In a move that surprised just about everyone, Allen Kessler declined a free shot at $10,000, courtesy of ClubWPT Gold, by refusing to play Matt Savage heads-up in Las Vegas.
Kessler’s thriftiness is well known, though this time it seems he just preferred the grind at the World Series of Poker to a flashy freeroll.
After years spent crushing the cash games at Aria and Bellagio, Harman is looking to add a third bracelet to her collection, her first since the early days of the poker boom.
She told PokerNews during a break in the $10K Omaha Hi-Lo event:
“You know, I’m in a really positive place right now. So, you know, I feel good about it.”
Harman is considering playing more tournaments than usual, chasing the thrill she remembers from the 2000s poker TV heyday.
Of course, no Harman story would be complete without a nod to her infamous slowroll incident on TV in 2005—a moment that still gets airtime years later.
One highlight is the 'Go for Gold’ promo which kicks off June 12.
Play Spin & Gold tournaments, collect a set of five different stamps by hitting certain multipliers, and you get to spin a wheel for a chance at up to $10,000. The million-dollar prize pool for this promo lasts until it is all claimed.
The bracelet went to Scott Clements, but look at some of those names. 💫
📈 Stats courtesy of PokerNews.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Scott Clements | United States | $450,176 |
| 2 | Dylan Weisman | United States | $299,228 |
| 3 | Todd Brunson | United States | $203,242 |
| 4 | James Obst | Australia | $141,126 |
| 5 | Nam Le | United States | $100,231 |
| 6 | Ryan Bambrick | United States | $72,849 |
| 7 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | $54,214 |
It’s really hard to make everyone happy when it comes to poker commentary. How do you make it fun and entertaining for casual viewers but also high-level enough for the more serious audience.
Martin Jacobson, the 2014 WSOP Main Event winner, chimed in on the discussion, offering an idea that might work. But let’s be honest, people would still complain.
Kevin Mathers is the go-to man for all WSOP info, big and small, and one of his latest post brings you information about where you can find water coolers in and around the tournament area.
It’s important to stay hydrated while grinding or working all sorts of poker media jobs, so it’s useful info to have.
It’s Day 7 of the 2026 World Series of Poker for DNegs and he heads out to play in Day 2 of the $25k Heads-Up Championship.
The tournament is down to 16 players, playing down to final four. You may already know how this one ended, but you get Negreanu’s perspective on things, so it’s definitely worth a watch.
PokerNews dives into the chaos of Texas poker rooms, starting with the latest raid in Houston.
They also discuss the return of Shawn Sheikhan, fresh out of prison, and the debut of the new WSOP main stage arena. New WSOP merchandise gets a look, as does a PokerNews podcast giveaway and updates on the MyPlayers platform.
The episode rounds out with Daniel Negreanu’s baby announcement, a recap of the first WSOP bracelet winner of the year, and a preview of high-stakes action at The Lodge.
They also revisit classic trash talk moments, putting the likes of Matusow and Kassouf back in the spotlight. The show hits a high note when Norman Chad goes on a tirade about Alan Keating, who apparently won big in Austin but then skipped his match.
Poker may be about the cards, but the Countdown crew makes it clear: the real action is still in the chatter.
The latest episode of Inside the Mind of a Pro drops viewers into the thick of Day 8, with Margets sitting on 30 big blinds and sizing up the final 24.
The show bills itself as the ultimate look into poker’s elite tournaments, and this year the stakes couldn’t be higher. According to the description, “Team Winamax is giving it everything they’ve got to bring you an even more spectacular show this year.”
For those who prefer their poker in Spanish, the original audio plus English subtitles is an option, just in case AI dubbing isn’t your thing. The series also has plenty of classic episodes if you want to binge-watch the highs and lows of the circuit.
The matches are described as increasingly brutal, with every small error magnified under the tournament’s intense spotlight. Here are the highlights.
The quartet advancing to the quarterfinals includes William Foxen, Dimitar Danchev, Nikita Kuznetcov, and Ryuta Nakai. For those keeping score at home, that’s a lot of talent and even more pressure. The semifinals are looming, and the stakes are only getting higher.
GGPoker, always a major player, has ditched its old Road to Vegas promotion in favor of a step-based WSOP Express route, inspired by PokerStars’ Power Path.
Players can qualify starting at just 50 cents, but unlike previous years, the prize is mainly the $10,000 Main Event buy-in. You’ll need to arrange your own transport and accommodation.
Other operators, including Winamax, PMU Poker, Paddy Power, and Sky Poker, are also offering routes to the Main Event, but the days of the all-expenses-paid poker dream trip seem to be fading. As Anuj puts it, the Vegas trip is now more of a solo mission.
Benefits of using the app over the website per Gags30.
- Still no logins required, no subscriptions, 100% free
- Track your results! If you added an event to My Schedule, it will automatically roll into 'pending’ in Results. Tap that you played it and select if you cashed and it will be added to Results
- Add events that were not on the calendar
- Local storage will hold My Schedule, while still allow you to browse any schedules you’ve been linked to.
- All filters will remembered the next time you open the app. Set filters and they’re there the next time you want to browse tournaments
- If you already made a schedule on web you can import it using your schedule URL
According to PokerNews, Keating paid the $25,000 entry for the heads-up championship but never showed up to play his first round against Piotr Krupa.
His chips were blinded off until Keating called in to concede the match, handing Krupa a free pass to round two. Keating had reportedly won over $1 million at The Lodge Card Club earlier in the week, so the WSOP buy-in was likely just a small dent in his week.
The pros and recs alike watched as the $250K bounties were snapped up early, but the main prize lingered. By late afternoon, the odds for the million were spiking and the tension was obvious.
Andrew Shelton, a player with a modest tournament record, stepped up to the chest with just $21,961 in lifetime cashes. He only fired once, and that was all it took.
“I never thought I’d win this much money. It’s f**ing wild. I don’t know what to think or say.”
As for what comes next? Shelton was clear: “Oh no, I’m f**ing partying,” he told PokerOrg.
According to Poker Industry PRO estimates, BetRivers pulled in $737k across its four operational states, a milestone for the operator.
The company only entered the US regulated market in late 2024, starting in Pennsylvania with a very low-key approach. Now, after expanding to more states and connecting player pools, BetRivers is holding a monopoly in Delaware and West Virginia.