Earlier this month, a list of participants for the World Poker Tour National Philippines Festival of Poker $200,000 Super High Roller – also known as the Triton SHR Series - Cali Cup — were revealed. This week, another batch of confirmations were released through Poker King Club.

Newly confirmed are Brian Rast, Keith Gipson, Thomas McDonald, John Juanda, Philipp Gruissem, Mike "Timex" McDonald, Stephen Chidwick, Hendrik Latz, David Peters, Isaac Haxton, Sam Soverel, Jean-Robert Bellande, Tom Hall, Dan Colman, and Nam Le.

Those players will join those already confirmed including Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Sam Trickett, Daniel Cates, Andrew Robl, Vivek Rajkumar, Fedor Holz, and Andrew Pantling.

In addition, those confirmed through the first release were Richard Yong, Paul Phua, Lei Tim Meng, Mui Man Bok, Qin "The Chairman" Si Xin, Wang "Shanghai Wong" Qiang, Zhang "Big Head" Xi Hong, Wang Zuo, Stanley Choi, Zhang Shu Nu Aaron, Liang Yu, and Chan Wai Leong.

As of now, the largest buy-in event in WPT history has 36 confirmed participants.

The $200,000 Super High Roller will run Jan. 3-4, 2016, and take place at Solaire Resort & Casino. The event is sponsored by the Cali Group and part of the Triton SHR Series. The entire WPT National Philippines schedule will run Jan. 2-8.

For more information on the $200,000 Super High Roller and the WPT National Philippines as a whole, head to WPT.com.

Finally, check out what Dwan had to say about the upcoming event and more in this video from Poker King Club:

Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!

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The PokerNews Top 10 Stories of 2015 is presented by PLO QuickPro, the fastest way to learn PLO.

As far as the poker world is concerned, the 2015 calendar year has come to a close. In PokerNews tradition, our staff has scrolled through the archives and gone over the most compelling stories of the year to determine what we feel are the top 10 of the year. Our list was generated based upon a vote from staff members and audience feedback. Over the next 10 days, we'll count down what we believe are the biggest and most interesting stories from 2015.

Coming in at No. 2 on this year's list is a group of two spectacular stories from the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Mainstream media coverage of the insular and idiosyncratic poker world peaks for one distinct event every year — the World Series of Poker Main Event.

No other tournament inspires close to the level of interest that the Main Event does, as the massive prize money and the phrase "world champion of poker" play well in headlines and can capture the interest of a wide audience. The quality and depth of coverage the winner receives has varied over the years, from appearances on The Tonight Show to featured ESPN multimedia coverage during the booming years of poker.

The dominant victory of Joe McKeehen at the 46th annual WSOP in 2015 was a huge story, but for those within the game, an equally massive one grabbed just as much — if not more — attention. Aside from a satellite tournament, the only time 11th place can be as big a deal as first in poker is when that 11th-place finisher is one of the game's true immortals like Daniel Negreanu.

Daniel Negreanu Makes a Run for the November Nine

When Phil Ivey made the November Nine in 2009, it set the poker world abuzz with the possibility that arguably its biggest star would reach the pinnacle of the game. Negreanu's deep run rekindled that same fervor, as the poker world waited with bated breath to see if he would accomplish the improbable.

On his journey, he would cross paths with McKeehen, and their final interaction would be a major turning point in the Main Event, one that would capture the eyeballs of the entire poker world as both men weaved stories worthy of inclusion on this list.

The dawn of Day 7, the final day of the summer for the WSOP that would see the November Nine emerge from a field of 27, saw both Negreanu and McKeehen sit down to comfortable stacks. The Canadian superstar had just shy of 8.5 million, while the East Coast grinder had just south of 12 million at blinds of 60,000/120,000/15,000.

Negreanu, of course, had dominated media coverage leading up to that point, spending a huge portion of his tournament at the televised table. It helps to be seated with a fellow vocal superstar, and Negreanu found himself sitting opposite Phil Hellmuth on Day 4, which climaxed when Negreanu busted Hellmuth in a race with the against the .

Foreshadowing things to come, while the media fawned over Negreanu, McKeehen quietly bagged the chip lead that day. His only fanfare came from a short interview with PokerNews' Chad Holloway.

Negreanu started out on fire on Day 7 and quickly moved into the eight-figure range, but things took a downhill turn from there. Not much seemed to go right for the Canadian besides survival, and he limped to the 18-player redraw with just 5.415 million as an hour remained of Level 32 (100,000/200,000/30,000). McKeehen had slightly increased his stack to just over 12 million, and the two drew their fateful seats facing each other on the main stage, with McKeehen in Seat 6 and Negreanu in Seat 9.

The new situation initially suited Negreanu just fine, as he began to work his magic and doubled his stack in just a few hands without a showdown. His surge hit its apex when he won a flip with the against the of a short-stacked David Peters, pushing Negreanu to 13.41 million. With 67 big blinds, the crowd going wild for him, and a group of opponents whose poker accomplishments combined couldn't sniff Negreanu's legend, the Canadian seemed poised to make history.

McKeehen, though, had other ideas. He knocked Negreanu down a peg shortly thereafter when the two got in a preflop raising war, with Negreanu cold four-betting to 2.6 million in the blinds after McKeehen three-bet a Matt Guan open to 1.125 million. McKeehen shoved all in after some thought for nearly 10 million, and Negreanu eventually lifted his cards up and stared at the as if they had betrayed his deepest trust. He sent them into the muck, and the McKeehen Era had dawned.

McKeehen had already moved into the lead when one of the most crucial pots of the tournament occurred with 14 players left. Three players saw a flop for the minimum at Level 33 (120,000/240,000/40,000). McKeehen had flopped top set while fellow tough East Coast pro Justin Schwartz had middle set, and that was only going to play out one way, with McKeehen collecting Schwartz's entire stack of about 9.5 million.

That pushed McKeehen to 37.9 million, more than 150 big blinds, and the Philadelphia sports superfan suddenly found himself on an island, worlds apart from his competitors in terms of chip count. Realizing he was in an incredibly advantageous situation with chips to burn against opponents under the pressure of the biggest bubble in poker, McKeehen switched into hyper-aggressive mode and began playing seemingly every pot, daring his foes to do something about it.

Negreanu Takes On Joe McKeehen

One player who chose to fight back was Negreanu, who declared to PokerNews in an interview earlier in the WSOP that the only spot he cared about in every tournament was first. Unconcerned about McKeehen's ability to bust him at any moment, Negreanu tangled with McKeehen on numerous occasions but just couldn't get the better of the American, who continued to show down strong hands like sets and big pocket pairs.

A confounded Negreanu found himself walking a razor's edge at the bottom of the chip counts, shoving just to stay afloat as shorter stacks fell around him, leaving him at the five-handed table with 11 left and McKeehen raising almost every pot. It was clear the two were bound for a confrontation for Negreanu's stack since he wasn't willing to try to fold his way to the November Nine even with the presence of two shorter stacks.

The tension in the Amazon Room was palpable as the packed house cheered every Negreanu shoved and groaned at every lost chip. The entire poker world waited nervously to see who would emerge in the Canadian's inevitable all-in moment against McKeehen, as a double would almost assure Negreanu of a November Nine seat given his skill level and hypothetical stack.

Negreanu making the November Nine would be a bigger deal than even Ivey's legendary run. Poker was at a critical juncture, attempting to make political inroads in the United States with the long-term goal being the return of regulated online poker nation-wide. Poker fans and players everywhere envisioned Negreanu, with his charisma and tireless willingness to promote the game, leading the charge to return poker to its glory years.

So when the moment finally came, and Negreanu check-raised all in from the big blind on a flop and McKeehen called from the button, everyone watched intently as hands were tabled. Negreanu held for top pair, while McKeehen had flopped a combo draw with raggedy . He picked up more outs on the turn, and perhaps no river card in history has been sweated harder.

Would a jack, three, queen, or diamond fall to bust the hero, or would the people's champion make history?

When the dealer peeled the off the top of the deck, Negreanu's legs gave way and he collapsed to his back in despair, shielding his face as the bright lights of poker's biggest stage bored into him. Disappointment flooded the Amazon Room as the majority of the crowd filtered out, left without a horse in a now far less interesting race.

After the initial shock wore off, Negreanu gave a gracious exit interview in which he acknowledged the enormity of the moment.

"It was electric," he said. 'The thunderdome was rocking, and I had a lot of people in there that were very excited for me. I felt the energy, I felt like it was bigger than me."

McKeehen Never Looks Back

Though Negreanu's story was finished, his conqueror's still needed an ending. Entering the final table with 32.8 percent of chips in play, the greatest percentage since chip counts were recorded in 2004, anything less than first would have been a colossal disappointment for McKeehen. Only four players since 2004 had entered with comparable leads, and all had finished the job with the exception of Darvin Moon, who fell in second to Joe Cada.

Relaxed and ready, McKeehen came into November and picked up right where he left off. He sucked all drama from the proceedings as he ruthlessly crushed the opposition, never allowing a rival within a stone's throw of ever-increasing stack. McKeehen took out six of his eight opponents at the final table, busting three on the first day, one on the second, and then finishing things off with the final two on the third day of the finale. He never fell out of first place on the leaderboard, and there wasn't one moment where it felt like anyone other than McKeehen was walking away with the $7,683,346 top prize.

When it was all said and done, the bracelet landing in the hands of McKeehen seemed like a formality, and the poker world could only tip its collective cap to one of the most dominant performances ever witnessed on the felt.

Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews as we continue to count down the top stories from 2015.

PokerNews Top 10 Stories of 2015:

Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews as we continue to count down the top stories from 2015.

Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!

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There are just hours left of 2015, plenty of time to make resolutions or plans to see in the New Year as it creeps towards the horizon. But alas not when it comes to changing the standings at the top of the PokerStars Tournament Leader Board. In answer to the question posed in the hedline the answer would appear to be "yes".

This isn't the last update from the 2015 TLB race, but between now and bell later today it looks like one player has the race sewn up. Again. Ismo won in 2013, and then did so again in 2014. Unless something miraculous happens in the next 12 hours or so he'll make it three in a row. It has been another stupendous year of, well, winning for the Fin.

Here's how the TLB looks with hours left to play.

Place	User ID	Points	Country	Previous Position	Recent Scores
1	ismo	61,859.52	Finland	1	3rd Hot $7.50, 3549 players, 636.10 points
2	Sifosis	58,990.85	Denmark	2	2nd $27 20K GTD, 1,461 players, 655.92 points
3	Aguskb	56,823.30	Mexico	3	1st $55 8K GTD, 161 players, 393.29 points
4	MARCIN123	54,050.64	UK	4	3rd $27 20K GTD, 1,039 players, 445.61 points
5	markovitsus	53,470.41	Estonia	6	1st $27 20K GTD, 1,334 players, 889.69 points
6	Breakchips	52,261.74	Netherlands	Outside top 15	1st $13.50 Knockout, 964 players, 653.73 points, 6th Big $5.50, 8,574 players, 650.26 points
7	Xodd	52,140.71	Thailand	5
8	FireFaux	52,035.75	Canada	9
9	eijseijs	51,693.56	Sweden	6
10	iWasDjWtf	51,595.71	Switzerland	13
11	rodrigorpv	51,536.72	Brazil	11
12	girafganger7	51,409.36	Belgium	10
13	guix2x	51,343.94	Brazil	8
14	AsjBaaaf	50,803.48	New Xealand	12
15	Fabaz	49,547.02	United Kingdom	14

The performance of Ismo

For instance the top five players have been in the same positions for weeks, apparently immovable. And while Breakchips has recorded a late run of form to leapfrog into the top ten, having previously been outside the top 15, the names on this list remain largely unchanged.

---

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---

On top of that you get an idea of the standard of these players by checking their recent results. A third place here, and second place there, and wins for three of the top six. These players win regularly, and do so when it matters. No wonder things at the top have been pretty static.

But as we said, there are still several hours to play. Who knows what could happen. After that the clock will stop and each player can stop checking the results of others, like some nervous twitch. Although after a year of checking it might take a few days for things to return to normal.

Congratulations to all the players at the business end of the TLB. Check back next week for the final results.

For details of the TLB competition, and the prizes involved, check out the TLB homepage.

---

Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.

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The Pennsylvania Lottery's new Gus Bucks instant game is now on sale, celebrating the return of Pennsylvania's second most famous groundhog. This $5 instant game offers more than $40 million in total cash prizes, including 10 top prizes of $100,000.

"The response from our players has been overwhelmingly positive since Gus returned in early November," said lottery executive director Drew Svitko. "We hope that our players will continue to celebrate Gus's return by playing this exciting new instant game."

Other new instant games launched include: Win It All Millionaire Edition ($20); Cupid's Cash ($5); YAHTZEE(TM) ($3); Lucky Heart$ ($2); and Winner Winner Chicken Dinner ($1).

Full details about Gus Bucks (Game 1184) and other instant games, including rules, available prizes and chances of winning, are found at palottery.com. Choose Games, then Instant Games. Players are encouraged to understand the chances of winning and play responsibly.

This is the sixth Gus-themed instant game to be offered by the Pennsylvania Lottery. The others were: HumonGUS Bucks (Game 612, issued 2006); Go For The Gus Dough (Game 692, issued 2007); Gus Bucks (Game 762, issued 2009); Gold Rush Gus (Game 0819; issued 2010); and Gus Bucks (Game 0876, issued 2011).   

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By any standard, by any metric, in any way of looking at it, 2015 was a PokerStars year no one will ever forget.

It was a year that saw living legends like Neymar Jr and Cristiano Ronaldo join the PokerStars fold. It was the year Jason Somerville and Jaime Staples blazed the PokerStars trail into the Twitch community. PokerStars' live tourneys broke records at almost every stop. Spin & Go tournaments made more new millionaires than we could count. Team Pro Daniel Negreanu nearly made the biggest final table in the world. At times, it was hard to keep up with it all. We did, of course. This was the year the PokerStars Blog celebrated ten years of covering all things PokerStars, and we weren't about to let up.

It's been a wild ride in 2015, and we'd have had no reason to do it if not for you, the loyal PokerStars Blog readers. Hundreds of thousands of you visited our little place on the internet millions of times. Every time you show up, it gives us more reason to find the best stories and tell them here. So, from all of us: thank you.

We're already geared up for what looks to be an amazing 2016. If you want to keep up with us all the time, be sure to follow us on Twitter at our @PokerStarsBlog account.

In the meantime, here are our top stories from 2015.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Previous years:

2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005

Click the headlines to read the original story.

JANUARY

POKERSTARS SIGNS NEW TEAM PROS FROM INDIA AND JAPAN--It had been a long time since PokerStars added some new names to its list of Team Pros, but 2015 began with just that as Aditya Agarwal and Kosei Ichinose joined the ranks of the red spade brigade.

Kosei Ichinose and Aditya Agarwal

STEVE O'DWYER WINS PCA SUPER HIGH ROLLER--In what would would eventually be seen as the first of two bookends on 2015, superstar Steve O'Dwyer went to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and won the Super High Roller for more than $1.8 million.

Steve O'Dwyer with his first trophy of 2015

JOSH KAY TAKES DOWN LAPT BAHAMAS--The LAPT decided in 2015 to turn its attention to the Caribbean. Showing up there made the first LAPT event of the year a massive one. Josh Kay won it for more than $367,000.

SPIN & GO TURNS OUT FIRST $1 MILLION JACKPOT WINNER--In what would turn out to be a year where million-dollar jackpots got handed out like candy, the first one of 2015 was still a big surprise for one handyman. While he was the first, he wouldn't be the last. The floodgates on the big jackpots opened soon after that.

The first million-dollar Spin & Go winner of the year

PCA HIGH ROLLER AWARDS TITLE TO FIRST-TIME WINNER--While we've gotten used to winners with familiar names, the 2015 PCA High Roller event crowned Ilkin Garibl, a first-time champion.

KEVIN SCHULZ WINS 2015 PCA MAIN EVENT--The PCA capped off its 2015 festival in style--and quickly--with a six-hour final table and a brand new champion, Kevin Schulz, who won nearly $1.5 million.

PCA Main Event winner Kevin Schulz

RAPINDER CHEEMA CLAIMS UKIPT LONDON TITLE--"I'm a bit drained. I need to work on my stamina!" Rapinder Cheema said, but it was worth it nonetheless to become 2015's first UKIPT title winner. His London victory earned him £78,825.

FEBRUARY

AUSSIE MILLIONS KNIGHTS MANNY STAVROPOULOUS--"Aussie, Aussie, Aussie... Oi! Oi! Oi!" It wouldn't be the beginning of the year without a new Aussie Millions champion. This year, it went to Melbourne's own Manny Stavropoulos.

Manny Stavropoulos lifts the championship bracelet

THEO JORGENSEN WINS TCOOP HIGH ROLLER--As TCOOP rolled toward the Main Event, Team PokerStars Pro Theo Jorgensen made hay while the sun shined, high rolling his way to a High Roller title for nearly $200,000.

Theo Jorgensen

ANTHONY APICIELLA WINS FPS DEAUVILLE--When the European Poker Tour headed to Deauville, it gave the France Poker Series a chance to do the same. That brought Anthony Apicella to town to win a €197,000 first prize.

TCOOP MAIN EVENT PAYS OUT $400K TO CHAMP--The Turbo Championship of Online Poker may be fast, but that doesn't make the payouts any smaller. The 2015 Main Event champion Nikki_Hefner pulled in $396,516 for the $700 Main Event buy-in.

Nikki_Hefner

PHIL IVEY WINS THIRD $250K BOUTIQUE CHALLENGE--Some people are just made to be super high rollers. Phil Ivey is one of those people. In February, he went to the Aussie Millions and won not his first, not his second, but his THIRD $250,000 Boutique Challenge.

Phil Ivey

POKERSTARS WINS ONLINE POKER OPERATOR AWARD...AGAIN--It may sound repetitive, but the International Gaming Awards knows quality when it sees it. In 2015, the organization named PokerStars the best online operator for the third year in a row.

JOSIP SIMUNIC WINS EPT DEAUVILLE HIGH ROLLER--The EPT Deauville €10,000 High Roller pulled in 128 entries. When it was done, Austria's Josip Simunic had defeated them all for the trophy and €309,170 first prize.

OGNYAN DIMOV OVERCOMES MOUNTAIN TO TAKE EPT DEAUVILLE MAIN EVENT--After starting a final table against an opponent who held more than 40% of the chips in play, Ognyan Dimov did what few thought he could and came back to win the EPT Deauville Main Event for €543,700.

Ognyan Dimov

BRITISH POKER AWARDS HONORS CODY, NEGREANU, STONE--Not only did PokerStars win awards, so did the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Jake Cody, and Toby Stone who all took honors at the British Poker Awards. Later in the month, Negreanu, Vanessa Selbst, and the PokerStars Blog all won at the American Poker Awards.

JASON SOMERVILLE JOINS TEAM POKERSTARS PRO--In one of the biggest pieces of news from the year, Twitch streaming superstar Jason Somerville put a red spade on his arm and set off on 70 straight days of live streaming.

Jason Somerville

MARCH

WIMMER BECOMES AUSTRIA'S FIRST EUREKA CHAMPION--Although it had sent hundreds of players to the Eureka Poker Tour, Austria didn't have a champion of its own until Raphel Wimmer traveled to Rozvadov and took down the Main Event.

Raphel Wimmer

ALACHE WINS SECOND LAPT TITLE--Oscar Alache had already won an LAPT event before, so when he made the final table in Chile with Nacho Barbero, it was a battle to see which one could repeat as champion. This time, it was Alache's turn to become a two-time LAPT winner.

YUGUANG LI FILLS HIS MACAU POKER CUP...TWICE--Yuguang Li believed in himself, and then he made everyone else believe, too, after winning the Macau Poker Cup Red Dragon event. "I always thought I would win," Li said. He followed up the massive achievement by winning the High Roller just days later.

Yuguang Li

SUNDAY MILLION CELEBRATES NINTH ANNIVERSARY--To celebrate nine years of being the world's biggest weekly tournament, the Sunday Million guaranteed nine million bucks in the prize pool. The final table ended up cutting a seven-way deal that paid huge money to the top two players, BRAYDEN93 and kelly_koulis.

NICKI VESTERGARD WINS ESTRELLAS MADRID--The Estrellas Poker Tour made its way to Madrid in March and drew a field of nearly 600 players. Topping them all was Denmark's Nicki Vestergard who took the €106,400 first prize.

TEAM PRO ONLINE SIGNS UP LIAY5--For Liliya 'Liay5' Novikova, the idea of being a member of Team Pro Online had always been a dream. She would've played anonymously for her entire life, but this year she got the chance to put a red spade on her arm.

Liliya 'Liay5' Novikova

YUIKO MATSUKAWA JOINS POKERSTARS--Yuiko Matsukawa, a famed Japanese model, decided in March that she would spread the gospel of PokerStars, joining up as a brand ambassador.

Yuiko Matsukawa

JIM PSAROS WINS FINAL ANZPT SYDNEY--In what would end up being the last ANZPT Sydney event ever, Jim Psaros took the title and $183,000 first prize.

GEORGIOS ZISIMOPOULOS CONQUERS IPT MALTA--After announcing himself earlier on tour as a side event aficionado, former Athens economics student Georgios Zisimopoulos won IPT Malta and €142,205.

POKERSTARS CREW PICKS UP GLOBAL POKER INDEX AWARDS--The Global Poker Index held its European Awards in Malta and honored the likes of Liv Boeree, Marc Convey, and other PokerStars luminaries.

DAVID PETERS BINKS MALTA HIGH ROLLER FOR HALF A MILLION--As the first EPT Malta festival drew to a close, David Peters picked up the High Roller title for nearly €600,000.

MONTURY WINS EPT MALTA MAIN EVENT MARATHON--It took most of the night and a brutal heads-up battle, but Jean Montury defeated Dominik Panka in the early morning hours to win EPT Malta. "It was very, very hard to win," Montury said. "I did a good job. I'm so happy, but very tired...I am very proud to be a winner of an EPT and I hope I will win more tournaments and do it again."

Jean Montury

APRIL

PSYCHOPOL WINS MICROMILLIONS PLAYER OF THE SERIES--The tenth running of the MicroMillions festival wrapped up as BgsaPnaples turned a $22 buy-in into a first prize of $110,743. Meanwhile, PsychoPol won the overall Player of the Series.

POKERSTARS LAUNCHES NATURAL BORN POKER PLAYER--For anyone who ever wanted to test their real life skills as a test of poker ability, in April, PokerStars launched an innovative series of high-tech computer simulations to put you through the paces.

PLAY-ALONG GAME HITS APP STORES--Continuing on the theme of innovation, PokerStars also launched its new Poker Play-Along app to let you play along with poker broadcasts as they happen.

JAIME STAPLES SIGNS ON WITH POKERSTARS--As if having one big Twitch star wasn't enough, PokerStars signed up the extremely popular Jaime Staples as a new Friend of PokerStars. By the end of the year, he would become a member of Team Online.

Jaime Staples

MO MONEY FOR JASON MO AT APPT SEOUL--In April, the Asia Pacific Poker Tour traveled to Seoul, Korea where America's Jason Mo won the Main Event title.

MITTEN-LAURENCE, £160 QUALIFIER, WINS UKIPT NOTTINGHAM--There is a good reason PokerStars runs all the online satellites, and Sam Mitten-Laurence was proof. After qualifying online for UKIPT Nottingham, Mitten-Laurence won the Main Event, turning his £160 satellite entry into £110,000.

CCCPVODKA EARNS $1 MILLION IN DRINKING MONEY--It had been a few months since a PokerStars Spin & Go turned up another millionaire. When it happened again, the money went to Russia's CccpVodka.

CccpVodka, aka Alexander

POKERSTARS BLOG TURNS TEN YEARS OLD--After ten years of reporting from the sidelines of the greatest poker events, the people of the PokerStars Blog celebrated a decade on the internet with a week-long series of retrospectives and behind-the-scenes articles.

MAY

SEBASTIAN SUPPER TAKES DOWN FPS MONACO MAIN EVENT--As the EPT Grand Final cranked up in Monaco, Sebastian Supper won the early money, conquering the France Poker Series Main Event for €177,000.

Sebastian Supper

POKERSTARS SIGNS NEYMAR JR--In what would prove to be one of the top stories of the year for PokerStars, Neymar Jr signed on as one of its top brand ambassadors.

Neymar Jr

CHARLIE CARRELL WINS A MILLION IN GRAND FINAL HIGH ROLLER--Charlie Carrell's sartorial choices make it certain you'll never miss him as he passes on the street. His poker talent in the EPT Grand Final High Roller made it sure no one would miss him there either. He won the Grand Final High Roller for €1.1 million.

ADRIAN MATEOS WINS EPT GRAND FINAL FOR SPAIN--At long last, Spain got itself an EPT Main Event champion. Adrian Mateos broke the 11-year-spell with his €1,082,000 victory in the EPT Grand Final Main Event.

Adrian Mateos

POKERSTARS MAKES NEAR-INSTANT MILLIONAIRES--There were lots of millions flying around in May, and the PokerStars Makes Millionaires promo made sure to make two more. You can read about them here.

Juanyi Lin, PokerStars millionaire

SHAKEEB KAZEMIPUR WINS LAPT PANAMA--After failing to advance several times in Day 1A of the LAPT Panama Main Event Shakeeb Kazemipur bought into Day 1B and rode that chip stack all the way to the title. "Never surrender," he told his rail after winning $180,112.

ELKY BREAKS RECORD WITH TWITCH STREAM--In a year where it was all Twitch all the time, Team Pro ElkY broke Twitch's poker record in May by banking $80,000 in one sitting of streaming.

JASON MERCIER, MUSTAPHA KANIT SHINE AS SCOOP PAYS OUT $75 MILLION--Jason Mercier was an unstoppable force in this year's Spring Championship of Online Poker. Racking up three titles and two more final tables, Mercier took Player of the Series Honors with ease. Meanwhile, to close out the $75 million bonanza, Mustapha 'lasagnaaammm' Kanit, won the high buy-in Main Event for more than $1.3 million.

Mustapha Kanit

CRISTIANO RONALDO JOINS POKERSTARS--As if adding Neymar Jr to the PokerStars pitch wasn't enough, the world's biggest online poker site signed Cristiano Ronaldo to its stable of brand ambassadors.

Cristiano Ronaldo

TOM HOLKE WINS INAUGURAL EUREKA HAMBURG EVENT--In late May, the Eureka Poker Tour traveled to Hamburg, Germany for the first time. There, Tom Holke picked up the win while decked out in his country's colors.

Tom Holke

YAT WEI CHANG BESTS APPT MACAU FIELD--Beating a field of 493 players, APPT Macau champion Yat Wei Chang declared his final table victory part of "a lucky day." It earned him some big money and a seat to the Asia Championship of Poker Main Event.

JUNE

POKERSTARS YOUTUBE CHANNEL HITS 50 MILLION VIEWS--While we're always much happier to hang out at PokerStars.tv, we also recognize there are people who spend their time on YouTube. That's why it was a little more than gratifying when the PokerStars YouTube channel hit 50 million views.

JASON MERCIER WINS THIRD WSOP BRACELET--Proving for a third time he has world champion blood, Jason Mercier came off a hot Spring Championship of Online Poker to win his third WSOP bracelet, this time taking down Event 32 at the WSOP, a $5,000 no-limit hold'em 6-max event, beating 549 players to a first prize of $633,357.

Jason Mercier and friends

ISIDORO BARRENA BATTLES TO UKIPT MARBELLA WIN--No one has ever been able to say exactly how Marbella fits into the UK & Ireland Poker Tour, but it's always one of the circuit's favorite stops. This year, Spain's Isidoro Barreña took the title for €150,800.

JULY

DANIEL NEGREANU JUST MISSES NOVEMBER NINE--In one of the most electrifying moments of the poker year, Daniel Negreanu got within a couple of seats of making the World Series of Poker Main Event final table. It was a sight to behold.

