Category Archives: Cards

Doug Polk Disinterested in Tackling Additional Heads-Up Challenges

Doug Polk appears to be headed towards poker retirement, again. Again. That is assuming he sticks to his recent Twitter comments.

Doug Polk is done with poker yet again. (Image: Upswing Poker)

The Upswing Poker founder is in the midst of a lengthy heads-up battle against his long-time rival Daniel Negreanu. His lead ($736,000), with under 5,000 hands remaining, seems to be nearly insurmountable barring a miracle. So, he’s likely going to win a bunch of money from “DNegs” along with his massive side bets against other gamblers.

Polk came out of retirement to play in this challenge. Outside of prepping for the match for two months, he hadn’t played poker in more than a year. And it had been a few years since he played regularly. The three-time WSOP bracelet winner said when he “retired” in 2018 that he no longer enjoyed the game, and that playing poker gives him anxiety.

Did Poker Player’s WallStreetBets Reddit Post Help GameStop Stock Close Strong on Friday?

Poker player Daniel Moravec may have helped the GameStop stock price rise late Friday due to a viral post he made on the subreddit forum WallStreetBets. The Minnesota native, who spoke with CardsChat News, discovered a trick to help heavily bankrolled investors buy restricted stocks from Robinhood and other trading apps.

Did this poker player cause a late surge for GameStop stock on Friday? (Image: CardsChat News)

Although the company is headed towards bankruptcy due to its failing stores nationwide, GameStop’s stock (GME) price has risen to unthinkable heights the past week due to a push from Reddit investors such as Moravec, a passionate poker player who now resides in Las Vegas, on the WallStreetBets forum.

The video game retailer’s stock has gone from under $20 per share a few weeks ago to a closing price of $325 on Friday. Earlier in the day, it surpassed $400. Many investors made a killing this past week and believe this is only the beginning. Some investors on Reddit and Twitter anticipate an eventual $1,000 mark.

Doug Polk Wins Five-Hour Grind on Day 34 against Daniel Negreanu

Doug Polk had a huge lead throughout much of the session on Friday, but Daniel Negreanu fought back only to end up suffering another loss. And in doing so, his chances of winning are slowly dwindling away.

Doug Polk is running away with it against Daniel Negreanu. (Image: YouTube)

With just over 4,000 hands left to go out of 25,000, it would take nothing short of a miracle at this point. Negreanu is now down so far that he’d need to win about one small blind every hand, on average, to pull this thing out. We aren’t saying that it’s impossible or that he should just give up. But you must consider the probabilities here.

As Doyle Brunson famously uttered on the Poker After Dark intro, “there’s an old saying in poker, the only thing you need to play this game is a chip and a chair, but to sit down and win against the best, you need a whole lot more.”

Self-Sabotage: 5 Destructive, Stack-Crippling Thoughts and How to Avoid Them

Winning poker players become winners because we think. We read. We watch videos. We’re part of poker discussion groups, and we consider our poker action before we make it. We do all of these things to gain edges over our competition.

We gain an edge because we understand and apply poker strategy better than our opponents do.

Implosions are a regular occurrence in Las Vegas. That doesn’t mean, you should let them happen to you at the poker table. (Image: RivieraHotel.com)

Ironically, however, our thinking can sometimes get us into trouble; serious trouble. With just one blunder, we can destroy a stack that was built over an entire session of good play.

Wolverines (and Spartans) Rejoice as PokerStars Officially Launches in Michigan

At long last, PokerStars is back in the Wolverine State for the first time since Black Friday in 2011, and becomes Michigan’s first legal poker site. FOX Bet, a mobile sports betting platform powered by the Fox Corporation, is partnering to bring online poker to Michigan.

Online poker is finally back in Michigan. (Image: MLive.com)

The state legalized online gambling late in 2019. As of Friday, the online casinos are officially in operation. Michigan is a huge pick up for the US poker industry given the state’s sizable population (10 million).

Poker isn’t the only form of gambling approved in the Wolverine State. Sports betting, blackjack, table games, and slots will also be offered in the Stars Casino, which is the first internet casino to launch in the land of the Maize and Blue.

CardsChat Presents: Big Winners of the Week

The new poker year is underway, and there’s so much action going on, we almost forgot we were in a pandemic. And it’s not all online; live poker is showing its face, too. Below, we give you the quick-and-dirty on who’s running hot around the globe, and who booked big poker wins for the week ending today, Friday, Jan. 29:

Phil Galfond

Galfond Challenge vs. Chance Kornuth

WSOP.com

Chris Moorman Beats His Wife (in WSOP Online Circuit Event)

Relationships in the Moorman household may be a little strained this week after Chris Moorman beat his wife, Katie Lindsay, in a WSOP Online Circuit Super Series event.

Chris Moorman put his relationship on hold this week after beating his wife, Katie Lindsay, in a WSOP Online Circuit event. (Image: 888Poker)

With 410 players paying the $320 buy-in and 202 re-entries added to the mix, the odds of Moorman and Lindsay meeting were low.

