Interviews

Exclusive Q&A with Pro Poker player Jonathan Little

Published

5 years ago

February 1, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Let’s start with a brief introduction? Tell us something about yourself, especially about education and career.

JL: I am a 36-year-old professional poker player living in NYC. I went to university for a few years, studying psychology and engineering, but quit before graduating because I was making way more money playing poker than I would if I got a degree and got a job. Over the last 16 years, I have cashed for over $7,000,000 in live poker tournaments, wrote 15 educational poker books, started PokerCoaching.com, and won the 2019 Poker Personality of the Year award.

When did you start playing Poker? And how did you realize that you have got what it takes to succeed at the top level?

JL: I started playing poker in 2003 when a few of my friends wanted to play a $1 buy-in tournament. I lost for a while before I decided to study every poker book I could find. I started winning in the $1 games and then deposited $50 onto PartyPoker. Within three years, I turned that $50 into $350,000 by playing 9-person tournaments.

What are your most memorable wins in Poker?

JL: My most memorable win was my first World Poker Tour title at Mirage. I was 22-years-old and winning $1,000,000 gave me the proper bankroll to continue playing the highest stakes games without risking going broke.

How do you think the world of online Poker has changed over the years?

JL: All games get tougher over time, and poker is no different. If you fail to keep up with the new tools available to help you improve your skills, you are certain to fall behind those who completely dedicate themselves to the game. In the past, most players were far too weak and passive, but now they understand that they have to get in there and battle if they want to have any chance of winning.

What made you turn to coaching Poker? We would love to know any particular incidents or thought processes that led you to the path of Poker coaching.

JL: I would not be where I am today without the help of many players who came before me who were willing to help me out when I first started playing. Today, there are numerous players just like a young version of me who want nothing more than to learn how to play poker well, which will allow them to win financial freedom, allowing them to pursue their dreams. I am more than happy to help those who are willing to do the work to improve their skills.

Tell us about your website pokercoaching.com? What exactly does it offer?

JL: PokerCoaching.com is my interactive training site that gives you all the tools you need to succeed at no-limit hold’em cash games and tournaments. The hand-selected group of world-class poker coaches have cashed for over $50,000,000 in live poker tournaments have crushed the cash games. The site offers interactive quizzes, hand history reviews, live webinars, office hours, private streams, and numerous in-depth courses to ensure all your questions are answered. You can try it for free at PokerCoaching.com/free.

How have people’s responses been so far to the website? Could you provide some stats?

JL: The students love the site. They frequently send me testimonials letting me know of their successes. Players of all skill levels are continuing to better themselves, allowing them to win more money from the game. You can see testimonials from many of my students (one who has won over $2,000,000 over the last two years) at PokerCoaching.com.

What does a person need to make it big in Poker? Is there something called inborn talent or is it sheer hard work and aptitude?

JL: All you really have to do to succeed at poker is find a game you can beat, play it a lot, and keep a proper bankroll. Most people do not do all three of these things though. If you are not better than your opponents, either find worse opponents or work to improve your skills. If you do not play a decent amount, you will not make much money (just like if you did not show up for your job, you would not get paid). If you play too large for your bankroll, the inevitable swings of the game will eventually bust you. If you do all three things though, you will thrive.

Suppose a novice person wants to enter the world of Poker. What are the questions he or she needs to ask himself or herself before making the leap?

JL: I recommend all novice players check out my free Mastering the Fundamentals course at PokerCoaching.com/fundamentals. It gives you all the info you need to start your journey into poker and teach you how to think like a pro.

What would be your advice to people starting a business in connection with Poker?

JL: Whenever you are starting a business, you should figure out a way to add value. If you help people make more money or enjoy the game more, you will probably do well. Take PokerGo for instance. There was a lack of high quality poker shows on TV, so PokerGo started, which televises numerous poker shows ranging from high stakes games to low stakes games, and also non-playing shows that highlight poker personalities, like Pokerography. You can watch the Pokerography episode about me at JLPoker.com/pokerography.

Finally, how do you think the future will unfold after the Covid-19 pandemic for Poker?

