This Week in Poker: Problems, Hometown Heroes, and Heads Up

With non-stop action around the globe, there are sure to be story lines and news that slips through the cracks. Poker Central’s “This Week in Poker” fills those cracks though, highlighting headlines, news, and big events with quick-hitting recaps of the biggest stories from around the poker world.

“Loose Leon” vs. “Aussie Matt”

One of the week’s most interesting headlines involves the fallout of a high stakes cash game that took place at the beginning of the summer. The game in question, between King’s Casino owner and 2017 Super High Roller Bowl final tablist Leon Tsoukernik and Matt “Aussie Matt” Kirk, was played at Ivey Room in ARIA and involved Kirk lending Tsoukernik $3 million over the course of the session. Since that night, Kirk has taken Tsoukernik to court, Tsoukernik has also filed a suit, and while no one knows how this will all end up, .

Polk Talks Problems with High Stakes Poker

Another “problem” in the poker community was addressed this week by Doug Polk. The Upswing Poker talisman always tells it like it is and he held nothing back when he posted a YouTube video about his recent experiences with high stakes televised cash games. While Polk is addressing these situations because, let’s be honest here, cancelled games and smaller stakes likely hurt his own bottom line, Polk is also standing up for the subscribers and viewers, who sometimes may expect a certain game or lineup and then, unfortunately, get something they may not have signed up for.  

Hometown Hero Wins in Montreal

We’ve had enough negativity in this article, which means it’s time to talk big wins and great stories. Maxime Heroux is one of those great stories from this week, after the Montreal native won his first World Poker Tour title in his hometown Playground Poker Club. Heroux has cashed in all three WPT events in Canada in 2017 and the third time was the charm, as he outlasted a 606-player field and a tough final table to claim the win, a CAD $403K score, and the Playground Poker Championship Belt.

Sontheimer Gets “Heads Up with Remko”

During Poker Masters, anyone that got heads up with Steffen Sontheimer didn’t really stand much of a chance. The German absolutely crushed the five-event high stakes series, winning twice en route to winning the Poker Masters Purple Jacket. Close to two months after those victories, Sontheimer found himself heads up with maybe his toughest opponent yet, Remko Rinkema. The two talked everything from High Rollers, to swapping action, bankroll management, where live poker is headed, and more on the newest episode of Heads Up with Remko.