This Week

PokerGO Tour Mixed Game Series is underway.

Some of the best players in the world will be gathering at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas to test their skills in some non-Hold’em poker variations.

The series features variants like H.O.R.S.E., T.O.R.S.E., Big Bet Mix, Dealer’s Choice, 8-Game, and 10-Game mix, with buy-ins ranging from $5k all the way up to $100k. This will be a real treat for all fans of mixed games out there!

Doug Polk analyzes semi-final matches of the AI poker challenge.

Following on his earlier video, Polk is back analyzing more AI-on-AI poker violence as the remaining four LLMs clash for the spot in the final round.

While proper AI poker may be somewhat boring to watch and lacking crazy moves, this is the total opposite. Doug is doing a fine job keeping a straight face while doing the “analysis,” but it’s just an uphill battle when you realize that our heroes have difficulties reading their hole cards and/or the board, and don’t seem to know all the rules of Texas Hold’em.

All Eyes on the WSOP 2026 Summer Schedule.

February is here, which means it’s almost that time — WSOP officials are getting ready to reveal the full schedule for the Las Vegas summer series.

Players have been patiently waiting, and all signs point to the schedule being just days away from dropping. The big question: will we see 100+ bracelet events again, or does the number come down this year?

We’ll find out soon. Stay tuned.

A New Kind of Bad Beat Jackpot on Global Poker.

Global Poker just launched a new Bad Beat Jackpot promo and it’s not the usual setup.

Instead of losing with a monster hand, it’s based on all-in equity. If you get it in as a 70%+ favorite in a ring game and still lose, that bad beat earns you leaderboard points. The higher your equity when you lose, the better your chances.

All your bad beats stack across the month, and players share at least SC 100,000 every month.

Latest promo from Clubs Poker has landed.

Clubs Poker just announced what it calls a 'real treat’ for new players: a 300 percent boost in Sweeps Coins and 30 free spins when you buy at least $10 in Gold Coins. The offer is straightforward. Once you make your purchase, you get 30 SC and can use them at the poker tables or in the casino.

'If you create a new Clubs Poker account and purchase at least $10 worth of Gold Coins (GC), you will receive 30 SC and 30 free spins for the casino.’

PokerStars is kicking off the 2026 poker season with the SCOOP Warm Up, running from February 1 to February 16.

The series boasts 69 tournaments covering a wide range of buy-ins, from $2.20 all the way to $5,300. The series is designed to get players ready for the main SCOOP festival coming in March.

'The SCOOP Warm Up is your opportunity to start your SCOOP grind early and enter spring in full tournament grind mode.’

Melbourne is experiencing a poker renaissance.

The new PlayLive poker room, launched by a crew of recognizable poker pros and a couple of local entrepreneurs, is now the go-to spot for the game in the city.

The Melbourne Millions tournament series has been outperforming expectations, with prize pools regularly smashing their guarantees.

Next up 'down under’ will be the Aussie Millions which returns this year after a prolonged hiatus.

I’m not watching this one, but doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.

'The Hilarious Truth About AI And Poker’ from Doug Polk takes a deep dive into what happens when you let language models like GPT-5.2, Gemini 3, and Claude loose at the poker table.

Partnering with Kaggle, Polk runs 900,000 hands of heads-up no limit to see if AI can actually play something resembling GTO, or if it just throws money away with style.

Watch to find out the results.

4pm EST TODAY! Tom Dwan Q&A.

Register for the Q & A via Run It Once. I wonder how many people will ask him about his very public breakdown last year? Someone get the popcorn.

Every episode of the Heads-Up Poker Championship now on PokerGO.

All 10 eps are now available to watch thanks to PokerStars and PokerGO. There’s even a promo code to give you $20 off a PokerGO subscription if you are interested.

Upswing Poker is looking for a new coach to add to their roster.