However, when the rest fell away, the happy couple had to put their wedding vows on hold. Instead of working to protect each other, self-preservation was the name of the game.

Huge Field Flocks to WPT Lucky Hearts in Florida for Return of Live Tournament Poker

In the first major live poker tournament in the US in nearly a year, a relatively unknown Ilyas Muradi took down the main event of the World Poker Tour’s Lucky Hearts Poker Open at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida. For Muradi, it was a $620,000, life-changing score. For a poker community starved for major tournament action in the face of the coronavirus, the whole series was like a breath of fresh air.

Plexiglass separators and mask requirements provided safety for competitors in the World Poker Tour Lucky Hearts Poker Open at the Seminole Hard Rock in South Florida. (Image: WPT)

Mask-wearing players took their seats at 8-handed tables, protected by plexiglass dividers. WPT hero Darren Elias ran deep yet again, while a former Survivor contestant came just shy of victory.

In the first major live event since the pandemic struck, the tournament drew a massive field of 1,573 — nearly twice the size of 2020’s event. Entries were split over two Day 1s.

Partypoker to Continue MTT Momentum with Millions Online 2021

It’s all happening at Partypoker right now. With the WPT Montreal event currently in progress, the poker site struck while the iron is hot and announced Millions Online.

Millions Online will return as Partypoker looks to continue its MTT momentum. (Image: Partypoker)

The third installment of the annual series will build on a recent bevy of MTT action on the popular site. Moreover, it’s another chance for Partypoker to set a few more records.

The second incarnation of Millions Online surpassed expectations and, this time around, organizers want to raise the bar again.

Tempers Flare as Negreanu Tanks on Day 33, Polk Disapproves and then Dominates

Daniel Negreanu opened Wednesday’s session by tanking often, which angered Doug Polk, who stepped away from the table briefly to force Negreanu to speed up the action. He then returned to the virtual felt and proceeded to demolish his opponent yet again.

Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk are no longer buddies, again. (Image: YouTube)

It appears the days of these two fierce rivals despising each other are back. After two months of cordial behavior between them, the bitterness has returned.

On Day 32, Polk changed up his style of play and began limping buttons pre-flop. He did so because he is attempting to lower variance to preserve his massive lead down the stretch of this 25,000-hand heads-up no-limit hold’em challenge.

Wales Beats Germany to Win APAT World Team Championship

They’re celebrating in Wales this week thanks to an impressive performance by some of the country’s top amateur poker players.

The Welsh flag is flying high after four of the country’s amateur poker stars won the 2021 APAT World Team Championship. (Image: BT)

As part of APAT’s World Championship of Amateur Poker (WCOAP), 10 teams lined up for an international showdown on Partypoker.

When the final chips fell, Team Wales emerged victorious. To make the victory even sweeter, they did something the Welsh national soccer team rarely does: they beat Germany.

Los Angeles Poker Rooms Reopening this Week with Restrictions

Governor Gavin Newsom finally gave Los Angeles poker rooms the green light to reopen this week for the first time since November. But the card rooms will be forced to operate under strict guidelines that may not be appealing to some poker players.

When will Los Angeles poker rooms be granted permission to return to normalcy? (Image: discoverlosangeles.com)

The California governor lifted a county-wide ban on in-person dining, live poker, and other activities. Los Angeles County has the most coronavirus cases (1,085,044) and COVID-19 deaths (15,592) of any county in the country, by a wide margin. As a result, Newsom has taken extreme measures, which clearly hasn’t been working, to limit the spread of the virus.

The Democratic politician, however, is hopeful the county can turn it around. As such, he is now permitting restaurants and card rooms to begin accepting customers outdoors. That means if you’re looking for a legal card game in Southern California, you’ll have to play outside.

How Will the Polk vs. Negreanu Match Play Out Down the Stretch?

With less than 6,000 hands remaining in the high-stakes grudge match, Doug Polk holds a $565,000 lead, but Daniel Negreanu is closing fast. Will the GGPoker ambassador continue to cut into that deficit, and possibly even win?

Daniel Negreanu is catching up to Doug Polk. (Image: YouTube)

Over the past two sessions — Days 31 and 32 — Negreanu eliminated $437,000 off the Upswing Poker founder’s lead. That equates to just under 11 buy-ins at $200/$400 stakes, a sizable amount.

On Day 32, they played for barely for two hours, about half of a normal session. The reason the session was cut so short is because Negreanu realized Polk had completely changed up his strategy. So, to adjust to his opponent’s new style of play, he called it quits for the day so he could begin devising a game plan to combat it.

GGPoker’s Rise Continues: Positive Feedback Leads to Quick Flip & Go Upgrade

GGPoker’s recent attempt to flip the script on tournaments has been a huge hit. And, thanks to an initial burst of feedback, the site’s Flip & Go MTTs have already been upgraded.

