Good or Bad? Our Poker Predictions for 2026; Will the WSOP Raise the Main Event Buy-in?

In the 936th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow are all in Las Vegas at Level 9 Studio to talk about the viral $2.4 million poker hand played between Antonio Esfandiari and Alan Keating. The hand, part of Super High Roller Cash Game on PokerGO, blew up fast and had the whole poker world talking. From there, the crew talks about the Daniel "Jungleman" Cates vs. sports bettor "Elf" boxing match, looks at a controversial hand from High Stakes Poker involving Sam "Señor Tilt" Kiki, and a winner interview with Andrew "Lucky Chewy" Lichtenberger after he notched a win at the PGT Kickoff Series. Other stories bantered about are Jeff Platt now being exclusive with the WSOP, how Arden Cho will probably be at the Oscars, the new PokerNews PowerStack Leaderboard for the 2026 RGPS Passport Season, and sharing which poker room on the Las Vegas Strip is unfortunately closing at the end of the month. 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 01:31 Esfandiari vs. Keating in $2.4M Pot 07:08 Dan "Jungleman" Cates boxing match results 11:25 Controversial hand on High Stakes Poker 17:17 Winner interview w/ Andrew "Lucky Chewy" Lichtenberger 22:06 Jeff Platt now with the WSOP 24:07 Arden Cho & the Oscars 26:12 PokerNews PowerStack Leaderboard for 2026 RGPS Passport Season 28:44 Planet Hollywood closing poker room

In the 935th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow talk about Linda "Granny" Hammons, an 88-year-old who discovered her favorite slot machines had been removed, so she decided to play her first-ever poker tournament. It took place at the Beau Rivage Million Dollar Heater down in Mississippi, and she did quite well while capturing the hearts of the poker community. Bill Phillips from the Gulf Coast Poker event caught up with her in a set-down interview he shared with PokerNews. From there, the trio looks at the straight flush misclick by Sebastian Huber, Martin Zamani's video of a poker bot farm that had the community up in arms, and a pair of poker cheats caught down at The Lodge in Austin, Texas. Speaking of which, the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) is headed to the cardroom, and Andrew Neeme is happy to tell you about it.  From there, it's welcoming 8131 Media as the official photography partner of PokerNews, and a preview of this weekend's Daniel "Jungleman" Cates vs. sports bettor "Elf", where PokerNews will be on-site to report all the action. Finally, learned who won our giveaway for a limited edition deck of cards tied to Lost in the Shuffle, a documentary that explores the history of playing cards through the lens of magic. 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 00:56 | 'Granny' enters first poker tournament  04:57 | Interview w/ Linda "Granny" Hammons 07:52 | Is this the worst misclick ever? 11:13 | Poker Bots controversy 19:10 | Poker cheats caught in Texas 23:07 | RGPS heading to The Lodge 25:00 | Andrew Neeme on RGPS 26:52 | 8131 Media becomes official photo team 28:47 | Daniel "Jungleman" Cates fight night 33:11 | 'Lost in the Shuffle' winner

