
Emergency Show After Collusion Controversy in 2025 WSOP Millionaire Maker
In the 902nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz do an emergency show to discuss the industry-shaking collusion controversy that stemmed from the heads-up match between Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll in the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Millionaire Maker. Not only were seven-figure prizes up for grabs, but there was also a $1,000,000 bonus if Yaginuma were to win thanks to an outside promotion. That fact made a big impact on what allegedly went down. Find out what happened, what fans and players are saying, and whether or not ClubWPT Gold will award the $1,000,000 bonus. Also, the WSOP did issue a statement and has yet to finalize the results of the tournament. What might happen next is anyone's guess, but Chad and Mike discuss some potential scenarios. A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2025 WSOP every Thursday 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 00:20 | Collusion controversy in 2025 WSOP Millionaire Maker 00:40 | Mike’s take on the situation 02:22 | Polarizing reactions 03:56 | Backroom deals happen all the time 05:15 | Reviewing every single heads-up hand 06:22 | WSOP releases statement 08:42 | Controversial PLO hand 10:10 | ClubWPT Gold is a disruptor 13:20 | What could happen next? 16:00 | Protecting the allure of the bracelet 19:04 | Examples of bracelets being bought 23:16 | Should the WSOP allow deal-making? 28:14 | ClubWPT Gold to award $1,000,000 31:50 | Need to protect against cheating 32:52 | Be patient with the WSOP
26 Jun 34min

Cheating Scandal Rocks Texas Poker Room & Man Wins Ladies Event Satellite
In the 901st episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Kyna England are joined by PokerStars commentator James Hartigan at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas to talk about the latest poker stories including a cheating scandal at the JokerStars poker room in Texas, the same room that former NFL star Adrian Peterson recently got into a fistfight. They also discuss Albert Ng and his continued firing in ladies event satellites, nasty comments from a recent article recognizing Pride Month, and recent winners from the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) including Dylan Linde, Matthew Wantman, Darren Elias, and Benny Glaser, who set some records after capturing his third bracelet of the summer and eighth overall. Other recent tournament winners include Tirza Sanders in the Venetian Ladies High Roller, Jesse Lonis at the Wynn Summer Classic, and Manuel Ferrari at the 2025 PokerStars Open Malaga €1,100 Main Event. Speaking of PokerStars, this weekend they're hosting a Meet-Up Game (MUG) at Resorts World in which they'll award the first seat into the 2025 NAPT, while PokerNews will host a MUG of our own this Friday starting at 8p PT at the new poker room inside Planet Hollywood. Get details on both in this episode. Finally, the $50,000 Poker Players Championship is happening now. Prior to the event, Chad looked into what happened to the Chip Reese Trophy, and you might be surprised by what he found out. A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2025 WSOP every Thursday 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 01:10 | PokerNews MUG at Planet Hollywood 02:07 | Cheating scandal at Texas poker room JokerStars 06:40 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 07:07 | Man under fire for continuing to play Ladies Event satellites 12:53 | Pride Month article elicits nasty comments 18:08 | RAISE LGBTQ+ 19:13 | Benny Glaser wins third gold bracelet at 2025 WSOP 24:09 | Winner interview with Benny Glaser 25:38 | Adrian Mateos captures his fifth bracelet 27:17 | Dylan Linde takes down $50K PLO High Roller 29:26 | Winner interview with Dylan Linde 30:21 | Matthew Wantman & Darren Elias win online bracelets 31:11 | Tirza Sanders wins Venetian Ladies High Roller 32:17 | Jesse Lonis wins $25K High Roller at Wynn Summer Classic 33:22 | 2025 PokerStars Open Malaga 34:53 | Manuel Ferrari won €1,100 Main Event for €206,300 36:04 | PokerStars MUG at Resorts World 40:03 | $50,000 Poker Players Championship is underway 40:20 | The Chip Reese Trophy returns!
26 Jun 45min

