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

In the 876th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which has been nominated for 'Podcast of the Year' at the Global Poker Awards, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz discuss what's been happening over at the World Poker Tour (WPT), from them laying off their entire eight-person digital team to the sassy WPT Global Twitter/X account. They then discuss the implications of using comps to pay for a date, WPT champ Scott Stewart claiming two WSOPC rings in short order, and Faraz Jaka shipping an MSPT title. Speaking of the MSPT, which recently surpassed the $200 million mark in awarded prize money, Chad and Kyna are headed to Milwaukee's Potawatomi Casino this weekend to play in the stop's $1,110 Main Event. The crew also recap the PGT Kickoff Series, which included wins from Kristen Foxen, Masato Yokosawa, and Patrik Leonard, and offer up an opportunity to listeners and fans to win a copy of luxurious The Las Vegas Book, which is valued at $495! Finally, Chad heads down to the famed Wisconsin poker bar, Player's Bar, where Phil Hellmuth used to play. Mark "P0ker H0" Kroon, who not only owns the bar but was an O.G. online player from back in the day, shares some stories about the bar including how they learned Hellmuth won the 1989 WSOP, players who've played poker in the bar, and much more. The podcast is sponsored by the #1 free-to-play WSOP app. Remember to use bonus code "POKERNEWS" if you download and play for an extra 1,000,000 in chips! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop weekly every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:11 | Welcome Kyna England & Mike Holtz 00:24 | What's going on at the WPT? 00:33 | Eight-person digital team let go at WPT 04:40 | An award-winning team 08:10 | WPT Global X account on fire 12:40 | Is using comps paying for the date? 15:36 | Kyna's bad date stories 17:45 | Sponsor: WSOP Free-to-Play App 18:24 | WPT champ Scott Stewart claims two WSOPC rings in short order 21:25 | Faraz Jaka wins MSPT Bally's Black Hawk; his student wins side event 24:00 | MSPT hits $200M mark; Gerald Cunniff enters MSPT Hall of Fame 24:32 | Chad & Kyna headed to MSPT Potawatomi in Milwaukee 28:34 | Mark "P0ker H0" Kroon's poker famous Player's Bar 38:27 | Winners from the PGT Kickoff Series – Kristen Foxen, Patrik Leonard & more 41:30 | PokerNews Giveaway – The Las Vegas Book

31 Tammi 46min

In the 875th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which has been nominated for 'Podcast of the Year' at the Global Poker Awards, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz dive into the wild story of a Supreme Court attorney who is in hot water over poker taxes. What makes the tale of Tom Goldstein so interesting is that the sums he played for were astronomical with him having reportedly won $50 million only to lose it all plus another $14 million. While his name might not be familiar to the poker masses, you may have either heard about or seen him before as he was written about in The Setup, which was written by his friend Dan Bilzerian, and he also appeared on the Hustler Casino Live (HCL) $1,000,000 Cash Game last year as the mysterious, masked "Thomas" where he mucked the winning hand at showdown in a pot worth $540,000! The crew then chat about Leon Tsoukernik awakening from a 40-hour coma after a Propofol overdose, with his future very much up in the air. They also get into a bad poker promotion that almost ran at a Las Vegas casino on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, highlight the upcoming 2025 Leaf Metal Poker trading card set, and discuss popular ARIA dealer Clyde "Snack Attack" Gaskins appearing on Netflix's Queer Eye. Finally, they wrap things up by recapping some big winners including Pamela Belote setting the new women's record for most WSOP Circuit rings, Martins Adeniya taking down the 2025 Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship, and Andrew Lichtenberger defeating Nick Schulman in the latest PGT event. The podcast is sponsored by the #1 free-to-play WSOP app. Remember to use bonus code "POKERNEWS" if you download and play for an extra 1,000,000 in chips! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop weekly every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:15 | Welcome Kyna England & Mike Holtz 00:20 | PokerNews Podcast nominated for 'Podcast of the Year' 01:50 | Other PokerNews nominees 02:20 | Supreme Court Attorney in hot water of poker taxes 04:24 | Doug Polk video; tax implications 07:32 | Winning $50 million playing heads-up poker 09:30 | Who were the two unknown poker coaches? 13:00 | Tom Goldstein was the mystery player on Hustler Casino Live 13:46 | Mucking winning hand in $540K pot 17:44 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 18:24 | Leon Tsoukernik awakens from 40-hour coma; outlook remains uncertain -> 21:30 | Bad Martin Luther King Jr. Day poker promotion 26:15 | 2025 Leaf Metal Poker cards set to release by end of month 29:55 | Clyde "Snack Attack" Gaskins on Queer Eye 31:41 | Pamela Belote sets new women's record for most WSOP Circuit rings 34:08 | Martins Adeniya wins 2025 Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship 34:54 | Andrew Lichtenberger defeats Nick Schulman in latest PGT event

