{"id":3507,"date":"2026-08-14T09:24:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T09:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/?p=3507"},"modified":"2026-08-14T09:24:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T09:24:41","slug":"greg-himmelbrand-why-new-2026-wsop-monster-stack-structure-hurts-the-poker-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/14\/greg-himmelbrand-why-new-2026-wsop-monster-stack-structure-hurts-the-poker-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Greg Himmelbrand: Why New 2026 WSOP Monster Stack Structure Hurts the Poker Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>100% Legal US Online Poker Rooms Reviewed<\/p>\n<p>The hand has sparked plenty of debate online, with many suggesting that Saaskilahti misread the board. So, I\u2019ll go and enjoy some sunshine and some poker. That would be a nice event to attend. But I will definitely try to see if I can squeeze some side events into my schedule. Unfortunately, I cannot play the Main Event this year because I have to go to Guatemala for business that week. I think I want to play a little bit more than what I&#8217;ve been playing so far.<\/p>\n<h2>Greg Himmelbrand: Why New 2026 WSOP Monster Stack Structure Hurts the Poker Economy<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>During the live stream the last two days it seemed you were playing pretty tight.<\/li>\n<li>Analysts say the U.S. could tap billions in new revenue and tax money if more states join.<\/li>\n<li>GG Poker is a newer operator in the industry, but has made strong innovations with its offering, and sites like WSOP do exceptionally well at actively bridging the gap between live and online poker.<\/li>\n<li>To get it done, he had to play what may have been the toughest heads-up match of his streak against three-time APT champion Michel Molenaar.<\/li>\n<li>On September 8, 2013, PokerNews&#8217; Head of Content Matthew Parvis conducted an exclusive interview with Howard Lederer that was released as a seven-part series titled, &#8220;Lederer Files&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Towards the tail end of my career, as Black Friday&#8217;s immediate effects had worn off and people realized the new status quo was never going to be the boom again, players became very wary of the media. What did interviewing them face-to-face reveal that the public version of those players concealed? I can promise you, more often than not, the voice in the meetings speaking up for the players was Seth&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota seems unlikely to get anything rolling any time soon, much to the dismay of the many poker players participating in the thriving live scene there. You can play legal online poker on the WSOP Poker App in your region, which still offers all the excitement of the tables but just in a friendly, play-money environment. When it comes to online poker, a lot of legislative efforts have piggybacked off sports betting, meaning when a state is considering online sports betting gaming operators push to tack on other games, including poker. PokerStars and GGPoker are the two best sites for online poker tournaments. Most online poker sites, such as PokerStars, GGPoker, 888poker, and PartyPoker use advanced real-time monitoring tools to keep the playing field level and secure.<\/p>\n<p>As of 2026, six states have legalized and offer online poker \u2013 Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan. In 2013, Nevada and Delaware became the first two states to offer online poker, while New Jersey would join later that year. They skirted the law by disguising player financial transactions as something non-poker related (i.e. showing up as \u201cflowers\u201d on a credit card transaction). They would remain the leader in the online poker industry until 2006 when the UIGEA inspired them to voluntarily exit the US market. With the help of Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton, PartyPoker launched in 2001 and quickly rose to be the premier online poker site in the business thanks to state-of-the-art software and attention to detail. In October 1999, Mike Caro became the first \u201conline poker ambassador\u201d by becoming the face of Planet Poker.<\/p>\n<p>In 2013 through 2016, PokerNews was annually named Best Poker Affiliate by iGB Affiliate for its web traffic, innovation, and reputation with players, and brand power. These player-generated updates link directly in to the PokerNews live reporting feed. It is run by iBus Media, whose majority owner is The Stars Group Inc., a Canadian gaming and online gambling company traded on Nasdaq and the Toronto Stock Exchange and headquartered in Toronto. While rivals focus on the largest regulated markets, BetRivers continues to back online poker in smaller states where it sees long-term value. Global Poker launches PowerStreak, giving Jackpot Sit\u2019n&#8217;Go players another way to win through daily leaderboard rewards.