A recent post from the popular poker training site announced they were on the lookout for a new coach to join their team. In addition to being a good at poker (which pretty much goes without saying), the candidate needs to be in a ClubWPT Gold-friendly state. Upswing Poker was recently acquired by ClubWPT Gold, and it seems like the new coach will also act as an ambassador, with the aim of strengthening the ties between the two sites.

Before he was the face of high-stakes poker, Antonio Esfandiari was just a guy who got arrested for selling weed and then learned a few magic tricks.

Pokerati traces his unlikely rise from San Jose to the main stage, where in 2012 he took down the first Big One for One Drop, walking away with $18 million.

The article highlights how Esfandiari’s win wasn’t just about the money. It helped launch the era of million-dollar buy-ins and brought poker’s charity side into the limelight.

Pokerati credits this win for making high-roller tournaments the new normal, and for cementing Esfandiari’s place in the game’s history.

Upcoming ladies only events at the Irish Poker Open.

This year there will even be a ladies high roller!

David Sklansky, the revered author of The Theory of Poker and three-time WSOP bracelet winner, found himself in an unusual spot last week: the Las Vegas Detention Center.

As reported by PokerNews, the 78-year-old was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery but was released after the district attorney chose not to pursue formal charges.

Details of the alleged incident remain unclear. Police offered no comment on the investigation, and PokerNews notes Sklansky’s bail was set at $3,000.

Sklansky, known for his mathematical approach to the game and for shaping modern poker strategy, still frequents Vegas card rooms.

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when millions are at risk in a single evening, PokerGO’s latest super high roller cash game has you covered.

The lineup includes Andrew Robl, Justin Gavri, Sameh Elamawy, Eric Wasserson, Evan Sofer, and Andrew Pacheco, with Nacho Barbero and Jason Koon showing up fashionably late. The blinds are set at $500/$1,000, and the minimum buy-in is one hundred grand.

From pizza delivery to WSOP Paradise: Gabriel Andrade’s unconventional grind.

Gabriel Andrade’s journey to a $5 million score at the WSOP Paradise sounds like a Hollywood script, except with less glamour and more pizza delivery. Starting out in Ecuador and eventually getting robbed on the job in Oklahoma, Andrade’s poker odyssey took him from cash games in Houston to the bright lights of the Bahamas.

He talks to Jeff Gross about the unique blend of hard luck, “angels” like Bill Perkins, and a no-solver approach that got him to the final table. Andrade also dives into his interest in hypnotherapy and his goals to give back through pro-bono mental health work. According to Andrade, “You don’t have to study solvers to learn from monsters.”

The episode wraps with family time in the Bahamas and a few words on helping those back home in Ecuador. Andrade’s story is one of resilience, unconventional study, and, apparently, surviving dinghy mishaps.

ClubWPT Gold has rolled out Rabbit Hunt, letting players pay to see what community cards would have appeared after folding. But it comes at a cost!

This makes it the third feature on the site to carry a fee, following Time Bank and Reveal Hands, both of which are typically free on other platforms.

According to Anuj, 'The cost to use Rabbit Hunt is displayed directly on the button and varies depending on the stakes being played.’ A screenshot reviewed by pokerfuse showed a charge of 0.5 Chips to use the option in an 11.5 Chip pot.

Players are apparently not pleased with the trend. As Anuj notes, 'Charging players for features that are widely free elsewhere is unlikely to be well-received.’

Still, ClubWPT Gold maintains these are optional add-ons, so the choice (and the chip cost) is yours.

PokerNews lays out the unwritten code of tipping at the poker table. It’s actually super useful, especially as a Brit where tipping culture is not always the norm.

PokerNews say you’re under no obligation to tip, but if you want to show a little respect to the people running the game, it’s a good idea. Cash game players typically tip after winning a decent pot, while tournament players have their own rhythms.

Tipping can also depend on the stakes and even the location. But ultimately, as the guide suggests, a simple tip and a kind word can make the whole table a friendlier place to play.