High Stakes Poker

The most iconic poker cash game show returns in 2023 with Season 11 of High Stakes Poker kicking off on Monday, August 7.

Season 11 will feature 14 episodes and will launch the season debut with the biggest stakes the show has seen with a $1,000/$2,000 No-Limit Hold’em cash game that includes a $500,000 minimum buy-in. The lineup includes Eric Persson, Charles Yu, Jean-Robert Bellande, Ferdinand Putra, Rob Yong, Andrew Robl, and Rick Salomon for six episodes.

Players returning to the High Stakes Poker set for Season 11 include Brandon Steven, Jennifer Tilly, Lynne Ji, and Doug Polk. New faces making their High Stakes Poker debut include Bob Bright, Matt Berkey, and Nik Airball.

Watch Season 11 episodes of High Stakes Poker every Monday at 8 p.m. ET.

No Gamble, No Future

Season 3 of No Gamble, No Future will see the iconic Cash of the Titans livestream cut into episodes to open the new season. Across the first 10 episodes, the three days of livestreams will track Andrew Robl, Markus Gonsalves, Rob Yong, Matthew Gonzales, Eric Persson, and Patrik Antonius playing escalating stakes that begin at $500/$500 and rise to $1,000/$2,000.

There’s not just $5 million on the table, but there is also a $600,000 side bet – $100,000 from each player – that will be collected by the player that wins the most money throughout the three days.

The final six episodes of the 16-epiode season will see a mix of new and old faces. Returning to No Gamble, No Future include Eric Hicks, Eli Elezra, Shawn Madden, Justin Young, and Kevin Martin. Players making their No Gamble, No Future debut include poker all-stars Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth, along with Lynne Ji, Matt Steinberg, Lawford Edwards, and Arden Cho.

Watch Season 3 episodes of No Gamble, No Future every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

High Stakes Duel

In early May, Daniel Negreanu defeated Eric Persson in Round 1 of High Stakes Duel 4 for $100,000. Persson declined the rematch, and as many players put their name in the mix to take on Negreanu, it was announced that Doug Polk would step up as the challenger for Round 2 where $200,000 would be on the line.

Negreanu and Polk have history in High Stakes Feud where the two played a hybrid of heads-up cash games – firstly at the PokerGO Studio, and then the remainder on WSOP.com. Polk won that battle, but now their own version of a Round 2 will be under High Stakes Duel 4 this August.

Both players are set to play in August, however, the date is not set yet but is expected to occur closer to the end of the month.

What Did You Miss in July?

The month of July on PokerGO saw the completion of the 2023 World Series of Poker which included Daniel Weinman winning the WSOP Main Event for $12.1 million in prize money.

Weinman topped the record-smashing field of 10,043 entrants in the 2023 WSOP Main Event and rode a wave of great play, mixed with some good fortune. Weinman won a hand with 14 players remaining that will go down as the luckiest hand he has ever played. For Joshua Payne, the hand will forever be his WSOP Main Event heartbreak moment.

Some of the wildest moments from the 2023 WSOP Main Event also included this hand from Tom Dwan that saw him hit the rail:

This wild bad beat on Day 5 of the 2023 WSOP Main Event that featured Bill Klein with pocket kings:

Connect with PokerGO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Watch daily poker clips on the PokerGO YouTube channel. Join the conversation on the PokerGO Discord server.

World Series of Poker Main Event

The 2023 WSOP Main Event will be aired live and exclusively on PokerGO with coverage beginning on Day 1A and continuing until the next World Champion is crowned from Horseshoe / Paris on the Las Vegas Strip.

Beginning on Monday, July 3, there will be four Day 1 flights followed by two Day 2s with registration open through two levels on Day 2. With record-breaking entrant numbers in many events throughout the WSOP so far, the 2006 WSOP Main Event record of 8,773 entrants may only hold onto the record for a few more days. Field sizes as high as 9,000 or 10,000 entrants are being touted by people as everyone flocks to town to be part of the biggest WSOP Main Event in history.

Thankfully PokerGO will be on hand to catch nearly every minute of the action live across both PokerGO.com and the PokerGO YouTube channel.

Day 1s Live on YouTube

Coverage of Day 1s will begin at the start of Level 3 at approximately 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET and run until players bag their chips at the end of Level 5.

A table will be selected to play out on the Horseshoe table with all the action available exclusively on the PokerGO YouTube channel.

