On January 25, Jeffrey Fogel passed away at the age of 51 after a 10-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

ALS affects the nervous system with the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, which in time painlessly shuts down the body. It’s the same disease theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has suffered from since 1963, which is when doctors gave him just two years to live. Fogel was initially given three to five, but proved those estimates wrong and used his time to advocate fighting against Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“Sending my condolences to the family and friends of Jeffrey Fogel. His love for sports, sports cards, and poker was a recipe of common interest that led to so many conversations over the past 15 years,” said former Director of Poker Marketing for Seminole Hard Rock Tony Burns.

“His short video ‘Who is Lou Gehrig?’ inspired so many during his over decade-long ALS fight. I’m sad that I will not be able to attend his funeral tomorrow, but will have him and his ‘1Luv’ motto on my mind. Rest in peace, my friend!”

Here’s a is the aforementioned film “Who Is Lou Gehrig?” that documented Fogel’s journey:

Poker Accomplishments

During the summer of 2015, Fogel made a cross-country journey to participate in the World Series of Poker (WSOP). It was there that PokerNews first learned of Fogel and profiled him in the feature article Jeff Fogel’s 2,513-Mile Journey: From 3-5 Years to Live with ALS to the 2015 WSOP.

Fogel had previously coached flag football and basketball, and during that time experienced trouble with his right arm.

“I thought maybe it’d go away, maybe I pulled something I wasn’t sure,” Fogel explained. “The muscle atrophy was increasing, and I started to go through some tests. The doctors diagnosed me with ALS. It started in my right arm.”

Despite being confined to a motorized chair, Fogel was able to make the trip to the WSOP, thanks in no small part to his friends and a dedicated group of poker players from South Florida. It happened a few months before the WSOP when Fogel invited his friend, Mike Moed, and his wife over for a sneak peek at Who is Lou Gehrig?, a film that tells the story of Fogel’s ALS diagnosis. While not yet released, the film, which successfully raised $66,710 on Kickstarter, has garnered quite a bit of praise from the film festival scene.

Friends help Fogel raise $2,000 so that he could rent a van and make the trip out to Las Vegas. Not only that, many of them made the trip with him so they could assist in handling his cards during tournament play. From there, Fogel took over by verbalizing his action.

Fogel wound up finishing in 158th place out of 22,374 entries in Event #5: $565 Colossus for $8,155, which marked his first and only WSOP cash.

“It was a good feeling and a lot of fun,” Fogel said with a big smile. “I really didn’t expect to go that far. It was my first WSOP cash. It’s just exciting to go deep in such a prestigious tournament that I made history in. Very honored, and I’m blessed that I went that far.”

He continued: “I’m very blessed to have my friends, to have people like this in my life. It’s real easy for them to say no, but we all flew out together, we all planned the trip, and I’m just happy man, I couldn’t be in a better place right now.”

All told, Fogel had $81,920 in live tournament earnings according to the Hendon Mob. That included a career-high $30,019 for finishing fourth in the 2017 Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open Event #6: $570 NLH, and fittingly his last-ever tournament cash came a week later – a victory in Event #10: $360 NLH Big Stack Turbo for $3,939.

Fogel was well-known in the South Florida poker community, and it was no surprise to see many players share their condolences on social meda.

“God has taken another angel,” said Steve “Cuz” Buckner.

Robyn Levine Marshman offered: “I was just thinking about him a few days ago. He was such a fun guy to play with. Amazing person.”

Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood eight-time trophy winner Michael Newman said, “My condolences Jeff was a nice guy. I remember playing against him. RIP.”

Fogel’s family suggests donations in Jeffrey’s memory be made to ALS Recovery Fund. Chapel Service will be held at Noon on Sunday, January 29, 2023 at Levitt Weintein/Beth David Chapel in Hollywood, Florida.

read Jeff Fogel’s 2,513-Mile Journey: From 3-5 Years to Live with ALS to the 2015 WSOP

Executive Editor U.S.

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

The Merit Poker Western Series has reached its conclusion with the $5,300 High Roller coming to an end in the early morning after an exciting final day. Some 147 entries made for a $676,200 prize pool, which was more than double the guarantee. Only 17 players returned today to battle for the $170,000 grand prize.

Coming out on top with the grand prize victory to his name was Toni Kaukua of Finland who scored his biggest live poker result by a significant margin. The mainly online player has a plethora of big online results but had a much lighter live resume before this event, with his biggest live cash prior to this being for just over $29,000.

2023 Merit Western Poker Series Final Table Results

Winner’s Reaction

This victory nearly didn’t happen, as he explained afterward. He entered at the very end of registration on Day 2 to ride to the victory.

“I used three bullets, and I bought the last one and the very last moment that it was possible,” Kaukua said in his post-win interview.

Kaukua entered the day as one of the larger stacks.

