pokerfuse online poker news

David Lappin, now a PokerStars Ambassador, has very strong feelings about the Irish Open.

He told PokerNews that it’s his favorite event and not just because he’s Irish. He reckons the festival atmosphere converts everyone who attends into an honorary Irish person.

“The moment you walk through the doors…Poker players have a lot of serious poker to be played through the year and you go off and you play your high rollers or your EPTs and you go to the Irish Open it’s an opportunity to blow off some steam.”

Lappin credits PokerStars for the event’s impressive growth, citing entry numbers ballooning from under 2,000 in 2021 to over 4,500 in 2025. With PokerStars now fully on board, he predicts fields of up to 10,000 before the end of the decade.

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More from week starting march 23

March 28

All about Joe McKeehen.

Joe McKeehen, the man who denied the poker world the opportunity to cheer on Daniel Negreanu at the 2016 WSOP Main Event final table and proceeded to win the title for himself instead, is the guest at this week’s Table 1 Podcast.

McKeehen was never too interested in fame, focusing his efforts and saving his energy for the felt. But here, he tells it all, from his humble beginnings playing freerolls, over staking deals and big make-up, to the life-changing victory that shook the poker world.

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Doug Polk’s video on the Lodge situation coming next week.

A few days back, Doug Polk, one of the largest co-owners of the recently closed Texas card room has announced he’ll be putting out a video further explaining the entire situation and, possibly, what comes next.

However, the poker world will have to wait for a few more days. It looks like Polk wants to make sure this particular video has all of its i’s dotted and t’s crossed, and, given the whole ordeal, we can’t really blame him for it.

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What has Joe Hachem been up to recently?

With the Aussie Millions making its big comeback, who better to talk to than the only player from Australia to win the WSOP Main Event?

Once one of the biggest names in the game, Joe Hachem has been away from the spotlight in recent years. He still plays poker, but he’s content to stick to the games where he believes there is still an edge to be had.

In his recent interview with PokerNews, Joe Hachem remembers his historic 2005 win, shares his thoughts on modern poker, talks about his involvement with the Aussie Millions, and much more.

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New HU tables available at ClubWPT Gold.

ClubWPT Gold has expanded its offering of heads-up tables, adding 1/2 games to the mix. While this is good news for players with smaller bankrolls, it’s worth noting that these games aren’t available in nearly 20 states, probably due to specific regulations.
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March 27

Another quality Phil Galfond article for all aspiring poker players.

Phil Galfond is back with another article that discusses a very important topic of logic vs. emotions.

While poker is a game of math and logic, we are not robots. Emotions can have a significant impact on our play, and we may not even be aware of it, as Phil nicely explains in his latest column.

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The infographic you didn’t know you needed.

Check this out. All the poker influencers in one map!
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🇮🇪 In to Day 2 of the Irish Open.

Here’s a nice little round up from the action from Day 1.

But is that shirt tripping anyone else?

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Just a reminder on this Founders Table offer from PokerStars USA.

Get in on the action before they become FanDuel Poker and take advantage of some great perks. Check out the article to find out your next steps in detail.
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Mainstream coverage of the WSOP x ESPN deal.

What I missed the first time around was that the Main Event will break for 20 days before returning for the Final Table.
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WSOP calling for content creators for this year’s summer series.

Where is the year going? Not before too long, it will be the return of the WSOP 2026, which kicks off in May in Las Vegas. If you want to be part of the summer spectacle, the WSOP organizers are hiring!
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Foxen climbs, Tollerene conquers. PokerOrg breaks down the Triton Main Event.

Kristen Foxen set a new personal best by finishing fourth at the $100K Triton Jeju Main Event, bagging $1.45M and padding her already impressive lead atop the Women’s All-Time Money List.

Even so, the tournament headlines belonged to Ben Tollerene, who steamrolled his way to a fourth Triton title and a Main Event double.

Foxen’s run included a much-discussed preflop fold with pocket kings, a hand PokerOrg calls “a rare misstep” in her career.

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A collection of comments on that Krissy Foxen fold.

To be fair, Krissy is the absolute GOAT so no armchair experts in this quarter.
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Andy Stacks on what he thinks happened during the J-4 hand.