GGPoker has upgraded its recently released Flip & Go tournament lobby following positive feedback from players. (Image: GGPoker)

After little more than a week, GGPoker has improved its latest innovation. In addition to tournaments at a new buy-in level, the total guaranteed prize pool is now worth more than $160,000.

A representative for GGPoker said the changes were made following positive feedback from the community.

Winamax Axe Ambassador Ivan Deyra After High Stakes Cheating Scandal

Winamax pro Ivan Deyra has admitted to cheating after winning $101,000 in a tournament hosted by his sponsor.

Winamax pro Ivan Deyra has lost his contract and more than $100,000 after admitting to cheating online. (Image: Winamax)

The Winamax Series was a big deal in Southern Europe. Its $20 million+ guarantee made it the largest ever online series held in France and Spain.

However, the operator’s achievements have been overshadowed in recent days by Deyra. The brand’s ambassador was caught using multiple accounts on route to winning the series’ super high roller event.

Polk Changes Up Style But Negreanu Books a Small Win

Doug Polk played passive on Monday, and his opponent isn’t quite sure yet if that’s a sign of things to come during the remainder of the challenge. Daniel Negreanu believes if the Upswing Poker founder continues with this style of play, he has an edge going forward.

Is Doug Polk trying to run out the clock? (Image: YouTube)

Polk is in an awkward position being that he has a big lead with just over 5,000 hands remaining, with large side bets riding on this heads-up no-limit hold’em competition. If he loses the match, he potentially loses millions of dollars. He refuses to say exactly how much he has in side bets. But it’s no secret that he has a sizable amount riding on this match.

Polk Trying to Run out the Clock?

CardsChat Interview: David Ginola Goes from Soccer Star to PokerStars

French soccer star David Ginola became a different type of star in 2020 when he entered the sports betting arena. The retired sportsman fronted La Grosse Cote, a new campaign from PokerStars France.

Former Newcastle United striker David Ginola is now wearing the colors of PokerStars. (Image: PA Images)

Ginola has been the face of many high-profile brands throughout his career. From Renault to L’Oréal, he’s combined his prowess on the pitch with a dose of French charm to become a mainstream celebrity.

Now, he’s helping PokerStars solidify its position in the French sports betting market. CardsChat spoke to the ex-PSG, Newcastle United, and Tottenham striker about his latest partnership.

Interstate Online Poker Could Flourish Under Biden

The Biden administration could be a boon for online poker, and may likely reverse a decision that put interstate play into murky waters.

Joe Biden says he opposes the Justice Department’s reinterpretation of the Wire Act, which would apply the statute to all forms of interstate gambling. (Image: Scott Olson/Getty)

In 2018, the Trump administration reversed a 2011 opinion on the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 that said the law only applied to sports betting. The 2011 opinion served as the basis for the formation of an interstate compact between Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware that helped create larger player pools and made games more attractive to aficionados. The 2018 reversal put the brakes on Pennsylvania’s plans to join the fray, which would have practically doubled the population base for interstate online poker.

DOJ Loses Appeals on Wire Act Interpretation

Phil Galfond Wins Third Galfond Challenge, Chance Kornuth Concedes

Chance Kornuth put up a valiant effort against Phil Galfond in the Galfond Challenge, but the writing was on the wall. The Chip Leader Coaching founder trailed by more than $700,000 with under 10,000 hands remaining. He saw the writing on the wall and realized a comeback was out of the question.

Phil Galfond seems to always win. (Image: CardsChat News)

The $100/$200 pot-limit Omaha competition continued on Saturday with Kornuth down $680,000. After Chance lost a couple of buy-ins, he decided it was time to call it quits. With 25,400 hands complete of a 35,000-hand challenge, play has come to a halt.

Galfond entered the match four months ago as a heavy 4-1 favorite. He had already won two Galfond Challenges in 2020 against “VeniVidi1993” and “ActionFreak,” both online pros. And he’s widely considered one of the best PLO players ever.

Accused Midway Poker Tour Scammer Dan Bekavac Competes in WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open

Dan Bekavac, the organizer accused of scamming players in a 2020 Midway Poker Tour event, competed in a WPT tournament in Florida on Saturday. The players in Illinois he’s owed for months, however, won’t be receiving any of his winnings. That’s because he busted on Day 1, long before the bubble burst.

Dan Bekavac had money to play in a WPT event, but not the poker players he owes. (Image: Twitter/Chad Holloway)

The World Poker Tour is in the midst of hosting the first major live poker tournament in the US since March 2020. More than 700 players, including Bekavac, paid $3,500 to enter Day 1A of the tournament held in South Florida. Joe McKeehen, the 2015 WSOP Main Event champion, was among the 231 players who advanced to Day 2.

Bekavac, on the other hand, won’t be competing on Day 2 as he failed to bag a stack on Friday. That’s bad news for the poker players he still hasn’t made whole.