Highlighting the upcoming APT Manila Classic series will be the $1 million GTD main event, which is set to begin on February 9th with four flights and late registration open until the start of Day 2. Featuring PHP 60,000 ($1,000) buy-in, the tournament concludes on February 15th, crowning the first APT Main Event Champion of 2025. To the delight of players, the satellite buy-in for this much-awaited event starts at PHP 13k ($220).

Apart from the main event, the APT Manila Classic 2025 promises a lot of high-stakes action with daily High Roller tournaments. Besides, poker players can look forward to a variety of other exciting tournaments, including mixed-game events, mystery bounties, team events, double board PLO, Super Hold’em, and several other unique events. One of the key highlights of this festival is that there will be daily women’s events, as recently announced by APT via their X handle.

Daily Women’s Event at APT Manila Classic 2025

The Asian Poker Tour, well known as the biggest poker tour in Asia, saw an increasing number of women at the poker tables in 2024. In 2024, APT attracted 560 women to its tournaments, accounting for 8.6% of the tour’s total players—double the industry average of approximately 4%.

Women’s Events are crucial in honoring women’s passion and increasing their participation in the game. These events provide a safe and comfortable environment for women to compete and experience poker, and to encourage women to compete in other scheduled events. 

APT Manila Classic 2025 will feature daily women-only events with the first-day buy-in being PHP 3k (~$51). The crown jewel in the Women’s Events- The APT Women’s Championship – is set for February 12 and it features a buy-in of 30,000 (~$509). Both the Women’s Championship and the lineup of daily women’s events are exciting additions to the APT Manila Classic schedule.

APT Women’s Event History

Since 2011, the Asian Poker tour has hosted a minimum of one women’s event at every APT tour. In 2024, the APT Taipei Poker Classic featured three women’s events, and saw Taiwan’s Hsu Fei Hsuan winning the biggest event for $8,960, by far the biggest payday in women’s event in APT history. The largest APT Women’s Event to date took place at APT Taipei 2023, attracting an impressive field of 143 entrants. For the complete APT Manila Classic 2025 schedule, check out this link HERE.

Keep following PokerProNews for all the latest updates on live poker festivals across the world.

Source: Asian Poker Tour

The post APT Manila Classic 2025 To Feature Women’s Event Every Day first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

The biggest story of the week was that of Natural8 India’s mystery player ‘dontraiseplz’ who won INR 25.10 Lakhs for his runner-up finish in the Grand Prix Europe 125. Ashish Munot made waves by collecting a hefty INR 18.66 Lakhs from his deep runs in Winter Giveaway Grand Finale 250 and Hold’em Marathon. Here is a quick look at the single largest scores of the week. 

Rising Star ‘dontraiseplz’ – INR 25.10 Lakhs In Grand Prix Europe 125

While we saw several pros and rising stars shine on the virtual felts, the biggest story of the week was that of Natural8 India’s ‘dontraiseplz,’ who topped the weekly charts by finishing runner-up out of 1,809 entries in the Grand Prix Europe 125 on Sunday. He collected a jaw-dropping INR 25.10 Lakhs for remarkable performance in the tournament. This was the top score of this past week and the second biggest score on Natural8 India for ‘dontraiseplz’ who had finished runner-up in last month’s Bounty Hunters Main Event 54 for a staggering INR 46.67 Lakhs. This significant score not only made ‘dontraiseplz’  the Sunday’s top scorer but also highlighted his ability to thrive across high-stakes online poker tournaments.

Ashish Munot – INR 15.50 Lakh  In Winter Giveaway Grand Finale

Ashish Munot, one of India’s top MTT pros, has been making waves on Natural8 India and this past week was no exception. Known for his strategic brilliance and consistent performances on the poker felts, Munot kicked off the week in style, racking up INR 18.66 Lakhs his standout performance in the Winter Giveaway Grand Finale and Hold’em Marathon on Monday.