Split Coverage for Day 2s, 3, and 4

When Day 2 is reached, the Horseshoe table will be in action from the start of day and will broadcast the first two levels on the PokerGO YouTube channel. The coverage will move to the WSOP Main Stage and PokerGO.com from the third level of the day until players bag their chips for the day.

This will also be how Day 3 and 4 are covered with the money expected to be reached late on Day 3, or early on Day 4. The PokerGO production team will be on hand to catch that unlucky moment for whoever claims the moniker of 2023 WSOP Main Event bubble boy or girl.

Early level coverage will start at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET and run to approximately 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET. While the PokerGO.com WSOP Main Stage coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET and run until the players bag for the day; approximately 1 a.m. PT / 4 a.m. ET.

Full Day Coverage from Day 5

Starting on Day 5, the WSOP Main Stage will be in action from the very first hand with everything broadcast on PokerGO.com.

The WSOP Main Event will reach some of the most intense moments as players jostle for position on the leaderboard, look to ladder up, and eye payouts that approach seven figures.

Following an off day on Saturday, July 15, the final nine will return on Sunday, July 16, to begin the 2023 WSOP Main Event final table. The plan will likely see the final table trimmed to the final four players who will return on Monday, July 17, to play down to the winner who will be crowned the 2023 World Champion and awarded a payday of what some to believe will eclipse $10 million.

World Series of Poker Bracelet Events

Three more WSOP bracelet events remain in 2023 with the Event #65: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed kicking off on Saturday, July 1, at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.

The next day will see the Event #57: $1,000 Ladies Championship final table take center stage on the Horseshoe table. These ladies will be playing for the coveted Ladies Championship gold and the $192,167 first-place prize.

On Wednesday, July 5, a special final table will play on the Horseshoe table with the WSOP Online Event #13: $5,300 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller Championship concluding. Played online on WSOP.com, the final eight players will have approximately 36 hours to travel to Horseshoe / Paris Las Vegas to crown the hybrid WSOP bracelet.

What Did You Miss in June?

The highlight of June on PokerGO was the beginning of the 2023 World Series of Poker and an accompanying 40 livestreams to live no day of June unstreamed!

Plenty of WSOP veterans added to their WSOP trophy case while hundreds of thousands, and occasionally millions of dollars were decided upon the turn of a card.

Some of the best moments from June at the 2023 WSOP included this runner-runner from Chris Brewer to win the $250k Super High Roller and his first WSOP bracelet:

Phil Hellmuth making a colossal mistake in the Poker Players Championship:

Tyler Brown’s hero call with ace-high to ensure himself of a $1 million win:

Finally, Doug Polk hitting an incredible two-outer on the river with a celebration to match:

Connect with PokerGO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Watch daily poker clips on the PokerGO YouTube channel. Join the conversation on the PokerGO Discord server.

The 2023 World Series of Poker

The 2023 World Series of Poker will run from May 30 until July 18 with 95 WSOP gold bracelet events taking place on the Las Vegas Strip at Horseshoe / Paris Las Vegas.

PokerGO has doubled down on its livestreaming for the Summer with 47 days of WSOP action being broadcast live starting on June 1. Livestreams from PokerGO will be offered on both PokerGO.com and the PokerGO YouTube channel with some days offering two choices to users.

The highlight of PokerGO’s streaming schedule is the WSOP Main Event that will begin on Monday, July 3, and conclude with two days of final table coverage on July 16-17. Other major events on the livestreaming schedule include new events Event #2: $25,000 High Roller 6-Handed and Event #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions, along with favorites such as the Event #43: $50,000 Poker Players Championship, Event #40: $250,000 Super High Roller, and Event #67: $1,000 Ladies Championship.

PokerGO 2023 WSOP Bracelet Events Streaming Schedule

June 1 – Event #4: Tournament of Champions (Day 2)

June 1 – Event #2: $25,000 High Roller 6-Handed

June 2 – Event #4: Tournament of Champions

June 3 – Event #6: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em / Pot-Limit Omaha

June 3 – Event #7: $1,500 Limit Hold’em

June 4 – Event #8: $25,000 Heads-Up Championship

June 4 – Event #9: $1,500 Seven Card Stud

June 5 – Event #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions

June 6 – Event #12: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout

June 7 – Event #16: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller (Day 2)

