3-Bet: Global Gaming Awards London Honors Industry Achievers, RunGood to Award 2 ‘Poker After Dark’ Seats & Josh Reichard Wins 11th WSOPC Gold Ring

The Global Gaming Awards London recently honored online gaming industry achievers for their contributions to the growth of the industry. The award programme was hosted at the Hippodrome Casino in London on February 5 where Sweden’s LeoVegas bagged the ‘Online Casino of the Year’ and ‘Mobile Operator of the Year’ awards. PokerStars was adjudged the top ‘Online Poker Operator’. In all, top performers in 16 categories were awarded.

RunGood has this year, partnered with PokerGO streaming platform and Poker Central to offer more than the regular attractions at the 2019 Spring Season of the Rungood Poker Series (RGPS). The Spring Season titled ‘Showbound’ will be giving two poker players a chance to win seats to the legendary poker show, Poker After Dark (PAD).

At the 2019 World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Potawatomi, Josh Reichard won the $400 PLO event for his poker career’s 11^th WSOPC title, along with $15,410 in prize money.

Global Gaming Awards London 2019 Honor Online Gaming Industry Achievers

For the second year in a row, the prestigious Global Gaming Awards London honored the achievements and innovations of stakeholders in the iGaming industry. The award ceremony saw the largest gathering on industry chief executives under one roof at the Hippodrome Casino in London on February 5.

Lead partner of the whole event this year was BetConstruct. The winners were finalized by a panel of 50 industry experts who discussed the shortlisted nominees in 16 categories. Awards were given as recognition for operational excellence over the past 12 months in different categories.

Swedish mobile gaming company LeoVegas bagged two major awards at the ceremony. It was declared ‘Online Casino of the Year’ for its efforts in strengthening its brand portfolio and implementing responsible gaming strategies. The company was chosen above nine other nominees. LeoVegas also won the ‘Mobile Operator of the Year’ award for its offerings on mobile website and app, updates to the sportsbook and improved functionality.

Group CEO at LeoVegas, Gustaf Hagman said, “It’s an honor to accept two awards related to our casino product and mobile offering in one evening. These distinguished titles really reflect the hard work and effort that everyone put in during the last year. Here’s to another year of Leading the Way to the Mobile Future!”

PokerStars was adjudged the top ‘Online Poker Operator’ with Svenska Spel and 888poker taking the second and third spot respectively. Kenny Alexander, CEO of GVC, topped the list of CEOs nominated for the awards while Kindred Group won the CSR Programme award for its Player Safety Early Detection System.

Other winners at the awards ceremony were, Ladbrokes (Betting Shop Operator), Bet365 (Online Sports Betting Operator), Betradar (Retail Supplier), Casino de Monte-Carlo (Online Sports Betting Supplier), Novomatic (Casino Supplier), Evolution Gaming (Online Casino Supplier), NetEnt – Jumanji (Casino Product) and Trustly (Payment Solution).

RunGood to Award Poker After Dark Seats in 2019 Spring Season

The 2019 Spring Season of the Rungood Poker Series (RGPS) is titled ‘Showbound’ this year, and offers more than the regular RGPS live tournament excitement. In partnership with Poker Central and streaming platform, PokerGO, RunGood will be giving two poker players a chance to win seats on the legendary poker show, Poker After Dark (PAD).

As the ‘Showbound’ season plays out, RunGood will award two seats to a freeroll satellite that will be hosted at the end of the season. The top two finishers of the satellite will win the PAD seats and get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play in separate episodes in August.

“The whole concept was we wanted poker’s most beloved show, “Poker After Dark,” to be accessible and relatable to our market, the ones who play dailies and nightlies and bar leagues,” RunGood’s Tana Karn who conceptualized the theme-based ‘Showbound’ said.

Like every year, the Spring Season will feature six signature RunGood stops. Each of these stops will feature their own venue-specific schedule. Winners of each preliminary event and final table finishers of the Main Event in these stops will gain entry into a freeroll.

Close to 75 such players will gather at Hard Rock Tulsa on May 6 with two $5,000 seats on the line. The two lucky players who win the seats will play at the PAD in August.

The ‘Showbound’ stops are, Horseshoe Council Bluffs (Feb 5-10), DownStream Resort (Feb 19-24), Horseshoe Tunica (Mar 5-10), Horseshoe Bossier City (Mar 26-31), Harrah’s North KC (April 23-28) and Hard Rock Tulsa (April 30- May 5).

Josh Reichard Wins 11^th Gold Ring at the 2019 WSOP Circuit Potawatomi Stop

The $400 PLO event at the 2019 World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Potawatomi attracted a total of 173 entrants creating a $57,090 prize pool. End of play it was Josh Reichard who took down the event to win his third WSOP Circuit gold ring at the stop, and his career’s 11^th gold ring.

The Wisconsin native banked a payout of $15,410, taking his WSOP earnings to over $700,000. Interestingly, this was Reichard’s third ring in an Omaha event. Last weekend, Reichard’s father, Brett Reichard won his second WSOPC gold ring.

The top 18 spots earned a min-cash worth $766. Day 1 wrapped up with only 15 of the 173-strong field still in contention for the title. John Zawaski was in the lead with 512,000 in chips, while Reichard was the next big stack, holding 360,000. Just under an hour after Day 2 kicked off, the field narrowed down to the 10 finalists who entered the unofficial final table. By then Reichard was leading the way with a stack of 499,000.

The elimination of Michael Bohling (10^th for $1,113) set the official final table into motion. Reichard eventually defeated John Zawaski heads-up to win his 11^th gold ring.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Joshua Reichard – $15,410

2. John Zawaski – $9,526

3. Michael Hanson – $6,857

4. Shawn Quinn – $5,026

5. James Kelly – $3,749

6. John Schray – $2,845

7. Jerry Richard – $2,196

8. Zachariah Polasky – $1,722

9. Kyle Adams – $1,374