WSOP
Controversial Main Event climax
As is traditionally the case, the highlight of the poker season for many is the summer WSOP, which attracts thousands of players from all over the world to Las Vegas. This year's edition is no exception, as it broke many records. Once again, the Main Event was at the epicenter of the action, breaking a record for the first time in a year. But the great news was overshadowed by the win of Jonathan Tamayo, who regularly went to his rail for advice after each hand, where Dominik Nitsche and other professionals gave him advice via laptop and solver. Take a look for yourself at the faces of the participants in Tamayo's rails immediately after the last hand and make up your own mind.
The spectacular return of Daniel Negreanu
One of the most famous players in the poker world, long-time ambassador and 7-time WSOP bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu experienced one of the most successful years of the WSOP. After 11 long years, he managed to add another bracelet to his collection of 6, and not just any bracelet - Daniel managed to win the world's toughest tournament, the $50k Poker Players Championship.
G.O.A.T. is back
Another one who managed to end a long wait for a win last year was Phil Ivey. Considered by many to be the best player in the world, he proved his worth in the $10k 2-7 Triple Draw event, where he won his 11th bracelet after 3,639 days. He left behind a trio of 10-time champions in Erik Seidel, Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson in the historical tables, and is now only ahead of 17-time champion Phil Hellmuth.
Hustler Casino Live
Of the many televised cash games, Hustler Casino Live has enjoyed the biggest viewing figures and has produced a number of exciting moments throughout the year. HCL's directors have put together a compilation of the 10 biggest pots of the past year, and we've added two more hands to the interesting selection that are definitely worth mentioning - Dan "Jungleman" Cates' bold play with 72o and the much-discussed situation in which Rob Yong mucked a winning hand!
EPT
The flagship of live poker on the old continent has its 20th birthday to its credit this year, celebrated with successful stops across the continent. The five stops have taken care of many interesting stories, most noteworthy of which are the thrilling final table of the ME EPT Cyprus, or the incredible success of Rania Nasreddine, who fought her way back-to-back to two Main Event final tables.
WPT
The World Poker Tour series once again wrapped up its season this year with a grand finale in Las Vegas, where the Main Event attracted 2,392 entries. In addition to winner Scott Stewart, the talented Chris Moorman provided a nice story here as he made his way to the final table for the second year in a row in the same tournament. But the Main Event successes were overshadowed by the biggest freeroll ever, in which Jason Christopher was the victim of a misplaced joke and pulled a $1,000,000 bounty out of the mystery bounty envelope.
Triton and Vladimir "Gambledore" Korzinin
Unless you've spent the last two months on a desert island or in a cave, you've certainly caught the incredible story of Vladimir Korzinin. The 69-year-old amateur gambler with the look of a movie magician appeared out of nowhere at the Triton Monte-Carlo event, where he took on the best players in the world and took home millions of dollars!
BONUS: Good old Hellmuth's Blast
What would a poker year be if we didn't witness the traditional Hellmuth blowout at least once during it. This time, Phil's nerves snapped on the No Gamble No Future TV show, where he got provoked by Humboldt Mike, resulting in a lot of booing, a dropped microphone, and a walk out of the studio.
