Is Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi the Best Poker Player in the World?

In the 836th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz welcome a special fill-in cohost in Frankie Cucchiara (AKA Frankie C) of Next Gen Poker. The popular content creator took a break from filming his poker exploits, as well as time away from his wife and newborn sun, to come down to Level 9 in Las Vegas and talk about the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP)! Speaking of which, it was there Holtz says that he experienced a marked card situation, while one of the week's hot topics was the issue of late registration in big buy-in tournaments at the WSOP. Find out what happened and how officials are addressing concerns. You'll also hear about Frankie's new summer challenge to play 100 straight days of poker, recent bracelet winners like Robert Mizrachi, Dylan Weisman, and John Racener, and other winners from about town at venues like Wynn and Venetian. Plus, hear about the $25,000 High Roller won by Brek Schutten for $1,405,641. It was in that event that Phil Ivey lost a three-way all in, while third-place finisher Michael Rocco gave an emotional post-elimination interview. Oh, and don't forget about WPT World Champion Dan Sepiol, who managed to claim his first bracelet and continue his rapid ascent among poker's elite. Finally, get an update on the $25K Fantasy league and learn a bit about the popular PokerNews Daily Deepstacks which have been crowning big winners and awarding hefty paydays! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice weekly during the 2024 WSOP every Tuesday and Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:10 | Frankie C filling in as co-host 00:25 | Did Mike Holtz run across marked cards? 07:05 | WSOP address late registration concerns 11:07 | Benefits of max late regging 13:02 | Chris Brewer's thoughts 13:50 | Signing up for the WSOP kiosks 15:04 | Frankie's summer challenge 17:26 | Frankie on becoming a father 18:22 | A sneak peek at Frankie's summer shorts 20:42 | Robert Mizrachi wins $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship for $333,045 21:25 | Winner interview with Robert Mizrachi 23:10 | TJ Murphy Dominates wins Event #17: $800 No-Limit Hold'em DeepStack 23:45 | Vegas Barbie comes to support her man 25:45 | Caleb Furth wins Event #15: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better for $265,361 27:00 | Brent Hart wins Event #16: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em for $660,284 27:43 | Dylan Weisman earns second bracelet in Event #18: $1,500 PLO for $294,311 29:20 | John Racener wins Event #19: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship for $308,930 30:30 | Brek Schutten wins WSOP $25,000 High Roller for $1,405,641 31:40 | Michael Rocco's raw and emotional bustout in third place 35:17 | Phil Ivey's bust out from the $25K High Roller 36:00 | Mike gets to play with Phil Ivey & Ben Lamb 39:00 | AJ Cummings wins Event #22: $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw for $146,516 39:45 | Daniel Sepiol Wins Event #23: $1,500 Shootout No Limit Hold'em for $305,849 42:46 | Sean Troha wins Event #24: $10,000 PLO Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship for $536,713 45:15 | Winners from Venetian & Wynn 48:14 | $25K Fantasy Update 51:49 | PokerNews Daily Deepstacks

11 Kesä 202454min

In the 835th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is joined by poker pros Shaun Deeb and Josh Arieh, who fill in as special co-hosts at Level 9 in Las Vegas where the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is happening now! Hear about how Fortnite helped them form Team Lucky alongside Matt Glantz and reigning WSOP Main Event champ Daniel Weinman, Arieh's Poker Stake venture, and their thoughts on the Poker Hall of Fame, including Scott Seiver's chances of getting in after he recently won his fifth gold bracelet. They also weigh in on two hot topics from this week in poker -- whether or not phones, spurred by solver software debates, and excessive masking should be allowed at poker tables. Speaking of gold, Malcolm Trayner captured his first WSOP bracelet in Event #5: $1,000 Mystery Millions for $1,000,000, while two other players scored million-dollar bounties. Unfortunately, their reactions were a bit subdued, much to the dismay of many in the poker community. That said, two other players had boisterous celebrations when they pulled six-figure bounties. See them all in the latest episode, as well as a winner interview from Trayner. Finally, learn about other bracelet winners such as David Prociak and Simeon Spasov, get an update on the $25K Fantasy league, and see Jack Binion walk the halls of the Horseshoe and reminisce about 55 years of the WSOP! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice weekly during the 2024 WSOP every Tuesday and Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:04 | Welcome to the show 00:34 | What is Team Lucky? 03:28 | Appreciating the concept of luck 05:15 | Big bet on Glantz & Arieh winning their first Fotrnite game 07:06 | Hot Topic Debate – Phones & Masks at the table 14:51 | Arieh on benefits of Poker Stake 16:45 | How do you feel about masks & accessories at the table 20:36 | Malcolm Trayner wins $1,000 Mystery Millions for $1,000,000 22:00 | Lackluster reactions to $1,000,000 bounty draws 25:07 | Big reactions to six-figure bounty pulls! 26:48 | Scott Seiver wins Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship for $426,744 & 5th bracelet 27:19 | Scott Seiver for the Poker Hall of Fame? 31:11 | Shaun Deeb retiring? 34:09 | David Prociak wins $1,500 Badugi for 2nd gold bracelet 34:35 | France's Thibault Perissat wins $1,000 Super Bounty Turbo for $197,308 35:23 | Simeon Spasov wins $1,500 6-Handed NLH to for $439,815 & 2nd bracelet 36:20 | $25K Fantasy update 39:56 | Jack Binion visits Horseshoe for WSOP 44:02 | Sarah Runner's Hendon Mob profile

