With the World Series of Poker now behind us (for the most part), the eyes of the poker fans have been wandering, looking for the next big thing to focus on before action resumes in Las Vegas with the Main Event final table, which kicks off tomorrow.
Fortunately, the game has evolved well past a single tournament festival being the only thing to pay attention to, and there was plenty of exciting news coming from the poker world over the course of last week.
For those who enjoy watching high-stakes tournament players battle it out, a brand-new poker tour out of Asia made sure they had plenty to enjoy, as the first-ever King Poker Cup festival played out in Jeju, including a King’s Charity $100k Super High Roller, whose final table included some very familiar names.
Back in Las Vegas, the WSOP Main Event final table was being set up, and the WSOP made its final decision on the implementation of shot clocks at the final table, while controversy surrounding online WSOPC rings also made the headlines.
Finally, Supreme Court lawyer Tom Goldstein was sentenced to six years in federal prison as a result of his super high-stakes poker activities, adding another twist to a poker story that’s been developing for months.
Bryn Kenney and Jesse Lonis Chop a $100k High Roller in Jeju
With the WSOP in the books, the high rollers were on the lookout for the next big thing, and this time around, it came somewhat unannounced.
The King Poker Cup is a poker series that’s been getting off the ground for some time, but only launched its first official festival this month, including a couple of high-stakes tournaments that were announced at the last minute.
Despite the late notice, some of the world’s best poker players got the news in time to make it over to Jeju, one of the prime high-stakes poker destinations in the world, and play in the events.
The most prestigious of them all was the King’s Charity $100k Super High Roller, which saw a total of 71 entries from 49 unique players, to create a prize pool of $6,674,000.
Despite being a last-minute addition to the schedule, the tournament was run masterfully by the King Poker Cup and the Les A Casino staff, who have plenty of experience with high rollers.
The final table was a thing to behold, as Tom Dwan, Bryn Kenney, Jesse Lonis, and Elton Tsang were all among the final nine. A total of 11 players made the money and at least doubled their buy-ins, while the final nine were playing for a top prize of $1.9 million.
Tom Dwan, known from his online poker days as durrrr, was the overwhelming fan favorite, but ended up busting in sixth, while local favorite Elton Tsang could only capture third place.
Jesse Lonis and Bryn Kenney were the final two players standing, and they agreed to a heads-up deal as soon as play got down to the two of them, each securing some $1.6 million in cash.
With this result, Bryn Kenney became the first player in the history of tournament poker to earn a total of $90 million in his career, a unique milestone that brings him one step closer to the $100 million mark, which will be a special moment in poker history.
For Lonis, on the other hand, the victory represented another amazing feat in his short poker career, as he overtook Phil Hellmuth on the all-time money list and moved one step closer to legendary status in the poker world.
Really have enjoyed playing with and getting to know @JesseLonis . Have massive amounts of respect for him as a person and as a player. A great ambassador for the game, father and someone that people can look up to. Has had a young career but already a legend of the game.… https://t.co/jhifkmyqNc
— Bryn Kenney (@BrynKenney) July 31, 2026
WSOP Changes the Shot Clock Rule and Reexamines WSOPC Ring Winner Rewards
The world’s biggest poker tournament, the WSOP Main Event, played down to the final table a couple of weeks ago, and the remaining nine players were given some time to prepare for the final action, which resumes on Monday, August 3.
One of the biggest controversies surrounding the tournament was the introduction of a shot clock for the first time in the Main Event’s history, a move that was made to prevent stalling, but perhaps also to make the tournament more appealing for the mainstream viewers.
This move raised a lot of eyebrows and got the poker community quite heated, so WSOP decided to reconsider the decision. In the end, it was decided that there would be no shot clocks at the final table!
For the remaining nine players, this is surely good news, as they will all be able to make their decisions in a reasonable amount of time, instead of being forced to play for life-changing amounts of money in just seconds.
However, this does raise the question of fairness to all the players who busted in the short period of play in which the shot clocks were in play, as the rule change was introduced somewhat arbitrarily.
In either case, it is now clear that the players at the WSOP Main Event final table will go back to playing in accordance with traditional tournament rules, where a clock may be called if a player is taking an unusually long amount of time to act in a certain situation.
Main Event Final Table Rules Update
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 30, 2026
After discussions with players and tournament staff, we’ve made the collective decision not to use a shot clock at next week’s WSOP Main Event Final Table.
As outlined in the Official Tournament Rules, players may call the clock if they… pic.twitter.com/TcFhOXNgm4
The WSOP caught some more heat last week when it was revealed that players who won WSOPC rings online would not be receiving $5k WSOP Paradise packages, despite original advertising suggesting they would.
A debate followed, with players overwhelmingly believing all WSOPC ring winners should be awarded a package, as there was no official announcement regarding online winners.
In the end, WSOP honored this request and decided to award all WSOPC ring winners with a WSOP Paradise package, while explaining that the confusion happened due to the changing ownership of the WSOP Online platform.
With the confusion cleared up, players from across regulated markets in the US will have plenty of chances to win valuable $5k packages by playing for online WSOPC rings on the Series’ official online poker app.
We’ve listened to player feedback and are pleased to confirm that eligible winners of qualifying WSOP Online Circuit events in both the U.S. and international markets will continue to receive a $5,000 WSOP Paradise invitation package.
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 31, 2026
These invitation packages are an added… pic.twitter.com/UxZ9roXNfG
Tom Goldstein Gets Six Years in Prison
Earlier in the year, it was revealed that Tom Goldstein, one of the most famous lawyers in the USA, was being charged with tax evasion, filing false tax returns, making false statements to mortgage lenders, and more, all related to private high-stakes poker games.
As more details emerged, it also became clear that Goldstein had appeared on the popular live stream Hustler Casino Live, playing under a pseudonym and in disguise, which made the entire case even more interesting to an average poker fan.
His trial proved to be fascinating, as the likes of celebrated Hollywood actor Tobey Maguire, real estate and high-stakes gambler Bob Safai, and nosebleed poker legend Andrew Robl all testified on a series of poker matches dating back to 2016.
The witnesses revealed details of incredible poker games, in which Goldstein played professional poker players and businessmen from around the world, often for more than $10 million at a time, recording massive wins and losses along the way.
The prosecution was able to prove that Goldstein owed taxes on tens of millions of dollars in poker winnings that were not properly reported, and that the defendant violated a number of laws in an effort to enrich himself.
Late last week, US District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby handed Tom Goldstein a sentence of six years in federal prison, along with $3.1 million in restitution, which he will be required to pay.
Of course, Goldstein’s team immediately made it clear they would be appealing the sentence, which means we will see further developments before a final decision on the prominent lawyer’s future is finally passed.