Just like some of the team here, Andy is very split about whether anything nefarious went down that night.
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Stake US is the latest sweepstakes poker site to say goodbye to Illinois.

After receiving cease and desist letters, Stake US is moving Illinois accounts to redeem-only mode starting May 19. That means no more games, purchases, or promotions for local players.

The company expressed regret in a message to users.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and we appreciate the time you spent playing.

Stake US has already exited 19 states, more than any other sweepstakes operator, and now only operates in 31.

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The Irish Open 2026 is shaping up to be a record-breaker, and much of the credit goes to iPoker’s aggressive satellite campaign.

iPoker kicked things off earlier than ever, launching qualifiers in November instead of their usual January start.

iPoker, alongside Paddy Power, is set to send over 1,000 players to the €1,150 Main Event, one of the largest single-network contributions to the tournament in history.

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Brazil on top, guarantees on the ropes: The SCOOP 2026 story.

SCOOP 2026 is in the books, and as Anuj reports for us over on pokerfuse, Brazil dominated a series that saw more than $52.7 million in prize money handed out.

The festival drew 919,776 entries across 400 tournaments, blowing past its $45 million guarantee by 17 percent.

Notably, all three NLHE Main Events beat their guarantees, with the Low tier attracting over 16,800 entries.

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Jesse Lonis showing some love for the WSOP x ESPN deal.

For those who used to watch the coverage of the World Series of Poker back in the day over on ESPN, the 2026 partnership is going to give you all the feels.
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Summer WSOP coverage at its finest.

This partnership is massive and is definitely giving the poker community what they want—more mainstream coverage of the WSOP for the win!
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March 26

Check out the hand that everybody’s talking about.

Kristen Foxen folds pocket kings at the final table of the Triton Main Event, and the poker world goes crazy. What else can we say other than check it out yourselves!
By Ivan share:

How about some golf action from Kid poker?

And now for something completely different! Daniel Negreanu has just posted his very first golfing video.

It’s no secret that Kid Poker is into golf, but this is the first time he filmed himself playing and posted it for the whole world to see.

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WSOP x ESPN partnership is officially back…

Ok wow, this is a big deal! WSOP has signed a multi-year agreement with ESPN to bring the Main Event final table back to live TV.

We’re getting a three-night, prime-time finale on August 3–5, 2026.

And we now know the final table dates finally! It’s not November Nine!

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What do you think? Did Robbi cheat? Emoji responses only.

I personally think she did not cheat, and Garrett was a sore loser (understatement).

But not everyone at The Rail agrees. Among ourselves, the jury is very much out.

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PokerStars remaining coy on merger timeline. Classic.

Despite them already communicating with customers the change to FanDuel Poker will be on April 1. Watch this space!
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Foxen in the mix, Lonis on a heater.

Kristen Foxen headlines the final table at the Triton Jeju Main Event, sitting sixth in chips and looking to add to her $13.5 million in live earnings.

According to PokerNews, Ben Tollerene leads the pack with a commanding stack, while Xu Yang and Elton Tsang round out the top three. The final nine will return on Thursday to chase the $3.76 million top prize.

Jesse Lonis has already wrapped up another title in the $50k Turbo Bounty Quattro, busting nine of the last twelve players and banking $474,000 plus another $540,000 in bounties.

As PokerNews puts it, Lonis’ hot streak continues, and Foxen still has work to do if she wants to join him in the winner’s circle.

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Sam Greenwood bets on words over video.

Sam Greenwood has taken a different route from most poker content creators. Rather than chasing the influencer crowd on YouTube, he’s found a home on Substack, writing daily about poker for a growing audience.

According to Greenwood, Substack’s direct-to-reader model appealed to him more than the world of vlogs and video content as per his comments to Pokerati.

Greenwood, who learned poker on the 2+2 forums before the days of training sites, sees Substack as a way to fill a void left by the migration to video content.

Despite previous training video experience for Run It Once, Greenwood wasn’t drawn to the idea of being a YouTuber.

Thousands of poker fans now follow his writing, proof that the written word isn’t dead in the age of influencers.