The 2019 WPT India Main Event champion and 2023 World Poker Championship High Roller winner picked up a hefty INR 15.50 Lakhs from a 15th-place finish in the Winter Giveaway Grand Finale and another INR 3.16 Lakhs for his victory in the Hold’em Marathon. Prior to these scores, Munot had won INR 8.86 Laksh for a 15th place in the Santas Secret KO 150. Just two weeks into 2025 and Munot has racked up over INR 29 Lakhs in winnings, solidifying his position as one of the top MTT pros in India.

Kritarth Pant Claims INR 8.53 Lakh For BSS SuperStack Victory

Following his recent Adda52 Millions victory, Kritarth Pant continued his hot streak and added another impressive title to his resume. The online MTT reg conquered a colossal field of 1,114 entries in PokerBaazi’s 50 Lakhs GTD BSS SuperStack, winning a career-best INR 8.36 Lakhs to feature among the top scorers this past week. Runner-up ‘lailaterilelegi’ walked away with INR 5.45 Lakhs, while Yash  Jaiswal rounded out the podium, finishing third for INR 3,89,900 in the Sunday 8PM marquee.

Other Prominent Winners

This past week also saw several other prominent winners, including Karan Pantola who took down PokerBaazi’s 50 Lakh GTD The Endeavour on Tuesday for INR 7.50 Lakhs. Vaibhav Temani shipped PokerBaazi’s 50 Lakhs GTD The Summit on Thursday, bagging a hefty INR 7.50 Lakhs, his biggest win of the year. Premnath Kasinathrao made a strong impression in Natural8 India’s LUCKY SEVENS Superstack Turbo77 to win INR 6.37 Lakh on Friday, while Aditya Singh emerged as Wednesday`s top scorer, winning PokerBaazi’s 30 Lakhs GTD The Pride for the third time and adding INR 5 Lakhs to his online poker resume. 

Keep following PokerProNews for the latest updates and news from the world of online poker.

Source: Natural8India, PokerBaazi and PokerGuru

The post Weekly Highlights: ‘dontraiseplz’ & Ashish Munot Make Waves On Virtual Felts first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

The €1,100 NLH WSOPC Main Rozvadov Event Quick Recap

The €1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em WSOPC Main Event drew an entry field of 1,110, creating a total prize pool of €1,037,850. Of the 1,110 entries, the top 143 players picked a piece from the $1 million prize pool.

Adrian Kazaku kicked off the final table as the chip leader, followed by Samuel Todisco in second place. Meanwhile, Elidan started his final table journey with the second smallest stack. 

The first player to head the rail was Oleh Okhotsky. With less than 2 BBs, Okhotsky went all-in with ace-ten of hearts and got called by the pocket kings of Todisco. The board ran in favor of Todisco, giving him a set to eliminate Okhotsky in 9th place for a €12,750 payday. Claudio Di Giacomo, a WSOP Europe regular, soon followed Okhotsky in 8th place, earning €16,300. 

Daniel Elayani was the next to fall at the table. He was short-stacked and jammed his remaining 8 BBs with king-three offsuit, Adrian Florin Bilan, holding ten-nine, called to see the flop. Bilan spiked his ten on the flop and kept the lead to send Elayani out in 7th place. Elayani collected €22,800 for his effort. 

Despite Todisco’s top-notch poker play at the table, he found himself the table short after running into the queens of Mattia Melideo with tens. He soon went all-in holding pocket sixes, and Elidan tank-called ace-queen. The board ran out Kh-Qd-Js-As-3d to end the tournament life of Todisco in 6th place. Todisco picked up €31,300 for his impressive run. 

After winning a small pot against Bilan with jacks, Elidan again found himself with pocket tens. Bilan had ace-king of clubs and he was looking to go big. Bilan from the button raise and Elidan from the small blind 3-bet. Bilan having one of the best hands in poker shows no sign of slowing, he 4-bet, and Elidan went all-in. He snapped to see a brickboard favoring Elidan. He earned €42,500 for his impressive 5th-place finish. 

