SWAT Team Cracks Down on €100 Poker Tournament + Maurice Hawkins Fight

In the 928th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow at Level 9 Studios to talk about the SWAT team raid of a low-stakes poker game in Sweden. Find out what caused armed authorities, supported by drones and even a helicopter, to raise the $100 buy-in poker tournament.

The trio then discusses the physical altercation between Maurice Hawkins and a player known as "Eugene" in a Florida home game. Was Maurice running his mouth? Was it an unprovoked attack? Not only do you get to hear about what happened, but you can see some video clips of the scuffle itself.

Other topics covered are Daniel Negreanu's post on players that learn via solvers versus those who do their "own thing," where Michael Addamo falls in that conversation, and PokerNews being named the official live reporting partner for the 2026 Aussie Millions. Plus, a look ahead to the WSOP Paradise, WPT World Championship & EPT Prague underway, and given that Jonathan Little is coming out with a new book, we thought it'd be a good time for another giveaway. It's your chance to win a copy of Little's book 100 Essential Tips.

Find out all about those stories and more in this week's episode of the PokerNews Podcast!

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!

Time Stamps
*Time Topic*
00:00 | Welcome to the show
01:03 | Authorities raid poker game in Sweden
05:23 | Maurice Hawkins's home game scuffle
08:53 | Maurice hates Chad
15:48 | Daniel Negreanu on Solvers vs "Own Thing"
19:38 | What about Michael Addamo?
24:40 | PokerNews official live reporting partner for 2026 Aussie Millions
26:01 | WSOP Paradise, WPT World Championship & EPT Prague underway
27:46 | Jonathan Little coming out with a new book