Severin Rasset Talks PokerStars in US: $1M GTD Weekly, Nevada Update & Live Event Return
n case you didn’t know, PokerStars is back in the United States. It actually has been for quite some time in New Jersey as well as in Michigan and Pennsylvania, though each was a segregated market. At the start of the New Year, PokerStars hit the ground running by becoming the first online operator to merge their NJ and MI player pools, instantly making it the largest online poker network in the US.
One man responsible for making that happen was Managing Director of North America for PokerStars Severin Rasset, who helped usher in a similar liquidity merge in Europe.
“We had similar things happening in Portugal, which was operating as a closed liquidity for a while,” he explained. “Portugal has about 14 million inhabitants. So, very similar to the size of New Jersey or Pennsylvania. Then Portugal joined with Spain, which was a big, dynamic change to the market.”
He added: “I've been through quite a lot of these changes in the regulatory and so just using this experience while getting the most out of the team in the US and plugging my experience in with their expertise and their own experiences, I think we're gonna have a really good mix.”
Rasset recently spoke to PokerNews at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in the Bahamas about recent developments concerning PokerStars US including the reveal that they’re offering $1 million in guarantees each week, updates on Pennsylvania and Nevada, and the potential return of live events in America.
flop, Dan Smith bet 28,000 and Fedor Holz called on the button.
turn for another 65,000 and Holz reluctantly called.
river, Smith bet 300,000 and Holz had 88,000 behind. Using two time bank extensions, the German online wizard called and doubled with 
for the top pair, as Smith had bricked a combo draw holding the 
.
flop propelled Brewer into the lead, which he retained throughout the 
turn and 
river.
while Petrangelo had a gutshot. Instead, the 
turn and 
river improved Petrangelo to trips kings and he notched up a double knockout.