A few hands later, Mattia Melideo opened-shove with ace-eight. William Adrian Kazaku called with his pocket eights. The board ran in favor of Kazaku, not improving Melideo’s hand. He was eliminated in 4th place, collecting €54,900. Rene Schnitzler was out in 3rd place after he ran into the jacks of Elidan with ace-five of hearts. The flop brought two hearts, giving Schnitzler a flush draw, which didn’t occur to send him out in 3rd for €73,200.

Heads-Up

Natanel Elidan started the heads-up play with 95 BBs against Kazaku’s 44 BBs. The heads-up play was long and grueling, lasting nearly two hours. Kazaku gave tough competition to the Israel player, reversing the chip lead role several times, but Elidan eventually took the lead before the final hand was dealt.

On the final hand of the tournament, Kazaku shoved with ten-four and got called by the pocket nines of Elidan. The board came out Td-3h-8s-4d-9s giving Elidan the coveted circuit ring and a staggering €172,000. Kazaku settled for €104,300 for his runner-up finish in the tournament. 

In addition to the payouts, all the top ten  finishers in this prestigious tournament received a 2025 WSOP Europe Main Event ticket, which will be held inside the King’s Resort. 

€1,100 No Limit Hold’em WSOPC Main Event Final Table Payouts

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Image Credit: WSOP & EuroRounders

Source: WSOP & EuroRounders

The post Natanel Elidan Claims The WSOPC Rozvadov Main Event Title  first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

Winning Poker Network which owns and operates Americas Cardroom and TruePoker.eu has to pay a massive €1,275,000 fine to KSA for allowing the Dutch residents to access its website TruePoker.eu and put money to play in tournaments and cash games. KSA’s internal investigation team found that WPN allows Netherlands users to create accounts and play on its website, without owning any license, which breaches the country’s gambling law. 

“A penalty payment order effectively removes illegal supply from the air quickly,” said Michel Groothuizen, chairperson of the KSA board. “However, these types of parties should not think that they will get off easy with this, so we also impose fines for the violation committed. In doing so, we hit them where it hurts, namely in their wallets.”

WPN wasn’t the only site that was fined a whooping million dollars, as it includes several other unlicensed gambling operators who were fined by the KSA after the implementation of a stricter iGaming regulatory framework in late 2021.

Not the First Time For Winning Poker Network

It wasn’t the first time for Winning Poker Network, as the operator has a history of breaching gambling laws. Back in 2023, the KSA sent a cease-and-desist order to WPN regarding financial penalties for offering unlicensed poker in the Netherlands. WPN withdrew its Americas Cardroom, but later investigators found TruePoker, a platform operated by WPN.

Three months later, the gaming authorities fined a maximum of €75,000 to WPN. Seeing the recent development, it seems WPN didn’t clear the fine, and continued offering unlicensed gambling to Netherlands users. 

Keep following PokerProNews for all the latest updates from the poker industry.  Follow us on our social media platforms –Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube for all the interesting stories and updates from the world of poker!

Source: Gambling Industry News

The post Winning Poker Network Fined €1.27M for Breaching Dutch Gambling Laws first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

Solicitor General N. Venkataraman, appearing for the GST department, argued that some of the GST notices were set to conclude by February and halting these proceedings at this stage could harm the government’s interests by delaying the collection of significant revenue. Following the argument, the court scheduled the hearing for March 18. Mr. Venkataraman also contended that 28% GST must apply to the total contest entry amount, taxing the entire prize pool. 

In response, the gaming companies argued that GST should be applied solely to their platform fees or commissions, rather than to the full face value of bets. They also emphasized that many of these games are based on skill rather than chance. The skill involved in these games distinguishes them from gambling activities, which are typically subject to higher tax rates.

Why Gaming Companies Went To SC?

In October 2023, the GST Council imposed a 28% tax on the full face value of bets placed on online gaming platforms. Gaming companies countered this, arguing that the tax should be levied on gross gaming revenue (GGR), rather than on the full face value. According to the gaming firms, taxing the full face value was excessive and could severely impact the industry. 

By the end of 2023, online gaming faced 71 notices alleging GST evasion of ₹1.12 lakh crore for 2022-23 and the first seven months of 2023-24. Issued under Section 74 of the GST Act, these notices allowed authorities to impose penalties of up to 100% of the tax demand, potentially raising the total liability to ₹2.3 lakh crore, including interest, as reported by Bar and Bench.

To challenge this decision, as many as 40 online gaming companies filed legal petitions with the Supreme Court, opposing the 28% GST tax on bets placed on their platforms. Their primary challenge is against the retrospective nature of the tax, which has been applied to transactions dating back to August 2017, even though the tax rate was introduced only in October 2023.

Gaming companies also linked the ongoing case involving Karnataka High Court ruling, which had set aside a ₹21,000 crore GST show cause notice. The court held that online or electronic Rummy, as played on the gaming platform Gameskraft, did not qualify as a betting or gambling activity and was therefore not subject to such taxation.

Online Gaming Industry Hails The Move By SC 

The industry has welcomed the stay decision. India’s leading gaming body, ‘E-Gaming Federation,” representing  online rummy and poker operators, hailed the move as a pivotal step for the growth of skill-based gaming within India’s digital economy. The Supreme Court’s order, issued on Friday, provides significant relief to the sector.

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The post Supreme Court Stays 28% GST Notices To Online Gaming Firms first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

Moonshine’s FY24 Performance: ₹415 Crore Revenue & 26% Profit

Moonshine Technology, the well-known company operating India’s top online gaming platforms such as PokerBaazi, SportsBaazi, and CardBazzi, reported an impressive 55% increase in operating revenue, reaching a massive ₹415 crores in FY24, up from ₹268 crores in FY23, according to the consolidated financial statements with the Registrar of Companies.

As per reports, Moonshine Technology‘s fees/service transaction fees paid by users were the sole source of revenue for the company. The firm reported a total income of ₹424 crore in FY24, up from ₹273 crore in FY23. This massive boost in income for FY24 also included ₹9 crore earned mainly from interest in bank deposits.

PokerBaazi Plays Key Role Contributing To 85% of Net Revenue

PokerBaazi, known as one of India’s top poker platforms, remains Moonshine Technology’s primary revenue stream, contributing over 85% of its net revenue. Besides PokerBaazi, SportsBaazi, the company’s fantasy sports platform, accounted for 12%. 

Moonshine Technology spent around 60% of its total expenses on advertising, and in FY24, these advertising costs increased significantly by 83%, rising to ₹232 crore compared to ₹127 crore in FY23. The company also worked towards its employees’ welfare, as employee salaries and benefits grew by 62% reaching ₹89 crore in FY24.

On top of this, Moonshine faced higher costs for services like payment gateways, maintaining its website and servers, verifying customers’ details, and legal services. These additional expenses contributed to a significant rise in the company’s overall spending, which increased by 55.6%, totaling ₹389 crore in FY24 compared to ₹250 crore in FY23.

The massive surge in scale and controlled spending helped the company to increase its profit by 26.3%, resulting in ₹24 crore in FY24, up from ₹19 crore in FY23. Moonshine recorded a return on capital employed (ROCE) of 20% and an EBITDA margin of 10.1%, respectively with an expense-to-earnings ratio of ₹0.94. As of FY24, its total current assets stood at ₹236 crore, including ₹196 crore in cash and bank balances.

Moreover, Mobile Premier League (MPL) also recorded a 22.2% growth in operational revenue, reaching ₹1,068 crore, while Dream11, Gameskraft, and A23 have not yet disclosed their financial results for the last fiscal year.