“I think from the moment I sat down, I just felt good. I just felt that I had such a big edge that I could nail this thing down.”

And nail it down, he did indeed, as he was the steady force throughout the day, gathering chips from the onset of the day and continuing to rise. He would hold the advantage at the top for much of the day as the carnage would ensue among the shorter stacks below him.

Action of the Day

The day began with 17 players and would kick off quickly as the third largest stack, Jenya Gavrilovich shockingly went out in 16th place to start of day chip leader Fausto Tantillo to begin the day with some fireworks. After that, the eliminations would come very rapidly as half the field was lost in the ruckus and the final table was reached in under two hours.

After a break, the nine remaining players returned to battle at the final table, where things would not go according to chip count plan. The final table largely became a game of chicken with the multiple very short stacks waiting to see who would blink first.

Yauhen Kontush ran an unsuccessful three-barrel bluff to cut his stack from one of the large ones to the short stack where he would succumb in ninth place as the first exit from the final table. Iulian-Remus Blebea joined him to the rail shortly after in eighth place.

Turkish local player Osman Ihlamur started the final table as the big chip leader as he had a great start to the day. But things would not go as swimmingly at the final table as he lost multiple big pots and be ousted in seventh place. The same story would happen to Tantillo as his once big stack chip lead would not last and he was eliminated in sixth place.

The main beneficiary of the large stacks faltering was Viktor Ustimov, who was down as low as two big blinds at one point and was able to claw his way to several pay jumps with his small stack into a fifth-place finish.

The elder statesman of the final day by some distance was Joseph Mouwad of Lebanon, who showed his skills by having an impressive display on the stream, which was enough to earn him a fourth-place finish.

Roman Kolotiuk was one of the most interesting characters at the final table as he embraced the western theme with a cowboy hat and was often talking with his opponents. He had an up-and-down day that ended on a high as he gained momentum late to make it to third place.

Andreas Christoforou was one of the more entertaining players at the final table as he was often the driver of action with a wide opening range and showed multiple times that he was not afraid to put his chips to work. That style worked wonders against many of the short stacks, and Christoforou was able to make it into heads-up play against Kaukua.

Heads-up play would last for about 30 minutes as Kaukua’s advantage remained the same throughout with the trading of small pots before the Finn was able to end it for the title.

That wraps things up for PokerNews here on the glistening shores of North Cyprus after a successful Merit Poker Western Series.

Only 15 players stand between Michel Dattani and the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event title after Day 4 of the $10,300 buy-in saw the returning 54 hopefuls whittled to a more manageable 16.

Everyone who returns for Day 5 does so having locked in at least $68,000 for their efforts, but none of them will want to collect that sum because $1,500,000 awaits the eventual champion.

2023 PCA Main Event Top 10 Chip Counts

Dattani has more than $1 million in live poker tournament earnings, the largest weighing in at €108,350 ($123,966), which was his reward for a seventh place finish in the 2018 European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona €25,000 High Roller. Should Dattani build on his Day 4 success and navigate his way to the final table, the Portuguese grinder will enjoy another career high. He sits down on the penultimate day armed with 2,900,000 chips (116 big blinds).

As you would expect from the PCA Main Event, there are some legitimate poker superstars among the final 16 players. Russia’s Artur Martirosian (2,285,000) finds himself in the top five in chips, while Sergi Reixach (1,610,000), who was the chip leader on both Day 1b and Day 3, has a top 10 stack.

Follow the PCA Main Event updates here

Others to look out for in the PokerNews live updates include Taylor Paur (1,195,000), PokerNews strategy contributor Jonathan Little (1,195,000), and the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event champion Alexandros Theologis.

Cards are back in the air from 12:00 p.m. local time on January 29 and continues until only six players have chips in front of them.

David Peters Leads the Way in the $3,000 Mystery Bounty

An action-packed Day2 in the $3,000 PCA Mystery Bounty saw 372 players, including 140 late entrants, reduced to only 22. When the dust settled at the end of play, David Peters topped the chip counts with his 2,190,000 stack (55 big blinds).

British grinder Andy Wilson, known as “BowieEffect” in online poker circles, is second in chips with 1,930,000, while such luminaries as WSOP bracelet winners Yuliyan Kolev (1,585,000) and Sebastien Aube (1,440,000), Kitty Kuo (1,100,000), and Team PokerStars’ Rafael Moraes (240,000) remain in contention.

$3,000 PCA Mystery Bounty Top 10 Chip Counts

Two large mystery bounties remain among the final 22 players; one worth $40,000 and a $100,000. On Day 2, Joey Weissman picked out a $40,000 bounty, Michael Jozoff pulled an envelope containing a PSPC Platinum Pass, while the aforementioned Aube banked a cool $100,000.

Join the PokerNews Live Reporting team on January 29 as the $3,000 PCA Mystery Bounty plays down to a winner.

