The final table of the $500,000 guaranteed 2023 888poker XL Winter Series Main Event went like a whirlwind, taking just over an hour to complete. In the end, “AMG_people” had to come back from a huge heads-up deficit to take down the big prize in a field that saw more than 2,050 entries and 402 Day 2 players.

The winner also picked up more than $3,000 in bounties over the course of the tournament, making their final score more than $37,500. That was the highest total prize from the final table, but with $4,000 more in bounties, second place “alwaySsmilee” came close with just over $32,500.

The one player in the game who capped the winner was the 29th-place finisher “SickSlick” from Germany. That player only pocketed $900 in prizes, but they took the $50,000 top bounty plus a few more for a total of $56,333. “Sim0nK“, who finished seventh, banked almost $20,000 in bounties for the third-best final table total, and “Lenny03041” scored $15,000 in bounties without even cashing.

2023 888poker XL Winter Series Main Event Final Table Results

Main Event Action

After several Day 1 flights throughout the series, there were a total of 2,059 entries, including rebuys, for the $500,000 2023 888poker XL Winter Series Main Event. That wasn’t quite enough to break the $500,000 guarantee, so it meant that 240 players benefit from an overlay.

A total of 402 players bagged stacks for Day 2, which played out over five and a half hours on January 30. Three members of Team888 started the day with chips, but the best result for the sponsored players came from Ian “simpioni” Simpson in 108th.

The big $50,000 bounty went pretty early in the day, so some of the mystery bounty excitement was quelled, but that didn’t stop the game from getting from 402 down to the 240 money spots within the first three levels of the final day’s action. The play never really slowed down, and “alwaySsmilee” went on a late-day run to take over the lead for the final day of play.

They held that lead through nearly the whole day and looked like they’d go wire to wire on Day 3. “AMG_people” had other ideas, however. Both players were from Ukraine, but the eventual winner was out-chipped by more than six-to-one coming into the final phase after arriving on the final day seventh in chips with barely one million chips.

“AMG_people” took the lead shortly after the heads-up began after doubling with a flopped straight, then taking down a three-bet pot on a king-high flop. “alwaySsmilee” came back to take a small lead, but then it all went south, with “AMG_people” taking it down with ace-jack versus ace-king a few hands later.

That brings the PokerNews‘ coverage of 888poker’s XL Winter Series to a close. Stay tuned for more coverage from poker series around the globe on both the real and virtual felt.

It was a short but action-packed Day 2 at the 2023 PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship in The Bahamas that saw only six one-hour levels played out. A total of 1,014 entries were recorded when late registration closed with just 255 advancing to Day 3. Leading the pack is Krasimir Yankov who is the only player with a seven-figure stack with 1,002,000 chips followed by Philipe Pizzari (965,000) and Jeremy Ausmus (791,000) to round out the top three.

Yankov is widely known for competing on the European Poker Tour but has recently been dabbling overseas as well. The Bulgarian’s most recent standout performance came in the WPT World Championship where he finished in sixth place. With a handful of six-figure scores on his poker resume already, Yankov will be looking to go one step further and add a seven-figure payday when all is said and done.

Speaking of which, the prize pool and payouts were confirmed today once registration was closed. A total of $24,843,000 will be up for grabs over the next three days. There will be 175 places being paid with a min-cash being worth $35,100 and the winner taking home $4,053,200. Each of the final six places will be guaranteed to become at least a millionaire.

“I’d Love To Take His Money!”—Bruce Buffer says Logan Paul Would Be “An Excellent Poker Player”#

Some more familiar faces advancing to Day 3 with a shot at PSPC glory include 2023 PCA Main Event champion Michel Dattani, WSOP Main Event winners Chris Moneymaker, Martin Jacobson, and Espen Jorstad, along with PokerStars ambassadors Alejandro Lococo, Sam Grafton, and Arlie Shaban. Lococo put 473,000 in the bag for Day 3 and will be joined by Grafton with 377,000 chips and Shaban who bagged the same as Day 1 with 259,000.