NFL Star Adrian Peterson's Fist Fight in Texas Poker Room; PokerNews Celebrates 900 Episodes!
It's the milestone 900th episode of the PokerNews Podcast! Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz are at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas, where they break down the recent viral video fist fight from a Texas poker room involving former NFL running back Adrian Peterson, highlight the upcoming Ladies Week, and discuss whether or not Daniel Negreanu is having a "good" summer at the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Speaking of the WSOP, Phil Hellmuth got a political shoutout from Senator Ted Cruz, our fans showed their support for Martin Kabrhel in the comments of last week's episode, and a new segment of the "Chainsaw Report" featuring Allen Kessler. Guest Robert Jen, the world's greatest unknown WSOP historian, then goes one-on-one with Chad, offering fun and interesting trivia and stats involving 900 to keep in theme with the episode. Speaking of which, some of the biggest names in poker offered their support and congratulations to the PokerNews Podcast family on 900 episodes! Finally, learn about recent tournament winners, including Seth Davies, Tyler Patterson, Brian Rast, and Jonathan Little; as well as, a look at Robbie Strazynski's recently-completed Mixed Game Festival XI. Learn about all those stories and more in the latest episode of the PokerNews Podcast! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2025 WSOP every Thursday 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 01:41 Former NFL star Adrian Peterson fight 05:53 Ladies Week 09:43 Is Daniel Negreanu having a good summer? 11:35 Hellmuth’s political shoutout 13:10 Martin Kabrhel comments 18:16 Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler 21:38 WSOP-related “900” stats w/ Robert Jen 38:49 WSOP Free to Play App 39:18 Congrats on 900 Episodes 39:55 Recent Tournament Winners 49:52 Mixed Game Festival XI
23 Jun 53min

The Martin Kabhrel WSOP 2025 Situation is Crazy; Guest PokerStars Team Pro Maria Konnikova
In the 899th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz are joined by PokerStars Team Pro Maria Konnikova at Level 9 Studio to offer their thoughts on the most polarizing player at the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Martin Kabrhel. Do you love him? Hate him? Is he either good or bad for poker? What sort of antics has he been up to? What poker player called him a p***y? Find out as the hosts don't shy away from sharing their thoughts on the boisterous high roller. Konnikova then talks about her upcoming book, hosting the Risky Business Podcast alongside Nate Silver, and what's going on over at PokerStars, including the upcoming NAPT and an emphasis on women's initiatives. Also, learn about Joao Vieira winning $100K High Roller for his fourth bracelet and David “ODB” Baker taking down the $5K Seniors NLH for his fourth bracelet. Oh, and Michael Wang won a Wynn Summer Classic event for career-high $555K! Finally, see highlights from “Miami” John Cernuto’s Celebration of Life, including a moving speech from his friend, Hollywood actor James Woods, and a look at the 2025 Poker Hall of Fame nominees. Find out who the crew thinks will get in and why. Learn about all those stories and more in the latest episode of the PokerNews Podcast! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2025 WSOP every Thursday 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 00:20 | Special guest Maria Konnikova 01:04 | How do you feel about Martin Kabrhel? 09:20 | Martin Kabrhel needles Texas Mike & slowrolls Jonathan Jaffe 15:30 | Martin Kabrhel gets handsy; pisses off Nick Schulman 16:43 | Kabrhel’s lack of respect for personal space 18:33 | Hand of the 2025 WSOP – David Peters bluffs Kabrhel 23:27 | Poll – What are your thoughts on Martin Kabrhel? 23:58 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 24:34 | Get to know Maria Konnikova 26:43 | PokerStars women's initiatives 28:20 | NAPT coming up in November 29:05 | Sponsor – WPT Global 29:38 | Joao Vieira wins $100K High Roller for 4th bracelet 30:20 | David “ODB” Baker wins $5K Seniors NLH for 4th bracelet 30:50 | Michael Wang wins Wynn Summer Classic event for career-high $555K 31:45 | Highlights from “Miami” John Cernuto’s Celebration of Life 33:08 | Actor James Woods gives moving speech remember Miami John 35:50 | 2025 Poker Hall of Fame nominees
19 Jun 41min

