PokerNews Podcast

In the 962nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are back to catch you up on all the latest in the poker world. That includes Daniel "Jungleman" Cates getting kicked off Hustler Casino Live (HCL), a $5-million live-streamed cash game pot , and David Peters getting called out by Dylan Linde over an outstanding debt. The crew also wraps up the U.S. Poker Op...

In the 961st episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are back for a special episode to discuss the recent Grand Jury verdict regarding The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock, Texas. Spoiler Alert: It was good news for Doug Polk and company as potential charges were dismissed, and seized funds and equipment will be returned. Not only that, the cardroom has plans to...

In the 960th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are joined by Maurice Hawkins , who finally took them up on their long-standing offer to come on the show and share his side of the story. Maurice discusses his recent Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing , his dealings with Randy Garcia , and why he feels unjustly targeted. The 24-time WSOP Circuit ring winner also touches upon t...

In the 959th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz get together to discuss the recent bankruptcy filing of Maurice Hawkins . Is it to absolve himself from a six-figure poker debt due to Randy Garcia ? According to a Voluntary Petition for Individuals Filing for Bankruptcy (Case 26-15116-EPK) obtained by PokerNews , Hawkins, through his attorney Michael A. Kaufman, filed f...

In the 958th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are back to talk about a poker mystery. How did Esther Taylor's 2022 WPT Wynn trophy end up on eBay without her knowledge? Chad actually brought it to her attention, and after some investigating, there are more questions than answers. Was the trophy stolen? Hear from Etay herself as she shares what she thin...

In the 957th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas to sit down with TJ Reid , the recently-appointed Manager of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit .  Reid talks about his vision for the WSOP Circuit , upcoming plans, and how he'll help foster a better overall player experience. He offers a unique perspective as a pla...

In the 956th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway hosts his final show from the 2026 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) in Prague , where he is joined by special guests Martin Kabrhel , Lexy Gavin-Mather , Dan "Jungleman" Cates , and Landon Tice . Find out what they all had to say about the 2026 WSOP Europe and more. Plus, "Jungleman" doesn't shy away from calling out scammers and sh...

In the 955th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow for a special episode devoted to the latest update in The Lodge saga . The popular poker room near Austin, Texas, was raided back on March 10, and authorities had a 30-day window, until April 9, to file for civil asset forfeiture. Despite not yet filing any criminal charges, authorities did file a...

In the 954th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway is at the 2026 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) in Prague, where he is joined by special guest cohost Josh Arieh , the 2021 WSOP Player of the Year. Together, they discuss the enraged player who was disqualified deep in the €5,300 PLO European Championship, players who were upset on the bubble of that tournament when a chip leader g...

In the 953rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway is at the 2026 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) in Prague, where he is joined by special guest cohost Shaun Deeb , who talked about losing to quads twice when heads up for a gold bracelet. He then talks about his passion for the Player of the Year race , responds to Nick Palma 's poor sportsmanship comments, and shares his thoughts...

In the 952nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway is at the 2026 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) in Prague where he is joined by special guest cohost Annette Obrestad , who is famously the youngest-ever gold bracelet winner and has made a long-awaited return to the felt after nearly a decade away from the game.  The Norwegian pro, who stunned the poker world by winning the 2007 WS...

In the 951st episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway is at the 2026 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) in Prague where he is joined by special guest cohost Nick "Nicky P" Palma , who is fresh off a big online Sunday where he took down two major tournaments. Plus, he's debuted a new vlog at the WSOPE, talks about his online bracelet win from last fall, and shares his candid thoughts on S...

In the 950th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are back to talk about the latest in the poker world starting with an exclusive interview as Texas Card House (TCH) CEO Ryan Crow talks about the tate of Texas poker, TCH's perspective on the raid at Doug Polk's The Lodge , and whether or not the planned World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit will continue as...

In the 949th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow do an emergency show to react to the long-awaited video by Doug Polk in which he discusses the raid on his Texas card club, The Lodge . Find out what the large shareholder had to say, his timeline of events, and where things currently stand. Plus, what did Doug think about the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) theory,...

In the 948th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are back to discuss a new theory involving what might be the real reason behind authorities investigating The Lodge in Texas. It focuses more on the financial side of things, specifically the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) as opposed to actual poker and alcohol. Could it be the real reason for the raid? Plus, an up...

In the 947th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are back to discuss headlines from the poker world that didn't include The Lodge in Texas. Foremost among them was celebrity Kylie Jenner , working with Vanity Fair to make a viral poker video. Was it a good thing for poker?  The crew also discusses the upcoming closure of the Resorts World Poker Room and s...

In the 946th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow shoot a show devoted to examining the recently-released affidavit against The Lodge in Texas , which was raided by authorities last Tuesday. What were the details of the warrant? Find out here. Plus, Doug Polk recently issued a new statement and is committed to making sure players are taken care of. But wha...

In the 945th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow shoot a show devoted to the latest updates following The Lodge in Texas being raided by authorities. A lot has happened since the raid last Tuesday at Doug Polk 's famed card room, which recently issued a new statement. While we have some answers, there are still plenty of unanswered questions , given that...

In the 944th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Connor Richards react in real-time to breaking news -- that The Lodge in Texas was being raided by authorities. It was an unexpected development at Doug Polk's famed card room that you can read more about here . From there, the trio updates you on the cheating poker dealer from Texas that was highlighted in Episode 940....

In the 943rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are joined by TJ Reid at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas. The quartet talks about the viral and vulnerable tweet sent by famed vlogger Brad Owen , who was open about burnout and how he's currently feeling within the poker space. It's an intimate look at a part of the game that's not often talked about. They the...

In the 942nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are joined by Jeff Platt at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas. The quartet talks about Platt's new role with the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and what all that entails. Find out what all you can expect from the 2026 WSOP as the former cohost of the PokerNews Podcast talks about being a face of the brand, live vie...

In the 941st episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are joined by James Hartigan at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas. The quartet previews upcoming PokerStars live events , including the European Poker Tour (EPT) Paris , where the Spin & Go Championship will take place. There's also the PokerStars Open Philadelphia and the 2026 Irish Poker Open , which, according...

In the 940th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are back to break down the video of a poker dealer caught cheating in a Texas card room. See surveillance footage of what happened and how he was caught! The trio then discusses Michael Mizrachi & Chino Rheem 's $100K No Smoking/Drinking prop bet , Alex Foxen making his Hustler Casino Live (HCL) debut, and...

In the 939th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are back for a special episode to discuss the release of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) schedule ! Running from May 26 through July 15, the 2026 WSOP consists of 100 gold bracelet events and, for the first time ever, will be immediately followed by a WSOP Circuit stop. Find out what's new on the sche...

In the 938th episode of the PokerNews Podcast , Chad Holloway , Mike Holtz , and Ben Ludlow are joined by Connor Richards at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas to talk about poker pro Jared Bleznick revealing that he's buried by a bad investment into a massive amount of Labubu ! Connor then shares details on covering the federal trial of Tom Goldstein in person in Maryland and what it was like to win the...