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According to PokerNews, all eyes are on Benjamin Rolle as the final tables of the 2026 PokerStars SCOOP kick off.

Rolle, already the reigning WSOP Online Main Event champ, is in contention for the $5,200 SCOOP Main Event title.

If he pulls it off, he’ll be the first to claim both flagship online crowns back to back, a feat that would put him in rarefied air among online grinders.

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And here is that J-4 hand.

I love a reminisce, and this is just what we needed.
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Garrett Adelstein is not done talking about the hand that launched a thousand Reddit threads.

As we know, Adelstein has announced a memoir, 'Beneath the Cards,’ where he revisits the infamous “Jack-Four” hand and the fallout from his cheating accusations against Robbi Jade Lew.

As per PokerNews, the book promises a behind-the-scenes look at the chaos and stress he says followed the broadcast.

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It’s go time. WSOP Europe and Irish Open get underway today.

It’s a huge day for live poker in Europe as two prestigious festivals get underway today. WSOP Europe starts in Prague and the Irish Open hits Dublin.
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Fedor Holz with some poker tips.

If anyone should know a thing or two about reaching the top echelons in poker, it’s Fedor. Listen to what he has to say.
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More PokerNews deep dives on the Lodge via Chad Holloway.

Holloway digs into whether FinCEN and the Bank Secrecy Act have roles to play in what went down at the Lodge.

His take below.

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Get your seat at the Founders table before PokerStars becomes FanDuel.

PokerStars US is handing out VIP passes before the velvet rope even goes up. The new Founders Table lets you pick your username before the FanDuel Poker merger, score some early swag, and enjoy a $15K freeroll.

All you need is a US or Ontario PokerStars account.

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Robbi’s excellent retort at the news Garrett Adelstein has written a book all about their infamous hand.

Writing a book is a shrewd move from Gman Poker, as so many people will want to know his side of the story.
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A Doug Polk video coming soon on what happened at the Lodge.

It seems Doug has been given the OK by lawyers to put together a video on everything that has gone down at the Lodge. We know everyone will be tuning in to this one.
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Caitlin Comeskey’s husband sets up GoFundMe for ex-Lodge employees.

The fundraiser aims to reach $30,000 USD. Doug Polk has already donated $10K, and Brad Owen $5K. However, some are skeptical that this will move the needle for the hundreds of employees who are now looking for work.
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March 25

Aaron Barone is giving away some 888poker LIVE Barcelona action!

If you’d like to have a piece in 888poker’s Ambassadors during the upcoming Barcelona Main Event, there is a chance to get in on the action for free.

Over the next few weeks, Aaron Barone will be awarding percentages during his live streams (1% for every $888 he makes, with the ambassador selected randomly, using a wheel).

All you have to do is tune in. At the end of every stream, one person in the chat will receive a prize, so if you enjoy watching poker streams anyways, this is really a no-brainer!

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Garrett Adelstein finally shares the full J-4 story.

There is hardly a poker fan out there not aware of the infamous J-4 hand involving Garrett Adelstein and Robbie Jade Lew. It was one of the most controversial moments in live poker in recent years.

It’s been a while since the incident that shook the Hustler Casino Live and saw Garrett step away from poker, but even so, many questions still remain unanswered.

It looks like the poker world will finally be getting some of those answers thanks to Adelstein’s book, “Beneath the Cards.” According to GMan, this memoir tells the full story, at least from his perspective.

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Spraggy returns with part two of what he calls the greatest final table of his career, but don’t expect a highlight reel of dramatic all-ins.

Instead, he offers a step-by-step breakdown of tournament runs, with a heavy focus on game theory and strategic adjustments.
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Yoh Viral is tone deaf in his latest post.

Heads to a war zone, probably via another war zone, to instagram a captive bear amongst other elitist activities. This will be the last post we share of his, his account is being muted. The bear is too much.
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Leah Hauer heads to WSOP Europe.

On her way, she will be vlogging the whole thing. She also recently spoke to PokerOrg about what made her leave her high-paying job to pursue a career in poker.

“Poker can be very rage-inducing… very tilting. So, I thought it was quite a fun play on the fact that sometimes I hate the game, but of course it’s really a love-hate relationship.”

