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Blaise Bourgeois

Senior News Reporter at CasinoNews.io

Blaise is an experienced poker editor and the CasinoNews.io jack-of-all-trades for poker and poker journalism, covering the latest news from WSOP, WPT, EPT, and more.

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About Blaise Bourgeois, Senior News Reporter at CasinoNews.io

10+
years of experience
Poker
Speciality
Favorite quote
“You do what you love and f**k the rest." - Little Miss Sunshine

Blaise Bourgeois is CasinoNews.io’s comprehensive poker expert and has been in the poker, iGaming, and sports industries for over a decade. Blaise is also a professional poker player with a WSOP Circuit ring and well over $600,000 in career live and online poker earnings.

At CasinoNews.io, Blaise covers news from big events like EPT, WSOP, Triton, and WPT, along with updates on poker news beyond the felt.

Professional Experience

2016
Olympic Soccer Research Statistician
Earned a Sports Emmy supporting NBC’s coverage of Men’s and Women’s Soccer tournaments in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
2017
Director of Communications
Directed all digital content, social media, and website operations for a professional soccer team.
2018
Content Editor
Produced and managed high-volume content operations for a soccer news app, taking it from a small app to one of the largest sports apps in the world.
2022
PokerNews Live Reporter
Wrote tournament recaps and hand histories at the WSOP, EPT Barcelona, and Mediterranean Poker Party.
2022
Went Freelance
Produced a high volume of iGaming and poker content for various websites.
2023
Poker.org Content Creator
Delivered expanded written and on-camera coverage at WSOP, WPT, and PokerStars events.
2023
Began Professional Poker Career
Started a profitable poker career, both live and online.
2023
Lead Poker Editor
Managed a team of editors for a major poker website.
2023
Senior Staff Writer
Became one of the top writers for poker’s biggest digital and physical magazine.
2025
Back to Freelance
Currently working various roles in poker commentary, journalism, and sportswriting.

Blaise has been a digital nomad living abroad in Latin America and Europe since 2019. Originally a dedicated sportswriter, Blaise has completely dedicated his life to the game of poker both on and off the felt. In addition to his role at CasinoNews.io, Blaise performs commentary for several poker events across Europe.

Previously, Blaise has been in virtually every role in the poker and iGaming industry, ranging from a Senior Staff Writer to a Lead Poker Editor, and creating content for WSOP, PokerNews, and Poker.Org.

Currently, Blaise’s passion is righting the wrongs in the poker world, one issue at a time. He is also a poker strategy expert and loves to break down solver outputs for both advanced and novice players.

Privately, Blaise spends most of his time watching sports and planning his next trip with his poker-playing girlfriend, Peggy “PocketPeg” Crawford. He’s a devoted foodie and true crime lover who also loves sports/strategy video games.

He has also led the Men’s and Women’s football (soccer) stats and research team at three Summer Olympic Games, earning a Sports Emmy for his contributions in 2025. He will also play a major role in the same department at this summer’s World Cup.

Interview with Blaise Bourgeois

🖊
How has being a professional poker player changed the way you write about poker?
It has given me a level of perspective that is difficult to replicate from the rail. I understand the game at a high strategic level, from solver-based theory to live exploits, bankroll pressure, and tournament dynamics. That helps me write about poker in a way that is accurate, practical, and useful for players at different levels.

I’ve also been blessed to create relationships and build trust with many of the best players in the world, which allows me to conduct exclusive interviews and deliver much more than just surface-level news coverage.
📰
What kind of poker coverage do you want to bring to CasinoNews.io?
Ideally, I want CasinoNews.io to become a hub for reliable, honest, independent poker content.

I thrive on writing the exclusive, controversial, investigative stories nobody else is willing to write because of contractual agreements or fear of losing potential future work.

♠️
What is one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you?
I am a huge mixed games fan and may be a lot better than I think I am; I just don’t put in the volume. I have cashed each of the last five live mixed-games tournaments I’ve played, enjoying 1st (Big O), 2nd (R.O.S.E.T.), 3rd (8-Game), and 4th (PLO) place finishes.

I’m also in this state of playing the least and making the most, a rarity since volume is preached these days. I’m up a ton of money since late 2025, and I’m probably averaging one online session a week, if that.

However, that’ll be changing drastically after this summer’s World Series of Poker.
🎲️
What topics in poker do you think deserve more honest discussion?
We need to move poker out of casinos and exclusively into dedicated card clubs. Casinos largely ignore the wants/needs of poker players, charge unbeatable rakes, and are thinking much more short-term than long-term.

On the flip side, poker is also a bit of a nuisance in the casino world. The game doesn’t exactly bring in much money and requires a lot of employees. They’re pretty much hosting us, hoping that we spend a fortune on casino gaming.

There’s a lot of money to be made from an operator standpoint, and yet casinos are doing the most to cut corners. Poker players are smart and very aware of this.
🌎
What has been your favorite poker destination so far, and why?
It will always be Brazil. I lived there for multiple years, I’m going back after WSOP, and I will probably die there.

Regardless of the buy-in amount, the tournaments are always run extremely professionally. The weather is the nuts, and the people are always a joy to be around. The best people on earth.