Negreanu & Hellmuth Missing from National Heads-Up Poker Championship

In the 911th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are joined by special guest cohost Ben Ludlow to talk about all the latest poker news, gossip, and stories from the poker world. That includes diving into the bracket of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which was missing several big names like Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu. They offer their thoughts on some of the more interesting matchups as well as who they think might do well.

They then take a look at the legal troubles of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, who was recently arrested and charged with illegal gambling, ClubWPT Gold acquiring Doug Polk's Upswing Poker, and the "beloved" Poker Palace closing in Las Vegas after more than 50 years in operation.

In the recent tournament winners presented by WPT Global, Kartik took down the GOLIATH PokerNews Cup title, Paul Worsley turned £200 into £316,640 in the 2025 Goliath, Joseph Osterbauer won RPT Jackpot Junction, Andrew Moreno claimed the RGPS Thunder Valley title, and Antonio Vargas was victorious in the MSPT Colorado Poker State Championship.

Finally, the crew shows some photos from Kyna England's recent adventure to the Cat Con in California. Speaking of Kyna, don't forget to check out her new show, MSPT Podcast Presented By PokerNews, which she is cohosting with Chad to talk all things Major Series of Poker: The Tour. The first episode is out now!

A new PokerNews Podcast drops every Thursday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode![/game]

Time Stamps
*Time | Topic*
00:00 | Welcome to the show
01:13 | Ben Ludlow joins as special co-host
03:30 | National Heads-Up Poker Championship
13:22 | Poker pros share their odds-on favorites
15:45 | Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas arrested for illegal gambling
21:10 | ClubWPT Gold acquires Doug Polk's Upswing Poker
25:50 | Poker Palace in Las Vegas shuttering on Oct. 1
31:16 | Recent tournament winners presented by WPT Global
31:30 | Kartik takes GOLIATH PokerNews Cup title
34:20 | Paul Worsley turns £200 into £316,640 in 2025 Goliath
35:50 | Joseph Osterbauer takes down RPT Jackpot Junction
37:50 | Andrew Moreno wins RGPS at Thunder Valley
41:22 | Antonio Vargas victorious in MSPT Colorado Poker State Championship
42:10 | MSPT Podcast Presented By PokerNews is out now!
45:30 | Kyna's Cat Con adventure in California
47:40 | Kyna becomes Brand Ambassador for Tilted Compass