March 12, 2026

The Lodge under investigation for money laundering?

New details have emerged in the developing story concerning the Lodge Card Club in Austin, Texas. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) issued a statement that reveals that the recent raid was conducted in connection to suspected money laundering activities.

Doug Polk and other co-owners are yet to comment on these latest developments, but the statement sheds some light on the potential seriousness of the situation, making it clear that the whole thing is more than a mishap over an expired license, which was one of the speculations circulating on X.

March 14

Phil Galfond talks about the importance of setting rules and guardrails.

If you’re serious about poker and want to succeed in the long run, it’s essential to have certain rules in place to help guide you, especially during rough patches.

Phil Galfond discusses this topic at length in his recent X post, talking about the challenges that poker players have to deal with, not only when setting rules, but also when trying to stick to them in face of adversities.

Another WSOP Europe package is up for grabs!

It looks like Jeff Platt’s pleas were heard by the powers to be, as there is another package to the WSOP Europe Main Event up for grabs. You just need to guess the exact two cards randomly pulled out of the deck.

OK, you’ll need to get very lucky, but someone will probably get it correct, and it takes you all but five seconds to put yourself in the contention, so why not give it a go?

Annette Obrestad is coming back to the felt.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Annette Obrestad, the youngest player ever to win a WSOP bracelet. Following her amazing run in the late 2000s, the young Norwegian virtually disappeared, at least as far as poker is concerned.

Now, it seems she’s ready to get back to the game she fell in love with all those years ago. Check out this Poker.org interview to hear what Annette’s has been up to in the meantime and what her plans for the future look like.

Talk about grind…

A player playing under the alias 'Tuborg123455’ is approaching 1,000,000 tournaments played online, which is mind-blowing in its own right, but it gets even more so when you see the numbers’ breakdown. Talk about being committed to the game…

March 13

PokerStars has officially merged with FanDuel in the US and Ontario. It is the end of the familiar PokerStars platform for players in those regions.

Players in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania will soon be unified in a single player pool for the first time, while Ontario remains separate, though also moving to the new FanDuel-branded platform.

The software will keep familiar table designs and main formats like Spin & Go and tournaments. The preview video shows some tweaks to the lobby and maybe a few extra features, but the core experience seems intact.

Get all the details in Anuj’s article below.

How to lose 95 percent of your poker players in 18 months.

In a deep-dive by Zvon, the rise and rapid fall of DraftKings’ Electric Poker is put under the microscope.

The new game promised action with its lightning-fast blind structure and a rule forcing all players to go all-in after just three levels. At first, the innovation seemed to catch on, but players soon soured on being forced into high-variance play.

After launching in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, Electric Poker’s revenue has now dropped to just 5 percent of where it started. The article argues that the mandatory all-in format, unique to DraftKings, is the main culprit.

Million-dollar jackpots: now served daily at GGPoker.

GGPoker’s Spin & Gold games have gone on a million-dollar frenzy, with five jackpots dropping in just four weeks.

As Anuj reports, these jackpots are designed to be unicorn-rare, but lately, they are showing up like clockwork.

Could another WSOP E Main Event package be coming our way?

Jeff Platt pleading to the WSOP gods for another WSOP Europe give away.

Punt of the day: Sam Greenwood talks shop and nostalgia.

Sam Greenwood joins the Lock-In for their latest episode. The guys discuss Brad Owen’s viral tweet on AI slop, Dara reminisces about his online grinder days, and David pines for the return of multi-table SNGs.

Annie Duke, hero or villain?

Honestly, I think Faraz’s take here is pretty spot-on. How she is viewed within the poker community is very different from how she is perceived outside of it, or so it seems.

BetRivers Poker tries more, gets more. Players respond.

The numbers are in, and BetRivers Poker’s Spring Championship Series seems to have delivered exactly what the operator was hoping for: more players, bigger prize pools, and a solid boost to its reputation.

According to Anuj, “the series awarded more than $655,000 in prize money, easily beating the advertised $515,350 guarantee.” Nearly 20,000 entries were logged across 88 tournaments, with only three overlays throughout the entire festival. The $200 Main Event drew 242 runners for a $45,254 prize pool, while the $10 Kick-Off attracted a field of 515.

March 12

The Lodge Card Club sends out an email to its members.

The Lodge Card Club in Texas sent out an email to all of its members regarding recent developments. Unfortunately, it seems like the management is still in the dark regarding the reason for the recent raid. We are still waiting for Doug Polk’s announcement, which should be coming out today.

Looking like zero credit card fess for this year’s WSOP.

We will know for sure in May, but accordingly to Kevmath it is looking likely.

There is no doubt, Dublin is a great city. And the Irish Open is one of the best live poker events around.

If you fancy it, remember there are online qualifiers running on PokerStars, Paddy Power, and iPoker, all in the run-up to the festival.

It’s worth checking out if you want to qualify for less.