7 Kesä 202445min

In the 834th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Connor Richards come to you from Level 9 in Las Vegas where the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is happening now! The trio recap the big winners and losers from the Hustler Casino Live (HCL) $1,000,000 Cash Game, show two big hands including a $2.4 million pot and a player mucking the winner in a $534K pot, and share why Alan Keating is good for the game. Plus, Garrett Adelstein sent out a controversial tweet calling out HCL's Ryan Feldman, which spurred both Tom Dwan and Doug Polk to chime in. Other stories discussed include James Mackey prevailing the WPT Choctaw final table for his second WPT title, Joe Cada & Johnny Chan appearing at a charity event, the legend of John Smith in the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, and an update on the $25K Fantasy league. Finally, hear about all the gold bracelet winners thus far from the 2024 WSOP including John Hennigan, who became just the ninth player in history to win seven or more bracelets. Other winners covered include Asher Conniff, Bryce Yockey, Nick Guagenti, and Darius Samual, among others. If you're looking for all the latest from the world of poker, this episode is for you! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2024 WSOP every Tuesday and Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:03 | Welcome to the show 00:32 | Big winners & losers from the Hustler Casino Live (HCL) $1,000,000 Cash Game 01:58 | HCL $1M Cash Game results 03:28 | Thomas mucks winner in $543K pot 06:45 | Alan Keating vs. Rahul in $2.4 million pot 11:22 | Garrett Adelstein stirs the pot; Tom Dwan & Doug Polk chime in 15:26 | James Mackey wins WPT Choctaw 18:04 | All eyes on 2024 WSOP! 18:21 | Asher Conniff captures first gold bracelet 19:20 | John Hennigan captures his 7th gold bracelet 20:32 | Winner interview w/ John Hennigan 23:25 | Bryce Yockey & Nick Guagenti capture bracelets 26:00 | Darius Samual wins $25K Heads-Up Championship 27:36 | Teaser – Life Outside Poker w/ Faraz Jaka 30:17 | The Legend of John Smith 31:26 | Other 2024 WSOP bracelet winners 33:30 | $25K Fantasy update 37:00 | One Step Closer Foundation "All in for CP" Charity Event 37:53 | Interview w/ Johnny Chan at a charity event 38:55 | Joe Cada takes down charity even

