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PA Poker News November Update: Phil Galfond's BetRivers in Pennsylvania; Global's '25 Days of Poker'

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PA Poker News November Update: Phil Galfond's BetRivers in Pennsylvania; Global's '25 Days of Poker'


Keith Becker


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Hi! I’m Keith Becker, PokerNews Ambassador and Pennsylvania native, here with a PA poker update for October 2024. It’s an exciting time in America for the game we all know and love, and I’m excited to be bringing you state highlights every month.

What are the big issues and stories on everyone’s minds? Let’s get into it.

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PA Poker News November Update: Phil Galfond's BetRivers in Pennsylvania; Global's '25 Days... 101

The thing on everyone’s mind of course is Pennsylvania joining the MSIGA and multi-state poker. While there isn’t immediate huge news on that front as these things take time, one interesting development this month was BetMGM finally – and somewhat quietly – combining their Michigan and New Jersey player pools.

Do they know something we don’t? Eh, maybe. But it’s just as likely that they are just benefitting from combining their existing pools, plus doing their due diligence enabling the proper infrastructure so that when the time does come to combine with Pennsylvania, they’re not at a disadvantage. For now, we here in PA will have to continue to wait.

Speaking of BetMGM, they’re also currently in the middle of their Poker Online Championships, a marquee series at the operator offering a combined $2 MILLION in guarantees. These are primarily big entries aimed at higher-stakes players.

PokerStars in the USA – and thus Pennsylvania – has gone the other way this month, offering their Fall Fest Series. This series features a lot of smaller entries, although it’s exclusively hold’em and Omaha, whereas Stars has been known to experiment with more mixed games in the past. But there’s a little bit of something for every buy-in level on the US clients. For reference, the ABI (average buy-in) in this BetMGM series is about $240. On Stars in their Fall Fest it is $112. So whatever level you want to play, you got it this month.

And when I say something for everyone I certainly don’t want to leave out cash game players. Those players should look to new operator BetRivers, who has made bold claims about their rake and rewards, particularly for those players in the cash game streets.

PA Poker News November Update: Phil Galfond's BetRivers in Pennsylvania; Global's '25 Days... 102

The rewards seem to be particularly lucrative for those players willing to redeem their bonuses from playing poker for casino or sportsbook play and promos, but the operator insists it has the leading rewards in the market for all players nevertheless. I’ve played a little bit on BetRivers, which of course is represented by Phil Galfond, and I am looking forward to putting in more volume there soon to take advantage of this honestly stellar return to the player.

And again on the subject of cash games, let’s pivot quickly to live poker, as BetRivers Poker is affiliated with Rivers Casino in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and currently has some boosted high-hand promotions, paying out $1,000 to the qualifying high-hand – at times firing off every 30 minutes! Great place to be right now if you’re a live cash grinder.

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Meanwhile, the competing poker room at Philadelphia Live! casino just concluded their Live Cup IV. This unique tournament with Day 1s at both the Maryland and Philadelphia locations saw the Philly Day 2 reach a $1.3M Prize Pool with 2,570 entries. The tournament ended in a seven-way chop, with Taerim Kum from Willow Grove, Pennsylvania taking home the largest share at over $112K.

Back to the online streets… We were talking about how there’s something out there for every buy-in level. Well, how about free! There has been a fervor for the massive ClubWPT Gold invitational freeroll, which now has a drawing with massive prizes for anyone who simply registers for a ClubWPT Gold account, in addition to the $5 Million invitational freeroll for those fortunate enough to score one of the coveted Golden Passports. 2,000 Golden Passports are being awarded through various giveaways and competitions, and some Pennsylvania residents have also been lucky enough to score one, like a longtime friend of my stream Patrick McCormack, who won by simply retweeting a tweet and getting someone else to sign up. What a spot! Good luck Patrick, AKA WTR.

PA Poker News November Update: Phil Galfond's BetRivers in Pennsylvania; Global's '25 Days... 103

And finally, Global Poker is currently running satellites to their 25 Days of Poker “Unfold the Present” tournaments. These tournaments have insane guarantees – 5 Million on the Gold Coin side and 500,000 guaranteed in the Sweeps Coin Final both on December 26th. Remember, you can’t qualify for these tournaments directly, so get firing away in those feeder satellites. It’s gonna be huge value in those finals.

