This Week in Poker: April 22 – 28

In the PokerGuru feature ‘This Week in Poker,’ we bring you the weekly roundup of the most significant online scores by Indian MTT players along with the top stories from both the live and online poker circuit.

Here are this week’s top stories!

We are around that time of the year when most poker conversations inevitably revolve around the upcoming World Series of Poker (WSOP). 2020 has been different, and despite early indications that this would turn out to be a historic year for live poker, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a dampener on things. So much so, that even the annual WSOP series was forced to postpone its plans. The only silver lining here has been that with most of the world`s population under lockdown, its never been a better time to play online, and once again, we saw a smashing run of massive GTD tourneys online.

This week`s lead story is PokerBaazi LIVE’s frontline team member, Chirag Sodha. While Sodha has been around the circuit for a long time, this passionate poker player has really come into his own ever during the ongoing lockdown. He had ticked a primary poker goal off his checklist last month when he won The Millionaire Lite on Spartan Poker for ₹10 Lakhs. Last Sunday turned out to be even better for Sodha, who championed the first-ever Full House ₹1 Crore GTD tourney on Adda52 for a new personal-best ₹25 Lakhs. Sodha’s blistering run makes him our “PokerGuru Star of the Week!!”

Another player that deserves an ovation is Vinay ‘vinay0902’ Rajpal, who finished runner-up to Sodha in the Full House for ₹12.49 Lakhs.

Danny ‘Danny132’ Desai was another prominent winner this past week and the latest Millionaire champion. Desai topped a vast 3,443-entry to conquer Spartan Poker’s UVS #48 Millionaire Lite ₹35 Lakhs GTD title for ₹12.92 Lakhs. Shashank ‘westworld’ Jain (Destiny ₹40 Lakhs GTD for ₹11.81 Lakhs) and Raghav ‘thatssosick’ Bansal (The Elite ₹50 Lakhs GTD for ₹11.32 Lakhs) were the other prominent winners on Spartan Poker.

For a change, we had some new reports coming in from Goa. While the extension of the lockdown may keep the casinos shut for the foreseeable future, the state cabinet took the lenient route by granting another six-month extension to offshore casinos moored on the River Mandovi.

Despite the lockdown and the gloom, there are enough reasons to cheer. If April was a blockbuster month for online poker, then May promises to be the most massive in online poker history! While smashing new editions of Spartan Poker’s SSS, Adda52’s AOPS and PokerStars India’s INSCOOP will headline the action back home, some record-smashing stops are set to light the international circuit on fire. The most prominent of them all will be the WSOP Super Circuit Online Series that hits the GGPoker network on May 3. With $100 Million guaranteed across 595 events, this is officially the biggest online series in poker history!

There are also massive guaranteed events across all the other major sites, including the WPT Online and Super High Roller Bowl on partypoker, APT Online Series on Natural8, Unibet Online Series VIII on Unibet, the SCOOP on PokerStars and XL Inferno Series of 888poker. Meanwhile, even the APT Online Series kicked off yesterday on Natural8.com

Incidentally, as GGPoker readies up to host the WSOP events, the site has also on-boarded Tennis legend, Boris Becker as its brand ambassador. Around the same time, actor and comedian Andy Milonakis signed a one-year deal with Americas Cardroom (ACR) to stream on Twitch.

Online Railbird Report

With live action on a standstill in the face of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, online activity has exploded. This past week was no different, with some of the biggest names in the domestic circuit claiming the marquee titles.

Leading the charge was Chirag ‘cs56’ Sodha. The talented pro is nearing the ₹3 Crore-mark in recorded online earnings, and on Sunday, he added a personal-best 25 Lakhs to his bankroll after shipping the inaugural run of Adda52’s Full House ₹1 Crore GTD. For this win, Sodha is our “PokerGuru Star of the Week!”

Besides Sodha, there was a slew of other names who joined the ‘Millionaire’s Circle’ this week. Danny ‘Danny132’ Desai became the latest player to become a Spartan Poker Millionaire when he took down the UVS#48 Millionaire Lite ₹35 Lakhs GTD for ₹12.92 Lakhs.

