Welcome back, Poker Fam. A viral video showing rows of computers running automated Poker bots simultaneously has the entire community talking about the scale of cheating in online games. One major site stepped up and repaid $156,000 to players who faced these bots—but how many others are still getting cheated without knowing it?

This week, we're covering the bot farm exposure that's forcing uncomfortable questions about online Poker security, Jennifer Tilly's hilarious vendetta against her "paralysis sleep demon" Andrew Robl on High Stakes Poker, Playground's unprecedented three-Circuit commitment bringing $10 million guaranteed to Canada, Jeff Platt's expanded WSOP role for 2026, and why Planet Hollywood is closing its Poker room again.

Also Today: We're breaking down when and how to isolate limpers—because most players are leaving thousands on the table by either playing too tight or too loose against these passive opponents. Once you understand the adjustments, limpers become pure profit.

1. Massive Bot Farm Video Goes Viral As One Site Repays $156K to Affected Players — A viral video showing the disturbing scale of automated Poker bot operations has the entire community questioning just how widespread cheating is in online Poker. The footage reveals rows of computers running bot software simultaneously across dozens of tables, highlighting the sophisticated infrastructure required for large-scale bot operations.

While online Poker sites have improved bot detection algorithms significantly in recent years, the arms race between bot developers and site security continues. The $156,000 repayment represents one site's effort to make players whole after confirming bot activity in their player pool—a significant acknowledgment that bots successfully operated undetected for an extended period.

For online players, this serves as a stark reminder to play on regulated sites with robust security measures and transparent policies for handling bot investigations. The video has sparked debate about whether sites are doing enough to protect their player pools. Some players argue that bot detection should be more aggressive, while others worry about false positives affecting legitimate players.

The industry's commitment to player protection depends on sites both detecting bots effectively and compensating legitimate players who faced them. The $156K repayment sets an important precedent, but the viral video raises uncomfortable questions: How many other bots are still operating undetected? How much money have legitimate players lost to automated opponents? And are sites being transparent enough when they discover bot rings?

Source: Poker.org

2. Jennifer Tilly Calls Andrew Robl Her "Paralysis Sleep Demon" on High Stakes Poker — High Stakes Poker Season 15 continues delivering comedy gold alongside massive pots. Hollywood actress and Poker pro Jennifer Tilly made her season debut and immediately unleashed an all-time great confession about her relationship with Andrew Robl.

"Andrew Robl is my personal nemesis," Tilly said during a cutaway interview. "He's my paralysis sleep demon. When I wake up in the middle of the night and I'm having a terrible nightmare it's usually about Andrew Robl check-raising me with nothing. Yes, I have to get over my supernatural fear of Andrew Robl because he's just a man, right? He puts his legs in his pants one leg at a time."

Despite calling Robl her nemesis, Tilly admitted she'll always answer his call for High Stakes Poker because beating him in pots is "really my lifelong dream." The Poker gods have a sense of humor—the very next hand after her confession, Tilly ran into Robl's pocket aces and lost a sizable pot.

But Tilly got her revenge in Episode 13. After flopping an open-ended straight draw with 7-6 suited, she turned the nuts against Robl's ace-high flush draw. When Robl bet $80,000 on the turn, Tilly shoved her remaining stack and Robl had to call. They ran it twice, but Robl bricked both rivers. Tilly scooped the $271,000 pot and celebrated: "Yay! Happy Jen is back, yes!"

The season also featured a hilarious moment when Robl brought his dad Tim into the game after Tilly busted. "This is like if my Dad was in the stands at the Super Bowl and, all of a sudden, a wide receiver gets hurt and they call you in from the stands," Robl joked, drawing laughs from the table. Season 15 has been absolute entertainment from start to finish.

Source: Poker.org

3. Playground Commits to Year-Round WSOP Partnership, Adds Three Circuit Stops Including $10M Super Circuit — Playground near Montreal is taking its relationship with the WSOP to an unprecedented level, committing to three WSOP Circuit stops in 2026 including Canada's first-ever WSOP Super Circuit stop featuring a $5,000 CAD Main Event with a staggering $10 million CAD guarantee.

The announcement represents a major expansion of the WSOP Circuit schedule and solidifies Playground's position as one of North America's premier Poker destinations. The property made history in August 2025 when its WSOP Circuit Main Event drew 1,978 entrants and generated a $4,450,500 CAD prize pool—the largest in WSOP Circuit history. Canadian player Jacob Hobday won that event after turning a $75 satellite entry into $620,000 CAD.

The WSOP Super Circuit stop runs August 24 through September 9, 2026. Players will be able to qualify online exclusively through GGPoker, with full details to be announced soon. Playground Vice President of Gaming Operations Ryan Bevens called the partnership "something truly special" and emphasized alignment with the WSOP's vision to grow the game and deliver events with the largest prize pools the industry has ever seen.

For players in Canada and internationally, Playground's commitment means consistent high-value Circuit action throughout the year. The property features over 60 Poker tables, won the 2024 Global Poker Awards for Best Poker Room, and sits just 15 minutes south of downtown Montreal. With three confirmed Circuit stops including the massive Super Circuit, 2026 is shaping up to be Playground's biggest year yet.

Source: WSOP

4. Jeff Platt Expands WSOP Role, Will Both Play and Report During 2026 Main Event — PokerGO's beloved sideline reporter Jeff Platt is taking on double duty at the 2026 WSOP, combining his role as one of the Main Event's roving reporters with actually competing in the tournament himself.