JL: I am not a virologist or event planner, so it is tough to say. I have to imagine that once there is a vaccine widely circulated that the world will pretty much return to normal. While we are waiting on that, the more cautious players will probably stay out of the casinos and will spend more of their time playing online.

Interviews

Scaling innovation through the launch of Tequity Publishing

Published

2 weeks ago

January 28, 2026

Wladimir P.

scaling-innovation-through-the-launch-of-tequity-publishing

Following the announcement of its new publishing vertical and the successful debut of Royal Drop, we sat down with Tanja Bergman, Head of Growth RGS at Tequity, to discuss how this new arm is set to dismantle technical barriers for ambitious studios and why scalability is the new frontier for the ‘Burst Games’ genre.

Tequity has just officially launched its Publishing vertical. What was the primary catalyst behind this move?

The industry is currently in a fascinating place. There is no shortage of creative talent among studios, but there is a massive technical bottleneck. We have seen so many ambitious studios with incredible concepts – especially those moving beyond traditional slots – who have been getting bogged down in terms of getting those concepts out into the marketplace.

The catalyst for Tequity Publishing was simple. We wanted to break down those technical barriers. By handling the infrastructure, distribution, and compliance frameworks, we allow studios to do what they do best, which is build outstanding games. It’s about speed-to-market without compromising on the quality or the vision of their content.

The launch coincides with the release of Royal Drop. How does this game, and the partnership with Mirror Image Gaming and The Fortune Engine, showcase what Tequity Publishing is all about?

Royal Drop is the perfect proof of concept. It’s a collaboration that highlights three important pillars of modern game delivery. You have Mirror Image Gaming bringing that fresh, video-game-influenced Burst Games energy, The Fortune Engine provide the math tools and templates, and Tequity Publishing offers the global scale and distribution pathway.

It shows that when you remove operational friction, you can create a game-first experience that appeals to a new generation of players who want something more interactive than a standard 5×3 reel.

Tequity Publishing offers two models: RGSaaS and RGS-to-RGS. Can you walk us through the strategic benefits of each?

Flexibility is key, because no two studios are at the same stage of their journey. The RGSaaS model is our full-service offering. It’s designed for studios that want to focus 100% on the creative side. We provide the entire infrastructure and publishing framework and it is essentially a business-in-a-box for game creators.

The RGS-to-RGS model is a more streamlined, tech-first approach for studios that already have their own RGS but lack the distribution muscle. It allows them to plug into our growing operator and aggregator network instantly. Both models are built on the same philosophy: helping studios reach parts of the market they otherwise couldn’t access on their own.

You mentioned reaching new generations of players. How does this vertical specifically empower studios to innovate in ways they couldn’t before?

When a studio is concerned about how they are going to integrate with a multitude of different operators or how to navigate complex jurisdictional requirements, they tend to play it safe. They stick to what they know.

By taking that weight off their shoulders, we give them the opportunity to be brave. Studios like Mirror Image Gaming are pushing the boundaries of modern iGaming, taking influences from the video game world. This is exactly what the new generation of players is looking for. We provide the scalability so that these niche, innovative ideas can achieve mass-market impact.

It’s been a busy period for Tequity, following the success of your Originals series and the iBankroll partnership. How does the Publishing vertical fit into the broader Tequity roadmap for 2026?

It’s all part of becoming the ultimate technology partner for the gaming industry. Whether it’s our streamer-friendly Originals or our Bankroll-as-a-Service offering, the goal is to provide scalable, customisable solutions. Tequity Publishing is the natural evolution of that mission. We aren’t only providing the tools anymore, but also the pathway to the player. Looking ahead, you can expect a series of further launches through our three-way collaborations. We’re proving that the barrier to entry for innovation has never been lower.

Finally, for studios looking to scale quickly, what is your main message to them?

Don’t let technical noise drown out your creative signal. If you have a game concept that breaks the mould, you shouldn’t have to spend years building the distribution architecture to get it seen. That’s what we’re here for. We want to help you launch at a speed and scale that matches your ambition, so that you can make a significant splash in the industry.