4 Kesä 202440min

In the 833rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz come to you from Level 9 in Las Vegas where the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is officially underway! Find out about the first few days of the 2024 WSOP, including how Kyna and Mike got some backlash for playing in the Casino Employees event, the same tournament Chad won back in 2013! The crew also looks at some big hands -- including a wild bluff by "Texas Mike" Moncek and Doug Polk losing trips over trips -- from the Hustler Casino Live (HCL) $1,000,000 Cash Game, recap Josh Reichard's big win in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, and results from Daniel Negreanu's $25,000 Fantasy Draft. As for the 2024 WSOP, it kicked off with Event #1: $5,000 Champions Reunion in which 22 former Main Event champs competed including "Action" Dan Harrington, who hadn't cashed a WSOP event in a decade. Surprisingly, he didn't even know about the tournament and only learned of it when he was in Las Vegas for another reason. Find out that story and some of the other former champs who competed in the first event of the summer! Finally, Robin Poker tours this year's new PokerNews Daily DeepStacks tournament area. A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2024 WSOP every Tuesday and Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:35 | Hustler Casino Live (HCL) $1,000,000 Cash Game 01:11 | "Texas Mike" Moncek making 01:41 | Texas Mike pays homage to Doyle Brunson with big bluff 05:18 | Doug Polk losses trips over trips 09:07 | Winners thus far in the HCL $1M Cash Game 10:22 | Josh Reichard wins WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown 15:00 | 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is underway 15:22 | Mike & Kyna play Casino Employee Event 15:36 | Allen Kessler calls out Mike & Kyna 27:11 | Daniel Negreanu's $25K Fantasy Draft 32:34 | Daniel Negreanu's vlogs return; look inside the $25K Fantasy Draft 34:45 | WSOP kicks off with $5,000 Champions Reunion – Main Event winners return! 35:50 | Dan Harrington cashes WSOP event for first time in a decade 36:45 | Johnny Chan eliminates Chris Moneymaker 38:00 | Kyna's yearbook connection to John Cynn 39:50 | 1990s WSOP Main Event champs compete 40:12 | Qui Nguyen last champ standing 43:49 | Robin Poker gives tour of PokerNews Daily DeepStacks 45:05 | Kyna & Mike's upcoming plans for the WSOP 45:30 | Mike's thoughts on the recent software and player pool WSOP.com changes

31 Touko 202447min

In the 832nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway welcomes Daniel Negreanu and David "ODB" Baker to Level 9 Studios in Las Vegas to talk all things fantasy poker. That includes Negreanu's 2024 World Series of Poekr (WSOP) $25K Fantasy, which will host its annual draft at (5 p.m. PT on Monday, May 27) as well as ODB's $500 buy-in counterpart open to anyone at 25KFantasy.com willing to pay the entry fee. The trio dives into the history of the draft, which started back in 2011 at Howard Lederer's house, and how it has changed over the years ultimately resulting in a record 20 teams last year! Learn why online events have been struck from consideration, why ODB decided to launch his $500 league and see both winners from past drafts and the league's all-time point earners. Negreanu and ODB then offer their thoughts on potential draftees including Josh Arieh, Bin Weng, Kristen Foxen, Jeremy Becker, Phil Ivey, and reigning WSOP Main Event champ Daniel Weinman. Finally, hear whether or not the two poker pros think this year's WSOP Main Event will set a new attendance record. You don't want to miss this one! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2024 WSOP every Tuesday and Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Tell us who you want to hear from. Let us know what you think of the show -- tweet about the podcast using #PNPod, and be sure to follow Chad Holloway on X. Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:15 | Daniel Negreanu & David Baker join the show 01:41 | Howard Lederer started the $25K Fantasy in 2011 03:20 | Sense of pride when being drafted 05:17 | Start of ODB $500 League 07:05 | Adding bonus players 08:55 | New $25K Fantasy implications coming to PokerNews Live Updates 10:16 | Excluding online events 13:07 | History of the $25K Fantasy League 17:45 | Former champ Maria Ho on $25K Fantasy 19:10 | Top point performers of all time 20:45 | Boom or Bust? – Daniel Weinman 24:12 | Boom or Bust? – Josh Arieh 24:55 | Josh Arieh for Poker Hall of Fame? 25:50 | Boom or Bust? – Bin Weng 28:13 | Boom or Bust? – Kristin Foxen 30:12 | Boom or Bust? – Adrian Mateos 31:09 | Boom or Bust? – Jeremy Becker 35:25 | Boom or Bust? – Phil Ivey 38:02 | Do you think the WSOP Main Event will set a new record?

