Hellmuth and Dan “Jungleman” Cates and a resounding “Shuffle Up and Deal” by 2006 Main Event champion Jamie Gold.

Not only this, players at the series have also seen several freezeout tournaments take place, including Event #28: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout, Event #59: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout and Event #46: $500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout. Of course, the Main Event also plays as a freezeout.

The current poker tournament scene is dominated with events with multiple rebuys and unlimited re-entries, so poker players could be forgiven for forgetting a thing or two when it comes to single bullet events. Luckily, PokerNews has got your back in helping you prepare for the remainder of the WSOP freezeout events, so keep reading as you could pick up tips on how to build up a big stack which could help you join the below list of champions.

What is a Freezeout Tournament

Arguably the purest form of tournament poker, the term freezeout comes from the fact that once you are eliminated from the event, you are frozen out and cannot re-enter the field.

Freezeouts have been less of a feature in poker tournament series over the years as poker players look to events with mouth-watering guarantees that re-entry tournaments bring. Due to the nature of freezeouts their tournament prize pools, other than the WSOP Main Event, are often dwarfed by their re-entry counterparts.

One benefit of these events is that they level the playing field to a degree. For example, if a recreational player were to bust out a pro or big poker name, that player would only be able to participate in the tournament from the rail. This stops players with the biggest bankrolls having an advantage over a large portion of the field who only may be able to fire one or two bullets.

Strategy: The Three Stages of Freezeout Tournament Poker

Early Stage

If you register for a freezeout tournament at the start of the event, you’ll find that you have a lot of big blinds to play with. Now just because you have a load of chips to play with, it does not mean you need to put them to use from the get go.

It has often been theorized that conserving chips should be the game plan in the early stages of freezeout poker tournaments. Of course you should be going for as much value as possible with your made hands; however, there’s no need to jeopardize yourself with marginal hands. There will be future spots to get someone’s stack, so remember that patience is key in the first few levels.

There is the argument that you should play more with more aggression in the early stages in this format as you may be able to capitalize on the mistakes of weaker players and punish them. However, if a read in a tricky spot is incorrect, you could find yourself in survival mode early on or even eliminated.

Early Stage Top Tips

• Don’t commit chips with marginal hands
• Patience and discipline will help you avoid difficult situations
• Go for maximum value with your strong made hands

Can You Know What Their Cards Are By the Way They Hold Their Eyes?

Middle Stage

How you play the middle stages of freezeouts is entirely dependent on the size of your chip stack. The main idea remains the same in that survival should be priority number one but you need to be more proactive in this part of the tournament.

Now, unless if you are monster stacked, you’ll often find yourself having a 30-50 big blind stack at this stage of the event. If you find yourself with a middling number of chips at this stage, you’ll want to start stealing blinds more often. The best way to do this is to put pressure on the blinds in unopened pots when you’re in the late positions on the table. You can raise preflop with a wider percentage of hands and your bets will find less resistance as you only need a couple of players to fold for you to pick up the blinds and antes.

You want to do this more here than in the early stages as the chips have greater value at this point in the game and picking up around two or more big blinds when you have thirty-something stack is a significant increase.

On the flip side, you should also try to avoid pots with opponents who cover you. These players can put you in some awful situations where you may find yourself at risk of elimination. If you have a really strong hand, of course you should get your chips in the middle, but like the early stages you should be more weary with your middling strength hands.

Another factor to consider when in the middle levels is bubble play. It is very likely in large field freezeouts that the money bubble will take place at this point. This another spot where you can apply pressure on shorter stacks to steal pots, as those with just a few big blinds will want to fold their way to the money.

Middle Stage Top Tips

• Put small stacks under pressure near the money bubble
• Avoid confrontations with bigger stacks
• Be more aggressive in late positions to steal blinds

Hand of the Week: Rollercoaster Between Kerstetter and Hegedus

End Stage

At this point, hopefully you have made the money and guaranteed some profit for the day. Like the above section, how you play the later stages of these tournaments is dictated by how many chips you have managed to accumulate throughout the previous levels.

Here is where you should have a winning game plan, you’ve made it this far so you should be aiming to be walking away with the first place spoils, especially if you have a big stack.

