Iconic poker pro Phil Ivey and the late David “Devilfish” Ulliott have officially made the 2017 class of the Poker Hall of Fame.

The official announcement was made during the midst of the WSOP Main Event final table last night.

Ivey has often been referred to as the best poker player in the world with over $23 million in live tournament earnings and millions more from dominating the biggest online cash games for years.

The 10-time WSOP bracelet winner was an easy first-ballot inductee as he’s dominated nearly every form of poker for an extended period of time and is the epitome of a TV pro.

Meanwhile Ulliott, who passed away to cancer in 2015, recorded a more modest $6.2 million but was one of the first English players to make a dent on the international poker circuit and one of the most colorful players in the history of the game.

Known for his outlandish style, complete with knuckledusters and garish sunglasses, the Devilfish was always easy to spot in the poker room.

Ivey: “It’s an Honor to Be Inducted”

This was the first year that Ivey was eligible for the Poker Hall of Fame thanks to turning 40 earlier this year.

Phil Ivey

Despite his incredible achievements in poker, Ivey has actually been largely absent from the WSOP and the live tournament circuit for the last few years.

That wasn’t enough to deter voters from getting Ivey in the hall of fame on his first ballot, however.

Ivey didn’t show up at the Rio for his induction but he did provide this statement to the WSOP:

I want to thank the living members of the Poker Hall of Fame as well as the media who voted for me to be part of the Poker Hall of Fame.

It’s an honor to be inducted alongside legends like Chip Reese and Doyle Brunson. I love the game of poker and the game has done a lot for me. I am one of the lucky people who has been able to make a living playing a game which was always my passion.

Thankfully, I’m just as passionate about the game today as when I first stepped into Binion’s Horseshoe to play my first-ever WSOP. Thank you to my family, my friends, and all the poker fans across the world that supported me on this journey.

The Legend of Devilfish Lives On

David Ulliott was known as one of poker’s all-time best talkers and never backed down from a confrontation at the table.

David Ulliott

Ulliott is one of the few Europeans that has been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, which has been a nagging criticism about the Hall of Fame in the past.

His family released the following statement about his induction:

As a family we would like to thank the general public, media and current Poker Hall of Fame members that voted David into the Poker Hall of Fame. We know he will be up there strumming on his guitar and probably asking what took so long! How he might say it - I think you all know!

There isn't a day that goes past when we don’t think of him and miss him but today we are so proud and delighted that he takes his rightful place in poker history - the legend of the Devilfish lives on!

There are too many people to individually thank but we would particularly like to thank Rob Yong and Simon Trumper of Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham for their support and also we welcome Kings Casino offer to commemorate David’s induction into the Poker Hall of Fame at the WSOP Europe in October. Just remember, as the Devilfish would say – ‘Life is a blast. It doesn’t last. Live it long and live it fast’.

The other finalists for the 2017 Poker Hall of Fame Class included David Chiu, Mori Eskandani, Ted Forrest, Thor Hansen, Mike Matusow, Max Pescatori, Matt Savage and Huckleberry Seed.

All of the aforementioned people remain eligible for future induction.

They slowed him down but in the end no one could stop Scott Blumstein from capturing the 2017 WSOP Main Event title and $8.1 million.

The Morristown, New Jersey, native entered the final table as the chip leader and only relinquished the position briefly to John Hesp during the early stages of the three-day final table.

Shortly after Hesp snatched the chip lead on Day 1, Blumstein won a tournament-defining 156m-chip pot and never looked back.

The theatrics were far from over, however, as Blumstein nailed a three-outer to close the tournament out against Dan Ott.

"I'm still in shock," said Blumstein after winning. "There are no words. I love this game. This is my holy grail."

Blumstein is the first winner since 2007 to take down the Main Event within days of making the final table thanks to the WSOP retiring the nearly four-month break for the November Nine.

Ott, who hails from Altoona, PA, finishes as the runner-up and takes home $4,700,000 for the achievement of outlasting everyone but Blumstein.

Here’s a look at the complete final table payouts for the 2017 Main Event:

Benjamin Pollak Takes Third for $3.5m

French poker pro Benjamin Pollak was the last European at the final table and many fans, including Daniel Negreanu, had him pegged as the best player over the course of the three-day final table.

Benjamin Pollak

Sometimes being the best isn’t enough in poker, however, and Pollak finally succumbed to the rail in third place in a stunning three-way pot.

In the hand Pollak open-shoved for 35m and Dan Ott re-shoved for 45m and Blumstein surprised everyone with a call, easily covering both players. Their holdings:

Pollak: Q♣ T♦
Dan Ott: K♣ 9♦
Scott Blumstein: A♥ Q♠

Blumstein had the best hand and a chance to knock both players out and win the 2017 Main Event in spectacular fashion, eschewing heads-up altogether.

Instead a king peeled off the flop and after the turn and the river bricked, it was Ott picking up the enormous pot.

Pollak picked $3,500,000 for finishing third, which is the highest finish for a French player in the history of the WSOP.

The final table actually included two French players as former November Niner Antoine Saout finished in fifth place yesterday to take home $2,000,000.

With the third place finish Pollak moved to fourth place on the all-time French money winner’s leaderboard with just over $6.4 million.

Pollak has a ways to go to catch tablemate and friend Saout who now sits second with on the all-time list with $7.5 million.

Ott, Blumstein Wage Extended Heads-Up Battle

Dan Ott seemed to have momentum on his side as he had closed the gap between himself and Blumstein to 104m chips by the time heads-up play began.

Dan Ott

Unfortunately for Ott that essentially proved to be the closest he would get as Blumstein began grinding him down from nearly the start of heads-up.

Ott and Blumstein battled for over two hours before Ott was forced to make a move from the short stack with K-9, getting called by Blumstein with pocket sixes. Ott spiked a nine on the flop and doubled up to 64m.

Shortly thereafter Ott got all-in good with A♦ 8♦ against Blumstein's A♥ 2♦.

The board ran out J♠ 6♠ 5♥ 7♥ and an Ott double-up to over 120m seemed all but assured.

Instead a miracle 2♥ hit for Blumstein on the river to give him the tournament.

Despite winning a life-changing $8.15 million, Blumstein said he doesn't have any plans to play high roller tournaments in the future.

"I know where I stand," he said. "Two weeks ago I was just a New Jersey online grinder and nothing has really changed."

"Will I play a little more live poker? Yeah probably. We'll See."

John Hesp Makes an Appearance on Day 3

For many the biggest draw of the 2017 WSOP Main Event was amateur poker player John Hesp but the Englishman busted in fourth place for $2.6m the previous night.

John Hesp can't get enough WSOP.

Not to be deterred Hesp showed up as a spectator on Day 3 and even provided the Shuffle up and Deal to kick things off.

Hesp told the crowd he hopes if anyone takes away anything from his amazing run in the 2017 WSOP Main Event it’s that poker is a fun game to play.

Yesterday Hesp told PokerListings he has no plans to go pro when it comes to poker but he’ll likely play a few tournaments every year.

He stuck around to see the conclusion of the tournament and even sat in on the final media scrum with Blumstein.

With no November Nine the WSOP in Las Vegas is going to be dormant for quite some time although the World Series of Poker Europe will debut in the Czech Republic this fall at King’s Casino.

You can check out a comprehensive photo blog of the entire 2017 WSOP Main Event, including the final table right here.

It’s over!

New Jersey's Scott Blumstein has won the Main Event and can now call himself the poker champion of the world for a year.

