Tuesday September 24, 2019 at 3:46 pm
Breaking News

Alfred 'Al' Alvarez, noted poet and author, passed away at age 90. Alvarez is a renown poet but he is highly regarded in the poker industry because of his 1983 non-fiction book "The Biggest Game in Town" in which Alvarez captured the true essence of the 1981 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Las Vegas.

AlAlvarezBiggestGameinTown

If it weren't for Al Alvarez, I probably would not be writing here or penning his obituary. I often credit two men for the advancement of my career. One of them is Chris Moneymaker and the other is Al Alvarez. Moneymaker helped ignited the poker boom with his victory at the 2003 World Series of Poker. However, it's what happened at the 1981 World Series of Poker that really launched my career.

If Al Alvarez did not make a heroic journey from London to Las Vegas to soak up the 1981 WSOP and then write about it in his book "The Biggest Game in Town", then I would never have had a shot at a job in the poker media.

Alvarez took a low-brow vice and gave it a true literary treatment, so that folks from all walks of life could take a ride through downtown Las Vegas through Alvarez's lush verbiage.

You can make a strong argument that no one in the mainstream square world would even read a word about the WSOP if Al Alvarez didn't take that initial leap of faith into the gambling realm.

Alvarez in turn inspired a new generation of American poker writers including Andy Glazer and Jesse May. I would not be here today without the Glazer and May blazing the trail in America. But that initial trail from the literary world to the Horseshoe was carved out by British poet Al Alvarez. Alvarez painted word pictures of downtown Las Vegas that have become a part of everyday vernacular in both Vegas and the gambling world.

It's funny but I knew Al Alvarez as a poet way before I knew about him as the Brit who wrote that gnarly poker book about cowboys and degenerates. That was a time when I probably spent more time trying to impress the NYC literati before I got super-hooked on Texas Hold'em.

Alvarez ran in the same circles as Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. He knew them both very well. The actor Jared Harris (Mad Men, Chernobyl) portrayed Al Alvarez in the film version of Sylvia Plath's life title "Sylvia". Gwenyth Paltrow played Sylvia Plath in a film that tried to shed some light on the complicated marriage between Plath and Ted Hughes during an era when Plath tried to break down the gender barrier in the insular poetry world.

Too bad we never got Jared Harris to play Alvarez in a 1980s period piece about the murky poker world in the shadows of dingy downtown Las Vegas. That's a poker movie I'd love to see. Heck, it's a Vegas movie I'm dying to see.

The Guardian's obituary mentioned that Al Alvarez wrote books in the 1980s about risk taking. That includes "The Biggest Game in Town" (1983) along with his divorce book (1982) and "Feeding the Rat" (1989), which chronicled his obsession to rock climbing.

The poet shifted his focus to novels and then nonfiction. Alvarez never stopped writing and he never stopped creating. He never pigeonholed himself in one form or genre. He kept moving and kept writing. He's problem erased more gems than I've ever published.

Alvarez never quite got all the accolades among the English literati that should have because he was not a kissass and loathed the "monsters" in the literary world. You can't blame him. I would have done the same and went a different route. Unfortunately, poets and writers with far inferior skills were showered with juicy advances, feted by the literary gatekeepers, and gobbled up the meaningless awards. Maybe some day, he'll finally get his due.

Al Alvarez

I've done a lot of climbing, played a lot of poker. There's an awful lot of laughing that goes on by the pond. I think anything is good for you that makes you laugh.

The poker world seems like this behemoth of a billion dollar industry, but it's really small all things considered. That's why when a genuine trailblazer like Al Alvarez dies, it hits home. Hard.

RIP Al Alvarez. Thanks for taking the initial leap of faith. Without your courage, I never would have made mine.

Latest news
Monday June 16, 2025 at 1:39 pm
2025 WSOP: Joao Vieira binks $100K High Roller, ODB Baker and Ian Johns snag fourth bling

2025 Event #38 $100,000 High Roller attracted 103 entries. Portugal's Joao Vieira was the last player standing and he banked $2,649,158 and secured his fourth bracelet. David 'ODB' Baker also snagged his fourth bracelet and $646,845 when he outlasted a field of 801 to win Event #40 $5,000 Seniors High Roller. And Ian Johns also reached four bracelets when he prevailed in Event #41 $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship which paid out $282,455. English pro Philip Sternheimer won his first bracelet in Event #36 $10,000 PLO 8 Championship worth $763,087. Meanwhile, Allan Le also stepped into the winner's circle the first time when he survived Event #43 $1,500 Razz for $126,363.