26 Touko 202444min

In the 831st episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by PokerStars, Chad Holloway and Kyna England are joined by Nikki Limo, who is filling in for Mike Holtz, at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas to talk about her time as the Loose Cannon on the PokerStars Big Game. The first two episodes recently dropped featuring Limo squaring off against Phil Hellmuth, Alex Keating, Arden Cho, Lex Veldhuis, and Jennifer Tilly. Limo discusses how she got cast for the show, what happened when she played "Two Truths and a Bluff," and then Kyna & Chad surprise her by offering up some bluffs of their own. Limo also delves into a big hand that she played against the "Poker Brat" that went poker viral. The crew then talk about the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) being less than a week away, and took a look at some of the "Best Without a Bracelet" including Maria Ho, Seth Davies, and Bin Weng, just to name a few. Plus, will Phil Ivey be at the 2024 WSOP? Find out what the hosts think in this episode. From there, they take a look at Jessica Vierling winning the WSOP Commerce $1,700 Main Event for $328,273, plus all the big winners from the Triton Montenegro including Mike Watson, Igor Yaroshevskyy, Adrian Mateos, and Mikalai Vaskaboinikau, who all won seven-figure scores! Finally, Kyna and Nikki play a game of #PokerThrift in which they have to guess whether or not Chad bought some random poker items he found in secondhand stores in Las Vegas. A new PokerNews Podcast drops every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:05 | Welcome to the show 00:15 | Nikki Limo filling in for Mike Holtz 01:00 | Nikki being PokerStars the Big Game's Loose Cannon 03:18 | The power of the fuzzy hat 04:47 | Getting selected for the Big Game 08:25 | Playing against a tough but fun lineup 09:01 | Two Truths & a Bluff 12:25 | Playing Two Truths & a Bluff with Nikki Limo 15:58 | Nikki goes head-to-head again Phil Hellmuth 20:47 | Sponsor: PokerStars 21:00 | The 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a week away 22:00 | EDC shenanigans 23:04 | WSOP Circuit Commerce & Tournament of Champions 23:20 | Jessica Vierling wins WSOP Commerce $1,700 Main Event for $328,273 25:00 | Best without a WSOP gold bracelet 30:48 | Preview of Life Outside Poker with Raminder Singh 33:28 | Triton Montenegro winners – Mike Watson, Igor Yaroshevskyy, Adrian Mateos & Mikalai Vaskaboinikau 38:56 | Will Phil Ivey be at the 2024 WSOP? 42:15 | Plans for the $25K Fantasy Draft 44:27 | #PokerThrift – Did Chad buy it?[/TABLE]

24 Touko 202451min

In the 830th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by 888poker, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England are at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas to talk about Chris Moneymaker winning the Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro Event #1: $25,000 NLH for a huge $903K score. They then show and talk about Arden Cho getting felted four times in five hands on Hustler Casino Live (HCL) and Phil Hellmuth celebrating his 60th birthday two months early in Las Vegas with his "Billionaire Bestie Bash". Several big names made appearances including NBA star Draymond Green and world conqueror Elon Musk. Hellmuth shares various clips from his birthday festivities, which you can watch in this new episode. From there, the crew talk about a jam-packed weekend of tournament action that may have been too busy resulting in two massive overlays at The Lodge in Texas and Borgata in Atlantic City. Meanwhile, Maurice Hawkins returns as a controversial topic on the PokerNews Podcast as he shipped the WSOP Circuit Harrah's Cherokee Main Event for $259K and his 16th gold ring. Is this in opportunity for the vilified Hawkins to do right and settle the court judgment against him? Other winners highlighted included Jonathan Wang taking down the RGPS Graton for $86K, and Lex Veldhuis winning his first-ever COOP title when he won SCOOP 41-H: $5,200 NLHE Titans for $140K. What's more, he did it while streaming the action. See his moment of victory here. Finally, May 14 marked the first anniversary of Doyle Brunson's passing. Chad shares some stories about "Texas Dolly," including the time he played beer pong, and then reviews the audiobook version of Brunson's autobiography The Godfather of Poker. Oh, and you'll have a chance to win a copy of that audiobook simply by listening/watching the podcast on YouTube and leaving a comment. We'll randomly select a winner before next week's show. A new PokerNews Podcast drops every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Make sure to subscribe so you do not miss an episode! Did you know the PokerNews Podcast is no longer just audio? That's right, we've added a video show as well that you can view on the PokerNews YouTube Channel. Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:06 | Welcome to the show 00:18 | Chris Moneymaker wins Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro Event #1: $25K for $903K 04:41 | Triton Poker clip of Moneymaker's winning hand 06:55 | Brian Kim a super stud 07:28 | Actress Arden Cho good for poker 10:53 | Arden Cho felted four times in five hands on Hustler Casino Live 14:50 | Phil Hellmuth celebrates 60th birthday two months early 16:32 | Mike's gripe with Hellmuth 19:30 | Clips from Hellmuth's "Billionaire Besties Birthday Bash" 24:03 | Sponsor: 888poker – XL Spring Series underway 24:40 | The Lodge & Borgata miss big guarantees on busy weekend 25:58 | Did Mother's Day make a difference? 28:30 | Borgata Spring Poker Open misses by $250K 29:22 | Doug Polk takes it in stride 32:35 | The feeling of winning Player of the Year 34:56 | Maurice Hawkins wins 16th WSOP Circuit ring – opportunity to do right? 41:20 | Lex Velduis wins first COOP title for $140K 42:06 | Video of Lex Veldhuis winning his SCOOP title on stream 43:00 | Christina Gollins wins $600 NLH event at WSOPC Commerce for $105K 45:24 | Jonathan Wang wins RGPS Graton Casino for $86K 47:00 | Debating different price points 49:31 | One year anniversary of Doyle Brunson's passing 50:24 | "The Godfather of Poker" audiobook 51:18 | Chad's first time meeting Doyle Brunson, who played beer pong 52:57 | Kyna played with Doyle in her first WSOP Main Event 54:22 | Win an audiobook copy of Doyle Brunson's "The Godfather of Poker" 55:00 | The WSOP is upon us 55:49 | Two shows of the PokerNews Podcast per week during the WSOP 56:23 | Get well wishes to Clyde Gaskins, Kevmath, and Bob Smith

