August 19, 2026

PokerStars tried something a little different at EPT Barcelona with their “In the Money at 180,000” event.

Instead of the usual bubble drama, players just had to build their stack to 180,000 chips to lock up a Day 2 seat and a guaranteed cash. That meant no sweating over the last few eliminations, just a clear target to shoot for.

Demand was high. The event quickly blew past its original 300-player cap, ending up with 572 entries and a €274,560 prize pool.

As PokerStars ambassador David Lappin explained, the idea came straight from player feedback.

“Players said they wanted another lower buy-in on the PokerStars schedule”

So PokerStars delivered. Whether this no-bubble format catches on elsewhere remains to be seen, but it certainly found fans in Barcelona.

More from this week

Today

BetRivers Poker ambassador Phil Galfond sits down with Jason P, a mid-to-high stakes poker pro who is considering a shift to coaching, but is unsure if it is what he really wants or just a way to avoid discomfort.

The conversation quickly shifts from poker to self-reflection, with Galfond sharing his own struggles with putting himself out there.

They discuss how technical knowledge is often a shield for people uncomfortable with self-promotion, and how vulnerability is at the heart of effective coaching. One question keeps coming up:

If you became wildly successful at this, would you actually want the life it creates?

According to Galfond, the hardest part of coaching is not the teaching, but the self-doubt that comes with marketing yourself.

Did you know you can choose GGPoker ambassadors to call the action when playing online?

You can choose between the voices of Daniel Negreanu, Kevin Martin, 2025 WSOP Main Event winner Michael Mizrachi, and the dearly departed Doyle Brunson.

🇮🇪 Ireland asks poker players for feedback, but the clock is ticking.

Ireland’s Gambling Regulatory Authority is rolling out new rules and, for once, actually asking poker players what they think. As Anuj writes on pokerfuse, a public consultation is open until August 20, giving players and operators a window to weigh in on regulations that would cap online poker bets at €10 and maximum winnings at €3,000.

“If poker remains subject to these limits, the consequences could be substantial.”

These proposed limits could make anything more exciting than a micro-stakes game difficult to run, with popular tournament formats and even some cash games effectively ruled out. The new rules are part of the wider Gambling Regulation Act 2024, which also brings in fresh licensing for operators and new advertising bans.

If you’ve got something to say about the future of Irish poker, time is running out to fill out the survey.

The Clubs Poker No-Fee Daily Mix keeps handing out overlays.

With 14 mixed game events last week, not a single one hit its guarantee. The total overlay came to 7,450 SC, which is pretty generous for a site without tournament fees.

This was Will Kassouf back at last year’s WSOP.

This year he barely featured in any coverage (Martin Kabrhel replaced him) but when he did pop up during the WSOP Main Event, he was muted, respectful and almost a different person.

Did you miss the OG Kassouf antics?

WSOP photographer Jess Beck wants your poker history book recommendations.

Go hit him up on X if you have any good ones in mind.

Throwing it back to PokerStars ambassador Jason Koon getting inducted to the Poker Hall of Fame.

Apparently this interview with Jason was Chad’s best moment of the summer. Check it out!

Yesterday

Trump uses a poker analogy while discussing Iran.

President Donald Trump reached for a poker analogy while discussing Iran on Monday, calling its leaders “good poker players” before adding, “but they’re dying.”

The comment came during a Fox News interview as Trump discussed his administration’s backchannel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Not the first time poker has found its way into presidential conversations, but certainly one of the more direct comparisons.

Kmart navigates Day 2 of the WSOP Main Event in his latest video.

I came into day 2 with a huge stack, and in this video I look to build off that momentum and continue crushing the field.

'Poker players spend so much time trying to be right’ according to Patrick Leonard.

Being wrong for one day costs you nothing.
Being too stubborn to change your mind can cost you years.

I mean he’s not wrong, and hopefully that means one day he will change his mind on promoting Coin Poker 🤐 🤣

Paddy Power ambassador, Dara O’Kearney, finishes 4th at EPT Barcelona Seniors event.

🇮🇪 Let’s gooooooo!

PokerStars EPT Barcelona runs to August 31 with a packed schedule of events.

Highlights include the €5,300 Main Event, €100k Super High Roller, and Spin & Go Championship Live.

More changes to the Nightly Stars tournaments on PokerStars on FanDuel.

Guarantees increased, along with starting chips. Check out all the changes below.

Hard to believe The Triton Invitational has never been to Asia before.

But that is all set to change in Jeju this September.

PokerNews recounts the extraordinary tale of Don Nelson, the late NBA coach who took his love of poker to new heights in Hawaii.

His regular home games attracted stars like Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson, and the Wilson brothers. The most talked-about hand? The night Greg Booth died during the game and everyone just kept playing. 😱

Lucas Jumalon, your new 2026 WSOP Main Event champion, joins Remko on the PokerGO Podcast to relive his run to the title.

He shares how he prepared for the final table and what it felt like to be under the lights with millions at stake.

According to Lucas:

“You try to stay calm, but every hand feels like the biggest of your life.”