Keep following PokerProNews for all the latest updates from the Indian poker industry. Follow us on our social media platforms –Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube for all the interesting stories and updates from the world of poker!

Source: ENTRACKR

The post Moonshine Technology Boosts Revenue by 55% in FY24, PokerBaazi at the Helm first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

GGPoker Buys World Series of Poker In Historic $500 Million Deal 

This was undoubtedly the biggest story of 2024. In August, the US Casino operator Caesars Entertainment announced the sale of its iconic WSOP brand to NSUS Group Inc., the parent company of GGPoker. The deal was finalized for a historic $500 million, more than ten times Harrah’s paid out for the WSOP brand over the last two decades. This game-changing deal over the course of a five-year purchase. It included a $250 million cash transaction and a $250 million to be paid in the next five years. Despite the change in ownership, Caesars will continue to host the annual WSOP live series at its Las Vegas casinos for the next 20 years, ensuring that the iconic WSOP series remains at its traditional home.

GGPoker Teams Up With PokerArabia To Bring WSOP To the Middle East

A landmark partnership between GGPoker and PokerArabia marked another historic development in the poker industry. In August, GGPoker collaborated with Lebanese poker operator PokerArabia to migrate PokerArabia’s users in Lebanon to GGPoker’s global network. 

Launched alongside BetArabia in 2022, PokerArabia is the only government-licensed online poker room in the Middle East. This merger aims to provide Lebanese players with access to more games, larger tournaments, and bigger payouts. Check out the detailed story HERE!

PokerStars Inks Deal To Open Poker Room At Casinò di Campione

In a strategic move, PokerStars inked a deal with Italy’s Casinò di Campione spa – Società Benefit to set up a branded poker room and run live poker events at the casino. The online poker giant signed an agreement with Sisal, an Italian gaming operator, which is also part of Flutter – the parent company of PokerStars. The landmark deal took place in September, enabling PokerStars to open a poker room in Casino di Campione located in the Italian province of Como near Lake Lugano. The idea is to promote poker in Europe and expand poker’s global reach. 

Major Partnerships and Deals In The Indian Poker Industry

Over to India, we saw some milestone developments in India’s poker industry. Here is a quick look at the major poker partnerships and deals.

OneVerse Unveils $120M Investment Plan for M&A In RMG Sector

In a historic development for India’s poker industry in 2024, OneVerse, a leading player in the metaverse and gaming space,  unveiled a whopping $120 million investment plan for mergers and acquisitions (M & A) targeting major operators across poker, rummy and fantasy gaming. The company acquired several big poker platforms, including Spartan Poker, Calling Station, and PokerSaint, marking a new era for the Indian poker industry.

Nazara Makes Biggest Bet Of INR 982 Cr In Pokerbaazi’s Parent Company

Listed gaming company Nazara inked a landmark deal to acquire a 47.7% stake in Moonshine Technology, the parent company of online poker platform Pokerbaazi for a hefty INR 831.5 Crores. Of the INR 831.5 Crores, Nazara Technologies agreed to pay INR 592.26 Crores in cash and the remaining amount worth INR 239.25 Crores to pay via a share swap through issuance of fully paid-up equity shares of the company.

Besides the 831.5 Crores, Nazara Technologies’s board also agreed to an additional equity infusion of up to INR 150 Crores into MTPL through the issuance of compulsorily convertible preference shares (CCPS). The total investment is estimated to be a thousand crores with a staggering INR 982 crore investment – the biggest bet ever made by Nazara on any company.

WPT Global Sponsors Triton Poker’s SHR Series Marking New Era For High Stakes Poker

In a major development for the high-stakes poker scene in 2024, WPT Global partnered with Triton Poker as the official sponsor of the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series. The partnership marked a new era of growth for the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series. This aimed to provide their players with a pathway to Triton Poker events, hosting exclusive $25K buy-in  “WPT GLOBAL SLAM” at every Super High Roller Series stop.

