Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Paul Phua
📺 TOP 5 BIGGEST POKER POTS EVER TELEVISED!
× Report this video Why do you want to report this video? Broken Content Duplicate Content Inappropriate Content You have already reported this video Thank you for your report This video has been automatically reported
PSPC Draws Over 1,000 to Break $25K Record Field; Shakerchi Leads After Day 1
January 06, 2019 Mo Nuwwarah The PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold'em Championship has established a new record for a $25,000 event with 1,014 runners even as registration remains open for another 14 hours or so until the start of Day 2. That smashed the old mark of 639 set by the 2007 WPT Championship. It wasn't a sweat to beat that number either, as the number was secure from the start of Day 1 and only climbed from there.
WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam Returns to Casino Holland April 13-21
The World Poker Tour (WPT) is once again returning to Casino Holland Amsterdam for 13 action-packed DeepStacks events from April 13-21. The festival kicks off with the €1,500 WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam on April 13-16. Players will have plenty of chances to build a huge stack with the action beginning with 25,000 chips and unlimited entries permitted on each of the three opening flights on April 13-14.
Vladimir Shabalin Wins the 2018 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event
Vladimir Shabalin has won the 2018 WSOP International Circuit Main Event after almost 14 grueling hours of play. Shabalin beat 485 other players in Casino de Marrakech to bring the coveted gold WSOP Circuit Ring and a whopping 1,300,000 MAD (€114,367 / $142,033) back home with him. Runner-up was the last French hope, Rony Halimi, a regular on the poker circuit. Shabalin is a professional poker player who has been playing for about eight years.
888poker XL Blizzard: Get Ready for the $1,000,000 GTD Main Event!
On the tenth day of the XL Blizzard Series on 888poker, players could compete in three new tournaments with the XL Blizzard #28 - $50,000 6-Max as the highlight of the day. The $30 buy-in Mini edition and a $55 buy-in Late edition started as well. The Main Event with a massive guarantee of $1,000,000 starts tonight, at 8 p.m. GMT. Buying in will cost you $1,050, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get in cheaper.
Ben Lamb Wins 2018 Aussie Millions $25,000 Challenge
The 2018 Aussie Millions has crowned yet another champion at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, the largest casino complex in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest in the world. It was Ben Lamb that claimed the ANTON Jewellery championship ring and A$647,114 (~$524,764) in the $25,000 Challenge. Lamb cut a deal with Jan-Eric Schwippert that saw the duo take home the lion's portion of the A$2,736,000 prize pool before flipping blind for the victory.
Sam Greenwood Wins ANTON Jewellery $50,000 Challenge (A$116,400)
The Aussie Millions ANTON Jewellery $50,000 Challenge at Crown Melbourn got off to a late start, but it proved to be an early finish. That's because the tournament drew just four runners, and the players didn't waste much time before knocking each other out, wrapping things up in less than six hours. In the end, super high roller veteran Sam Greenwood was the last one standing and booked a win after doing a quick deal heads up with Jan Schwippert.
Off The Felt: Melbourne, Puppies, and Gymnastics
Just a few weeks into the year and 2018 is shaping up to be pretty great. Although we are in the thick of winter, many right now are visiting Melbourne to join the 2018 Aussie Millions, and why not, it's great weather compared to the winter chill. Some are in the desert, some are by the water, some are sliding down the snow — let's take a look at who did what and where this week. Christian had a good dat at the beach, but please watch the video. But this one is a little bit more impressive.
WSOP International Circuit Marrakech: Vladimir Shabalin Shaking Things Up
On Day 2 of the Main Event, 152 hopefuls returned to the felt in the stunning Casino Marrakech in the Es Saadi Resort. After the money was reached, they played on, and 16 of them made their way to Day 3. Even though a huge percentage of the remaining players either has French or Spanish roots, it’s a Russian that has taken the chip lead. Vladimir Shabalin bulldozed his way through the field and has bagged a big lead with 2,070,000 in chips.
888poker XL Blizzard: Jans 'Graftekkel' Arends Denied Second Title
On the eighth day of the XL Blizzard Series on 888poker, players enjoyed a nice day of poker. In total, three tournaments started with the XL Blizzard #22 - $80,000 Quarterback as the highlight of the day. The $55 buy-in Mini edition and a $215 buy-in Late edition started as well. Let's take a look at the results. At 20:00 GMT, the $80,000 Quarterback started with players receiving a starting stack of 10,000 for a $215 buy-in.
