More from this week
Today
Negreanu is having fun at the WSOP!
Despite things not exactly going his way this series, Daniel is still in a great mood, firing in tournaments, having fun with people on the rail, and clearly enjoying his time at the green felt.
🔥
From the football pitch to the mixed game tables.
Once a Bundesliga star, Max Kruse has now turned his attention to poker, and, unlike many sports-stars-turned-poker-players, he is not focusing on Texas Hold’em. Instead, Kruse is attracted to mixed games, so much so that he put up $50k to play in the Players Championship, one of the toughest tournaments of the summer.
🔥
Martin Kabrhel is now using props as well.
Let’s just sit down and play some poker in silence – is something Martin Kabrhel has never uttered. He seemingly never runs out of new ideas to throw his opponents off balance. Don’t be surprised if we see “no rhinos at the tables” rule for the next year’s WSOP.Yukon Brad is back!
We have a Brad Booth sighting in Las Vegas. This man has been involved in some of the biggest moments on High Stakes Poker, he’s been at the center of many controversies, and then, for a while, he pretty much disappeared from the public eye. But is seems like he’s back in the mix now.Not all card protectors are fine…
It may look like a spade from a distance, but it’s not… People sometimes bring the weirdest things to the table.Some card protectors just shouldn’t see the light of day.
Andrew Martin found himself in a sticky situation at the WSOP when staff told him to put away his X-rated card protector. Apparently, a sex toy on the felt is not what the organizers had in mind for table accessories, and he was issued a warning.Tuesday’s action at the $50,000 Poker Players Championship brought out the big names (Ivey, Hellmuth & more) and even bigger drama.
PokerOrg reports that Benny Glaser is leading the final 15, looking to finally add this elusive title to his resume after multiple close calls.
Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth are both in the mix, though neither has managed to win this event before. Ivey ended Day 3 with a healthy stack, while Hellmuth is hanging on by a thread near the bottom of the counts. Their combined 28 bracelets might not be enough to get them over the line this time, but they’re still in contention.
Well, one paragraph in and I am totally hooked on Jonathan Jaffe’s writing.
I was completely hooked. The centerpiece was Chris Moneymaker, the 27-year-old accountant from Tennessee who had qualified for the Main Event via an online satellite for just $86. One moment he’d be sitting at the table with his sunglasses on, bluffing players who were touted as legends of the game, and the next he’d be on the rail telling his father how close he’d just come to shitting his pants. Chris was the ultimate Everyman, the hero in whom we all saw ourselves.
Welcome to Octopi Poker: where $1 a day buys you poker enlightenment… maybe.
Octopi Poker is making a play for new users with its 90 Days for $90 offer. New signups get access to a bunch of resources: live onboarding, basic Academy courses, detailed lessons, coaching sessions, and the full Octopi platform. There is even a Discord community, so you can discuss your bad beats in real time.
🔥
The WSOP’s $1,500 Millionaire Maker has reached Day 4, and the stakes are as high as the field is massive.
According to the official WSOP channel, every pot could be the one that changes someone’s life, though for most, it just means another bust-out story.If you think double WSOP bracelet winners are rare, think again.
According to Barry Carter, the reason we keep seeing double bracelet winners at the World Series of Poker has less to do with poker prowess and more to do with basic probability.
He draws on the Birthday Paradox, that famous quirk where just 23 people in a room gives you a 50-50 chance two share a birthday.
Carter points out that when you have thousands of players and dozens of events, it’s almost inevitable that someone will win two bracelets.
“There is a theory that helps to explain why this happens almost every year. It is called the Birthday Paradox.”
This year, both Naoya Kihara and Calvin Anderson have already picked up two bracelets each, and Carter predicts we’ll see at least one more double winner before the series wraps up.
Brian Rast faces the longest odds at the WSOP PPC.
PokerNews reports that as Day 3 of the $50,000 WSOP Poker Players Championship wound down, Brian Rast was the only past champion still alive. He started the day with the smallest stack, needing a double-up just to stay in the mix.
