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Articles by Mark Pataskowski
đź“° 15 Best New York Online Casinos for 2025
10:07 12 Dec New York may not have its own local online casinos yet, but you can still find real-money action at reputable international sites. In this guide to New York online casinos, we highlight the safest NY-friendly options with fast payouts, generous bonuses, and packed game lobbies. We’ve cut through the marketing noise to spotlight the casinos that actually pay out smoothly – and quietly sidelined the ones that don’t.
đź“° What Is a Slow Roll in Poker?
17:36 24 Nov Poker is a game that is highly dependent on dynamics between players — which means it’s a game that’s also about respect, and therefore, table etiquette. One of the most frowned upon acts of poker etiquette is a slow roll, which is a move that frustrates opponents and spoils the flow of a game. Despite it not being technically against the rules, it’s widely viewed as disrespectful.
đź“° ICM Poker: Understanding the Independent Chip Model
17:15 17 Nov In tournament poker, chips don’t carry the same value as cash: winning one pot might double your stack, but it doesn’t double your payout potential. The Independent Chip Model, or ICM, changes it completely. It measures how much each player’s stack is worth in real terms based on remaining prizes and competitors’ sizes. Grasping ICM takes practice, but once it clicks, tournament decisions become clear and consistent. What Is the Independent Chip Model?
đ° 15 Best Online Poker Sites for Real Money in 2025
18:18 07 Nov There are a few rules you should always follow when playing cards: never show a bluff, never play with a man called Slim, and only play at the best online poker sites in the USA. We canât help you with the first two, but we can tell you that ACR Poker is the king of the poker world, due to its huge player base, great bonuses, and soft games. Weâll reveal a few other sites you should play at as well, but first weâll have to ask you to move â youâre in Slimâs seat.
đ° Best Crypto Poker Sites in 2025: Bitcoin Poker Casinos
13:36 04 Nov The top crypto poker sites let you hit the virtual felt in style: grab bonuses, outplay your opponents, and cash out â all in a matter of minutes! One such site upping the ante is Bitstarz, which has a bumper BTC welcome bonus and games fit for both seasoned pros and eager rookies.
📰 The Setup: Book Review of Dan Bilzerian’s Autobiography
07:31 17 Oct Dan Bilzerian is one of the most talked-about figures in the poker community, and certainly the most controversial character we’ve had in recent years. The King of Instagram is as polarising as they come and now he’s put together an autobiography to give us an even deeper look into what makes him tick. The Setup goes all the way back into Bilzerian’s childhood and chronicles his path into early adulthood where he attempts to pass selection for the Navy Seals.
đź“° Dan Bilzerian Loses $50 Million After Business Venture Collapses
06:31 17 Oct Dan Bilzerian’s latest business venture is turning out to be an expensive hobby. The King of Instagram has reportedly seen his new lifestyle company dump $50 million in a single year. Insolvency Ignite was set up to use Bilzerian’s image to sell anything and everything party related including cannabis and alcohol. Investors queued up to bankroll the venture assuming that they couldn’t possibly lose given the playboy’s social media following.
📰 ACR Poker Crushes 2023
05:42 01 Jan In 2023, ACR Poker continued to make waves in the online poker world with its signature Venom tournaments and the Online Super Series (OSS). These events offered the full range of players the opportunity to compete for massive prize pools and the chance to make poker history. The Venom tournaments, ACR's flagship events, are top tier in the poker world.
đź“° Gambling Streams Continue on Counter Strike Twitch Channels Despite Ban
03:52 31 Dec It has been more than a year since Amazon-owned Twitch clamped down hard on gambling streams. Many channels with huge audiences were forced to change tack or move to another platform if they wanted to continue with one of the many lucrative sponsorship deals that were in place. The decision was driven by concerns over the potential harm such content could cause, particularly to younger viewers who might be influenced to engage in gambling activities.
📰 Gambling Addict Sentenced to 30 Months Prison for $400,000 Theft Blown at Casino
22:55 29 Dec A former credit union manager from Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after being convicted of embezzling nearly $400,000 from her employer and blowing the lot at a local casino. Patty Lynn Mavrakis, 65, who worked for 15 years at the Valley 1st Community Federal Credit Union in Belle Vernon, engaged in a calculated scheme to steal from the credit union. She later attempted to conceal the theft by setting a fire at her workplace.