888poker XL Blizzard: Bernardo "bsdias" Dias Misses Out On 8-Max Title
On the sixth day of the 888poker XL Blizzard Series, three new tournaments were on the schedule. Most money was up for grabs in the $40,000 8-Max, where the winner could take home a five-figure score. At 8 p.m. GMT, the XL Blizzard #19 - $40,000 8-Max started with each player receiving a massive 15,000 starting stack. After the late registration closed, there were 619 players.
Throwback Thursday: Andy Frankenberger Defeats Phil Ivey Heads Up
Andy Frankenberger is a two time World Series Of Poker bracelet winner and World Poker Tour Season 9 Player of the Year. This week, Frankenberger came this close to his second World Poker Tour title and a $511,604 first place prize. Frankenberger walked away with a 3rd place finish at the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Italy and Portugal Appear Poised to Join Shared Liquidity Soon
The shared liquidity agreement signed by France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal in July 2017, is slowly but surely coming to fruition. PokerStars' launch of French-Spanish tables last week broke the ice on sharing player pools and it seems Italy and Portugal are positioning themselves to follow. The latest cause for optimism came in the form of a statement by Pier Paolo Baretta, Undersecretary of State at the Finance Ministry in Italy earlier this week.
888poker XL Blizzard: Parker Talbot Makes High Roller Final Table
On the fifth day of the 888poker XL Blizzard Series, three new tournaments were on the schedule. Most of the attention went out to the $250,000 High Roller, where some massive prizes were "up for grabs." After almost nine hours of play, Mexico's "SteveyBG" won the XL Blizzard #16 - $250,000 High Roller for $63,697. The event attracted 118 players for a little overlay and a total prize pool of $250,000. Some of the best tournament players in the poker world registered to the event.
Bas de Laat Defeats Adam Agresta to Win Aussie Millions Event #5
Dutch poker player Bas de Laat secured his first live tournament win in a big way by coming out on top in Aussie Millions Event #5: A$1,150 No Limit Hold'em Mix Max for A$72,155. He improved on last year's performance in the same tournament when he took 11th place for A$6,715. He now has nearly $200,000 in lifetime tournament cashes. The tournament attracted 285 entrants, 24 percent more than the 230 players in the event last year, generating a A$292,125 prize pool.
The Muck: Selbst v. Shak, Shaun v. Sean & a Heartwarming Make-Up Meme
The Muck's life is dependent on a spicy Twitter feed. Contradictory opinions, outrageous prop bets, sensational videos and of course, the good old squabble are things that make the Muck what it is. With the collective poker feed being taken over by crypto talk, we've been wondering if we'd ever get poker's version of the "real-life housewives" back. It's exciting to say that it looks like we're on the verge of returning to the glory days.
Casino Poker for Beginners: When to Keep Your Cards Covered
Ed. note: For those who might have missed it before, we're reprising Robert Woolley's series of articles for poker players who are new to live poker. The series is great for newcomers, and likely useful as well to those with experience playing in casinos and poker rooms. In the previous "Casino Poker for Beginners" article, I began a discussion of the important concept of "protect your hand." The phrase has several different meanings in poker, a few of which I covered there.
Jason Brown Defeats Thomas Muehhloecker to Win Aussie Millions Event #3
The 2018 Aussie Millions Poker Championship is now in full steam with three events in the books and two others in process. New Zealand's Jason Brown was the festival's latest winner after he outlasted a field of 196 players to win Event #3: A$1,150 No Limit Hold'em - Shot Clock Shootout inside the Crown Poker Room for an impressive haul of A$49,200.
Isaac Haxton Latest Top Pro to Join partypoker
The team at partypoker has added yet another top pro to their ambassador team, and it might be their most accomplished catch yet. Isaac Haxton has become the latest to sign on with partypoker, according to a press release from the company. “I am very excited to be joining the partypoker team," Haxton said. "I’ve been very impressed with their growth over the last year or so.
Daniel Negreanu Supports Bans, 'Seat Me' System to Fight Scripting
Play the word association game with "Daniel Negreanu" and "fish" probably isn't the first word to spring to mind to describe poker's all-time tournament money leader. Evidently, that's the case for at least five people though, as the popular PokerStars Team Pro revealed in a recent video blog.