24 Tammi 35min

In the 874th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz talk about Phil Hellmuth's new poker sponsorship with Bet Rivers. That means he joins a team that includes another Phil in Phil Galfond. They then look at some in the poker world impacted by the fires in Los Angeles, an 11-way chop in a massive event at Minnesota's Canterbury Park, and how "Crazy" Carl Carodenuto got the best of it. Other stories covered include Jeremy Ausmus winning both the 2024 PokerGO Tour Player of the Year and the $1,000,000 PGT Championship, Shannon Shorr and Martin Zamani claiming PGT Last Chance titles, and Vanessa Rousso making a rare appearance in the poker world. Chad then sits down for a one-on-one talk with Joris Dekker, the creator of a new, high-end luxury coffee-table book -- The Las Vegas Book -- that has captured the history and elegance of Sin City. Find out how it came to be, what it took to bring it to life, and some fun stories along the way. Finally, it's your final opportunity to win your way to Las Vegas as part of the "Vegas Vacation Sweepstakes" being held by the WSOP Free-to-Play App. The podcast is sponsored by the #1 free-to-play WSOP app. Remember to use bonus code "POKERNEWS" if you download and play for an extra 1,000,000 in chips! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop weekly every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:11 | Welcome Kyna England & Mike Holtz 00:21 | Phil Hellmuth officially becomes Bet Rivers Ambassador 03:10 | Joining Phil Galfond as a part of the team 05:38 | Vanessa Rousso makes a poker appearance 05:52 | Sponsor: WSOP Free-to-Play App 07:10 | L.A. fires impact many in the poker world 12:34 | An 11-way chop involving Crazy Carl 18:00 | PokerNews is hiring! 18:40 | PokerGO Tour Last Chance Tour wrap-up 19:12 | Jeremy Ausmus wins 2024 PGT Player of the Year 22:00 | Ausmus beats Nick Schulman to win PGT Championship 24:25 | The Las Vegas Book 29:20 | Interview w/ Joris Dekker about The Las Vegas Book

17 Tammi 45min

In the 873rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is the second episode of Season 16, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz talk about the surprise PokerStars shoutout by actress Elle Fanning on the red carpet of the Golden Globes, where she also revealed that one of the hottest actors in Hollywood is a good poker player. Kyna then shares her story about recently meeting a celebrity of her own in rapper Nelly and Mike offers up a Jose Canseco tale, plus an opportunity to win your way to Las Vegas as part of the "Vegas Vacation Sweepstakes" being held by the WSOP Free-to-Play App. You'll also hear about various Player of the Year race results including GPI POY trophies for David Coleman, Cherish Andrews, and Han Feng. Likewise, Yunkyu Song claimed the WPT Season 22 POY while Umut Ozturk won the MSPT POY in back-to-back years. Oh, and did we mention Nick Schulman won another poker tournament, this time at the PokerGo Tour (PGT) Last Chance Series, as did Shannon Shorr and Brandon Wilson. Two other stories they touch upon are Liv Boeree donating $560K from her record score at the WSOP Paradise to fight against pig factory farming and a look at wild back-to-back hands played by Peter on Hustler Casino Live (HCL). Finally, get a sneak peek at a new, high-end luxury coffee-table book that will blow your socks off -- The Las Vegas Book by Joris Dekker. The podcast is sponsored by the #1 free-to-play WSOP app. Remember to use bonus code "POKERNEWS" if you download and play for an extra 1,000,000 in chips! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop weekly every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:12 | Welcome Mike Holtz & Kyna England 00:32 | Did you watch the Golden Globes? 01:03 | PokerStars gets a red carpet shoutout at Golden Globes 02:10 | Elle Fanning & Timothée Chalamet both play poker 03:37 | Kyna England has a run in with a celebrity 04:15 | Kyna meets Nelly 05:21 | Mike's Jose Canseco time 06:43 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 07:29 | WSOP Vegas Vacation Sweepstakes 08:14 | David Coleman, Cherish Andrews & Han Feng Win 2024 GPI Player of the Year races 11:46 | GPI winners from various countries 13:50 | Nick Shulman wins the first event of the PGT Last Chance series 14:35 | Nick Schulman's failed bluff 18:53 | Shannon Shorr & Brandon Wilson claim titles 20:08 | Liv Boeree donates $560K of historic WSOPP score to fight factory farming 22:40 | Back-to-back action-packed hands for Peter on Hustler Casino Live (HCL) 25:50 | Yunkyu Song wins WPT Season 22 POY 26:47 | Umut Ozturk wins back-to-back years to become MSPT's first two-time POY winner 32:38 | The Las Vegas Book