📰 Serial Killer Targeted Casino Patrons
06:18 29 Dec A man named Richard Bradley Jr. is suspected of being a serial killer who targeted individuals who had recently come into significant sums of money. One of his alleged victims, a woman named Brandi Blake, had won a $20,000 jackpot at a local casino shortly before her death. Bradley, 40, was initially jailed in 2021 after being charged in connection with Blake's death. Her body was found buried in Game Farm Park in Auburn, Washington.
📰 Charles Barkley's Childhood Home Doubled Up as Underground Casino
00:42 28 Dec NBA legend Charles Barkley, known for his larger-than-life personality and remarkable basketball career, recently shared a fascinating glimpse into his past. In his authorised biography by Timothy Bella, titled "Barkley: A Biography," he reveals that his childhood home in Leeds, Alabama, doubled as an underground casino and bootlegging operation.
📰 Priest Accused of Stealing $117,000 from Church to Feed Gambling Addiction
00:48 27 Dec A Pennsylvania Greek Orthodox priest has been accused of stealing over $117,000 from his church to feed his gambling addiction. Father George Athanasiou of All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, is facing 223 counts of theft, with allegations of embezzlement from the church's bank accounts. Father Athanasiou's alleged actions came to light when church officials noticed discrepancies in their accounting books in September.
📰 Qualify for the $5 Million Venom PKO in the Venom Fever Satellites
03:20 26 Dec The Venom Fever is ready to kick off on ACR Poker next week. This is how you can qualify for the biggest progressive knockout tournament online today. The high-stakes $5 Million Venom PKO has a $2,650 buy-in and pays out more money than the average poker player can ever dream of. There are 650 seats guaranteed during the Venom Fever, this is your chance to be part of the action and potentially win life-changing money. The Venom Fever satellites are your first port of call.
📰 Norman Chad Says WSOP Tried to Sabotage WPT World Championship By Delaying a Flight
00:16 25 Dec Last week, veteran commentator Norman Chad let slip that the WSOP organisers might have attempted to sabotage the WPT World Championship. He tweeted that the WSOP angled to get a flight delayed from the Bahamas knowing that it would be full of poker players trying to rush back to Las Vegas in time for the $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship. Although we expect there to be a bit of a rivalry between the two major series organisers, this seems like a step too far, if it is true.
📰 WSOP Circuit Ring Winner Kidnapped by Extortion Gang
04:33 24 Dec Four-time WSOP Circuit ring winner George Janssen has been discovered tied up at the roadside in Bad Axe, Michigan, apparently having been kidnapped by an extortion gang. The 41-year-old was spotted by a passer-by on December 16, zip-tied and claiming he had managed to escape from his captors. He had a bloodied face and looked roughed up enough for the police to transport him to hospital for checks.
📰 New York State Trooper Convicted for Tipping Off $10 Million Gambling Ring
01:00 23 Dec A former New York state trooper has managed to avoid prison time after revealing confidential information about an ongoing investigation to a suspect involved in illegal gambling activities. Thomas J. Loewke, 52, of Rochester, was sentenced to two years probation earlier this week, along with 100 hours of community service and a $4,000 fine.
đź“° $700K Embezzlement at Four Winds Hartford Casino
05:28 22 Dec In the world of casinos, the glitz and glamour often overshadow a darker underbelly. The recent opening of a new casino has made this clear beyond doubt as a criminal charge related to embezzlement was controversially dropped, sparking a wave of discussions about crime in the casino industry. Casinos are a magnet for a variety of crimes, including embezzlement, fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion.
đź“° Frankie C Grabbed by Resorts World Security Over 18-Month Old $3,000 Overpayment
00:11 21 Dec Frankie Cucchiara has tweeted what he described as the worst Las Vegas poker experience in his life. One recent Friday night in Resorts World Las Vegas, he was pulled up by security who marched into the room as if they were about to bust an international blackjack card-counting team. His crime? Apparently he was identified as having been overpaid by $3,000 when buying chips 18 months ago.
đź“° Fontainebleau Las Vegas Resort Opens on the Strip
00:38 20 Dec After a 6,145-day journey, the Fontainebleau Las Vegas finally opened its doors to the public. The grand opening of the casino resort was a spectacle that attracted a star-studded guest list and attracted attention from the industry media around the world. The Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a sister property to the Miami resort, first broke ground in February 2007. The project, led by Jeffrey Soffer, was initially planned to open in October 2009.