He can also now concentrate on how he'll spend the massive $8.15m he won for his efforts.

Before the poker world scattered to points around the globe, 888Ride chauffeur David Tuchman took a last spin trip around Las Vegas to pick up whomever he could find to get them to the Main Event.

Who did he stumble on but one Phil Hellmuth, the greatest WSOP bracelet winner of all-time.

“The Older I Get, the More I Like You”

Phil Hellmuth is an extremely likeable person -- especially if you ask Phil Hellmuth.

Everybody loves Phil ... kinda.

Tuchman picks up the player who has more bracelets than anyone in front of the Aria, which has nothing to do with Hellmuth’ advertising contracts – honest.

Also, the influence Hellmuth has had on the game apparently goes much deeper than you thought.

Not only have a multitude of players followed his example to late-reg every poker tournament, the pros have also copied his style of almost never risking all his chips in a tournament.

Even when  Tuchman tells Hellmuth that he likes him more and more the older he gets, Hellmuth seems to find this a common phenomenon.

But let’s be fair here – everything Hellmuth says about other players doing what he does is true; it’s just not confirmed that he’s the cause.

Hellmuth also has 14 pretty strong arguments to supports his points on poker tournament strategy. And his drive to become the best poker player of all time hasn't waned after all these years, so ... were you saying anything?

Finally, maybe the best scene in the 888Ride series in Vegas happens when Hellmuth knights Tuchman with a rant as if Tuch had just dealt him a bad beat.

As always, Hellmuth delivers. He just does.

Mini ChampionChips Firing on 888poker

With the WSOP now in the books it’s time to hit the online tables again.

Nothing gives you a better chance to do that than the 888poker Mini ChampionChips series running right now on 888poker.

Every day there are 2-3 ChampionChips events ranging from $1 to $55 buy-in. The series started on Sunday the 23rd and you can find the complete schedule here.

If you don’t have an 888poker account yet, we can help you out. Visit the our 888poker page and you’ll not only find detailed information on anything you want to know but also an exclusive $888 sign-up bonus for new players.

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a crisp black vest, a quick finger stretch and the hum of the Shufflemaster that makes the afternoon poker news world go round.

Got a hot tip for a future 3-Bet? Tweet us @PokerListings or drop us a note below.

Today in the 3-Bet we find a pretty solid consolation prize for Dan Ott, Solve for Why recaps the WSOP and we remember to tip our dealers.

1) It's Good to be Dan Ott

As the legendary Dale Earnhardt once said, there's a school of sports bro-dom that prescribes to the idea that "second place is the first loser."

Weep not for Ott.

We here at PokerListings are not in that silly group of bros.

Second place is awesome.

We dream of finishing second. All day, erryday.

In anything.

If that "anything" happens to be the WSOP Main Event and earns us $4.7 million?

We would legally change our name to First Loser and live happily till the end of our days.

So while Scott Blumstein enjoys his well-earned $8.15m and his year as Poker Champion of the World, life ain't so bad for Dan Ott, either. 

Seems like he'll be enjoying himself just fine, tyvm.

NICE RUN @danott11! Sweetest guy ever ! #finaltablehusband pic.twitter.com/cd0FpDWznf

I know it's not the 8.1 but we can still go somewhere fancy with 4.7

Haha! Well looks like you got a reservation to make @danott11 ! Where we going!?

Won 5 million dollars AND met the love of his life the same night?? How lucky can one guy be?!!

2) The Summer According to Solve for Why

If you read our recent in-depth interview with poker pro Matt Berkey you know his innovative approach to poker training has garnered a huge network of followers in a short period of time.

Solve for Summer.

There's a good reason for that. Along with his cohorts Jordan Young and Christian Soto they're bringing an earnest, creative and multi-tiered approach to learning poker that is satisfying and successful on a number of levels.

As you might expect, the S4Y team spent the summer in Las Vegas doing what poker pros do best - play big poker tournaments.

A 3rd-place for Berkey in the $1,111 One Drop and a 2nd for Young in a $1,500 NL event were obvious highlights but there was plenty more to talk about along the way.

Thankfully, they chronicled their journey for their fan and student base and the resulting Vlogs are a great snapshot of what the WSOP grind is like for a top poker pro.

Watch the latest episode below and stay tuned for more episodes later in the week with hand breakdowns from Berkey's run in the One Drop.

3) Thank You, Dealers

We'll stop short of calling them "heros" but make no mistake: a major poker series like the WSOP - or a comparatively tiny one like the Battle of Malta - can't happen without the extraordinary efforts of the support staff, from the TD on down to the hot dog cart vendors.

Can't play without 'em.

And it just doesn't function at all without the passion, dedication and talent of the dealers who make it all go.

Yeah; there are a few "incompetent" dealers you'll come across from time to time. But the majority, by far and away, go above and beyond just slinging the cards and counting out change.

If you're one of best at your craft - like the irreplaceable Shaun the Dealer - you get to shuffle and deal for events like the WSOP Main Event, and while the cameras might keep you in the background the quality of your work is upfront for all to see.

But whether they're at the top of their game or dealing the Daily Deepstack, they definitely deserve our respect for allowing us to play the game.

@ShaunTheDealer watching the #MainEvent and wife asked an interesting question...do the dealers get nervous? Did you or others being on TV?

I never got nervous. Please thank her for thinking about the dealers on this big stage. We're definitely underappreciated and forgotten. https://t.co/974GuBHdQu

Respect to all the dealers out there; we appreciate the effort you put in day in, day out. And don't forget to tip in your local card room when you get home.

The Main Event is over and there’s nary a major live tournament in sight but New Jersey online grinders still have plenty of action to keep them busy.

The PokerStars.NJ Summer Series kicked off this week and runs until July 30 with 12 different events and $300,000 in guarantees.

Buy-ins range from $50 to $1,000 with a little something for everyone. Even micro-stakes grinders can qualify for PokerStars’ Summer Series through $2.50 Spin & Go tournaments.

The Summer Series Spin & Go’s run until July 30 with $400 Main Event tickets on the line as well as a variety of cash prizes.

Extra $5,000 Freeroll for Players

The 2017 NJ Summer Series is set to offer $300,000 in guarantees but anyone who plays the series actually gets a bit more value after the event ends.

Time to grind it up.

PokerStars will be hosting a special $5,000 NJ Summer Series Wrap-up freeroll on July 31 at 19:30 ET for players who participated in at least one Summer Series tournament throughout the week.

Every player who played a Summer Series event will receive a freeroll ticket and a chance to mop up part of that $5,000.

The Series itself will offer a variety of No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha events with the showcase tournament being the $75,000-GTD No-Limit Hold’em Main Event on on July 30.

Players will have a shot at scoring a huge return on the event’s $400 buy-in.

To learn more or sign up for an account you can always head over to our PokerStars.NJ review page where you’ll also find an exclusive sign-up bonus.

Remember, our most recent Main Event champ Scott Blumstein referred to himself as "just a New Jersey online grinder" so anything is possible.