Doug Polk Kills Tony Stand-Up Comedy; Michael Kaplan’s Final Stu Ungar Story
In the 898th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz are back at Level 9 Studio to offer their thoughts on Doug Polk's recent appearance on Kill Tony, the popular Austin-based stand-up comedy program. How did Doug do in front of Tony Hinchcliffe and company? Let's just say you might be surprised. Mike, who made a recent appearance in Daniel Negreanu's vlog, then sounds off on the cancelled WSOP Online bracelet event, the crew discusses the recently-announced changes to the WSOP Circuit, Chad goes to the world's largest casino collectibles show, and Matt Savage offers his thoughts as a special guest speaker. Other topics include bracelet wins by Nick Schulman, Jason Koon, and John Racener, highlights from recent Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) events, and an exclusive interview with famed poker author Michael Kaplan, who recently released a new book, Advantage Players. The veteran scribe shares several poker stories, including Phil Ivey and Kelly Sun's baccarat edge sorting, the legendary Billy Baxter, and what it was like working with Stu Ungar in what was one of the final, if not THE final, interviews before he passed in 1998. A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2025 WSOP every Thursday 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 01:00 | How’s your WSOP going? 01:35 | Mike on Daniel Negreanu’s vlog 02:30 | Doug Polk’s Kill Tony appearance 06:30 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 07:40 | Update on cancelled WSOP Online bracelet event 13:47 | Changes to the WSOP Circuit 18:00 | Sponsor – WPT Global 18:35 | Casino Collectibles Show at South Point 19:09 | Interview with Matt Savage 20:30 | Nick Schulman claims 7th gold bracelet 21:45 | Jason Koon captures 2nd gold bracelet 22:58 | John Racener wins 3rd bracelet after having 3rd son 23:55 | Estonia’s Haik Tougu wins record-breaking Hendon Mob Championship 28:33 | Highlights from the CSOP 31:54 | Exclusive interview with Michael Kaplan 32:30 | Interviewing Stu Ungar 36:30 | Hard time nailing down the interview 39:23 | Ungar gets upset with photographer 42:20 | Ungar hated the interview 42:20 | Phil Ivey & Kelly Sun edge sorting 46:36 | Poker Hall of Famer Billy Baxter 48:30 | New book ‘Advantage Players’ 51:10 | Everyone has an advantage player inside them
15 Jun 53min

Shooting Across Street from WSOP, Color Up Controversy & Event Cancelled
In the 897th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Kyna England are joined by PokerNews Ontario Ambassador Kyle Anderson, who fills in for Mike Holtz. The trio discusses the deadly shooting that took place across the street from the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in front of the Bellagio Fountains, and then dives into the color-up controversy involving Tyler Brown, who shared his story with PokerNews. Kyna then sounds off on the cancelled WSOP Online bracelet event, Michael Lavin won a gold bracelet and an extra $1,000,000 thanks to ClubWPT Gold, and Benny Glaser claimed two bracelets early in the summer. Other tournament winners include Josh Reichard, Brad Ruben, Blaz Zerjav, and Nick Guagenti, who denied Chino Rheem his first bracelet. After recapping Dusti Smith's win in the Wynn Ladies High Roller and a look ahead to some upcoming poker charity events, Chad shares details on his recent Live Reality Game (LRG) adventure in which he left the WSOP for 10 days to compete in a Survivor-based game, Surviving Reelfoot Season 13, in the woods of Tennessee. Learn about all those stories and more in the latest episode of the PokerNews Podcast! A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2025 WSOP every Thursday 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 01:33 | Shooting across the street from WSOP 03:56 | Video footage from the targeted shooting 05:47 | Color-up controversy at WSOP 07:40 | Tyler Brown addresses the situation 14:40 | WSOP Online bracelet event cancelled 21:05 | Sponsor – WPT Global 30% PLO Rakeback 21:45 | Michael Lavin wins an extra $1 million thanks to ClubWPT Gold 24:53 | Interview with Michael Lavin 26:46 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 27:34 | Josh Reichard captures MSPT Venetian Hearts Major 29:35 | Benny Glaser captures two WSOP gold bracelets early on 31:20 | Nick Guagenti bests Chino Rheem 32:15 | Five bracelets in five years for Brad Ruben 33:20 | Blaz Zerjav wins maiden WSOP bracelet $25K 6-Max High Roller … angle shoot? 35:05 | Jean-Vincent Lehut wins PokerStars Open Namur Main Event for €238,000 35:30 | Dusti Smith wins Wynn $3K Ladies High Roller 36:55 | Chad competes on Season 13 of Surviving Reelfoot 41:43 | Trio of charity poker events coming up in Las Vegas
12 Jun 44min

