poker
THE MONEYMAKER TOUR HEADS TO BIRTHPLACE OF THE ORIGINAL POKER BOOM WITH NEW LAS VEGAS STOP
MGM Grand to host Moneymaker Tour guaranteeing over $1.3 million in prize pools
Twenty one years after Chris Moneymaker sparked the poker boom, The Moneymaker Tour is heading to Las Vegas, the tour announced today.
An agreement with MGM Grand Hotel & Casino will see the Tour’s first edition in the city that witnessed the original arrival of its founder to the poker scene. The Moneymaker Tour will join the summer poker action in Las Vegas from June 28 to July 6 at MGM Grand with a series guarantee of $1.3 million across six trophy events.
The feature event of the stop will be the $1,700 Main Event which boasts a $1 million guarantee and will run from July 3 – July 6. MGM Grand will host its third Summer Poker festival starting May 29 and feature 39 trophy events and over $3.7 million in total guarantees (including the Moneymaker Tour week).
“Las Vegas is the beating heart of the poker world. It’s where the game’s legends and stories, including Chris’, have been made,” said Tony Burns, Executive Manager. “To host an event in the same city that Chris won the 2003 Main Event in is a full circle moment. We are excited to partner with MGM Grand this Summer and look forward to being a part of their festival on June 28th thru July 6th. The Moneymaker Tour was created in 2023 by 2003 WSOP Champion and ACR Team Pro, Chris Moneymaker and Moneymaker Tour Executive Manager, Tony Burns.”
The Tour was conceived as a way for Moneymaker to give poker players opportunities to have their own ordinary to extraordinary moments as he did. Since its inception, there have been seven events in locations such as Florida, Cincinnati, Houston and Ohio.
Steven Pique, MGM Grand’s Director of Poker, said, “Our 2024 Summer Poker Festival kicks off later this month and we look forward to hosting the Moneymaker Tour in our MGM Grand Poker room. The main event will culminate with a No Limit Hold ‘em $1 million guarantee, one of the highest we’ve offered our tournament players. Chris Moneymaker embodies the spirit of poker through his tireless efforts and positive contributions to this great game.”
Belgium stop at Circus Casino Resort Namur runs May 27–June 7 and adds PokerStars Live League points toward a €157,500 credit pool.
PokerStars will bring PokerStars Open Namur back to Circus Casino Resort Namur from May 27 to June 7, with the festival returning one day after the operator’s May 26 announcement.
The stop follows a 2025 edition PokerStars said was record-breaking for Belgium, including 1,571 entries in the Main Event and what it called the largest live tournament prize pool in Belgian poker history.
This year’s schedule is headlined by the €1,100 PokerStars Open Main Event, which carries a €1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. Other listed highlights include the €400 PokerStars Open Cup (May 27-31), €3,300 Super High Roller (June 1-2), €2,200 High Roller (June 5-6), and €800 Mystery Bounty (June 6-7).
“Last year’s turnout reinforced Namur’s place as one of the most exciting live poker stops in Europe,” said Cedric Billot, Associate Director of Live Events Operations at PokerStars. “What makes the event special isn’t just the size of the fields, it’s the atmosphere around the entire festival.”
PokerStars also positioned Namur as a scoring stop in the PokerStars Live League, which awards points across High, Medium and Low leaderboard tiers. PokerStars said players are competing for a share of €157,500 in PokerStars LIVE event credit, with the top 30 players in each tier qualifying for a €100,000 freeroll at the first European Poker Tour festival of 2027.
The post PokerStars Open Namur returns May 27 with €1m guaranteed Main Event appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Season 3 runs weekly on PokerStars’ YouTube channel through June 14 and includes a $50,000 staked ‘Loose Cannon’ amateur spot.
PokerStars will launch a new run of PokerStars Big Game on Tour episodes on May 17, with Jason Koon, Shaun Deeb and Matt Berkey set to headline the line-up. The series will air on the PokerStars YouTube channel, with weekly episodes through June 14.
The cast for the new instalment also includes MMA fighter Sean O’Malley and high-stakes cash game player Randy ‘3Coin’ Sadler, according to the company. The episodes follow the Big Game format, featuring No Limit Hold’em cash game play.
PokerStars said the season’s ‘Loose Cannon’ will be Canadian operations manager Andy Taylor, who will be staked $50,000 and will keep any profit made at the table. The company described Taylor as running a property maintenance company and, with his wife, a non-for-profit organisation focused on supporting young athletes in Toronto.
A teaser for the new episodes aired during the livestream of the €100,000 High Rollers Invitational at PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo, which featured Koon. PokerStars noted Koon “took home €1,000,000” from the event.
Release schedule: May 17 (Episode 1), May 24 (Episode 2), May 31 (Episode 3), June 7 (Episode 4), and June 14 (Episode 5).
The post PokerStars Big Game on Tour returns May 17 with Koon, Deeb and Berkey appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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Jason Koon, Shaun Deeb, and Matt Berkey Headline New Instalment of PokerStars Big Game on Tour
Poker’s most thrilling televised cash game, PokerStars Big Game on Tour, will return on May 17 with a brand-new set of episodes featuring a stellar line-up headlined by PokerStars Ambassador and number three in the all-time poker money list Jason Koon, reigning two-time World Series of Poker Player of the Year Shaun Deeb, and American high-stakes poker pro and coach Matt Berkey.
MMA Fighter and poker enthusiast Sean O’Malley, and well-known high stakes cash game player and businessman Randy ‘3Coin’ Sadler complete the line-up, who will take to the felt against the ‘Loose Cannon’ to win big.
As always, each episode will showcase high stakes No Limit Hold’em cash game action in the beloved Big Game format, where one amateur player or ‘Loose Cannon’ is staked $50,000 and gets to keep any profit they make at the table.
Canadian Operations Manager Andy Taylor will shake up the felt as the ‘Loose Cannon’ hoping to beat the pros. Andy runs a property maintenance company as his main job and, alongside his wife, runs a non-for-profit organisation aimed at improving the skillset and mindset of young athletes across Toronto.
The teaser for the new Big Game episodes was aired during the live stream of the €100,000 High Rollers Invitational at PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo, featuring Big Game player Jason Koon. Koon took home €1,000,000 after topping a field of some of the best in the world.
The first Big Game episode will air on PokerStars YouTube channel on May 17, with new episodes airing weekly and culminating on June 14.
- Sunday, May 17 – BGOT Season 3 Episode 1
- Sunday, May 24 – BGOT Season 3 Episode 2
- Sunday, May 31 – BGOT Season 3 Episode 3
- Sunday, June 7 – BGOT Season 3 Episode 4
- Sunday, June 14 – BGOT Season 3 Episode 5
The post Jason Koon, Shaun Deeb, and Matt Berkey Headline New Instalment of PokerStars Big Game on Tour appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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