All the $3,000 PCA Mystery Bounty updates are here

“Big Huni” Chris Hunichen Has a Big Stack in the $25,000 8-Handed

Chris Hunichen, affectionately known as “Big Huni,” bagged a big stack after Day 1 of the $25,000 8-Handed event. Day 1 saw a field of 78 congregate at the Baha Mar Resort in The Bahamas, and 52 of those punched their Day 2 tickets at the first attempt.

Hunichen built a stack of 565,000 chips to finish second in chips when the curtain came down on the day’s proceedings. Only Brian Kim (631,000) is ahead of Hunichen.

$25,000 high-roller events always draw in stellar names, and this event is no different. Timothy Adams (479,000), Joao Vieira (462,000), Orpen Kisacikoglu (316,000), and Matas Cimbolas (314,000) are in the top ten. Others safely through include Stephen Chidwick (265,000), PokerStars’ Sam Grafton (249,000), Yuri Dzivielevski (205,000), Daniel Dvoress (185,000), Aussie superstar Michael Addamo (166,000), and Adrian Mateos (105,000) among many others.

$25,000 8-Handed Top 10 Chip Counts

Day 2 commences at 2:00 p.m. local time, and PokerNews is the only place you will find live and exclusive updates, so check them out.

Click here for the $25,000 8-Handed updates

From January 12-24, the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood in South Florida played host to the 2023 Lucky Hearts Poker Open (LHPO). Through its 43 events, the 2023 LHPO catered to a combined 16,320 entrants and awarded $14,776,880 in prize money. That made it the biggest LHPO in history based on the number of entries!

Among those to win titles were Matt Bretzfield, who won the $600 Mixed PLO title and became the first player to ever win an SHRP trophy in four consecutive series; Alessio Isaia, who won two tournaments in back-to-back days (he nearly won a third but finished runner-up in another tournament to Valerie Novak); and Yuval Bronshtein winning what was his eighth career SHRP title.

While the series was a remarkable success, it was a little bittersweet as shortly after Director of Poker Marketing for Seminole Hard Rock Tony Burns was leaving after a more than seven-year run offering some of the best poker in the country.

Championship Ends in Four-Way Deal

From January 20-24, the $3,500 LHPO Championship took place. The tournament blew away its $2 million guarantee as 1,692 entries created a $5,414,400 prize pool. One player in the field was Marius Gierse, who hadn’t played a tournament since the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) before finishing fifth in the $25,500 LHPO High Roller for $110,500.

He then turned around and shipped the LHPO Championship for $605,000 after a four-way deal at the final table.

“It’s been a long four days, but it feels pretty damn good,” Gierse told LHPO officials. “It was quite the ride.”

Gierse got off to a hot start at the final table when his pocket queens held against the Big Slick of Jerry Wong.

“I had a big flip against Jerry Wong at the start,” said Gierse. “That hand was the most important, otherwise I would have been out in ninth.”

Gierse, primarily an online player, added: “I really don’t enjoy live poker as much, mostly because people are too serious and take a lot of time, but that isn’t the case here at all. People play super-fast, and people are talking, and not taking themselves too seriously. It’s super nice. So, I’m very, very happy to play here and I will for sure to come back.”

2023 LHPO Championship Final Table Results

_{*Denotes four-handed deal.}

Others to cash the tournament were Cero Zuccarello (11th – $67,680), Wasim Assaf (12th – $67,680), Frank Funaro (15th – $43,780), Joe McKeehen (25th – $24,570), Chris Tryba (30th – $24,570), Landon Tice (39th – $20,690), and Nadya Magnus (48th – $17,605).

John Holley Claims Two Titles

Alessio Isaia wasn’t the only player to win two titles in the series as John Holley also accomplished the feat. First, he topped a 78-entry field to win Event #15: $600 Deep Stack Turbo NLH for $13,760 and what was his seventh Seminole trophy.

A week later, he was back at it besting a 193-entry field to win Event #37: $600 Seniors 50+ NLH for $25,715 and his eighth title. That tied him in second place along with Yuval Bronshtein and Michael Newman, who all trail Raminder Singh’s nine titles.

John Holley’s SHRP Titles

Check out our profile on Seminole Hard Rock Crusher Michael Newman here!

2023 LHPO Winners

_{*Images courtesy of Seminole Hard Rock.}

Executive Editor U.S.

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

Featuring one of the newest slots to House of Fun, Glorious Giza gives you many benefits for playing. From leveling up to gaining free spins in addition to improving your album packs, playing Glorious Giza could enable you to win hundreds of millions of coins!

In this article, you’ll be able to gain an understanding of what the Glorious Giza slot is, how to gain free games, including spins, and how this slot can improve your HOF album. Most importantly, you’ll know how you can also get involved to play and win!

What is the Glorious Giza?

