Earl Burton

It may be early, but it appears that Jesse Lonis’ dominance in 2025 will continue into 2026. After Day One of Event #1 of the 2026 PokerGO Tour Last Chance Series, Lonis is the overwhelming leader at the final table. How “overwhelming?” Lonis holds more than three million chips more than Poker Hall of Famer…

The confetti has been swept, the champagne flutes have been carefully washed and put away, and the revelry of another New Year’s celebration has come to a close. With the calendar turning to 2026, however, we must reflect on a subject that seems to have gone quiet, even in our own professional area: the demise…

When we recapped the races in the two Player of the Year battles on CardPlayer Magazine and with the Global Poker Index, we left off the one battle remaining. The fight for the PokerGO Tour Championship will not conclude until the start of 2026, with a “Last Chance” Series leading up to the 2026 PGT…

After twelve months of combat on the baize around the world, you would think that there would be some consensus regarding the two Player of the Year races. Alas, that might be a hope that will never come to pass. For 2025, the two major POY countdowns – CardPlayer Magazine and the Global Poker Index…

It is another holiday season here at Poker News Daily and, as has been tradition since the mid-Aughts, we are once again issuing our remembrances of Christmas’ past. We’ve often thought about changing the names to update this timeless classic, but it just sounds better with the legendary names from the past. So, with apologies…

Wrapping up their 2025 tournament poker season at Wynn Las Vegas, the World Poker Tour held two events to crown their season-ending champions. On the WPT Prime Championship on Saturday, a four-hour battle was highlighted by a run from the bottom of the standings. Sunday would see the crowning of the WPT World Championship in…

The World Poker Tour is finalizing its 2025 season with the 2025 WPT World Championship festival. Over the past couple of weeks, players have come out in droves to Wynn Las Vegas to put their impressions on the WPT for 2025, and this weekend they will crown champions across two of their entities. On Saturday,…

In what would turn out to be an actual “battle of the ages,” the youngest player at the final table of the 2025 WSOP Super Main Event was able to outlast the oldest player on the felt. 27-year-old Bernhard Binder defeated the start-of-day chip leader, 78-year-old Jean-Noel Thorel, in what was a thrilling heads-up battle.…

It has been a weeklong run to reach the final eight of the $25,000 2025 WSOP Super Main Event, but the members of that table are now set. It is an international final table featuring players from six countries (the U.S. is the only one with more than one player, at three). Leading the way…

Over the weekend, the World Poker Tour continued the celebration of its 2025 season by playing through three Day Ones of the 2025 WPT World Championship. While the prize pool might not be as eye-watering as those in other locales, the players didn’t seem to care as they built nearly a $20 million prize pool.…

The 2025 World Series of Poker Paradise, currently underway at Atlantis in the Bahamas, has become notable this year, and it can be debated whether it is a good thing or a blight on poker. The $60 million guaranteed Super Main Event, with a $25,000 buy-in, has drawn the lion’s share of attention, rather than…

While some eyes may be paying attention to the action going on in the Bahamas, there is some great poker action going on in Las Vegas right now. The World Poker Tour has laid anchor at Wynn Las Vegas for its own poker festival, kicked off by the WPT Prime Championship. After three Day Ones…

Most people go to the Bahamas for the sunshine and warm temperatures, especially this time of year. For poker denizens, however, they are in the Bahamas to try to take their share of the millions of dollars offered by the World Series of Poker. The 2025 WSOP Paradise is in full swing with several events…

It has been a long year on the tournament poker circuit. There have been some tremendous highlights (here’s looking at you, Michael Mizrachi!) and some questionable conduct by others (the less “table talk,” the better). But now it comes down to three different tournaments battling for the eyes – and wallets – of the tournament…

While the uninitiated might think of poker as just “playing cards,” for many it is a game of warfare that demands strategic thinking. Some tomes discuss optimal strategies, but few address chip usage. A new trend in tournament poker is sparking discussion, to the point that it could come up at the 2026 meeting of…

It has become one of the most controversial gambling scandals in professional sports. A Basketball Hall of Famer, former World Champion, and respected commentator and coach, charged with money laundering and wire fraud amid involvement with alleged organized crime figures in a scam that involved millions of dollars and an elaborate cheating scheme. Facing all…

We have come a long way from January in the different Player of the Year races. Everyone started 2025 with visions of it being “their” year. Many of those dreams have gone up in smoke, but some will have a pathway to either the CardPlayer Magazine, Global Poker Index, or PokerGO Tour Player of the…

This afternoon, the poker community learned of the passing of one of its legends, and it was not a person who ever picked up a chip. Noted photographer Ulvis Alberts, whose iconic portrait-style photographs of poker’s greatest players and other celebrities are renowned worldwide, passed away from undisclosed causes. Alberts was eighty-three years old. “A…

Many endeavors strive to salute the best of their industry. From the Grammys (music) to the Oscars, Emmys, and Tonys (acting in film, television, and theater) to other more mundane efforts, there is a place for honoring the best in your business. In the world of poker, that salute to excellence will come to an…