June 7 – Event #14: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship

June 8 – Event #16: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller

June 9 – Event #19: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout

June 10 – Event #22: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship

June 11 – Event #23: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller

June 12 – Event #18: $300 Gladiators of Poker

June 13 – Event #25: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship

June 14 – Event #29: $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller

June 15 – Event #33: $10,000 Razz Championship

June 16 – Event #35: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Secret Bounty

June 17 – Event #40: $250,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller (Day 2)

June 18 – Event #40: $250,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller

June 19 – Event #42: $800 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack

June 20 – Event #39: $1,500 MONSTER STACK

June 20 – Event #43: $50,000 Poker Players Championship (Day 3)

June 21 – Event #43: $50,000 Poker Players Championship (Day 4)

June 22 – Event #43: $50,000 Poker Players Championship

June 23 – Event #50: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship (Day 3)

June 24 – Event #50: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship

June 25 – Event #54: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship (Day 3)

June 26 – Event #54: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship

June 27 – Event #55: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (Day 3)

June 28 – Event #55: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller

June 29 – Event #63: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Championship

June 30 – Event #61: $1,000 Seniors Championship

July 1 – Event #69: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship

July 2 – Event #67: $1,000 Ladies Championship

Note: All events are final tables unless specificized otherwise.

PokerGO 2023 WSOP Main Event Streaming Schedule

July 3 – Main Event (Day 1A)

July 4 – Main Event (Day 1B)

July 5 – Main Event (Day 1C)

July 6 – Main Event (Day 1D)

July 7 – Main Event (Day 2ABC)

July 8 – Main Event (Day 2D)

July 9 – Main Event (Day 3)

July 10 – Main Event (Day 4)

July 11 – Main Event (Day 5)

July 12 – Main Event (Day 6)

July 13 – Main Event (Day 7)

July 14 – Main Event (Day 8)

July 16 – Final Table (Day 1)

July 17 – Final Table (Day 2)

Watch live 2023 WSOP final tables on PokerGO.com. Schedule subject to change, please visit PokerGO.com for current streaming schedule.

What Did You Miss in May?

PokerGO saw an extremely busy May with three shows dominating the airtime in the lead up to the World Series of Poker.

High Stakes Duel returned with the fourth installment of the series, and it all began with the first-ever “Undercard” that featured Shaun Deeb facing off with Mike Matusow. The two would play a $20,000 match, and it would be Matusow emerging victorious over Deeb.

The Main Card would see Daniel Negreanu return to the High Stakes Duel battleground, and he would be sitting opposite Eric Persson. Both players were competing in the $100,000 match, and Negreanu would take the victory to advance to Round 2.

The tenth season of High Stakes Poker would conclude on the eve of the first WSOP stream for 2023, and the final lineup included Negreanu, Ben Lamb, Bill Klein, Eric Persson, Charles Yu, Stanley Choi, and Eric Hicks playing $200/$400 No-Limit Hold’em. Negreanu and Lamb dominated the final few episodes to end the season before the two battled in one final hand to close out another huge season.

The second season of No Gamble, No Future also concluded with a set of double episodes in the week prior to the WSOP starting. The final four episodes included Eric Persson, Matt Hanks, Chris Moneymaker, Eric Worre, Eric Hicks, Shawn Madden, Kevin Martin, and Markus Gonsalves playing $100/$200 No-Limit Hold’em. In what may be a good omen ahead of the WSOP for Moneymaker, the 2003 World Champion dominated the final episodes and closed out as one of the biggest winners who was unable to put a foot wrong in his No Gamble, No Future debut.

Connect with PokerGO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Watch daily poker clips on the PokerGO YouTube channel. Join the conversation on the PokerGO Discord server.

PokerGO, the industry’s premier poker content producer, will carry 47 days in a row of coverage from the 2023 World Series of Poker – live (with a short streaming delay) from the Horseshoe and Paris poker rooms in sunny Las Vegas.

What’s more, PokerGO is offering premium subscribers a 30% discount upon signing-up for a yearly membership when using the promo code DREAMWSOP – which will reduce the annual subscription price from $99.99 to $69.99 for new and return viewers alike!

PokerGO hosts poker content 24/7 throughout the world with premium shows including High Stakes Poker, High Stakes Duel, No Gamble No Future — and much, much more!

2023 WSOP Featured Event Streams on PokerGO

The 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event will be streamed on PokerGO from Monday, July 3rd through July 17th – when a new World Champion will be determined.

In all, PokerGO is preparing to broadcast 30 WSOP bracelet events starting June 1st.

