Information: The most important poker tales of 2020
A controversial signing, a shock lawsuit and the passing of a poker legend get us began on maybe the craziest 12 months poker has seen.
2020 was a loopy 12 months, a lot in order that we might have simply made this a High 30 tales. We needed to miss off a lot of massive tales together with Negreanu getting banned from Twitch, Mike McDonald’s basketball wager, the passing of Kenny Rogers, the Daniel Cates ghosting story and the event that paid out in treasured metals. Listed here are the ten largest tales of 2020 as we noticed it:
10. The Actual-Time Help controversy
So long as there was on-line poker there was anxiousness about bots destroying the sport, however 2020 introduced an actual existential disaster for poker.
The prevalence of Actual Time Help software program (RTAs) was dropped at gentle in 2020 when Fedor Kruse was alleged to have used a ‘dream machine’ of presolved arms.
RTAs don’t unfairly affect the motion itself however they do present an in depth approximation of what the GTO line might be in some spots.
How poker offers with one thing like this continues to be debated, with all the things from monitoring mouse actions to banning preflop charts being proposed.
GGPoker triggered headlines on this space after they banned 40 accounts they believed have been utilizing RTAs.
9. Mike Sexton passing
Sadly we lose fashionable poker gamers yearly, such is life, however poker was dealt an actual blow in 2020 when Mike Sexton handed away.
He was thought of universally as the best ambassador the sport has ever seen in addition to a prime participant.
Certainly he performed a pivotal position in each televised poker and the rise of on-line poker, a key determine behind the scenes at each partypoker and the World Poker Tour.
He’ll principally be remembered for being a form a lot liked man, as the various tributes to him have proven.
8. Galfond’s comeback
One of many feelgood tales of the 12 months (if you’re not VeniVidi1993) was the Rocky-esque comeback staged by Phil Galfond in his first excessive stakes PLO problem.
At no level was he forward within the problem, and he virtually purchased out, till the ultimate 73 arms of the 25,000 hand problem. He ended up up by €1,671 after being down over €900,000 at one level.
He additionally gained a €100,000 aspect wager and over 22,000 individuals tuned in to look at the ultimate arms of the problem – a rarity for PLO.
The monumental hand… @PhilGalfond has comeback from his €900k deficit and is now within the GREEN! 📉📈#GalfondChallenge #BigPots pic.twitter.com/tVOpnXLZfd
— Run It As soon as Poker (@RunItOncePoker) April 2, 2020
7. Mike Postle sues the poker world
No one actually thought we’d hear a lot from Mike Postle in 2020, particularly after the court docket case in opposition to him was dismissed.
First Stones Playing Corridor TD Justin Kuraitis didn’t win any buddies when he broke his silence on the case then Postle shocked the world by suing each excessive profile participant who accused him of dishonest.
That included Veronica Brill, Joe Ingram, Haralabos Voulgaris, Daniel Negreanu, Doug Polk, Bart Hanson, Jonathan Little, Phil Galfond, Todd Witteles, PokerNews and ESPN.
Extra eyebrows have been raised when a documentary was greenlit to enter manufacturing that seems to be sympathetic to Postle.
On the time of writing it appears to be like just like the story will fizzle out as Postle’s personal authorized workforce have tried to drop their shopper, however who is aware of what 2021 will convey?
6. GGPoker signal Dan Bilzerian
GGPoker have performed quite a lot of implausible issues which you will note within the subsequent version of this 2020 round-up however the appointment of Dan Bilzerian as an envoy was not fashionable in poker circles.
He has a attain of tens of tens of millions on Instagram however his previous conduct with ladies, which it’s no stretch to say is poisonous, left most poker gamers feeling the location have been alienating the most important untapped market within the sport.
Certainly, his first social media submit associated to GGPoker noticed him abuse feminine poker participant Vanessa Kade, thus compounding the issue.
Bilzerian has attain, there isn’t any doubt, however this author thinks that the deal will show pricey for GGPoker a technique or one other in 2021.
Keep tuned for extra of the most important poker tales of 2020.
