This Week

Regulated poker in New Zealand is about a year away.

That’s according to the latest reports on Fuse and PRO. The current timeline has the first licenses being issued in December 2026, so the go-live will likely be a couple of months later.

What we expect from regulated online poker in NZ: international player pools, nothing too restrictive in terms of min/max bets, and taxes that are fairly reasonable. The big negative: a limited number of licenses. With only 12 up for grabs, we can expect maybe half a dozen total poker sites. Still, all major networks should hopefully get coverage: I’d expect licensing attempts from PokerStars, GG (or through a third party), one or two iPoker skins, probably 888, and maybe PartyPoker.

What’s the Future of Online Poker in Ireland?

Ireland’s push to regulate its online gambling market could have major implications for online poker and not necessarily good ones.

As we reported last year, the proposed framework includes a maximum €10 stake and a €3,000 win cap. Applied to online poker, those limits would effectively kill the game overnight.

The big question, though, is whether poker will even fall under those rules. There’s still a chance it could be classified separately, which would change everything.

We should start getting clarity soon. License applications open on Monday, February 9, and how operators respond could give the first real clues about poker’s future in Ireland.

Is WSOP About to Tweak the 2026 Main Event?

Something feels a little… weird with the 2026 WSOP. We still don’t have dates for the Main Event, which is unusual at this point in the calendar. On top of that, online satellites haven’t started yet either and by now, they usually would have. Put the two together and it raises an eyebrow.

So what’s going on?

Are we looking at more Day 1 flights, an earlier kickoff, or some kind of structural tweak to the Main Event? It wouldn’t be the first time WSOP tried to quietly adjust the format.

And then there’s Phil Hellmuth.

Last year, Phil made a very public “boycott” threat, saying he wouldn’t play the Main Event unless WSOP addressed what he called an unfair structure for older players, specifically the long days, late finishes, and physical grind. He wanted shorter days or better pacing.

Of course, Phil did end up playing anyway and WSOP didn’t make any change. But the point landed.

So now, with delayed announcements and no satellites in sight, you can’t help but wonder:
👉 Is WSOP cooking up a change?
👉 Is this just admin drag… or something more deliberate?

Either way, it’s unusually quiet and WSOP quiet rarely stays that way for long. We should find out soon enough.

WSOP is likely to reveal the full 2026 schedule next week, potentially as early as February 9 or February 10.

Feb promos over on GG are going to be massive.

GGPoker is promising over $18 million in prizes across a variety of promotions, including its returning HongBao rewards for the Chinese New Year, and a Valentine’s Day cash drop.

Oooh this is fun. Who’s ever seen a WPT plug-and-play game before?

I am not sure they made it as far as the UK, but it looks like an awesome bit of retro kit.

Hidden within Hellmuth’s Home Game it seems a special ladies event might be coming soon.

As I was fast forwarding through some of the action, I happened upon Hellmuth saying he is putting $25K of his own money into a Women in Poker event that may be taking place in Texas later this year. Interesting. Watch this space.

Andrew Robl’s testimony at the Tom Goldstein trial reads like a pitch for the next poker movie.

According to PokerNews, Robl told a federal jury that he coached Goldstein for heads-up matches starting in 2016, leading to around $50 million in profits for Goldstein, Robl, and other pros in on the deal. The matches included showdowns against billionaire Alec Gores and mysterious opponents known only as 'Tango’ and 'Chairman.’

Robl wasn’t the only one involved. Poker pro Keith Gipson and heads-up specialist Phil Galfond also helped prep Goldstein for the games. Robl summed up their coaching as 'just kind of teaching him the basics’ and adapting to different opponents.

Goldstein faces charges for tax evasion, falsifying tax returns, and making false statements to mortgage lenders. PokerNews notes that Robl declined to comment after his testimony.

Mateos ' answer is EVERYTHING.

Watch the clip to find out how much profit Adrian Mateos has made from his $54 million in tournament winnings. 👏

Phil Hellmuth is all set to take on cash games in 2026.

The 17-time WSOP bracelet winner seems to have his mind set on cash games in 2026, announcing that he’s set aside a $1.5 million bankroll to play a bunch of sessions throughout the year.

Despite his undeniable achievements in tournaments, Hellmuth’s cash game skills have often been questioned by his peers. It seems that Poker Brat has made a decision to set the record straight and show the world that he’s not afraid to mix it up in ring games.

Looking forward to it!

Never congratulate your opponent until the cards are all face up.

