Best & Worst Stories from the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP)

In the 883rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz discuss Mike's recent 10-minute video calling out his recent experience in a big tournament at Resorts World, one that involved bad dealers and an alleged poker cheating ring in Las Vegas. The video blew up with Patrick Leonard and others speaking up. Find out where things stand with an update straight from Mike. Chad also goes one-on-one for an exclusive interview with Phil Gordon, who gave his first poker interview in 12 years! The former "Poker Boom" star who won the 2004 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star and hosted Celebrity Poker Showdown, reflects on winning his WPT title, shares what he's been up to the past decade, and remembers his good friend, the late Perry Friedman. The crew also discuss embattled Supreme Court attorney Tom Goldstein partying in Greece with Kevin Hart and big-name poker pros, Dan "Jungleman" Cates' BBC rap video, and winners from the 2025 Wynn Millions including Harrison Gimbel and Jesse Lonis. Oh, and a special shoutout to Jacki Burkhart on winning her first trophy in a heads-up event in Oregon. Finally, you can check out the latest installment of "New Vlogs on the Block" featuring Maurice Hawkins coaching (it's not even April Fools yet) and find out who won our backpack & hoodie giveaway in conjunction with Tilted Compass. 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 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* 00:11 | Welcome Kyna England & Mike Holtz 00:19 | Here's what's coming up on 01:06 | Mike releases 10-minute video calling out Las Vegas cheats 05:00 | Mike catches a player ghosting 07:13 | Patrick Leonard agrees with Mike 09:13 | Why the way cards are dealt matters 10:25 | There should be no electronics on the table 12:19 | Jon Friedberg of Poker Atlas issues brief statement 13:50 | Choosing a winner in our Tilted Compass giveaway! 15:14 | Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) rebrands 17:00 | Sponsor: WSOP Free-to-Play App 18:15 | Embattled Supreme Court attorney Tom Goldstein partied with Kevin Hart 21:07 | Dan "Jungleman" Cates now a rapper? 21:52 | What does his rap name "BBC" mean? 26:07 | Harrison Gimbel wins 2025 Wynn Millions for $455K 27:25 | 1993 WSOP Main Event champ Jim Bechtel final tables 28:49 | Jesse Lonis wins Wynn Million 29:10 | Jacki Burkhart gets her first trophy 29:58 | New Vlogs on the Block: Maurice Hawkins offers 1-on-1 training sessions 33:31 | Exclusive interview w/ Phil Gordon 33:50 | Welcome Phil Galfond 34:36 | Relearning the game with his sons 35:48 | What role does poker play in your life now? 36:27 | What are you up to these days? 37:01 | Looking back on the inaugural WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star in 2004 39:16 | Winning WPT title on a double elimination on final hand 40:48 | Poker fame and Celebrity Poker Showdown 44:15 | Winning the Ante Up for Africa charity event at the WSOP 45:58 | World Series of Rock, Paper, Scissors 47:25 | Winning a WPT and making WSOP Main Event final table 50:02 | The Tilt Boys & remembering Perry Friedman 52:44 | Might we see you back in the poker world? 54:55 | Get on PokerNews Ambassador Kyle Anderson's StakeKings Package

20 Mars 56min

In the 882nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Connor Richards discuss the return of Nik Airball to Hustler Casino Live (HCL) after a yearlong casino ban. They also dive into other HCL news such as the announcement of the next Million Dollar Cash Game, GGPoker buying out Nick Vertucci's shares, and Ryan Feldman celebrating his 40th birthday. Speaking of the big 4-0, Chad and Connor also surprise Kyna with decorations and cake for her 40th birthday! The triumvirate then highlight Ari Engel retaking the lead from Maurice Hawkins in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit all-time ring race with both Josh Reichard and Daniel Lowery staying hot on their heels with recent ring wins of their own. You'll also hear about Chad Eveslage winning the $100K Super High Roller Bowl Mixed Games, Bryn Kenney winning another Triton Poker title, and Keith Heine earning his way into the MSPT Hall of Fame. Plus, an update on the Tom Goldstein high-stakes poker saga and the return of the Bay 101 Shooting Star to the World Poker Tour (WPT) schedule for the first time since 2017! Finally, you can check out the latest installment of "New Vlogs on the Block" and details on our backpack & hoodie giveaway in conjunction with Tilted Compass. 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 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* 00:17 | Welcome Kyna England & Connor Richards 00:41 | Here's what we're going to talk about 01:06 | Hustler Casino Live (HCL) Million Dollar Cash Game announced 04:27 | Nik Airball is back! 06:41 | Daniel Negreanu coming to HCL? 08:06 | Happy birthday, Kyna! 09:21 | Mike Holtz misreads his own winning hand! 10:11 | Should poker media speak up? 16:49 | Ari Engel wins 19th ring to take lead back from Maurice Hawkins 17:13 | Josh Reichard & Daniel Lowery also capture rings 19:46 | Sponsor: Free-to-Play WSOP App 20:51 | Chad Eveslage wins inaugural $100K SHRB Mixed Games 23:11 | Bryn Kenney among winners at Triton Jeju 26:06 | $100K Main Event sets records 27:16 | Giveaway: Tilted Compass Backpack 28:22 | Keith Heine earns way into the MSPT Hall of Fame 29:14 | Update on the Tom Goldstein high-stakes poker saga 32:58 | New Vlogs on the Block 35:50 | Bay 101 Shooting Star returns to WPT schedule