<\/p>\n<p>I really hope that it also attracts new interest and new players to the game because it&#8217;s just a fantastic sport to be involved in. The TDA, bless their hearts, put in black and white that tournament players had to behave like civilized humans. Operators realized that if they wanted to grow and get more players into seats, they had to make those people feel welcome and comfortable. The great majority of poker players are just as bad now as they were 20 years ago. So right now the safest place to play poker is in a public card room or a regulated online poker site.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere at the SHRPO series, statistical anomalies were on tap as three different players won four events in the series. However, since I play mainly high-stakes tournaments in the US, most of the players I&#8217;m familiar with are also high-stakes regulars. The tables are livelier; they&#8217;re more willing to chase draws and take gambles, and their fundamentals are still a bit weaker compared to US players.<\/p>\n<p>With all the activity in the tournament poker world, you would be remiss if you forgot that the 2026 European Poker Tour season is underway. If you play for real money, make sure that you do not play for more than you can afford losing, and that you only play at safe and regulated operators. PokerListings is one of the world&#8217;s oldest trusted poker sites. All games are lottery games controlled by the Delaware Lottery.<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align:center\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"563\" height=\"313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VgLkvgvPdfs\" frameborder=\"0\" alt=\"online poker news\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<p>Looking back now, what stands out regarding your play at the final table? Visualize the size of tournament fields and the explosion of cash games. Sexual innuendo and harassment of female players and dealers was the norm, not the exception. But the bottom 60% of players in 2026 would basically break even against the bottom 60% of players in 2005. On the live cash side, private games have taken over the medium-high stakes market.<\/p>\n<p>Sit and Gos satellites often run for major, popular events, giving players on-demand opportunities to qualify for a main event. Satellites are great ways for players to gain entry to higher-priced tournaments without paying the full buy-in. WSOP.com\u00a0is also a strong candidate in this category, with special turbo WSOP online events running, giving players a chance to win a real WSOP bracelet. With turbo poker and hyper tournaments, you can play full MTTs, go the distance and be all wrapped up in time to make your dinner reservations!<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve done a couple of one-off gigs with Mori&#8217;s (Eslkandni)\u00a0production team when I still lived in Vegas, and I can imagine a world where I offer my services as a spotter for production for the Main. If they want only the fun and sanitized poker stories, that is what you write. So, if livestreams are paramount, they can demand you delay your updates and you have to say yes.<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota does sport a modest casino and poker culture with 23 brick and mortar casinos, many of which accept patrons who are 18 and over, although some are for ages 21 and up. Since PokerStars led the way, many other operators entered the multi-state compact and began sharing player pools across states, the latest being the addition of BetRivers Poker in June 2025. On January 1, 2023, PokerStars became the first operator to link their Michigan player pool with another state. Most of Massachusetts\u2019 gaming sphere might be new, but it\u2019s showing rapid progression with its land-based casinos and sports betting. Maryland is another state that has expanded land-based gambling offerings with six casinos. The Bluegrass State has taken an even tougher stance against online gaming.<\/p>\n<p>Number of hands played heads-up after 57 were played at the rest of the final table While it took 38 hands to go from eight players to seven, it took only 16 more to reach heads-up play, setting up a memorable battle and a fitting conclusion. Molenaar peeked down at kh,kd in the big blind, covering both players. It didn\u2019t take long to reach the money from there, with the bubble bursting on just the second hand of the final table. The players who dive in really take it very seriously and want to contribute to the team. He played with such heart the whole final table.<\/p>\n<p>When the subject of women and poker is discussed, many think that there\u2026 Since 1854, when the California Grand Casino opened in Pacheco, poker has been established in the state. That is about all we know for the time being \u2013 complete schedule and details will be published in the coming weeks \u2013 but it enough for now for\u2026 Read more \u00bb Quarter-century of poker Online poker giant PokerStars has announced that the 25th running of the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) will be September 6-30. Running August 16 through September 29, WSOP Online features 33 gold bracelet events and over $66 million in guaranteed prize\u2026 Read more \u00bb Flutter Entertainment, the owner of many of the industry\u2019s top gaming products, will bring on new leadership soon.