He discusses what the win means for his career and what comes next.

PokerNews podcast hosts Chad Holloway and Mike report from the Venetian, covering the latest Summer DeepStack Championship.

They run down the big winners, with several players taking home six-figure prizes and multiple event titles. Bruno Forth got his PLO title, Tony Miles had quite the tale, and Jim Collopy took a win for himself.

The WSOP Circuit is making its return to Paris this September, and PokerNews has the full scoop.

The Partouche Casino Club will host 13 ring events ranging from €250 to €3,500, with the €1,500 Main Event as the centerpiece. The action starts September 1 with a €500 Mini Main and runs through September 14.

Turning WSOP chaos into primetime content, one edit at a time.

Omaha Productions took on the herculean task of turning twelve days of WSOP Main Event madness into just six TV episodes. Apparently, the secret sauce is lots of cameras, even more footage, and a willingness to cut a hundred hours down to a highlight reel.

Wow! What. A. Lineup.

These videos never get old—well, I mean, they do, but that’s the point. It’s a dose of nostalgia that we all need!

Hustler Casino Live wants to get you hyped up for Daniel Negreanu’s debut.

It’s happening August 28!

Scott Seiver will be joining Phil Laak and Brian Rast on their Late Reg podcast.

If you have a question for Scott, please reply to Phil’s post by 7 p.m. PST TODAY.

The thing I don’t get about the ESPN x WSOP coverage…

is that by the time it aired, the news of who made the final table and who won was all over socials. I feel you would have needed to be living under a rock to tune back in to see how it all played out.

August 17

Was Joey Knish a real “hero” of Rounders?

I guess this one boils down to one’s expectations from poker (and life). What Knish did may not have been as cool or as heroic, but he made a decent living playing cards, and, for many, even today, that’s the dream.

Borgata introduces Baby Borgata trophies for their daily events.

It’s not like daily events at the Borgata are hurting for players, but adding these cool Mini Baby Borgata trophies should help bring in some extra traffic.

We have the first WSOP Online bracelet winner.

It was a very nice score for a $700 tournament, and things are just heating up.

Garrett Adelstein explains how and why he started playing on live streams.

Playing on live streams and showing his cards wasn’t Garrett’s preferred option, but he went where the game took him.

Jen Shahade’s mum: Poker is free money for smart people.

Ahahaha this is brilliant!

PokerGO's latest video spotlights Alan Keating, a player known for his unpredictable and aggressive style in high-stakes games.

The video showcases a medley of moments where Keating seems more interested in entertaining the table than grinding out a profit.

Negreanu on why the Poker Hall of Fame criteria should be updated.

He makes a very good point.

You can now watch every hand from Alex Foxen’s $500,000 WSOP heads-up match.

The video promises a front-row seat to every bet, bluff, and misstep along the way.

A dose of nostalgia; its a rough night at the tables for Phil Hellmuth.

The latest partypoker video shows the legend going up against Kirill Gerasimov, who sets a clever trap that puts Hellmuth in a truly tough spot.

Fred Leung and his team at the Asian Poker Tour are finishing up a record-breaking run in Incheon, South Korea.

Over 10 days, they hosted 106 events, handed out their iconic Lion trophies, and set new entry records, all while trying to create the most player-friendly experience around.

Leung credits their success to careful planning but admits that competition is at an all-time high. “I’ve never seen so much competition and so many countries and tours active,” he says. Despite this, the APT is thriving, with their Main Event recently becoming the largest international poker tournament ever held in Incheon.

For players, the APT promises variety and a welcoming atmosphere, whether you’re in it for the $10K High Roller or a low-stakes home game. According to Leung, the boom is already here, but keeping ahead of the pack is harder than ever.

The WSOP Online Circuit is closing out, but there’s still action to be had.

The $100,000 Multi-Flight Extravaganza kicks off August 16 with ten Day 1 flights spread over as many days, each with a $55 buy-in. The flexible schedule means players can take as many shots as they want at making it to Day 2, which wraps up on August 24.

Clubs Poker has announced the return of its Bounty Brawl series.

The series will feature 287 tournaments over three weeks, with 44 Championship events split across two buy-in tiers. Players can look forward to a total of 400,000 SC in guaranteed prizes.

Each day during the series, there will be two Championship events, one in each tier, with buy-ins ranging from 11 SC up to 110 SC. The Main Event, set for September 6, will guarantee 10,000 SC to the winner. Champions will also receive a unique set of Bounty Brawl Gloves.

PokerStars is dusting off its MicroMillions series.

The series runs from August 16 to 31, and boasts a $2 million prize pool with buy-ins from $1.10 to $22.

The highlight is a $22 Main Event on August 30, guaranteeing $250,000, plus regular $75k Sunday Storm and High Roller events. The series is positioned neatly between PokerStars’ WCOOP Boot Camp and the WCOOP proper, making it a warm-up for serious grinders and a bankroll builder for new players.

I’m sorry what just happened, AGAIN?

This was the third million dollar jackpot on PokerStars Spin & Gos in less than a month! WTF!

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