13 Mars 40min

In the 881st episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz discuss the controversy out of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit stop in which the third-place finisher actually held the best hand against Maurice Hawkins, who went on to win the tournament for a record-tying 18th gold ring. The crew also dive into the wild tale of Michigan poker player George Jannsen, who last year claimed to have been kidnapped and extorted by the cartel. But now, the FBI is telling a different story, one involving fraud and millions of dollars. Find out what the four-time WSOPC ring winner and MSPT champ allegedly did. Other stories covered include Fedor Holz saying WSOP bans are coming for online cheaters, GGPoker cancelling their $5M GTD tournament on Day 2, Jeremy Ausmus and others capturing Triton Poker titles, Daniel Negreanu taking down a PGT Mixed Game tournament, and the unfortunate passing of poker player Mark Toulouse during a tournament at Texas Card House Dallas. Finally, check out our new segment "New Vlogs on the Block", find out who won our giveaway for a copy of The Las Vegas Book, and details on our next giveaway in conjunction with Tilted Compass. 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 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* 00:10 | Welcome Kyna England & Mike Holtz 01:08 | Poker player's alleged kidnapping & FBI fraud investigation 03:00 | George Janssen in hot water 05:32 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 05:40 | Maurice Hawkins wins WSOPC Horseshoe Baltimore for 18th ring 06:12 | Controversy – Third-place finisher actually won the hand 08:15 | Did Maurice Hawkins know that he actually lost the hand? 12:56 | Fedor Holz says WSOP bans are coming for online poker cheaters 15:45 | GGPoker cancels $5M GTD tournament on Day 2 18:20 | Poker player Mark Toulouse collapses and dies during tournament in Texas 20:15 | Jeremy Ausmus wins first Triton Poker title 21:30 | Sean Winter & other Triton Poker Jeju winners 22:20 | Daniel Negreanu wins PGT Mixed Game Festival title 24:20 | Giveaway – The Las Vegas Book 26:45 | New giveaway by Tilted Compass 30:25 | New Vlogs on the Block: Jesse Fullen's Feast or Fold 32:26 | Life Outside Poker w/ Brad Booth

5 Mars 35min

In the 880th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz talk about the guy who flipped over three poker tables at the WSOP Circuit Harrah's Cherokee Main Event. See the video and find out what tournament staff did to rectify the situation. The crew then discusses Ebony Kenney getting slammed by poker fans over a recently resurfaced picture of her playing online with GTO Wizard open, and ACR's response to the most recent RTA controversy. Other topics include a potential angle shoot on The Lodge Live Stream, Ali Imsirovic being DQ'ed from a Texas tournament and then being banned from the cardroom, and big winners from the 6th Annual Global Poker Awards that took place this past Saturday at PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. Plus, hear about Kyna attending a Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) event alongside Phil Ivey and his family, Joey Weissman crushing the PokerGO Cup, and it's your last chance to enter our giveaway for The Las Vegas Book. 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! 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* 01:12 | Welcome to the show 01:25 | The crew is in the studio 02:00 | Player flips over three tables at WSOP Circuit Harrah's Cherokee 07:46 | Sponsor: WSOP Free-to-Play App 08:00 | Poker fans slam Ebony Kenney, ACR's response to RTA controversy 09:12 | ACR issues statement 11:10 | Disgusting responses turn personal 12:53 | What to do about GTO Wizard 14:57 | Was it an angle shoot on The Lodge live stream? 22:00 | Daniel Wojcik wins title at The Lodge 23:02 | Ali Imsirovic DQ'ed from Texas tournament and then banned from cardroom 25:31 | Skull Mike, Slick Rick & Matt Sweeney win Global Poker Award for Best Live Stream 26:00 | PokerNews Podcast stylin' and profilin' at Global Poker Awards 26:57 | PokerNews Yori Epskamp presents award; shoutout to GPI crew, Jeff Platt & Drea Renee 30:57 | Kyna attends CSOP event; Phil Ivey & family also there 33:13 | Joey Weissman conquers the PokerGO Cup with legendary performance 35:58 | Winners from the PokerGO Cup 36:51 | Florian Pesce wins WSOP Circuit Harrah's Cherokee $1,700 Main Event 37:44 | Tilted Compass hoodies for everyone! 38:16 | Last chance to enter our giveaway for The Las Vegas Book

