The 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event Champ becomes royalty, Daniel Negreanu hosts a charity poker tournament for children, and Daniel Lowery inches to the top of the WSOP Circuit leaderboard are some of the short stacks CardsChat picked up in last week’s orbit of poker news.
Daniel Weinman, the 2023 WSOP Main Event, is now represented by Poker Royalty. (Image: WSOP)
Daniel Weinman signs with Poker Royalty
Daniel Weinman came into the 2023 World Series of Poker as a respected, but sort of reluctant pro. He left Las Vegas as the World Champion of the biggest event on the globe. The $12 million winner almost skipped the Main Event he won after flying home for a break — the first time he’d done so.
My, how fast can one’s life change. Weinman is now a member of Poker Royalty, literally. Poker Royalty, the “world’s leading poker player agency,” announced it signed Weinman to its roster.
“We are thrilled to welcome Daniel Weinman to the Poker Royalty family,” said Poker Royalty founder and CEO Brian Balsbaugh in a press release. “Daniel’s exceptional skills, remarkable track record, and dedication will make him a tremendous ambassador for the game of poker.”
He joins Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, and others.
Lowery chasing WSOP Circuit win total
A week after Ari Engel put himself in a tie with Maurice Hawkins for the most WSOPC titles with 15 with back-to-back victories, Daniel Lowery moved up the list and is now tied for second-place with Josh Reichard.
Lowery scored ring number 14 in a $1,125 pot-limit Omaha event at Graton Casino in California for $21,518. It’s his fourth WSOP Circuit ring since April. All but two of his rings came in events with buy-ins of $500 or less.
Like all the WSOP Circuit winners, he’ll play in the Tournament of Champions $1 million freeroll next summer.
Table games coming to Nebraska
Grand Island Casino began spreading tables games on Friday, becoming the first casino in Nebraska to offer blackjack, roulette, and craps.
“We are absolutely excited to bring the first live table games to Nebraska and to our valued Grand Island Casino guests,” said Dan Kehl, CEO of Elite Casino Resorts, the parent company of the Grand Island Casino. “This expansion to the temporary casino is driven by listening to our guests and our commitment to providing top-notch entertainment experiences. We are also eager to start construction on our permanent facility in October and begin the next phase of this multi-million-dollar development in Grand Island.”
Casino gambling was approved by voter there in 2020, and its gambling commission approved table games in August.
There are still no legal poker room in Nebraska, but this could change if Elite Casino Resorts decides to add it. The company owns six casinos in the midwest some of which, like Riverside Casino in Iowa, have poker rooms.
Daniel Negreanu hosts tourney for St. Jude
Daniel Negreanu will host a tournament on Sept. 9, that will raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The tourney is part of Viva St. Jude, a three-day golf, wine, and poker weekend/fund raiser held in Las Vegas Sept. 7-9.
The $400 tourney takes place at 8:30 p.m. at Resorts World. The winner of the event gets a $10,000 entry into the 2024 WSOP Main Event.
There’s also a golf scramble, a fashion show, and a wine soiree. Visit this page for more information or to sponsor the events.
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