As one of the chip leaders, continuing to put pressure on smaller stacks will chip you up and whilst simultaneously grinding your opponents down. You also have the benefit of not hurting your stack too much if you need to fold preflop if someone moves all-in or three-bets your open. You can play a bit riskier to really put other players in uncomfortable situations.

If you find yourself around the 10-15 big blind mark, you’re going to want to play in a matter that is shove or fold. Stealing the blinds here is where chips are at their most valuable, so again picking up those couple of blinds are so important. In later positions, getting your chips in the middle with any ace, strong broadway cards, pairs and some suited connectors are all fine moves to make, however you should memorise push/fold charts from all positions at the table to ensure your play is the correct one.

You should take the time to grasp the basics of ICM and end game play for when you’re close to or at the final table. Sometimes what looks like a call should be a fold based on the stacks around you and the prizes on offer.

End Stage Top Tips

• With a big stack, continue to put pressure on shorter stacks
• Pay attention to ICM
• Learn push/fold charts

Day Tour Name Buy in Time (GMT) GTD

Sun 16 Jul The Festival Online – #01 Mini High Roller Opening Event US$215 17:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #02 Opening Event US$109 18:00 US$100,000

  The Festival Online – #03 Mini Opening Event US$22 18:00 US$20,000

  The Festival Online – #04 PLO Opening Event US$55 18:30 US$4,000

  The Festival Online – #05 High Roller Opening Event US$525 18:30 US$25,000

Mon 17 Jul The Festival Online – #06 PKO 6-Max Mini US$22 16:30 US$7,000

  The Festival Online – #07 PKO 6-Max High Roller US$215 17:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #08 Mystery Bounty 6-Max US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #09 PKO 6-Max US$109 18:30 US$8,000

Tue 18 Jul The Festival Online – #10 Super KO Mini US$33 15:00 US$5,000

  The Festival Online – #11 Super KO High Roller US$320 17:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #12 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #13 Super KO US$109 18:30 US$8,000

Wed 19 Jul The Festival Online – #14 PKO Mini US$22 16:30 US$6,000

  The Festival Online – #15 PKO US$109 17:00 US$8,000

  The Festival Online – #16 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

Thu 20 Jul The Festival Online – #17 Mystery Bounty High Roller US$320 17:00 US$12,000

  The Festival Online – #18 Mystery Bounty US$55 17:30 US$12,000

  The festival Online – #19 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #20 PKO Turbo Deepsatck US$109 18:30 US$8,000

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 18:00 –

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 20:00 –

Fri 21 Jul $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 18:00 –

  The festival Online – #21 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 20:00 –

Sat 22 Jul $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 14:00 –

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 16:00 –

  The Festival Online – Mega Sat (25 seats) to Texas PKO US$22 17:00 US$4,000

  The festival Online – #22 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 18:00 –

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 20:00 –

Sun 23 Jul $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 14:00 –

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 16:00 –

  The Festival Online – #23 PKO Mini US$22 16:30 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #24 Mini High Roller US$215 17:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – Mega Sat (30 seats) to Texas PKO US$22 17:00 US$4,800

  The Festival Online – #25 Micro PLO US$11 17:00 US$3,000

  The Festival Online – #26 Mystrey Bounty Mini US$22 18:00 US$20,000

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 18:00 –

  The Festival Online – #27 High Roller PKO US$525 18:30 US$25,000

  The Festival Online – #28 Mystrey Bounty US$109 18:30 US$20,000

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 20:00 –

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 Hyper US$160 21:30 –

Mon 24 Jul $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 14:00 –

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 US$160 16:00 –

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 Turbo US$160 17:00 –

  The Festival Online – #29 Mini High Roller US$215 17:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #30 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  $150,000 The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 1 Hyper US$160 18:00 –

  The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Day 2 – 20:00 US$150,000

Tue 25 Jul The Festival Online – #32 High Roller US$320 17:00 US$12,000

  The Festival Online – #33 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #34 PLO 6-Max US$55 18:30 US$2,000

  The Festival Online – #31 Mystery Bounty Final Table stream – 19:00 –

Wed 26 Jul The Festival Online – #35 Super KO Mini US$22 16:30 US$6,000

  The Festival Online – #36 Texas Super KO US$109 17:00 US$8,000

  The Festival Online – #37 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 19:00 –