There were 680 players who returned to their seats after Day 1 and they were joined by an additional nine new entries before late registration closed prior to the start of level 11. One of those late entries was Bryn Kenney whose time at the table was a mere flash. Just 10 minutes in, Kenney bricked out on a flush draw and was sent to the rail by Noah Schwartz.

Five-time Survivor contestant and winner of the 22nd season Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano was also one of the last few entries. Mariano, who is now taking the game of poker a little more seriously, maneuvered his way through to Day 3, bagging up a stack of 119,000.

Boston Rob Returns to Where He Got Married; Suggests Negreanu Do Survivor

One of the feel-good stories of the tournament belongs to Platinum Pass winner Glen Craigen. There is no doubt that Craigen is playing in the biggest tournament of his life but has proven he can still play with some of the biggest names in the game. Craigen recently did an interview with PokerNews where he got a little emotional talking about what this type of tournament means to him.

Joining him in search of turning a Platinum Pass into a massive payday include Ignacio Gonzalez, Renato Minicuci, Dinesh Alt, Bastian Hess, and many others.

With a field littered with familiar faces at each and every table, there were many who fell by the wayside over the course of the day as the field was whittled down to just 255 players. Some of those that were unfortunate to be eliminated were Ryan Riess, Jonathan Little, Ben Lamb, Sam Greenwood, and PokerStars ambassadors Benjamin Spragg, Jen Shahade, and defending champion Ramon Colillas who will not be going back-to-back.

“Poker More Accessible Than Chess” says Twitch Streamer Alexandra Botez

As the field quickly disintegrated over the course of a few hours, it was announced that only six levels would be played on Day 2. When the action resumes on Day 3, everyone will have their sights set on the money bubble that will likely occur in the opening couple levels of the day.

The cards will go back in the air at 12 p.m. noon EST for Day 3 with the blinds resuming on level 15 at 3,000/6,000 and a 6,000 big blind ante. The levels will continue to be 60 minutes in length and an expected eight levels will be played on Day 3.

Aggression is a key skill within the UFC Octagon. Go out too fast, and you’ll risk running out of steam. Too timid and you’ll lose a bout in seconds.

Veteran UFC announcer Bruce Buffer said that maybe he was a little too aggressive on Day 1 of the PokerStars Players NL Hold’em Championship here at the Baha Mar Resort in The Bahamas.

“The one big hand I played was the one that got me knocked out, so that wasn’t ideal”

“Maybe a little too aggressive,” he conceded when PokerNews caught up with him. “I had ace-king and the flop was king-jack-nine. By the turn I just knew he had queen-ten, and on the river he put me all in.

“For some reason I stayed in! The one big hand I played was the one that got me knocked out, so that wasn’t ideal! But it was my bad, my mistake. And, you know, what did Mike Sexton say? ‘Five minutes to learn and a lifetime to master’ We all learn from our mistakes.”

The “Spectacular” PokerStars Players Championship

Buffer, who opened up proceedings yesterday with his trademark catchphrase ‘It’s Time!’ was also at the first PSPC four years ago, as well as playing in this year’s event, and said it was just as incredible this time around.

“PokerStars is known for putting on such amazing events,” he told PokerNews. “But this one is even more spectacular. After two or three years of not having events because of COVID, this event has become an international melting pot of players from all over the world.

“Poker More Accessible Than Chess” says Twitch Streamer Alexandra Botez

“Everybody is here speaking different languages, everybody’s here playing poker differently from one another. You know, it’s a lot of fun.”

With a prize pool in excess of $24,000,000, Buffer says that the success of the second edition of the PokerStars Players NL Hold’em Championship can serve as inspiration for him and other recreational poker players all around the world.

“We’re talking about a prize pool where first prize is over $4 million! To be here in the Bahamas, in this kind of environment — it’s unreal. It’s great, it’s very enlightening and it just refuels my passion for poker.”

Buffer’s Brush with the ‘Dead Man’s Hand’

A keen poker player, Buffer has amassed over $350,000 in career earnings since 2005, all of which have come in the United States. The largest cash of his career came in July 2010, beating 1,484 players to win the Grand Slam of Poker in Gardena, California for $75,000.

“And I busted with two pair — aces and eights — which in poker is the Dead Man’s Hand!”

