Cheaters, Arrests and Poker Villains Among Top Stories of 2025

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?

In the 926th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and Connor Richards at Level 9 Studios to talk the latest stories in the poker world. That includes former WSOP Main Event runner-up Steven Jones making the top five in the finale of Netflix's popular Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2. Find out if the poker pro was able to win the $4.56 million top prize. They also dive into the debate fueled by Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth on how many World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelets there should be each year, who won the WPT bestbet Jacksonville Bounty Scramble, and why the Global Poker Awards are no more. Plus, the crew remembers Ulvis Alberts, the original WSOP photographer who recently passed away, while Connor shares details on the time he played poker on the North Korean border and his feature article on Lynard Skynard and the poker game they played on their ill-fated flight that led to a deadly plane crash. Oh, and did we mention that Sam Soverel shared a full-frontal selfie on social media? No? Well, he did. Finally, this week's recent tournament winners include Terelle Tavares winning the 888poker UKPL Coventry, Martin Kabrhel taking down BSOP High Roller, Edward Jackson-Spivack nabbing a Chainsaw Mixed Series trophy, Albert Croteau victorious in BPO Atlantic City Championship, Carl Masters winning RGPS Grand Prix Tunica II, Gal Yifrach defeating Thomas Boivin to claim the PokerStars 2025 NAPT title. 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 00:52 | How did Steven Jones do on Squid Game? 06:30 | How many WSOP bracelets should there be each year? 12:54 | WPT bestbet Jacksonville Bounty Scramble 15:25 | Global Poker Awards come to an end 18:00 | Lynard Skynard & North Korean Poker Game 20:05 | WSOP photograph Ulvis Alberts passes away 23:27 | Terelle Tavares wins 888poker UKPL Coventry 23:47 | Martin Kabrhel's takes down BSOP High Roller  26:05 | Sam Soverel goes full frontal 26:53 | Edward Jackson-Spivack wins Chainsaw Mixed Series trophy 28:27 | Albert Croteau Victorious in BPO Atlantic City Championship 29:05 | Carl Masters wins RGPS Grand Prix Tunica II 30:18 | Gal Yifrach wins PokerStars 2025 NAPT 33:10 | What's coming up?

In the 925th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is once again joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow at Level 9 Studios to talk the latest stories in the poker world. That includes the massive $1.3 million pot from a special episode of High Stakes Poker, one that saw Alan Keating try and execute a huge bluff. Was it a valiant effort or an ill-timed move?  The trio also offers their thoughts on the topic of "Should poker tournaments start earlier?", which was being discussed on social media by Seth Davies and Jason Koon. Speaking of the latter, you'll get to see highlights from 'All In with Jason Koon' from the 2025 PokerStars NAPT, as well as a look at Comedy Night with Joe "Stapes" Stapleton and RunGood Trivia Night with Boston Rob Mariano and Tyson Apostol of Survivor fame. Chad actually caught up with the two reality TV legends for a poker trivia game of his own. In other NAPT news, Jeremy Ausmus beat quad aces with a Royal Flush, Nikolai Mamut defeated TJ Reid to win the NAPT PokerStars Open, and Stephen Chidwick, Cherish Andrews, and Raena Janes all took down titles. Finally, get a preview of upcoming stops, including the next Hendon Mob Championship in Cape Town and the RGPS Grand Prix San Diego. 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 00:53 | Alan Keating bluffs it off in $1.3M pot 03:00 | Señor Tilt's big pot on PokerGO 07:00 | Alan Keating on HSP 11:09 | Tournament start time debate 23:35 | Royal Flush cooler for Jeremy Ausmus 27:00 | All in with Jason Koon highlights 30:38 | Comedy Night with Joe Stapleton 32:47 | Highlights from Comedy Night 33:47 | Trivia Night w/ Boston Rob & Tyson 39:00 | Nikolai Mamut wins NAPT Las Vegas PS Open 42:34 | Stephen Chidwick takes down NAPT $50k Super High Roller Win 45:30 | Cherish Andrews wins NAPT Mystery Bounty 47:20 | Raena Janes wins NAPT Ladies Event 47:45 | Elaine Rawn wins NAPT Ladies High Roller 48:18 | Hendon Mob Championship  49:07 | RGPS Grand Prix San Diego 50:55 | Shoutout to Kim

In the 924th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is once again joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow at Level 9 Studios to talk about the latest stories in the poker world. That includes a double murder that took place at a home game in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and poker pro Steven Jones, who finished runner-up to Daniel Wienman in the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, being a contestant on Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2. From there, Chad reveals the charity fundraiser record he set with the help of the poker world, Elon Musk weighing in on the AI poker bot battle, and John Riordan winning the $100,000 PLO Super High Roller Bowl. Speaking of winners, Justin Arnwine scored big at RGPS Grand Prix Maryland. The crew then talks about the upcoming December war between the WSOP Paradise and WPT World Championship, and the new poker documentary No Limit about the former stop.  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 01:14 | Double murder at Wisconsin poker game 05:30 | Steven Jones on Season 2 of Squid Game: The Challenge 09:17 | Poker world helps Chad sets charity record 12:10 | Elon Musk and the AI poker battle 17:52 | John Riordan wins PLO Super High Roller Bowl  21:04 | Justin Arnwine scores big at RGPS Grand Prix Maryland 27:47 | WSOP initiatives & Paradise 30:12 | WSOP vs. WPT 34:42 | No Limit documentary on YouTube 36:24 | Bar Poker Open returning to Borgata 38:14 | Allen Kessler's Mixed Game Series at Planet Hollywood 39:54 | Robbie Strazynski's Mixed Game Festival XII 40:24 | The PokerStars NAPT is here 42:00 | Run Good Trivia Night

In the 923rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is once again joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow at Level 9 Studios to discuss the latest stories from the poker world. That includes the wild, mainstream poker cheating story involving NBA players and coach Chauncey Billups, the mafia, and more.  As if that wasn't controversial enough, well-known poker pro Ren Lin was disqualified from a live poker tournament for helping a friend in an online one. As a result, he was indefinitely banned from GGPoker and the WSOP. Find out what happened in this episode. Other stories include a "High-Rated Poker Player's" Las Vegas brothel, highlights from the World Tournament of Slots (WTOS), and recent tournament winners, including Charles Furey, Nick Burris, and Chino Rheem at the PGT PLO Series II. Finally, find out who the lucky winner was in the $10,000 NAPT Gold Pass giveaway! 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* 00:15 | Welcome to the show 01:30 | Poker cheating scandal involving NBA coach & players 07:33 | Mafia involvement 10:09 | Matt Berkey called it out two years ago 17:02 | Ren Lin's disqualification and indefinite ban 27:30 | Daniel Negreanu defends Ren Lin 31:19 | "High-Rated Poker Player's" Las Vegas brothel 35:50 | Highlights from the World Tournament of Slots 39:00 | NAPT Gold Pass giveaway winner 41:00 | Interview w/ Tom Pierce 45:50 | WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star final table set 49:50 | Charles Furey takes down PokerStars Open Maryland  50:33 | Nicholas Burris wins RGPS Tulsa for $65,435 51:30 | Chino Rheem Dominates PGT PLO Series II 53:00 | NAPT is upon us!