Last Week

Another banger from Caitlin.

We missed this the first time around, but it’s so good it deserves a rewatch anyway. And we get to bump the Ren Lin trending topic one final time. This feels like a perfect finish.

Also, we can say it one more time: Come on BetRivers Poker, tie the knot!

The fight is still on for repealing the gambling loss tax deduction.

Classic Hellmuth brattery.

Apparently the latest BetRIvers Poker-sponsored Hellmuth Home Game is going to have a quintessential tantrum from poker’s big baby. Looks like the table managed to pull off back-to-back slowrolls to tip him over the edge.

Incredible pots happening! And . . . I stormed off the set!! Went broke back-to-back hands: was slow rolled both hands. Once I was taken by surprise

Elf is king of the jungle.

So, as we’ve been tracking here on The Rail, Jungleman Dan Cates was in the ring yesterday for a sanctioned boxing match against another gambling Twitter notable who goes by Elf.

And… it sounds like things got a bit messy. As per PokerNews:

Both fighters had ended up on the ground following a tussle early in the second round. There appears to have been some confusion as to if the ref had announced “fight” after the fighters stood back up, which led to Cates not being in a fighting stance when Elf came across the ring and landed the questionable cheap shot.

A haymaker to the side of Jungleman’s head against a defenseless fighter, PN called it.

Jungleman’s face was bloodied and the ref decided the best move was to call off the fight. Elf was not disqualified, however, so neither fighter technically won and it was ruled a no contest.

Jungleman didn’t hide from the defeat. “Just got my ass kicked, and [it was] because I wasn’t paying attention,” he tweeted after the match.

Two bits of WSOP news to share.

But no, there’s still no more info on 2026 WSOP. We’re still waiting for schedule highlights—we expect those in the next week or two. (The only info we have right now is the festival start and end dates and the PoY changes.)

Still, they’re not asleep over at World Series HQ. Two little drops from them in the last few hours. First, they’ve opened up media accreditation for WSOP Europe. And two, for those not in poker media but who want to be, here’s your chance: they’re looking for a video/graphic design specialist to join their team.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is seeking a Video & Graphic Design Specialist to join our creative team in Las Vegas. This role is responsible for producing high-impact video and graphic content that brings the WSOP brand to life across social, digital, and marketing platforms.
You will support both short-form and long-form storytelling, working closely with Content, Community, Marketing, and Production teams to deliver polished, engaging assets that meet WSOP’s global brand standards. This is a hands-on, fast-paced role suited for a creative who thrives in live-event environments and understands how to create compelling content for a passionate, global audience.

CardPlayer has more details on The Chip Race/WPT Global fallout.

I’m sure loyal readers read the fuse-exclusive interview with the Chip Race boys after their acrimonious split with short-time sponsors of them and their podcast last week. But Tim Fiorvanti for CardPlayer also spoke to the duo and went into even more detail — with a lot of backstory on the history and formation of the podcast. But there’s more nuggets of interesting detail on the split too. Lappin, as per, does not hold back.

I was playing online. Dara was playing live in Galway. I might have been literally the first person to read it, to be honest, because I was looking at my phone at the moment that it dinged as a notification. I saw it, I immediately screenshot it, and sent it into my group chat with Dara. And, well, I was kind of like, ‘What the fuck?’
It’s got the other bits of the company going, ‘Oh, we don’t like that.’ Maybe it’s provoked an internal conversation up the chain, and they’re going to do the right thing here, which is not sign him.”

And as to the future:

We don’t really know what the future holds right now. It’s too early to say … We’ve had a couple of initial meetings, but no more than that. Dara and I talked about how it’s just nice to have the opportunity to reset a little bit and put out a couple of shows for us. I suppose what I’m trying to speak to here is that there’s always a little bit of whimsy and romance. As podcasters, you’re trying to do something that feels right.

Splash the Pot: Got Questions? We’ve got answers.

Alberta online poker is finally moving forward.

The province has opened up registration for private operators and published a set of rules covering everything from onboarding to enforcement.

Dale Nally, the minister in charge, told the Edmonton Journal that launching the new market will take “a few months,” but there’s no firm date yet. The standards are out, the applications are open, and now the waiting begins.