That same month, Buffer also made a deep run in the 2010 WSOP Main Event, finishing in 478th place for $27,519.

“I had like 550,000 chips and got dealt pocket aces on the button. The flop came eight-ten-eight and by the time we went to the river he went all in and I called, and he flopped quad eights on me.

“And I busted with two pair — aces and eights — which in poker is the Dead Man’s Hand.”

Tearing His ACL in Ontario

Fast forward to 2023, and despite his aggression leading him to an early PSPC exit, Buffer came out significantly more unscathed than at an event in Toronto almost 12 years ago.

According to Buffer, on the very first day of the Liz Flynt Spring Poker Classic in April 2011, he was walking during the break, hit a dip in the carpet, and rolled his ankle.

“I woke up the next morning and it [had] filled with blood. And of course, I had to go back for Day 2! So I ran to the hospital and got it drained, grabbed a set of crutches because I couldn’t walk, went back to the casino, and finished third for $30,000!”

The story has an extra chapter, however, with Buffer then heading to Rogers Arena in Ontario, Canada for UFC 129 — the first sanctioned mixed martial arts event in province.

Ontario Online Poker: Best Legal Online Poker Sites in Ontario

Flying into Toronto, Buffer says he could hardly walk, but made it through to a main event featuring three-time former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre.

“I was doing the show and adrenaline sort of took over, and I was jumping and turning and doing everything. So I was introducing Georges, and I go to his corner. And he usually lunges out when I say his name, so as he does so I bunny-hop back and landed on the bad ankle, wobbled, and completely severed my ACL!

“I worked my way back to the referee, and I’ve got my game face on but inside I’m saying to myself ‘I just blew my knee!'”

Boston Rob Returns to Where He Got Married; Suggests Negreanu Do Survivor

Buffer headed home and went for an MRI scan and it was — according to him — “gone”. With UFC commitments and a movie coming up, Buffer needed it fixed.

“I met with the same doctor that did Tom Brady’s knee and spoke with him about braces and operations and rehab. Fast forward to the third day of rehab, and who walks in but Georges St-Pierre.

“So I blew my knee introducing Georges, he blew his knee two months later training. And we both get operated on by the same doctor and we wind up in rehab together. Now that’s a small world!”

Logan Paul at the Poker Table?

While PokerStars Live rolls onto EPT Paris next month, Buffer is gearing up for UFC events in Las Vegas and Australia. The UFC recently announced a sponsorship deal with Logan Paul‘s PRIME Energy, making it the official sports drink of the UFC.

“Oh I’d love to take all of Logan’s chips; his money, his cash — he’s got plenty of it!”

With Paul having a track record of success with YouTube, boxing, and various other entrepreneurial endeavors, how would Buffer feel about coming up against his buddy and friend across the poker table, if Paul decided to give it a try at another PokerStars Live event?

“Oh I’d love to take all of Logan’s chips; his money, his cash — he’s got plenty of it! You know what, Logan Paul is one of those rare ‘It’ factor individuals, that whatever Logan wants Logan gets.

“Just like he’s walking into the WWE ring, and he’s doing things that are blowing our minds. I expect to see him in the Octagon and I can’t wait to announce him.

“Whatever Logan wants, he’ll get. He’s a good guy. I like Logan a lot. I feel if Logan puts his mind to it he would probably be an excellent poker player.”

Executive Editor E.U.

Will Shillibier is based in the United Kingdom. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German, and then studied for a NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism at Sportsbeat in Manchester. He previously worked as a freelance live reporter, and video presenter for the World Poker Tour.

The Final Table of the 2023 PCA Main Event is reached and they play down to a winner. The champion gets to take home the trophy and a whopping $1.5 million dollars.

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The Galfond Challenge, a heads-up online pot-limit Omaha competition between Phil Galfond and an opponent, is back starting Feb. 2 with Dan “Jungleman” Cates stepping into the hot seat.