WSOP Cash Games EXPOSED!
In the 896th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway takes it to the STREETS! The WSOP Cash Game streets that is! Watch a series of interviews with Daniel Negreanu, Phil Galfond, Norman Chad, and regular podcast sidekick Mike Holtz. Time Stamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:17 The WSOP spreads everything you want 01:52 Mike and the wild stripper at 2/5 02:46 Norman Chad remembers Puggy Pearson 03:47 Daniel Negreanu calls out Alan Keating 04:37 Phil Galfond in Ivey's Room 06:36 A wild chip runner story in the Rio
9 Jun 8min

WILD Billionaire WSOP Stories: Ultra-Rich Poker Players Revealed
In the 895th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and four-time bracelet winner Jeff Madsen to dive into the world of the ultra-rich at the World Series of Poker. Which billionaires have participated in the WSOP over the years? How much money has the WSOP actually awarded? And who are the wealthiest players at the tables today? After introducing the topics, Chad, Mike, and Jeff take a deep dive into WSOP statistics to determine just how many billions the World Series of Poker has awarded to players over the last five decades. They also take a closer look at some of the most ultra-wealthy poker players and face off in a special WSOP Billionaire trivia challenge to see who knows the most about poker’s richest. In the second half of the episode, Chad sits down with two prominent voices in the high-stakes scene to further peel back the curtain on poker’s elite. First up is author Michael Craig, best known for writing The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time. The 2006 book explores the legendary high-stakes battle between billionaire Andy Beal and a syndicate of top pros at the time including Phil Ivey, Jen Harman, and Howard Lederer. Craig’s book is widely regarded as one of the best poker books of all time — if you haven’t checked it out, you can find more information below. Learn More About Craig's Famous Book Next, Chad connects with veteran Dutch high-stakes player Wouter Beumers, better known under his online alias 'MMAsherdog'. Beumers has crushed the top online stakes for years and regularly offers insights into the high-stakes grind through his X account. To close out the show, Beumers shares some incredible stories and personal reflections from his time battling at the top of the online and live poker world. A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2025 WSOP every Thursday 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 Mike Holtz & Jeff Madsen 02:10 How do you cover WSOP Billionaires? 04:06 Phil Hellmuth doesn’t show at Wynn 05:21 How many billions has the WSOP awarded? 08:46 Jeff vs. Mike in WSOP Billionaire trivia 09:34 Jeff Madsen invests in movie ‘Hitting the Nuts’ 16:00 Which players are literal billionaires? 23:00 Michael Craig Interview 41:11 Wouter Beumers Interview 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. The podcast is sponsored by the #1 free-to-play WSOP app. Remember to use the bonus code "POKERNEWS" if you download and play for an extra 1,000,000 in chips! Subscribe to the PokerNews Podcast on Apple Podcasts here! You can also find us on Spotify as well as our new page on SoundCloud!
5 Jun 1h