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The Tom Dwan x Card Player article is out.

Here’s some choice quotes from the article which touches on Dwan’s stay in the UK last summer in a mental health facility.

“I was flying to meet with a gambling boss who is also a friend,” Dwan explains of his reason for traveling. “Some things happened on the flight that were unusual, to say the least. I was told that there was no WIFI when there obviously was. I had three glasses of wine and fell asleep.”

“When I woke up, a woman was having a heart attack on the floor next to me, even though all the seats in business class were taken. It didn’t make sense why she would be in that location. I was instructed not to get out of my seat. They didn’t want me to go to the bathroom and wouldn’t let me move back to coach. I was told that the seats were all taken, but they weren’t. It was very weird.”

“Instead of being met at the airport by his friend’s driver, he “had a process” and an hour or two later arrived at Hillingdon Hospital, about 3.6 miles away from Heathrow Airport. Roughly 48 hours after that, he says he was involuntarily committed. Though Dwan once acknowledged “processing some versions of details or reality wrong at some point,” he now tells me “that was and is true, but the majority was mostly on point.”

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How to use the WSOP Live (formerly WSOP Plus) app.

We’ve already posted on this, but with WSOP Europe Prague just around the corner, brush up on how to use the live app now.
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Why have other card clubs in Texas not been targeted?

Katie Stone and others get into it over on X.
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Tom Dwan interview on that stay in the UK, plus his time in Macau, drops today on CardPlayer.

This one I want to read!
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Who knew Chris Moneymaker once ran a card club in Kentucky?

In response to the closure of the Lodge Card Club in Texas, Chris Moneymaker reveals something similar once happened to a card room he ran in KY.
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Permanent staff at the Lodge to be let go.

This will come as a severe blow for the employees of the club.

There is no timeline for how long the investigation will take to conclude, nor when players will be made whole. It is a nightmare situation for all.

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Mariano joins a Hustler Casino Live game for some high stakes action.

Mariano is back with another vlog, but this time around, he’s playing some high stakes poker at the Hustler Casino. Stacks are deep, blinds are big, and the action is as crazy as ever!
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March 24

Annette’s return to poker is confirmed.

Annette Obrestad, a poker phenom from Norway who stunned the world nearly two decades ago triumphing in the WSOP Europe Main Event and becoming the youngest player to win a WSOP bracelet, is making her big comeback.

Obrestad will be playing at the upcoming WSOP Europe festival in Prague, and this is one of the biggest comebacks we’ve seen in a long time.

As we wait, this article will catch you up on what she’s been up to in the meantime and what prompted her return to the green felt.

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Things aren’t looking good for the Lodge…

According to the latest X post from Todd Witteles, although no criminal charges have been filed against the Lodge at this time, the situation is pretty bleak.

The Williamson County DA’s office maintains that the club operated illegally. The Lodge, naturally, denies it. So, it seems we have a stalemate, which means that the club won’t be opening any time soon.

According to Witteles, the club also laid off all of the staff, which further indicates they are not expecting to be back in business for a while.

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With five titles in just a few weeks, Patrick Leonard’s 2026 SCOOP has been remarkable.

Patrick Leonard has officially become the all-time leader in PokerStars’ Spring Championship of Online Poker, according to PokerNews.

On Saturday, he managed to win two mixed-game titles in less than ten minutes, bringing his total to a record-setting 15 titles.

Leonard’s dominance in mixed games is nothing new.

With the Main Events just getting underway, his run might not be over yet.

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Alberta and Ontario could soon be poker pals, if the courts allow.

Alberta is making moves to join Ontario in the ring for cross-border online poker.

The province’s Attorney General is seeking to intervene in the Supreme Court appeal that will ultimately decide whether Ontario can keep pooling poker players with other provinces and even internationally.

The Ontario Court of Appeal already gave the nod last November, but several lottery groups are not happy and have taken it to the highest court.

By Sam share:

Oooh, the WSOP app has a new name.

RIP WSOP Plus, and welcome WSOP Live, which lets be honest makes much more sense for a live app.
By Sam share:

Not long until the WSOP Europe is over in Prague.