Play will begin at 8 a.m. PT and is expected to run until around noon each day Monday through Thursday until the agreed upon 7,500 hands are completed, according to Galfond’s Monday afternoon tweet. Galfond told PokerNews the action will take place on WSOP.com. In previous Galfond Challenges, there’s been a side bet attached to the cash game, but the former Full Tilt Poker crusher said he isn’t sure yet if a side bet will be added to this one.

Each session, and every hand, is expected to be live-streamed on Galfond’s YouTube channel, but the PLO pro said there won’t be any commentary. As is customary in the Galfond Challenge, the competitors will play two tables at a time of PLO at $100/$200 stakes.

Check Out the Galfond Challenge History

What to Expect from the Galfond Challenge

Given both players have aggressive tendencies in PLO, expect plenty of massive pots throughout the lengthy battle. Galfond, who was famously known as “OMGClayAiken” during the Full Tilt Poker days, had booked Cates for the Galfond Challenge over two years ago. But the two poker superstars weren’t able to figure out the logistics until now.

Galfond, referred to as “Mr. Falcons” by his upcoming opponent, is considered by many the greatest PLO player of all-time. He rose to stardom in pot-limit Omaha back in the late 2000s on Full Tilt, competing in the nosebleed games against Phil Ivey, Viktor “isildur1” Blom, and other fan favorites.

Cates, the two-time defending WSOP Poker Players Championship champion, is also an online poker legend and one of the best in the game today. He’s talked some trash over the past couple of years to his friendly rival Galfond, and has expressed confidence in coming out victorious.

Galfond and Cates, both in their mid-30’s, will likely reach the Poker Hall of Fame shortly after becoming eligible at age 40, if not immediately.

History of the Galfond Challenge

Galfond first offered up the high-stakes PLO challenge in 2019, which was accepted by online poker pro “Venividi1993.” The host of the challenge, who was heavily favored, was down nearly €1 million at one point on the Run it Once poker site, previously owned by Galfond himself.

On top of the money from the cash games it appeared Galfond was destined to lose, he would also owe the challenger another €200,000 from a side bet. But the match lasted 25,000 hands and in the final of 39 sessions, Galfond pulled off a miraculous rally to win by less than 10 big blinds.

Next up was “ActionFreak,” another online player. This time around, Galfond jumped out ahead in the 15,000-hand contest, and then held on to win by a bit over €114,000 plus the €150,000 side bet.

Up next was Chip Leader Coaching founder Chance Kornuth, who started off strong, building a six-figure lead, but would inevitably call it quits after 25,400 hands and down $726,000. He was also on the hook for a $250,000 side bet.

In between those matches, Galfond would briefly play just 862 hands against Bill Perkins before the two competitors couldn’t find time to continue the contest. Galfond was up around $90,000 at the time the match ended for good in April 2020.

Galfond would also face Brandon Adams in July 2021, but this one was a live poker challenge at Resorts World in Las Vegas. They were scheduled to play 40 hours but Adams backed out after 26 hours of play down $16,500.

Cates will likely be Galfond’s toughest opponent to date.

After just more than 4 hours of play on Day 6 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $10,300 Main Event, Portugal’s Michel Dattani was crowned the champion after defeating compatriot Pedro Neves in heads-up play.

Following the elimination of Artur Martirosian, the two players agreed to an ICM deal which saw Dattani lock up $1,316,963 while Neves banked $1,183,037. Upon the agreement of the deal, it was confirmed that the Portuguese pair were playing for $50,000 and the title.
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PokerNews content features live poker and live poker events, covering the World Series of Poker, PokerStars Live events, WSOP and EPT events as well as all latest poker news. PokerNews interviews top high stakes poker players and professional poker players like Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Mike Matusow, Dan Cates, Tony G and many more. PokerNews also provides the best poker strategy guide, how to play poker, how to play texas holdem, how to play poker for free videos.

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Late on Day 1 of the 2023 PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC), a man wearing a Boston Red Sox hat strolled into the ballroom and took a seat to compete. That man was none other than “Boston” Rob Mariano, who rose to fame nearly 20 years ago when he first appeared on the hit television show Survivor.

Mariano, who would go on to appear six times (so far), actually had a prior connection to the Bahamas – it’s where he got married to his wife Amber, who he met while competing on Survivor: All-Stars back in 2003.