đź“° Murder Suspect Shot Dead by Police at Lucky Eagle Casino
01:04 19 Dec The Lucky Eagle Casino in Washington State has temporarily closed its doors following a fatal shooting incident involving a tribal police officer and a murder suspect. The casino, located in Rochester, Washington, became the scene of a critical police operation two weeks ago when Darren Evans, a 33-year-old man from Yelm, Washington, was shot by an unnamed Chehalis tribal police officer seeking to take him into custody.
đź“° Wynn Las Vegas in Court Over Death of Slot Machine Player
22:17 17 Dec The Wynn Las Vegas, one of the most renowned casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, is facing a lawsuit filed by the family of a woman who tragically died while playing a slot machine at the property. The family alleges that the casino failed to provide timely and appropriate emergency medical attention to the woman, leading to her untimely death. The woman, Billie Sakkab, 74, was playing slots alone during the Wynn's Super Bowl viewing party on February 13, 2022, when she collapsed.
đź“° US State Senator Busted for Misusing $844,000 in Federal Funds
05:24 17 Dec Andy Sanborn, the owner of Concord Casino in New Hampshire and a former state senator, is facing allegations of misusing federal funds and maintaining poor financial records. A hearing has been held to determine whether Sanborn should retain his gaming property license. Sanborn is accused of misusing $844,000 in COVID-19 relief funds, which he allegedly used for personal expenses, including the purchase of luxury cars.
📰 Chinese Gambling Crackdown Continues with Massive Seizures
03:34 16 Dec The Chinese crackdown on illegal gambling has concluded after a month-long operation. The multiple raids spanning from November 2 to December 2, 2023, led to the closure of numerous illicit venues and the arrest of hundreds of individuals, including a key figure suspected of laundering approximately HK$15 million ($1.9 million).
📰 Game of Gold Wraps Up with Thrilling Finale
23:00 14 Dec The thrilling finale of the Game of Gold series has seen a winner crowned after four thrilling weeks of entertainment. The innovative poker show, which combined elements of Survivor with regular poker gameplay, has entertained us all from the get go. The final episode was a six-player sit-and-go, with each player's stack determined by the number of gold coins they had won throughout the series, leading to a dynamic and unpredictable game.
đź“° Football Superstar Sergio Aguero Appears at WSOP Paradise
23:52 13 Dec One of Argentina’s greatest ever football stars, Sergio Aguero, has been making an appearance at the WSOP Paradise in the Main Event. The former Manchester City striker has fallen in love with the game since his retirement from football on medical grounds and can’t get enough right now. Phil Hellmuth took time to walk over to greet Aguero who now has a career record of $94,426.
📰 Gambling Addict NFL Exec Charged with Embezzling $22 Million
23:05 12 Dec Amit Patel, a former Jacksonville Jaguars executive, is facing federal fraud charges for allegedly stealing over $22 million from the NFL team. Patel, who served as the team's manager of financial planning and analysis, is accused of using the team's virtual credit card to fund a lavish lifestyle and a severe gambling addiction.
đź“° Indiana Politician Pleads Guilty to Corruption Charges Over Casino Bill
20:49 11 Dec Former state representative Sean Eberhart has pleaded guilty to a fraud charge related to a casino corruption scheme. The 57-year-old admitted to supporting a bill favouring a casino in exchange for promises of lucrative employment in the future. Eberhart was charged with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, a crime that can include accepting bribes or kickbacks related to one's public service.
đź“° Macau Junket Operator Unmasked as Mafia Kingpin
23:18 10 Dec Ji Xiaobo, a former Macau junket operator and the executive who oversaw the controversial Saipan casino operator Imperial Pacific International (IPI), has been declared a criminal kingpin by a Beijing court.
📰 Spanish Cop Caught Using Bust Money for Gambling
04:13 10 Dec A Spanish cop has been busted for using drug money seized during an operation for gambling. Last month, the officer was sentenced to five months in prison plus 10 months suspension from public office, although it’s hard to imagine he will ever resume a career in law enforcement.