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class='aligncenter' style='display: block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;' width=\"605px\" alt=\"online poker news\" src=\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1596451190630-186aff535bf2?fm=jpg&#038;q=60&#038;w=3000&#038;auto=format&#038;fit=crop&#038;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8N3x8YmVzdCUyMHBva2VyJTIwc2l0ZXN8ZW58MHx8MHx8fDA%3D\"\/><\/p>\n<h3>Mystery Bounty Poker Tournaments<\/h3>\n<p>It was clear there was trouble brewing in the US online poker landscape, but sites continued to operate and players continued to deposit. Poker\u2019s popularity had been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokernewsdaily.com\/\">pokernewsdaily.com<\/a> at an all-time high and patches of online poker companies like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker could be seen on players everywhere. As for online poker, it\u2019s even worse for poker players as internet gambling is illegal in any form. Live poker is only permitted at the state&#8217;s two racinos in table-game form, not as traditional live poker cash games or tournaments.<\/p>\n<p>With its population of over 13 million and over 150,000 online poker players, Pennsylvania brings much-anticipated shared liquidity to a player pool that includes players from New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, West Virginia, and Michigan. A lot of players prefer real money gambling because of the thrill but some just enjoy the feeling of cashing out after a game. This is totally risk free and is perfect for those who want to practice playing poker online or for players where it is illegal to gamble real money in their state.<\/p>\n<p>GGPoker&#8217;s comprehensive tournament schedule once again plays trumps in this case, as it offers a wide range of different turbo and hyper tournaments. There&#8217;s more action, since players must be more aggressive or face swift blind increases that fatally deteriorate their stacks. However, the guarantees on these daily tournaments tend to be lower than 888poker&#8217;s rivals. 888poker\u00a0is one online poker site that has embraced the mystery bounty craze. Mystery bounty poker tournaments take the basic concept of a KO MTT and add an extra element of fortune and excitement.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class='aligncenter' style='display: block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;' width=\"602px\" alt=\"online poker news\" src=\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1597042962047-005b63a5eb25?fm=jpg&#038;q=60&#038;w=3000&#038;auto=format&#038;fit=crop&#038;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MTV8fGJlc3QlMjBwb2tlciUyMHNpdGVzfGVufDB8fDB8fHww\"\/><\/p>\n<p>SNGs start as soon as enough players register and usually have smaller fields. However, in order to win money (be profitable) in the long run, a decent understanding of the game is required. The best poker sites don\u2019t just protect your money, they help you stay in control. Legitimate poker sites are licensed by trusted regulatory bodies that enforce strict standards for fairness, security, and responsible gaming. \u201cUse your stack to target ICM pressure points\u2014especially when you can cover players waiting to ladder up.\u201d A double up early on or being an overwhelming chip-leader means little, given the total amount of chips in play and the time left in the tournament.<\/p>\n<h3>Gambling<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class='aligncenter' style='display: block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;' width=\"602px\" alt=\"online poker news\" src=\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1518133120397-258d5eb470c6?fm=jpg&#038;q=60&#038;w=3000&#038;auto=format&#038;fit=crop&#038;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MTB8fGJlc3QlMjBwb2tlciUyMHNpdGVzfGVufDB8fDB8fHww\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Simply put, it didn\u2019t outlaw online poker, but it took away the ability to get the money required to play online poker on and off the sites. The first online poker site to offer real money games was Planet Poker in 1998; in fact, the very first hand was dealt on January 1! For poker players, Black Friday was the day the US government forever altered the course of online poker. In April 2025, Pennsylvania joined the multi-state compact, allowing players from the state to play online poker with other players in Michigan and New Jersey. WSOP.com is pretty much the only current legal online poker site for players in Las Vegas and the state of Nevada.