“In general, I’m good with islands, but the Bahamas is special to me,” Boston Rob told PokerNews. “It’s where my wife Amber and I got married almost 18 years ago. I fell the magic that something else good is going to happen here.”

Mariano bagged 96,000 after Day 1 of the PSPC and was hopeful things would go well on Tuesday’s Day 2.

“It’s funny. I’ve played poker for over 20 years now, but it’s like just recently I’ve rediscovered a passion for it. When my kids were really young I took some time off, dove into being a dad and that sort of stuff. I recently rediscovered the game and I have been having a lot of fun, particularly the last six months with the rings and being out here in the Bahamas.”

The rings he referred to came on the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS). Last year, Mariano topped a 206-entry field to win the $200 NLH Guest Ambassador Bounty Event at RGPS JACK Cleveland, good for $8,615, and then in December went on to win the season-ending 2022 RGPS All-Stars Pro-Am for $6,500 and a second ring.

“I took that one down. It was sweet revenge for my buddies that were needling me in that tournament. I’m not going to name any names, Josh Arieh, but anyway it was a great culmination event,” said Mariano. “The guys at RunGood, Tana Karn and those guys, have always been super welcoming. I love playing on that tour and it was special for me to bring home that trophy.”

Survivor Alum & Reality Star “Boston” Rob Mariano Wins 2022 RGPS Pro-AM in Vegas

Survivor Notoriety

For those familiar with Survivor and reality TV in general (Mariano has also appeared on Amazing Race, The Price is Right, and most recently Season 2 of Secret Celebrity Renovation), it’s hard not to recognize Boston Rob. In fact, it’s pretty much standard for someone to recognize him whenever he sits down at a poker table.

“Everybody pretty much does,” he admitted. “The cat is out of the bag now after 20 years, six years of Survivor and being around the poker circuit. But that’s ok, I like it. They still don’t know what I’m doing. They might think they know, but they really don’t.”

He continued: “I recognize a lot of the pros, and I love to call them out at the table because there’s nothing they can do about it. It’s fun. It really does level the playing field here. The PSPC is really a unique tournament in that regard. It gives everyday players the opportunity to play with these guys who do it each and every day to test their skills. It’s awesome.”

For Boston Rob, playing the PSPC is a big opportunity for which he feels prepared.

“I feel good. I played in the PokerGO Cup a few weeks ago out in Vegas. I did a bubble in a tournament, not a stone-cold bubble, but near the bubble, and I was surprised how comfortable I felt there. I do feel good about my game and where we’re going. You know, a little magic can happen, and I’ve been known to be lucky too.”

Negreanu on Survivor?

Well over a decade ago, poker pro Daniel Negreanu taught Boston Rob and his wife, Amber, some poker tricks. Ever since, they’ve remained friends, which makes sense given Boston Rob loves poker, and Negreanu is well-known to be a fan of Survivor. In fact, there have been rumors over the years that CBS was interested in possible having Negreanu on the show.

Unfortunately, Negreanu has yet to appear presumably because the filming of Survivor conflicts with the annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). However, if he were to one day go on the show, how does Boston Rob think he’d do?

“Daniel has been a friend for a lot of years. He helped me with poker, and he’s still a friend today,” he said. “I think Daniel he definitely has a social awareness to do well in the game. I don’t think a lot of common mistakes that a lot of poker players make on Survivor, if you think of it like a tournament, a lot of them are trying to win the tournament in Level 1 or Level 2. You can’t do that, you’ve got to go all the way to the end, so you can’t play too quickly. I don’t think Daniel would have that problem.”

He added: “I think what might hinder him a little bit is probably his name recognition. A lot of people might recognize him, and for somebody that has a reputation in that game, I know that is a big hurdle to overcome and you have to fight that obstacle. But being aware that it’s going to be an obstacle he can probably find a way to use it to his advantage. He’s really good at games.”

Finally, Boston Rob pointed out that, like poker has in the past, Survivor has gone through some changes. For the majority of its run, Survivor contestants played a 39-day game, but recently that was lowered to 26 days. That means participation doesn’t require quite as long of a commitment.