Glorious Giza is an Egyptian-styled slot that is new to House of Fun. Whilst you’re playing on House of Fun, there are many ways to improve your coins and experience points with the HOF album.

For each spin on the Glorious Giza slot, you have the potential to WIN free spins and free coins. In addition by using Gold Coins, you can start to collect cards and once a certain number of these have been collected the cards, you will win spins.

Depending on the level you’ve achieved, you can have a maximum bet for hundreds of thousands of coins which will unlock more levels and win more packs toward your album.

How to Gain Free Games in The Glorious Giza Slot?

As you start to spin through the Glorious Giza slot, you can collect Gold Coins. You can use these gold coins to purchase prize boxes which let you to play the super bonuses.

Super bonuses allow you to collect gold coins. Once you’ve collected a minimum of 3,000 gold coins, you will start to collect the Glorious Giza collectibles which is presented as one of the nine cards.

Once you’ve collected all nine cards on the board, not only will you unlock the next page, but you will also win 10 free spins on this slot.

However, as you progress, you’ll find that the game slowly starts to get even more difficult. Each additional page on which you progress, after page 2, will increase the number of gold coins by 1,000.

How Can Glorious Giza Improve Your HOF Album?

For a limited time only on House of Fun, you’ll have the chance to win hundreds of millions of coins through differently themed albums.

As you continue to spin on the slots, such as Glorious Giza, there are a variety of ways to win cards that enable you to build up your packs.

Once you’ve completed the pack, you’ll be able to earn millions of coins. The packs also build up to the whole album, and when you complete an album, you could have up to hundreds of millions of coins.

In addition, throughout the process of collecting the HOF cards, this will enable you to level up for each spin. Depending on the amount you bet, you can gain experience points which will allow you to move up a level.

Where Can You Play the Glorious Giza Slot?

Through the various ways to win, in addition to the free games in this Glorious Giza Slot, there are so many ways to indulge yourself.

If you want to get involved in the Glorious Giza slot, you can now start playing when you sign up for House of Fun via PokerNews. In addition, when you start playing, you’ll also receive 1000 free coins and 100 spins!

Slots are a basic game that enables you to bet on the outcome of the spin. If you match the symbols on each reel, you win! Playing slots online is now easier than ever as you can play wherever you wish, and you have the chance to win a range of prizes!

As we enter into the new year, you need to know which bet365 slots you should look out for. So, we’ve made it easier than ever before. Here are the top 5 best new slots to play in 2023:

#5 – Apocalypse Returns Infectious X

The main thing to know as you start to spin on Apocalypse Returns Infectious X is that you have the chance to win up to 5,000 times the value of your total bet!

The Apocalypse Returns slot also has two features that you can utilize to enhance your slotting experience. So, what are the features which you need to use?

xWays Feature

The xWays symbols trigger the xWays feature, and they occur anywhere between reels 2 and 4 of the main game and during free spins.

All the xWays symbols are swapped with randomly selected regular symbols. What’s more, these symbols extend to 2, 3, or 4 times the height of the normal cells. This means that you’ll have more chances to win even bigger prizes as spin this slot.

Infectious xWays Feature

During the same game round, if both an xWays symbol and one or more Wild symbols land, then this symbol will be updated to be an Infectious xWays symbol.

Similarly, to the xWays feature, the Infectious symbols will also reveal randomly selected symbols with an extended height of 2, 3, or 4 times a normal cell.

As this is an ‘infectious’ feature, these symbols will then spread to other instances of that symbol which expands to the same height.

#4 – Call of the Samba

Call of the Samba is exclusive to bet365 casino and allows you to earn jackpot tickets. The jackpot builds through the weekly and community jackpot, and means you could earn up to £10,000s if your ticket is chosen!

In addition to potentially winning the jackpot, there are two slot features that you can also use to win free spins and more prizes:

Wild Carnival Feature

The Wild Carnival feature may trigger on any random spin of this slot. If triggered it will add up to 15 wilds or multiplier wilds to the reels.

Where there’s more than one multiplier wild, this will combine on a particular payline. This will result in the multiplier being the sum of all the individual multipliers starting from times 2 or greater.

Free Spins

Presenting the free spins feature , there are 3, 4, or 5 scatters anywhere on the reels which trigger 8, 10, or 12 free spins respectively. Any wild frames collected during the free spins will be placed with Wilds or Multiplier Wilds on the final super spin.

Once you’ve activated the free spins, they will be played on a separate set of reels. The bet which you play is the same as the total bet which is placed before triggering the free spins bonus.

#3 – Mercenary X

Similar to the Apocalypse Returns slot, Mercenary X allows players to win up to 5,000 times their total bet, and you can play from as little as £0.20 up to a maximum bet to £100.

Bring attention to the top features of the slot Mercenary X, there are a range of options which you can choose from. These features will give you free spins, multipliers, and ways to win more prizes.