Friday June 13, 2025 at 12:02 pm
2025 WSOP: Nick Schulman joins Seven-Timer's Club, Jason Koon banks $1.97M

Nick Schulman became only the thirteenth player in history to win seven bracelets when he picked off Darren Elias heads-up to win Event #30 $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship for a score worth $497,356. Not to be outdone, Jason Koon secured his second bracelet when he was the last player standing in the shark-infested Event #32 $50,000 High Roller, which paid out a smidge under $2 million. In the old-school category, Jason Duong prevailed in Event #33 $1,500 Limit Hold'em. Ukraine's Renat Bohdanov banked $451,600 and his first bracelet when he took down Event #35 $3,000 NL Freezeout.

Wednesday June 11, 2025 at 12:08 pm
2025 WSOP: Chang Lee wins $25K High Roller, Xixiang Luo and John Racener snag third bling

At the 2025 WSOP, Chang Lee won his first bracelet and nearly $1.95 million in Event #26 $25,000 High Roller. Then Xixiang Luo was the last player standing in Event #24 $1,500 PLO Double Board Bomb Pot. Luo won his third bracelet and $290,400. John Racener also won his third bracelet in Event #34 $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty. In a shark-heavy field, Nick Guagenti outlasted a star-studded and tough final table to win Event #25 $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship. Over in Event #28 Mixed $600 NLH/PLO Deepstack, Tyler Brown emerged victorious for his second bracelet. Other first-time winners included Igor Zektser in Event #27 $1,500 Big O, Courtenay Williams outlasted a massive field to win Event #19 $500 COLOSSUS for $542,540, Mark Darner took down Event #29 $2,500 NLH, and Jonathan Stoeber prevailed in Event #31 $800 NLH Deepstack.

Sunday June 8, 2025 at 1:25 pm
2025 WSOP: Blaz Zerjav takes down $25K High Roller 6-Handed for $1.7M

Slovenia's Blaz Zerjav was the last player standing in 2025 WSOP Event #22 $25,000 High Roller NL 6-Handed to win his first bracelet and $1.7 million in cash. Scott Bohlman won his second bracelet in Event #17 $2,000 NLH, which paid out $436K. Ryan Hoenig navigated a tough final table to win Event #18 $10,000 Dealers Choice 6-Handed Championship for $354,444. Michael Lavin secured his second bracelet in Event #20 $1,500 NL Shootout which paid out $267,373. Zachary Zaret won his first bracelet when he outlasted a stacked final table in Event #21 $1,500 PLO, which paid out $248,245. Brazil's Aloisio Dourado won his first bracelet in Event #23 $1,500 Badugi for $138,114.

Friday June 6, 2025 at 11:40 am
2025 WSOP: Benny Glaser wins bracelet #7, Lou Garza ships $25K High Roller Mixed

Only a couple of days after English pro Benny Glaser won his sixth bracelet, he joined the WSOP Seven-Timers Club after a victory in Event #15 $1,500 Mixed Pot-Limit Omaha 8 worth $258,193. Glaser becomes the first dual-bracelet winner in 2025. Lou Garza won his second bracelet and a score worth $1.3 million in Event #14 $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed. Also, Chris Staats faded field of 2,354 runners to win Event #13 $1,500 6-Handed NLH for his second bracelet.

Wednesday June 4, 2025 at 3:13 pm
2025 WSOP: Benny Glasser snags #6, Brad Ruben wins #5, Artur Martirosian ships $25K Heads-Up

The second week of the 2025 WSOP included a couple of big events and major milestones. English pro and mixed-game specialist Benny Glasser secured his sixth WSOP bracelet and joined the Six-Timers Club when he shipped Event #8 $1,500 Dealer's Choice for $150,246. Brad Ruben won his fifth bracelet in five years when he took down Event #12 $1,500 NL 2-7 Lowball Draw. Fan-favorite Daniel Negreanu had a shot at winning bracelet #8 in Event #9 $10,000 Omaha 8 Championship, but he'd finish in second place after losing to Ryan Bambrick heads up. Artur Martirosian secured his third bracelet with a victory in Event #7 $25,000 Heads Up Championship when he picked off Aliaksei Boika for $500,000. Michael Wilklow banked a cool million by outlasting 19,654 players to win Event #1 $1,000 Mystery Millions.

