David Chino Rheem emerged victorious at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event last night, taking the title and $1,567,100 after eliminating all five of his final table adversaries.

Rheem broke through the $10million tournament winnings mark with his emphatic victory, his second biggest ever payday and his fifth 7-figure score of a career that now stretches over a decade and a half.

The final 6 was all that was left of an 865-entry field who started out five days ago at the Atlantis resort, but no-one could match Rheem as he joked and powered his way through the opposition, Brian Altman first to fall as he ran into Rheem’s pocket queens.

Highstakes cash game pro Vicent Bosca was next to bust, quite some time later, failing to hit his numerous draws after Rheem had cheekily put him all-in with bottom pair, and when Ukrainian Pavel Veksler lost a race we were down to just three.

Of the trio, Scott Wellenbach has been much in the news this week, his plan to donate most of his winnings to charity very much a feel-good story for the ages. His $671,240 cash when he fell in 3rd spot may well be the biggest-ever donation from a poker player in the history of the game.

It was another, less even, race that brought Rheem the title when his pocket fives held up against Daniel Strelitz’s Ace-deuce, and as he told PokerNews afterwards: “Things just went my way. Nature ran its course and obviously, it was fun.”

He added: “It’s an honor. I’m very grateful to even have the opportunity to come here and play, and I’m blessed to be able to win it.”

Final results

According to a record by Wired, the same modern technology utilized to develop Libratus is now being gotten by the United States Military “in support of” the Pentagon’s Defense Development System.

Libratus Creator Lands Military Contract

Opportunities are that army leaders aren’t also anxious about being able to beat other countries on the poker really felt. Yet there are numerous applications for AI that can work its way around situations where each side only has incomplete details, aiding commanders make much better decisions despite the haze of battle.

Libratus was created by a team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, led by professor Tuomas Sandholm. In 2018, Sandholm developed a start-up company called Method Robot that would adapt Libratus for army usage, such as in simulations and war games.

Apparently, the armed forces revealed interest, as Wired discovered public documents that revealed Technique Robot got a two-year agreement worth as much as $10 million from the US Military.

Neither the Military neither the Protection Technology Unit discussed the Wired item. However, Sandholm suggested that the technology that enabled Libratus to stand out at no-limit hold ’em can also assist the army in workouts, where the present standard is only to examine a minimal number of approaches for both sides.

“That opens yourself up to a lot of exploitation,” Sandholm told Wired, “because the real adversary may not play according to your assumptions.”

Game Domination Could Lead to Real World Applications

Libratus scored its overwhelming victory over heads-up pros Jason Les, Dong Kim, Jimmy Chou, and Daniel McAulay back in January of 2017. Throughout 120,000 hands, it completed a mixed $1,766,250 ahead of the 4 people– none of whom shed any type of actual cash, as play money was made use of for the competition.

“I didn’t realize how good it was until today,” Kim said at the time. “I felt like I was playing against someone who was cheating, like it could see my cards. I’m not accusing it of cheating. It was just that good.”

The crucial triumph comes with a time when computers are verifying above people in a wide variety of video games. Google’s AlphaGo confirmed better than the globe’s finest go players by 2016, while their later formula, AlphaZero, had the ability to defeat the previous ideal programs in chess, go, as well as shogi (Japanese chess) less than 24-hour after being instructed the regulations of the game.

Those results are all exceptionally impressive, adequate to ensure that many think it’s time to start seeing comparable advancements in even more functional applications.

“It really is time to try this in some more real domains,” University of Michigan professor Michael Willman told Wired. “The breakthrough in poker was just so striking, and things are going quickly with other games.”

Thomas Hofmann has been crowned the WPTDeepStacks Berlin EUR1,200 Centerpiece champ after he came through a 645 player-field at the Spielbank Casino site.

Hofmann defeated Eldaras Rafijevas heads-up for the win after a tense as well as well-battled heads-up suit.

Today’s last day of activity covered 4 days of Centerpiece poker, which accompanied a complete event of occasions running over 5 days in Berlin, including High Roller as well as Ladies occasions. The Centerpiece featured a EUR500,000 assured prize pool, however that target was shattered with the last number set at EUR688,215.

Twenty-seven players returned for the last day all with the hope of safeguarding the EUR129,510 first-place prize as well as the EUR2,000 WPTDS season-ending bundle.