Although there are 9 different features, we’ve decided to showcase our top 2 – read on for all the feature information you need to know:

Super Free Spins Bonus

When you see 3 scatter symbols when the xWays Symbols are present on reel 5, you’ll trigger 10 Super Free Spins.

Upon entry into the Super Free Spins, two of the three free spins will be awarded immediately. When you’ve activated the bonus of the super free spins, a target symbol is randomly awarded and every time this symbol appears in view, the super free spins bonus is achieved.

Multiplier Feature

The multiplier feature only appears during the free spins and will assign a multiplier between 2-4 times your bet. For each symbol triggered, the values are multiplied towards each win.

If by chance the xNudge and Multiplier features combine, the values of the xNudge multipliers are added together and applied to the prize.

#2 – Book of 666

Being the objective of the Book of 666 slot, this is to gain the winning symbol combinations. If you manage to get the better symbol combinations, you’ll win the bigger payout.

Once the colossal 666 symbols land in the center of the reels, the Hellstack Spin feature is activated. You’ll also receive an additional respin round.

The Hellstack Spin is the most advantageous feature within the Book of 666, so it’s worth taking a look at this in more detail:

Hellstack Spin

The Hellstack Spin feature may trigger Through in any spin in the base game, this is when the Hellstack Spin feature may trigger. During the respin, all the regular symbols are removed from the reels.

After this special symbol has been selected on the 666 symbols, they are swapped to selected regular ones and expanded to cover all the positions on their respective reels.

#1 – 8 Immortals Instant Win

The 8 Immortals slot allows players the chance to win more than £220,000 in the mighty jackpot, and there are many ways to gain that instant win. One of the ways to win which features the mighty jackpot is the multi-tiered, progressive jackpot which features 3 different levels.

Whilst you’re playing this slot, you may also notice that there is also an additional bonus called the Dragon Shield Bonus. Here’s everything you need to know about this bonus feature and when it’s triggered:

Dragon Shield Bonus

Unlike randomly triggered bonuses, the Dragon Shield Bonus on bet365 casino will trigger a bonus game when it is collected from the grid position by the spinner.

When the bonus icon symbol is collected, the spinner selects one random Immortals icon. This will then be doubled on the grid for the remainder of the spins – potentially bringing you an additional bonus on top of your return.

Slot Games 2023 FAQs

The promotion presented on this page was available at the time of writing. With some Casino promotions changing on daily basis, we suggest you to check on the site if it still available. Also, please do not forget to read the terms and conditions in full before you accept a bonus.

Global Poker is gearing up for the sixth installment of the Grizzly Games tournament series and could well be the grrrrreatest edition of them all. With 21 days of intense poker action, and a staggering 216 trophies waiting to be won, in addition to combined guarantees worth GC800,000,000 and SC1,834,000, Grizzly Games VI will be epic.

The 216 Grizzly Games events are split equally between Gold Coin and Sweeps Coins tournaments. Each numbered event has three entry levels, making the Grizzly Games open and accessible to anyone with a Global Poker account.

Everything roars into action on January 29 at 2:00 p.m. ET when the Grizzly Opening GC2,000,000 and Grizzly Opening SC5,000 turbo freerolls shuffle up and deal. These two free-to-play tournaments are perfect for getting your claws into because they not only sport a guaranteed 2,000,000 Gold Coins, but the SC500 edition awards entries to the Grizzly Games SC events.

Special Grizzly Games VI Events

It is challenging to single out any of the Grizzly Games VI events for some extra attention because they are all ridiculously good value. That said, there are at least four must-play tournaments during the series, three marking a special day, the other being the grizzly-sized Main Event.

Be ready to get your grind on at 9:30 p.m. ET on February 2 because this is when the GPC Grizzly 04-H: NLHE GC20,000,000 Guaranteed Bounty Groundhog Day and the GPC Grizzly 04-H: NLHE SC30,000 Guaranteed Bounty Groundhog Day events take place. Not only do these tournaments boast huge guarantees, but they also award everyone that enters a free furry ushanka-style hat, fuzzy cap, or beanie that you can wear with pride.

We hope you’re good at multi-tasking because on February 12 at 5:30 p.m. ET, the GPC Grizzly 20-H: NLHE GC 27,500,000 Guaranteed [1R1A] – Super Grizzly Sunday and the GPC Grizzly 20-H: NLHE SC 80,000 Guaranteed [1R1A] – Super Grizzly Sunday have your name all over them. Football fans will be aware that February 12 is Super Bowl Sunday, so marking the occasion, Global Poker is giving away a Global Poker-branded football and NFL helmet to anyone that navigates their way to the final table; how cool is that?

