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Throughout this deep run at the 2026 WSOP Ladies Championship, one of the finalists, Aubrey Williams—a self-identified transgender woman—has faced a barrage of vitriol. Much of this has been channeled through online platforms, where her presence has been used to fuel hateful, mean-spirited discourse, complaining about tournament eligibility and painting her participation as “reverse discrimination.”
PokerNews brings together Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, Ben Ludlow, and Hayden “Big Red” Hetland for another round of WSOP drama.
The star of this episode is Patrick “Pads” Leonard, who got hit with a “dead hand” ruling that has the poker world scratching its head.
WSOP’s official highlights video covers the $1,000 Ladies Championship final table, where the stakes were high and the tension higher. Skye Chen took home the bracelet and $194,630, with Aubrey Williams and Lisa Teebagy rounding out the top three.
The video gives a quick rundown of who cashed and just how much, with payouts ranging from over $16k for ninth to nearly $200k for first.
According to PokerNews, the 2026 WSOP has been taken over by a wave of Japanese players, fans, and energy.
The article spotlights figures like Koji Fujimoto, whose win against Nick Schulman drew more excitement from his Japanese followers than the Hall of Famer himself. Fujimoto isn’t just a champion, he’s a teacher, bringing dozens of his students to Vegas for the ride.
Meanwhile, poker influencer Masato Yokosawa organized an event that imported nearly 300 Japanese players for a special freeroll. Naoya Kihara, Japan’s first WSOP bracelet winner, is still making deep runs and acting as a translator for his countrymen.
PokerNews suggests the Japanese boom is less about luck, and more about a grassroots movement driven by community, teaching, and a little YouTube magic.
The Bounty Hunters Series is returning to GGPoker in July, and the numbers are big. The series boasts $80 million in guaranteed prizes, hundreds of knockout tournaments, and daily six-figure guarantees.
The buy-ins start at just $5.40, so you do not need to be a high roller to join the fun. The highlight is the $108 Mystery Bounty Main Event, set for July 27 and 28, with a $5 million guarantee and a single $100,000 bounty up for grabs.
The June 22 edition drew 6,488 entries, leaving GGPoker to cover a $104,656 shortfall.
The week before, another overlay cost them nearly $75k.