Here's a complete look at the remaining schedule for the 2017 PokerStars.NJ Summer Series:

Event #

Tournament

Buy-in

Start Date

Start Time

Guaranteed Prize Pool

1

NL Hold'em 6-Max

$75

July 23

16:00

$20,000

2

NL Hold'em Sunday Special SE

$200

July 23

18:00

$60,000

3

NL Hold'em 4-Max

$150

July 24

19:00

$12,500

4

NL Hold'em High Roller

$1,000

July 25

19:00

$35,000

5

NL Hold'em Rebuy

$50

July 26

19:00

$10,000

6

Pot Limit Omaha 6-Max

$250

July 27

19:00

$15,000

7

NL Hold'em Deep Hyper-Turbo

$200

July 28

21:00

$10,000

8

NL Hold'em Deepstack

$150

July 29

17:00

$20,000

9

NL Hold'em Bubble Rush

$100

July 29

20:00

$7,500

10

NL Hold'em, Progressive KO, 6 Max

$200

July 30

14:00

$25,000

11

NL Hold'em Main Event

$400

July 30

17:00

$75,000

12

PL 5-Card Omaha 6-Max

$100

July 30

20:00

$10,000

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a ticket to Oprah, a buzz in the air and the sudden realization your afternoon poker news dreams are about to come true.

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Today in the 3-Bet we find Scott Blumstein's friends getting paid alongside him, opportunists try to cash in on Blumstein's win and Kitty Kuo gets followed.

1) Best $ is Shared $

Two weeks ago, as 2017 WSOP Main Event champ Scott Blumstein told Kara Scott under the glare of the ESPN lights after his win, he was just a kid from New Jersey who loved poker.

Bricks for everyone!

Now, at least for the next year, he's poker's World Champion. And he'll get to enjoy all of the spoils that come with it - in particular the $8.15m first-place prize.

Even better? All of his friends get to enjoy their own poker-rags-to-riches moment along with him.

As is common convention Blumstein sold some shares in his action before the Main Event but, as Darren Rovell wrote in ESPN this morning, he chopped his action into some very small pieces so his friends could share in it, too.

Like $60 small. At least four of Blumstein's friends from Temple University got to put down $60 and watch their pal turn it into a $40,000 share for each of them. Even his dad got into the action, Blumstein said, selling "a half a percent to the owner of a bagel shop."

"A friend of my grandfather's," Blumstein added, "who is 93 and plays poker, had 2 percent."

Former WPT winner Asher Conniff had a more conventional share - 3% for $420 - and took back $244,500.

However much Blumstein eventually pockets himself after taxes and backers, we imagine it's only a small piece of the satisfaction of having his friends and family live out his dream with him. Congrats again to the champ! Enjoy every moment!

2) Perfect Greetings!

While Blumstein and his family and friends were off celebrating his victory some ambitious scammers, user "Swag *Official*" posted on the twoplustwo forums, wasted no time trying to get their own share of Blumstein's haul.

Dan Ott not buying it.

How so?

With a Nigerian prince-style email scam offering up ONE MILLION DOLLARS of Blumstein's haul out of the kindness of their own hearts. They might want to go back to the drawing board with their approach, though, as you can see from the email:

"Scott Blumstein <"SCOTT."@eos.ocn.ne.jp>
3:54 pm (2 days ago)

"Perfect Greetings,

"My name is Scott Blumstein the current winner of New Jersey World Series of Poker, $8.1M, and I bring to you a perfectly good news for such a perfect timing as this. I know this is surprising for you to have received this email from me.

"But because of my good heart and all your support and good will towards me during all the time of the game and also how excited I am, so i am willing to donate ￡1,000,000 (One Million Dollars) to you and as part of my effort to alleviate poverty and care for the less privileged around the world, I have decided to donate to just 15 people around the globe which you are a part of."

Good luck with that, scammers.

3) How Long, Kid Poker? How Long?

Congratulations, Kitty, on a dream fulfilled. One day we'll get ours. One day.

Took me 8 years and finally my poker idol follows me today :) pic.twitter.com/ErcAZeYg83

Every year there are thousands of poker tournaments all over the world but there's nothing quite like the Battle of Malta.

But how did Europe's hottest low-buy-in event begin and how did it grow into the huge week-long poker/party extravaganza we now know?

This coming November will see the sixth-annual BoM and it's expected to be the biggest and best yet.

Predictions put the prize pool for the Main Event at roughly €1 million and it has a brand-new host: Gaëlle Garcia Diaz.

But BoM wasn't always this big. When it started in 2012 it had a guaranteed total prize pool of just €150,000.

In fact, hosting the first Battle of Malta was a bit of a risk. No one knew exactly how many people would show up.

Watch the short documentary below for more information on how Battle of Malta became what it is today and click here to buy a BoM package to reserve your seat now.

Making Poker More Accessible

The concept for BoM was brought to PokerListings.com by Costa Rican poker event coordinator Ivonne Montealegre. She saw big potential in Malta as a poker destination and recognized the strong local poker community.

“The first Battle of Malta was good but the growth of this event has been insane,” said Montealegre.

“We love that everyone's appreciating that it's a low buy-in poker holiday that gives the experience of a major event, but low stress, so I think those elements make it a really fun tournament for everyone.”

First-ever BoM Host Kara Scott also loved the idea of making poker more accessible for recreational players from Europe and all over the world.

"The atmosphere at BoM is great," said Scott.

"There are a lot of people there who play not for a living but because they love playing poker and to me important because I play because I love poker."

Poker is the main thing, but it's not the only thing.

BoM is Way More than Poker

There's a lot of poker at the Battle of Malta.

The €550 Main Event has three starting days and everyone gets the option to re-enter once if they bust.

There's also side events like the €245 Siege of Malta which has a €100,000 guarantee, the PLO Knights Crusade, a €330 No-Limit Deepstack Turbo, the €1,320 Grandmaster High Roller and for the first time this year, a €165 Ladies Event.

And that's not to mention the cash game action at the Portomaso Casino poker room.

But your trip to the Battle of Malta doesn't end at the poker table.

The schedule also includes five BoM parties which range from relaxed drinks by the Hilton pool to DJ-fueled dance parties at one of Malta's best clubs.

Malta also offers the chance to see some of the oldest man-made structures on the planet and amazing architecture and historically significant attractions.

Reserve your seat for the 2017 Battle of Malta now and join us in Malta this November for a poker experience you'll never forget.

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a three exercise circuit training regime that will have you in peak mid-afternoon poker news shape in just one week.

You can always shoot us suggestions for future 3-Bet pieces in the comments section below.

In today’s Daily 3-Bet we’ll look at the rise of the NJ grinder, an piece on Bryan Piccioli’s final table and Fedor Holz’ book suggestions for July.

1) NJ Poker = WSOP Success

As you’ve probably heard by now Scott Blumstein took down 2017 WSOP Main Event for $8.1 million over the weekend.

Let's hear it for SB.

In the winner interview Blumstein referred to himself as “just a New Jersey grinder” and it’s something the mainstream media has picked up on as NJ is one of the few places you can actually still grind online poker.

The AP Press even published a story about how legal online poker in NJ helped propel Blumstein to victory.

It’s an interesting theory and there have been an awful lot of Main Event success stories coming out of NJ and the surrounding states of PA and NY over the last few years.

Since online poker was legalized in NJ in November of 2013 the following players have made the WSOP Main Event final table:

Joe McKeehen (PA), William Tonking (NJ), Josh Beckley (NJ), Thomas Cannuli (NJ), Patrick Chan (NJ), Cliff Josephy (NY), Michael Ruane (NJ), Jerry Wong (NY), Dan Ott (NJ), Bryan Piccioli and the aforementioned Blumstein (NJ).

Impressive, to say the least. Cue the Blumstein effect?