Thu 27 Jul The Festival Online – #38 PKO 6-Max Mini US$22 16:30 US$6,000

  The Festival Online – #39 PKO 6-Max High Roller US$320 17:00 US$12,000

  The Festival Online – #40 Mystery Bounty 6-Max US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 18:00 –

  The Festival Online – #41 PKO 6-Max US$109 18:30 US$8,000

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 20:00 –

Fri 28 Jul The Festival Online – Mega Sat (10 seats) to Main US$22 17:00 US$2,500

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 18:00 –

  The Festival Online – #42 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 20:00 –

Sat 29 Jul The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 14:00 –

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 16:00 –

  The Festival Online – Mega Sat (20 seats) to Main US$22 17:00 US$5,000

  The Festival Online – #43 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 18:00 –

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 20:00 –

Sun 30 Jul The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 14:00 –

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 16:00 –

  The festival Online – #44 Mini High Roller US$215 17:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – Mega Sat (25 seats) to Main US$22 17:00 US$6,250

  The Festival Online – #45 Micro Mystery Bounty Finale US$5.50 18:00 US$5,000

  The Festival Online – #46 Mystery Bounty Finale US$109 18:00 US$20,000

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 18:00 –

  The Festival Online – #47 Mini Mystery Bounty Finale US$22 18:00 US$18,000

  The Festival Online – #48 Mystery Bounty High Roller Finale US$525 18:30 US$25,000

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 20:00 –

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 Hyper US$250 21:30 –

Mon 31 Jul The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 14:00 –

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 US$250 16:00 –

  The Festival Online – #49 After Party High Roller Mini US$215 17:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 Turbo US$250 17:00 –

  The Festival Online – #50 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 1 Hyper US$250 18:00 –

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Day 2 (ITM) – 20:00 US$200,000

Tue 1 Aug The Festival Online – #52 Mystery Bounty US$22 18:00 US$10,000

  The Festival Online – #51 Main Event Final Table stream – 19:00 –

  The Festival Online – #53 Afterparty US$109 19:30 US$15,000

You are forgiven for scratching your head and wondering why PokerNews wrote a headline about the PokerStars MicroMillions with biggest in it. The MicroMillions is a low-stakes festival, after all. That may be the case, but with $4.4 million in combined guaranteed prize pools, there was bound to be some players that padded their bankrolls with large scores for a small investment.

Austria’s “neckbr4ke” is one such player. They were one of 8,078 entrants in MicroMillions 107: $22 NLHE 8-Max High Roller. All those buy-ins resulted in a $161,560 prize pool, including a trio of five-figure payouts!

Everyone was guaranteed at least $1,512 for their efforts once the nine-handed final table was set. “MAROTOx86” collected that sum after falling in ninth, with “Muido Harper” and “Samiyuq Kay” running out of luck or steam or a mixture of both to leave the tournament with only six players.

Those six became five when “DaniloPMPB” found themselves with fresh air where their chips once stood, and then four with the untimely demise of “tosati’s.”

Denmark’s “illidandk” bowed out in fourth, a finish good for $8,217, leaving the final trio of low-stakes poker tournament specialists to duke it out safe in the knowledge their $22 buy-in was now worth more than $11,000/

Third place and $11,527 went to Hungary’s “goodluckgabi,” leaving “neckbr4ke” and “sensy10” to fight it out for the $22,695 top prize. However, with the difference between first and second place being more than $6,500, a colossal jump for a $22 buy-in event, the heads-up duo struck a deal that lessened those payouts. The deal resulted in “sensy10” banking $18,508 after falling at the final hurdle, and “neckbr4ke” scooping an impressive $20,359 for their victory.

MicroMillions 107: $22 NLHE 8-Max High Roller Final Table Results

“rickroger10” Takes Home a MicroMillions Title for Brazil

MicroMillions 105: $11 NLHE 8-Max PKO Sunday Special was the event with the second-largest prize pool of the series so far, weighing in at $159,112 after 16,236 PokerStars players bought in.

Whereas all five Brazilians that reached the final table of the $22 buy-in event mentioned above failed to be the last player standing, “rickroger10” got the job done here.

