June 1, 2026

Sixteen hopefuls sat down at the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship tables on Day 2, but only four made it out the other side.

The matches are described as increasingly brutal, with every small error magnified under the tournament’s intense spotlight. Here are the highlights.

The quartet advancing to the quarterfinals includes William Foxen, Dimitar Danchev, Nikita Kuznetcov, and Ryuta Nakai. For those keeping score at home, that’s a lot of talent and even more pressure. The semifinals are looming, and the stakes are only getting higher.

Today

Ivan covers Andy Taylor’s rollercoaster as the Loose Cannon on The Big Game on Tour.

Things looked promising, with Taylor up over $20,000 after two sessions and aiming for a $50k target. But as Ivan writes, “things often don’t go to plan in poker,” and the final hand of the session proved it.

Poker in Texas remains on rocky ground.

PokerNews dives into the chaos of Texas poker rooms, starting with the latest raid in Houston.

They also discuss the return of Shawn Sheikhan, fresh out of prison, and the debut of the new WSOP main stage arena. New WSOP merchandise gets a look, as does a PokerNews podcast giveaway and updates on the MyPlayers platform.

The episode rounds out with Daniel Negreanu’s baby announcement, a recap of the first WSOP bracelet winner of the year, and a preview of high-stakes action at The Lodge.

The latest episode of WSOP Countdown rounds up the biggest stories from the 2026 World Series of Poker, focusing on everything from app nickname drama to the $25K Heads-Up Championship.

They also revisit classic trash talk moments, putting the likes of Matusow and Kassouf back in the spotlight. The show hits a high note when Norman Chad goes on a tirade about Alan Keating, who apparently won big in Austin but then skipped his match.

Poker may be about the cards, but the Countdown crew makes it clear: the real action is still in the chatter.

Leo Margets: a look back at her 2025 WSOP Main Event run.

The latest episode of Inside the Mind of a Pro drops viewers into the thick of Day 8, with Margets sitting on 30 big blinds and sizing up the final 24.

The show bills itself as the ultimate look into poker’s elite tournaments, and this year the stakes couldn’t be higher. According to the description, “Team Winamax is giving it everything they’ve got to bring you an even more spectacular show this year.”

For those who prefer their poker in Spanish, the original audio plus English subtitles is an option, just in case AI dubbing isn’t your thing. The series also has plenty of classic episodes if you want to binge-watch the highs and lows of the circuit.

If you are hoping to win a trip to the 2026 WSOP, Anuj breaks down the latest twists in how poker sites are getting players to Las Vegas.

GGPoker, always a major player, has ditched its old Road to Vegas promotion in favor of a step-based WSOP Express route, inspired by PokerStars’ Power Path.

Players can qualify starting at just 50 cents, but unlike previous years, the prize is mainly the $10,000 Main Event buy-in. You’ll need to arrange your own transport and accommodation.

Other operators, including Winamax, PMU Poker, Paddy Power, and Sky Poker, are also offering routes to the Main Event, but the days of the all-expenses-paid poker dream trip seem to be fading. As Anuj puts it, the Vegas trip is now more of a solo mission.

Your Lance Bradley substack recommendation.

Bradley is on the ground over at the WSOP and his content is worth checking out.

Summer Poker Calendar available now as an app.

Benefits of using the app over the website per Gags30.

Still no logins required, no subscriptions, 100% free

Track your results! If you added an event to My Schedule, it will automatically roll into 'pending’ in Results. Tap that you played it and select if you cashed and it will be added to Results

Add events that were not on the calendar

Local storage will hold My Schedule, while still allow you to browse any schedules you’ve been linked to.

All filters will remembered the next time you open the app. Set filters and they’re there the next time you want to browse tournaments

If you already made a schedule on web you can import it using your schedule URL

Alan Keating, known for his high-stakes cash game exploits, registered for his first 2026 WSOP event but apparently had better things to do after a big win elsewhere.

According to PokerNews, Keating paid the $25,000 entry for the heads-up championship but never showed up to play his first round against Piotr Krupa.

His chips were blinded off until Keating called in to concede the match, handing Krupa a free pass to round two. Keating had reportedly won over $1 million at The Lodge Card Club earlier in the week, so the WSOP buy-in was likely just a small dent in his week.

PokerOrg followed the action as the $1 million bounty in the $550 Mystery Millions event hung tantalizingly out of reach.

The pros and recs alike watched as the $250K bounties were snapped up early, but the main prize lingered. By late afternoon, the odds for the million were spiking and the tension was obvious.

Andrew Shelton, a player with a modest tournament record, stepped up to the chest with just $21,961 in lifetime cashes. He only fired once, and that was all it took.

“I never thought I’d win this much money. It’s f**ing wild. I don’t know what to think or say.”

As for what comes next? Shelton was clear: “Oh no, I’m f**ing partying,” he told PokerOrg.

The semifinals and the final of the $25K Heads-Up Championship play out today.

And it’s going to get a lot of people tuning in.

Jeff Platt’s WSOP job description has been uncovered.

Remember, not all heroes wear capes!

Watch: Day 4 WSOP vlog from DNegs.

Negreanu’s vlogs are some of the best around. They’re a daily watch for us during the WSOP, especially since we can’t be there ourselves.

In case you missed the WSOP “mothership” reveal, we have it here.

It is a monster.

Take a bow, Shaun Deeb.

It’s a baller move, and we are into it!

After a month-long hiatus, PokerStars coming back to Ontario—but this time, it’s wearing a FanDuel hat.

Players will get to try out Playtech’s iPoker software with games returning on June 3.

BetRivers Poker says April was their best month on record.

According to Poker Industry PRO estimates, BetRivers pulled in $737k across its four operational states, a milestone for the operator.

The company only entered the US regulated market in late 2024, starting in Pennsylvania with a very low-key approach. Now, after expanding to more states and connecting player pools, BetRivers is holding a monopoly in Delaware and West Virginia.