2) Buffalo News Chronicles Piccioli’s Journey

You never know what you’re going to get when the mainstream media picks up on a poker story but the Buffalo News’ Matt Schneidman knocked it out of the park this week with his incredible piece on Bryan Piccioli’s run at the WSOP final table.

Bryan Piccioli

Schneidman actually traveled to Bryan’s hometown in Allegany, NY, to document his family’s Main Event viewing party.

Bryan’s father Dan was paralyzed last year in a freak accident last year so he was unable to travel to Vegas to watch the final table in person.

Dan introduced Bryan to the game so getting to see him play the final table was a life-long dream.

The feature illustrates how poker can bring people together and captures the intensity of having someone close to you playing for a life-changing amount of money.

Don’t take our word for it though. Head over to the Buffalo News and read the whole thing. You won’t regret it.

3) Fedor Holz Plugs “Think and Grow Rich”

Fedor Holz had a pretty decent summer when it comes to poker winning two Aria $50k Super High Rollers and Triton High Roller Event in Montenegro for a combined haul of well over $1m.

His main focus these days, however, is his mindset-coaching company Primed. That also seems to be going well as eventual Main Event champ Scott Blumstein was rocking a Primed patch at the final table.

Holz just dropped a Vlog on YouTube where he showed off his hotel in Montenegro and talks in-depth about one of his favorite books: personal finance bible “Think and Grow Rich”.

Seems like Holz might know a thing or two about thinking and getting rich.

Check it out:

Recent Big Brother Canada winner Kevin Martin says his favorite online poker event is the PokerStars MicroMillions, running now.

A big part of why is the series' finale on July 30, a $22 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament with a guaranteed $1 million prize pool and $100k for first.

Martin just moved to Toronto after returning from the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and says he's excited to get back to streaming his online poker sessions.

It's good timing because he also said the MicroMillions series matches up really well with his followers

“Most of my audience from Twitch is that beginner player looking to grow and succeed,” Martin told PokerListings.com.

“There's always so much hype around the MicroMillions in my community. With a really small investment and some good play and luck you can win life-changing money.”

The 2017 MicroMillions series started on July 16 and offers a huge range of multi-table tournaments with buy-ins mostly from $1.10 to $5.50.

The tournaments have huge guarantees and they also include lots of non-Hold'em games.

Low-Stakes “Important Part of Poker Journey”

Most online poker players start out at micro or low-stakes, trying to turn their initial deposit into a bigger bankroll that will allow them to play higher stakes and make more money.

Kevin Martin at WSOP.

Kevin Martin says opportunities like the MicroMillions allow players to speed up that process by playing for a big prize without risking a big buy-in.

“Playing small stakes and improving is an important part of most poker players' journeys,” said Martin.

“Most of the time for $3 the prize pool isn't going to blow you out of the water but during the MicroMillions the dream of turning just a couple of dollars into thousands is actually a reality!”

The chance to play lots of big-field events for a small investment is also valuable because it's not just No-Limit Hold'em tournaments. There are lots of mixed-game events too.

“Another thing I love about the MicroMillions is the variety that the series offers,” said Martin. “Lots of different opportunities to test your skill and improve.”

If you don't already have a PokerStars account, read our review before signing up.

There are tons more MicroMillions events running until Sunday. Click here for the full MicroMillions schedule.

Sunday Million Live Offers Unique Opportunity

For years the Sunday Million has been the biggest weekly online poker tournament in the world but this year, for the first time, PokerStars is hosting a live version.

Starting August 24 at King's Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, players will compete for a share of a €1 million guaranteed prize pool.

"Live poker will always have a soft place in my heart.”

The buy-in is €215 but you can qualify online at PokerStars for as little as €2.20.

In a unique twist, you can choose to play your Day 1 live at King's Casino, or online at PokerStars. There are eight live Day 1 flights running August 24-31 with Day 2 playing out live on September 3.

Kevin Martin said he spends most of his time streaming online poker and loves it when he has a chance to play live.

“I used to be a full time live player so live poker will always have a soft place in my heart,” said Martin.

“It’s cool PokerStars is bringing the Sunday Million to the live poker scene. It’s such a legendary online tournament and I can only image playing the live format!”

Martin just returned from the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas where he played in the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event.

He didn't make the money in that one but said the highlight of the trip was when he final-tabled a smaller tournament, finishing fourth for $12,000.

Check out this video from Kevin in Las Vegas:

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a cheap ticket to the best mid-afternoon poker news vacation destination on the planet.

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In today’s Daily 3-Bet we’ll take a look at a rare bankroll update from Jean-Robert Bellande, negotiating using poker skills and the dramatic final hand of the 2017 Main Event.

1) JRB “Only” Down $700k

We didn’t see a ton of Jean-Robert Bellande at the WSOP this summer (although he was active in the big game’s at Aria).

Things are looking up!

Bellande is back to the vacation grind, however, and is posting photos from Italian island Capri.

What’s more interesting is that Bellande gave an honest-to-god update on the state of his bankroll.

Bellande is currently sitting at, wait for it, less than $700k in debt.

That might sound bad but it’s been much worse according to the Survivor alum.

In the past Bellande has avoided giving updates on his bankroll because he didn’t want to upset his backers.

The real question is if Bellande fully digs himself out of the whole does he have to retire the “Broke-Living” moniker?

Rich-Living or Stacked-Living Bellande just doesn’t have the same ring to it. We’re gonna need to hear a few more suggestions.

Yup still broke... but I'm now less than 700k in debt #brokeliving https://t.co/JVFon9u1iR

2) Poker Strategy > Salary Negotiation

The “How to succeed at business using basic poker strategy” article is incredibly overdone but NBC News actually has an interesting story up with controversial former poker pro Haseeb Qureshi.

Haseeb Qureshi

The feature is about negotiating a higher salary using poker tactics.

It sounds pretty bland but Qureshi actually has some legitimate knowledge in that area as he went to a software development bootcamp then got a $120,000 offer from Yelp and was able to parlay that offer into about $250,000 from Airbnb a couple years back.

Here’s where the majority of people go wrong, according to Qureshi:

“Most people imagine jobs are a limited resource in the world and their goal is to acquire one. They see companies as gatekeepers and if you're nice enough and prostrate yourself and wear a nice suit maybe they'll be kind enough to give you a job. That is a totally backwards concept. It is a marketplace. It's simply a way to exchange labor for money. Like any deal it ought to be negotiated.”

Check out the entire article on NBC News. Qureshi has even more tips for negotiating on his personal blog.

3) Poker Central Releases “The Deuce is Loose”

To be honest we’re still processing the final hand of the 2017 Main Event.

You might recall that Dan Ott had Scott Blumstein dead to three-outs and was looking primed for a double up.

Blumstein had been dominate heads-up but an Ott double-up would have put him right back in the thick of things. There was definitely a window for Ott to pull off a shocker.

It didn’t happen and the entire room was stunned. It was definitely one of the more memorable ways to win a Main Event:

You can now relive the hand thanks to Poker Central:

888poker has a mission – to "Take Back the Game" of poker from the 'buzzkills' that can hamper your enjoyment at the tables.

What exactly are those buzzkills?

Well, if you've ever sat at a poker table live or online you know anything from uneven games to excessive tanking to unattainable bonuses can bring the game to a halt.

Good for you that 888poker is there to lift your spirits. And to this end they were at the WSOP keeping up the fight to keep the game fun.

Anything from cheering up busted players, checking out the champion suite at the Rio and foretelling the last hand of the Main Event was up for salvation.

