June 29, 2026

Another week, another WSOP controversy unpicked.

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.

July 04

Day 1C of the Main Event is streaming tonight.

Another starting flight of the 2026 WSOP Main Event is streaming live. Tune in for a few hours and watch players battle it out to try and secure a stack for Day 2.

Some big changes coming from this year’s TDA summit.

The Tournament Directors Association held its summit, and there are some interesting changes coming, regarding rules about table talk, pets at the tables, all-ins, and more.

That’s one way to celebrate turning 21.

Some players have to wait for years and dozens of tournaments for their first bracelet. Adrian did it shortly after turning 21, by outlasting a field of over 5,000 entries. That’s definitely something to write home about.

We have a Dan Bilzerian sighting at the WSOP.

The Main Event really brings out everyone. It’s been a moment since we’ve seen Bilzerian at the green felt, but he decided to join the chase for the most coveted bracelet in all of poker.

Brian Hastings joins the Saturday night Main Event fever.

This is his 17th Main Event and still, like most other pros, Hastings can still feel the magic of this tournament.

Texas Mike brings some tales from around the felt.

One most wonder if this is like a new GTO strategy in tipping?

Another quick Main Event exit.

This year’s Day 1s have been marked by quick exits. For Day 1C, it took only 20 minutes for poker gods and variance to claim their first victim.

A quick update on Main Event numbers.

These don’t tell much of a story as players don’t tend to register early on, but it’s interesting for tracking purposes.

Faraz Jaka is excited about the Main.

Even for the most experienced of pros, there is something magical about the Main Event. There is no other tournament like it out there!

Daniel Negreanu is right back in the mix.

There is no rest for the wicked. Right after winning his eight WSOP bracelet, Negreanu is back in the mix of things as the grind continues.

Phase 1s for the Anniversary Sunday Million are now underway.

You can already start your journey to secure your seat in Phase 2 of the PokerStars big celebratory event happening later this year.

Allen Kessler is bothered by the official WSOP tracking.

Allen believes that the total number of WSOP cashes is inflated for all players (himself included). He could be onto something, as the debate continues as to what cashes are counted toward this number.

There is a new poker social media platform on the horizon.

It looks like some of the biggest names in poker have teamed up to launch a fresh social media poker platform called Alligator Blood. It looks like a pretty good team behind the scenes, but what will this actually look like? Can it gain some real traction?

The pain of being a poker celebrity.

Chris is (kind of) joking here, but having a camera that close to your face probably doesn’t feel great.

It’s the small problems that no one talks about…

Jen Harman has been putting in some volume at this year’s series, but, unlike most players who complain about cards, dealers, and bad beats, she has different problems.

This year, The Grinder had a bit of a Main Entrance of his own.

While grandiose Main Event entrances are Phil Hellmuth’s thing, he doesn’t have monopoly on them. This year, the defending champ Michael 'The Grinder’ Mizrachi decided he’d make some noise and show up in style, too.

Gerard Pique is in the mix!

The former Barcelona star arrived to Las Vegas to try his luck in the Main Event. Pique has been taking poker much more seriously as of late, even appearing on one of the latest seasons of The Big Game.

Michael Mizrachi demonstrating his skills in the Main Event.

It’s early days in this year’s Main Event, but The Grinder is already showing us some of the skills that helped him go all the way in the last year’s tournament. Can the defending champ find another deep run in 2026?

Dzmitry Urbanovich finally gets a WSOP bracelet.

It took some doing for the Polish poker pro, but Urbanovich finally made it all the way in the $10k 8-Game Mixed Championship to capture his maiden bracelet alongside $431k in prize money.

Tune in for Day 1B of the 2026 WSOP Main Event.

The live stream for the second starting flight of the 2026 Main Event is now up and running on the WSOP YouTube channel.

July 03

There is a fun lineup for tonight’s cash game stream at HCL.

If the Main Event action isn’t enough, the Hustler Casino Live will be streaming its High Stakes Friday game, with the lineup featuring the likes of Big Mike, Jeff the Cash, Ryan Feldman, and Brownballa.

The BetMGM Poker Championship is going strong, too.

Although the bulk of poker action is happening at the WSOP, the $3,500 BetMGM Poker Championship over at the Aria attracted the crowd of over 1,500 entries, with some familiar faces in the crowd.

Check out Kid Poker’s WSOP resume.

When you look at Negreanu’s entire run at the World Series of Poker, it is truly nothing short of impressive. Eight bracelets across many different variants, 64 final tables, and over $27.5 million in winnings – and he is still going as strong as ever.

Throwback to simpler times…

Check out the World Series of Poker schedule from 2003. Things were certainly much different and way simpler, but as poker has grown and changed, so has its biggest festival.

The first elimination of Day 1B of the Main Event is already here.

It’s no fun to be the first one out in one of the biggest poker tournaments of the year, but somebody has to get this dubious honor.