Sunday June 1, 2025 at 9:18 pm
2025 WSOP: Dan Heimiller, Antonio Galiana, David Shmuel, Bruno Furth win bracelets in first week

The 2025 World Series of Poker is underway in Las Vegas at the Paris Casino and Horseshoe Casino. Several players added additional bracelets to their collection. Spanish pro Antonio Galiana won his second bracelet in WSOP Event #3 $5,000 8-Handed NLH worth $582K. David Shmuel was the last player standing in Event #4 $1,500 Omaha 8. It's another PLO win for Bruno Furth, who snagged his second bracelet with a victory in Event #5 $5,000 PLO for $620,696. Dan Heimiller won his third bracelet in Event #6 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud.

Tuesday May 20, 2025 at 2:12 pm
PokerStars NAPT Las Vegas returns to Resorts World in November

Get ready for the third installment of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT), which return to Las Vegas. Resorts World will host another 10-day festival of tournament poker between November 3 to 12. The NAPT Las Vegas Main Event has a $5,300 buy-in and $3 million guarantee, which begins November 6. The diverse schedule includes events with buy-ins ranging from $330 to $50,000 including a Women's High Roller.

Monday May 12, 2025 at 2:32 pm
Aleksandr Shevliakov wins 2025 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event for €1M

Russia's Aleksandr Shevliakov won an online qualifier via PokerStars and parlayed his €530 satellite seat into €1,000,000 when he won the 2025 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event. The €5,300 buy-in Main Event was the second-largest field in history with 1,195 total entries. The prize pool was a smidge under €5.8 million with a cool million set aside for the champion. Shevliakov defeated Khossein Kokhestani heads-up for the title. The final table also included Boris Angelov, Enrico Coppola, Mariusz Golinski, and Jamil Wakil.

Wednesday April 30, 2025 at 2:57 pm
2025 WSOP Online: Bracelet schedule released

The World Series of Poker released the 2025 WSOP Online schedule with 30 bracelets up for grabs beginning May 31 through July 15. Pennsylvania became the fourth state to joined the shred liquidity pact, so the residents of the Keystone State can complete with residents of Nevada, New Jersey, and Michigan for bracelets at WSOP Online. Five events, including four High Rollers, will begin online with the final table hosted live at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. There's also $5.5 million in guaranteed prize pools with buy-ins starting as low as $250.

Friday April 18, 2025 at 4:56 pm
Shannon Shorr snags 2025 US Poker Open championship

The 2025 US Poker Open concluded at the Aria Casino in Las Vegas. Shannon Shorr won two events with victories in Event #5 $10,100 NLH and Event #8 $25,200 NLH to lock up the coveted golden eagle trophy awarded to the player of the series. Shorr edged out Matthew Wantman, who won Event #4 $10,100 NLH, and final tabled three events. Other winners in the USPO high roller series included Kristen Foxen, Kazuomi Furuse, Michael Rossitto, Brandon Wilson, and Alex Foxen.

Monday April 7, 2025 at 3:19 pm
2025 PGT: Jesse Lonis named PLO Series champion

The 2025 PGT PLO Series concluded at the Aria Casino in Las Vegas. After 11 events, American pro Jesse Lonis earned Player of the Series Champion honors with the top spot on the leaderboard. Lonis cashed in five events and shipped Event #9 $15,100 PLO for a $204,750 score, and held off Alex Foxen to earn the PLO series overall title. Some of the more recent winners included Christopher Costa, Dylan Smith, Bryce Yockey, Jim Collopy, and Zachary Schwartz.