Seven of this event’s nine finalists secured prizes worth more than $1,500 when you include the progressive bounties payments. Even “jucabala390” and “TruePokerism,” who crashed out in ninth and eighth place, reeled in hauls worth $909 and $975, respectively!

The field continued thinning, and “rickroger10” found themselves heads-up against fellow Brazilian “DarkAzazel.” Both players were guaranteed more than $7,300 from the main prize pool, but the final bounty payment tipped the scales at over $5,500. Indeed, “rickroger10” boosted their payout with $5,601 worth of bounties for a total haul worth $12,978, which is pretty ridiculous for an $11 buy-in tournament.

MicroMillions 105: $11 NLHE 8-Max PKO Sunday Special Final Table Results

Croatian “PlayaNEO” Turns $11 Into $9,675

“PlayaNEO” came out on top in the MicroMillions 10: $11 NLHE 8-Max PKO Sunday Special on the opening weekend of the festival, and saw their $11 buy-in swell until it reached $9,675 in size.

Usually, in PKO events, there is a substantial difference between the prize the champion and the runner-up takes home, but not in this tournament. The Croatian champion reeled in a $9,675 score, while “flushnutsAA” of Brazil won $9,139 thanks to being the only player, aside from the champion, to pull in four figures worth of scalps; some $1,887, to be exact.

MicroMillions 10: $11 NLHE 8-Max PKO Sunday Special Final Table Results

Apply Now! PokerStars x Poker Power Women’s Bootcamp Returns July 31

Remaining 2023 PokerStars MicroMillions Schedule

There are still plenty of PokerStars MicroMillions events to get your teeth into before the curtain comes down on July 16. Among the remaining tournaments are two with the largest guarantees of the entire series.

MicroMillions 202, or the Progressive KO Main Event to give it its full title, is a $22 buy-in affair with a, quite frankly, ridiculous $500,000 guarantee on its prize pool. It shuffles up and deals at 6:05 p.m. BST on July 16.

An hour later at 7:05 p.m. BST, MicroMillions 204 High Roller commences. It commands a $55 buy-in and guarantees not a cent less than $250,000 will be won!

Spin & Go Your Way to the MicroMillions Main Event for $0.40

In addition to traditional satellites, PokerStars is running MicroMillions Spin & Go tournaments that make it possible to win $22 Main Event tickets for only a $0.40 investment.

You will play for $0.80 cash or a $1.10 MicroMillions ticket most of the time, but someone will turn $0.40 into a shot at the $500,000 guaranteed MicroMillions Main Event!

Please be aware that you cannot not unregister from the MicroMillions Main Event if you win your entry via the special edition Spin & Go tournaments. Any additional entries you win will be exchanged for T$ (tournament money instantly). Should you win a bunch of MicroMillions tickets via the Spin & Go games but then do not use them, PokerStars will convert to generic MTT tickets within 72 hours of the series concluding.

Never Miss a PokerStars Tournament Again

PokerStars has so many multi-table tournaments running that it is easy to miss one, which is where the PokerNews Online Tournament Calendar comes in. Our free-to-use tool allows you to filter tournaments based on buy-in, game type, and more. It even allows you to fire up the PokerStars client via PokerNews so you can continue browsing all of the latest news, strategy, and promotions! Check it out today!

The 2023 Wynn Summer Classic runs May 25 – July 19 and features 48 events offering a total of $28 million in guaranteed prize pools at Wynn Las Vegas.

The six-week festival will culminate with events such as the $10,500 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) Everyone for One Drop featuring a $10 million guarantee and the $111,000 buy-in WPT Alpha 8 for One Drop.

Among those to claim titles recently were Roman Rogovskyi ($1,600 NLH $1M GTD for $338,105) and Roussos Koliakoudakis ($3,000 PLO Progressive Bounty $200K GTD for $139,773), as well as Chance Kornuth and James Calderaro.

Here’s a look at some other notable recent winners of the Wynn Summer Classic.

Check out the Wynn Poker Room review here on PokerNews!

Anna Antimony Wins Wynn Ladies Event

On July 3, the $550 Ladies NLH $50K GTD event attracted 373 runners competing for a piece of a $179,040 prize pool paid to the top 39 places.