10 Tammi 35min

In the 872nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which kicks off the New Year and Season 16, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz are all at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas to recap some of the biggest stories from the poker world in 2024. That includes GGPoker purchasing the World Series of Poker (WSOP), both Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey capturing WSOP gold bracelets, poker bots, and Kristen Foxen's remarkable year, which included a deep run in the WSOP Main Event and being inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame. Other stories they touch upon include Nick Vertucci's departure from Hustler Casino Live (HCL), the summer of Scott Seiver, and Triton Poker hitting it out of the park. Chad then shares a special one-on-one interview he did with 1983 WSOP Main Event champ and Poker Hall of Famer Tom McEvoy to talk about his autobiography Poker Pioneer. McEvoy talks about the biggest moments of his storied career, shows off his extensive poker collection, and shares stories of some of the biggest names in poker including Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar, and Phil Ivey, just to name a few. When it comes to poker history, few have as much experience as McEvoy, and this is your chance to hear from someone who actually lived it. The podcast is sponsored by the #1 free-to-play WSOP app. Remember to use bonus code "POKERNEWS" if you download and play for an extra 1,000,000 in chips! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop weekly every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:08 | Welcome Kyna England & Mike Holtz 01:03 | Top Story #1 – GGPoker buys WSOP 04:46 | Top Story #2 – Negreanu & Ivey win bracelets 04:28 | Phil Ivey winner interview 07:50 | Top Story #3 – Bots, RTA & Laptopgate 14:03 | Top Story #4 – Kristen Foxen's WSOP Main Event run & Women in Poker Hall of Fame 15:40 | A look at Kristen Foxen's Women in Poker Hall of Fame trophy 16:38 | Top Story #5 – Debut of ClubWPT Gold & $5,000,000 Freeroll 18:15 | Nick Vertucci no longer with Hustler Casino Live 19:00 | Hand of the Year? Neymar vs. Alan Keating on HCL 20:20 | Scott Seiver wins three bracelets & POY at 2024 WSOP 21:57 | The return of PokerStars The Big Game 24:48 | Big year for Triton Poker 31:19 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 31:50 | Chad chats w/ Poker Hall of Famer Tom McEvoy 32:23 | New poker biography 'Poker Pioneer' w/ Brad Smith 34:00 | Playing with fans in Ohio 40:36 | Being impressed by Phil Ivey & Erik Seidel 43:45 | Record for the longest heads-up match 47:07 | Having one of the largest and most impressive poker collections 51:04 | Poker Hall of Fame and the Smoking Petition 52:06 | The one time McEvoy almost got a penalty