PA Poker News November Update: Phil Galfond's BetRivers in Pennsylvania; Global's '25 Days... 104

Poker is surging in America, and I’m thrilled to be your ambassador here in Pennsylvania. For more information, check out our PokerNews Pennsylvania page here, and be sure to follow me on socials to stay in the know. I’ll be back next month with another update!

Keith Becker is an American poker player based out of Pennsylvania. A former member of PokerStars Team Pro Online, Becker is now a PokerNews Ambassador and Streamer. Becker has been streaming poker on Twitch since Day 1 of regulated poker in Pennsylvania and has led a grassroots movement for PA to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.

Follow Keith on X/Twitter and Twitch!

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Pennsylvania man arrested for allegedly feeding pet parakeet marijuana and beer

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Pennsylvania man arrested for allegedly feeding pet parakeet marijuana and beer


A Pennsylvania man was arrested on animal cruelty charges for allegedly feeding marijuana and beer to his pet parakeet after bringing the injured feathered friend to a bar, according to reports.

Timothy Grace, 40, was busted on Feb. 21 after carrying his wounded pet budgie named “Blue Skies” in his pocket to Callaghan’s Bar in Greensburg, according to CBS Pittsburgh.

Timothy Grace was arrested on animal cruelty charges for allegedly feeding marijuana and beer to his pet parakeet after bringing the injured feathered friend to a bar. WTAE

“The caller’s a bartender. She says there is a white male at the bar with a parakeet,” a dispatcher reported on the police radio transmissions obtained by the outlet.

“The patron was bragging to other people that were inside the bar that he feeds the parakeet marijuana and has it drink beer on a daily basis,” Detective Sergeant Justin Scalzo told the outlet.

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Grace “appeared extremely intoxicated” when police showed up to the bar and found the pet bird in distress, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.

“Its leg appeared to be broken,” Scalzo said, according to WTAE. “Its foot was actually facing the wrong direction.”

Grave was initially arrested for public intoxication and now faces charges including aggravated cruelty to animals and transporting animals in a cruel manner, the outlet said.

The pet bird was brought to PEARL Parrot Rescue in the Pittsburgh area, which rushed him to an emergency care facility.


Exterior of Callaghan's bar, with a sign showing
The injured parakeet is still breathing hard, remains on antibiotics, and has to wear a splint on his right leg. WTAE

Blue Skies spent four days in the hospital and was later taken in to be fostered by Teri Grendzinski, the president of PEARL. The injured parakeet is still breathing hard, remains on antibiotics, and has to wear a splint on his right leg, CBS reported.

“They realized his leg was broken. He also had some respiratory issues going on,” Grendzinski told the outlet. “He was also very, very skinny.”

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“The leg was broken badly enough there is a chance they’re going to have to amputate the leg if it doesn’t heal correctly,” she added.

If Blue Skies is eventually put up for adoption, he will require specialized care, the outlet said.

“When we got that call, it was horrifying. Why would you do that to a bird?” Grendzinski said.



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Pa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico

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Pa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico


A Pennsylvania man was found guilty of repeatedly raping his daughter’s best friend over a three-year span before fleeing with the teen to Mexico.

On Thursday, March 5, 2026, Kevin Esterly, 53, of Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, was convicted on all counts of rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary sexual intercourse and endangering the welfare of children.

Esterly shook his head as the verdict was read but said nothing in the courtroom.

Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.

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Esterly’s trial began on Tuesday, March 3, after a judge denied his pretrial motion for the charges against him to be dismissed and for the Lehigh County District Attorney to be removed as a prosecutor in the case.

Both Esterly and his victim testified on Wednesday, March 4.

The victim — who is now 24-years-old — told the courtroom that she met Esterly and his family while attending church as a child and became best friends with one of his daughters. Esterly was a youth leader and elder at the church at the time. The victim said Esterly also coached her soccer team.

The victim said she became so close to Esterly’s family that she called his wife “mom” and eventually spent almost every weekend at their home in Lowhill Township, Pennsylvania. She also said she vacationed with them in New York state and Ocean City, Maryland.