Anna Antimony was the last woman standing to claim the title and $40,540 after defeating England’s Deborah Worley-Roberts in heads-up play.

Others who cashed in the event include Catherine Dever (10th – $3,276), Maureen Bloechlinger (13th – $2,807), Kristen Deardorff (25th – $1,484), and Kathy Liebert (38th – $1,191).

$550 Ladies NLH $50K GTD Final Table Results

Austria’s Stefan Nemetz Claims Lion’s Share of $7M+ Prize Pool

The $3,500 NLH $4M GTD featured three starting flights, and 2,231 players flocked to the felt to generate a massive prize pool of $7,105,735.

At the end of it all, Austria’s Stefan Nemetz claimed the Wynn trophy and $720,639 following a three-way chop with Ruman Meman (2nd – $700,000) and Brian Luo (3rd – $681,452).

Nemetz’s previous biggest live cash was $73,795 for a ninth-place finish in a WPT Venetian event in 2021, and he bested that by nearly ten times with this victory.

Others among the 233 players to finish in the money were Roman Hrabec (17th – $53,661), Michael Rossitto (40th – $29,239), James Romero (69th – $20,855), Hossein Ensan (81st – $17,080), Stephen Chidwick (166th – $9,800), and Bryan Piccioli (204th – $8,050).

$3,500 NLH $4M GTD Final Table Results

Get to Know Jeremy Becker, the Man Who Has Won Eight Wynn Tournaments in a Month

Simeon Spasov Takes Down $1,100 NLH $200K GTD

The $1,100 NLH $200K GTD on July 3 attracted 664 entries to create a prize pool of $650,720 paid to the top 71 finishers.

Bulgaria’s Simeon Spasov took the trophy and the top prize of $96,936 following a three-way deal with Ankit Wadhawan (2nd – $81,904) and Michael Graffeo (3rd – $80,145).

This was Spasov’s first victory since he won his first WSOP bracelet last year in Event #49 $2,000 NLH for $527,944 when he defeated Mike Watson in heads-up play.

Others who cashed in this event but fell short of the final table include Mark Rose (13th – $9,079), Arie Kliper (37th – $3,482), Patrick Truong (42nd – $3,482), James Romero (54th – $2,691), and Marton Czuczor (71st – $2,447).

$1,100 NLH $200K GTD Final Table Results

2023 Wynn Summer Classic Winners Thus Far

The 44th day of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas was meant to only see one champion crowned, but it turned out two players received some WSOP hardware.

Event #80: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. did have a fourth day on the schedule, but it was not required, thanks, partly, to Josh Arieh steamrolling his way to a sixth career bracelet. Arieh defeated Dan Heimiller heads-up to rake in another $711,313 in winnings, his second bracelet of 2023, and his sixth overall.

Spain’s Samuel Bernabeu became a WSOP bracelet winner for the first time after outlasting 2,067 opponents in Event #79: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em. Only 24 of those that started the tournament with high hopes returned for the third and final day, and it was the Spaniard who came out on top. They banked $682,436 and the event’s bracelet.

Yang Wang Leads Stellar Field in the $50K NLHE High Roller

The 133-strong Day 1 field of Event #84: $50,000 High Roller was cut down to a more manageable 44 over the course of 12 levels, and it is China’s Yang Wang (2,175,000) who bagged the most chips.

Wang has already cashed in the $100,000 High Roller and the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, so is going for a hattrick of in-the-money finishes against stellar fields.

German superstar Fedor Holz (1,990,000) bagged up the second largest stack, while Holz’s fellow German Stefan Schillhabel (1,915,000) rounds out the top three.

Others to bag and tag at the end of Day 1 include Vlad Darie (1,830,000), 2021 WSOP Main Event champion Espen Jorstad (1,340,000), soccer star Sergio Aguero (880,000), Daniel Negreanu (685,000), Jason Koon (650,000), PokerStars Ambassador Alejandro Lococo (645,000), David Peters (550,000), and short-stack Sean Winter (155,000).

This year’s turnout is far greater than in 2022, and is set to further improve because late registration remains open until the start of Day 2, which commences at 1:00 p.m. local time on July 13. As always, PokerNews is the place for all your WSOP updates.

