July 27, 2026

Pattern recognition is apparently what separates the poker pros from the rest of us, at least according to PokerRailbird.

The article says that great live poker players are constantly watching for betting patterns, tells, and psychological quirks, using nothing but their own eyes and memory.

Unlike online play, you do not get a handy display of stats or a database of prior hands. As PokerRailbird puts it, “Players must rely on their own awareness.” Live games are full of players with exploitable habits, and most of them do not bother to hide it.

The article breaks down how live players can exploit these patterns to make better decisions and bigger profits. If you want to get ahead in live poker, it is time to start paying attention to more than just your own cards.

More from this week

Today

Get ready for the Mutli-State Summer Series on BetRivers Poker.

Running August 2 – 16, the series brings $450,000 in guaranteed prizes and 96 Championship events divided into two buy-in brackets. Join the action on BetRivers Poker and fight for your share of the main prize pool as well as $10,000 up for grabs across two leaderboards.

Daniel Negreanu talks about his 2026 WSOP run and plans for the rest of the year.

DNegs had a pretty good summer in Las Vegas, but there is more work to be done this year. He is still determined to go after the Player of the Year title and ready to go hard at the WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas.

Mary Galvin wins Goliath Ladies Event.

The tournament attracted 149 entries, generating the prize pool of £34,290. The event saw a four-way chop, but, when the dust settled, it was Mary Galvin holding the trophy.

Tune in for Max Pain Monday on Hustler Casino Live.

It may not be the super high stakes like on the weekends, but it’s usually a lot of fun to watch for at least a couple of hours.

Mario Boos will proudly wear the Winamax patch ahead of his WSOP Main Event appearance next week.

“On Monday, August 3, all of French poker will be behind Mario Boos in the final of the WSOP Main Event. For the occasion, he will do us the honor of wearing the Winamax logo!”

WCOOP 2026 returns from September 6 to 30 for its 25th edition.

The dates for PokerStars’ WCOOP 2026 have been revealed, with the landmark 25th edition of the series set to run from September 6 to 30. Before the main festival begins, the traditional WCOOP Boot Camp will take place from August 2 to 17, giving players a chance to prepare for the biggest online poker series of the year. The Boot Camp features 130 tournaments and more than $6.5 million in guaranteed prize pools.

Is case you forget, Lucas Jumalon has more chips than five of his WSOP Main Event final table opponents…

COMBINED.

In case you missed it, here is what Daniel Negreanu has to say to the WSOP Main Event finalists.

Only nine players remain. Action resumes on August 3. We cannot wait.

“If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to play the WSOP Main Event, this series is for you.”

Relive GGpoker’s Kevin Martin’s run at the WSOP Main Event. I think we can all remember how it ended. 👀

This is so cool!

Read Xuan Liu’s rise to the top; it all starting with a chess board back in her childhood home of Toronto.

From micro-stack to mountain: Jumalon’s WSOP chip conquest.

Lucas Jumalon’s run at the 2026 WSOP Main Event is straight out of poker fantasyland. According to PokerNews, he bagged barely enough chips to survive Day 1b, sitting on just 7,400. By Day 2, he was back in the game with 146,000, and then he never looked back.

Jumalon’s turning point came on Day 5 with a lucky jack against ace-king, keeping his tournament life alive. He went on to build his stack with a set of tens against Stavila and then picked off players like Musa and Cermeno to amass 194 million chips.

Let’s just say when the final table resumes, everyone else is staring up at a mountain of chips—and it’s all Jumalon’s.

According to PokerNews, Robert Jen has become the go-to statistician for all things WSOP, tracking every hand and every oddball record since the 1970s.

This year, he highlights Perry Green making a final table at 90, the oldest ever to do so in an open event. Thirteen years passed since Green’s last final table, which was also in an Omaha variant.

Negreanu, meanwhile, cemented his legend by surpassing $25 million in WSOP earnings before summer even started. Nick Schulman joined the eight-bracelet club and tied the record for four straight years with a bracelet. Adrian Mateos, still just 31, became the youngest with six bracelets, beating Phil Ivey’s pace by a year.

So much more in the article!

After more than two decades navigating the swings of professional poker, Jeremy Ausmus breaks down four mindset lessons that go well beyond the game.

According to Ausmus, the real value of poker is learning to pause before reacting emotionally, avoiding self-blame for bad outcomes when you made the right call, dealing with uncertainty, and knowing when to cut your losses.

It’s a stellar line up for The Chip Race’s 200th episode. 🔪🩸

Jennifer Tilly returns as a guest along with Jamie Dwan and Daniel Weinman.

High stakes poker never disappoints when Patrick Antonius is involved.

According to the video, he hit a flush on the river and then opted for a massive overbet, putting Keir Sullivan and his trips in a rough spot.

As the commentators noted, this is the kind of spot that separates the professionals from the rest:

“This is the kind of decision you don’t want to face for your stack.”

The hand played out live from Bally’s at the Commerce in Los Angeles, with the stream highlighting just how tense these moments can get.

A poker face only gets you so far in court.

Tom Goldstein’s story reads more like a movie script than a legal brief. As reported by PokerStrategy, the former lawyer to the stars landed a six-year sentence in federal prison for tax evasion. Goldstein’s downfall was his involvement in high-stakes poker games with celebrities and billionaires, where millions of dollars changed hands and his 'secret ledger’ failed to keep things straight.

During the trial, even Tobey Maguire was called to testify about Goldstein’s role as a go-between in a $7.8 million debt chase. The jury didn’t buy Goldstein’s claims that he intended to pay his taxes, and the muddiness of his poker finances sealed his fate.

'Once a high-flying lawyer to the stars, Tom Goldstein’s record in poker games himself was mixed to say the least.’

Now, Goldstein faces six years behind bars, a cautionary tale for anyone who thinks private games with the rich and famous are outside the reach of the IRS.

Gambling with your losses: IRS edition.

Gamblers, tax professionals, and industry advocates gathered for an open IRS hearing to discuss the fallout from the new 90 percent gambling loss deduction cap, part of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill.

The consensus was clear: the cap creates 'phantom income,’ taxing players on money they never actually pocketed.

“The gambling industry is looking to face a decline in numbers because of the fear set in for many gamblers because of the 90 percent rule.”

Congresswoman Dina Titus highlighted just how much the gaming sector contributes to the economy, while others noted last year’s banner revenues are threatened by the new tax policy. The industry, as reported by PokerNews, is worried legal gambling could take a hit—ironically, because of an IRS ruling supposedly designed to help.

Thankfully PokerNews rounds up the Kessler / Rampage beef, so I can stop scrolling socials.

Rampage also called Alan Kessler a “see-you-next-tuesday” which really spiced things up 🍿.

Did you know the WSOP is locked in to being hosted in Las Vegas for the next 20 years?

No, neither did we. We also couldn’t imagine it anywhere other than Vegas.

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