We expect to see a lot of famous faces in attendance.
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Solve for Why podcast dives into whether Sklansky was a hero or villain.

If you want to dive deeper into the machinations of Sklansky, this podcast is for you.
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David Sklansky, known as “The Mathematician,” has died at the age of 78, in Las Vegas, according to PokerNews.

Sklansky won three WSOP bracelets in the early 1980s and wrote 18 books on gambling, including the iconic The Theory of Poker.

He was famous for bringing math to the poker table and for making complex concepts accessible to the masses.

Digging into the comments, there is a mixed bag of opinions; some people cite Sklansky as a “monster.”

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March 23

Daniel Negreanu shares his thoughts on recent happenings in the poker world.

It’s been a little while since we’ve heard from Daniel Negreanu beyond his posts on X. But, with everything that’s been happening recently, it looks like DNegs felt the need to chime in and share his thoughts.

In his latest vlog, Negreanu talks about the Lodge situation, new Triton Tempo, WSOP Europe, Player of the Year, and a few other hot topics.

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888poker’s Glasgow stop saw a familiar story: a packed casino, a smashed guarantee, and a Main Event that drew players from all over.

This time, though, it was Austria’s Martin Lechner making his first appearance and walking away with the trophy after a deal with Richard Kellett.

The festival ran from March 14 to 22 at Grosvenor’s Merchant City Casino, offering buy-ins most players could afford.

The Main Event saw 348 entries and a prize pool that topped 264,000 pounds. Lechner, who had already racked up 220,000 dollars in live earnings, managed to outlast the field and finish the job after a 45-minute heads-up battle.

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PokerNews delves into the grey areas that may have led to the raid on the Lodge.

The article is definitely worth a read if you want more context around the legality of live poker in Texas.
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Ebony Kenney keeps breaking records—and the glass ceiling.

Ebony Kenney has become the most accomplished female player in the history of the Triton Poker Series, according to a new press release.

Her performance at high-stakes events, including a 5th-place finish for $1.7 million in 2022 and a recent $614,500 runner-up, has put her at over $3.3 million in live tournament earnings.

The CEO of Americas Cardroom, Phil Nagy, said:

“Ebony continues to raise the bar—not just for women in poker, but for everyone competing at the highest level. She’s proving, again and again, that she belongs in the biggest games in the world.”

By Sam share:

BetMGM Poker has announced not one, but two tournament series for its US online pool, with a combined $3.4 million in guaranteed prize money.

The March Matchups series is already underway, featuring a fast-paced, basketball-themed schedule.
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A high roller, a suspicious drink, and a $75 million lawsuit.

California developer Dwight Manley is headed to trial with MGM Resorts after claiming someone spiked his Old-Fashioned with ketamine while he played high-stakes blackjack.

According to Sean Chaffin at Card Player, Manley alleges that under the influence, MGM upped his credit line by millions of dollars and he suffered injuries.

MGM is fighting back, arguing Manley is just trying to dodge his losses.

The case will now go before a jury.

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Everyone loves Jennifer Tilly. Now she’s returning to the theatre in her latest role.

Tilly, the poker player turned Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, will appear in the Off-Broadway adaptation of The Adding Machine. Honestly, it sounds amazing.

“I was very drawn to the material. It’s very strange. It’s very dark, but it’s also very optimistic. The characters are all so lonely and struggling to survive emotionally and financially. Then it veers off into this very fantastical category. I think people are going to be very intrigued by it or love it.”

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Your sixty second intro to Alan Keating.

I actually didn’t enjoy this 🤷🏻‍♀️ but you might!
By Sam share:

WSOP Super Circuit Cyprus is cancelled.

With the state of things in the Middle East it comes as no surprise that WSOP organizers have taken steps to cancel the series that was to take place in Cyprus in April.
By Sam share:

Some Irish Open love coming our way.

We put loads of effort into our poker guides to give you the best resource on the internet to any given poker topic.

We have guides to lots of different topics, but in this instance, it is a guide all about the Irish Open—written by humans, for humans.

Thanks for sharing, Irish Poker Open team 🫶

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