Will the Kylie Jenner poker tutorial create another poker boom?

Jesse Lonis thinks not and I tend to agree.

However, you can never underestimate the reach of a Kardashian/Jenner.

Brad Owen defends the Lodge along with Doug Polk.

Seems like Doug might be on the hook for seven figures, according to Owen’s post.

More information is to come, but in the meantime, it seems Tom Dwan has entered the chat, making things chaotic.

March 11

This might be the most unexpected poker tutorial you see today.

There’s a video tutorial by Kylie Jenner posted by Vanity Fair where Kylie is literally teaching you how to play poker.

The Lodge situation remains unclear.

After the authorities raided the Lodge Card Club in Texas yesterday, Doug Polk took to X to give a quick update, promising a more in-depth explanation within the next day.

Ian Simpson captures his first COOP title.

Quite a run for Ian Simpson, who outlasted well over 2,000 players to capture his very first COOP title. Now that he’s gotten that monkey off his back, we expect a couple of more in quick succession.

One for the Chainsaw.

Allan Kessler took to X to brag about his latest tournament win in the RunGood Poker Series. It was a smaller-field TORSE event, but that ring looks pretty dope, so it’s brag-worthy.

Spraggy just can’t catch a break.

Spraggy’s saga with YouTube continues. After being banned by YouTube for no evident reason, he was able to get his channel back, only to get banned again just a couple of hours into his stream.

March 10

Jason Koon shares some personal insights about what motivates him to keep playing.

Jason Koon is one of the biggest names in poker and the man who’s won piles of money playing against some of the best players out there. Yet, he keeps showing up for the biggest tournaments, even if he doesn’t really have to do it anymore.

If you’ve ever wondered why this is the case and what it is that drives some of the best players to keep testing themselves even when money is no longer as important, this post offers some interesting insights.

The Lodge Card Club targeted by the authorities.

Although details remain scarce at this time, the Lodge Card Club, the largest poker room in Texas, co-owned by Doug Polk, Brad Owen, and Andrew Neeme, was raided by the state police and the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC).

This is not the first time a Texas poker room faces wrath of the authorities, but it is the first time for The Lodge. We’ll find out more as this story develops, but this could be a major hit for live poker in Texas.

ClubWPT Gold’s Gold Million tournament is coming back!

Gold Million will run again on April 5, according to a confirmation from ClubWPT Gold on X.

The last time the tournament ran, it absolutely crushed its 1 million SC guarantee, ending up with a prize pool that more than doubled the target.

It’ll be interesting to see what guarantee they set for the next edition and whether players can push it past the mark again.

That’s billion with a B.

PokerStars’ Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) has now awarded more than $1.5 billion in total prize money since the series first launched back in 2009. Yes — billion with a B.

The festival is currently running its 18th edition, with $45 million guaranteed this year. More than $15 million has already been paid out, pushing the all-time total past that massive $1.5B mark.

Pretty incredible for one of online poker’s biggest tournament series.

Just when you think you’ve seen everything on poker Twitter or X Poker…

You can always count on ClubWPT Gold to stir things up with a funny (and sometimes controversial) post. Their latest? Turning some of poker’s most well-known male pros into female versions of themselves.

The internet had thoughts… and honestly, the results are hilarious.

Your guide to choosing a poker solver is here.

I can’t talk for birds and bees, but nearly all successful poker pros are doing it. Poker solvers have become essential part of the modern game, and finding the one that you’re comfortable with is very important. This guide should give you a decent nudge in the right direction.

March 09

CoinPoker looks to be on a bit of a hiring spree.

Crypto-based offshore online poker room, CoinPoker, has added two more ambassadors to its roster, first announcing Abby Merk, who previously served as a BetMGM Poker ambassador. It has also brought on Argentinian musician and poker pro Alejandro “Papo MC” Lococo, who previously represented PokerStars.

The additions follow several recent signings, including Yohan Gilbert (“YoHViraL”), Mariano Grandoli, and Brantzen Wong, as the site continues to expand its ambassador lineup.

WSOP does listen to its players.

So yesterday, (March 8), Pennsylvania-based poker player Jeff Stellwagon tweeted that WSOP hadn’t adjusted its online tournament schedule for the leap-forward time change. His point: those events already run late enough for East Coasters.

Kevin Mathers quote-tweeted the post, and it turns out WSOP actually had adjusted the schedule right on time.

Jeff followed up, saying, “ Credit where it’s due,” WSOP did make the adjustment.

Jungleman’s fight against rigged games and cheating continues.

Dan Cates is not letting go of his efforts to make the world of private live and online games safer and more trustworthy. His latest idea – an insurance that would pay out in case you are cheated.

Spraggy is still fighting against the machines.

It seems that Spraggy is still trying to get his YouTube channel back, with no real assistance coming his way. He’ll be streaming on Twitch in the meantime, so that’s where you can get your daily dose of Spraggy.

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