2 Tammi 56min

In the 871st episode of the PokerNews Podcast, sponsored by the free-to-play WSOP App, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz are all back at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas to talk about the big stories and winners from both the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise and World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship. That includes Daniel Negreanu calling for some rule changes, such as no more face coverings nor sunglasses at the poker table, and the controversy in the WSOP Paradise $25,000 Super Main Event when Justin Bonomo was threatened with disqualification if he didn't remove his keffiyeh. Find out what happened and why it's caused an uproar within the poker community. You'll also hear about Bonomo, Liv Boeree, Michael Addamo, and Mustapha Kanit all making the final table, but losing out to 24-year-old Yinan Zhou, who won the title and $6 million first-place prize. See the final hand and hear from the winner himself. In other WSOP Paradise news, Nick Schulman claimed his sixth gold bracelet, while Johannes Straver and Pablo Silva each won their first. Speaking of winners, Scott Stewart was victorious in the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas for $2.5 million, while Chris Moorman finished in fourth place for the second year in a row! Other winners from the festival included Travis Egbert, Adam Hendrix, Ren Lin, and Brad Owen. Oh, did we mention you can now mark your calendar for the 2025 World Series of Poker, which will take place from May 27 through July 16. Finally, get a sneak preview of the latest Life Outside Poker episode where Connor Richards interviews Jonathan Little, and how you can potentially win a signed copy of one of Little's books. A new PokerNews Podcast will drop weekly every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:12 | Welcome Kyna England & Mike Holtz 00:25 | Negreanu suggests "poker rule changes" to "protect the game" 04:10 | No card protectors at the table? 07:35 | WSOP threatens Justin Bonomo with DQ over keffiyeh 10:28 | WSOP issues statement 11:50 | What about Loren Klein? 13:29 | What does the rulebook say? 17:44 | Controversial charity event 22:51 | Recapping the WSOP Paradise $25,000 Super Main Event 27:04 | Winner interview w/ Yinan Zhou 28:55 | Nick Schulman captures 6th gold bracelet 30:55 | Winner interview w/ Nick Schulman 31:54 | Johannes Straver wins GGMillion$ Championship Title 32:17 | Brazil's Pablo Silva victorious in Super Saver $1M Invitational 33:05 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 34:00 | Recapping the WPT World Championship 35:17 | Scott Stewart wins WPT World Championship for $2.5M 37:10 | Chris Mooman finishes in 4th place for second year in a row 38:26 | Travis Egbert wins WPT Alpha 8 Victory for $684,684 38:56 | Winner interview w/ Travis Egbert 40:38 | Adam Hendrix wis $3K NLH 41:32 | Two days after finishing 2nd in WSOPP Event Ren Lin wins WPT side event 42:51 | Brad Owen wins $2,200 HORSE Event 44:44 | Mark your calendar for 2025 WSOP 46:10 | Connor's Life Outside Poker w/ Jonathan Little

27 Joulu 202449min

In the 870th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, sponsored by the free-to-play WSOP App, Chad Holloway hosts from down in The Bahamas at the 2024 World Series of Poker Paradise, while Kyna England and Mike Holtz is back at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas. The talk about Mike stone bubbling the ClubWPT Gold $5,000,000 Freeroll, the fake-out $000,000 mystery bounty pull from that event's final table, and Dan "Jungleman" Cates showing up as Willy Wonka for the historic event. You'll also get to see a winner's interview from Chase Bricker and for magician Richard Wilson, who won the McLaren GTS sports car in exciting fashion. Other highlights from the WPT World Championship include Tirza Sanders winning the Ladies Championship and Zak VanKeuren taking down the WPT Prime Championship for $1.1 million. From there, the crew turns their attention to WSOP Paradise by recapping bracelet wins from Alex Foxen and Eric Wasserson, Phil Hellmuth bubbling the $25,000 Super Main Event, and more. They also wrapped up the EPT Prague, which included another win by Thomas Santerne as well as Pedro Marques willing the Main Event for €963,450. Oh, and the EPT Paris was canceled. Those stories and more in the latest episode of the PokerNews Podcast! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop weekly every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:11 | Welcome Kyna England & Mike Holtz 01:13 | The ClubWPT Gold $5,000,000 Freeroll 01:50 | Mike Holtz stone bubbles 02:29 | Video of Mike bubbling the Freeroll 04:56 | Dan "Jungleman" Cates shows up as Willy Wonka 09:20 | Bounty Troll at final table of $5M Freeroll 10:39 | Jason Christopher draws $000,000 15:00 | Poll – What did you think of the fake-out draw? 15:25 | Chase Bricker wins WPT freeroll for $1,000,000 15:42 | Winner interview w/ Chase Bricker 19:00 | Magician drives off with $240K Luxury Sports Car at WPTWC 19:40 | McLaren GTS winner interview w/ Richard Wilson 27:15 | Tirza Sanders wins WPT Ladies Championship 29:25 | Zak VanKeuren wins WPT Prime Championship for $1,162,350 31:00 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App Vegas Vacation Sweepstakes 32:07 | Alex Foxen takes down $100,000 Triton Main Event ($3,850,000) 32:45 | What did you make of Foxen's winner photo? 33:46 | Eric Wasserson's claims first bracelet in $25,000 Dealers Choice Championship 34:33 | Wasserson's stacked winner pic 35:05 | WSOP Super Main Event misses $50M guarantee 38:55 | Phil Hellmuth bubbles the $25K Super Main Event 41:25 | Thomas Santerne wins three High Roller titles at EPT Prague 41:58 | Pedro Marques wins EPT Prague for €963,450 42:49 | EPT Paris 2025 canceled amid regulatory challenges 43:33 | Check out Connor's new feature article remembering Steve Albini

