Hey Poker Fam,

The WSOP Europe Main Event just broke every record Europe has ever seen. And Prague is proving that European Poker isn't slowing down—it's accelerating.

But this week isn't just about records and prize pools. It's about a personal milestone that means everything—300,000 of you subscribed to this journey. It's about legal deadlines that matter for Texas Poker. It's about watching two legends prove what professionalism and resilience really look like. And it's about understanding what it takes to play your best game.

This week:
• WSOP Europe Main Event shatters the record: 2,617 entries, €13.1M prize pool
• April 9 deadline looms for The Lodge Card Club case
• We just hit 300,000 YouTube subscribers—thank you for being part of this journey
• New comedy series Un$uited hits TV in June with real Poker players involved
• Shiina Okamoto and Annette Obrestad show us how to represent the game
• Strategy Corner: When your three-bet is the wrong move

Let's get into it...

It's official. The 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event is the biggest European major tournament ever. 2,617 entries. €13.085 million prize pool.

The previous record was the 2022 EPT Barcelona Main Event with 2,294 entries and €11.1 million. WSOP Europe just obliterated it. The €10 million guarantee got smashed long before the field closed.

The field includes some of the best Poker talent from around the world. Deep stacks are being contested by familiar faces and rising stars. The tables at WSOP Europe main event are as tough as they come.

Source: Poker.org

April 9. That's when the state of Texas has to file for civil forfeiture of The Lodge's seized assets—or return them. That's the hard 30-day deadline under Texas law. No charges filed yet. No arrests made. Just a room closed, players without their chips, more than 200 employees without jobs, and a state with a deadline.

The Lodge's bank accounts remain frozen. Significant cash was seized from the March 10 raid and sits in state custody. Doug Polk promised he'll personally cover player liabilities if The Lodge can't make them whole. Seven figures out of his pocket.

But it doesn't solve the legal question: is the no-rake, membership-based model actually legal in Texas? What the state files on April 9 will tell us everything. If they move toward civil forfeiture, the legal war begins. For the other Texas Poker rooms operating under the same legal model, this deadline is the inflection point that changes everything.

Source: Card Player

We just hit 300,000 subscribers on YouTube

I'm writing this, and I'm still processing it. Not because the number is big—though it is. But because of what that number represents. It's you. All of you. Every person who clicked subscribe, who watched a hand breakdown, who shared a strategy corner with someone learning the game, who stuck with me through the wins and the losses and the honest moments when Poker wasn't working.

Thank you for believing in what we're building here. Thank you for showing up. This milestone is ours, not mine.

Source: X / Instagram / Facebook

In June, a new television series called Un$uited is dropping. It's centered on a guy who walks away from the family business to become a professional Poker player. The problem: he's bad at Poker. The entire comedy is him learning the hard way, hand by hand, facing reality.

Tom Arnold stars—the actor and comedian known for his role in True Lies. The show is directed at both hardcore Poker fans and casual audiences who've never touched a deck. It understands the game. It has real Poker players involved, including cameos. Casino influencer Lorraine 'Goddess of Slots' plays herself in the series—a perfect fit for her brand—and she's already been tapped to return for Season 2.

Poker shows have failed before. Getting a Poker comedy to television isn't easy. The logistics have tripped up better-funded productions. But Un$uited has the backing and talent behind it.

Source: Poker News Daily

Shiina Okamoto and Annette Obrestad made deep runs at WSOP Europe Main Event.

Okamoto—back-to-back WSOP Ladies Championship winner and a force at every table she sits. She didn't get unlucky and go home broke. She ran aces into quads in a brutal cooler, but she earned €40,000 and finished 37th in one of the toughest fields Europe has ever seen.

Then there's Annette Obrestad. Nineteen years after winning the first WSOP Europe Main Event in 2007, she came back to prove she could still compete at the highest level. She made it to 34th place. She banked €40,000. But more than that—she showed every woman watching that age and time don't matter if you still have the fire.

Both of them took tough losses on Day 4. Both of them handled it with the professionalism of true competitors. That's what separates the players who just chase money from the players who represent the game. They were there to execute, and they did.

Source: Poker News

3-betting is powerful. But sometimes the smartest play is folding, calling, or doing nothing at all.

Super tight players are the first filter. If your opponent only raises when they have it, 3-betting light makes no sense. You're going to get four-bet or called and trapped post-flop with their premium holdings. They have the range advantage. Don't play into it.

Calling stations are the opposite problem. If someone doesn't fold, 3-betting with a weak hand forces you into a nightmare—you have to bluff multiple streets against someone who's never folding. When you're facing someone who calls with anything, wait until you have something real. Then you can size up and take them to value town. If they hate folding, exploit that by playing more value-heavy and bigger.

Solid aggressive players are the trap. If your opponent understands you're 3-betting a polarized range, they'll counter with more four-bets. Adjust. Play trappier with your good hands if you think they're going to 3-bet you back. Don't get locked into patterns.

Stack depth matters more than you think. If you're short, 3-bet only hands you're willing to stack off with. You price yourself in when you raise a decent chunk of your stack. You've got lower implied odds and way less fold equity. Don't expect light 3-bets to work against an 18BB stack.

Here's a different angle: if there's a weak player in the blinds and you have a strong hand, calling might be better than 3-betting. A fish hates folding their blind, especially their big blind. If you 3-bet, you might fold them out. If you flat, you price them in. You set the trap by not being aggressive. They come along. Then you win money post-flop.

Finally, never 3-bet because you're tilted or bored. I see this all the time. Players haven't played a hand in a while, they're getting restless, and suddenly they're 3-betting for the wrong reasons. Stay patient. Wait for the spots where the math actually favors you.

3-betting is a tool. Use it when the situation demands it. Know when laying it down is the smartest play.

Free Poker Training → https://lexygavinmather.com/free-Poker-training/

I had the opportunity to play on the World Series of Poker Europe, live stream featured table! Wait till you get a look at this hand…

To watch some of my wild hands, Subscribe to my YouTube Channel:

YouTube Channel → https://www.youtube.com/@LexyGavinPoker

Quick heads up for my Poker and sports betting crew:

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Three former Binion's employees (the historic home of the first WSOP) have been arrested for orchestrating a $298,000 skimming scheme since 2022. Cashiers Christina Carbonell and Siraprapha Rattana allegedly applied unauthorized discounts while pocketing cash, while waiter Rommel Soriano also participated in the theft. All pleaded not guilty; preliminary hearings scheduled for April and May.

Source: Card Player

Native American gaming tribes are positioning for a state referendum on sports betting legalization in 2028. This could reshape California's gaming landscape. The tribes control massive gaming operations across the state and have leverage in Sacramento that few other industries can match. A successful referendum would create a new revenue stream while potentially giving tribal nations competitive advantage over commercial sportsbooks.

Source: Card Player

English soccer clubs are being hit hard by a gambling sponsorship ban. The fallout shows how regulators worldwide are tightening restrictions on gaming partnerships. Many Premier League teams relied on betting companies for significant jersey and stadium sponsorship revenue—money that now has to be replaced elsewhere. This regulatory shift signals a broader global trend: governments are separating sports and gambling, which has implications for how Poker is perceived in regulated markets.

Source: Card Player

This week we discuss 3-bet strategy but here’s what I want to know-what is your biggest struggle with 3-betting? Do you think you 3bet too much or not enough? What’s your strategy? Reply to this email—I read each one of them!

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Talk soon,
Lexy Gavin-Mather