The idea was to elevate the mind sport while welcoming new talent to shine and rise thereby expanding access to players across the globe.

Keep following PokerProNews for more such flashback stories of 2024. Follow us on our social media platforms –Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube for all the interesting stories and updates from the world of poker!

The post Game-Changing Poker Partnerships & Deals That Defined 2024 first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

This strategic acquisition is through PokerGO’s wholly owned subsidiary PokerGFX LLC. With the latest acquisition of the PokerGFX software platform, the streaming platform seeks to elevate fans’ viewing experience worldwide, with more improved graphics and statistical analysis. 

PokerGFX is a go-to name for real-time poker broadcasts, delivering cutting-edge graphics and real-time statistical insights that enhance poker broadcasts. Known for its seamless high-quality poker coverage, and data-rich features, PokerGFX has set the standard for high-quality poker coverage, engaging both enthusiasts and seasoned players. 

By integrating PokerGFX into its production, the streaming platform aims to elevate its poker live streams while also maintaining the top-tier service Alcotrack has provided to its customers. This acquisition won’t interrupt Alcotrack’s business-to-business operations, ensuring a smooth transition for existing partners. 

Mori Eskandani, President of PokerGo, said, “We are thrilled to welcome PokerGFX to the PokerGO family.” Eskandani highlighted delivering cutting-edge poker graphics and live stats aligns with the motto of PokerGo in providing the most entertaining and comprehensive poker coverage in the world. “This acquisition will allow us to create an even more engaging and immersive experience for our viewers,” Eskandani said in the Press release. 

Fans can anticipate seamless upgrades in upcoming broadcasts, including the PokerGO Tour, World Series of Poker 2025 livestreams, and its in-house poker shows from PokerGO Studio.

Keep following PokerProNews for all the latest updates from the poker industry. Follow us on our social media platforms –Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube for all the interesting stories and updates from the world of poker!

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1. WSOP Circuit New Year Edition – Jan 1 – 14, 2025

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) will kick off the New Year in style, hosting the WSOP Circuit New Year Edition at the King’s Resort Rozvadov. It features 12 Gold Ring events and offers a staggering €3,000,000 (~$3,000,000) in total festive guarantees. The Crown jewel of the upcoming series is its Championship Main Event, featuring €1,000,000 (~$1,000,000) GTD with  €1,100 (~$1,100) buy-in kicking off on January 10th. The main event features four starting flights along with several satellites to enter the main event affordably. 

2. Italian Poker Sports – Jan 21 – February 3, 2025

A week after the conclusion of WSOP Circuit New Year Edition, KIng’s Resort will then host the Italian Poker Sport (IPS) from January 21st to February 3rd, 2025. It offers a massive guarantee of €2,000,000 (~$2,000,000) with 90% of it reserved for the Main Event offering €1,500,000 (~$1,500,000) GTD. Players can take part in the main event for just €380 buy-in and can even enter it by competing in the €70 Satellite. 

3. Poker Dream 15 Malaysia – Jan 16 – 26, 2025

After the success of Poker Dream 14 Malaysia, the Poker Dream will be returning to Genting Highlands to host its 15th Poker Series – Poker Dream 15 Malaysia from January 16th to January 26th, 2025. Just like the previous festival, Poker Dream 15 features a guaranteed prize pool of MYR 8,000,000 (~$1,797,392). 

Half of the festive guarantee is reserved for the Main Event offering MYR 4,000,000 (~$880,000).  Several big names are expected to be in attendance at the upcoming event, including Team India’s Nishant Sharma, who won the Poker Dream 13 Main Event.  This was his third poker dream main event title, making him the only player to have won this title three times. 

4. Wynn Signature Series – Jan 6 – Jan 20, 2025

Wynn Las Vegas, well known as one of the prestigious poker rooms situated on the Las Vegas Strip, will be hosting its in-house poker series – Wynn Signature Series. Wynn Signature Series is one of the popular poker series of the Wynn Poker Room and offers staggering guarantees in affordable buy-ins from January 6th to January 20th, 2025. 