Love is in the air two days later at 9:30 p.m. ET on February 14, when GPC Grizzly 24-H: NLHE GC 9,000,000 Guaranteed [Ante Up] – Valentine’s Day and GPC Grizzly 24-H: NLHE SC 10,000 Guaranteed [Ante Up] – Valentine’s Day take place. You will be forgiven by your other half if you spend Valentine’s Day grinding these events, because a final table appearance not only sees your account receive a substantial boost, but you’ll also get your paws on a Global Poker teddy bear and some Global Poker chocolates!

The Grizzly Games VI Main Events are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET on February 19; be there or be square. The GPC Grizzly 31-H: Main Event NLHE GC 30,000,000 Guaranteed [1R1A] and GPC Grizzly 31-H: Main Event NLHE SC 200,000 Guaranteed [1R1A] are massive events; becoming their champion will some way to forging your Global Poker career.

Grizzly Games VI Swag and Leaderboards

Winning Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins is great, and all, but true poker tournament players know that it is the trophy that is all-important. Take down any of the GC or SC events, and Global Poker will send you an incredible bear trophy to commemorate your incredible triumph. Furthermore, you’ll be able to proudly display a special bear avatar at the tables, letting your opponents know you are a true Global Poker champion; this is in addition to unique, limited-edition swag for GC and SC champions.

If being able to play in some superb tournaments is not enough to entice you to compete in the Grizzly Games VI series, what if we told you there are Gold Coin and Sweeps Coin Leaderboards that have some jaw-dropping prizes for the top ten finishers?

You earn leaderboard points when you finish a Grizzly Games VI event in a winning position. The higher up you finish, the more points you earn, and the better your chances are of sinking your claws into one of the leaderboards’ prizes. Here’s what those leaderboards award:

Gold Coin Leaderboard

Sweeps Coin Leaderboard

*Plus the opportunity to represent Global Poker at a Live Event, with another $2,500 to help with this

Ready To Become a Global Poker Champion?

Step out of your cave and become a Global Poker player today because it is the only place you can enjoy the spectacular Grizzly Games VI. Create your free account, claim your free coins, and get ready to test your skills on the biggest stage.

Only 54 players remain in contention to become the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event champion, and it is Spain’s Sergi Reixach who is the man to catch going into Day 4 of the $10,300 buy-in tournament. It took five levels at the luxury Baha Mar Resort to whittle the 151 returning players to a more manageable 54. Plenty of big names survived the Day 3 action, with just as many falling by the wayside.

End of Day 3 Top Ten Chip Stacks

With 127 of the 151 returning Day 3 players cashing, the money bubble was expected to burst quickly. However, it took 90 minutes of tense action for it to pop and open the path to the cashier’s desk. Juan Membreno was the unfortunate 128th place finisher. Membrano got the last of his chips in with middle pair and a flush draw against the top pair top kickers of Andre Marques and didn’t improve.

Andy Wilson was the first player to crash out in the money places. The likes of Xuan Liu, Seth Davies, Elio Fox, Pascal Hartmann, Thomas Muehloecker, Maria Ho, Martin Zamani, Robert Cowen, Ben Lamb, defending champion Chino Rheem, John Juanda, and Andre Akkari cashed but will not become the 2023 PCA Main Event champion.

Four players enter Day 4 with seven-figure stack. Reixach leads from the front with 1,719,000 chips, with Christoph Csik (1,409,000), Michael Rocco (1,260,000), and Ian Matakis (1,083,000) finding themselves ahead of the chasing pack.

Anton Wigg (903,000) and Artur Martirosian (816,000) have top ten stacks, while Nick Petrangelo (550,000), Day 2 leader Alex Kulev (546,000), Ramon Colillas (437,000), Justin Bonomo (370,000), Steve O’Dwyer (257,000), and PokerStars’ Sam Grafton (194,000) are still in the mix.

Play resumes at 12:00 p.m. local time on January 27, with the Main Event on Level 19, meaning blinds and antes are 5,000/10,000/10,000a, and PokerNews will be on the ground throughout.

Watch ‘Poker Bunny’s’ Erratic Exit from the PCA Main Event

Jonathan Jaffe Tops $50,000 8-Handed Chip Counts

The $50,000 8-Handed event drew in six players, with two needing to fire a second bullet before the end of the tenth and final level of Day 1.

Jonathan Jaffe finished Day 1 with bagging up a tournament-leading 353,000 stack, putting him narrowly ahead of Daniel Dvoress (317,000) in second place. Turkey’s Orpen Kisacikoglu (248,000), fresh from his runner-up finish in the $50,000 Single Day High Roller 6-Handed, is third.

Both Seth Davies (167,000) and Mikita Badziakouski (70,000) progressed after firing two bullets, while Stephen Chidwick (45,000) brings up the rear.

$50,000 8-Handed Day 1 Counts

Late registration remains open for two more levels, with play resuming at 2:00 p.m. local time. Of course, PokerNews‘ live reporting team will be there bringing you live and exclusive coverage.