Event #84: $50,000 High Roller Top 10 Chip Counts

It’s getting Serious in the Main Event With Only 49 Players Remaining

Only 49 players remain in the hunt for a $12.1 million payday, as Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship completed its sixth day of action.

Joshua Payne (47,950,000) was the man that bagged the biggest stack as the curtain came down on proceedings. Payne leads from Juan Maceiras Lapido (40,500,000), Daniel Weinman (24,375,000), Richard Ryder (22,650,000), and Tim Van Loo (21,700,000).

Play resumes at 12:00 p.m. local time on July 13, and PokerNews will be on the ground throughout. Why not check out a full recap of the Main Event Day 6 action while you wait for the cards to be back in the air?

Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship Top 10 Chip Counts

Day 1b of the $600 Ultra Stack Sees Malboubi Shine the Brightest

Another 4,116 players bought into Event #81: $600 Ultra Stack on Day 1b, but only 312 of those starters had chips requiring bagging and tagging after 22 action-packed levels.

Rassoul Malboubi (3,615,000) weather the storm the best. Having reached the final table of the Super Seniors event earlier in the summer, Malboubi has done his chances of sitting under the spotlights gain no harm at all.

Also through to Day 2 are the likes of Leonard Clementi (3,500,000), Robert Sherwood (2,880,000), Ben Farrell (1,500,000), Scott Bohlman (1,205,000), Women in Poker Hall of Famer Kathy Liebert (1,000,000), Dinesh Alt (535,000), and Tommy Nguyen (525,000).

The survivors from Day 1a and Day 1b combined at 10:00 a.m. local time on July 13 to play another 17 levels. Return to PokerNews then to follow all the updates from this monster-sized tournament.

Event #81: $600 Ultra Stack Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts

Drinan On Course to Become the $3K PLO 6-Max Champion

Connor Drinan (4,225,000) is on course to capture the second WSOP bracelet of his career, with the Chicago native returning to the final day of Event #82: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (6-Handed) second in chips.

Only Dustin Goldklang (4,225,000) has more chips at their disposal from the 35 players still in the hunt for the $480,122 top prize.

Although Drinan and Goldklang possess the largest stacks, there are some superb poker players in the chasing pack that will fancy their chances of striking poker gold.

Lukas Zaskodny (2,035,000) and Brandon Shack-Harris (1,865,000) already have a bracelet each, while Day 1 chip leader Tyler Gaston (1,745,000) kept his foot on the gas on Day 2.

Three-time bracelet winner Norbert Szecsi of Hungary (420,000) is at the wrong end of the overnight counts, but a player with his skills cannot ever be written off.

Return to PokerNews from 1:00 p.m. local time on July 13 to see who walks away with the latest WSOP PLO title.

Event #82: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed Top 10 Chip Counts

Prociak Has the Biggest Stack in the $1,500 Short Deck

Event #83: $1,500 Short Deck was scheduled to run over three days, but only nine of the 363 starters remain after Day 1, so this event is all but guaranteed to wrap up during its second day.

David Prociak (2,040,000) has one hand on this event’s bracelet, which would be the second of his career if he can get the job done. It has been seven years since Prociak won his first bracelet, so some may say another victory is long overdue.

Ryan Laplante (711,000) is in a similar position. The popular grinder also won his one and only bracelet in 2016. Laplante sits down on Day 2, seventh in chips.

A 12:00 p.m. local time restart is scheduled on July 13, and PokerNews will eat its hat if this event requires a third day to conclude!

Event #83: $1,500 Short Deck Top 10 Chip Counts

What to Expect on Day 45 of the 2023 WSOP

The 2023 WSOP Main Event is rapidly heading towards the business end of the tournament, with Event #76: $10,000 WSOP Main Event World Championship reaching Day 7. The prize money and pressure are huge, so do not miss any of the action.

Event #81: $600 Ultra Stack will see its bumper crowd significantly trimmed down during its Day 2, while Event #84: $50,000 High Roller continues inching towards a conclusion.

Champions will be crowned in Event #82: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (6-Handed) and Event #83: $1,500 Short Deck as another trio of tournaments get underway.

Event #85: $1,500 Shootout is the first of those three newcomers, followed by Event #86: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty, and then Event #87: $2,500 Mixed Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better. The 2023 WSOP is determined to end with a bang!