The post Scaling innovation through the launch of Tequity Publishing appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

BetMGM

Breaking America with BetMGM

Published

3 weeks ago

January 20, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

We speak to Charles Mott, CEO & Co-Founder at S Gaming, about the provider’s move into the US market with BetMGM and why more casual gameplay hits the mark with players stateside

Congratulations on your deal with BetMGM in the USA. Why is this such a milestone market launch for S Gaming?

The deal with BetMGM marks our hotly-anticipated launch in the US market, and sees our games go live to players in core regulated states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Michigan. We see huge potential for our content in the North American market, and to make our debut with such a high-calibre operator is a testament to this. The US is still just finding its feet as a regulated online casino market, and our games, with their focus on sustainability and high entertainment, are the perfect fit for audiences who are used to land-based slots and are increasingly moving online. They are simple, easy to understand and play, and ultimately deliver tons of fun over longer playing sessions – just like the slot machines found on the floors of casinos in Las Vegas and beyond.

Just how important was it to go live with a tier-one operator like BetMGM? And how will the deal allow you to quickly build momentum in the US?

It’s mission critical. Going live with BetMGM allows us to build immediate trust with players, tap into a large and loyal playerbase, and simultaneously enter multiple regulated iCasino states at the same time. Now that we are up and running with BetMGM, we are turning our attention to striking partnerships with other operators active in the market. It’s pretty much the same blueprint that we’ve followed in our home market of the UK where we are now live with all but a handful of brands – something we have been able to achieve in a little over two years. We know the US is a slightly different market, but we are confident in our approach to game development and, as we gather more data on how US players interact with our games, will use this feedback loop to guide our product roadmap going forwards so that each title is better than the last and more suited to the preferences of US players.

You mentioned that your games are aimed at more casual players. How does this align with the preferences of US consumers?

If you walk onto the gaming floor of any Las Vegas casino, you’ll see row after row of slot machines. Increasingly, these machines are designed to keep players entertained for longer through gripping gameplay and regular wins. A lot of online slot content delivers high risk/high reward gameplay, where players can quickly clear through their balance as they hunt down big wins – wins that don’t land all that often. In a market where operators care deeply about retention and lifetime value, games that keep players spinning for longer really matter. Our approach to producing sustainable, fun games for players in the UK and Europe has allowed us to not only stand out but to engage players at scale, and we are confident players in the US, especially those who enjoy land-based slotting, will also be drawn to them at scale.

Has launching in the US been a major undertaking for S Gaming, or did it prove to be plain sailing for the most part?

When planning our move into the US market we identified two routes. We have our own remote game server, so we could build on that, secure licences in each state we wanted to enter, and then deploy our content directly with operators. The other option would be to work with a third-party RGS provider that already has the licences and integrations we needed. While the first option might sound like the best, in reality, especially for a smaller studio, the cost of and resources required for securing individual state licences can be prohibitive. So instead, we joined forces with Gaming Realms as they have the cutting-edge RGS and licences (in both the US and Europe) we were looking for. This means we simply need to build a US version of each game on the Gaming Realms RGS and can then deploy content with the wide range of operator partners they are connected with in regulated iCasino states across the US.

Tell us more about the initial run of games you’ve launched with BetMGM.

We’ve launched the partnership with Barnyard Bash Chicken Chase which will be followed by Triple 7 Jackpot in February and Cat and Mouse Collect in March – with one new game a month to follow as we build out our US portfolio. If players were to try just one of our games, it would be Barnyard Bash Chicken Chase. It gets players clucking as they spin the reels, collect Eggs and add them to the growing Nest – the more eggs collected, the bigger the Nest Egg becomes. Not only that, Eggs can randomly activate the matching colour-coded Nest Egg and award entry to the Chicken Trail feature, drop Egg-stra Free Spins or lay an Instant Prize.

But once they’ve tried it, they’ll definitely want to take Triple 7 Jackpot for a spin. This classic slot is dripping in neon action – the Triple 7 feature is always on screen but is locked until a spin lands three Bonus 777 symbols. This unlocks the feature with on spin awarded, giving players a shot at the 500x Jackpot prize. Free Spins are also up for grabs with seven Free Games awarded when three Scatters land in the base game.

