Latest in Poker News: Record bad beats, WSOPC winner, and more!
Our quest to keep you updated on what’s new in poker and online poker news. This month, we’ve got a bad beat you’d love to take, the high school home game that welcomed a seasoned professional, a WSOPC event winner, and more.
Read on below to find out what headlines have our attention this month.
Poker News: September 2023 highlights
A record Bad Beat Jackpot hits at Playground Poker in Quebec for over $1M CAD
Hoan Truong might be the luckiest “unlucky” player ever. Whenever you land quads, you know that you’re trying to get all your chips in. It really doesn’t matter what your opponent could have – it’s a monster hand that is nearly impossible to lay down for most players. In fact, it can only be topped by a straight flush, the rarest and most unlikely of the high ranking hands in the game.
So, when Truong’s pocket tens quadded up with a board of 8d-Th-Td, he was probably only focused on containing his excitement that day at Playground Poker cardroom in Quebec. He was up against Marc Ouellon, who stayed in the hand for the turn of the 7d. At that point, the only possible hand that could top Truong was the straight flush. To hit that, Ouellon would have to hold the missing 6d9d to complete the straight flush on the board.
And after both players went all in on the river and flipped their cards, that’s exactly what he was holding.
But every cloud has its silver lining. The hand triggered the Bad Beat Jackpot, a progressive jackpot worth around $2.5M CAD. In this case, the jackpot could only be triggered if a poker player lost with quads or better. Truong, as the loser of the hand, won a 40% share of the total prize pool, which was around $1M CAD.
After that, almost everyone onsite got a piece of the pie. The winner of the hand took a share, the players seated at the table took shares, all players at the cardroom got some dough, and even the staff shared 5% of the pool. That’s a bad beat we’d be happy to suffer.
#2 – Player loses $20K by snap calling with 6 high
It seemed like a simple enough hand at Hustler Casino Live. After some preflop raising, a few players saw a board of T-5-9 rainbow dealt out. Most dropped after a half-pot bet by Dr. H, holding pocket queens. He got a call from San Man, playing out of position with 6-4 off. The turn came with another 5, prompting San Man to check, and then call another bet from Dr. H, prompting the announcers to say:
“What is going on here? Do we have San Man’s hand wrong?”
They did not. A jack came on the river. Dr. H kept up his simple aggression, and San Man happily went all in behind, putting a total of $20K of his chips into the pot over the hand. He flipped his cards and then quickly realized he didn’t have a five.
He had lost it all by misreading his hand. Perhaps it pays to recheck your cards when you’re getting involved in a big pot? You definitely want to pay close attention to your hole cards in a live game. Of course, at Ignition Casino, you’re always getting a full view of your hole cards.
#3 – Mark Barrientos wins the WSOPC Tulsa Main Event, earning over $126K
The WSOP you know. The WSOP-C, you might not. The “C” stands for Circuit, and it is comprised of a few dozen events at casinos mostly throughout the U.S. This tour crowns a number of champions at each event, and then allows these winners to enter a final Tournament of Champions once all events are complete.
Most recently, Mark Barrientos of Wichita took the top spot at the 2023 WSOPC Tulsa. He beat out Lionel Jiang, who came in second and earned a respectable $78,440. Buy ins were $1,700, so it’s quite a nice payday for Barrientos, who now has two winners’ rings. The next event in the tour is at Horseshoe Council Bluffs (Omaha/Iowa) in September.
#4 – Daniel Negreanu shows up at a high school home game
This is just so awesome. Negreanu was out walking his dogs when a local teen in a suit invited him to the teen’s last poker home game before he and his buddies shipped off to college. The Twitter (X) poll Negreanu posted wound up with 90% voting in favor of attending.
If Twitter decrees it, one must obey. Negreanu walked through the door with a tote full of hoodies and his trademark high spirits. He played cards and ended the night with an AK all in vs T-7, which he won. His winnings were immediately delivered back to the students, who were left with a legendary memory.
As 2013 WSOP Main Event champ Ryan Riess said, Negreanu is “The goat poker ambassador.”
Poker News at Ignition
What’s up for poker events and Ignition poker tournaments? We’re glad you asked.
Mad Monday in September dropped over $1.4M in prizes on our players. There were 16 numbered events, including $100 + 9 buy in Monster Stack (Event #6), a $7 + $.70 Micro Roller (#11), and a Main Event that had $125,000 guaranteed. Thank you to all who played!
We’re also running Triple Header Sundays, which, along with the NFL, will make your fall Sundays outstandingly exciting. Here’s the schedule for each Sunday:
- Warm up: $10K GTD – $10 + $1 buy in
- Kickoff: $75K GTD – $100 + $9 buy in
- Main Event: $150K GTD – $1000 + $55 buy in
Register up. Dollars are raining down at Ignition Casino.
Poker News: August 2023 highlights
Weinman Wins 2023 WSOP – $12.1M Prize
Daniel Weinman clinches $12.1 million at the 2023 World Series of Poker in a remarkable victory after years of dedication and near-misses.
Phil Hellmuth Defeated by “Dirty Diaper”
Poker legend Phil Hellmuth loses to Nicholas “Dirty Diaper” Rigby, known for unorthodox plays, in an exciting WSOP showdown.
Double Trouble for “the One”
Idan “the One” gets pocket kings twice but runs into aces both times, showcasing the unpredictable nature of poker.
Gao’s Bubble Begging Drama
Chinese player “Gao” pleads not to be raised on the bubble but survives despite an unconventional request.
Casino Lockbox Woes for Gorodinsky
Former WSOP Player of the Year Mike Gorodinsky finds his casino lockbox empty, highlighting the risks of leaving chips in such boxes.
Dwan’s PLO Pot Triumph
Tom Dwan cleans out Nik Airball in a high-stakes Pot Limit Omaha hand with skillful play.
WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas
The exciting WSOP Paradise event is set in the Bahamas with a $50 million prize pool and multiple enticing tournaments.
Poker Vlogger’s Unsettled $450,000 Loan
Ethan “Rampage” Yau, fresh from a big win, faces issues with a $450,000 loan that serves as a cautionary tale for poker players.