1) Busted in Level 2. What Now?

Last year Valentin Vornicu became a household name with a deep run in the Main Event.

Vornicu: Riding ME highs and lows.

He spent a long time at the table with Will Kassouf, getting raised on the river by Kassouf in a tricky hand along the way.

But Vornicu kept his composure in the face of Kassouf's speech play which earned him quite some respect along the way.

This year the Romanian-born player who has won nine WSOP Circuit rings wasn’t treated as well by the Main Event.

He busted in Level 2 and David Tuchman caught up with him in front of the Rio.

Watch how Tuchman turns a very downcast poker player into a happy man by means of luxury, a dog and an axe-throwing competition.

2) Ambassadog checks out ME Champion suite

Meet Grizzie, the ambassadog. (Actually, you’ve met Grizzie already if you read PokerListings. She was the first dog to play the Main Event.) 

Now, Grizzie has taken a look at how the Rio would treat you if you won the WSOP Main Event. We’re talking 24-hour butler service, in-suite spa, private pool and a couple of other amenities that take the word luxury to a completely new level.

3) The Long, Not-Winding Road

You know how they say “the journey is more important than the destination," right? They’re wrong, of course, as everybody who’s had to walk the endless hallways of the Rio will confirm.

In fact, for some players the distances you have to cover prove to be insurmountable. Parker Talbot is one of these players but luckily David Tuchman shows up just in time to save him before Talbot would have surely gone missing.

Watch the video; it turns out to be quite a ride. Also, watch doe Talbot’s Oscar-like performance in his first feature film (clip).

4) Imagine the Final Hand of the Main Event

Have you ever imagined how the final hand would play out the day you win the Main Event? Yes, you have.

Chances are nobody was interested in hearing about it, but that changes when you make the final table.

888poker asked the last nine players how they imagine the moment of their triumph, and interestingly, it was Scott Blumstein who foreshadowed what wasn’t the last but the most important hand of this year’s WSOP Main Event final table.

5) No to Buzzkills

Lastly, 888poker satirized an advert that has been around on European sports channels for a while.

If you like watching football, you’ll recognize it immediately. If you think football is called soccer, you might not so take a look. 

Nicely done, 888poker.

888poker Mini ChampionChips Running Now!

The WSOP is gone and the world has headed back to the online tables. Check out the low buy-in Mini ChampionChips series on 888poker coming this August.

To play, simply click through to our 888poker review page and access our $888 sign-up bonus.

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a spectacular glass basin, a dozen extended tubes and the smoothest of hauls off the afternoon poker news hookah.

Got a hot tip for a future 3-Bet? Tweet us @PokerListings or drop a note in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find the World Poker Tour speeding things up, Poker Night in America looks for a king and Layne Flack goes for a hookah.

1) WPT Wants Action

Tanking has been an ongoing debate in poker for, well, forever, and various tours have taken various approaches to try and solve it.

Action!

One of the more effective? The World Poker Tour's 3o-second action clock, which was implemented last year at the WPT Tournament of Champions.

It was so effective, in fact, the WPT announced yesterday it will implement it for all WPT events this Season starting Aug. 4-8 at WPT Choctaw.

The clock will come into play when action is one table off the money bubble and it'll be used until the champion is crowned - although players will get time extension chips to use for big decisions.

“The World Poker Tour is proud to be the first to implement the Action Clock across all of its Main Tour events,” said Matt Savage, WPT Executive Tour Director.

“Many players, both recreational and professional, have expressed concerns that unnecessary tanking has taken a lot of the fun out of poker. Poker should always be fun, and it was a no-brainer decision to bring the Action Clock to all WPT Main Tour events.”

We concur. Check the details from the WPT here.

2) Jungle v. Kassela, Polk v. Hellmuth

A $200,000 winner-take-all throwdown between Dan "Jungleman12" Cates, Frank Kassela, Doug Polk and Phil Hellmuth?

Yep. We'd watch that. And we will, Aug. 22-23 on the Poker Night in America live stream. Fun.

First ever KING OF THE HILL! @RiversPokerNY by @PokerNightTV.https://t.co/7pv01iLnAK@phil_hellmuth@DougPolkPoker@junglemandan@fkassela

King of the Hill!!! Holla back!! Four of us playing LIVE on @PokerNightTV stream, $50,000 buy in, @DougPolkPoker @fkassela @junglemandan https://t.co/9oW0y83Z32

Aug 22&23. $50k HeadsUp Competition. $200k Winner Take All. Live Streamed on @Twitch. Filmed for TV @CBSSports.https://t.co/7pv01iLnAK

If not a bracelet, then how about a belt? Winner takes this baby home! @DougPolkPoker @phil_hellmuth @junglemandan @fkassela @MattGlantz pic.twitter.com/nrGWvUfzKm

KOTH Match-Ups! @junglemandan vs @fkassela and @DougPolkPoker vs @phil_hellmuth. August 22-23 @RiversCasino_NY Winner take all (plus belt).

3) Flack and Madsen Grab a Hookah

Ever sit back on a Friday afternoon and wonder what 6-time WSOP bracelet winner Layne Flack and 2006 WSOP Player of the Year Jeff Madsen are (were) up to?

Wonder no longer:

Throwback Thursday. Me and @JeffMadsenobv hit up Mediterranean cafe to catch up and have some hookah.

Enjoy your weekend!

If there was a People’s Choice Award at the World Series of Poker, John Hesp would have been the overwhelming champion.

The 64-year-old Brit with the psychedelic blazers gained an increasing number of fans all the way to the very last table.

Liv Boeree was so impressed by Hesp that she developed “a crush” on him; many other pros did, too. But his game was sometimes as individual as his dress code.

The grandfather from Bridlington just wouldn’t bust. Instead, he went to the final table second in chips. 

Flop to River

With 15 players left in the most important poker tournament of the year, every single decision can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.

At the time of this hand the feature table was led by British player Jack Sinclair, who’s held a massive chip advantage over the other players at the table. He had about 75 million chips while Pedro Oliveira, John Hesp and Antoine Saout had stacks of about 25 million.

All players are now sure to cash for $450,000. The next pay jump is at 13th place - $535,000. At the end of the line there’s $8.15 million for the winner.

The stakes are high, and so is the tension, but Hesp opens with a raise to 1.2 million. Blinds are 250,000/500,000/75,000.

Hesp has     The chipleader in the small blind and Oliveira in the big blind both call. There's 4.2 million chips in the pot and effective stacks are around 25 million.

Flop:       Sinclair and Oliveira check and Hesp checks behind. The turn is the  

Sinclair now leads for 1.8 million. Oliveira calls and Hesp raises to 4 million. Sinclair calls and Oliveira folds. We have 14 million chips in the pot and effective stacks are at 20 million.

The river is the   Sinclair checks and Hesp checks behind. Hesp wins the pot against the     of Sinclair.

(Video not available due to copyright)

Analysis

Something kept Hesp from betting the river. What was it? He checked pretty quickly. Let’s have a look.

Jack Sinclair: Neck pulse tell, covered.

Pre-flop Hesp opens with a standard raise to a little under 2.5 bb and gets two calls. Jack Sinclair is the most aggressive player at the table and holds A-J, but decides to just call for pot control as he’s out of position.

Pedro Oliveira in the big blind has K-4s, which is a rather mediocre hand. But he gets outstanding pot odds so it’s worth continuing.