Talking after his win, Hofmann was taken aback by the triumph.

“I feel great,” he said.

“Wow!” he added after stopping briefly to let the moment sink in as well as take a look at his winning hand.

Hofmann mentioned how he took time away from his service as a Telecommunications Designer in his home nation of Switzerland to be in Berlin and claimed he intended to go back to the Spielbank for the WPTDeepStacks having experienced the event for the first time in 2018.

Hofmann included that he intends to participate in WPT Barcelona in March, as well as will certainly currently have an eye on the whole WPT timetable and want to take a prospective chance at the WPTDS Europe POY Leaderboard and also the EUR10,000 first-place reward.

Day 3 left to a rapid start with Bachir Ouail exiting within the initial couple of hands, complied with by Amit Cohen not long after. The bust-outs remained to come thick and also quick with Milad Sheva, Martin Schneider, Maciej Rogacki, Michal Lubas, Halil Coknez and Pavle Nikolic all striking the rail within the very first 90 mins of play.

Jonas Lechner and preferred German player Wilhelm Breuer were next to leave prior to Tomasz Brzezinski’s removal in 17th location led the way for the last two tables revise.

Michael Pedersen and also Lukas Soucek after that took 16th and 15th area specifically before start-of-day chip leader Andreas Mitsch (visualized left listed below) survived on the river versus Patrick Kubat.

Mitsch was all in on the ace-three-nine flop and also had been called by Kubat holding king-nine and the flush draw. The king on the turn placed Kubat right into the lead and Mitsch remained in genuine threat of leaving. But the three on the river boosted his hand to 2 set and provided him a lifeline.

The rate once more picked up with Leonardo Armino as well as Adrien Garrigues experiencing the exact same fate at the hands of Eldaras Rafijevas. Brief stack Armino was done in with king-queen, and also Garriques reshoved over the top adhering to Rafijevas’ open and was called. Armin held king-queen, Garrigues pocket kings as well as Rafijevas was in a dream situation with pocket aces and held to rack up the double ko.

Vitali Zerf(12th) as well as Yehia Said (11th) were following out the event location prior to Albert Hoekendijk (envisioned standing listed below) ran pocket 8s right into pocket nines preflop and missed out on an area at the last table.

The last table got underway after the Tournament Supervisor invited the players and eventually Brian Cornell, who started the day second in chips, went to the payment workdesk. Cornell held pocket 10s and remained in a traditional race versus Wojciech Wyrebski’s ace-king. Cornell saw his competition ended after Wyrebski hit a wheel on the turn and left in 9th place for EUR12,560.

Brief stack Thorsten Fleischhut was alongside leave in 8th place for EUR15,905 before Wojciech Wyrebski run pertained to an end in 7th area for EUR20,380 when his pocket queens were fractured by ace-ten on the river after Eldaras Rafijevas struck two set.

Mitsch was then able to ladder as much as 6th area for EUR26,425 adhering to the miracle river he obtained with 14 players continuing to be.

Alexandru Cinca (imagined below) saw all his chips move in Rafijevas’ direction after he shed a flip versus the chip leader and also departed in fifth place for EUR34,660.

In 4th area for EUR45,985 was Sebastian Trisch after his all in from the small blind for 9 huge blinds with ten-five was snap-called by Patrick Kubat holding king-queen.

Kubat was the clear brief pile three-handed, as well as in spite of finding a double up versus Hofmann, he was not able to survive as well as departed in third for EUR61,700 when his all-in with ace-six from the button was called by that male Rafijevas, this time around holding pocket nines.

When heads-up obtained underway, Hoffman held the benefit with 12,000,000 to Rafijevas’ 7,000,000. It was a strained affair, as well as Rafijevas pulled the heaps degree, but Hofmann was persistent and carved away at Rafijevas’ stack for an hour.

In the last hand, Rafijevas relocated all with pocket 3s and also was called by Hofmann holding ace-jack. An ace appeared on the flop to give Hofmann one hand on the prize, and although Rafijevas picked up a wheel draw on the turn, it wasn’t to be for the Lithuanian, as well as he left as runner-up for EUR83,720, which left Hofmann to assert the WPTDeepStacks Berlin Main Event title.