Featured PokerGO live stream transmissions of the 2023 World Series of Poker include the following tournaments:

• $1,500 buy-in NLHE “Monster Stack” (June 16th-20th)
• $250,000 buy-in NLHE “High Roller” (June 16th-18th)
• $1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Ladies Championship (June 29th-July 2nd
• $50,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Poker Players Championship (June 18th-22nd)

PokerGO’s 2023 WSOP live streaming schedule will kick off on Thursday, June 1st, with coverage of the $5,000 buy-in NLHE/PLO Event #6 at 12:00 Noon Pacific Time, followed by Day 1 of the $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Event #7 at 2:00pm Pacific Time.

Poker fans from around the globe can expect live coverage of their favorite games, such as Texas Hold’em, Omaha, 7 Card Stud, Draw poker, Bounty events, and the return of the Tag Team WSOP bracelet tournament on Thursday, June 22nd.

Big Stories at 2023 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas

On May 14th, 2023, the poker world said goodbye to one of (if not THE) most beloved poker players of all time, Doyle Brunson.

Affectionately known as Texas Dolly throughout his illustrious card-playing career, Doyle won a total of 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, authored one of the most highly touted poker books of all-time – Super System – and became a fixture within the live and online poker industry for decades through his poker play, table demeanor, and greatly appreciated presence.

Doyle’s WSOP bracelet victories are tied for second place all-time with poker icons Phil Ivey and Johnny Chan.

The WSOP’s all-time bracelet winner, Phil Hellmuth, will be vying for a record-setting 17th victory this year, while PokerGO mainstay Daniel Negreanu will be looking to break a long drought and pick up his seventh career WSOP bracelet as well as surpass all-time WSOP money winner Antonio Esfandiari ($22.3 million) in the process.

PokerGO DreamSeat Giveaway for Yearly Subscribers

All premium yearly subscribers will automatically be eligible for the PokerGO Annual Subscriber Dream Seat Giveaway.

If your name is drawn on one of the two giveaway dates (June 6th and July 17th), you will be awarded with a spot in the 2023 PokerGO Tour Championship freeroll tournament, to be played at the end of the 2023 PGT season. The marquee event has a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.

If you have yet to subscribe to PokerGO or would like to renew your membership, you can get $30 off the normal price by registering with the promo code DREAMSEAT and get 12 months of premium poker content, live streams, podcasts, shows, and more for only $69.99!

Grab your popcorn, and get ready for 47 days of consecutive WSOP poker streams courtesy of the team at PokerGO!

Kevin is active on Twitter as https://twitter.com/Kevmath

We also go over this week’s home game results and discuss these topics:
How to help us out – https://rec.poker/support/
Home Games – https://rec.poker/homegame/
Go Premium! – https://rec.poker/premium/

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity

Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Find more info on our sponsors at:
https://RunAces.com
https://WebsiteAMP.com

RecPoker is a vibrant and encouraging poker learning community. We are committed to learning the game, but our priority is building healthy relationships where we can not only grow in the game, but grow in our enjoyment of life. The free membership website at rec.poker is awesome, but it’s just a tool to help us build that community. You can join for FREE, giving you access to the groups, forums, and other member benefits. If you want to enjoy the premium content, or become part of the RECing Crew, those options are available, and you can get $10 off your first payment using the code RECPOKER. Music by Peter Troolin, [email protected].

Time Stamps

Of course, it is important to consider every part of your trip before heading to the WSOP, including “poker taxes.” In this article, we will cover best practices and provide a few updates regarding changes that could impact you tax-wise after cashing a WSOP event. Specific topics we’ll address include ITIN issues, selling and swapping action between U.S. residents, the importance of tracking results, and more.

No More Lammers

If you have been to the World Series of Poker in the past, you are probably familiar with tournament lammers. They were awarded to winners of most satellite events and were (we believe) a cause of tax issues in the past. While they had “no cash value”, each lammer could be redeemed for $500 of tournament buy-ins. Without an assigned cash value, the WSOP would not issue any W-2Gs to satellite winners.

This year, the WSOP has ended single-table satellites and with that, has ended the issuance of lammers. Instead, there will be more mega satellites, awarding casino chips or direct-entry seats to select events.

There is a lot to unpack about this development from a tax side of things, so I encourage you to read this post that outlines the payout structure and tax consequences of cashing a satellite.

Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Issues

The 2022 WSOP marked the first year the event was held on the Las Vegas Strip. Moving an event of this size came with a lot of logistical issues, all of which, if you ask most people who attended, were handled quite well. However, neither Bally’s nor Paris was able to become a Certified Acceptance Agent (CAA) with the IRS throughout the duration of the event. This meant that they could not help nonresident players apply for ITINs with the IRS.

As a result, the World Series of Poker was required to withhold 30% tax from any nonresident without an ITIN who cashed for more than $5,000 (less buy-in). This applied to all nonresident players, including those residing in a tax treaty country.

This was a big issue in 2022, as the WSOP attracts a large field of international players. It is expected that this will no longer be an issue in 2023, but it is something to monitor and confirm before your trip. Assuming the WSOP can process ITINs, here’s what you need to know:

• The WSOP can only issue ITINs for players residing in a tax treaty country. If you do not live in one of the following countries, you will not be able to apply for an ITIN at the WSOP and will automatically have 30% tax withheld:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Russia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden. Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom

• You will be required to prove your residence using a passport or other supporting documentation (utility bill, foreign ID card, etc.). This documentation can be presented to the cage prior to claiming your winnings. If you are unable to verify your residency in a treaty country, the WSOP will withhold 30% tax.
• You do not need to claim your winnings right away. If you do not have the proper documentation to prove your residency, you can return to the cage and present your proof of residency when you have it. This could prevent withholding and a lengthy tax refund process.

Swapping, Selling or Buying Action: Poker Tax Implications

The most important thing to remember before swapping action: always produce a paper trail. When making any deal, send a text message or email that confirms the event and amount of action sold. When paying out backers, pay them via bank transfer or through a third-party payment processor.

READ MORE: Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Selling Action but Were Afraid to Ask

If you must pay someone in cash, have them sign a statement or send a text verifying the payment was received. It is extremely difficult to prove cash transactions in an audit, so the more evidence you have, the better. This will not only help verify each backer is paid the correct amount, but will also provide substantial documentation for your tax records.

However, before any payments are made, it is necessary to understand the tax requirements of backing agreements. The ramifications of such agreements depend on the residency of each player.

U.S. Resident Sells Action to U.S. Resident

If a U.S. resident pays more than $600 in net profit to another U.S. resident, it must be reported on Form 1099-MISC. You should obtain a completed Form W-9 from your backer before you remit payment. This form formally requests their Social Security Number, address and signature to confirm that all information is accurate.

Form W-9 must be kept for your records (it is not submitted to the IRS). You can then use the information provided on the form to file a 1099-MISC at year-end, transferring the poker tax burden of the net yearly profit from you, to your backer.

U.S. Resident Sells Action to Nonresident

If the nonresident is a resident of a tax treaty country and has an ITIN, the process is relatively simple. The nonresident will complete Form W-8BEN, citing the correct treaty exemption, and include their ITIN. Once your backer gives you completed form, you can pay the nonresident 100% of their winnings.

If the nonresident is a resident of a tax treaty country, but does not have an ITIN, you must withhold 30% of the winnings and remit it to the IRS on the nonresident’s behalf. This must be done using the EFTPS website. The nonresident can then file Form W-7 and Form 1040NR at the end of the year to apply for an ITIN and claim a treaty exemption to receive a tax refund.

If the nonresident is not a resident of a tax treaty country, you will follow the same procedure outlined above, withholding 30% of the winnings and remitting it to the IRS (this applies if they have an ITIN or not).

In each of the three instances above, you will also file Form 1042, Form 1042-S and Form 1042-T to denote payments to a nonresident. These forms are filed separately from traditional income tax returns to the IRS.

Nonresident Sells Action to U.S. Resident

If the nonresident is a resident of a treaty country and has an ITIN, they will receive 100% of the winnings and you will not have any issues. However, if the nonresident does not have an ITIN, or is not a resident of a treaty country, they will only receive 70% of the winnings. Since 30% was withheld for taxes, it would be up to the players to decide how to split the winnings based on the lesser payout (or the pending tax refund the following year). I recommend including the payout structure in your original backing agreement to lessen issues after the fact.

If you are a U.S. resident, this is something to consider before buying the action of a nonresident without an ITIN or residing in a non-treaty country.

If you plan on buying or selling action during the WSOP, I highly recommend becoming familiar with the above processes and forms. The WSOP is hectic, and players often have little downtime to address important tax deadlines between tournaments. Some of the required actions, such as remitting tax payments via EFTPS, have time-sensitive deadlines, so it is important to stay in compliance.

Track Everything You Do

Whether you are an amateur or professional gambler, track the net result of every cash game session and tournament played. This is always critical, but with the number of games available during the World Series of Poker, players can rack up sessions quickly and easily forget their results.

As a quick refresher, each tournament is considered its own session. If you enter a tournament multiple times, each buy-in is considered a unique session. For example, if you buy-in four times to a $500 event, ultimately cashing for $4,500, it will result in gross winnings of $4,000 and gross losses of $1,500.

For cash games, each continuous period of play at the same game type (NLHE, PLO, etc.) is considered a session. If you leave for dinner and return to the same table or change tables within the same game type, you do not need to start a new session. However, if you change game types, or move from one casino to another, that is considered a new session.

Poker-Related Expenses

In addition to tracking your session results, professional gamblers have the additional task of tracking all their business-related expenses (and keeping proper documentation). But which expenses are deductible?

As with all self-employed individuals, professional gamblers can deduct all ordinary and necessary expenses related to their business. This includes, but is not limited to, hotel, airfare, ground transportation and meals while traveling (note: there is no longer a deduction for entertainment expenses).

Since many players are in Las Vegas for an extended period, it is important to contemporaneously track expenses each day. To do so, I would recommend using one credit card (preferably a business card) for any business-related expenses and minimizing cash payments. If you do pay for an expense in cash, you must keep the receipt, which can get burdensome.

So, you’re saying I can deduct my entire trip to Las Vegas as a business expense?

Maybe, but probably not.

You can only deduct the expenses from days you conducted business-related activities. If you travel to Las Vegas for 20 days, but only conduct business (poker-related activities) for 10 of those days, you will only be able to deduct 50% of your aggregate expenses (hotel, airfare) and only meals on the days you conducted business. There is a bit of nuance when weekends get involved, so it is best to track all activity and days played to ensure you are deducting the correct percentage of your expenses.

As evidenced by what we’ve covered in this article, there are a lot of poker tax issues that can arise during the WSOP. However, if you are aware of them, and know the steps to mitigate their impact, you will have a less stressful (and hopefully more profitable) summer.

The Moneymaker Tour

After such a long time in the game, Chris Moneymaker’s poker legend is such that merch with his name on it typically sells out and every tournament he plays has an atmosphere that is impossible to replicate. The Poker Hall of Famer is a unique player and poker personality and it’s for that reason among others that he commands such a dedicated fanbase. The average poker player still aspires to replicate Moneymaker’s achievements and standing in the game.

The Moneymaker Tour, then, seems the simplest and most effective idea since someone clever decided that the humble loaf of bread would be improved by slicing it. The inaugural stop of the all-new Moneymaker Tour will take place at Florida’s Palm Beach Kennel Club between May 10-24. With $1 million guaranteed across tournaments, excitement is already at fever pitch for fans of the man himself and aspiring poker stars of the future – a large percentage of the poker world.

With the Moneymaker Tour lasting 14 days, a fortnight of fun will see buy-ins ranging from $86 – that original satellite buy-in amount for Moneymaker way back in 2003 before ‘The Moneymaker Effect’ was even a thing — to $2,500 for the high rollers who want to play in the Main Event.

The Moneymaker Poker Tour is coming to Florida… and you can win a seat for FREE!

Kennel Club “Excited” to Host Inaugural Event

“We’ve put together a very exciting poker tour that will appeal to every type of tournament player.”

The Palm Beach Kennel Club cannot wait to welcome players to its popular poker room as it plays its own part of poker history by playing host to the first-ever Moneymaker Tour event.

“We are very excited to be hosting the inaugural Moneymaker Tour to the Poker Room at PBKC,” said Palm Beach Kennel  Club Poker Room Director & Assistant General Manager, Noah Carbone. “It’s going to be an amazing event featuring our largest buy-in event ever as well as a full line-up of great tournaments. This event will bring people to us from all over the country who haven’t experienced this facility before, and many are first-time visitors to beautiful Palm Beach County.”

Calling Florida the ‘epicenter for exciting and competitive poker ‘, Carbone believes that the Poker Room at PBKC is a perfect fit for the Moneymaker Tour.

“Collectively, we have put together a very exciting poker tour that will appeal to every type of tournament player,” Moneymaker Executive Manager Tony Burns said. “We are very excited that many amazing poker players will now include Palm Beach Kennel Club on their schedule for tournament stops.”

We are excited to be the first stop on the Moneymaker Tour, May 10-24, 2023! Tournaments for Everyone! Over $1 Million in Guarantees! 20 Trophy Events! Buys in from $86 to $2500! $500k Main Event! @PokerNews @PokerAtlas @MoneymakerTour pic.twitter.com/XyNzg51ZSk

— PBKC Poker Room (@PBKCPokerRoom) April 6, 2023

With Burns and Moneymaker creating the tour together, there is a familiar feel around the 2003 world champion’s project. The Americas Cardroom [ACR] Team Pro will be hoping that The Moneymaker Tour Main Event, which has the $2,500 entry fee, fills up like that famous WSOP Main Event 20 years ago. It alone has a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool and is scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 18th and conclude six days later on Wednesday, May 24th. With three starting flights on May 18-20, the live-streamed final table takes place on May 24th at 12pm noon local time.

Win One of Four Entries into the Moneymaker Tour

The series’ Main Event certainly isn’t the only tournament worth travelling out to Florida for. In fact, the very first event, The Moneymaker Opening Event costs just $500 to play and has an incredible $250,000 guaranteed prize pool. Running from Wednesday, May 10th until Saturday, May 13th, there are six starting flights to take part in order to battle your way towards the money places and beyond.

To celebrate the grand kickoff, the Moneymaker Tour team are giving four lucky players the chance to win a $500 entry to the opening event with that amazing $250,000 guarantee at the Palm Beach Kennel Club in Florida. All you have to do to put your name in the hat is sign up via the Moneymaker Poker Tour website and you could be lifting this trophy, as Chris Moneymaker and Tony Burns recently shared.

We aren’t kidding around with these trophies! 20 of them will be awarded @PBKennelClub @PBKCPokerRoom on May 10th thru 24th during the Inaugural @MoneymakerTour stop! Visit https://t.co/A2urM3gCAV for more details! pic.twitter.com/lS4yMy8UlR

— Tony Burns (@MMTonyB) April 1, 2023

Time is running out, as you must enter between April 10-30, but it couldn’t be simpler to do; just click on ‘FREE SEAT GIVEAWAY: PALM BEACH KENNEL CLUB’ at the top of the page.

The four winners will be chosen on May 1st and notified by direct message on social media or email.

Want to become the next Moneymaker and emulate a poker hero by winning big money in the process? We’re checking hotel deals in the area already!

Plus of course we give away a free prize at the end for folks in the YouTube chat. Join us on YouTube next Monday at 7:30 ET for free to ask our guests questions in real time, and you can win too!

We also go over this week’s home game results and discuss these topics:
How to help us out – https://rec.poker/support/
Home Games – https://rec.poker/homegame/
Go Premium! – https://rec.poker/premium/

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity

Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Find more info on our sponsors at:
https://RunAces.com
https://WebsiteAMP.com

RecPoker is a vibrant and encouraging poker learning community. We are committed to learning the game, but our priority is building healthy relationships where we can not only grow in the game, but grow in our enjoyment of life. The free membership website at rec.poker is awesome, but it’s just a tool to help us build that community. You can join for FREE, giving you access to the groups, forums, and other member benefits. If you want to enjoy the premium content, or become part of the RECing Crew, those options are available, and you can get $10 off your first payment using the code RECPOKER. Music by Peter Troolin, [email protected]

Time Stamps

I will admit, I was a little skeptical going into reading this story. I have never read a graphic novel or comic book so I really didn’t know what to expect. I think my lack of knowledge regarding graphic novels was an advantage in reading this. When I first opened this novel I was struck by the illustrations. Each page felt perfectly crafted to draw me in with illustrations, and the flow of the writing was easy to follow. Once I got started with this graphic novel it was hard to put down.

Final Nine tells the story of the Poker World Championship Main Event final table. Throughout the story we learn more about each player and what brought them to the table as the poker action unfolds. I tore through this novel. The seamless weaving of the final table action with each players’ backstory was compelling from start to finish. When I finally put down this page-turner, I caught up with the author, Anish Patel, to learn more about the process of how he created Final Nine.

The Author and the Inspiration

Anish Patel has been writing his own scripts and stories since the early 2000s. As a child, he was a comic book fan, but while working in a TV studio in 2007 he discovered how vast the world of graphic novels is. Like myself, he assumed this form of media was only for superhero stories, but he was mistaken. After finding out some of his favorite non-superhero movies started as graphic novels, he dove into that world. It was only natural that he focused on poker, a game he started playing at a young age. Rounders introduced him to No-Limit Texas Hold’em, and as the game became the staple of card rooms, it became his favorite variant. White his love of poker and graphic novels grew, a particular final table sparked the idea for Final Nine.