In the 934th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow talk about the two players who made it all the way to heads-up play and then agreed to play winner take all for the prize money. It was a wild story that saw one player walk away with a five-figure payday and the other leave empty-handed. The trio then discusses WPT Global's controversial signing of Ren Lin as an ambassador, which led to a discussion about ClubWPT Gold's social media strategy and how those two brands are related to the main World Poker Tour (WPT) brand. In between, former WPT Global Ambassador Xuan Liu called out the site for continuing to use her image in the Asia market. Chad then shares highlights from his adventure with Phil Hellmuth and his son Phillip Hellmuth III playing in a Wisconsin home game, Alex Foxen winning PokerGO Tour (PGT) Player of the Year, and winners from the PokerGO Tour Last Chance Series. Then there was Daniel Negreanu at the final table of the PGT Championship, which was won by Chad Eveslage. Other stories include GPI Player of the Year results, Maine becoming the ninth state to legalize online poker, and a look at Lost in the Shuffle, a documentary that explores the history of playing cards through the lens of magic. See the trailer and enter for your chance to win a limited edition deck of cards. Speaking of giveaways, learn who won a copy of Jonathan Little's new book The Complete Poker Workout. 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 01:25 | Two players agree to "Winner Take All" 03:26 | WPT Global signs Ren Lin 08:15 | Is WPT Global different than WPT & ClubWPT Gold? 10:40 | Former Ambassador Xuan Liu calls out WPT Global 12:40 | Chad's adventure with Phil Hellmuth 20:02 | Alex Foxen wins PGT Player of the Year 22:29 | PokerGO Tour Last Chance Series winners 24:30 | Daniel Negreanu final tables PGT Championship 26:20 | Chad Eveslage wins PGT Championship 27:31 | GPI Player of the Year results 31:40 | Maine becomes 9th state to legalize online poker 36:55 | Lost in the Shuffle documentary 40:34 | PN Pod giveaways

In the 933rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow kick off Season 17 with some poker predictions for 2026. Will the Big Beautiful Bill's gambling tax situation be resolved or lead to big ramifications in the industry? Will Phil Hellmuth win his 18th gold bracelet? Would the World Series of Poker (WSOP) ever raise the buy-in for the Main Event? The triumvirate also covers recent stories, including poker players Galen Hall and Jason Somerville winning big in the Circa Survivor content, arbitration ending between Maurice Hawkins and Denise Pratt, and Lex Veldhuis returning to the streaming streets, albeit not as a PokerStars Ambassador. Similarly, Caitlin Comeskey's ambassadorship with PokerStars US came to an end, and got the crew asking, "Is there still value in poker ambassadors?" You'll also see a short interview of Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel chatting with Rep. Dina Titus about the aforementioned tax bill, hear about Jeremy Becker and Matthew Wantman winning titles at the Venetian, and another book giveaway for a copy of Jonathan Little's The Complete Poker Workout. 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 01:40 | Poker players win big in Circa's Survivor contest 08:20 | Maurice Hawkins arbitration ends 21:56 | Lex Veldhuis is back! 26:07 | What are the value of "Poker Ambassadors" nowadays? 30:00 | Poker predictions for 2026 30:42 | Video: Erik Seidel chats w/ Rep. Dina Titus 38:29 | Trivia – Venezuela's all-time money list 40:03 | Is late reg and unlimited reentries a problem? 47:45 | Could WSOP Main Event be $15,000? 49:50 | Hellmuth will win bracelet No. 16 in 2026 50:30 | Recent Tournament Winners presented by 888poker 51:18 | Jeremy Becker claims title at Venetian 51:35 | Matthew Wantman kicks off New Year with win 51:46 | Preston Dean wins RoughRider Poker Tour title 52:10 | Jonathan Little book giveaway 54:13 | Disc golf with TJ Reid

In the 932nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz recap the top 10 stories of 2025 according to PokerNews. They include: - Cheating Technology Fears Rise - Trump's Tax Bill Detrimental to Poker Industry - Benny Glaser's Summer for the Ages  - Twelve Months That Might Change Women's Poker Forever   - Attorney Tom Goldstein Indicted Over Million-Dollar Poker Games  - Ossi Ketola's Record-Shattering Heads-Up Poker Matches - Return of Poker Villains - Millionaire Maker Controversy at 2025 WSOP - Poker Game Arrests Involving Basketball Stars Rock the NBA - Michael Mizrachi Historic WSOP 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* 01:12 | Cheating Technology Fears Rise 05:26 | Trump's Tax Bill Detrimental to Poker Industry 10:40 | Benny Glaser's Summer for the Ages  12:50 | Twelve Months That Might Change Women's Poker Forever   15:16 | Attorney Tom Goldstein Indicted Over Million-Dollar Poker Games  16:56 | Ossi Ketola's Record-Shattering Heads-Up Poker Matches 18:37 | Return of Poker Villains 22:26 | Millionaire Maker Controversy at 2025 WSOP 27:10 | Poker Game Arrests Involving Basketball Stars Rock the NBA 29:26 | Michael Mizrachi Historic WSOP