Sunday March 30, 2025 at 2:59 pm
PGT PLO Series: Chino Rheem, Daniel Negreanu, Ky Nguyen, Billy Tarango win events

The 2025 PGT PLO Series is underway at the Aria Casino in Las Vegas. The latest high-roller PLO series features 11 events and four are in the books. Ky "SuitedSuperman" Nguyen shipped Event #1 $5,100 PLO. In the second one, Blly Tarango took down Event #2 $5,100 PLO Progressive Bounty. The third one made history when Daniel Negreanu set a record with his 11th PGT title after he binked Event #3 $5,100 PLO. The latest winner is Chino Rheem after he won Event #4 $10,100 PLO for a $295,000 score.

Wednesday March 12, 2025 at 2:55 pm
2025 Triton Jeju: Wenjie Huang, Joao Vieira, Punnat Punsri big winners

The 2025 Triton high roller series in Jeju, South Korea continued. Some winners over the last week included Bryn Kenny, Sean Winter, Joao Vieira, Punnat Punsri, Gergo Nagy, Tom-Aksel Bedell, Wenjie Huang, Mario Mosbock, and Anatoly Filatov. Joao Vieira shipped Event #9 $150,000 NLH Eight Max for a hefty $4.6 million score when he faded 128 runners. Wenjie Huang banked $5.55 million when he took down Event #11 $100,000 NLH Main Event, which attracted 285 entrants. Thai pro Punsri snagged nearly $2.6 million for winning Event #12 $125,000 No-Limit Hold'em Seven Max.

Friday March 7, 2025 at 3:46 pm
2025 PGT Mixed Games: Chino Rheem snags series championship

American pro Chino Rheem won his second PGT Mixed Games series championship and secured the top spot on the leaderboard for the 2025 PGT Mixed Games series with 384 points. Rheem won Event #4 $10,200 Eight Game Mix and cashed three times for $348,500. He was awarded a PGT Gold Cup and a $10,000 PGT Passport as the series champion. Other winners in this seven-event series included Daniel Negreanu, James Obst, Nicolas Milgrom, Ryan Miller, Maxx Coleman, and Adam Friedman.

Monday March 3, 2025 at 4:07 pm
2025 Triton Jeju: Jeremy Ausmus, Ramin Hajiyev, Zhao Hongjun, Tuck Foo Wai win titles

The 2025 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Jeju, South Korea is in full swing at the Landing Casino with an 18-day festival. The first event set a new record with 379 runners, and Zhao Hongjun banked $818,000 for his victory in Event #1 $15,000 NLH. Foo Wai snagged $1.35 million for his win in Event #2 $20,000 NLH. Amrerican pro Jeremy Ausmus shipped Event #3 $25,000 NLH, which was another record-setting affair with 391 runners, and he banked almost $1.9 million. Ramin Hajiyev was the last player standing in Event #5 $30,000 NLH, and he won over $1.5 million for outlasting a field of 252 entries.

Wednesday February 19, 2025 at 4:32 pm
Phil Hellmuth skipping the 2025 WSOP Main Event

The World Series of Poker released their schedule for the 2025 WSOP this week. Phil Hellmuth, the 1989 WSOP Main Event Champion and all-time bracelet leader with 17, said he will not play in this year's WSOP Main Event. Hellmuth released a video explaining why he's not playing because he lacks the stamina at 60 years old to play the Main Event due to its grueling schedule and long days.

Tuesday February 18, 2025 at 3:01 pm
2025 WSOP schedule released

The 2025 World Series of Poker will begin on May 27 and run through July 16 at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas on the Strip. The 2025 WSOP will have 100 bracelet events kicking off with Event #1 Mystery Millions with at least $1 million set aside to first place and a $1 million top bounty. The 2025 WSOP Main Event will begin on July 2 with Day 1A and a new champion will be crowned on July 16.

Monday February 10, 2025 at 8:24 pm
Mississippi Grind: 10 Years Later

Ten years have almost passed since the release of "Mississippi Grind" with Ben Mendelsohn and Ryan Reynolds. The 2015 film directed by Anna Bolden and Ryan Fleck holds up as one of the better poker and gambling films. Very few films have come out since "Rounders" that can match the gritty nature of the gambling world, but "Mississippi Grind" came the closest.

Free tournaments and added prizes

The Club Poker organizes freerolls and special tournaments with added prizes.
To qualify for free, register on our poker partners websites: