Poker rooms returning to Hollywood casinos, Daniel Negreanu celebrates a milestone, and Allen Kessler striking it big are the short stacks CardsChat picked up in its latest orbit of poker news.
Kid no more
Want to feel old? Say Happy Birthday to Daniel Negreanu, who hit the half-century mark on Friday, July 26. That’s right, “Kid Poker” is now 50-freakin-years-old.
Negreanu haș been part of the poker consciousness since he won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 1998. Since then, he’s become the WSOP’s all-time earnings leader with $23,421,610, added six more bracelets, including his most recent victory in the 2024 $50,000 Poker Players Championship, won two World Poker Tour events, and was inducted in the Poker Hall of Fame in 2014.
But that’s just what he’s done on the table. Negreanu is a prolific vlogger and media darling who consistently reaches out to his fans by giving them access to his life as a poker player. He’s a true poker ambassador.
Happy birthday, Daniel. Here’s to another 50!
Allen Kessler hits huge jackpot
Poker player and notorious nit Allen Kessler hit a $1.2 million jackpot at Thunder Valley Casino in California yesterday.
Kessler, who chatted with CardsChat about his poker life and also his slots and comps prowess, popped the jackpot on a bison machine, which is a favorite among the poker degenerates.
Know as a bit of a curmudgeon, often taking to social media to complain about everything from tournament structures to casino comps to bad beats, he has been playing poker for more than 40 years. One of the tightest players on the tour, he’s yet to win a bracelet despite cashing 251 times for $2.3 million in WSOP events.
He does have four WSOP Circuit rings, his most recent coming last August in a $400 Stud 8/ Omaha 8 event at Graton Casino for $6,314.
His tight image has given him the ironic nickname “chainsaw,” which — as you could see by the t-shit he’s wearing — he’s embraced. Congrats Allen!
Poker Returns to Hollywood Casinos
Poker has returned to two Hollywood casinos.
Hollywood Casino in Bangor, Maine reopened its four-table poker room in mid-July. The room has been shuttered since the COVID disaster messed everything up. Hollywood Casino Bangor’s director of marketing Alton Buzzell was thrilled with the decision.
“It’s gratifying, right?” Buzzell told WABI. “We want to be an entertainment destination for folks. We want people to think of Hollywood Casino as their spot for quality entertainment. Poker is yet another option for them. A lot of folks really enjoy poker, myself included. We’ve spent a lot of time trying to be thoughtful and to make sure that we’re providing the amenities and the atmosphere for players to come and have a blast.”
And in Pennsylvania, Hollywood Casino at Penn National Racetrack, just north of Harrisburg, will celebrate its official reopen Aug. 1. The room was also shuttered thanks to COVID.
The 11-table room had a soft-open on July 12. Located between racetrack entrance and the food court, cash games will be spread with a tournament schedule to be added later.
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