WPTDeepStacks Thunder Valley Final Table Results:

1st: Thomas Hofmann – €129,510 + €2,000 WPT season-ending package
2nd: Eldaras Rafijevas – €83,720
3rd: Patrick Kubat – €61,700
4th: Sebastian Trisch – €45,985
5th: Alexandru Cinca – €34,660
6th: Andreas Mitsch – €26,425
7th: Wojciech Wyrebski – €20,380
8th: Thorsten Fleischhut – €15,905
9th: Brian Cornell – €12,560

The buy-in for the WPT Gardens may be $10,000, but Nicole Schwartz brings a chip stack into Day 2 after qualifying for the event by winning a $100 charity event.

The Gardens hosted a charity poker event on Jan 12 to benefit Breast Cancer Angels, an organization that provides housing assistance, transportation, food, utility payments, social worker services, and more for those going through treatment. The event raised more than $10,000 and awarded a buy-in to the winner with Schwartz coming out on top.

“That was fun to play,” she says of the event. “I feel like because it was only $100 and it went for a good cause, everyone was just happy to be there. It was a fun tournament and everyone was talking.”

Cocktails were served, but Schwartz didn’t imbibe, possibly to her benefit. With some nice play and a nice run of cards, Schwartz was able to parlay only two buy-ins into the title without even an add-on.

“The cards just fell in the right place and I won every toss-up hand,” she says. “I didn’t take the add-on because at that point I was like, ‘I have no chips, this is silly. I’m never going to win this.’”

Instead, just before the break she went all in and lost that hand. She went fired an additional bullet for a total of $200 and that was it. When the tournament restarted, she rallied and took home the WPT Gardens buy-in.

“It was very exciting,” she says. “I never thought I was going to win. I’ve played in events that have $1,000 buy-ins but never $10,000.”

Schwartz and her husband have two children, and she plays poker a couple times a month here at the Gardens recreationally. The $3-$5 No Limit Hold’em game is her usual stakes at the property.

While she plays cash games more, Schwartz is no stranger to poker success and has more than $35,000 in live tournament winnings. The 37-year-old from Wilmington, Delaware, scored her second cash in the World Series of Poker Ladies Championship last summer, finishing 44th out of 718 players for $2,647. She notched the biggest cash of her career in 2016 in the same event for $13,443.

“I would love to play more tournaments, but it’s just time-consuming,” she says.

Schwartz was taught the game by her father and feels like she’s always been playing. Her dad pitched in on Day 1 bringing her food and talking strategy and about hands on breaks.

While she normally doesn’t play tournaments, Schwartz is giving it her best shot. Day 2, began with a bit of a roller coaster. She entered with a stack of about 30,500 but quickly dropped to 8,000. But then just as quickly spun that back up to 30,000 again and by the first break in the day was up to 68,000.

“I’m doing okay,” she said. “These are some really tough players.”

Her Day 1 table serves as an example of that assessment. Schwartz was at the same table as 2018 Main Event winner John Cynn. What was it like playing with the champ?

“He’s actually very nice,” she says and notes that she even won a few pots off of him. “That was very exciting. I don’t normally get to play against players at that level.”

With some sharp play and a little luck, Schwarz is hoping to work her way into Day 3 and continue her tournament heater.

Partypoker is bidding to improve its links with the poker community and become the industries top operator by creating a representative body known as the Player Panel.

Announced on January 11, the new group will feature some of the game’s most respected pros and act as an intermediary between the average player and upper management at Partypoker HQ.

Alongside industry veteran Mike Sexton, the newly formed Player Panel will consist of Isaac Haxton, Fedor Holz, Jason Koon, Patrick Leonard, Sam Trickett and Joao Simao.

Open Ear Policy at Partypoker

In seeking to improve “two-way communication with the poker community,” the panel of players will advise executives on policy changes relating to the operator’s live and online products.

By giving its pros and, in turn, online players a voice, the operator is expanding on an idea first touted by John Duthie. Following his appointment as president of Partypoker Live, the European Poker Tour (EPT) founder vowed to create a less corporate-focused structure and listen to players.

At the time, the move was seen as a response to the backlash from some players regarding changes to PokerStars’ live tournament schedule. Recounting the early days of the EPT, Duthie believes player-friendly dynamics are crucial to any tournament series’ success.

The Englishman has since employed this ethos to the company’s Live series and achieved a number of firsts. As well as bourgeoning offline fields, the 2018 Millions Online became the richest online MTT in history.

