In this week’s poker news round-up, we remind you that China plans to ban online poker; the World Series of Poker gives you $15m reasons to compete in the new tri-state online poker network and much more.

With plenty of poker organisations hoping China will be the home of the next big poker boom, it came as a shock to learn that lawmakers promised to ban all play money poker apps on June 1.

To circumvent the law (gambling is illegal in China) people were using play money poker sites to set up real money games using play money in exchange for fiat currency transactions away from the tables. The move has been dubbed the ‘Chinese Black Friday’.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) is owned by the Chinese gaming company Ourgame International and has run live tournaments in China in the past. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) recently entered into a long-term relationship with the Chinese giant, Tencent, and had a play money app in circulation within Chinese borders. Tencent has removed the WSOP game from app stores.