888poker XL Blizzard: Two Final Tables But No Win For "Gugulehtu"
After a great start on Thursday, with Jans "Graftekkel" Arends winning the Opening Event, the XL Blizzard continued on Friday. This time, there were two events on the schedule with a buy-in of $55. Let's see who were crowned winners and may take a shot at one million dollars (by winning four more). At 8 p.m. GMT, the XL Blizzard #4 - $20,000 Twins Royal started with each player receiving a starting stack of 15,000 chips.
Stefan Schillhabel Wins SHRPO Super High Roller
A lot of the high rollers started the year at the PCA in the Bahamas and were right on their way to Hollywood after, making their way to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for the 2018 Lucky Hearts Poker Open. The popular event has a big batch of tournaments on offer, one of them being the $50,000 Super High Roller. Stefan Schillhabel took down the event, beating 24 players to take home the trophy and $493,000 first-place prize.
Global Poker Grizzly Games Already Smashing Guarantees
The second leg of the Global Poker Championships — the 2018 Grizzly Games — at Global Poker is in full swing and is already proving to be bigger and better than the first edition. The series kicked off with the Opening Event freeroll last Sunday that drew 5,142 players, all looking for a piece of the SC$5,000 free money up for grabs. With that field, the event was the largest tournament in Global Poker history.
What Would You Do? Flopping Top Pair With Ace-Jack in Multi-Way Pot
DECISION POINT: In a $2/$5 no-limit hold’em cash game, it folds to you in middle position with and you raise. The cutoff and button both call. The flop comes . You make a continuation bet and the cutoff calls, then the button raises. Action is on you... PRO ANSWER: In this hand we raised preflop with , got two callers, and then made a continuation bet after flopping top pair. Our first opponent called, then the second opponent raised. Do we fold, call, or reraise?
Salvatore Ribbera Ships the 2018 Aussie Millions Event #2: $2,500 H.O.R.S.E.
On the third day of the 2017 Aussie Millions Poker Championship, local Melbourne player Salvatore Ribbera won the first ANTON ring of the series, taking down Event #2: $2,500 H.O.R.S.E. inside the Crown Poker Room on Friday to collect the top prize of A$39,700 ($31,852). The tournament attracted 49 players, matching the same number of entrants that played this event last year. Ribbera entered the final day in fourth place on the six-max final table with 105,500.
The Kings of Tallinn Will be Bigger Than Ever Before on Feb. 12-18
Created in 2015, the OlyBet Kings of Tallinn poker festival is one of poker's true grassroots success stories attracting players from around Europe, especially from the Nordic and Baltic countries. The festival is back once again and bigger than ever before with 46 action-packed events from Feb. 12 to Feb. 18 at the luxurious Hilton Tallinn Park and the Olympic Park Casino. The highlight, of course, is the €1,100 Kings of Tallinn Main Event from Feb. 14-18.
The Kings of Tallinn Will be Bigger Than Ever Before on Feb. 12-18
Created in 2015, the OlyBet Kings of Tallinn poker festival is one of poker's true grassroots success stories attracting players from around Europe, especially from the Nordic and Baltic countries. The festival is back once again and bigger than ever before with 46 action-packed events from Feb. 12 to Feb. 18 at the luxurious Hilton Tallinn Park and the Olympic Park Casino. The highlight, of course, is the €1,100 Kings of Tallinn Main Event from Feb. 14-18.
Boost Your Bankroll With the Unibet Bootcamp
You have slightly more than one week to get involved in the Unibet Poker Bootcamp promotion so let’s not delay and see what the promotion entails and what you can win. The Unibet Poker Bootcamp promotion is in the middle of its seventh week — it runs for eight weeks — and it rewards you handsomely for hitting poker-related achievements. You must play no-limit hold’em and pot limit Omaha cash games with blinds of €1/€2 or €2/€4 to be eligible for the prizes.
Hand Review: Overbetting for Value in Level 1
Covering live poker tournaments for a living affords me the opportunity to see countless thousands of hands played out, many of which offer interesting and potentially valuable insights into how players — both amateurs and professionals — play the game. In this ongoing series, I'll highlight hands I've seen at the tournaments I've covered and see if we can glean anything useful from them.
The 2018 Playground Winter Festival is Underway
The action is heating up in the 2018 Edition of the Playground Winter Festival, on now at Playground Poker Club in Kahnawake, just outside of Montreal. With 17 events over 18 days, this year’s festival is certain to warm things up with a total of over $1,000,000 in prize pool Guarantees between January 14th and 31st. The kickoff event - a $135 + $25 NL Hold’em Next-Day Re-entry event - is on now and boasts an impressive $100,000 Guarantee.