“It’s not even six weeks anymore Daniel, it’s only three weeks,” Boston Rob pointed out. “Take the time, get out there, and give it a shot.”

While poker fans will no doubt hope that Negreanu one day gets on Survivor, we couldn’t help but ask Boston Rob about a potential return to the game as well as what he has coming down the pipeline.

“I love Survivor, always have, still a fan of the show myself. My kids watch it now,” he said. “On the professional front, my show with CBS, Secret Celebrity Renovation, we’re hoping to do a Season 3. It looks like that’s probably going to be in the works, so back to work soon.”

However, before he goes back to work, Boston Rob has business in the Bahamas – to maybe win the PSPC!

Follow live updates from the 2023 PSPC here!

Executive Editor U.S.

Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.

_{Lead image courtesy of the WPT Global Blog}

Everyone loves a feel-good story, especially when it comes to someone deserving realising their dreams and winning a substantial sum of money. WPT Global created such a tale when the online poker site gave LoriAnn Persinger a free seat in the $10,400 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas in December.

Persinger entered a social media competition that required entrants to explain in a 280-character tweet why they are passionate about poker. World Poker Tour Ambassador Andrew Neeme read Persinger’s heartfelt entry and selected the low-stakes tournament grinder as one of the recipients of a $10,400 seat to live poker’s biggest ever guaranteed tournament.

According to the WPT Global Blog, Day 4 started well for Persinger, as she found herself armed with three million chips. However, she lost almost half of her stack with trip kings versus a full house, but got those chips back, with interest, from the same opponent when her aces remained true against pocket kings. Persinger’s turbulent Day 4 ended with 3,055,000 chips, enough for 40th place from the 128 surviving players.

$21,000 Up For Grabs in the WPT Global Win Win Winter Promotion

Losing a Coinflip at a Crucial Time

Persinger’s incredible ride ended on Day 5. Blinds were 125,000/250,000 with a 250,000a, and Jean-Claude Moussa opened to 500,000 from middle position. Persinger three-bet all-in for 2,230,000 from the small blind, and Moussa called. It was ace-king for Persinger and pocket queens for Moussa, one of tournament poker’s many coinflips, and a scenario Persinher had seen countless times. The ten-trey-six rainbow flop was not what Persinger wanted to see. Neither was the five on the turn nor the deuce on the river, which busted Persinger in 30th place for a cool $119,000.

At least Moussa put Persinger’s chips to good use because he navigated his way to a fourth-place finish worth $2,095,000.

Speaking to the WPT Global Blog shortly after her untimely demise, Persinger said, “I probably will not change anything; I am a small-stakes grinder who loves playing the daily tournaments at the Aria, Orleans, and more. I am not a pro; I just play like one. I loved the way I was treated, the VIP lounge, everything. I just wanted to take it all in and absorb every moment.”

Stephen Kehoe Flies the WPT Global Flag

You may recall that Stephen Kehoe won his way into the WPT World Championships at Wynn Las Vegas via a $550 buy-in satellite at WPT Global. Kehoe went even deeper than Persinger, eventuallyfalling in 14th place for a $269,900 score, another WPT Global success story.

First WPT Prime Stop of 2023 Shuffles Up in Paris on January 31

Join WPT Global Today

The launch of WPT Global means that poker players around the world now have the chance to win their way to WPT events, win prizes and enjoy exciting games such as Poker Flips. As one of the world’s largest cash game poker networks, WPT Global is available in over 50 countries and territories around the world.

WPT Global offers a large deposit match bonus: 100% on deposits up to $1,200 (using any payment method). New players depositing a minimum of $20 automatically receive this match bonus which is unlocked in $5 increments (credited straight to the cashier) for every $20 of rake contribution.

Both tournaments and cash games count towards bonus unlocking; new players have 90 days from the date of first deposit to unlock and claim their full bonus amount.

Canada’s Glen Craigen won his Platinum Pass while at work in spectacular fashion. Now he’s trying to convert that into a life-changing cash at the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship.

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It’s been almost ten years since Felix “xflixx” Schneiders joined PokerStars. Over the years his role within PokerStars has shifted — initially joining as a member of Team Online before now being part of a varied and hugely talented team of Ambassadors.