Daniel Negreanu at the bitter end

CLAUDIO MOYA WINS AT LAPT PERU--At 51 years old, Claudio Moya wasn't what we have come to expect from poker champions, but that didn't stop him from winning LAPT Peru and laughing all the way to the bank with his $135,876.

FELIPE RAMOS SIGNS ON AS FRIEND OF POKERSTARS--Both PokerStars and the PokerStars Blog have had a great many friends over the years, but none was so nice to sign up as our longtime supporter Felipe Ramos.

Felipe Ramos

NEYMAR JR BRINGS STAR POWER TO CELEBRITY HOME GAME--There are home games, there are celebrity home games, and then there are celebrity home games where Neymar Jr shows up. This was one of the latter.

Neymar Jr and the crush of media

AUGUST

ALLESANDRO ADINOLFO WINS ON IPT--When the Italian Poker Tour traveled to St. Vincent in August, Italian Alessandro Adinolfo beat a field of 390 players to win the Main Event for a first prize of €80,000.

AARON LIM BECOMES FIRST TWO-TIME APPT CHAMP--When the APPT landed in Manila, it made history as Aaron Lim became the first player in APPT history to win two Main Event titles.

Aaron Lim

PIERRICK TALLON SKEWERS UKIPT BRISTOL--It wasn't quite a wire-to-wire win, but it was close, as Belgium's Perrick Tallon headed to UKIPT Bristol and won the Main Event for £53,000.

STEVE O'DWYER WINS ON NEYMAR'S TURF--Though he hadn't even intended on playing, Steve O'Dwyer sat down in Neymar Jr's charity home game in Barcelona, and because he is Steve O'Dwyer...he won.

JASON MERCIER WINS SHRPO HIGH ROLLER--Speaking of people who are known to just show up and win, see Exhibit #2, Jason Mercier, who went to his local casino for a high roller and won a half million bucks.

Jason Mercier

MARIO LOPEZ WINS RECORD-BREAKING ESPT BARCELONA--When the EPT kicked off Season 12 in Barcelona, it brought the Estrellas Poker Tour along for the ride. The result was a record field of 3,292
 entries and a €408,000 win for Mario Lopez.

SYLVAIN LOOSLI BINKS BARCELONA SUPER HIGH ROLLER--Although he was facing a ridiculously tough Dzmitry Urbanovich, Sylvain Loosli held on for €1,224,000 victory in the EPT Barcelona Super High Roller.

MUSTAPHA KANIT DESTROYS BARCELONA HIGH ROLLER--Mustapha Kanit (remember him from May's SCOOP Main Event victory?) proved he wasn't finished in 2015 by heading to Barcelona and winning the High Roller for €738,759.

LEGEND JOHN JUANDA WINS EPT BARCELONA MAIN EVENT--On the same year he would be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, John Juanda cemented his legendary status with a win in the EPT Barcelona Main Event.

John Juanda

SEPTEMBER

POKERSTARS ADDS TWO NEW PROS IN ASIA--After several months of no new signings, Team Pro picked up two new members in the form of Chen-An Lin from Taiwan and Yaxi Zhu from China.

JASON SOMERVILLE CRUSHES TWITCH RECORD--If you ever wondered how many people would watch one guy play poker online, Jason Somerville answered that for you: 27,000.

MARIO LOPEZ WINS (AGAIN) ON LAPT--This was Mario Lopez's year. Fresh off winning the Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event, Mario Lopez went to Uruguay to win another LAPT title.

Mario Lopez

DREAM TEAM COLLECTION AWARDS $1 MILLION FIRST PRIZE--It wasn't pure poker, but that didn't mean it wasn't fun to watch when the Dream Team Collection All-In Shootout ended with solik1968 winning a million bucks.

MYSTERY MAN WINS WCOOP MAIN EVENT, SHAUN DEEB TAKES PLAYER OF THE SERIES--We're never surprised when the likes of Shaun Deeb wins a major Player of the Series title like he did in this year's World Championship of Online Poker, but it's a little more rare to have a mystery man win the WCOOP Main Event. Regardless, that was what happened when this guy took down the Main Event title for $1.3 million.

POKERSTARS GETS NEW JERSEY, USA LICENSE--At long last, PokerStars received its first license to operate in the United States. Stay tuned for more details on that in the coming year.

OCTOBER

DAN STACEY WINS UKIPT ISLE OF MAN--It was time for the annual PokerStars home game, aka UKIPT Isle of Man. This year, the title went to Dan Stacey.

COMMON CENTS KICK OFF HOSTS BIGGEST POKERSTARS TOURNEY IN HISTORY--In October, PokerStars kicked off its new micro-buy-in series and ended up breaking its record for the biggest PokerStars tourney ever, one eventually won by Austria's DaDumon.

