Show Notes
In the 968th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow are at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas for the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP). To kick things off, they show footage from a recent police raid at Houston's Lucky J's Social Club in Texas. While it may have been reminiscent of the raid at The Lodge back in March, it's actually quite different, as the crew explains. From there, they turn their attention to the WSOP, including a look at the brand new main stage arena that debuted on Friday. Hear from the new WSOP Countdown crew, including Jeff Platt, David Williams, Norman Chad, and Joe "Stapes" Stapleton. Plus, a tour of the WSOP shop featuring brand new merchandise and clothing that harkens back to the WSOP days of old. Speaking of the WSOP, the first bracelet has been awarded, 90-year-old legend Perry Green made a deep run, and High Stakes Live is coming in June! Other stories include Shawn Sheikhan getting out of prison, Daniel Negreanu and his wife are expecting their first child, and an entertaining live-stream from The Lodge featuring Doug Polk, Garrett Adelstein, and Alan Keating, the last two playing against each other for the first time. Oh, and you won't want to miss the tale of Big John Oakinson. 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 00:30 | New Sponsor: PokerStars x FanDuel 01:09 | Houston poker room raided 08:20 | Shawn Sheikhan out of prison 11:30 | WSOP debuts new main stage arena 15:20 | A look at the new WSOP merchandise 16:55 | Big John Okinson 17:47 | Daniel Negreanu having a baby! 19:00 | PokerNews Podcast giveaway 21:09 | PokerNews MyPlayers 22:25 | First WSOP bracelet awarded 23:15 | WSOP legend Perry Green makes a run 24:20 | High Stakes Live coming to WSOP 26:45 | Polk vs. Adelstein vs. Keating at The Lodge 28:10 | CSOP Event #100
More from PokerNews Podcast
In the 1,012th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by Solana, Chad Holloway has a very special one-on-one interview with the Mad Genius of Poker, Mike Caro. The legendary poker player disappeared from the poker world 20 years ago, and Chad managed to track him down for an exclusive two-part interview. In Part I, Caro talks about his early days in poker, mastering poker tells, and some of his famous laws such as "The Law of Least Tilt" and the "Threshold of Misery." Caro then discusses some of his poker books, including writing Super System alongside his good friend and longtime confidant Doyle Brunson. A forerunner in the world of poker technology, Caro also shares details about his early computer program ORAC, signing on with the first-ever online poker site, Planet Poker, and being an ambassador for Doyle's Room. Part II of Mike Caro's interview will air at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET on Thursday, October 29, so be sure to tune in then. 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 00:45 | Giveaway details 01:20 | Mike Caro joins the show 05:27 | Poker Tells 09:07 | Writing Super System with Doyle Brunson 14:22 | Faraz Jaka's Tweet 19:30 | Threshold of Misery 21:03 | Caro's Law of Least Tilt 27:47 | Planet Poker 30:50 | Doyle's Room
In the 1,011th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by WPT Global, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are joined by former poker pro John Andress, who is now the Head of Game Integrity for AceGuardian. As an expert in online poker security, Andress shares his expertise regarding the latest superuser scandal that rocked the poker community. Find out what folks like Andress are doing to combat cheaters, bots, and more. That then leads into a larger discussion regarding the responsibilities of online poker operators, existential threats to the industry, and the future of online poker. 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 01:08 | John Andress joins 05:20 | Latest Superuser incident 09:30 | Advancement of AI 15:47 | Open Source Detection 20:54 | Different operator standards 26:23 | Bots huge threat to online poker 30:20 | Lack of punishment 33:05 | What is the future of online poker? 38:44 | Mike Caro is coming!
In the 1,010th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by Solana, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and Connor Richards from Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas. The trio discusses the latest superuser scandal that rocked the online poker world, and what possible fallout the industry may face. They also delve into the most recent Hustler Casino Live (HCL) drama involving Britney and C Ye, among others, and then take another stab at the slide dealing debate. What are the arguments for and against? Who supports it and who doesn't? Find out in this episode. Finally, Chad talks about competing in the MSPT Wisconsin Poker State Championship at Milwaukee's Potawatomi Casino, which is where he got to play with Will Givens, who had a breakout summer at the World Series of Poker. Not only that, Chad was there for a truly wild hand that was captured on video. See it in this episode! 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 01:18 Superuser Scandal 12:40 Hustler Casino Live drama 22:25 Sponsor: Solana 23:32 Slide Dealing 31:59 Chad at MSPT 33:18 Big Will Givens hand
In the 1,009th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by 888poker, Chad Holloway sits down with Albert Cheng, the Chief Growth Officer of Chess.com. Poker may experience a boom among chess players as a popular chess website with millions of daily users launched a poker site and training program. Gambit, launched by Chess.com, is a free-to-use poker software where players can play against bots, friends, and other online users. They can also be walked through the basics of the game, take poker strategy lessons, and track their poker stats. Gambit is specifically aimed at helping new players become introduced to the game without having to lose money or be pushed in-app purchases. "Here's what it is: a poker site built for learning," Chess.com Chief Growth Officer Albert Cheng said in a May blog post. "No real-money gambling. No rake. Just the parts of the chess playbook that have made it work for millions of people, applied to poker." Gambit, which is available on desktop as well as iOS and Android, will be immediately familiar to Chess.com users as the two share the same interface and graphics. 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 00:30 | Albert Cheng joins the show 01:11 | Who is Albert Cheng? 03:00 | Parallels between poker & chess 04:57 | How did you learn poker? 06:41 | How did Gambit come about? 10:10 | Not real money 16:30 | Getting new people into the game 19:09 | Alexandra Botez & the Gambit Cup 23:20 | Might other games be coming to Gambit? 25:30 | Quick hitter questions 27:00 | What can we do to grow poker? 28:25 | Grandmasters movie 29:40 | Hellmuth book giveaway
In the 1,008th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by 888poker, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are joined by former host Matt "Matty Bet" Hansen to talk about the latest in the poker world. That includes a big hand, what some might call a punt, by Daniel Negreanu at the final table of an online bracelet event on GGPoker. See the hand and make a determination for yourself, but then hear what Negreanu had to say. From there, a pair of poker influencers, Abby Merk and Ethan "Rampage" Yau, made headlines after their respective behavior on two different live-streamed cash games, 888poker's XL Autumn series is underway, and big winners from Borgata's Big, Big Series. Speaking of winners, also hear about big wins from Nick Schulman, Nick Petrangelo, Ben Tollerene, and Joao Simao at the Triton Jeju. 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 00:30 | Matty Bet is back 01:24 | A Daniel Negreanu punt? 05:50 | Abby Merk not too happy 15:00 | Rampage berates "Sniping Nit" 24:40 | Sponsor: 888poker 25:15 | Big, Big winners from Borgata 28:37 | Triton Jeju recap 31:33 | Schulman, Simao & Petrangelo claim titles 36:13 | Book giveaway winner