In the 931st episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz bring Christmas cheer to the poker world! The duo discusses the brutal slowroll from Eric Wasserson against Benny Glaser deep in the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise Super Main Event, bracelet winners from the Bahamas, and their thoughts on Ren Lin being allowed back to play without even missing a single stop during his "indefinite" suspension. From there, it's over to Las Vegas to recap the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship, including an interview with winner Schuyler Thornton, and other events like Aaron Johnson winning WPT Prime, Darren Elias taking down the $25K High Roller, and Kharlin Sued emerging victorious in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star. You'll also hear about Joao Simao besting Jason Koon in the Super High Roller Bowl X and Paul Tedeschi winning the €1,100 PokerStars Open Cannes. Finally, Jonathan Little is coming out with a new book, so we thought it'd be a good time for another giveaway. It's your chance to win a copy of Jonathan Little's new book, which you can also order by visiting dandbpoker.com. 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 01:09 | EWass slowrolls Glaser 01:52 | Video of the slowroll 06:55 | TJ Reid makes a deep run 09:33 | Bernhard Binder wins WSOP Paradise 10:50 | Video: Final hand + winner interview 13:11 | Ren Lin no longer banned 15:38 | Schuyler Thornton wins 2025 WPT World Championship 18:39 | Video: Schuyler Thornton winner interview 19:54 | Super High Roller Bowl X 22:16 | Imari Love victorious in The Closer Turbo Bounty 23:24 | Johan Guilbert claims first WSOP bracelet  24:56 | Aaron Johnson wins WPT Prime Championship 27:03 | Darren Elias wins $25k High Roller at Wynn  27:33 | Kharlin Sued wins WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star 28:44 | Video: Kharlin Sued winner interview 31:05 | Paul Tedeschi wins €1,100 PokerStars Open Cannes 31:63 | Jonathan Little book giveaway

In the 930th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are joined by 2024 World Poker Tour (WPT) World Champion Scott Stewart at Level 9 Studios in Las Vegas.  The trio offers an update regarding the home game fight between Maurice Hawkins and aggressor Eugene Castaneda, namely a warrant out for the latter. They then dissect the controversial hand played by Ryan Depaulo, Andre Moreira, and James Caputo in the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise $25K Super Main Event. Who was in the right? Who was in the wrong?  Speaking of that tournament, Jesse Lonis made a big fold that sparked a heated rivalry with Shaun Deeb. Even Daniel Negreanu weighed in with his thoughts about the play. Speaking of Kid Poker, he fired away in the Super Main Event, which shed light on so many poker pros firing multiple bullets into the uniquely-structured tournament. Some players fired 11, 12, and even 14 bullets throughout the various flights. Is it good or bad for poker? How might recreational players interpret it?  Down in the Bahamas, Charlie Hook, Koray Aldemir, Joao Simao, David Coleman, and Aleksejs Ponakovs have all captured gold bracelets, while Matan Krakow took down the EPT Prague Main Event. From there, it's over to the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas, where the WPT Prime final table is set, Lily Lofty took down the WPT Ladies Championship, and a new WPT Ambassador was named in the special Mystery Quest event. Finally, Jonathan Little is coming out with a new book, so 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. Visit dandbpoker.com to preorder Jonathan Little's new book. 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  01:16 | Maurice Hawkins pressing charges 05:20 | Ryan Depaulo's controversial hand 12:48 | Jesse Lonis big fold 21:00 | WSOP Paradise hits $60M GTD; Lots of Re-Entries 27:24 | Atlantis isn't that bad 30:45 | Recent tournament winners from WSOP Paradise 36:05 | Schedule released for WSOP Europe 39:10 | Lily Lofty wins WPT Ladies Championship 41:53 | WPT Prime final table 42:30 | Spencer Gore becomes WPT Ambassador 45:33 | Matan Krakow wins EPT Prague 46:00 | Book giveaway winner 47:20 | Irish Poker Open 48:10 | Chad's drinking contest against Viktor Blom