Martingale Strategy Pays Off For Conor Beresford in PCA $50,000 7-Handed

Stamm Out in Front in the $3,000 Mystery Bounty

The eagerly anticipated $3,000 PCA Mystery Bounty shuffled up and dealt on January 26, and saw the 626 starters reduced to 229 over the course of 12 levels. David Stamm was the star that shone the brightest, bagging and tagging 340,500 chips, more than 11 times the starting stack!

The list of players that navigated their way to Day 2 reads like a who’s who of the poker world. Rayan Chamas (188,500) and Shaun Deeb (187,500) are in the top ten, while Dario Sammartino (174,500), Yuliyan Kolev (166,000), and Paulina “Poker Bunny” Loeliger (157,500) occupying slots in the top 20.

Further down the chip counts you find such luminaries as Ami Barer (126,000), Team PokerStars’ Lex Veldhuis (116,500), nine-time WSOP champion Erik Seidel (112,000), David Peters (107,000), Adrian Mateos (101,000), and Roberto Romanello (98,500). You can check out the full list of the remaining players here, and follow all of the updates right here when play resumes at 12:30 p.m. local time on January 27.

$3,000 PCA Mystery Bounty End of Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

A big gamble doesn’t always result in a big reward, but sometimes it does. It did today for the United Kingdom’s Conor Beresford as he took down Event #19: $50,000 7-Handed at the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) at Baha Mar Resort for $436,812 after late-regging the tournament on Day 1.

Beresford, who takes home his biggest live cash, reached an ICM deal with heads-up opponent and fellow Brit Ben Heath ($446,020) following the elimination of American Dan Smith (thirrd – $229,550), while Timothy Adams (fourtth – $165,950) and Juan Pardo (fiffth – $134,200) also made the money.

The red ponytailed and jovial Brit had never cashed an event at this buy-in level when he sat down among the 28 other entrants — among them Stephen Chidwick, Michael Addamo, Sam Greenwood, Daniel Dvoress and Mikita Badziakouski — but that didn’t stop him from making his way to the final table and ultimately taking home the trophy.

“I’ve played quite a lot of them, but this is literally my first cash in any $25K-plus live, and I’ve played at least 20 or so,” Beresford told PokerNews in a winner’s interview. “Got my money back finally, essentially!”

Beresford sized up the field on Day 1, and while he admitted it “didn’t look amazing,” he decided to give it a shot. “It’s all the best players in the world, so I just wanted to gamble a bit.”

$50,000 7-Handed Final Table Results

_{*Denotes heads-up ICM deal}

2023 PCA Hands of the Week: Failed Super High Roller Bluff & a Miracle Turn on Bubble

Day 2 Action

Just 18 players were in the field on Day 1 but several joined the ranks during the late registration period extending into Day 2, including $100,000 PCA Super High Roller champion Isaac Haxton, Adrian Mateos and Orpen Kisacikoglu, whose presence was short-lived as he ran his top pair into the flopped flush of Pardo immediately upon sitting down.

Kisacikoglu wasn’t the only player who had a rough Day 2. Greenwood entered the day as chip leader but lost most of it early and was riding the short stack until he busted on the final table bubble in a double knockout that left Adams richer and sent Greenwood and Mateos packing.

Making the final table didn’t guarantee a piece of the $1,412,532 prize pool as only five places paid. Vogelsang and Haxton both fell ahead of the money before Sean Winter went out on the money bubble after three-bet shoving with king-queen and getting looked up by the ace-queen of Heath.

After that, Pardo went out in fifth place when the Spaniard’s pocket eights couldn’t improve against the pocket aces of Smith. After the elimination of Adams in fourth place, Smith doubled through Heath to take the chip lead before a pivotal hand that set Beresford up for victory.

Watch ‘Poker Bunny’s’ Erratic Exit from the PCA Main Event

Out of position in a three-bet pot, Beresford bet each street on the board of before Smith raised him all in on the river. It was an easy call for Beresford as he held for aces full, losing only to quad sixes. Smith didn’t have that and he quickly mucked after flashing his hand.

“That was a wild one,” recalled Beresford. “It always feels so strange when you have aces in a spot like this where you have the full coverage of the board, essentially, so you don’t really know what to bet. So I just bet 10%, 10%, 10%, because I don’t know what else to do! How else do I get the money in?”

Once Smith fell, it didn’t take long for the two Brits to decide on a chop rather than play out the 15-minute turbo format.

“I don’t really see the point in playing for an hour a so,” said Beresford. “Just move on and get in the next event, or maybe celebrate a bit.”

As for what Beresford will play next in this series, your guess is as good as his.

“I don’t pick out events that I want to play,” he admitted. “I play what I can, essentially. What I deem to be the right thing to play, which is usually the lower-stakes stuff. But then when I bust the lower stakes I usually (go higher). Martingale strat, essentially!”

