April 27, 2026

Maurice Hawkins is filing for bankruptcy to get rid of his debts.

The latest PokerNews Podcast focuses on Maurice Hawkins, the man who’s known at the record holder for the number of WSOP Circuit rings won, but who isn’t exactly looked upon favorably by the poker world.

Despite having won large amounts, especially over the last couple of years, Hawkins owes money, and his biggest outstanding debt (that we know about for certain) is to Randy Garcia. Garcia is owed over $100k and he’s partnered up with a poker-playing lawyer to reclaim his money.

However, the plot thickens, as Maurice Hawkins has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which would get him out of most of his personal debts.

The PokerNews Podcast team does a great job breaking things down and chatting with Rogen K. Chhabra, the lawyer helping Garcia get his money back.

Today

IFKYK. Looking at you ClubWPT Gold.

No extra prizes to be paid out from third parties, at this year’s WSOP.

Jeopardy isn’t really a thing from where I am from.

But I believe this is a BIG deal.

😱Amazing if true!

Poker legend and RHOBH Jen Tilly might be headed to The White Lotus Season 4! 😱

Set the reminders.

Maurice Hawkins to appear on the PokerNews pod, 8am PST. 🍿

Phil Hellmuth puts his name to Octopi Poker.

What with the BetRivers Poker sponsorship deal and his Under Armour merch, how will there be space for him to rep another brand?

PokerStars on FanDuel are rolling out their new joint venture in the US. The rewards program is designed for everyone from diehard grinders to casual dabblers.

The Dynasty Builder features two types of missions: Thrill Missions for casuals and Grind Missions for the more dedicated.

Thrill Missions are recurring and easy, offering tournament tickets and cosmetic perks, while Grind Missions cater to the more serious players.

Everything you need to know in our article.

Viktor Blom remains an unstoppable force.

According to PokerOrg, Blom ran up a 5 figure deposit into $1.7 million in winnings. Holy f-ing s balls!

Freeroll ticket giveaway to 888poker XL Spring Series.

Love the fact Aaron was meant to save them as a stream-giveaway but couldn’t be arsed!

Kevmath does the WSOP rules and regs heavy lifting, so we don’t have to.

He outlines 3 notable changes for the upcoming WSOP 2026. Give them a read if you plan to be in Vegas this year.

Yesterday

Michael Mizrachi and Joe Hachem are the headlines on Day 2 of the Aussie Millions Opening Event.

Mizrachi has bagged a healthy 730,000 chips, which puts him eighth in the standings. Hachem is still in but will need to get creative with his 146,000 stack.

The prize pool is now an impressive A$2,787,200, and plenty of big names are still in contention as play resumes. According to PokerNews, the bubble is expected to burst early, so expect drama.

Rampage opens up about his negative experiences in private high-stakes games.

Private games are great in many ways, as they are usually way softer than any game you’ll find in a public casino and the overall atmosphere is more relaxed. However, for all of their positive aspects, they also come with certain (serious) downsides.

Perhaps the biggest risk is that winners don’t get paid in full (or at all), which is something Rampage experienced first-hand. He stayed silent for a long time, hoping that his debtors would come through, but he’s now decided to break the silence and reveal their names (and amounts owed) to the world.

Another great value tournament is on tonight at FanDuel Poker.

The weekend may be over, but Ignite Series continues on {PokerStars on FanDuel). Today’s top pick is $100 Nightly Stars, offering a big guarantee of $50,000.

DNegs is back with another online session.

Check out Daniel Negreanu’s latest video, featuring his run in some high-stakes tournaments on GGPoker, his trademark colorful commentary, and emotions that come through.

Negreanu was never the one to hide his feelings when playing poker, especially when doing it online, where his opponents can’t see his reactions, which adds an extra layer of entertainment to his streams and videos.

PokerOrg dives into the idea that 'resilience’ is the secret sauce for long-term poker survival.

According to the article, resilience is not some innate gift, but a skill that you build up over thousands of hands, like calluses after a long grind. When tilt hits, the best pros rely on emotional regulation, not wishful thinking.

The article points out that “the more time you spend in the 'trench reality’ of the game, the better your brain becomes at 'navigating tilt’.” Experience matters, and the highs and lows eventually teach your brain to handle the stress. They warn that if your resilience is low, you will start to see 'performance blocks’ like the 'illusion of control'—where you blame your skill for your losses, conveniently forgetting about variance.

Want to understand the “strategic nuances” of WSOP Express?

Barry Carter and Dara O’Kearney have got you covered! These guys know what they are talking about. Go give them your email and get their great advice. They are satellite experts.

Lex Veldhuis, according to his latest session, really believes in the power of game theory and strategic adjustments.

He spends this video dissecting his Day 2 tournament run, focusing on the math, the risk management, and trying to make all the right moves.

But as the video shows, sometimes all that analysis is just background noise for a simple truth in poker: things can go off the rails, fast. Veldhuis puts it plainly:

'No matter how much you prepare, sometimes the cards just have other plans.’

He invites viewers to think about the bigger lessons, like adapting on the fly and not letting variance tilt your whole session. Still, the main message seems to be that even the professionals are just along for the ride sometimes.

PokerStars is celebrating 25 years with a huge online series this May.

PokerStars is marking its 25th anniversary with a special online anniversary series in May, offering a massive $50 million in prize money. The series runs from May 10 to June 3, 2026, replacing the original SCOOP time slot, and features 461 tournaments in total, with buy-ins ranging from $5.50 to $15,000.

When it comes to celebrating milestones, PokerStars certainly knows how to do it in style.

If you won’t be at EPT Monte Carlo but want to follow along with the action, PokerStars has you covered.

The PokerStars YouTube channel will have live stream coverage of the Main Event, the One Drop, and Super High Roller events.

WPT Wynn Poker trophy theft.

Apparently, poker trophies are now collectibles for those who didn’t win them. PokerNews covers the saga of Esther Taylor’s WPT Wynn trophy, which managed to get listed on eBay without her knowledge.

Some Triton high roller action featuring Alex Foxen and Mike Watson.

Give it a watch. That ending 😱

The Ignite Series on PokerStars FanDuel is making headlines for its ambitious $5 million guaranteed prize pool.

As Anuj reports for pokerfuse, the series has awarded close to $1.8 million and drawn over 19,000 entries, but overlays have exceeded $400,000 so far—meaning nearly a quarter of the prize money has been paid by the operator.

Ivan dives into the latest debt drama between David Peters, who has nearly $50 million in live tournament cashes, and Dylan Linde, who went public about a $23,000 debt Peters owed him.

The amount originated from Peters not paying in full for a tournament stake he bought. Peters admitted to the debt and apologized, blaming poor communication and promising to pay it off.

PokerStars on FanDuel is now the clear leader in US online poker.

The big change? PokerStars shifted all their players to FanDuel’s platform, connecting Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania player pools for the first time. That has pushed their average cash game traffic to almost 300, outpacing WSOP Online and BetMGM Poker.

The KO Series is underway over on PartyPoker.

Jaime Staples has all the details on the online series that is now running.

If you love a good degen story this one is for you.

Jake Cody puts all his tournament winnings on one spin of the roulette wheel. Madness.

WSOP 2026 tournament rules released.

Per Kevmath, there is additional ways to pay this year. MoonPay has entered the chat.

Credit card fees are outlined, but are expected to be waived. Here’s hoping.

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