Casino Player October 2022

IN THE NEWS

Zynga Poker Celebrates 15th Anniversary W hile online poker continues seeing some growth in the U.S., free-to-play mobile gaming poker remains immensely popular among mobile gaming players.Millions of players enjoy catching cards virtually for play money via cell phones or tablet devices.And

Joshua Pollock

when it comes to free-play poker,Zynga Poker leads the pack.The game is owned byTake-Two Interactive,which terms Zynga as“the world’s largest free-to-play mobile poker game.” In September, the game celebrated its 15th anniversary with 21 days of promotions. Since launching in 2007, Zynga has seen over 236 million lifetime players around the world. Like many traditional players, this group is drawn to plenty of No Limit Hold’em poker action and many players are introduced to real money poker—live and online—via learning how to play this level.The company even partnered with the World PokerTour in recent years to send players to live events. “Zynga Poker brings players an authentic casino experience and we’re thrilled to celebrate 15 years with our community,”Zynga ExecutiveVice President of Mobile GamesYaron Leyvand said.“As one of the largest mobile poker games, Zynga Poker brings together millions of players from around the world to connect over a mutual love of the game, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the tables to celebrate this monumental birthday.” WPT Announces New Poker Cruise I n other tour news, the WPT cruise is also returning. The company announced a partnership withVirginVoyages to hit the high seas for a six-day cruise through the Caribbean.The Scarlet Lady cruise ship departs Miami on Nov. 11, and houses a poker room with daily cash games and tournament action.The trip includes two port days in the Caribbean with the first stop on the white-sand beaches of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The second day includes docking in Bimini, Bahamas, for a complete experience at the Beach Club at Bimini.The tournament schedule is highlighted by a $500 Main Event and also includes a Mystery Bounty event.Here’s the full tournament schedule:

Corey Wade

WPT Crowns Pair of Champions T heWorld PokerTour saw two more players add their names to the Mike Sexton Champions Cup in September. Joshua Pollock, of San Diego, CA, scored the win in the Legends of Poker on Sept. 1 at the Bicycle Casino for $573,350.Along with a WPT title, he also has twoWorld Series of Poker bracelets from 2013 and 2019 on his poker record. “My wife and I are about to go on a babymoon to Hawaii next week,”Pollock said.“This might be the last live tournament I might play for a while, so this was a good tournament to win.” The $3,500 Seminole Hard Rock Tampa also concluded in Florida in September.CoreyWade found the winner’s circle for $471,686. This was actually his first WPT cash for the player from Cabot,AR.The final hand sawWade behind when his opponent found a pair ofAces on the flop. However,Wade hit a pair of Queens and the river brought a third Queen for the victory. “Feels absolutely amazing,”he said after the win.“This time I came through and got lucky on the river,but I won so I’m excited. It felt so good. I couldn’t help but clap one time. It was a surreal feeling.” The next stop for the tour is the $10,400 Five DiamondWorld Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas Oct. 19–23.

$120 Daybreak No Limit Hold’em – Nov. 12 $500WPT Cruise Main Event – Nov. 14 $330 Mystery Bounty No Limit Hold’em – Nov. 14 $120 SurvivorTournament – Nov. 15

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer and senior writer for Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazines. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions or email him at seanchaffin@sbcglobal.net for story assignments.

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