The World Poker Tour (WPT) has been busy lately. One of its stops was seen as a bold move – that of Houston, Texas – with no one able to predict the outcome. However, the WPTDeepStacks Houston $1,000 Main Event is now underway and, so far, there haven’t been any issues.

Poker is almost completely prohibited in The Lone Star State. An exception is made for poker rooms that operate without taking a rake from the players. They work through a membership model to circumvent the restriction and poker rooms have been popping up all over the state. They’re not without controversy, however, and opponents still try to accuse them of operating illegally, even though the law is on their side.

The WPT is the first major tournament operator to arrive in Texas. According to Global Tour Manager Angelica Hael, “We believe bringing WPT events to everyone, no matter the region, is important to the continued growth of the game of poker. WPTDS is committed to finding the best partners, and creating the best events, for players across the globe. Partnering with FreeRolls is a great opportunity to join with a player pool hungry for WPTDS events.”

The Main Event is now in full swing, hosted by the Freerolls Poker Club and held at the Palacio Maria Event Center. Instead of the players having to sign up as members, the poker club opted for an advertiser-supported model combined with a membership fee. The tournament attracted 790 entries and, as of this writing, there are only 69 players remaining. The event kicked off on September 26 and will find a winner today. The prize pool easily surpassed $300,000 and could swell to as much as $400,000.

A reporter with iGaming, John Mehaffey, has called out WSOP Nevada and its communications executive, Seth Palansky, for participating in what he referred to as “meritless thuggery.” Mehaffey made the remarks in response to what he perceives as strong-arm tactics by the WSOP and Palansky in an effort to force vulnerable players into playing more.

It all started with a cashout dispute between Mehaffey and WSOP Nevada. That dispute has been resolved, but Mehaffey asserted in a subsequent blog post, ”WSOP Poker Site Sent ME Dubious Legal Threat,” that the site uses several protocols that are contrary to responsible gaming guidelines.

The issues began in July of last year, when Mehaffey was banned from the site. That ban came after the site was ordered to make good on a $411 payout to the reporter and recreational poker player. He said in his blog post, “The company reversed a $411 cashout after I won $11 over a few weeks,” wrote Mehaffey. “Customer service told me that I only gave ‘minimal action’ and wanted me to explain myself. This was a player retention trick used by old offshore sites to push players back to the tables when cashing out entire balances.

“I paid about $273 in rake and turned my $400 cash deposit over about 15 times. Apparently, that is minimal action to WSOP.com.

In the middle of August, the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel found a new owner. Stockton University of New Jersey was said at the time to be considering buying the 20-acre property, which it would convert into medical and law schools. However, the deal has now fizzled and the resort will remain on the market.

A report by The News and Observer last week indicated that the university wouldn’t be able to complete a transaction in a timely manner. According to Terence McCarthy, the president of TJM Properties, who owns the property, his company had “negotiated a very good deal” with the school, but that Stockton said that it “needed far more time than we were willing to provide to it without any assurances.”

McCarthy added, “Our organization feels that Stockton University will bring great economic development to Atlantic City and therefore offered it a deal unlike any other, which unfortunately did not and will not happen moving forward.”

Stockton University President Harvey Kesselman said that he was appreciative of “all the time and hard work that has gone into this effort” and that the school was “committed to Atlantic City and expanding our presence there.” He added, “This is our future and we will continue to try to make the best investments we can there.”

Lee Davy catches up with the World Series of Poker winner, Max Silver, to talk about the marketing efforts (or lack of) behind his poker app, SnapShove. 

I once received a smart piece of advice from Bernadette Jiwa, the marketing and brand strategist and author of gems such as Meaningful, Hunch and the Fortune Cookie Principle.

“What companies and entrepreneurs sometimes forget is that the purpose of innovation is not simply to make new, improved products and services; it is to make things that are meaningful to the people who use them.” 

A message sewn into the DNA of Max Silver, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, and founder of the poker app, SnapShove.

3: Barrels of an Asian flavour including Kui Song Wu taking down the Poker King Club Super High Roller, Mike Takayama winning the 2018 Asian Poker Player of the Year, and Short-Deck gets another outing on PokerGo. 

I have a musical tip for you.

Tourism by Leftfield.

Bloody brilliant.

An evening of Blockchain and Bitcoin Cash with nChain and Dr. Craig Wright

Trade mark experts UDL have organized an informational evening with nChain Limited, a BCH-driven global leader in research and development of blockchain technololgy. For a low ticket price of £20, delegates will enjoy a personal experience with nChain Chief Scientist Dr. Craig Wright and nChain CEO Jimmy Wynn while learning more about their future plans for BCH technology.

What: An evening of Blockchain and Bitcoin Cash with nChain and Dr. Craig Wright

Where: The Principal St. David’s Hotel, Cardiff