The flop is obviously a dream come true for Hesp as it gives him top set and there isn’t even a flush draw. The only drop of water in his wine is there isn’t an overcard that could have hit one of his opponents.

When Sinclair and Oliveira check, the action goes to Hesp and the question is, should he bet or not? Hesp opts for a check, and as the board is so dry that it probably didn’t help anyone else, that is certainly a viable option.

Which hands could call a bet on that flop? Pairs like T-T, 9-9, 8-8, 7-7, 6-6. 5-5 and 4-4 would have made sets, of course. Other hands that would continue are A-5, A-4 and some draws like 7-6, A-3 and so on.

Most of these hands, however, will not be able to call two or even three bets so a check is actually the best move here for Hesp.

Things Get Interesting

Three players go to the turn 8♦ and Hesp doesn’t have the nuts anymore. The eight means that 7-6 is now the nuts hand.

It’s not very likely that anyone has it, but it is a hand in both Oliveira’s and Sinclair’s ranges.

Sinclair, who had been betting a lot, now takes the lead. He’s holding top pair, top kicker and he can get calls from a lot of hands.

Oliveira – sandwiched between the two other players – makes a rather loose call with his K-4. Apparently and understandably, he doesn’t trust Sinclair. But then Hesp re-raises with top set to 4 million.

Good or bad move?

Is this a good or bad move? There are two sides to the coin.

If Sinclair is bluffing, there are no additional chips to be won because Sinclair has to fold to the re-raise with Oliveira still to act behind him.

If Sinclair has a strong hand, the pot gets unnecessarily built up.

In fact Sinclair has top pair, top kicker, so he can never fold in this spot. Oliveira realizes that his low pair is definitely way behind everyone else.

The Weird Finale

Up to this point, this hand is easy to follow and Hesp has underrepresented his hand well enough to build a 14m-chip pot.

The river is a deuce, which improves unlikely hands like 6-3 and A-3. When Sinclair checks, Hesp has to consider the size of his next bet. These are his options:

All-in - a nonsensical move as the only hands that call are 7-6 or A-3, which beat him
Pot-size bet - can get called by few worse hands like 8-8, 5-5 or 4-4. These hands might even go all-in
Just over half of a pot-sized bet - can be called by a few worse hands like the last jack, T-T, 9-9 or A-8
Just under half of a pot-sized bet - will most likely get called by the worse hands mentioned above

Value bet missed to Sinclair's relief.

So, Hesp should have made a bet somewhere around half pot as Sinclair’s call of the raise on the turn did make him look like he had a decent hand.

Hesp said afterwards that he didn’t want to be too greedy. He didn’t mention that he might have been afraid of getting raised and then not knowing what to do. 

The chance of that doesn’t really justify missing out on a bet in this spot, though

Conclusion

Without putting a lot of thought into it fan favorite John Hesp misses a value bet that would have definitely won him quite a few extra chips.

As the range of the small blind player is very wide it does have winning hands like 7-6 in it. But it also has many more losing hands in it that would have paid Hesp off.

It’s back and bigger than ever.

partypoker is bringing back its popular Powerfest series this September with a gargantuan $35m in guaranteed prize pools.

The series will take place Sept. 3-24 with a total of 300 different events with buy-ins ranging from $5.50 all the way up to $25,500 for the special Super High Roller.

This time around partypoker has designated 12 Championship events, which will each carry a guaranteed prize pool of at least $1m.

SHR Returns with New $3m Guarantee

The Powerfest $25,500 Super High Roller was an unusually large online tournament when partypoker debuted in May but the event became a runaway hit with a staggering 129 entries.

partypoker ambassador Sam Trickett.

The prize pool hit a staggering $3.2m and online player juanpardo99 walked away with an impressive $660,067 for first place.

The Super High Roller returns to the upcoming September Powerfest and this time around the prize pool is likely to be even bigger thanks to the new $3m guarantee.

Big buy-in events are hardly the only tournaments on tap for Powerfest, however, and partypoker is also bringing back multi-phased events where you can hop in for $5.50 or up to $530 depending on where you want to start in the action.

“Powerfest just keeps getting bigger and better so this time it was only right to increase the guaranteed prizepool again to $35,000,000,” said partypoker managing director Tom Waters.

“I hope that the players like the changes that we have made and continue to support us. The new championship events were added to give a little prestige to the headline tournaments and each of the winner will receive a trophy. Starting with a buy-in of $11, everyone has the opportunity to be crowned a Powerfest champion.”

Patrick Leonard: “It’s the Best partypoker Schedule Ever”

Powerfest will once again culminate with not one Main Event but four.

Patrick Leonard

The Main Events of Powerfest will take place on Sept. 24 with buy-in levels at $11, $55, $215 and $1,050 with over $1.6m in guaranteed prize pools spread over all four events.

“I think it’s without doubt the best schedule partypoker has ever had,” said partypoker ambassador Patrick Leonard.

“Bigger buy-ins, bigger guarantees, two-day tournaments and the software will be improved making it easier for players to find the right tournaments and their experience will be better than ever before on the tables. I’ll be playing every day and cannot wait.”

You can learn more or sign up for an account on partypoker review page.

Here's the complete schedule for the championship events on tap for Powerfest this September:

Day

Time ET

Time CEST

Time UK

Lobby Name

Phase 1 buy–in

Direct Buy–in

Guarantee

Sun 10–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 111: Championship Event: [Phased]: $1M Gtd

$109.00

$1,050.00

$1,000,000

Sun 10–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 112: Championship Event: [Phased]: $1.5M Gtd

$530.00

$5,200.00

$1,500,000

Tue 12–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 147: Championship Event: $1M Gtd High Roller [2 Day Event]

–

$10,300.00

$1,000,000

Sun 17–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 218: Championship Event: [Final Phase]: $1M Gtd

$109.00

$1,050.00

$1,000,000

Sun 17–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 219: Championship Event: [Final Phase]: $1.5M Gtd

$530.00

$5,200.00

$1,500,000

Tue 19–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 254: Championship Event: $3M Gtd Super High Roller [2 Day Event]

–

$25,500.00

$3,000,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 323: Championship Event: [Final Phase]: $1M Gtd

$109.00

$1,050.00

$1,000,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 324: Championship Event: [Final Phase]: $1.5M Gtd

$530.00

$5,200.00

$1,500,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 325: Championship Event: $50K Gtd [$10K Gtd to 1st]

–

$11.00

$50,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 326: Championship Event: $150K Gtd [$20K Gtd to 1st]

–

$55.00

$150,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 327: Championship Event: $1M Gtd [$150K to 1st]

–

$215.00

$1,000,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 329: Championship Event: $1.5M Gtd High Roller

–

$1,050.00

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a new headband, some 5lb ankle weights and 40 minutes of jazzercise that barely breaks an afternoon poker news sweat.

Got a tip for a future 3-Bet? Tweet us @PokerListings or drop a note in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find everything coming up Jeff Gross, PokerStars' cash games get faster and Zedd puts PSC Barcelona on notice.

1) Jeff Gross is Unstoppable

OK; he didn't "crush" the 2017 WSOP necessarily with just 6 small cashes worth about $15k total. But quite literally everything else is coming up Jeff Gross these days.

The Michigan-bred pro has been around the poker block for awhile but usually, at least in some small way, fallen a bit under the shadow of Antonio Esfandiari as his "professional best friend."

Not any more. Gross is having a breakout year highlighted by his massively successful Twitch channel (The Flow Show, where he streams relentlessly).