Abdelaouhab Zizi Wins MPNPT Morocco Main Event
Abdelaouhab Zizi defeated fellow Casablanca resident Fadhil Farag to win the 2018 MPN Poker Tour Morocco Main Event for MAD 375,000 (€33,220) after the duo agreed to a heads-up deal. The final day witnessed 12 players return from a total starting field of 340, which included a mix of online qualifiers, MPNPT regulars and local players contributing MAD 6,000 to generate a massive MAD 1,813,900 prize pool.
Mehdi Hsissen Leads Final Dozen in MPNPT Morocco Main Event
Sunday on the MPN Poker Tour Morocco will witness several trophies awarded at the Mazagan Beach Resort, with the largest going to the MPN Poker Tour Morocco Main Event champion along with a prize of MAD 400,000 (€35,400). That player will be one of 12 Day 2 survivors, currently led by Mehdi Hsissen with 1,647,000, closely followed by Antti Halme (1,399,000).
€12.5 Million is Guaranteed at the partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Germany Festival
The partypoker LIVE MILLIONS tour heads to King’s Casino, Rozvadov between Feb. 8-18 and sees a staggering €12.5 million guaranteed across nine MILLIONS events. Eight of the scheduled nine events have guaranteed prize pools of at least €1 million, with the highlight of the festival being the €5,300 MILLIONS Germany Main Event that boasts a monster-sized €5 million guarantee. Satellites for the MILLIONS Germany Main Event are running now at partypoker starting from only $0.50.
Poker Coaching with Jonathan Little: Flopping Top and Bottom Pair
Here's a hand I played where I flopped top and bottom pair. Would you play it the same way? To find out, take this short quiz. The answers are revealed below each question and ranked from 0 to 10 points. With each make your selection in the poll before scrolling down, then move down the page see how many points each answer is worth.
Hand Review: A River Bluff Folds Out Two Opponents
Covering live poker tournaments for a living affords me the opportunity to see countless thousands of hands played out, many of which offer interesting and potentially valuable insights into how players — both amateurs and professionals — play the game. In this ongoing series, I'll highlight hands I've seen at the tournaments I've covered and see if we can glean anything useful from them.
Faraz Jaka Swims with the Pigs at PCA
The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is well underway in the Bahamas. And that means two things: we got to see some of the most prestigious poker players battle it out for some cash and titles in the stunning Atlantis Casino and Resort in Nassau. But aside from the actual poker, we get to see the adventures that these guys are having during their free time, far from the poker tables. Faraz Jaka, for example, is one player that knows how to step away and enjoy some fun in the sun.
WSOP Heads to Potawatami: The Midwest's Premier Entertainment Destination
Potawatami Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the Midwest's premier entertainment destination, offering non-stop gaming, award-winning dining, live entertainment, luxury accommodations, meeting spaces and more! And in February, the venue will play host to the WSOP Circuit. With more than 150,000 square feet of gaming space, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino provides round-the-clock gaming action every day of the year for more than six million guests annually.
Canada’s 'freezeplay' Wins PokerStars Winter Series Main Event for $363K
The $25 million guaranteed Winter Series at PokerStars is complete with all 152 champions crowned. A quartet of Main Events wrapped up the series this weekend and, as you would expect, the winners walked away with some massive prizes. Day 2 of the $2,100 Winter Series Main Event ended with only 89 players still in contention for the title. With 134 players paid in this event, the 89 returning players were already in the money and had locked up $6,001 for their efforts.
2018 Aussie Millions to Draw Record 400 Satellite Qualifiers
Aussie Millions is just around the corner and the excitement is brewing. Not only do poker fans get to look forward to following the action hosted by Jason Somerville on Twitch for the final three days of the Main Event, but Crown Melbourne has also been on a mission to satellite a record number of players into the event — on pace to produce an incredible 400 seats for the Main Event, which kicks off Jan. 28.
Sunday Briefing: Joseph Cheong Wins PokerStars Sunday Supersonic
Joseph Cheong tweeted that he is heading to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for the first time in a few years and said, possibly tongue in cheek, that there’s nothing like starting the year in a $70,000 hole. That "hole" is now $30,939 less after the popular pro took down the $215 Sunday Supersonic online at PokerStars on Jan. 7.