26 Feb 41min

In the 879th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz preview this weekend's 6th Annual Global Poker Awards, which will take place at PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. All three will attend as this very show has been nominated for Podcast of the Year. The trio offer their thoughts and picks on who they think might win in each category. Will Boris Anzhelov win Breakout Player of the Year or might it be Mark Travis Egbert, Rania Nasreddine, or Noel Rodriguez? Will either Barny Boatman, Daniel Negreanu, Stephen Song, or Scott Stewart take the trophy for Best Final Table Performance? Which piece of hardware will win for the Best Original Trophy? Likewise, what industry professionals will be recognized as Industry Person of the Year, Best Tournament Director, and Best Director of Poker Operation? Other categories include Best Event, Best Mid-Major Tour/Circuit, and Best On-Air Talent, just to name a few. You'll be able to watch this year's Global Poker Awards on PokerGO this Saturday, and now is the perfect time to get up to speed on all the nominees and what might happen. Join the PokerNews Podcast crew now for a special prediction/preview show. 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* 00:10 | Gearing up for the Global Poker Awards01:46 | David Coleman – GPI Player of the Year02:10 | Han Feng – GPI Mid-Major POY02:18 | Cherish Andrews – GPI Female POY02:40 | Most Weeks at GPI #1 in 202403:00 | Jeremy Ausmus – PokerGO Tour POY04:00 | Breakout Player05:14 | Best Final Table Performance06:07 | Players' Choice for Toughest Opponent07:18 | Best Twitter/X Personality09:13 | Best Streamer10:07 | Best Vlogger11:50 | Best Short-Form Content Creator12:18 | Rising Star in Content Creation13:05 | Best Industry Person14:14 | Best Tournament Director15:20 | Best Director of Poker Operations16:42 | Best Event18:08 | Best Mid-Major Tour/Festival19:50 | Best Stand-Alone Festival/Series20:12 | Best Episodic Poker Series21:49 | Best On-Air Talent22:30 | Best Podcast23:08 | Best Poker Book24:10 | Best Media Content: Written24:51 | Best Media Content: Video25:50 | Best Media Content: Short-Form Video26:49 | Best Media Content: Photo28:00 | Best Journalist28:43 | Best Live Reporter30:15 | Fan's Choice: Best Hand32:05 | Fan's Choice: Most Entertaining Player33:45 | Fan's Choice: Most Original Trophy Design34:39 | Fan's Choice: Best Live Stream35:16 | Fan's Choice: Best Poker Room

19 Feb 38min

The schedule is out for the first-ever World Series of Poker (WSOP) under GGPoker's ownership, and it will feature a 56-year record for most live gold bracelet events ever. Poker players from all across the globe will descend upon Las Vegas starting May 27 for the first of 100 bracelet events. The action begins on Opening Day with the $1,000 buy-in Mystery Millions, a no-limit hold 'em event with a $1,000,000 top mystery bounty prize. The series will wrap on July 16 with the final table of the $10,000 Main Event. Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Connor Richards sat down to discuss the schedule including a look at the six new events, how Mike may have inspired a change to one long-running tournament, and how much it would cost you to fire one bullet into every event. Before you get busy planning your trip to the 2025 WSOP, find out what our crew thinks about the schedule and what to expect for this summer! Check out the full 2025 WSOP schedule on PokerNews here!