📰 Durango Casino and Resort Opens for Business in Las Vegas
20:43 08 Dec The highly-anticipated Durango Casino and Resort has finally opened its doors in Las Vegas, marking a significant milestone in the city's hospitality and gaming industry. The grand opening took place on Tuesday, December 5, following a delay from the original November 20 opening date. The $780 million property, developed by Red Rock Resorts, is the company's first new property in over a decade.
📰 $30 Million Jackpot Victory: Chinese Gambler Strikes Gold with 50,000 Lottery Tickets Bearing Same Numbers
01:48 08 Dec We’ve all gone a little bit overboard when buying lottery tickets before. Instead of the usual one or two, we might take home a good chunk of them, assuming that we’ll have a better chance of winning something, at least. But when we do this, almost without fail, we will choose different numbers for each ticket. Makes sense, right? A Chinese man from Nanchang, Jiangxi province, had a different idea.
đź“° Unleash the Poker Magic: $700k GTD Series on Chico Poker Network!
19:47 06 Dec Exclusive Offers Inside: Elevate Your Wins with PokerTube - Qualify for Free Dive into the excitement of the Chico Poker Network's dazzling $700,000 GTD Winter Knockout Series! Brace yourself for a poker extravaganza that promises intense action and hefty rewards. Chico Poker Network: Spanning across TigerGaming, BetOnline, and SportsBetting.ag, this series unfolds from Dec. 4-10.
đź“° William Hill Staff Call Police on Customer Cashing in a Winner
19:31 06 Dec William Hill staff have been videoed calling the police to intimidate a customer who was trying to collect £12,500 in winnings. The high street bookmaking giant generally has a rock-solid reputation but stories such as this going public certainly won’t do them any good. Check out the short video below to see the William Hill customer bullied into leaving without his winnings.
đź“° Massive Illegal Casino Discovered in Thai Hotel
19:49 05 Dec Another huge illegal gambling outfit has been discovered by the Royal Thai Police in Nonthaburi province, northwest of Bangkok. Spread across two floors of a hotel, the lavish setup was leased by the operator from the IWISH hotel in the Ngam Wong Wan area The Bangkok Post reported that 49 people were arrested at the scene by immigration police who said they had been tipped off that a foreigner-run operation was at the location.
đź“° $905,000 Bad Beat Jackpot Hits at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh
20:10 04 Dec Yet another massive bad beat jackpot has been hit. This time at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where nearly $1 million was won by a group of small-stakes players, making it one of the largest live poker bad beat jackpots ever. The lucky recipients were Pennsylvania residents Scott Thompson and Brent Enos, who were playing a NL hold'em cash game.
đź“° Online Poker Scammer Has Murder Charges Dropped
21:25 03 Dec Online poker scammer Fereidoun “Prince Fred” Khalilian has had charges of murder dropped, according to the US Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. The man behind the infamous PokerTribes project who was also a business partner of Paris Hilton was facing life in prison over an alleged murder-for-hire plot. In June of this year, Khalilian was charged with hiring Michael Sherwood, his former bodyguard, to murder a former employee known as “J. Esco”. J.
📰 Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Host Star-Studded Poker Event in Las Vegas
23:59 02 Dec Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck made headlines last month when they co-hosted a private poker event in Las Vegas. The star-studded tournament, which took place on Friday, November 17, was attended by A-list celebrities and marked the beginning of the glitzy Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend making its debut at the iconic venue.
📰 Wolfgang Poker Reaches 1 Million Subscribers Milestone on YouTube
20:42 01 Dec Wolfgang Poker has made history as the first poker-focused YouTube channel to surpass the 1 million subscribers mark. The American poker enthusiast has brought his love of the small-stakes poker scene with fantastic videography to create the most popular poker channel on the YouTube platform Wolfgang Poker, real name Alexander Seibt, learned to play poker in home games with his friends in a Chicago basement before he even hit his teens.
📰 Chinese Streaming Platform Boss Arrested on Gambling Charges
20:46 30 Nov Chen Shaojie, CEO and Chairman of Chinese gaming live-streaming platform DouYu, has been arrested on charges of illegal gambling. DouYu, a Chinese clone of Amazon-owned Twitch, is backed by Tencent Holdings, the world's largest video gaming publisher, which holds a 37% stake in the company which has more active monthly users than its American counterpart. Chen was arrested around November 16 on suspicion of allowing illegal gambling on the platform.