POKERSTARS CELEBRATES 10 YEARS ON ISLE OF MAN--To celebrate a decade of calling Isle of Man home, PokerStars put on a ridiculously cool 3D display on the front of its tourney venue during the UKIPT Isle of Man.

PS IN 3D

LIN SHI WINS FINAL ANZPT EVENT--The final ANZPT event in history happened in Melbourne and crowned Lin Shi as its champion.

Lin Shi

SPIN & GO ANNIVERSARY GOES BONKERS--It was supposed to be a simple anniversary to celebrate the PokerStars Spin & Go events. It went nuts and started awarding million-dollar jackpots all over the place. By the time it was done there were more millionaires than you could count on one hand.

TIMEX WINDS UP ANOTHER BIG VICTORY IN MALTA--Mike McDonald made sure nobody forgot his name in 2015. In Malta, he took down the €25,000 High Roller for nearly half a million.

NATE CHAUSKIN CLAIMS IPT MALTA TITLE--Nate Chauskin called his shot before ever reaching IPT Malta, saying he was going to win. He showed up and did just that, winning €149,560.

Nate Chauskin

BYRON KAVERMAN REFUSES TO LOSE MALTA HIGH ROLLER--Refusing to ever acknowledge he might be beaten, Byron Kaverman clawed his way to victory at the EPT Malta High Roller for €480,300.

NIALL FARRELL TRIUMPHS AT EPT MALTA MAIN EVENT--In a lightning-fast final table, smilin' Niall Farrell dispatched the remaining EPT Malta in six hours for the €534,330 first prize.

Niall Farell

NOVEMBER

ELKY JOINS TEAM LIQUID--He may be known as a master poker player, but before that, ElkY was a gaming rock star. In November of this year, he took his rightful spot on Team Liquid where he will again bridge the gap between poker and pro gaming.

APPT YEAR CLOSES WITH JIMMY ZHOU WINNING ACOP--To close out the year on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour, Chinese American overcame New Zealand's Thomas Ward in a back-and-forth heads up match for the HK$5,885,000 (~$792,000) title. Meanwhile, Andy Andrejevic won the ACOP Super High Roller for HK$8,725,000 (~US$1,125,000) and Alan King Lun Lau won Asia Player of the Year.

ACOP Main Event champ, Jimmy Zhou

DAVID GOMEZ GRABS UKIPT EDINBURGH CHAMPIONSHIP--Spaniard David Gomez made himself right at home in Scotland, beating out Angelina Rich heads-up for the £49,660 title.

David Gomez

SPIN & GO MAKES ANOTHER MILLIONAIRE--Just because October was over didn't mean the millionaire-making had to end. Canadian player Koovoon hit the $1 million jackpot in a $100 Spin & Go to become the seventh millionaire inside of a month.

YURI MARTINS NERDS UP THE LAPT GRAND FINAL--To close out the Latin America Poker Tour Year, Yuri "theNERDguy" Martins headed to São Paulo and beat a 426-entry field for R$652,509.

Yuri Martins

DECEMBER

JAVIER ROJAS CLOSES EUREKA YEAR IN STYLE--When the Eureka Poker Tour showed up in Prague, 1,893 players showed up with it for the €1,000 Main Event. Javier Rojas beat the field for €311,000.

Javier Rojas

STEVE O'DWYER MAKES HISTORY WITH SECOND SUPER HIGH ROLLER WIN--Steve O'Dwyer does about a million things right, but the one thing he does the rightest is win Super High Rollers. Putting the second book-end on his year, O'Dwyer won the EPT Prague Super High Roller for €746,543.

Steve O'Dwyer

KENNETH SMARON SNAGS PRAGUE HIGH ROLLER WIN--As the EPT Prague stop drew to a close, American Kenneth Smaron took down the High Roller for €595,500.

HOSSEIN ENSAN WINS EPT PRAGUE MAIN EVENT--In one of the best final tables in recent memory, 51-year-old Hossein Ensan, just a couple years into playing, made his third Main Event final table in 16 months and won the title for €754,510.

Hossein Ensan

POKERSTARS LAUNCHES BETSTARS BRAND--Like to put up a little sports wager from time to time? PokerStars' new brand, BetStars now has you covered.

GERMANY WINS WORLD CUP OF POKER--After 32 games in four weeks of play, Germany triumphed over Kazakhstan for the 2015 World Cup of Poker title.

POKERSTARS HOSTS $5 MILLION SUNDAY MILLION--To close out its Christmas Festival, PokerStars threw a super duper Sunday Million celebration with a prize pool that ended up being worth more than $6.2 million. After a seven-way deal Brazil's Internett93o took it down for $354,187.

***

And that was the year that was 2015. Thank you for taking the time to enjoy it all with us.

Now, let's go see what 2016 has in store for us.

Happy New Year, folks.

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Brad Willis is the PokerStars Head of Blogging.

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