In the 929th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are joined by Hayley Hanna and Steven Jones, the latter having recently finished third place in Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2. He talks about that experience and what it's been like to become a reality TV show star. The crew then discusses recent developments in the home game fight between Maurice Hawkins and the aggressor Eugene Castaneda. That includes surveillance footage that shows both men going to their respective cars, where Eugene admitted that he retrieved a firearm. From there, it's a recap of Hustler Casino Live's Million Dollar Marathon that included a $2.1 million cooler, backlash over the WSOP+ App's new ICM feature and a chop at the WSOP Paradise, and Sam Soverel's nude pic. Finally, learn about recent winners from the WSOP Paradise, WPT World Championship, and the PokerStars EPT Prague, where Yulian Bogdanov has already claimed two titles! 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 01:12 | More details regarding Maurice Hawkins' fight 05:23 | Steven Jones talks Squid Game: The Challenge 16:14 | Hustler Casino Live's Million Dollar Marathon 17:39 | $2.1 Million Cooler 21:20 | Backlash over WSOP+ App's new ICM feature 27:40 | Matthias Eibinger & Mike Watson chop a WSOP event 31:58 | Winners from the WSOP Paradise 33:10 | Sam Soverel's nude pic 35:03 | Yulian Bogdanov wins two titles at EPT Prague 37:03 | Justin Arnwine, Boris Kolev & Eric Baldwin among WPT WC winners 39:28 | Hayley likes to crop dust rude customers 43:18 | Jonathan Little book giveaway

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

In the 927th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is joined by Connor Richards at Level 9 Studios to talk about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) when it comes to poker content. The discussion stems from the recent controversy involving the World Series of Poker (WSOP) documentary No Limit, in which showrunner Dustin Iannotti admittedly used AI in edits involving Alan Keating's quotes. The show was pulled from YouTube by the WSOP as a result, and opened up a whole can of worms. PokerNews also pissed off Shaun Deeb with an AI oopsie of our own, while ClubWPT Gold's tweet stirred up a heated debate about marketing, women in poker, and more. It was a debate that Abby Merk jumped into headfirst while at the Asian Poker Tour (APT), where she booked a tournament win! From there, you can see highlights from the 2nd Annual Big Deal for One Drop Charity Event during F1 Las Vegas, which involved Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Tilly, and Antonio Esfandiari, just to name a few. Oh, and the title came down to Deeb and Squid Games: The Challenge star Steven Jones. Watch to find out who won! Chad and Connor then recap recent tournament wins by Aaron Johnson and Jake Long at MSPT Ameristar East Chicago, Felipe Boianovsky taking down the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) $50K Super High Roller, and Ted Jackson-Spivack claiming three CMSOP titles before they share what they're thankful for on this Thanksgiving holiday. 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 01:25 | WSOP documentary pulled amid AI controversy 14:00 | ClubWPT Gold's tweet stirs up heated debate 18:26 | Abby Merk wins Pineapple tournament 22:27 | Steven Jones wins Big Deal for One Drop Charity Event 28:40 | PokerNews pisses off Shaun Deeb 37:30 | Aaron Johnson wins MSPT Ameristar East Chicago 38:00 | Jake Long claims four side event titles 39:02 | Felipe Boianovsky wins BSOP $50K Super High Roller Title 40:53 | Ted Jackson-Spivack wins third CMSOP title 43:20 | What are you thankful for on Thanksgiving?