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class='aligncenter' style='display: block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;' width=\"607px\" alt=\"online poker news\" src=\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1511193311914-0346f16efe90?fm=jpg&#038;q=60&#038;w=3000&#038;auto=format&#038;fit=crop&#038;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8NHx8YmVzdCUyMHBva2VyJTIwc2l0ZXN8ZW58MHx8MHx8fDA%3D\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re still wanting to play poker in the state, there is an alternative. Major poker sites such as PokerStars haven\u2019t been accessible from Alabama since Black Friday on April 15, 2011, when the US Department of Justice (DOJ) forced the top sites to cease operations in the United States. At this time, as of 2026, there are no pieces of legislation up for a vote on bringing legal internet poker to the Cotton State. On the contrary, politicians often introduce bills supporting live poker efforts. Before long, states all across the country were offering both live and online sports-betting options.<\/p>\n<p>That said, the state is home to several tribal casinos including Little Wind Casino, Shoshone Rose Casino, Wind River Casino, and 789 Smokeshop &#038; Casino. The least populous state in the country, Wyoming doesn\u2019t tend to be a pioneer when it comes to gaming. There is no shortage of tribal casinos in Wisconsin with approximately two dozen properties owned by 11 tribes spread throughout the state.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the bill would put $25 million toward maintaining casino jobs to address concerns that igaming &#8220;would cannibalize the brick and mortar casinos.&#8221; Satellites let you win seats in bigger events for a fraction of the buy-in, which is great for building a tournament path on a budget. All top sites have mobile apps with full tournament support\u2014buy-ins, re-entries, late reg, and more. They have the biggest and most varied daily tournament schedules, as well as some incredible recurring series. If you ever feel your poker play is becoming difficult to manage, visit our Responsible Gambling page for practical tools, tips, and links to trusted support organizations.<\/p>\n<p>A new tournament series is set to return to the PokerStars on FanDuel platform in September, with details on the name, schedule and guarantees still to be revealed. The Thai player, who entered the day with just over $22K in Hendon Mob-reported earnings, opened to five big blinds from a 14-big-blind stack with ac,td. To get it done, he had to play what may have been the toughest heads-up match of his streak against three-time APT champion Michel Molenaar. Finishing second in any poker tournament is always a bittersweet accomplishment. What was your take on the way the WSOP Main Event final table went down?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class='aligncenter' style='display: block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;' width=\"602px\" alt=\"online poker news\" src=\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1604345250885-11f528eec3ff?fm=jpg&#038;q=60&#038;w=3000&#038;auto=format&#038;fit=crop&#038;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MTJ8fGJlc3QlMjBwb2tlciUyMHNpdGVzfGVufDB8fDB8fHww\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Online poker sites typically offer a variety of poker site deposit and withdrawal options to accommodate the diverse preferences and needs of their players. We test each client and app ourselves to get a feel for the interface, table layout, and any unique features like hand replayers, built-in HUDs, or tournament filters. From Welcome Bonuses to regular Loyalty Rewards, most poker sites look to incentivize you to signup and play with them, while also rewarding existing players for consistent loyalty. Combined with frequent no-deposit promotions and exclusive series-based freerolls, 888poker gives players plenty of chances to build a bankroll from scratch without any initial investment. It offers one of the most active freeroll schedules online, with daily and weekly events open to new players, loyalty members, and social media followers. It runs regular daily freerolls that new and returning players can access, giving you a way to win real money or tournament tickets without investing money from your bankroll.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve all been in a situation where we have plans, but have a couple of hours beforehand to sneak in a quick session of poker. What&#8217;s more, during series like their Bounty Hunter Series, expect added mystery bounties with even more value, boosted prize pools and enormous max bounties. Mystery bounties are becoming increasingly popular, but are more common as special events during promotional periods. This is where an element of good fortune comes into play. It&#8217;s also common for the tournament winner to receive more from the bounty for knocking out their heads-up opponent than they do from finishing in first place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>100% Legal US Online Poker Rooms Reviewed The hand has sparked plenty of debate online, with many suggesting that Saaskilahti misread the board. So, I\u2019ll go and enjoy some sunshine and some poker. That would be a nice event to attend. But I will definitely try to see if I can squeeze some side events [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3507"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3508,"href":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3507\/revisions\/3508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sternscayman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}