Finally, Cat and Mouse Collect is a playful, feature-rich slot built around a simple but engaging Collect mechanic. Players pin the reels, collect up the cheeses and feed the hungry mice until they’re fit to burst. Green plates will serve up an instant prize, Blue will start the wild and wacky Cheese Chase and Red dishes out some feisty Free Spins. With regular feature triggers and plenty of on-reel interaction, it’s designed to keep players engaged from spin to spin without relying on extreme volatility.

What does success in the US look like for S Gaming over the next 12-18 months?

Success for us isn’t about one big hit, it’s about becoming a trusted, widely-distributed supplier in regulated iCasino states. Over the next year we want to significantly expand beyond BetMGM, roll out a steady pipeline of US-optimised titles and build the kind of player data and

operator relationships that let us grow sustainably. If players in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan are regularly choosing S Gaming titles as part of their core rotation, then we’ll know we’re really breaking into the market.

The post Breaking America with BetMGM appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

3 Fortune Trees.

Kendoo interview: Can stability be the new innovation?

Published

3 weeks ago

January 19, 2026

Wladimir P.

kendoo-interview:-can-stability-be-the-new-innovation?

What innovation consists of within the slots industry is often debated. While there are often calls for more groundbreaking features to be introduced, the reality is that the progression of trusted and popular concepts is what drives the industry forward with new releases.

We caught up with the Kendoo’s Commercial Director, Kate Romanenko, to understand more on how long-term retention is often underpinned by controlled evolution of proven concepts, as shown in the company’s success over the past year.

In an industry driven by novelty, why do you think long-term consistency is becoming just as valuable as innovation?

In the competitive iGaming market, everyone is obsessed with “what’s next,” long-term consistency has become a signal of trust. Operators are increasingly cautious: they want games that perform predictably over time, not just those who grow only on launch. Controlled evolution, like we showed with 3 Pots and 4 Pots games, such as 3 Fortune Trees, 3 Gates of Pyramid, 4 Egypt Scarabs etc., proves that you can refresh mechanics and visuals without breaking what already works. Innovation still matters, but when it’s backed by performance data and retention, it becomes scalable, sustainable value rather than short-lived hype.

How does Kendoo ensure technical and gameplay stability across its growing portfolio, especially as it scales into new markets?

At Kendoo, we build on a select set of well-tested core mechanics, evolving them thoughtfully rather than introducing unproven systems. Each game reflects our research, experience, and deep understanding of player needs. This approach lets us expand into new markets without compromising reliability, delivering operators consistent performance and players a smooth, familiar experience they can trust.

What role does reliability play in building strong partnerships with aggregators and platforms?

Reliability is the foundation of trust with aggregators and platforms. When integrations are stable, launches are predictable, and games perform consistently, partners can scale with confidence. For Kendoo, reliability reduces operational friction on their side, fewer incidents, faster rollouts, and clearer performance expectations. Over time, this turns a supplier relationship into a long-term partnership, where growth is planned together rather than driven by constant risk around new releases.

Do you think players are beginning to value dependable, well-balanced games over constant experimentation?

Players enjoy novelty, but they return to games that feel fair, familiar, and well-balanced. Constant experimentation can create friction, while dependable mechanics build confidence and habit. That’s why evolved formats with proven performance tend to retain better: players know what to expect, and that reliability turns curiosity into long-term engagement. For example, taking mechanics like Pots, which originated in land-based casinos, and successfully adapting them for online play.

Can you point to a Kendoo title that’s become a steady performer over time and what that tells you about what players really value?

A clear example is 3 Fortune Trees. Since launch, it has consistently driven strong retention and engagement across markets, with an average of 500 bets per player, which is excellent. The game demonstrates that players value Pots mechanics and reliable, well-balanced gameplay over flashy, one-off features. Its engaging mechanics, popular theme, and premium art and animation all come together to create a game that players love to play.

The post Kendoo interview: Can stability be the new innovation? appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.