Five Poker Predictions for 2018
Another year is gone, and 2018 has arrived. Seven days are in the books already, but it's a long year ahead, so it's time to break out the PokerNews crystal ball and try to figure out what's going to happen in the coming year. With that in mind, I have once again taken my shot and posted five predictions for the coming year in poker. First, though, let's take a look at last year's calls and see how I did. Let's go. On to 2018.
Railbird Report: "BERRI SWEET" Becomes Biggest 2017 High-Stakes Winner
2017 is done and dusted and the scores have been tallied. "BERRI SWEET" and Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov were locked in a fierce battle throughout the year to claim the top spot, but a late slump by Kuznetsov gave "BERRI SWEET" one of his tastiest victories yet. The high staker recorded a profit of $1,769,395 at the PokerStars high-stakes cash tables, while Kuznetsov finished the year with $1,454,838 in winnings. "BERRI SWEET"s monster 1.7M year puts him at $2,330,314 in winnings lifetime.
Global Poker Index: Adrian Mateos Wins 2017 GPI Player of the Year
Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes into account a player's results over six half-year periods. For a look at the entire list, visit the official GPI website. Below we share the overall GPI rankings as of January 3, but first let's take a look at the final results of the 2017 Global Poker Index Player of the Year.
UK’s Simon Deadman Launches Poker Coaching Business from Las Vegas
While the likes of Dani Stern and Vanessa Selbst are saying goodbye to the world of poker, the United Kingdom’s Simon Deadman is going the other way and embracing the fact poker is becoming more difficult to win at and is giving players the tools to succeed. Deadman has been a professional poker player for 10 years, mixing up cash games and tournaments. Originally from the UK, Deadman now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife Shola Akindele-Deadman, who is herself a talented poker player.
How to Play King-Jack From the Button Versus a Late Position Limp
DECISION POINT: In a tournament, it folds to the player in the hijack seat who limps. The cutoff folds. You are on the button with . Action is on you... PRO ANSWER: The action folds around to the player in the hijack seat who chooses to open-limp for 2,400. In general, limpers tend to have wider and weaker hand ranges as compared to raisers. In addition, this player limped from the hijack seat, which as a default would represent a weaker range of hands as compared to an earlier position seat.
Hand Review: Jason Wheeler Picks Off Kalidou Sow's Bluff
Covering live poker tournaments for a living affords me the opportunity to see countless thousands of hands played out, many of which offer interesting and potentially valuable insights into how players — both amateurs and professionals — play the game. In this ongoing series, I'll highlight hands I've seen at the tournaments I've covered and see if we can glean anything useful from them.
Gear Up for Global Poker's 2017 Grizzly Games Starting Jan. 15
After an extremely successful inaugural championship series called the Eagle Cup back in October where more than SC$1.5 million was awarded, The Global Poker Championships is back at Global Poker starting on Jan. 15 with the bigger and better Grizzly Games. The 2017 Grizzly Games offers even more championship events for Global Poker players with 200 $weeps Cash tournaments to choose from. Once again, event winners will receive an awesome trophy delivered right to their doors.
Keep It Real by Keeping Records of Your Play, Daniel Negreanu Shows
You might have heard about or read Daniel Negreanu's blog posts regarding his recent results and plans for the new year. His post "Year End Results" in particular affords some useful food for thought for poker players with a desire to improve their games.
Transitioning from No-Limit Hold'em to Pot-Limit Omaha
While 888poker Amabassador Vivian "Vivi" Saliba has enjoyed tournament success in no-limit hold'em — including cashing in both the WSOP Main Event and WSOP Europe Main Event last year — pot-limit Omaha is the Brazilian pro’s favored game. During 2017 she made multiple PLO final tables while also finishing 11th in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship at the 2017 WSOP.
Top 10 Stories of 2017, #1: Chris Ferguson Wins World Series of Poker POY
This year's Top Stories are brought to you by the VerStandig Law Firm, LLC. Combining a keen understanding of the gaming world and an equally keen understanding of the law, Mac VerStandig and his colleagues are devoted to fighting on behalf of the poker community and its members. After 74 events in Las Vegas, 11 tournaments in Europe, and the complete Full Tilt Poker debacle, this is not a headline many in poker world expected – or hoped for.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Paul
Contact Paul, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack