Two of the biggest poker challenges of the year have reached crucial stages in the days before Christmas and while all four men who are facing off across the virtual felt will be taking a breather over the festive period, you’ll want to know exactly how things stand.

Let’s take a look at both challenges and assess who is winning, who has the best chance and what the odds are for success in the two ding-dong showdowns as they head towards a conclusion in the New Year.

Doug Polk vs. Daniel Negreanu

Just a day ago, Polk won $114,140.26 across 904 hands of no limit hold’em, bringing his overall lead in the challenge up again to over $810,000. With 12,222 hands having been played, even our rudimentary arithmetic mean there are 278 hands until the halfway stage.

As Polk says in his latest Twitter update, the two men are ‘very close to halfway now, just a few hundred hands to go.’ 

The heads-up specialist is feeling confident that the numbers are almost right and will be verifying before the final session of the first half of the challenge. On the most recent session on December 23rd, he said:

“The big hands this session were lots of all in pre-flops. Things were swinging around but once we got deep it stayed in the +2-3 bi range for the entire remaining session.” 

Both men have the option of quitting at half-time and while you might assume Negreanu is the player considering it, the truth is that neither man wants to fall on their sword just yet. Polk will be hoping his quarry continues, and Negreanu can hardly save any face by giving up now. Over the next 12,778 hands then, can Kid Poker perform the comeback of all comebacks or will it be more punishment from Polk?

Our prediction? Pain. 

Latest Odds: Daniel Negreanu to win 17.50, Doug Polk to win 1.02

Phil Galfond vs. Chance Kornuth

This battle is a lot closer and has gone a little further into the challenge.

Taking place in Pot Limit Omaha rather than NLHE, the Chance Kornuth Galfond Challenge saw Phil Galfond get off to a strong start before his latest challenger took the lead after a terrific run. At one stage, Kornuth was over $400,000 up in the challenge, but that is no longer the case.

As of Christmas Eve, Galfond leads by $352,000 after 21,500 hands of the 35,000 that are scheduled.

The sidebet on the game is perhaps the biggest factor that will kick into play over the last 13,500 hands, with just under 40% of the challenge to be played. Should Galfond close it out, then he’ll win an additional $250,000 from his challenger, but should Kornuth come back into contention for a second time and win, he’ll add an extra million dollars to his bank balance courtesy of winning the sidebet.

Against Venividi, Galfond was the comeback hero. Could Chance Kornuth perform the same miracle and give himself a bumper nappy fund to assist his early days as a father, having recently become a Dad? We can’t wait to find out.

Latest Odds: Chance Kornuth to win 2.12, Phil Galfond to win 1.77

The post Galfond, Kornuth, Negreanu and Polk: Who is ahead as challenges reach Christmas? appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

Last week, we spoke to The Secret Coach about the bottom half of the Premier League and how each of the 10 teams that occupy the lower half positions are struggling.

This week, it’s the turn of those lucky ten teams who sit in the upper echelons of the English Premier League.

The Secret Coach is a professional football coach in English football… who will remain anonymous. The Secret Coach has worked with some of the biggest names in the game, been through the coaching badges and is currently part of the coaching team at an English league side… and that’s all we’re telling you. As ever, this week, The Secret Coach pulls no punches!

Who is doing well and why? Let’s delve into The Secret Coach’s half-term report, with some A-grade action along the way.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: “Wolves haven’t started for me so far. They’re playing more reserved and look like they have the handbrake on. Last season they blew people away with their free-flowing attacking play and good defensive displays, but now they look restricted in their play. They’ve had few departures including the dynamic Diogo Jota, but there’s still a good squad left that I think will get better as the season unfolds.”

West Ham United: “A very stop-start team, West Ham. Moyes is showing as he did at Everton, that if you give him time, he will mould a group of players into a solid unit that will win more points than they lose as they have shown recently. My concern is if they don’t take their chances, they always look like conceding.” 

West Ham certainly fell apart in Monday’s late defeat to Chelsea.

Everton: “They’ve got a massive manager and had a great start to the season but then they have stuttered. They have a good squad, but can Dominic Calvert-Lewin keep them firing? I can’t see where any other goals coming from if he dries up. Top six finish though.” 

Southampton: “The Saints are proof that if a smaller club backs a manager and doesn’t get their expectations wrong, it works out. Southampton are playing lovely football and look defensively sound. They have young hungry players playing football that when you’re watching it, you know they know what’s expected of them in each situation… they could end up in the top six!” 

Manchester City: “It’s been a surprising start from City. To me, they look more defensively sound, and are still creating lots of chances, but their midfield are not scoring this year. Before, it’s been Aguero with 20+ goals and the rest come from midfield. With the Argentinian missing and Gabriel Jesus not firing, if the midfield have an off-day in front of goal, The Citizens could draw or lose. However, if the midfield find the net, look out – it could be four or five!” 

This was what happened when City hosted Liverpool at The Etihad Stadium earlier this season.

Tottenham Hotspur: “Love him or hate him, Jose Mourinho has his defensive team set up this season like so many before. He has built Spurs on the maxim ‘Break us down if you can and if not, I’ll take my chances’. Seeing Kane and Son’s work-rate is amazing, and they deserve to be there. The only problem is like when Klopp first came in and the work-rate and style changed for Liverpool, whether they could keep it up. Maybe they won’t win the title this year but like Jose did at Chelsea, the next season might be a different story.” 

Chelsea: “Talking of The Blues, Lampard’s side have spent big money on big players, exciting players that are starting to find their feet but are a little too inconsistent. If Chelsea want to challenge, they need the big players to play consistently well especially in big games. Maybe not this year but watch out next season.”

Manchester United: “A little similarly to Arsenal, the big names are not doing it for me and stealing a living. If United stick with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – and I hope they do – he has got to pick a settled side. For me it’s a bit Football Manager. After every bad game, they change the team and there’s no continuity at the moment; the fans, the players and Ole probably don’t know what to expect game to game! This means they are dangerous, however, and they’re not to be ruled out.” 

Leicester City: “I love watching them. Brendan Rodgers has got The Foxes playing attractive free-flowing football and the evergreen Jamie Vardy is still scoring plenty – they are a match for anyone. That said, in some of the bigger games they have been a bit like a rabbit in headlights such as in the Liverpool game, and I feel if they don’t start quickly they can’t get back onto the front foot and that’s where I see them losing points.” 

Liverpool: “The Reds aren’t playing to the level they are capable of with a lot of injuries, yet they are still at the top on Christmas Day. Jurgen Klopp has them organized, including the youngsters coming in knowing what is expected of them, but the big thing is the never-say-die attitude. They don’t want to get beaten and you have to defend a lead against them until the referee is in his car and the floodlights are off, because Klopp’s team show no sign of giving up their long-awaited trophy.

There you have it – as The Secret Coach sees it, Liverpool are still very much the team to beat. The Secret Coach will return in 2021, exclusively here at Calvin Ayre.

The post The Secret Coach: Premier League half-term report (part two) appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

The Kentucky Supreme Court last week brought to an end a nearly decade-long legal battle between the state and PokerStars, ruling that the online poker giant must pay Kentucky damages of nearly $1.3 billion for offering illegal online gambling services to residents of the state.

The Supreme Court ruling, which was issued this past Thursday, upheld a ruling by the Franklin Circuit Court from 2015.

The state sought to be paid $300 million in damages by PokerStars which the poker operator collected from Kentucky residents who played poker with it between 2007 and 2011. The Franklin Circuit Court trebled that amount, ordering PokerStars to pay nearly $900 million.

Amaya Appeals Kentucky Court Order

The poker operator appealed the order in the Kentucky Court of Appeals and that court reversed in 2018 the ruling issued by its lower counterpart.

The Court of Appeals ruled two years ago that the state had no standing to file the claim against PokerStars and that it could not identify individuals with standing who lost money playing poker on PokerStars.

Under Kentucky laws, betting on horse races and the state-run lottery are the only forms of gambling that are permitted. However, PokerStars had for years serviced local online poker players before its was banished from the United States altogether in April 2011.

Supreme Court Reverses Original Ruling

The Kentucky Supreme Court on Thursday reversed the original ruling against PokerStars and dismissed the case that was brought in 2018. In a 4-3 decision, the court reinstated that original ruling and increased the amount of the damages owed by the online poker operator to $1.3 billion due to interest that has accumulated over the years.

Justice Samuel T. Wright wrote the majority opinion of the court. The ruling read that Kentucky had standing to file its claim and seek recoupment “of the countless dollars the criminal syndicate has cost Kentucky collectively and Kentuckians individually.”

Justice Wright wrote that “money sent to offshore gambling accounts is lost and the state deprived of the taxes to which it is entitled.”

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear welcomed the Supreme Court ruling, saying that the $1.3 billion reward would better position the state to “emerge from this painful pandemic.”

PokerStars is currently owned by Flutter Entertainment after it tied the knot with the poker operator’s former company The Stars Group this spring. Of last week’s ruling in Kentucky, Flutter said that there are “a number of legal processes available” and that it is confident “any amount it ultimately becomes liable to pay” will be only a portion of what the Supreme Court says PokerStars must pay.

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The post PokerStars Loses Kentucky Lawsuit, Must Pay $1.3 Billion in Damages appeared first on Casino News Daily.

2020 might not have had the usual quantity of sports, leading to interest in things like Belarussian football, table tennis, and the U.S. elections. Here are the five sports stories that interested you the most in 2020.

AOC leads odds for 2024 Presidential Candidates

Even before Biden beat Trump, some punters’ attention was already turned to 2024. New York Congresswoman Alexandria Occasion-Cortez (AOC) emerged as the bookmakers favourite to challenge for the White House in 2024. The New York congresswoman has the name recognition to challenge for the top job, according to bookmakers.

The Top 7 goalscorers in soccer history

Whether you call it football or soccer, we love seeing goal scorers put the ball in the back of the net. If you are a European football connoisseur then you’ll be familiar with the debate between Messi or Ronaldo. While both have been the greatest footballers of the last decade, we’ve highlighted some of the other major goal scorers who have had an impact on the world game.

Betsafe replaces SportPesa as Kenya’s football sponsorship king

Betsafe muscled their way into the Kenyan sporting market by grabbing sponsorship opportunities in the Kenyan Football League. Betsafe were able to close deals with Kenyan Premier League teams For Mahia and AFC Leopards. The deal will see the Betsafe logo appear on both club’s shirts for the next three seasons.

Deion Sanders departs NFL Network, headed to Barstool Sports

Deion Sanders made waves this year, announcing his departure to Barstool Sports. The 53-year-old had spent more than a decade with the NFL Network as a football analyst. The two-time Super Bowl winner was unable to agree on a contract and instead found a new home with Barstool Sports.

Election Odds off the board after Trump Covid test

Even Donald Trump wasn’t immune to COVID-19. When Trump announced into the lead-up to the Presidential Election that he and his wife had contracted COVID-19 it sent the market into a tailspin.

Check out the rest of our 2020 year in review.

The post CalvinAyre.com’s most read Sports stories of 2020 appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

Online casino content supplier and aggregator Relax Gaming announced Friday that its content has gone live with online gambling operator Hurricane Global Group.

The operator can now offer games from Relax’s already broad and fast-growing range with its brand DuxCasino.

Hurricane Global is an umbrella organization that has ventured into the iGaming market with the mission to revolutionize the sector. The company has offices in Malta and Cyprus and boasts years of experience in the industry.

It recently purchased DuxCasino, saying that it moved to acquire the brand because of its wide variety of games, a developed VIP program, high-quality user support, easy-to-use payment services, and “endless more features that make it a fascinating brand with great traffic monetization potential.”

DuxCasino players will now be able to play Relax’s hit proprietary titles, including Temple Tumble, Snake Arena, and Money Train 2. They will also be offered access to a wide selection of aggregated content that Relax offers on behalf of its many third-party partners, including ReelPlay, Big Time Gaming, and 4ThePlayer.

Relax’s launch with Hurricane Global and its online casino brand complements a landmark year for the iGaming supplier that has seen it significantly expand its customer base and regulated market reach through partnerships with top-tier operators.

Partnership Testament to Variety of Content

Commenting on their alliance with Hurricane Group, Relax Gaming CCO Daniel Eskola said that the diversity of brands they keep partnering is “testament to the variety of content offered through our platform” and demonstrates their ability to meet the needs of international operators like Hurricane Global “through localization and quality.”

Mr. Eskola went on that it is great to be teaming up with a “like-minded, ambitious online casino” that has built global influence as Relax expands its presence in regulated markets across the globe.

Hurricane Global said that what drew them to Relax was the wide variety of content it offers and the speed at which the operator was able to integrate its partner’s games. The online casino operator also praised Relax’s approach to business and integration, saying it is close to flawless.

The operator believes its partnership with the major industry supplier will bring “continued commercial value” for both Hurricane Global and Relax.

Earlier this month, Relax also announced an important partnership with Greentube, the interactive gaming division of major gambling group Novomatic. The partnership will see Relax provide its partner with access to both its in-house and aggregated content and Greentube distribute that content across a number of European markets.

As part of the recently inked link-up, a selection of Relax’s proprietary games and titles by third-party providers has gone live with Greentube-powered Estonian online casino and betting brand Fenixbet.

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