PokerStars Festival and Triton Super High Roller Series: High-Stakes Action

The PokerStars Festival in Atlantic City took place from October 30 to November 6, 2016. This event marked the first PokerStars series in the USA after the ban on online poker. The main event, with a $1,100 buy-in, attracted 208 participants, and Jason Acosta won $38,220. The high roller tournament with a $2,200 buy-in saw 16 entries, with Jack Duong emerging victorious after defeating Jennifer Shahid in the heads-up. Duong became the first two-time winner of the series, having also won a turbo tournament a few days prior. Chris Moneymaker won a turbo PLO high-low event with a $560 buy-in against seven opponents.

The charity tournament in memory of Chad Brown was the most attended event of the series, with 301 participants. Notable players who made it to the final table included Vanessa Selbst, Natasha Barbour, and Fatima De Melo. Jennifer Shahid finished in second place. The organizers expressed their modest expectations, as they had not been active in the US market for six years. Neil Johnson, responsible for PokerStars' offline tournaments, stated that they aimed to offer more than the standard 40 tournaments, including games against the casino.

The Triton Super High Roller Series in the Philippines featured two high-stakes tournaments. The first, with a HK$200,000 buy-in, was won by Daniel Cates, who earned HK$2,785,900. The second tournament, with a HK$500,000 buy-in, was won by Vai Kin Yong, who defeated Brin Kenney in the heads-up. Notable players who participated included Tom Dwan, who briefly led after the first day but was eliminated before the final table. Phil Ivey faces ongoing legal troubles with casinos, including a $15.5 million claim from Borgata, which includes winnings, bonuses, and alleged losses if he had played 'fairly'.