Short Stacks: Ladies Night at the Commerce, Phil Kessel Joins World Poker Tour

3 min read

Ladies Night at the Commerce, NHL legend Phil Kessel gets back into the game, and the World Series of Poker heading down under are some of the short stacks CardsChat picked up in its latest orbit of poker news.

Bally Live Poker plays host to a Ladies Cash Game. (Image: Bally Live)

Tonight (Thursday, October. 17), Bally Live Poker is broadcasting a special Ladies Cash Game featuring some of poker’s top players and media stars. Kasey MillsVeronica Brill, Caitlin Comeskey, Christina Gollins, Jenny Ding, Julia McBride, Claudia Salinas, and Tiffany Michelle are all confirmed.

Taking place at Commerce Casino, the $5/10/20 game will be live-streamed on Bally Live Poker platforms, including YouTube.

Longtime poker media member Craig Tapscott will be in the broadcast booth, and will be joined by each of the players during the stream for one-on-one interviews. The stream starts at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Phil Kessel newest member of WPT family

Three-time Stanley Cup champion Phil Kessel is now a World Poker Tour ambassador. He’ll mostly focus on the WPT Global community in Canada, and is already hard at work playing with and meeting fans at the WPT Playground Festival in Montreal that’s currently running.

“I’m incredibly excited to work with WPT Global. I have been an avid poker player for over 20 years, and a huge fan of the World Poker Tour,” said Kessel. ”I can’t wait to kick-off this relationship in Montreal and bring some cool experiences to fans.”

Kessel has spent hours upon hours at the poker tables in casinos in all the towns he played in and often calls Daniel Negreanu to ask about particular hands. He won back-to-back Cups playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2026-17. He won his third in 2023 with the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Kessel also is the NHL’s Iron Man, holding the record for most consecutive games played at 1,064.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Phil to the WPT Global brand,” said Alex Scott, president of WPT Global, in a press release. “Phil has not only excelled as a world-class ice hockey player but is also a huge poker enthusiast who embodies the values we hold dear. He’s engaging, passionate, and always striving to improve — qualities that make him a perfect fit for the WPT Global poker community. His unique connection to both sports and poker gives him the ability to bridge those worlds, and we’re excited to deliver unforgettable experiences for our players, especially in Canada, both on and off the felt.”

WSOP International Circuit heading south

The World Series of Poker is packing on the frequent flyer miles by heading to Australia next month with a 12-ring Circuit series at Star Casino Sydney Nov. 14-26. The A$2,500 Main Event starts Nov. 22. Three Pot Limit Omaha events are also on the schedule, as well as a bounty events. The entire schedule can be found here.

WSOP Online bracelet event cancelled

The $5,300 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller on WSOP Online in New Jersey, Nevada, and Michigan was cancelled because of lack of players. Needing at least eight players to go off, only four entered Tuesday’s tournament by start time even though a satellite for the tournament was running at the time.

It’s not a good look for the WSOP and its online room, but shouldn’t be a real surprise. The world’s largest poker brand constantly fails to promote its online tournaments in any meaningful way.

The WSOP Online bracelet series runs until Nov. 12.



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