Most of the big names were eliminated early, with defending champ Michael Mizrachi, Elior Sion, and Dan Cates gone by Day 1. Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hui didn’t make it past Day 2. That left Rast, a three-time winner, as the last hope for a repeat champion in 2026.
The event began in 2006 and has only had 13 unique winners. With the bubble approaching, PokerNews suggests the odds are stacked against Rast adding a fourth bracelet to his collection.
Esther Taylor adds ambassador to her already stacked resume.
Esther “E-Tay” Taylor is joining BetMGM Poker as its latest ambassador, according to PokerNews. Taylor, has over $3.2 million in live tournament earnings and is one of the top 20 women on the all-time money list.
Her career highlights include a third-place finish in the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship at the 2025 WSOP and ten WSOP final tables. Taylor commented on her new role, saying,
“From where I started in life to sitting here as a BetMGM ambassador, it opens my eyes to how precious life is and how one gesture of kindness can change everything.”
Taylor will represent BetMGM in live streams, social media content, and live events, joining other names like Darren Elias and Mike Lavin. She is expected to play the BetMGM Poker Championship at ARIA in July, a tournament with a $4 million guarantee.
Michelle Chin’s journey back to the WSOP winner’s circle took 11 years, but according to PokerStrategy, she made it count.
After making history as the first woman to win a WSOP Circuit Main Event over a decade ago, Chin finally captured her first bracelet in the $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Event.
The final table was stacked with experience, with only Chin and Horacio Chaves missing bracelets. Daniel Strelitz and Sean Troha were both denied more jewelry, as Chin clawed her way back from a short stack and a 5:1 chip deficit.
According to PokerStrategy, the win marks the end of an 11-year wait for a female player to take down a mixed game event at the WSOP.
Did Jon Orlando break the Table Talk rules at the WSOP?
Diving into the comments, Jeff Platt certainly seems to think so.Did the worst ruling at the WSOP just happen to Pads?
Seems clear cut that the hand was dead. Can’t believe the floor let him call!Phil Hellmuth donating to ladies’ poker weekend in Texas.
Love him or hate him, Hellmuth has a track record of supporting women-in-poker events. This time, he is adding $25K to the 'Queens and Cards’ prize pool. You can’t hate on the guy for that!Yesterday
🔥
It’s Day 4 of the Millionaire Maker streaming tonight on the WSOP channel.
One of the largest tournaments of the summer is approaching its final stretch, and you can watch the action live as it unfolds, plus some highlights from the Poker Players Championship.
🔥
A 90-year old player announces “shuffle up and deal” for Day 2 of Super Seniors.
Joseph Kelly was the oldest player to make Day 2 in the Super Seniors event and was given the honor to announce the start of the tournament. Not much else to say than, good luck, sir!Texas Mike sheds some light on his dark all-in strategy in some WSOP events.
There has been some controversy regarding the high-roller’s approach to certain tournaments, with some fans and players criticizing his carefree approach.
However, it’s no secret that Mike has had serious health issues for some time now, which doesn’t allow him to spend as much time at the tables, and he is still eager to try and play as many tournaments and achieve some deep runs.
Gambling it up in lower buy-in events with reentries allows him to try and run up a stack or, if it doesn’t work out, get some rest. And, given his “strategy” is fully within the rules and it’s his money to lose, I don’t really see a problem with it.
He is basically giving away free chips but yes, there is still some luck in poker, and sometimes pocket kings lose to a random hand like 97s. It’s kind of what you sign up for when you sit down to play.
Looking for more mixed game content? Jeremy Ausmus comes to the rescue!
Ausmus has been vlogging his runs in mixed game tournaments, at least somewhat filling that gap, and he’s just released a new vlog for our viewing pleasure.The PokerNews Podcast brings you some of the hottest topics from the poker world.
A player gets banned from the WSOP for smoking at the table (and pocketing his chips), there is a massive High Stakes Poker pot worth dissecting, and Martin Kabrhel is still one of the main talking points (that seems to be one constant this summer).You shouldn’t be afraid to bet big for value.
Another quality piece of advice from Alex Fitzgerald. You don’t need to overthink it against players who love to call down. When you have it, up your bets, and extract as much value as possible.
🔥
Catching up with Jamie Gold.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Jamie’s name listed among WSOP winners, but he is back in the mix, with his eyes set on one particular tournament. Can you guess which one?Latest Negreanu’s vlog has a little bit of everything.
Daniel continues his efforts in the $50k Poker Players Championship, dissects some interesting hands, and brings you live footage of Phil Hellmuth consuming a big sandwich at the table. What more could you possibly ask for?Jungleman continues to bring awareness about online poker clubs.
If you’ve been following Cates on X, you know that many of his posts are about private online poker clubs and many pros and cons of such places.
There is no doubt that finding the right games to play in these environments is not just about how good you are at poker. You need soft games, good rakeback deals, and, of course, trustworthy agents, as the level of outside protection is virtually non-existent.
Faraz Jaka WSOP vlog, Day 4.
This time we follow along with the Monster Stack. To be honest, I totally forgot that Jaka had a vlog series over the WSOP.
If you have too, watch below.
PokerStars on FanDuel Ontario is ramping things up with their No Sweat Series.
Players can join daily freerolls, with a total of CAD $100,000 in prizes up for grabs. As Ivan puts it, “this is a great way to test the new platform, have some fun, and potentially kick-start your online poker bankroll.”
No buy-ins are needed, just tickets handed out by the operator. There are two dozen events running, with turbo and hyper turbo formats to keep things moving fast. The series even includes multiple $10,000 freerolls, so the value is real if you can snag a seat.
With no re-entries and a crowd that’s (so far) smaller than usual, this could be one of those rare freerolls where your odds don’t immediately evaporate. Check your account for tickets and see if you get lucky.
GGPoker: The king of online poker, but still no mixed games.
GGPoker is the biggest room in online poker, but as Anuj points out, it still refuses to offer mixed games.
Despite dominating the industry with its player traffic and software features, there is one glaring omission in its game selection.
Anuj finds it odd, noting that even with the liquidity and technology to support any format, mixed games remain absent.
“What makes the absence of mixed games even more surprising is the scale at which GGPoker now operates. This is not a company struggling to attract players or maintain liquidity.”
GGPoker has introduced all sorts of experimental formats, from Flip & Go to Mystery Battle Royale, but the classics are still missing. As the article points out, even in 2026, players seeking mixed games will need to look elsewhere.
High-stakes BLAST players can get up to 40 percent rakeback each week on 888poker.
Just bring at least 50 dollars to the table and keep playing, because the more you spend on fees, the more you get back.First it was Martin Kabhrel eating like a monster, now it’s Hellmuth.
What is wrong with people?Another dealer error at the WSOP???
NOT AGAIN.GTOWizard dives into strategies that were deemed fishy a decade ago which are now considered GTO.
This article is from Barry Carter, who knows a thing or two about poker strategy. (He’s written books, don’t you know.)
In a recent conversation with Andrew Brokos, he made the comment, “The fish were onto something,” when describing a particular solver strategy. At the end of last year, Liv Boeree made the final table of WSOP Paradise after a long break from the game, and she made a similar comment, saying, “It feels like the game has gone full circle, and it turns out everything the fish were doing back in 2008 was kind of OK.”
Michelle Chin becomes the second woman to win an open WSOP bracelet event this summer.
The other going to the incomparable Kristen Foxen.Esther “E-Tay” Taylor becomes BetMGM Poker Ambassador.
Huge congrats to Esther!
🔥
The WSOP $1,500 NLH Millionaire Maker is back for Day 3.
The field is still huge, the money is growing, and the tension is running high. According to the official WSOP channel, “every pot becomes more important,” which is a reminder that as the numbers dwindle, every decision at the table matters that much more.Joao Simao just added a fourth WSOP bracelet to his collection, winning the $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller and cashing in for $1,368,700.
According to Card Player, this puts his career tournament earnings at over $20.5 million, extending his lead as Brazil’s all-time money leader.Jamie Gold is trying to recapture some of that 2006 magic at the WSOP Salute to Warriors, and this time it’s personal.
Playing in honor of his veteran father, Gold sits among the chip leaders with fewer than 80 left from a field of 4,478. He admits the swings have been rough but remains undeterred, saying, “I’ve taken some pretty rough beats and somehow I’m still at the top here.”888poker’s Card Strike promotion is getting a temporary upgrade.
From June 22 through 28, the Card Strike Boost will double the rate at which players can collect the required cards for a shot at the $10,000 top prize.
The best part is that players don’t need to pay extra fees or rake to join in—just play the usual cash games and the promo runs in the background.
If you’re new to Card Strike, it’s basically a side quest for cash game players. You get a virtual board with cards to collect, and if you strike them all in the allotted hands, you get a spin on a prize wheel. If you miss, you just reset and try again, as many times as you like.
PokerStars is launching the Wildcard Wins promotion this summer, and it is all about bringing sports bettors into the poker fold.
The promotion runs from June 15 to July 19, timed to overlap with football’s biggest tournament. With each $0.50 bet, players get a random starting score between 1 and 1,000,000, which is then modified by a series of multipliers.
PokerStars says this levels the playing field and opens up top prizes to everyone, not just high rollers.
Prizes include tournament tickets, a $2,500 Silver Pass, and a $530 Bronze Pass. The catch? The only way in is through the sportsbook.
According to Cardplayer Lifestyle, the 2026 MGM Grand Ladies No-Limit Hold’em event was a highlight of the Women’s Poker Week.
A $250 buy-in brought in 164 entries and more than $32,000 in the prize pool, far exceeding expectations. Nicole Turner emerged as the winner, banking $9,056.Get to know PokerStars Ambassador Jason Koon.
The Big Game on Tour is back and it’s a must-watch for the team here!Remko is back 🎙️!
Firstly, I love a podcast I can watch. Secondly, I love the format, and Remko is the consummate host. Great to have him back on the podcast streets.June 22
🔥
The Million Maker live stream stars earlier tonight.
The live coverage of the $1,500 Millionaire Maker starts a bit earlier today on the WSOP YouTube channel. Plus, you can look forward to some coverage of the $50k Poker Players Championship during the stream, so it should be a good one..Run It Once adds 6 Card PLO to its Vision trainer.
If you’re a fan of 6-card Pot Limit Omaha, this is great news, as you can now train some key preflop spots for heads-up and six-max using the popular PLO tool.There will be some coverage from the Players Championship tonight.
Although tonight’s WSOP live stream will focus on the Milly Maker, the good news is that there are camera crews around the PPC area as well, and we’ll be getting at least some coverage from one of the most prestigious events of the summer.
🔥
Viktor Blom in a rough spot in the $50k PPC.
'Isildur1’ is mixing it up with the best in the Poker Players Championship, but this year wasn’t his time to shine.There were some big winners last night on FanDuel Poker.
FanDuel Poker continues to post some impressive numbers in their tournaments, which, in turn, leads to some players winning big money playing on the site.Not sure if this has any real relevance, but it’s a fun question.
Do you have a favorite suit in poker? Spades just seem the most elegant of the lot, at least in most decks, but I’ve seen some interesting clubs designs, too.This year’s Milly Maker did not disappoint.
With almost 12,000 entries and the prize pool of over $15,000,000, the 2026 Millionaire Maker event will one more be one of the biggest of the entire series.
Although there is a small drop in participation compared to the last year, it’s fairly insignificant. The remaining 400+ players are back tonight to continue their long and difficult journey, but there are big rewards waiting at the finish line.
Improve your cash game results with these no-nonsense tips from Jonathan Little.
This guy knows a thing or two about poker, and he’s also very good at explaining his thought process in a clear, simple, and easy-to-follow manner. If you play cash games, this quick thread is well worth checking out.Would you like to see this at the official WSOP shop?
Something tells me that this particular item of clothing would sell like hot cakes!There is a lot happening at the World Series of Poker tonight.
The Poker Players Championship will be in the focus, but the $1,500 Millionaire Maker is always an interesting event to follow.It’s Max Pain Monday tonight on Hustler Casino Live.
Crazy action and no running it twice! Max Pain Mondays are always fun, and you can tune in for some action while waiting for the next WSOP stream to start.Event #58 – 2-7 Triple Draw will crown its winner tonight.
There is a WSOP bracelet and $160,000 up for grabs and 12 players remaining in the hunt.It’s time for the Poker Players Championship for Negreanu.
On the latest episode of Daniel Negreanu’s WSOP vlog, DNegs joins one of the most prestigious events of the series, shares some thoughts on the PPC, talks about the Main Event numbers, and more.The WSOP summed up by Jamie Lee Curtis.
Just kidding, but it’s actually the perfect take.Jon Pardy WSOP vlogs you didn’t know you needed.
Personally, I love a vlog, and this is my first foray into Jon Pardy’s. Really enjoying it so far.
🔥
Only sharing this picture of Chino Rheem to trigger everyone who is hating on players who cover their mouth.
📸 WSOP / Miguel CortesThis one’s going to get the “should dogs be allowed at poker tournaments” debate going.
📸 WSOP / Lennart HennigDonnie Peters dives into the latest from the Las Vegas poker scene, focusing on Alex Foxen’s fourth bracelet win and a payday north of $600,000.
Foxen continues to build his poker legacy, and apparently, his jewelry collection.
The episode also highlights other recent bracelet winners, though Foxen’s triumph is clearly the main event. Donnie puts the spotlight on the steady stream of success coming out of the World Series.
“Foxen’s consistency at the tables is what sets him apart,” Donnie notes, as he recaps the key moments and results from the last week.
Just another day at the office for Andrew Robl.
Andrew Robl makes high-stakes poker look like a casual Tuesday night at home, except with a lot more zeros. In this highlight reel, the only thing higher than the stakes are the eyebrows of everyone watching him call, raise, and occasionally just stare down the table.2025 was the year poker’s glass ceiling got a few more cracks.
The 2025 World Series of Poker might be remembered for more than just bad beats and big stacks.
According to PokerNews, Shiina Okamoto’s successful defense of her Ladies Championship title was only the start.
Leo Margets then made headlines as the first woman in thirty years to reach the Main Event final table.
🔥
Daniel Negreanu is back with his WSOP vlog series, tackling Day 2 of the $50,000 PLO High Roller.
The video moves through his morning routine, strategy talks, and some hand breakdowns, with occasional cameos from Amanda and shoutouts to other pros.The latest WSOP Countdown Show sets its sights on the $10,000 Mystery Bounty and $25,000 PLO High Roller final tables, but the real question is all about Alex Foxen’s relentless Player of the Year chase.
Jeff Platt and Joe Stapleton break down the fields, with plenty of talk about Foxen’s dominance and what it might take to dethrone him.🚭A player at the 2026 WSOP, Brazilian João Siqueira, caused some commotion after he was caught smoking a cigarette at the table and then attempted to pocket his chips.
According to PokerNews, smoking has been banned in US poker rooms for over 20 years, but Siqueira was undeterred, even as others at the table called for penalties.
Security stepped in and Siqueira was eventually removed from the tournament for smoking and putting his chips in his pocket, as well as reportedly drinking excessively. Despite the ejection, PokerNews reports that he is not banned from Caesars properties and is expected to return to the WSOP soon.
The WSOP Livestream: the good, the bad, the ugly.
The World Series production crew have been in problem solving mode, looking to address viewer and player concerns.PokerStars Open Malaga starts today.
With temperatures to match Vegas, Europe braces for a heatwave. ☀️Michael Mizrachi has spent the last year riding the wave of his 2025 WSOP main event victory.
After winning both the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for a record fourth time and the $10,000 main event for $10 million, Mizrachi’s trophy shelf is now crowded enough to require its own zip code.
As Lance Bradley via ESPN notes, “he has lived out of his suitcase, spending more time on an airplane than at any other point in his 21-year-long Hall of Fame career. And he’s exhausted.” Still, the grind continues as he returns to Las Vegas to try to do it all again.
The cherry on top? Poker legends didn’t even bother with the usual Hall of Fame process. As Bradley puts it,
They skipped the public nomination process entirely, bypassed the 'one inductee per year’ rule… and made him the 63rd member of the PHOF.
Read the full article from Bradley below.
The WSOP Poker Players Championship win was not to be for Michael Mizrachi.
But there’s still the Main Event to come 👀.⏰ Time left for WSOP Main Event ticket giveaway. ⏰
You have until June 28 to enter. This giveaway is SO SIMPLE, it’s a must for anyone who wants a shot at Main Event glory.Norman Chad and Lon McEachern have been calling the action for more than two decades, and not even they expected to become the voices of poker.
In this recent interview with PokerOrg, they talk about the turning point in 2003, when Chris Moneymaker’s win brought poker into the mainstream. Now, with ESPN bringing back WSOP coverage, they’re ready for another round.
They admit that the poker world has changed—celebrity players, social media challenges, and a different relationship with the audience. As Chad puts it, “We never thought we’d still be here after all these years, but poker keeps reinventing itself.”
The duo is optimistic about where poker broadcasting is headed, even if the biggest obstacle these days is keeping up with X.
More on the WSOP+ Membership and WSOP Academy. ⬇️
The World Series of Poker is changing the game for those looking to step up both their skills and their status.
The new WSOP+ membership program comes in three tiers, with the most basic being free for anyone with a GG Pass account. Even this entry level gives players access to the WSOP Academy app, which itself is launching as a standalone, free training tool.
GGPoker on 🔥.
According to Anuj’s piece on pokerfuse, this year’s GG World Festival at GGPoker set yet another high watermark, distributing over $350 million in prizes.
The fourth edition of the festival saw more than 6 million entries across 1,536 events, with three tournaments each generating prize pools of at least $10 million.
The $10,000 GGMillion$ Main Event topped the list at $12.5 million, followed by the $525 World Bounty Festival and the $1,500 Championship.
GGPoker claims this cements the GG World Festival’s status as the largest recurring online poker tournament series in the industry.
PokerStars on FanDuel running half price Summer Storm. ⛈️
The half price deal is running for the next few days, so if you are looking for ways to get max value out of the platform, this is a good one.WSOP Senior Events start to boom.
PokerOrg has the breakdown.Want Jen Tilly’s opinion on the Phil Hellmuth mark-up debate?
Like the rest of us, she thinks a 1.4 mark-up is a tad steep.How does the WSOP Main Event start next week?
The series is flying by! Can’t believe next week will be all Hellmuth entrances and Main Event updates.Wow, Calvin Anderson wins second WSOP bracelet of the series.
Check out some stats from Anderson’s poker résumé from Tim Duckworth, who is fast becoming the go-to stat man of the series.ClubWPT Gold at a Pokemon Collect-a-Con??
How old are the kids at that stand? How is this even allowed?!BetRivers Poker is shaking up the usual tournament schedule by focusing entirely on micro-stakes players.
Instead of a few token cheap events, Micro Mania features 30 tournaments with buy-ins from just $1 to $20, stretching across MI, PA, WV, and DE.
BetRivers Poker is also adding $10,000 in prize money across the series, guaranteeing extra value for every event. The series runs for eight days and offers leaderboard prizes and even custom collectibles for select winners.