17 Touko 202459min

In the 829th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by PokerStars, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England are back at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas to talk about Doug Polk being denied a new poker room in Texas. Check out some highlights and clips from a city council meeting in which Polk went to the podium to plead his case. While some respected what he had to say, some poker players like Chris "Big Huni" Hunichen and Matt Waxman were critical of his motives. Speaking of Polk, he indicated he might be available to participate in Hustler Casino Live's (HCL) $1,000,000 Cash Game at the end of the month after Ethan "Rampage" Yau dropped out. The latter, who has been on a downswing and recently admitted to shedding tears over a $550K loss, caught some flack for pulling out after asking fans to buy pieces and was the subject of a negative video released by Alex Duvall. Find out what the crew thinks about Rampage's current predicament, including a World Series of Poker (WSOP) challenge issued by Holtz. Also, learn about Sofie Dossi contorting herself at the Celebrity Poker Tour Invitational III, which was won by Katie Thurston for $20,000, as well as hearing from PokerNews Ambassadors Keith Becker (Pennsylvania) and Kyle Anderson (Ontario). Finally, the crew remembers two-time bracelet winner & music icon Steve Albini, who unexpectedly passed away earlier this week. A new PokerNews Podcast drops every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Make sure to subscribe to not miss an episode! Did you know the PokerNews Podcast is no longer just audio? That's right, we've added a video show as well that you can view on the PokerNews YouTube Channel. Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:49 | Welcome to Episode #829 01:01 | Kyna is back! 01:09 | Doug Polk denied new poker room in Texas 02:15 | Other parties against poker expansion 02:53 | Farmer's Branch Council votes down request 4-1 03:20 | Doug Polk talks to PokerNews before the vote 05:24 | Kyna's thoughts on the city council meeting 06:58 | Is sports betting legal in Texas? 08:08 | Texas still the wild west; no regulations & scandals 10:10 | Disparity on how Texas poker rooms are run 11:45 | "No Card Room" sign at meeting 14:00 | Doug Polk speaks at the meeting 16:20 | What's next for Polk's Texas efforts 16:55 | Big Huni, Matt Waxman & other call out Polk 19:45 | Doug Polk read for the Million Dollar Cash Game? 20:00 | Ethan "Rampage" Yau backs out of HCL Million Dollar Cash Game 21:35 | Rampage on a downswing 23:48 | Rampage admits he cried after $550K loss 25:32 | Alex Duvall releases inflammatory video about Rampage 29:00 | Has Rampage lost perspective? 32:30 | Do young players in the game know/respect history of the game? 34:47 | Rampage offers WSOP prop bet 35:19 | Mike Holtz challenges Rampage to WSOP bet 36:35 | Rampage feeling the heat 39:03 | Sofie Dossi contorts herself at Celebrity Poker Tour Invitational III 44:28 | How do you feel about celebrity events? 44:53 | Do you love or hate Vegas Matt? 48:48 | Katie Thurston wins Celebrity Poker Tour Invitational III for $20,000 49:45 | Sponsor: PokerStars – 2024 SCOOP is happening now! 51:41 | Get to know PokerNews Pennsylvania Ambassador Keith Becker 52:26 | Get to know PokerNews Ontario Ambassador Kyle Anderson 53:40 | Two-time bracelet winner & music icon Steve Albini passes away

10 Touko 202456min