Texas Poker is About to Change Forever as Doug Polk Departs The Lodge

In the 986th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow at Level 9 Studio by poker pro Jordan Westmorland to talk about the latest from the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

That includes the $10,000 Main Event being in full swing, albeit with slightly fewer players than in past years. Will the field crack 9,000 players? Also, how did Jordan, Mike, and Ben, who got to play at the feature table with Daniel Negreanu, do in poker's premier tournament? Along those lines, the WSOP is back on ESPN, or at least the app, and not everyone is happy about that.

In non-WSOP news, there was a big development in the Texas poker scene as Doug Polk unexpectedly announced that he would be stepping away from The Lodge's core business. What might this mean for Texas poker? The crew discusses.

In other news, Doron Ziony shared details on both the upcoming WSOP Circuit stop in Malta and the Battle of Malta, a look ahead to the Borgata Summer Poker Open, and River Rat merch!

A new PokerNews Podcast drops four times a week in July during the 2026 WSOP! You can expect a new episode every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday 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
00:21 | Jordan Westmorland joins the show
01:12 | Doug Polk steps away from The Lodge
05:00 | WSOP Main Event update
10:49 | Ben vs. Negreanu
19:18 | WSOP on ESPN frustrations
25:00 | PokerNews MyPlayers feature
26:35 | Battle of Malta
28:30 | Think Jerky
30:11 | River Rat Merch
33:44 | Borgata Summer Poker Open