Platt has become one of Poker's most recognizable media personalities, known for his trademark bright red suit and easygoing interview style during WSOP coverage. With over $888,000 in lifetime tournament earnings, a WSOP Circuit ring, and multiple deep Main Event runs (including 60th place in 2015 for $113,764), Platt has proven he can compete at the highest levels while maintaining his broadcasting responsibilities.

The expanded role represents a unique challenge—balancing the demands of floor reporting with the mental focus required to navigate the world's largest Poker tournament. Platt plans to fire bullets in multiple $5,000 events for the first time this summer, targeting the $5,000 Champions Reunion event and the ultra-challenging $5,000 Six-Max.

For aspiring WSOP players, Platt emphasizes preparation beyond just Poker strategy. He recommends setting up everything off the table in advance: finding accommodations with good gyms, planning healthy meal options, and establishing routines for sleep and fitness. The goal is eliminating all non-Poker decisions so you can focus exclusively on playing your best when cards are in the air.

Source: Poker News

5. Planet Hollywood Closing Poker Room Again, Ending Brief Reopening — Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip is closing its Poker room once again, ending a brief reopening period that saw the room return after a previous closure.

The closure represents another loss for the Vegas Strip Poker scene, which has seen several rooms shut down in recent years as properties prioritize more profitable table games and slots. Planet Hollywood's Poker room had a loyal following among locals and tourists, but evidently couldn't generate sufficient revenue to justify the floor space in the competitive Strip environment.

The closure continues a troubling trend for Vegas Poker players who prefer Strip locations. While downtown and off-Strip properties like The Orleans, Red Rock, and Station Casinos continue operating strong Poker rooms, Strip options have dwindled significantly. Players seeking Strip action now have fewer choices, with rooms like Aria, Bellagio, Caesars, and Wynn carrying more of the load.

For Planet Hollywood regulars, the closure means finding new home games. The good news? Vegas still offers plenty of Poker action—you just might need to venture off the Strip to find the best games and player-friendly structures.

Source: Card Player

Most players are bleeding chips against limpers. Here's how to fix it.

Limpers are everywhere in small-stakes tournaments. The player who calls the big blind instead of raising is either testing the waters with a marginal hand or trying to see a cheap flop with something speculative. Either way, they're creating massive exploitable opportunities for anyone paying attention.

The problem? Most players have no idea how to adjust. Some play way too tight, folding hands that should be printing money. Others play way too loose, isolating with garbage and turning their stack into a bluff catcher. Both approaches are wrong.

When to Loosen Up Against Limpers:

Pay attention to what hands limpers are showing down. If you're seeing a lot of junky holdings—you can isolate them with a much wider range than you'd typically open-raise. People love to play pots. They limp because they "want to see a flop," and once they've invested that big blind, they hate folding to a raise.

This is printing money. When someone limps K-7 suited and you isolate with A-10 offsuit, you're getting called by a weaker hand and playing in position against a capped range that doesn't include premiums. Even when they call, you're doing well against their equity.

The key adjustment: if limpers are folding to isolation raises frequently, you can isolate even wider. They're essentially donating dead money. If they're calling raises but then folding to continuation bets, you're getting two opportunities to win uncontested pots. Both scenarios are extremely profitable.

When to Tighten Up Against Limpers:

Some players limp premium hands as a trap. They'll limp pocket jacks, ace-king, even aces occasionally. Make a mental note of these players immediately. Against them, you need a value-heavy isolation range because their limp/call range is significantly stronger than typical.

It's also harder to range opponents in limped pots. Some players limp everything from pocket aces to 52s, making post-flop decisions extremely difficult. Against these players, sometimes the best play is just tightening up and avoiding the confusion entirely.

When to Open Limp:

Most of the time? Never. But there are specific spots where open limping makes sense. With awkward stack sizes (around 15 big blinds), hands like suited connectors become difficult to play. Folding is weak. Min-raising and folding to a three-bet is terrible. Open shoving is scary. Open limping in late position lets you see a cheap flop in position without committing your stack.

At very tight tables where pots frequently go unraised, you can start limping early position with small pairs and suited connectors, hoping to see cheap flops. And in rare situations with short stacks at aggressive tables, you can consider limp/shoving premiums when you're confident a limp will trigger an isolation raise.

In my book, I dive deeper into the complete framework for playing against limpers, including specific hand examples for different stack sizes, detailed post-flop strategies when limpers call your isolation, and how to adjust based on table dynamics and tournament stages.

Want to master isolation strategy and learn when to loosen up or tighten up based on opponent types? The Poker Accelerator breaks down optimal isolation ranges in exhaustive detail—including how to exploit passive opponents, when to widen your ranges profitably, and specific adjustments for different tournament stages and stack sizes. You'll learn exactly when limpers are donation stations and when they're setting traps, plus complete post-flop strategies for playing isolated pots in position.

If you're tired of leaving money on the table against limpers or getting caught in awkward spots with marginal hands, this course shows you precisely how to exploit these common situations for maximum profit. Use coupon code 20PERCENT to get 20% off your enrollment.

Sameh Elamawy picks up 7-2 and decides to channel some serious Rounders energy against Andrew Robl!

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What's your biggest leak against limpers? Are you folding hands that should be isolating for profit, or are you isolating too wide with garbage and bleeding chips post-flop? Reply to this email and tell me. I read them all!

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Lexy Gavin-Mather