Seasoned pros Shashank ‘westworld’ Jain and Raghav ‘thatssosick’ Bansal rounded out the other prominent ₹10 Lakhs plus wins, by shipping Spartan Poker’s Destiny ₹40 Lakhs GTD for ₹11.81 Lakhs and The Elite ₹50 Lakhs GTD for ₹11.32 Lakhs, respectively.

The other notable scores of the week include –

Read the complete report here

With PokerBaazi’s End Boss ₹5 Crores GTD crowning a champion in Abhishek ‘Human_AI’ Maheshwari last week, April has already been a blockbuster month. But May promises to be even bigger! The ever-popular Spartan Super Series (SSS) will be returning for a 10-day-long run starting May 1, offering a never-before-seen ₹10 Crores in prize pool guarantees! Adda52’s AOPS and PokerStars India’s INSCOOP should keep the domestic lot busy!

On the global scale, the APT Online Series 2020 kicked-off on April 29 and will run till May 10. Featuring 62 events, the series is taking place on the Asia-facing site Natural8.com.

Undoubtedly the biggest-ever online series in the history of poker, the inaugural WSOP Super Circuit Online Series, will run from May 3 to 31 with a jaw-dropping $100 Million in prize pool guaranteed across 595 tournaments!

The World Poker Tour (WPT) Online Series (May 3 to 20), the SHRB Online Series (May 23 to June 2), and the Unibet Online Series VIII (May 1 to 24) are some other major online events to watch out!

Read the complete report here

Tennis Legend Boris Becker Joins GGPoker

Former tennis champion Boris Becker is the latest recruit in GGPoker’s Team of Ambassadors that already comprises of accomplished names like Bertrand Grospellier, Daniel Negreanu, Bryn Kenney, and Felipe Ramos.

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Andy Milonakis Signs Streaming Deal With Americas Cardroom

Actor and comedian Andy Milonakis has signed a one-year deal with Americas Cardroom (ACR) to stream on Twitch.

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partypoker Tests Real Name MTTs

After hosting real-name MTTS as part of the Irish Poker Open and Poker Masters Online schedule, partypoker has extended the use of real-name MTTs for the last two weeks of its ongoing Powerfest Series.

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Poker Masters Online Concludes

The curtains fell on the 15-day-long 2020 Poker Masters Online series on April 26. Linus Loeliger took down the Main Event title as he bested a field of 77 players to bank the top prize of $1.09 Million. Meanwhile, Alexandros Kolonias topped the Championship Leaderboard to win the prestigious Purple Jacket!

Read the complete report here

Other prominent winners at the series were Pauli Ayras (Poker Masters #19: $25,000 NLHE for $548,625), Steve O’Dwyer (Poker Masters #20: $10,300 NLHE for $269,013), Dan Smith (Poker Masters #21: $25,500 NLHE for $511,875), Pascal Lefrancois (Poker Masters #23: $25,500 PLO for $527,510), and Ali Imsirovic (Poker Masters #24 $10,300 NLHE for $277,097).

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Goa Government Grants Six-Month Extension to Offshore Casinos

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced various decisions taken by the State Cabinet pertaining to the casino industry this week. The most significant was the cabinet`s decision to grant another six-month extension for offshore casinos to remain moored on the River Mandovi.

Read the complete report here

Paytm to Invest in Rooter Sports Technologies

Paytm’s parent firm, One97 Communications Ltd., will be investing ₹5 Crores in sports-centered social community platform, Rooter Sports Technologies. Paytm will be making the investment as part of the latter’s pre-series-A investment round.

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Coronavirus Pandemic – Gaming Sector Updates

Domestic Updates

Amid an alarming rise of Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in India, the country remains under lockdown till May 3.

Goa Casinos to Remain Shut

Though Goa has been relatively free from the pandemic and reported only seven cases to-date, the Pramod Sawant-led state government is clearly not taking any chances. The government has announced that the lockdown of business establishments, including casinos, has been extended indefinitely.

Read the complete report here

MPL& Karnataka State Youth Dept Takes the Initiative to Raise Funds For COVID-19 Relief

The Karnataka State Youth Empowerment and Sports Department has taken a novel initiative to raise funds for COVID-19 relief measures. Collaborating with e-gaming portal, Mobile Premier League (MPL), and the United Karnataka Chess Association, the department has announced a charity Chess tournament called ‘Checkmate COVID’ that will be hosted on MPL from May 2-3. While cash prizes of 10 Lakhs will be given away, the remaining proceeds will be donated to the Karnataka CM Relief Fund.

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Apne11 Suspends Operations

As a fallout of the pandemic, fantasy sports portal Apne11 has been forced to suspend operations temporarily. The site has requested all players to withdraw their account balances within 20 days.

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International Updates

All casinos in Nevada have been closed on orders of Governor Steve Sisolak to control the COVID-19 cases.

Wynn CEO Calls For Reopening Nevada Casinos

This week, CEO of Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas, Matt Maddox, called for the reopening of the Nevada casinos gradually by late May to ease the financial burden from the mounting losses piling up on operators.

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Las Vegas Mayor Gets Trolled For Opposing Casino Closure on Air

The governor’s decision to lock down Nevada was opposed by Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, who went on air with the pitch that Vegas needs to get back to work. Goodman made controversial statements and even shared that she’d proposed using the Nevada population as a control group to test the spread of the virus. Goodman’s comments drew sharp criticism from various politicians, Vegas residents, and sections of the poker community.

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Nevada Governor Not Planning on Opening Casinos Any Time Soon

The Governor of Nevada, Steve Sisolak, shunted the demands and clarified that the US state would adopt a phased approach in reopening businesses and other activities. He also confirmed that casinos and other non-essential businesses would remain closed until further notice.

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Anti-Gambling Group Demands Suspension of State-Run Lotteries in the US

U.S-based anti-gambling group, Stop Predatory Gambling has demanded a suspension of all state-run lotteries until things get better. The group has reached out to the governors of each of the 45 US states that have state-run lotteries.

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Paradise Co. Ltd Reopens Four Casinos in South Korea

Over in Asia, casino operator Paradise Co. Ltd. has reopened four of its venues in South Korea. Paradise Casino, Jeju Grand, was the first to open, followed by the company’s casinos in Incheon, Walkerhill, Seoul, and Busan.

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Genting Group Cuts Salaries

Another casino operator to be affected by the lockdown is the Genting Group. With the partial lockdown in Singapore getting extended until June 1, Genting Singapore remains closed. The group has, for the first time in its history, announced a reduction in pay of its salaried employees – as much as a 20% temporary reduction in the basic salary of employees.

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Portugal Introduces Legislation to Restrict Online Gambling

In Portugal, members of the political party Partido das Pessoas, dos Animais e da Natureza (PAN) have introduced legislation that restricts online gambling during the ongoing COVID-19 shutdown.

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TSG Rebrands BetStars to PokerStars Sports, Shareholders Back Flutter Merger

The Stars Group (TSG) has rebranded its sports betting sub-brand BetStars to PokerStars Sports as part of its strategy to build a collective brand image under the PokerStars name.

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The company further confirmed that 99.99% of the shareholders who voted have approved the company`s proposed merger deal with Flutter Entertainment plc.

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DraftKings Completes 3-Way Merger

DraftKings Inc. has completed its multibillion-dollar merger with the Special Purpose Acquisition Company Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corporation (DEAC), and SBTech on April 23. The move came in after DEAC shareholders approved the long-discussed three-way merger.

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Gaming and Leisure Properties Acquires Tropicana Las Vegas

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (GLPI) has completed the acquisition of Tropicana Las Vegas Casino Hotel Resort from Penn National Gaming for $307.5 Million in rent credits.

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APBGG to Review Gambling Act 2005

The All Party Betting & Gaming Group (APBGG) has commenced a review of the UK Gambling Act 2005 to ensure that the laws are relevant to the technical and social developments.

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Colombia Expedites Online “Live-Dealer” Casinos

The Columbian gaming regulator, Coljuegos, has approved a measure that permits online casinos with live dealers. The decision was taken by the regulator following a study into the revenue that allowing online gaming would generate.

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And with this, we conclude this week’s roundup of the latest news updates and developments from the world of poker. We will return again next week with our weekly report, stay tuned.