Nothing says confidence like a premature handshake. Cary Katz tried to bow out gracefully, but the deck had other plans. Josh Arieh probably wishes he had just taken the handshake and run.

Fold more, hate AK less.

The latest episode of Low Limit Cash Games delivers Rule 2 for crushing low stakes no limit hold’em: fold preflop more than you want. The advice is simple, but the host insists it makes all the difference for those trying to beat 1/2 or 1/3 games.

If you’re tired of AK ruining your day, there’s even a master class available.

For those interested in more content, the podcast is offering free articles and videos for followers, plus ad-free Sunday episodes and discounts on annual training packages.

What did we learn from the LLM poker challenge?

Liv Boeree, Doug Polk, and Igor Kurganov come together for the final analysis of the recently completed LLM poker challenge, trying to answer the question if these chat bots are any good at poker and if there is any rhyme or reason to their decision-making process.

While it was a fun challenge to watch, I feel like any type of serious analysis falls short here if we know that LLMs struggle to read board textures and their hole cards. Can we really judge the quality of one’s poker strategy if their entire reasoning for a particular line is based on a belief that they only need four cards of the same suit to make a flush?

But make no mistake – LLMs are not representative of Artificial Intelligence, and AI bots developed specifically to play poker are way stronger. Take this analysis with a big grain of salt!

As PartyPoker says, no easy answers.

Which would you pick?

Phil Hellmuth, 17-time World Series of Poker champion, has officially moved to Las Vegas and picked up a new home for $2.8 million.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Hellmuth bought the late Elaine Wynn’s Park Towers condo, marking the second sale from Wynn’s estate.

'Vegas has been very, very good to me and I love it here,’

The flat, just under 5,000 square feet, features four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and panoramic views of the Strip.

WSOP Europe Adds €1K Ladies Championship event.

WSOP has announced a brand new €1,000 Ladies Championship at WSOP Europe Prague, taking place on April 4 and open exclusively to female players.

The winner will earn a one-of-a-kind gold bracelet with a custom gemstone design. Notable names already confirmed include Leo Margets, Vanessa Kade, Shiina Okamoto, Xuan Liu, Kitty Kuo and Andrijana “Lijapoker” Gligoric.

The 2026 WSOP Europe runs March 31–April 12 at the Hilton Prague, highlighted by the €5,300 Main Event with a €10 million guarantee.

WSOP 2026: Another 10,000-Player Main Event?

Chances of the WSOP 2026 Main Event surpassing 10,000 entries have increased to 58%, up 13%, according to prediction market Kalshi.

Last year’s Main Event narrowly missed the milestone, attracting 9,735 entries. Still, the market remains optimistic that the field will once again clear the 10,000-player mark in 2026, which would make it the third time in WSOP history to do so.

The record was set in 2024, when the Main Event drew 10,112 players, the largest field ever. That followed another historic turnout in 2023, which saw 10,043 entries.

With recent precedent and continued interest in the game, expectations are building that the WSOP Main Event’s massive fields may be here to stay.

Lex Veldhuis might be without a sponsor, but he’s doing better than ever.

It goes to show that not all partnerships coming to an end mean change for the worse. Lex’s parting ways with PokerStars (after 17 years) seems to have really invigorated him!

Maybe we could all learn something from mixing things up a bit.

All-in-Pav: 'Sometimes people act like getting dealt aces is cheating. Trust me, it isn’t.’

Over the next ten minutes you can sit back and watch all of All-In-Pavs stream highlights from 2025.

Tom Dwan, the man who put fear into the hearts of poker pros everywhere in the mid-2000s, sat down for a special Q&A with Run It Once Elite.

The session covered Dwan’s rise to fame, his famously aggressive style, and some of the most memorable pots in poker history.

At over 1.5 hours long, the Q&A covers a lot of ground—something we’ll have to catch up on later, as I definitely don’t have an hour and a half to listen to it this morning. But I will. Looking at the comments, people absolutely loved it.

BetRivers Poker is inching closer to launching in New Jersey, per Anuj’s reporting.

The operator already connects Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia, and New Jersey will make it five, a first for regulated poker networks in the US.

While the company once hinted at a 2025 launch, the timeline has slipped a bit, but the goal remains firm: get New Jersey online as soon as possible.

This might be the most American thing I have ever seen.

Drinking water out of the tap suits us Brits just fine.

Got to hand it to ClubWPT Gold, they nailed this one. 👏

Turns out DNegs was mentioned in the Epstein files, but maybe not in a way you would expect!

It shows the reach of poker, has no bounds.

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.