WSOP’s Controversial Chip Dumping Decision; Shiina Okamoto Makes Poker History

In the 904th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz are joined by Grosvenor Poker Pro Jamie Nixon at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas to talk about the latest from the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP). That includes the WSOP's controversial decision regarding the alleged Millionaire Maker chip dumping between Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll, which may or may not include lifetime bans. It's a lively debate that examines the situation from multiple angles, including the likely involvement of the Nevada Gaming Commission. They then take a look at a controversial hand posted by Lexy Gavin-Mather where a dealer error that may have brought a much-needed seven out of the muck had the poker world talking. From there, the trio highlight the historic win by Shiina Okamoto, who successfully defended her Ladies Event title after finishing runner-up three years ago. She also had to put up with Phil Hellmuth Jr., for better or worse, as the crew debated. That wasn't the only historic win, as Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi won the prestigious $50,000 Poker Players Championship for an unbelievable fourth time. Toss in the first gold bracelet won by Darren Elias, and there were some big winners to be celebrated. Jamie Nixon then talks about Grosvenor Poker and the upcoming Goliath in Coventry, how his buddy is running a daily bracket of funny poker names, and then Chad explains why there's a giant cutout of Espen Jorstad's head on the set (Hint: it came from the recent GTOWizard party). 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 00:18 | Grosvenor Poker’s Jamie Nixon joins the show 00:56 | WSOP decision causes controversy 01:15 | Rumors of a lifetime ban 02:32 | What do you think of no bracelet being awarded? 05:26 | Did Nevada Gaming Commission get involved? 08:35 | People have been banned for far less 19:56 | Lexy Gavin-Mather’s controversial hand 20:18 | Video of the controversial hand – was the 7 in the muck? 28:38 | Shiina Okamoto defends Ladies Event title 30:46 | Phil Hellmuth makes an appearance 33:48 | Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi wins $50K PPC for fourth time 39:30 | Interview with Michael Mizrach 41:15 | Sponsor: WSOP Free-to-Play App 41:45 | Darren Elias claims first gold bracelet 43:21 | Grosvenor Poker & upcoming Goliath  51:40 | Bracket of wild & funny poker names 53:40 | Espen Jorstad & GTO Wizard

In the 903rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is joined by special fill-in cohosts Team PokerStars Pro Jennifer Shahade and Josh Abady of Play Live Melbourne to discuss the latest in the poker industry, including the latest on the alleged chip-dumping incident from the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Millionaire Maker event. Winner Jesse Yaginuma did get paid the $1,000,000 bonus, but he and runner-up James Carroll are still awaiting a decision by WSOP officials on the regular prize money. Another big story was Golden Nugget cancelling their $1 million guaranteed tournament, much to the dismay of several players, including Kyna England. The hosts discuss the decision and examine the larger concept of guarantees within the poker world. You'll then get highlights from a pair of Meet-Up Games (MUGs), including the PokerNews one at Planet Hollywood and the PokerStars one at Resorts World, where the first $5,300 Main Event seat to November's NAPT was awarded. See who the lucky winner was! Next, get a sneak peek at the new show Hellmuth's Home Game presented by Poker Night in America (PNIA), a discussion on the state of poker in Australia, and a look ahead to the 2025 WSOP Main Event, which will kick off this week! 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 01:05 | Cohosts Jennifer Shahade & Josh Abady 02:30 | What did you think of the alleged chip-dumping incident? 07:41 | Jesse Yaginuma paid $1,000,000 bonus 16:20 | Golden Nugget’s cancelled guarantee controversy 19:30 | Are there incentives aside from guarantees? 23:00 | Highlights from the PokerNews & PokerStars Meet-Up Games 27:12 | Sponsor – WSOP Free-to-Play App 27:51 | Aaron Cummings goes back-to-back in $1,500 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw 29:15 | Travis Erdman’s PokerNews hat 30:29 | Craig Savage takes down $500 NLH Freezeout for $229K 32:47 | Poker Night in America debuts Hellmuth’s Home Game 35:34 | Preview of Hellmuth’s Home Game 36:23 | Play Live Melbourne & the state of Australian poker 41:00 | Jennifer Shahade’s women's initiatives 45:20 | A look ahead to the 2025 NAPT Las Vegas 47:25 | 2025 WSOP Main Event about to get underway!

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!

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

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

In the 894th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, is joined by Mike Holtz, Christina Gollins, and Joey Ingram to draft their favorite teams for the 2025 World Series of Poker. Each of the four hosts can pick seven players and one alternate player who will score points throughout the 2025 WSOP. The hosts need to follow several rules, such as drafting at least one female poker player, and one poker vlogger/creator, as well as adding an alternate that they can swap in for any of their seven players. The rules of this draft are simple: WSOP Fantasy Draft Scoring Achievement Points Cashing an event 1 point Finishing in the top 2% 2 points Final tabling an event 5 points 2nd or 3rd place finish 7 points Bracelet win 10 points Only live bracelets count for points. Who are the 'blue chip', slam dunk, first-round pick players in this draft? And who is picked lower than they should? Find out in this episode what Chad, Mike, Christina, and Joey's favorite WSOP teams for the series are. This draft follows a very simple concept that can be recreated at home if you're interested in adding a little extra sweat during the series! If you're interesting in upping the ante a bit and adding a bit more complexity to your WSOP fantasy, check out our dedicated $25K Fantasy Draft blog on PokerNews to learn more about this widely popular draft format hosted by Daniel Negreanu and David "ODB" Baker. Inside The $25K Fantasy Draft - WHO WENT FOR $141? Inside Daniel Negreanu's $25K WSOP Fantasy Draft Time Stamps Time Topic 00:00 Welcome to the show 00:50 Rules of the fantasy draft 02:48 What’s at stake? 03:50 Scoring system 06:11 Choosing team names 08:40 Determining draft order 09:03 Let the draft begin 34:32 Selecting alternate “Bonus Player” 42:00 How many cashes does Joey have on Hendon? 45:00 Recapping the rosters Subscribe to the PokerNews Podcast on Apple Podcasts here! You can also find us on Spotify as well as our new page on SoundCloud!