17 Feb 35min

In the 878th 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 remember poker legend "Miami" John Cernuto, who recently passed away from cancer at the age of 81. PokerNews' Calum Grant then sits down with Charlie Carrel to discuss his recent social media post calling out an alleged scammer he claims owes him $60,000. That led Mike to call out a Las Vegas poker player that he says owes him and many others money. From there, Mike dives into the bleak state of online poker in Nevada, which has been compounded by the legal challenges facing the Sweepstakes Model utilized by several poker entities. Kyna then talks about going deep in another MSPT tournament and reaching MSPT Icon status, Anthony Scarborough winning the Poker Bowl IX in Las Vegas, and the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) partnering with ClubWPT Gold for their 2025 Spring season. The crew then toss it to Connor Richards for a special look inside the new Venetian Poker Studio complete with an interview with Venetian Director of Poker Operations Tommy Larosa. From there, the crew discuss a pair of basketball-related stories with strong connections to the poker world, how Ethan "Rampage" Yau came to the rescue, and finally a reminder to enter our giveaway for a copy of The Las Vegas Book, which is valued at $495. 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* 00:10 | Welcome Kyna England & Mike Holtz 01:28 | "Miami" John Cernuto passes away 04:40 | Friendship with James Woods 05:38 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 07:05 | Charlie Carrel calls out an alleged scammer 08:50 | Mike claims to be owed money by Kao Saechao 09:55 | Calum Grant interviews Charlie Carrel 15:25 | The state of online poker in Nevada 18:50 | Mike's gripe with WSOP.com 21:45 | Sweepstakes model under fire 25:52 | Lots of states considering legalized online poker 27:40 | The RunGood Poker Series Partners with ClubWPT Gold for the 2025 Spring Season 28:30 | Kyna makes deep run in another tournament; reaches MSPT Icon status 30:53 | Anthony Scarborough wins MSPT Poker Bowl IX $152K 31:15 | Venetian Las Vegas debuts new poker studio 31:33 | Connor Richards tours the new Venetian Poker Studio 37:10 | Bernard Lee's son goes viral over $10k hoops prize technicality 39:40 | Ethan "Rampage" Yau to the rescue 39:59 | Shirtless poker champion wins beer for a year in hoops contest 41:45 | PokerNews Giveaway – The Las Vegas Book

14 Feb 43min

In the 877th 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 ACR calling Nacho Barbero a "goofball" after serious accusations arose when the Argentinean pro shared a social media post that showed him using GTO Wizard. Patrick Leonard did a deep dive into the data, and while it apparently shows no nefarious activity, it did get the community questioning the situation as a whole. Chad and Kyna also share their experience at the massive MSPT Potawatomi, which saw them both cash on just one bullet apiece. Get a look at their Wisconsin adventure, and find out where they each finished. They also highlight the winner of that tournament as well as Angela Jordison, who took down a side event. The crew then shows some love for the Venetian Poker Room, examines a big hand between Doug Polk and Mariano that was live-streamed from The Lodge, and Leon Tsoukernik feeling 'Absolutely Fine' two weeks after a 40-hour coma. Finally, get a look at Phil Galfond on the latest Life Outside Poker episode as well as a reminder to enter the PokerNews Giveaway for a copy of The Las Vegas Book valued at $500. 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 00:37 | Nacho Barbero in hot water over GTOWizard 07:03 | Patrick Leonard dives in; shares results 07:23 | The economy of an online poker site 08:28 | ACR's poor response 12:04 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 12:52 | Major poker tournament returns to Wisconsin 14:00 | Kyna tries to organize a 30-way chop 15:18 | Massive turnout in the $1,110 Main Event 15:56 | Highlights from the MSPT Potawatomi 17:30 | Both Chad & Kyna cash on one bullet 18:30 | Tim Thorp wins MSPT Potawatomi for $244K 18:50 | Umut Ozturk makes back-to-back final tables; in POY lead again 19:53 | Angela Jordison ships side event at MSPT 20:50| Love for the Venetian Poker Room 23:32 | Doug Polk vs Mariano in big live-streamed hand from The Lodge 28:42 | Leon Tsoukernik feeling 'Absolutely Fine' two weeks after 40-hour coma 30:31 | Phil Galfond on the latest Life Outside Poker Podcast 33:00 | PokerNews Giveaway – The Las Vegas Book

7 Feb 35min