Alberta is set to become only the second Canadian province to officially regulate online poker, making it a notable move for players and operators alike.

The Between Two Phils series is back!

BetRivers Poker ambassadors Phil Hellmuth and Phil Galfond return for another laid-back rail video, talking all things poker and dropping a few gems along the way. In the latest episode, the duo dives into what they enjoy most about playing on BetRivers Poker and Galfond, in particular, has some pretty interesting stuff to share.

Grab a seat on the rail and check out the video! 👀

Are you still mulling whether to sign up to the Onyx Club high roller series?

Time to get off the fence. There’s $29 million guaranteed in this high roller series, with event buy-ins starting at $10k and going up to the $100k. Microstakes stuff. Why prevaricate? Already 110 players have signed up, says organizer Rob Yong. There might even be a fish or two in there!

Sure, there’s no schedule on the website, the PDF of the event is blank, and it starts in barely a week. Minor quibbles. Early birds who reg for the Opener and the Main Event get to stay in the hotel and transfer from the airport free! Bargain!

And I’m sure the hotel renovations will be minor construction noise at best.

It’s rumble in the jungle(man) tonight.

Let’s mark every poker site’s response to the Bovada bot farm vid with an arbitrary emoji scoring system.

Because.

PokerStarsUSA picks up points right out of the gate for hard numbers and some solid technical deets. Score: 3 nerds 🤓🤓🤓

PokerStars believes its customers deserve a safe and reliable place to play online poker against real people. Our game integrity team, made up of 60 specialists—ex-professional poker players, qualified data scientists, and statistical analysts—uses purpose-built software to detect, investigate, and resolve potential occurrences of collusion, multi-accounting, or prohibited software use.

ClubWPT Gold puts on its serious trousers and gets technical and does give some interesting detail on its bot detection. Pretty serious stuff for a training site. Two nerds 🤓🤓, slight fellow kids vibe gets one 👴.

Our models scrutinize gameplay patterns by referencing a combination of our RL gameplay models, game statistics, and player behavior to discern between human and bot actions, allowing us to effectively differentiate the two.

CoinPoker scores one raised fist ✊ for coming in hot with the “ban early” mantra, but is light on details and delegates it off to a screenshot of a 2+2 post—earning it two 👴👴.

Ban early, ban quickly has been our approach with these bot rings. As we’ve said before on the 2+2 forums, we’re proud that many regs and pros have noticed CoinPoker’s games are recognizably more legit and 'human’ compared to some online poker sites.

PartyPoker gets in the detail, doesn’t mince its words, and contains a link to learn more and an email address for reports. So ✅✅✅ there. But it scores one 🍅 because it hasn’t updated its bot numbers in almost a year.

The accounts shown in this video are not playing in PartyPoker’s network. Poker bot “farms” such as this do not exist on PartyPoker. To stay safe, ensure you only play on fully regulated sites, such as PartyPoker.

Did you know that Phil Galfond dropped a great newsletter yesterday? No? Unlucky, you can’t read it.

PG doesn’t send emails to his newsletter subscribers often, but when he does, they’re always worth your time. Yesterday’s drop, “Making the GTO Decision: What Your Ego is Charging You,” was no exception.

I’m sharing this in full knowledge that I’m not sure if there’s any way you can read it if you didn’t get it. As far as I can tell, the only way to read the text is to have subscribed and received it in your inbox. There’s no online edition. It’s not a Substack. The emails come from PhilGalfond.com, but the emails are not published in the articles section.

So consider the quote below a teaser to get subscribed (it’s on the homepage) so you don’t miss out on the next one. He doesn’t email often, and while he’s usually promoting his next class, it’s not spammy, and he always brings an interesting lesson to your inbox.

Also, it is not called PG Tips, which is a huge missed (though probably British-only) opportunity.