Schneiders is in The Bahamas for the PokerStars Players NL Hold’em Championship and spoke to PokerNews about his almost a decade working with PokerStars, the changes he’s made to his content and the poker journey he’s on within the German-speaking community.

Follow Updates from the 2023 PokerStars Players Championship

Changing Things…For The Better

“It really has been a long journey,” Schneiders told PokerNews. “And it’s taken a lot of turns that I wouldn’t have expected. I started out as a cash game streamer, streaming in English and building an English community.

“Then I switched to German. And it clicked. It resonated with me more, I became more natural on camera and it just helped me to be a better streamer.”

Sunday Million Where Poker Dreams Are Made says Felix “xflixx” Schneiders

Schneiders said the community initially shrank as viewers adjusted to the change in language, but when the dust settled the positives vastly outweighed the negatives.

“There’s really no better feeling than winning a tournament, and getting to share those moments on stream was great”

“It was more intimate and it was more relatable for my audience. I mean, most of them were German to begin with so it wot more of a community that continued to grow from there.

“Another switch was switching to tournament poker, which is something I never expected I would do. And now I can’t get enough of tournament poker. It’s so good.”

Having never anticipated this switch from cash games to tournaments, Schneiders says the change was as unexpected as it was overwhelmingly positive.

“At heart, I’m still a cash game player, and I always used to grind cash games. But it’s just way more fun to play tournaments. There’s really no better feeling than winning a tournament, and getting to share those moments on stream was great.”

Onto the Live Scene

Another huge switch for Schneiders was to take things out of the basement and onto the live poker scene. With PokerStars offering one of the strongest live poker brands in the world, it made perfect sense for Schneiders to take his community of poker fans and introduce them to the live felt.

“I had never done that before,” Schneiders admits. “I was always an online kid just nerding it up in front of my computer. But I realized there’s more than life to online poker.

“Poker gives you the freedom to travel, to meet people, and to just do crazy things and live life. That’s what I tried to do last year, and it was a hell of a ride. I went to all the Road to PSPC stops just to cover that series, which was crazy because everyone was just so hungry for live poker”

“Poker gives you the freedom to travel, to meet people, and to just do crazy things and live life”

As a result of the switch, Schneiders’ content changed entirely along with the team that came along with him to help create it.

“We did only Live Poker. I built up a content team to help me along on the journey, with moderators who were familiar with my stream and my content. So they started helping me joining as a cameraman or content editor. And we experimented with so many different types of content, and we really started to enjoy this.

“So my content has evolved from a solo cash game streamer online, to this whole community-drive community-based style of content from live events all over the world.

“To travel the world and to travel to different places, to stream and to get to share this with everybody it’s the most amazing experience.”

Germans at the PSPC

Now at the PSPC the German-speaking community is well-represented, something that Schneiders is relishing.

“I’ve met a lot of people — even Platinum Pass winners — who come up to me who used to watch my content. And there’s this amazing connection. They used to watch my stream endlessly and now they’re here at the PSPC after winning a Platinum Pass. The connections still remain even after all these years — it’s crazy.

“There are Platinum Pass winners who are completely outside of the live poker scene, who maybe have never played live poker before. And they’re here for the first time. So it’s super important that they have people to cling to and to connect with.”

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Over the next five days, Schneiders will be cheering on the community of German-speaking players hoping that one will follow in Colillas’ footsteps.

“It’s a lot different to the last PSPC. [In 2019] we were a small group of people, and we really felt that it was important to have this team spirit. This time we’ve decided to just get as many German-speaking people from the community together — from Germany, Austria, Switzerland. Just basically so they feel supported and they’re here together with other people and they’re not on their own.

“We want to make sure they have people to talk to. That’s so important in poker, to have a community of people you can vent to, or to bring you food, or just to rail you when you go deep. It just gives you a lot of stability.”

Executive Editor E.U.

Will Shillibier is based in the United Kingdom. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German, and then studied for a NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism at Sportsbeat in Manchester. He previously worked as a freelance live reporter, and video presenter for the World Poker Tour.