There's Streamboat w/ Bill Perkins. There's commentating on the WSOP live stream. There's his awesome Vlog. And, of course, being named to Team PokerStars Pro.

As if that wasn't enough he also crushed All-American Dave's 5 weeks to fitness program this summer and now looks like a body double for his "other" famous pal, Michael Phelps.

We completed the #5weeks2fitness program with @AllAmericanDave this summer - diet (all AAD meals) & planned workouts. Thanks Dave! pic.twitter.com/ozdnbosvD5

Kind of makes us feel like we're not doing much anything with our lives after all. We'll forgive him, though, as he's clearly worked hard and deserves it. Great ambassador for the game and always worth a watch/subscribe on the FLOW show. If you don't know him yet, check the intro from Daniel Negreanu below:

Fellow Team Pro @RealKidPoker welcomes @JeffGrossPoker to PokerStars... pic.twitter.com/9WDvmnC0Aa

2) PokerStars Ring Games Get Faster

Click faster!

We're sensing a trend here.

The WPT has committed to the action clock. 888poker is working hard to get rid of the tanking #Buzzkills. The WSOP even tweaked its tanking rules this summer.

Everybody wants to make the game faster for more hands, more fun and more joy at the tables.

Add PokerStars to the list as it announced this last week it's speeding up the time to act in its $0.01/$0.02 NLHE and PLO ring games. 

How much faster? 

Pre flop not facing a raise

18 seconds

12 seconds

Pre flop facing a raise and post flop

25 seconds

15 seconds

Time bank settings and Zoom stay the same. Implemented as of today on PokerStars it's still just a trial run to see how it goes over but we have a feeling it'll stick. No one needs 25 seconds at 1c/2c, right? Try it out on PokerStars here.

3) Zedd is Coming to PokerStars Championship Barcelona

We have no idea who he is (we haven't been outside after 10 pm in about 5 years) but if his 5.4m Twitter followers is a sign, electro superstar Zedd is a big-ticket score for the PokerStars Championship Barcelona:

Headed to Barcelona to play Opium for the @PokerStars championship on 21st August!! AND I’ll be playing some poker too!!

Here's a taste of what to expect; more on PSC Barcelona's increased guarantees and qualifying here.

In the aftermath of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas this past week, 888poker's Micro ChampionChips Series filled the void admirably.

Yesterday the main event played out and 2,534 players generated a prize pool of almost $100,000 -- nearly double the guarantee.

The final of the MCC was dominated by Brazilian players with two battling heads-up for the title and $14k first-place prize.

Meanwhile, 888poker pro Parker Talbot won The Crocodile and final tabled 3 other tourneys while teammate Dominik Nitsche played pretty much every $100 BLAST available.

Brazil Dominates MCC FT

No less than five players at the final table of nine were Brazilian and two of them fought the final battle for the title.

In the end gkamei09 beat PheresAA and claimed the $14k winner check.

The tournament took about 10.5 hours and finished in the early hours of the morning CET.

It was the last evening of the Micro ChampionChip series and we’ll get back with more info on it shortly.

Final-Table Results

1

gkamei09

BR

$14,189

2

PheresAA

BR

$10,380

3

Sacracoronaa

NL

$7523

4

Guialves27

BR

$5618

5

Ilovetyumen

RUS

$3942

6

Gabthetank

GR

$1904

7

DeoRibeiro

BR

$1142

8

JoeTFish

CAN

$1142

9

NevilleWeeee

BR

$857

Talbot Wins Crocodile; Final Tables Four

Parker '888tonkaaaa' Talbot was Twitching all day and it was exactly the kind of day you want to show your audience.

Not only did he reach four final tables he even went all the way in 888poker's Sumday Major. Or, as Talbot put it himself.

WE BACK BOYS. I REPEAT. WE ARE BACK. 4 final tables today $14000 in cashes and a Crocodile ship. WOOOOOOO #888poker back tuesday for moreeee pic.twitter.com/AToDPno9ER

Talbot beat out a field of 213 and it took him over nine hours to do so. There was $32k in the prize pool of this $160 Sunday Major and there were several names in the money that are regulars on 888poker.

Among them were Doug PulledPorker Lang, Sebastian p000cket000 Sikorski and SoulRead88UK.

Nitsche Blasts Away

BLAST poker is 888poker’s hyper-fast 4-max Sit-and-Go game and it's got the 888 ambassadors hooked, too.

Ever-present.

On Sunday Dominik Nitsche played no less than 19 BLAST tournaments for $100 each, making the money in seven of them and winning six. 

Of course that was just a side gig for Nitsche who played in the $100,000 Mega Deep, the $100,000 Baby Whale and the $40,000 Turbo Mega Deep.

He also tried to qualify for the WSOP Europe Main Event in Rozvadov in November. Nitsche wasn't successful this time but if you know him, you know it’s only a question of time before he makes it.

A WSOPE without Dominik Nitsche is, as Norman Chad would say, “inconceivable.”

Get Your Own 888poker Account Now

To play on 888poker register for your own account through our PokerListings review and get up to an $888 bonus and 10 tournament tickets to get you warmed up.

The winner of the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event at King’s Casino in Rozvadov will walk away with at least €1m.

As of today the overall prize pool for the Main Event was upped to €5m, according to a release from organizers at King’s Casino.

Casino reps said the €10,300 buy-in event had garnered enough early interest to justify boosting the prize pool to $5m. That boost was enough to guarantee the eventual winner at least €1m.

This year marks the first time the WSOPE has been held at King’s Casino, which has quickly become a major hub for poker in Europe with over 160 tables. The festival will run from Oct. 19-Nov. 10 with 11 bracelet events.

Big Buzz for One Drop High Roller

The WSOPE Main Event isn’t the only tournament drawing some serious interest months before its set to take place.

Calling all high rollers.

King’s Casino CEO Leon Tsoukernik mentioned there have been nearly 100 deposits for the massive €111,111 buy-in WSOPE High Roller for One Drop event.

The field will be capped at 111 players so Tsoukernik recommends poker pros register soon if they want to get in on the action. There’s a good chance it will be the biggest non-invitational high roller ever held in Europe.

If players miss out on the €111k One Drop event there’s still the €25,000 High Roller that has proven to be a very popular event on the WSOPE schedule.

There’s also plenty of options available for players on smaller bankroll side of things with a €1,100 Monster Stack tournament to kick things as well as a €550 Colossus and a €550 Pot-Limit Omaha tournament.

WSOPE to Settle 2017 WSOP Player of the Year

The WSOPE also represents the last chance for poker pros to snag points for the 2017 WSOP Player of the Year.

Current POY leader.

Chris “Jesus” Ferguson currently leads the race with 898 points but Ryan Hughes (876 points) and John Monnette (865 points) aren’t that far behind.

Even Daniel Negreanu (717 points) could potentially surpass Ferguson with an impressive showing at the WSOPE.

Interestingly Negreanu clinched his last WSOP POY title at the 2013 WSOPE when he was able to pass Matthew Ashton in one of the final tournaments of the year.

Negreanu will have more to make up this year, however, as he trails Ferguson by nearly 200 points so he would need a minor miracle in Rozvadov.