20 Joulu 202446min

In the 869th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, sponsored by the free-to-play WSOP App, Chad Holloway hosts from down in The Bahamas at the 2024 World Series of Poker Paradise, while Kyna England is back at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas. Mike Holtz is out with a broken ankle, so Nikki Limo was kind enough to once again fill in as a special co-host. Together, they discuss happening at the WSOP Paradise, the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship at the Wynn Las Vegas, and the European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague. That includes Phil Hellmuth making an appearance, the new stage at WSOP, and the Triton Million, which was won by Argentinean rapper Alejandro Lococo for $12 million. Chad also had the honor of bringing the Women in Poker Hall of Fame trophy down with him to present to Kristen Foxen. In this episode, you can check out her acceptance speech, which PokerNews helped film. Speaking of the WiPHoF, Jeanne David was another inductee and she had a spot of luck drawing a Golden Passport into the ClubWPT Gold $5,000,000 Freeroll, which kicks off today! At the EPT Prague, Thomas Santerne has already won two side event titles, while the 2022 WSOP Main Event champ, Espen Jorstad, took down the €25K Super High Roller Warm-Up for his first EPT title. Other stories covered include Dylan Smith winning the WPT RRPO Championship for $662,200, Nadya Magnus & Dan Sepiol giving away two WPT World Championship $10K seats, a big live-streamed cash game hand featuring Matt Berkey running hot, John Germano taking down the 2024 Bar Poker Open Florida Championship, David Jackson finding success at the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Las Vegas, and Erick Lindgren capturing a title at the ARIA. Oh, and we'll also let you know what Phil Ivey is up to as he's been seen double dipping at both the WSOP Paradise and WPT World Championship, including a planned holiday meet-up game (MUG) at the latter. The podcast is sponsored by the #1 free-to-play WSOP app. Remember to use bonus code "POKERNEWS" if you download and play for an extra 1,000,000 in chips! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop weekly every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Time Stamps *Time | Topic* 00:13 | Welcome Kyna England & Nikki Limo 01:07 | Lots going on in poker – WSOP Paradise, WPT WC & EPT Prague 01:30 | Phil Hellmuth makes way to WSOP Paradise 03:03 | New three-table mainstage for WSOP action 04:35 | Triton Millions a hot ticket 05:50 | Player busts in the very first hand 08:00 | Texas Mike makes a run 11:07 | Alejandro Lococo wins Triton Million for $12M 11:54 | Winner interview w/ Alejandro Lococo 12:42 | Lautaro Guerra wins $100,000 PLO Super High Roller 14:15 | Women in Poker Hall of Fame 17:10 | PokerNews helps present Kristen Foxen with trophy 17:55 | Kristen Foxen WiPHoF acceptance speech 20:20 | Dylan Smith wins WPT RRPO Championship for $662,200 22:20 | Golden Passports available via in-person drawing 23:38 | WiPHoF inductee Jeanne David draws a Golden Passport 25:30 | Nadya Magnus & Dan Sepiol giving away two WPT WC seats 27:20 | Tiffany Langston's the 'Fresh Princess of the WPT' 28:30 | Phil Ivey was at WSOP Paradise but will be at WPT WC 30:05 | "Nobody Runs Like Berkey" - Gross Six-Figure Bad Beat 35:55 | Recent WPT Freeroll Golden Passport Winners 37:00 | Erick Lindgren wins title at ARIA 37:41 | EPT Prague is happening now! 38:10 | Thomas Santerne wins two EPT Prague titles 38:28 | Espen Jorstad wins €25K Super High Roller Warm-Up 39:05 | Sponsor: WSOP Free-to-Play App 40:00 | Highlights from the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Las Vegas 40:40 | David Jackson takes down $1,700 Main Event 41:43 | John Germano wins 2024 Bar Poker Open Florida Championship 42:44 | Winner interview w/ John Germano

13 Joulu 202447min