Canadian poker champion Gavin Smith passed away in his sleep last night. News of the loss came today from his home in Houston. He was 50 years old. There were very few details given about the circumstances of his death. Smith, born September 4, 1968, rose to poker prominence during the online poker boom several years ago. He went by the nickname “birdguts” and finished his poker career with more than $5.5 million in live tournament earnings. His last cash came in July of 2018, when he finished 823rd in a $365 no-limit hold’em event at the WSOP. For more…

An online poker bill in New York is back for the New Year, as State Senator Joseph Addabbo is pushing new efforts forward. The new bid to legalize online poker will also block any company involved in the US iGaming market after December 31, 2006. The newly-appointed chair of the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee has filed Senate Bill 18, which aims to allow all those aged 21 and above to play poker online. S00018 looks to issue up to 11 online poker licenses, with only licensed video lottery gaming facilities and Class III (tribal) gaming licensees eligible. Each…

As the year closes, we can see a number of poker news stories made attention-grabbing headlines in 2018. However, just like we did last year, US Poker has boiled it down to an easily digestible top five, aimed at pleasing your poker palate. Here’s US Poker’s Top 5 Biggest Poker Stories of 2018, starting with number five,the launch of shared liquidity. Considering May 1, 2018 marked the biggest day for online poker since Black Friday, this story should have been higher up on this list. It was the day tri-state shared liquidity launched. The day the pooling of players from…

Year after year, New York online poker keeps getting pushed back. The state’s inability to pass an online gaming bill has been vexing. Legislation has breezed through the NY Senate on multiple occasions, only to run into an invisible brick wall in the lower chamber. Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, the key lawmaker on gaming issues, has offered a carousel of excuses to explain the Assembly’s inaction. With the state poised to take on sports betting in 2019, online poker will almost certainly get another look. Just don’t expect the two issues to commingle. That’s something Pretlow is not a fan of…

The Stars Group has entered into an agreement with Reno-headquartered casino operator Eldorado Resorts to gain access to 11 US states. That means PokerStars US expansion could hit 13 states in total when coupled with it’s operation in New Jersey and pending launch in the Pennsylvania online poker market. The agreement grants PokerStars operator, The Stars Group, the option to launch online sports betting, poker and casino in states where Eldorado currently owns or operates casino properties. This provides the operator with a route into Nevada, Mississippi and West Virginia, three states in which sports betting regulations have already been…

The long awaited dream of PokerStars in Pennsylvania is finally becoming a reality! The Gaming Control Board signed off on two more interactive gaming petitions during a Wednesday meeting in Harrisburg, and PokerStars is one of them. PokerStars received authorization to offer its full suite of online gambling products, while with Mohegan Sun Pocono is also conditionally approved for online slots and table games. Mohegan withdrew the poker portion of its application. PokerStars’ parent company The Stars Group will serve Pennsylvania under the license of Mount Airy. The two first disclosed their relationship in August, also confirming plans to offer…