PokerNews Podcast

In the 986th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow at Level 9 Studio by poker pro Jordan Westmorland to talk about the latest from the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
That includes the $10,000 Main Event being in full swing, albeit with slightly fewer players than in past years. Will the field crack 9,000 players? Also, how did Jordan, Mike, and Ben, who got to play at the feature table with Daniel Negreanu, do in poker's premier tournament? Along those lines, the WSOP is back on ESPN, or at least the app, and not everyone is happy about that. 
In non-WSOP news, there was a big development in the Texas poker scene as Doug Polk unexpectedly announced that he would be stepping away from The Lodge's core business. What might this mean for Texas poker? The crew discusses.
In other news, Doron Ziony shared details on both the upcoming WSOP Circuit stop in Malta and the Battle of Malta, a look ahead to the Borgata Summer Poker Open, and River Rat merch!
A new PokerNews Podcast drops four times a week in July during the 2026 WSOP! You can expect a new episode every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, 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
00:21 | Jordan Westmorland joins the show
01:12 | Doug Polk steps away from The Lodge
05:00 | WSOP Main Event update
10:49 | Ben vs. Negreanu
19:18 | WSOP on ESPN frustrations
25:00 | PokerNews MyPlayers feature
26:35 | Battle of Malta
28:30 | Think Jerky
30:11 | River Rat Merch
33:44 | Borgata Summer Poker Open

In the 985th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP), where they welcome Texas Card House (TCH) CEO Ryan Crow to the show.
Crow sits down for an in-depth chat about the current state of Texas poker amid the recent raid at The Lodge and subsequent resolution. Where do things currently stand in the Lone Star State? Perhaps no one is better suited to answer that question than Crow, who also discusses the success of the first WSOP Circuit stop at TCH, as well as a look ahead to the next one.
Finally, Crow shares details on the upcoming docuseries, The Battle for Texas Poker, which poker fans are sure to love. You'll get to see a couple of clips from the documentary, which will no doubt get you excited for what's to come.
A new PokerNews Podcast drops four times a week in July during the 2026 WSOP! You can expect a new episode every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, 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
00:40 | Looking back on The Lodge raid
06:00 | Winning in court
07:31 | TCH's first WSOP Circuit stop
10:42 | The Battle for Texas Poker documentary
16:30 | Sneak Peek – The Battle for Texas Poker
23:50 | Fighting the good fight

In the 984th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway is joined by Kyna England, Esther "Etay" Taylor, and Caitlin Comeskey at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas for a special women in poker episode!
They talk about Skye Chen defeating Aubrey Williams to win the record-breaking WSOP Ladies Event, open bracelet wins for Kristen Foxen and Michelle Chin, and other women's events from about town at Wynn, Venetian, and more. Plus, Etay becomes an ambassador for BetMGM Poker, and Phil Hellmuth is donating $25,000 to juice a prize pool at Champions Club's upcoming Queens & Cards event.
A new PokerNews Podcast drops four times a week during July and the 2026 WSOP! You can expect a new episode every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, 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 | Kyna, Etay & Caitlin join the show
01:00 | Caitlin is having a good summer
04:15 | WSOP Ladies Event
14:25 | Looking back at Kristen Foxen's 6th bracelet
17:05 | Michelle Chin wins open mixed event
20:40 | Amanda Baker victorious at Wynn
23:27 | Women winners at Venetian
24:25 | JJ Liu in Venetian Poker Live
26:11 | Shoutout Nancy Birnbaum
28:00 | Etay becomes BetMGM Ambassador
30:10 | PokerNews returning to Borgata
30:45 | WPT & Sherry Pluskota
31:42 | Queens and Cards w/ Phil Hellmuth

In the 983rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas to discuss one of the wilder days in World Series of Poker (WSOP) history!
Not only did the 2026 WSOP $10,000 Main Event officially kick off, complete with Phil Hellmuth's patented circus-like entrance, but both Daniel Negreanu and Martin Kabrhel snagged gold bracelets. That allowed the former to crack the top ten in the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year race, while the latter drew the ire of some fans when he refused to shake the hand of his opponent.
Chad and Mike get into it all, while also thanking sponsor Think Jerky, which you can order here, and shouting out Overlord Caps, of which they're both big fans.
A new PokerNews Podcast drops three times a week during the 2026 WSOP! You can expect a new episode every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday 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
00:45 | Daniel Negreanu wins bracelet No. 8
04:40 | Daniel Negreanu winner interview
09:50 | Martin Kabrhel captures 6th bracelet
12:03 | Martin refuses to shake hands
16:08 | Phil Hellmuth's Main Event entrance
20:36 | Remembering the Day 1A fallen
24:01 | Overlord Caps

In the 982nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow are joined by Matt Savage at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas.
There, they talk about Shaun Deeb's recent bracelet win and whether or not that will be enough to put him over the edge for the Poker Hall of Fame. It certainly was enough to put him back on top of the 2026 WSOP Player of the Year standings. Speaking of the Poker Hall of Fame, Savage shares whether he feels snubbed for not making the list of nominees and who he thinks has the best shot of getting in.
From there, the crew turns its attention to the Tournament Directors Association (TDA) Summit XII, which recently wrapped up at PokerGO Studio. Savage shares a little history about the TDA, his big takeaways, and then Chad shares a highlight video catching up with some of the bigger tournament directors in the game to get their thoughts on this year's summit. 
Finally, the crew thanks sponsor Think Jerky, which you can order here.
A new PokerNews Podcast drops three times a week during the 2026 WSOP! You can expect a new episode every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday 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
00:22 | Matt Savage joins the show
01:00 | Shaun Deeb bracelet win
02:15 | Deeb's winner interview
03:57 | WSOP POY update
05:05 | Poker Hall of Fame
06:27 | Savage has come close before
11:57 | Who do you like for Poker Hall of Fame?
14:30 | TDA Summit XII
21:07 | Highlights from the TDA Summit
24:00 | One topic to consider in the future