The Suncity Group is now in a better position to obtain Macau’s seventh casino license if the government decides to issue one in the future, according to brokerage Union Gaming Securities Asia Ltd.

In its Monday’s note, Union Gaming pointed out that Suncity’s multibillion-dollar Hoiana integrated resort in Vietnam will be the junket operator’s key to win a license in Macau because it will show their capability to repatriate VIP dollars to Macau.

Owning 34 percent of Hoiana will also make Suncity a bona fide integrated resort operator, according to the international brokerage.

“That Suncity is transitioning from an agency to principal model makes sense to us, especially in light of strong VIP trends in Macau and regionally,” Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen said. “Of course not all of this play would be diverted from Macau (e.g. some would be from SE Asian customers), but regardless, it could have a several hundred basis point impact on Macau VIP beginning later in 2019.”

The Global Poker Index #1 ranked British player, Stephen Chidwick, has taken down the inaugural US Poker Open after making five final tables and winning two of them in the eight-event series.

It’s 2006, and a man with the nickname of Jesus is enthralling poker fans by turning $0 into $10,000. It was at a time when online poker rooms were heavily promoting the dream of becoming a professional poker player.

Resistance manifests in many forms, but one of the most common is a lack of money.

I can’t afford it.

A storm is brewing in the poker world, and it just gathered more force. There’s been a simmering feud between Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu for a while, but it may have just escalated after Polk recently referred to the Hall of Famer as an ‘embarrassment to poker’ during a live YouTube podcast.

The poker pro’s comments came during a joint two-hour conversation with fellow podcaster Joe Ingram, another well-known high roller in the poker world. While the podcasts usually deal with Polk’s involvement in cryptocurrency, he and Ingram focused more on poker, including the changes in the poker ecosystem and the alleged cheating and collusion on Americas Cardroom (ACR).

Ingram has spent a significant deal of time this past week discussing the action on ACR, a popular U.S.-facing poker site. He’s convinced that multiple bots are being used on the site, despite not having any evidence to back up his claims. He has also suggested that ACR is allowing previously-banned accounts to be reactivated, and that there is substantial collusion occurring on the site.

When the topic turned to Daniel ‘KidPoker’ Negreanu, however, things got a little more interesting.

Regional casino operator Penn National Gaming (PNG) saw its shares tumble last week after failing to meet its own earnings guidance.

On Thursday, PNG delivered its Q4 earnings report, which showed revenue rising 3.5% to $769m in the three months ending December 31, 2017. The revenue figure represents a new company record but adjusted earnings came in at $183.3m, below the $196m earned in Q4 2016 and well below PNG’s guidance of $206m.

All three of PNG’s regional divisions were in positive revenue territory, although the dominant Northeast division was up only 1.5% to just under $384m. The Midwest division improved 3% to $222.2m, while the South/West division was up nearly 12% to $151.5m thanks to the addition of two new Mississippi casinos last March.

The South/West division includes the Hollywood Casino Jamul-San Diego, which is owned by the Jamul Tribe. PNG booked a $48.5m impairment charge for the quarter due to the tribe currently being in default on its loan obligations and what PNG called the “lack of progress to resolve this issue.”

In one of the biggest marijuana-related busts ever recorded in Nassau County, New York, authorities seized 358 pounds of ganja, hash oils and drug paraphernalia during a raid at two locations last week.

If that isn’t enough, they also confiscated a 2016 Land Rover Range Rover, a 2016 Corvette, $100,000 in artwork and over $140,000 in cash. The whole stash belonged to Micah Raskin, a poker pro who resided on Long Island. He was arrested in conjunction with the raids and lost over $1 million in goods, illicit or otherwise.

The amount of marijuana is purported to have a street value of around $500,000, according to reports. The hash oils were tested by forensic specialists and were determined to contain PCP. The value of the oils range anywhere from $170,000 to $340,000, authorities said. Officers also seized a loaded shotgun, a Taser and Raskin’s black book of customers and prices.

The 49-year-old poker player, who had accumulated almost $2 million in live tournament play, is looking at up to eight years behind bars. Authorities said Raskin would receive drugs either at his home or at a storage facility, which was the subject of the second raid. A courier was used to then deliver the goods to customers around New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC, at $1,400 a pound.

The World Poker Tour has released further details on two crucial partnerships including a multi-year agreement with Zynga Poker, and the launch of WPT500 in the UK alongside 888Poker.

It’s a relic.

The apartment owner has asked me if I want to buy it for £200. Back in the day, I would have snapped it up. Not today.

Like I said, It’s a relic.

partypoker has moved the Caribbean Poker Party to the Bahamian resort of Baha Mar, and Patrik Antonius has taken down the first major title of partypoker MILLIONS Germany.

I turn my phone on, press podcast and suddenly Sam Harris is talking about free will at 1.5x speed, and I have no idea how it works. I’ve just watched Newcastle beat Man Utd on my mother’s TV, and I have no idea how that works (and how they won). And when I play online poker anywhere but PokerStars I have no idea why they don’t just hire someone who knows how they make it so great and copy it?

I mean, come on, it’s happening in the live poker realm.

The partypoker blueprint for world domination seems simple. Copy everything that PokerStars have done in the past, but try and make it better.

Florida legislators have tweaked their plans to revamp the state’s gambling market, although it remains to be seen whether the changes will fly with the Seminole Tribe.

On Friday, Florida state senators filed a major amendment to the gambling bill they filed late last month. Among the most significant changes is a willingness to accept a new 20-year gaming compact with the Seminoles, which was part of the rival bill introduced by the state House of Representatives last month.

However, the amended Senate bill retains the clause allowing the state’s pari-mutuel cardrooms to continue to offer so-called ‘designated player’ games, which the Seminoles insist violate their exclusivity on house-banked card games.

To placate the tribe, the new Senate bill would allow the Seminoles to add exclusive rights to roulette and craps games at their six gaming venues. The Senate is also now on board with the House plan to prohibit bars from offering so-called ‘pre-reveal’ machines, which a Tallahassee court has already declared to be illegal slot machines.