Bill bought Tesla stock many years ago.
He’s done well — congrats to Bill — but he’s also facing a challenge: when does he sell?
A few times a year, he thinks about selling. He knows the position is terrible bankroll management — he’s now way too concentrated. But selling and then having the price skyrocket… that would be painful.
If the price drops — sure, that sucks, but he doesn’t feel as bad. “I’m still ahead,” he tells himself.
The loss is easier to stomach because holding doesn’t feel like an action. And if it’s not an action, it can’t be a big mistake.
But holding is an action. Or at least, it’s a decision — a bet.
Every day Bill wakes up and doesn’t sell, he’s making a decision. He’s looking at the current price and choosing to have that much Tesla stock at that price. If he had $90,000 in cash and you asked Bill, “Would you buy $90,000 of Tesla stock right now?” he’d almost definitely say no. Too concentrated — way too risky.
And yet (ignoring tax implications, which isn’t the real reason people make this mistake), that’s exactly what he’s doing every single day.
Keeping feels different from buying. But it’s the same bet. It’s an emotional bias — a logical fallacy — that prevents people from seeing things clearly and making the best decision for themselves.

Here’s a primer on the Bovada bot farm video, fallout and reactions.

Want to get up to speed on the whole Bovada bot farm vid? Here’s a special behind-the-wall link — just for loyal The Rail readers, lets keep it between us 🤫 — on how it all went down.

I wrote this on PRO yesterday and the story covers player reactions, responses from Ignition and Bovada, and a bit of history of bots in general.

Lex is live right now exploring the GG daytime schedule.

Briefly, the prediction markets felt it was a lock that the cap on gambling loss reduction would be repealed by next year.

With Kalshi at 97% for repeal by 2027. But don’t get too excited. The market has low liquidity, and it can shift with one big market maker adjusting their position. It was probably due to the hearing in the House Rules Committee yesterday.

Things have shifted back down since: at the time of writing, we’re at 39% for repeal by next year. Still, it’s one we’ll be watching.

No idea what any of this is about? here’s our primer from last year. Not a lot has changed since, other than various legislative efforts to repeal.

Operators are still tripping over themselves to comment on this Bovada bot farm vid.

Now it’s PartyPoker that is out there assuring players that this isn’t an “us” problem.

Poker bot “farms” such as this do not exist on PartyPoker. To stay safe, ensure you only play on fully regulated sites, such as PartyPoker.

Strong words. This may be the first international operator to join the swathe of sites jumping on X to assure their players that they’re on top of this bot issue; technically, Party are in New Jersey, but this is from their global Twitter account.

— Nick (temporarily taking over from Sam on the editor’s desk of The Rail to guide you into the weekend. Feedback and tips @pokerprojones).

Training, chips, and shattered dreams: another Brad Owen hand breakdown.

Owen documents another wild ride at the poker table, this time scooping a pot worth over $20,000 with a sharp turn play that leaves his opponent visibly rattled.

The vlog showcases a pivotal hand that Owen describes as a 'world-shattering’ moment for his rival.

Kmart has only gone and done it!

Kevin Martin loves nothing more than big-brother-style streams. So this time, he decided to spend the whole weekend in isolation for the 'Warroom’ Finale, promising viewers a marathon of high-stakes poker action. His commitment was not just to play, but to lock in for the long haul.

“I’m locking myself in. High stakes all weekend!”

The final numbers? Twenty-nine thousand in buy-ins, just over twenty-nine thousand in cashes.

Lex Veldhuis is glad to be back!

Eight-figure guarantee for GGMasters!

Could Caitlin Comeskey get picked up by BetRivers Poker?

Scrolling through the comments on Caitlin’s recent post on X, it looks like BetRivers might be interested in signing her as an ambassador. 🍿

It also seems to imply that Caitlin “lost” her partnership with PokerStars rather than her contract coming to an end…

Bovada enters the chat.

Just like its counterpart Ignition, Bovada claims the bot farm video dates back to 2022. The brand reaffirms its commitment to “player safety and security.”

However, there is a very good reason regulated sites exist. If you don’t live in a state with legalized online gambling, that sucks, but if you choose to play on a site like this, it is always at your own risk.

Ignition Casino responds to that bot farm video.

The company says the video dates back to 2022, but Martin Zamani claims otherwise — saying it is from 2024.

We feel this saga is far from over. Who do you believe?

Four way all in at the WPT.

Grassroots efforts to bring legalized gaming to the US sometimes pay off.

PokerStrategy weighs in on the footage showing a bustling bot farm running over 100 accounts on Ignition and Bovada, all colluding in tournaments.

The bot farm, apparently based in China, had its operation exposed by Martin Zamani, who posted video evidence on X, with monitors displaying the bots in action.