Here's a complete look at the schedule for the 2017 WSOPE:

#

EVENT

Chip Stack

STARTING DATES

1

€1,100 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em - €500,000 Guarantee – 3 starting flights – re-entry next flight

20,000

Oct. 19, 20, 21

2

€550 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Max – 2 starting flights –re-entry

10,000

Oct. 23, 24

3

€1,100 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold’em (1-day event) Every player is €500 bounty – re-entry

20,000

Oct. 25

4

€1,650 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed – single re-entry

30,000

Oct. 26

5

€550 Colossus No-Limit Hold’em - €2,000,000 Guarantee (10 starting flights) one re-entry per flight

10,000

Oct. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

6

€2,200 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed – unlimited re-entry

40,000

Oct. 28

7

€1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better –re-entry

30,000

Oct. 31

8

€1,100 Little One for One Drop No-Limit Hold’em - €500,000 Guarantee -- 2 starting flights – re-entry

20,000

Nov. 1, 2

9

€25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller – re-entry

500,000

Nov. 1

10

€111,111 High Roller for One Drop - €10,000,000 Guarantee – re-entry (111 player cap)

2,000,000

Nov. 3

11

€10,350 WSOP Europe Main Event - €5,000,000 Guarantee – 2 starting flights – single re-entry

50,000

Nov. 4-5

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is 25 spelers, 475k in de dinnerbreak and the bobbing heads of every poker player who gets your afternoon poker news message.

Got a tip for a future edition of the 3-Bet? Let us know in the comments below.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Phil Hellmuth heading for home, Rainer Kempe glimpses into his past and Matt Salsberg recognizes the international language of poker.

1) Wheels Up for Poker Brat

If we were anywhere near the Bay Area there is zero chance we would miss this tomorrow (if, of course, we could even finagle an invite):

Wheels up: 7:49 am! Back to Bay Area for my "Poker Brat" book launch party. #POSITIVITY pic.twitter.com/t2RKusgRAQ

Possible highlights:

If you happen to be there, please send notes. If you can't be there get your copy of Poker Brat at fine bookstores everywhere (or on Amazon). If you can't wait for tomorrow there's also this:

I'm going LIVE w the amazing Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg on her FaceBook page today at 2 pm pst. Should be fun, Sheryl is wonderful!

2) Rainer Kempe: Once a CPTer, Always a CPTer

We thought Pascal Lefrancois had perfected the shirtless winner photo until we saw this spectacular flashback shot posted on Twitter by Rainer Kempe last week:

Just didn't want you guys to forget that I won a cpt side event for just short of 9000$ in 2014 #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/Ij8gCYRDgP

We're not even sure what the "c" in cpt stands for there as it wasn't even big enough to make his Hendon Mob resume. 

Caribbean? Czech? Who has tournaments in a casino with an airplane hanging from the ceiling? Bonus points if you can name five other poker players in the photo (Fedor Holz excluded).

3) 475k in De Dinnerbreak

Well played, Matt Salsberg.

The international language of poker. https://t.co/jQUzO9vNbv

475k in de dinnerbreak. Nog 25 spelers. Avg is 880k.

partypoker LIVE is heading to Prague for the inaugural Nordic Poker Championships this December.

The upstart live tour has been expanding at a rapid rate over the last year and the Prague stop is just the latest addition to a schedule that already includes substantial events in Montreal, Germany and the Caribbean.

The Nordic Poker Championships will take place Dec. 14-18, 2017, at the Grandior Hotel in Prague. The €2,200 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event will offer a €1m-GTD prize pool.

Only players who have Nordic passports (or residential status in a Nordic country) will be able to take part in the event.

Free Return Flight Promo on partypoker

The first 50 players who qualify for the Nordic Poker Championships on partypoker will get a free return ticket to the main airport of the their home country.

PartyPoker Live president John Duthie.

The designated airports are Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm’s Arlanda and Keflavik International in Island.

The tournament will also offer two starting flights with Day 1a on Dec. 14 and Day 1b on Dec. 15 giving players some flexibility.

Displaced Nordic poker tournaments are nothing new in the poker world as many Scandinavians have been forced to travel to other countries to avoid restrictive live tournament laws.

Prague is also a popular place for poker tournaments in December with its famous Christmas markets and a plethora of other poker tournaments on tap.

Satellites for the Nordic Poker Championships begin on partypoker on Oct. 2 with a variety of options for players at any bankroll level.

Johnny Lodden: Competition Will Be Tough

partypoker ambassador Johnny Lodden is already looking forward to making his case for Norwegian players at the Nordic Poker Championships.

Johnny Lodden

“This is a great opportunity for players right across the Nordic region to qualify online for a huge event,” he said.

“A €1 million guarantee is amazing so this is very exciting. It’s fair to say that Nordic players are among the best in the world so this will certainly be a challenge but I’m looking forward to it.”

On the bright side the picturesque winter backdrop of Prague will offer a nice consolation prize to all the players who bust early.

The Nordic Poker Championships is just one of the many regional Championships on the partypoker LIVE schedule.

The €1m-GTD German Poker Championships will take place at King’s Casino in Rozvadov on Aug. 6. On Sept. 8 the tour will return to Montreal for the Canadian Poker Championships, which will offer a $2m-GTD Main Event.

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a stack of hundos, a calm stride and no hesitation at all to grab the first open seat at the afternoon poker news poker table.

Want to see a specific something in a future 3-Bet? Just tell us where to find it below.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Phil Hellmuth having his cake in NorCal, the Bellagio #1 for poker intimidation and big money on the line for the Dota2 International.

1) Phil Has His Cake

As we mentioned yesterday Phil Hellmuth and pal celebrated the launch of his autobiography Poker Brat yesterday with a festive get-together in the Bay area.

Among his poker pals we know were in attendance were Matt Glantz and Brandon Cantu, and we imagine a few of his high-profile Silicon Valley pals dropped in for a slice of cake or a shot of Kimo Sabe mescal.

We're still waiting on details of any true debauchery but at least we know what the cake looked like:

Thank you for throwing me the coolest party EVER: top of my list...Check out this birthday cake! #PHBookLaunchParty #BALLER #PHNiceLife pic.twitter.com/jq403fZcGt

His 15-minute sitdown with Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg is also now posted on FB and you can watch it here.

2) Bellagio #1 for Nervously Standing Around Poker Table

If you were in your college years in the 90s like we were you know The Onion set the benchmark for satirical newspaper reporting with spectacular material such as "I'm like a Chocoholic, But for Booze" and "Area Man Could Eat."

Looky loos.

It's rarely turned its sharp eye on poker over the past 25 years but when it has, it's pretty bang on. Much like this one about the Bellagio "being the best casino for standing around too nervous to approach a poker table." An excerpt:

“People come from all over the world to dawdle at the multiple bars, which allow them to repeatedly grab another drink to calm their nerves after chickening out of their latest promise to themselves that they would claim the next seat that opened up. Furthermore, the room is always crowded with longtime veterans intensely focused on their games, decreasing the likelihood of any employee making eye contact with you and subsequently offering to escort you to a table.”

Story checks out. Get the rest of the joke here.

3) Dota2 Championship Pays $10.2m for 1st

We've been tracking the dramatic rise of eSports prize pools for a few years now but if you told us the winning team would collect more than the WSOP Main Event winner by 2017 we still would have been (at least a little) skeptical.

Chump change for gamers now.

Whoops.

That day has clearly come as the winning team on this year's Dota2 International will split up $10,228,641 - over $2m more than Scott Blumstein earned for his win just a couple weeks ago.

Only the top 6 will be millionaires, though, while all of the final nine in the ME got at least $1m. So there's that.

Check the full payout scheme for the 5-day International here.