That wraps up coverage of $50,000 7-Handed, but be sure to check out the PokerNews live reporting team’s coverage of Day 3 of the $10,300 PCA Main Event and other events here at the 2023 PCA.

The wild, wild west conjures images of cowboys and outlaws, and of legendary names like Billy the Kid and Butch Cassidy. It’s an image that is kept alive through the magic of movies and storytelling, and no one told a better story today than Orthodoxos Orthodoxou.

The Cyprus native captured the title in his home country, beating out a field of 757 players to win the Merit Poker Western Series $3,300 Main Event for $372,800. Orthodoxou began the day at the bottom of the leaderboard with 16 players remaining and ended it by hoisting the prestigious trophy to keep in his island home.

2023 Merit Poker Western Open Final Table Results

Winner’s Reaction

“This tournament is a very difficult tournament to win. Have many professionals. Poker has started to be changed. Some aggressive players. Some professional players. This tournament I don’t believe any time in my life I would win,” Orthodoxou said following his victory.

I don’t have any strategy. I play like I feel. Like I feel in my heart. I follow my heart. Never strategy

Orthodoxou came into the tournament with just four recorded live cashes, including a 57th-place finish in the $2,200 Warm Up prior to the Main Event. He’s primarily a cash game player, estimating he’s played around five or six live tournaments in his entire life. His prior tournament highlight, he explained, was winning an $11 online event nearly a decade ago. His approach at the tables can be summed up in one word: heart.

“I don’t have any strategy. I play like I feel. Like I feel in my heart. I follow my heart. Never strategy,” he said. “I don’t know how I make raises. I don’t know how to make c-bets. It’s not strategy. I play how I feel. In the cash games the same. If I believe you make a bluff, I call you. If I believe. What I feel is how I play. All in my heart.”

Final Table Action

The final day of the Main Event began with 16 players vying for a spot at the final table and a chance at capturing the title. It seemed like a long road for Orthodoxou, who began with just 1,375,000, in last place on the leaderboard. But he doubled up right before the final table when his kings held up against Aleksandr Chernikov’s top pair and flush draw.

Orthodoxou began the final table in third chip position with 9,500,000, behind chip leader Eduard Barsegian and Chernikov. With stacks bunched up together, it took nearly two hours before the final table had its first elimination. Vladislav Doroshkov jammed with king-seven and Chernikov had him dominated with king-queen, flopping top pair and ending up with a flush to eliminate Doroshkov in ninth place in what was the young Russian’s first ever live event.

Dominik Panka, the most accomplished pro at the final table, exited in eighth place after failing to win a race with ace-ten against Barsegian’s pocket eights. The final table then entered a sort of stalemate as seven-handed play lasted nearly two hours.

Ara Melkisetian rivered two pair to crack Chernikov’s aces and double up. A few hands later it was Orthodoxou’s turn to double when he was all in for his last 6,150,000 with ace-six and beat the king-queen of Barsegian. Serge Matta eventually moved all in for 4,000,000 with ace-queen, Chernikov called with ace-ten, and the chip leader hit the nut flush to eliminate Matta in seventh.

Orthodoxou doubled up again when he moved all in with straight and flush draws against the top pair of Barsegian, completing the flush on the turn. Justus Held, the online grinder known as “taxidriver,” then three-bet shoved for 8,300,000 with ace-seven, Chernikov called with ace-jack, and Melkisetian folded two nines. Chernikov’s jack-kicker played to bust Held in sixth while Melkisetian was left to rue the lost opportunity.

Barsegian, who spent most of the early portion of the final table at the top of the leaderboard, was eliminated in fifth after losing a race with ace-queen to Ernestas Degtiariovas’ sevens. Melkisetian fell in fourth place after running ace-eight into Orthodoxou’s ace-king.

Degtiariovas, the Lithuanian spin-n-go specialist also playing his first ever live tournament, then snap-called for his last 11,600,000 with top pair of aces against Chernikov’s pair of queens and flush draw. Chernikov rivered a queen to make trips, busting Degtiariovas in third as he took a 46,000,000 to 29,700,000 lead into heads-up play.

Orthodoxou doubled up when he flopped a set of fives against Chernikov’s straight draw and finishing with a full house. He then made quads with pocket threes as he took the chip lead. Finally, on the first hand after blinds increased to 500,000-1,000,000, Chernikov moved all in for 22,500,000 with two queens and Orthodoxou called with ace-ten. Orthodoxou began celebrating as soon as an ace came in the window, and “Cyprus Bear” was the champion.

Orthodoxou celebrated with his rail after his win, including fellow Cypriot Andreas Christoforou who gave him some tips before the tournament. His friends convinced him to play the Main Event after his deep run in the Warm Up. Then he got to celebrate a win on home soil with them.

“This is me. Cyprus Bear,” an emotional Orthodoxou said.