Player-Friendly Approach to Remove Road Blocks

This open-ear policy is now being adopted across Partypoker in the hope that it can improve conditions for players and, moreover, capitalize on its recent success.

With PokerStars’ hold over the industry not as strong as it once was, Partypoker has become its main rival. Although not without its faults, the operator has managed to match PokerStars in terms of added value and prizepools in recent months.

As it stands, Partypoker’s seven-day average of 1,900 players is just under five times lower than PokerStars’ 9,600. However, with the introduction of a Player Panel, the operator will be looking to gain new insights into what players want and use that to their advantage in 2019.

When is a single day event not a single day event? When they switch the lights out on the poker room and tell you to come back another day! Not that Sean Winter will mind, having returned two days later to finish his heads-up battle with David Peters and walking off with $495,210

By: Andrew Burnett

The $25,000 buy-in Single-Day High Roller at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure had attracted 75 entries, 50 of them unique and the other third second bullets, with the usual suspects of the highstakes tournament game showing up:

Steve O’Dwyer, Jason Koon, Cary Katz, ‘the Germans’ out in force again – Kempe, Sontheimer, Loeser, Aldemir and Schemion all in the mix – with Justin Bonomo and Alex Foxen in there too. Also ponying up the $25k were former WSOP Main Event champs Joe McKeehen and Joe Cada.

Of all these stellar players, only Kempe, Foxen and O’Dwyer would make the money – 11 spots paid and a good mix of nationalities at the final table to make things interesting. Hong Kong’s Stanley Choi was an unexpected name, and he eventually finished 7th while England’s Jack Salter took an excellent 3rd place and $230,500 for his troubles.

The heads-up finale had to wait a couple of days as mentioned, but when they finally returned it took only 3 hands for Winter to close things out, Peters check-calling all the way with 72 offsuit only to find himself outdone by Winter’s rivered two pair.

Final results

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce is utilized to listening to a lots of trash talk on the basketball court, however he obtained an unanticipated earful from a widely known poker pro while contending in the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) in the Bahamas this week.

The 2008 NBA champ hung up his sneakers in 2017, as well as playing poker is obviously component of his retirement. Pierce was just one of 1,039 to take part in the $25,000 buy-in event which relocated into the last table phase on Thursday.

Pierce is no more eligible, as well as before getting jumped from the event, he had to hear it from Mustafa Kanit, the Italian high-stakes pro that’s not normally recognized for his flamboyant table talk.

Trash Talking The Truth

Prior to we reveal you the clip, a bit of context– ahead of the hand going down, Pierce was having a little enjoyable with Kanit. The male known as “The Truth” during his having fun days was literally dancing around the table after getting his pocket queens done in against Kanit’s pocket kings and also increasing a queen.

However, Kanit would certainly have the last laugh, bouncing Pierce create the event on this hand a short time later on.

If you missed yesterday's #PSPC cards-up coverage, you missed @Mustacchione's and @paulpierce34's burgeoning bromance…until Kanit busted the NBA star.
Now, it's time for the @phil_hellmuth show, watch Day 2 coverage at: https://t.co/ZarB0RN21O or https://t.co/OsOSTzkdg9 pic.twitter.com/Cf9L3WRdlB

— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) January 7, 2019

“Who’s the truth now?” the Italian asks with a friendly laugh after his getting his pocket jacks all in against Pierce’s ace-queen and hitting a jack on the flop.

It was all in enjoyable, however, as Pierce had a good poke fun at Kanit’s trash talk as well as provided him a high 5 before exiting the phase.

“I ain’t heartbroken,” Pierce said to Pokerstars.com. “I had fun.”

Polarized Results

Pierce was one of numerous athletes and also celebs to participate in the tournament, including golfer Sergio Garcia, skateboarder Tony Hawk, and also previous Super Dish champ Richard Seymour.

The former Celtic is not new to poker, although he has yet to make his mark on the game. Pierce took part in the 2014 World Series of Poker (WSOP), but he didn’t cash, and he has no Hendon Mob results to his name.

Kanit, at the same time, is number one on Italy’s all-time money listing with $11.4 million in life time earnings. While he finished 56th for $56,800 in the PSPC Main Event, he took 2nd location in the $10,000 High Roller Event in the Bahamas for a $271,000 pay day.