After watching the 2008 WSOP Main Event coverage, Anish decided to write a story about a mainstage poker tournament final table. He had this to say about the inspiration:

Once the Final Nine players were decided, the tournament took a 4-month break and concluded in November calling it ‘The November Nine.’ It allowed the players to go home or continue playing poker in other tournaments and locations. During that time it also gave the players a chance to promote themselves (Interviews, TV spots, etc.) so when they do arrive back to play in the final they would have a following and supporters. For me this made it hard to decide whom I would root for. And after watching Peter Eastgate win the championship, I thought ‘how great would it be to write a story about poker in a similar format to WSOP ME in 2008.

While reading the novel, I noticed many players shared similarities to poker’s biggest names, and Anish confirmed:

All the characters are inspired by real players. There are players that people watch on tv as well as players that I have come across while playing the game myself. Legendary players like Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss, Walter ‘Puggy’ Person and Johnny Chan have influenced the story, and the characters. These sorts of players have developed the game from six players on a table to thousands of players in a huge room. The comics include aspects like Phil Hellmuth’s collection of bracelets and his Vegas style entrances to the tournaments…

The inspiration for this story stretched further than the poker world. Anish also drew from his favorite graphic novels like the Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibons. Pulling from the poker world for story inspiration and graphic novels for structure and style led Anish on a 14-year journey from conceiving the idea to publishing the finished novel.

My Impressions

Despite my reservations about beginning my first graphic novel, I was hooked from the first page. Final Nine was a perfect introduction into the world of graphic novels. It was easy to get behind a poker story. I am obsessed with the game and consume all types of poker media. This read opened the door to a whole new way to be entertained by poker. It is easy to read, the illustrations are spectacular, and the story is thrilling.

I am somewhat of a poker snob when it comes to non-fiction. Whenever I watch movies or TV shows with poker scenes I am usually annoyed by the inaccuracies. Many people in show business don’t understand the game, so the hands don’t make sense. This was not an issue with Final Nine. I was thrilled to see poker hands that actually make sense. Reasonable run outs and betting patterns made it much easier to enjoy the story unfolding.

Aside from the poker, what really hooked me was the backstories for each player. The structure of this novel switches back and forth from the final table action to the lives of each player leading up to the tournament. Diving into the lives of the characters gave me everything I want out of a poker story: sympathetic characters, rich history, and the right amount of seedy underworld. Getting to know each character made the final table action all the more thrilling. It really felt like those big WSOP final tables where the countless interviews and color stories give the players more depth than their chip stack.

Conclusion

I highly recommend Final Nine to all poker fans. Whether you have never read a graphic novel or you have a massive collection, this story is a fantastic read. It opened my eyes to a new form of media, and in the hands of a graphic novel enthusiast, it will open their eyes to the great world of poker. I will certainly be on the lookout for more from Anish Patel, as he said himself:

Since launching [Final Nine] in mid-2022 my plan is to market to comic book readers and poker players. If the launch of the book becomes a success, then there would be further stories about poker. There is an idea to continue the story, or focus other types of poker games with further great characters’ back story. 

For poker players, graphic novel readers, and myself, my fingers are crossed for more from the world of Final Nine.

Plus of course we give away a free prize at the end for folks in the YouTube chat. Join us on YouTube every Monday at 7:30 ET for free to ask our guests questions in real-time, and you can win too! (but not Dec 26th 2022, there is no show that night…but don’t tell Phil!)

Sammie is active on Twitter as @thefakesammieg

We also go over this week’s home game results and discuss these topics:
How to help us out – https://rec.poker/support/
Home Games – https://rec.poker/homegame/
Go Premium! – https://rec.poker/premium/

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity
Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Find more info on our sponsors at:
https://RunAces.com
https://WebsiteAMP.com

RecPoker is a vibrant and encouraging poker learning community. We are committed to learning the game, but our priority is building healthy relationships where we can not only grow in the game, but grow in our enjoyment of life. The free membership website at rec.poker is awesome, but it’s just a tool to help us build that community. You can join for FREE, giving you access to the groups, forums, and other member benefits. If you want to enjoy the premium content, or become part of the RECing Crew, those options are available and you can get $10 off your first payment using the code RECPOKER. Music by Peter Troolin, [email protected]

Time Stamps