đź“° 2024 World Series of Poker Guide
20:40 27 Nov Time goes quickly in poker. No sooner have we wrapped up the 2023 WSOP and WSOP Europe, when it’s already time to start thinking about the 2024 series. In only a few months, spring will be upon us and we can start looking for satellites to bag us a seat in some of the bracelet events coming up. We expect at least 120 bracelet tournaments to be on offer, with possibly a record 100+ in Las Vegas, and another 30+ in the WSOP Online.
📰 Poker Player Scams £24,000 Out of Grosvenor Casino Birmingham
22:03 26 Nov A British university student has been sentenced to a 12-month community service order after getting caught scamming £24,000 at Grosvenor Casino Birmingham. Samuel Bob-Emmanuel, 22, sneakily watched a casino supervisor enter a PIN code into the internal IT system and memorised it to transfer money to himself later on. The next day, Bob-Emmanuel returned to the casino where he was a regular and transferred the £24,000 to his current account.
📰 $2 Billion Gambling Network Busted in Thailand
22:06 25 Nov The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) in Thailand has seized two luxury villas after busting an illegal gambling ring that is alleged to have a daily turnover of ฿ึ72 billion, equivalent to US$2 billion. The size of the operation has shocked the authorities, with nothing else coming close to this size in previous busts. A fortnight ago, the illegal online gambling firm "UFAV8" was busted in Bangkok, purportedly turning over ฿ึ600 billion per year.
đź“° Billion Dollar Lottery winner Sues Ex-Girlfriend for Revealing His Win
19:25 24 Nov A man who won $1.35 billion on the Mega Millions lottery earlier this year has filed a lawsuit against the mother of his child, accusing her of disclosing his lottery win to his family. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in Maine, alleges that the man's ex-girlfriend breached a non-disclosure agreement they had signed to keep the win confidential. The winner opted for $723.56 million as a one-time lump sum payment, and after taxes the amount was just over $404 million.
📰 Why Are Movie Poker Scenes Always so Bad?
20:11 23 Nov The classic poker movie Rounders turned 25-years-old in 2023, and it’s a classic for a very good reason: it’s actually realistic. Since the dawn of filmmaking, poker scenes have been totally unrealistic in almost all cases, possibly barring some old Westerns where someone gets caught cheating and ends up getting shot. So why is this the case? Surely the directors can call in someone who actually knows what the scene should look like; how the players really behave.
đź“° 335 Chinese Triads Arrested in Hong Kong Gambling Crackdown
19:01 22 Nov Hong Kong police have conducted a series of raids connected with a gambling crackdown in the Chinese special administrative region. 335 suspects were arrested in the early morning busts across 223 properties that were mostly entertainment businesses. HKD1.8 million (US$230,580) worth of gambling paraphernalia was confiscated.
đź“° Game of Gold a Big Hit with Poker Fans
15:47 21 Nov GGPoker’s new poker reality show Game of Gold is turning out to be a huge hit with the fans. The creative minds from the thriving online poker platform and Poker after Dark have come up with something special that looks to be exceeding all expectations. A blend of the modern obsession with reality TV combined with poker in a Big Brother environment.
📰 “xQc” Booted from Casino Over Clickbait Article
20:23 17 Nov Felix “xQc” Lengyel, a top streamer who recently signed a lucrative deal with Kick worth more than $100 million, was recently dragged out of a Montreal casino due to a province-wide gambling ban. The ban was said to have been triggered by a 2022 clickbait article he wrote that labelled himself as a gambling addict.
π° Game of Gold: New Poker Survival Reality Show by GGPoker
14:48 17 Nov Your traditional poker game gets a touch of new elements with the launch of Game of Gold by GGPoker! From the glimpse of the trailer, the real-time poker game show looks promising. Whether you're a novice or a professional poker player, this reality TV show will be a treat for all. You can follow in the footsteps of industry giants while watching the Game of Gold series. Telecast Schedule On November 8, GG Poker released a revolutionary poker show called Game of Gold.
đź“° Formula One Arrives in Las Vegas for the Glitziest Grand Prix Ever
20:20 16 Nov The Formula One circus has arrived in Las Vegas for what is going to be its showpiece event of the year. The pinnacle of motorsport has always oozed glitz and glamour, just think of the Monaco Grand Prix, but will the bright lights of Las Vegas manage to outshine the tiny principality on the French Riviera? The city is buzzing with excitement right now as we inch closer to the race start on Saturday night local time.
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