Zamani, previously known for outing other poker scandals, claims site security has turned a blind eye despite the high stakes involved. Community reaction was swift, with many players chiming in that botting is a long-standing issue on these platforms.

“They’ve known about for ages and done nothing. It’s highstakes and this isn’t the entire operation either and they just don’t care. Enough is enough of this shit. (I didn’t create the bot or the video)I don’t think this is happening on…”

Poker Brat meets cold deck, walks away colder.

According to Bally Poker Live, the latest Commerce stream featured Phil Hellmuth in a starring role, but not for his poker skills. After being 'coolered’ for almost $300,000, Hellmuth decided his best play was to leave the table entirely.

Viewers were treated to a real-time display of tilt as Hellmuth made his exit, leaving the rest of the table to play on in relative peace. The clip quickly made the rounds, with fans alternately sympathizing and rolling their eyes at the Poker Brat’s signature meltdown.

Phenom Poker goes full crypto. What could possibly go wrong?

Phenom Poker has announced that its PHNM token will soon be listed on a decentralized exchange, where players will watch its value rise or fall according to market whims.

The token was meant to give players a stake in the platform, but the company is now moving to a market model. Rakeback will be paid in USDT, but players can opt to automatically buy PHNM if they want.

Site CEO Matt Valeo told PokerOrg:

“The whole idea is we essentially tokenized ownership interest in an innovative new poker site. In most businesses, a couple of people hold the stock, and maybe over time the company goes public. But the community, or the users of the product, don’t get to participate in any of that upside.”

Some players, meanwhile, aren’t convinced the community angle is more than a marketing pitch, especially with a temporary freeze on redemptions. But for those who want to bet on the future of the platform, PHNM is about to become a whole lot more liquid.

That’s a wrap on 888poker Madrid.

$100K in poker chips knocked onto floor.

The Hendon Mob is not your bank balance.

Who knew that $76 million in poker winnings gets whittled down to $5 to $10 million in profit?

According to Stephen Chidwick, those Hendon Mob numbers are pure fantasy.

Kevin Martin’s latest streaming challenge gets banned from YouTube.

Fans will have to follow him over on Twitch as his war theme has got him banned on YT.

Martin is streaming high stakes action on GGPoker for 3 days straight.

BetRivers finally launches its long-teased Splash the Pot feature.

BetRivers Poker has rolled out its long-awaited Splash the Pot feature across all cash game tables.

In Ivan’s article, he explains that this feature randomly adds bonus cash to pots before the flop, with flashy gold pot graphics so you cannot miss the action.

Want to know what drives Barny Boatman to continue playing poker?

This article from PokerOrg covers it all along with his plans for the year ahead, but spoiler alert — he loves it.

Poker is endlessly challenging, stimulating, and rewarding. It gives me a life I love… why would I stop?

Stars reliving the Kassouf controversies from the WSOP.

What do you think? Should Kassouf’s hand be called dead or not?

To be honest, I think it all became a bit of a witch hunt by the end of the summer series for Will, but on this occasion I think the TD is correct.

When Hollywood meets high-stakes litigation.

The trial of Tom Goldstein is attracting attention from both the legal world and poker circles, thanks in part to an unexpected cameo from Tobey Maguire.

According to PokerNews, prosecutors allege that Maguire paid Goldstein $500,000 to help recover a $15 million poker debt, but that money ended up being redirected to pay off Goldstein’s own losses to real estate mogul Bob Safai. Maguire, who has a history with high-stakes poker (and was even revealed as “Player X” in Molly’s Game), isn’t accused of wrongdoing.

Phil Galfond pens article on 'The Poker Player’s Delusion’.

Galfond is not mincing his words. Well worth a read.

Most of you are delusional about your poker game. You have no idea where you stand. You have no idea what it takes to improve. And you pay for that ignorance every time you sit at the table.

PokerStars USA outlines why they are a safe place to play.

Watch Jungleman’s free training video.

Tend to agree with this take.

How is there not more context surrounding this bot farm video?

Also, we’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: only play on regulated sites, folks. There’s a reason.

ClubWPT Gold weigh in on Bovada bot farm debate.

WTAF! Check out this massive bot farm on Ignition/ Bovada.