The victim said Esterly first sexually assaulted her in August 2015 when she was 13-years-old after he gave her alcohol during a family birthday party.

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“I was scared. Frozen in fear,” the woman told the courtroom on Wednesday. “I pretended I was sleeping.”

The woman accused Esterly of sexually assaulting her almost every time she slept over at his home. She told the courtroom she eventually became addicted to alcohol and drugs, which Esterly gave her in exchange for sex. According to the woman, Esterly gave her cocaine and methamphetamine to keep her awake during school because she “would be up with him all night.”

The woman said Esterly continued to sexually assault her until he was confronted by his wife in 2017. Esterly’s wife then threw him out of the house, according to the victim. She said Esterly continued to sexually assault her over the next year.

Esterly was later arrested and then sentenced to prison after federal agents found him with the victim in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in 2018. She was 16-years-old at the time.

The woman said she moved on and went to college after Esterly’s sentencing though she still struggled with drug addiction. She said she sought counseling in February 2025. She told the courtroom she received a message from Esterly on LinkedIn that same month in which he apologized for “failing you as a person I was supposed to be for you.” At that point Esterly had been released from prison.

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The woman said she had not told anyone about her relationship with Esterly up to that point and replied to him, “I live with our secret every day as I promised. I would appreciate an apology.”

The woman told the courtroom that Esterly responded by writing, “I hope one day you can forgive me. Nobody knows I reached out to you. That is the best for both of us.”

On Feb. 21, 2025, Allentown Police received a report of Esterly’s sexual assaults which led to the new charges being filed against him. He was arrested in West Virginia in June 2025 after two police pursuits. He was then extradited to Pennsylvania.

The victim told the courtroom on Wednesday that she kept quiet about Esterly’s abuse for years because she “was afraid to speak,” and felt “dirty and ashamed.”

“I wasn’t ready to tell anyone,” she said. “He was a father figure in my life. I loved him.”

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The woman also said she didn’t want to hurt Esterly’s daughter who was her best friend.

When the District Attorney asked her why she was “here today,” she replied by saying, “I want to tell the truth. I want to be set free.”

The woman ended her testimony by saying, “I don’t want to live with this secret anymore.”

After her testimony, Esterly took the stand for 45 minutes, denied all of the accusations against him and accused the woman of lying.

Closing arguments then took place Thursday morning. It then took an hour for the jury of seven women and five men to reach their verdict.

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3 dead in apparent murder-suicide spanning from Pennsylvania to Illinois, police say

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3 dead in apparent murder-suicide spanning from Pennsylvania to Illinois, police say



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Two women are dead in Pennsylvania and a man is dead in Illinois after an apparent murder-suicide, police said on Wednesday.

According to a report from the Pennsylvania State Police, the investigation began in Hillside, Illinois, when police there were dispatched after a man reported two women dead in Jackson Township, Pennsylvania. Police said that when officers got to Hillside, about 15 miles west of Chicago, they found that the man had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

After identifying him, troopers said Hillside officers contacted police from Jackson Township to request a welfare check at the man’s home on Dior Drive, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. 

Map shows distance from Hillside, Illinois, to Zelienople, Pennsylvania

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KDKA


Police said officers used forced entry to get into the home and found two women dead from apparent gunshot wounds. It’s believed the two women were family members of the man who died by suicide in Illinois, investigators said. 

Pennsylvania State Police said they’ve assumed control of the case and are “actively investigating” what happened surrounding the three deaths.

Police didn’t release any names, saying the process of formal identification and notification of next of kin hasn’t been completed. Sources told KDKA that the victims were a husband, wife and their daughter.

“At this time, investigators believe there is no ongoing threat to the public, and law enforcement is not searching for any additional individuals in connection with this incident,” police wrote in the public information release report. “This remains an active and ongoing investigation.”

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State police didn’t release any other details on Wednesday but said more information will be made public when it’s available.  

“My first reaction was shocked because this is such a close-knit neighborhood, and to think something that horrible could happen here is very tragic because they were such a good family,” neighbor Danielle Sporer said on Wednesday. 



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