A key highlight of the series is the $1,100 buy-in Mystery Bounty with $500k GTD. In addition to it, the festival offers a variety of events, such as multi-day tournaments, mixed-games running from January 13th to 20th, 2025. 

List of All Major Poker Series For January 2025

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2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event

The $10K buy-in WSOP Main Event was the crown jewel of poker in 2024. The tournament hosted in July drew a record-breaking field of 10,112 entries for a colossal $94 million prize pool (the largest prize pool in poker history). The tournament surpassed the previous record of 10,043 entries set in 2023, making it the largest and richest main event in WSOP history.

USA’s Jonathan Tamayo, a  38-year-old from Humble, Texas, who enjoys golfing and fantasy sports, emerged as the ultimate winner of the historic tournament, claiming his first bracelet and a career-best $10 million. His win marked the second consecutive year for an American victory as Daniel Weinman from Georgia had also won the WSOP Main Event title in 2023.

2024 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event

The inaugural World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise in the scenic Bahamas made history as the biggest guaranteed tournament poker history. The $25k buy-in event in December featured a mind-blowing $50 million GTD prize pool, making it the biggest guaranteed event in poker history. As expected, the prestigious tournament drew players from all across the globe, reaching 1,978 entries but falling just 22 entries shy of its guarantee. Chinese player Yinan Zhou became the event’s first-ever champion after beating the top pros in the game. The 24-year-old overcame the likes of Justin Bonomo, Michael Addamo, and Liv Boeree at the final table to claim a career-best $6 million prize and his first-ever bracelet.

2024 EPT Prague Main Event

The final European Poker Tour Main Event of 2024 also stole the show as a record-breaker, attracting a massive field of 1,458 entries – the largest field in the history of this event. Unfolding in December 2024, the €5,300 buy-in tournament by PokerStars generated a massive seven-figure prize pool, the lion’s share of which eventually went to Portugal’s Pedro Marques, who defeated Romania’s Paul Runcan in heads-up to claim €963,450.

ClubWPT Gold Freeroll at WPT World Championship

Another historic tournament that took place in December was the $5 Million GTD ClubWPT Gold Freeroll, which was held at the iconic Wynn Las Vegas as part of the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship festival. The largest-ever freeroll in poker history saw 1,457 qualifiers through online contests and satellite events and ended with USA’s Chase Bricker claiming the $1 million first-place prize in a remarkable final showdown.

2024 APT Phu Quoc Main Event

The Asian Poker Tour’s final stop of the year in Vietnam broke several records in November. The crown jewel of the series was the VND 36 Million Main Event, which drew a record 795 entries for a hefty VND 25 billion prize pool ($1 million), making it 56% larger and 41% richer than the 2023 edition of the tour. China’s Jinlong Hu claimed victory in the tour’s largest-ever Phu Quoc-based main event, taking home a career-best VND 4.7BN ($185K) in the top prize, along with the coveted 24K Gold Lion Trophy.

2024 Women’s Winter Festival Main Event

Last but not least, the Poker Stars’ inaugural Women’s Winter Festival Main Event drew a record 271 entries, making it the largest women’s live poker event outside Las Vegas. The £400 buy-in tournament hosted at the Hippodrome Casino London in November featured a hefty £100,000 and was won by Argentinian poker pro Maria Lampropulos for £20,000.

The Women’s Winter Festival is aimed at elevating women in poker by allowing them to compete at a higher level in a competitive yet supportive environment. Talking about this women-exclusive event, Founder of the festival and PokerStars Ambassador Kerryjane Craigie said: “This event was a celebration of women, and about championing and empowering women in poker. I’m so pleased that we have created this amazing community event that was accessible for everyone to come and have a go and was filled with fun, laughter, and fantastic poker. Thank you to everyone who joined us, I’m excited to see what’s ahead.“

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