Check out Main Event Day 1A highlights.

In case you haven’t had the time to tune in for the live stream, here’s the breakdown of some of the most important moments from the very first day of the 2026 WSOP Main Event.

Sam Greenwood shares his top 10 Main Event lessons.

Check out some very practical tournament advice from one of the game’s best. If you’re about to play the Main Event, and especially if you don’t have much live experience, these tips could come in very handy.

The numbers are going in the right direction at the 2026 WSOP.

The summer series got off to a bit of a slow start, but things seem to have picked up speed in the second half.

This is probably the most exciting Daniel’s vlog of the entire series.

In case you’ve missed the news, Daniel Negreanu won the $100k PLO High Roller yesterday, banking $2.2 million and bagging his eighth bracelet.

His latest vlog brings you the breakdown of the final table and the winning moment exactly the way Negreanu experienced it!

Scott Seiver is through to Day 2 of the Main Event.

Unlike many pros who choose to play in one of the later flights, Seiver joined Day 1A and he managed to build a bit of a stack for the Day 2 action.

Daniel Negreanu’s interview fresh off of his huge win.

After winning the $100k PLO High Roller to pocket $2.2 million and his eighth bracelet, Negreanu shares his thoughts on the tournament run and what this victory means for him.

Kabrhel is creating some drama again.

It’s not common to see a player refusing to shake his opponent’s hand, but Martin does things his way. Perhaps there is a reason, or, perhaps, he’s doing it to attract attention. Which one do you think it is?

WSOP Main Event schedule on ESPN.

More info on the streaming schedule, courtesy of Kevmath.

The Phil Hellmuth WSOP entrance from another angle.

I think this one may make it seem worse 🤣

But fair play to the guy for having the cojones to do it, year on year, haters be damned.

The 2026 WSOP Main Event Phil Hellmuth entrance is here.

And it’s as cringe as you would expect.

Watch Shaun Deeb present Martin Kabrhel with his 6th WSOP bracelet.

What an iconic pairing 🎙️

If ClubWPT Gold know how to do one thing well, its being a troll.

But honestly, I can’t hate the commitment.

On the same day as Daniel Negreanu, Martin Kabrhel wins a WSOP bracelet.

He’s played enough tournaments this year that one has finally stuck, giving the much love/hated poker pro some hardware — finally.

Amazing scenes as Daniel Negreanu takes down WSOP bracelet number 8.

The rail descends into chants of “Daniel, Daniel, Daniel” after his win.

The first Main Event stream of 2026 is live!

Here we go! The Main Event is underway and Day 1A action is streaming live on YouTube right now/

July 02

Daniel Negreanu battling heads up for the bracelet.

There is just one more player standing between DNegs and the WSOP bracelet as well as that $2.2 million first place money!

Some Spin & Goal tickets up for grabs on FanDuel Poker.

Correctly guess the name of the FanDuel Poker ambassador hiding in the jumbled picture and you’ll have a shot at a free $5 Spin & Goal ticket. There are 20 up for grabs, so you might as well give it a go.

Are you ready for Phil Hellmuth’s big Main Event entrance?

It’s happening tonight. Phil is coming in as Superman, joined by his sons and Dan 'Jungleman’ Cates, all wearing costumes. The tradition continues!

Some useful info for Main Event Landmark satellite winners.

Any tickets won via Landmark satellites can be used to enter any of the starting flights and even exchanged for casino chips, but the latter option is subject to tax.

Scott Seiver off to a hot start in the Main.

Doubling up during the very first orbit of the Main Event must be a pretty good feeling, even for a player of Seiver’s caliber. Especially when you do it based on such a good live read.

Guess the number of Main Event entrants & get a free month of RIO membership.

The Main Event fever is here and everybody’s catching the bug. Run It Once is giving away one month of their Elite poker training to one person who gets the closest guess for the total number of players in this year’s tournament.

The first Main Event elimination is already in!

That was quick…

Daniel Negreanu is going after a bracelet tonight!

Daniel is coming into the final table of the $100k PLO High Roller second in chips, having already locked up at least $500k. However, there is $2.2 million for the winner and a gold bracelet up for grabs, and Kid Poker will certainly fight hard for the victory.

Allen Kessler with another deep run.

Could this be the one that finally turns into a WSOP bracelet?

It seems there is some counterfeit money circulating in Las Vegas.

Just a warning for anyone doing any kind of swaps involving cash – according to Lynne, there are some counterfeit bills in circulation, and they’ve found their way into hands and pockets of some poker players already. Yet another reminder that you can never be too careful, especially if doing business with someone you don’t know well.

The downside of leaving a few chips behind…

There are certainly some upsides to leaving one chip (or one big blind) behind in bubble or pay jump scenarios, but then there are also funny situations like this one.

Daniel Negreanu running deep in the $100k PLO event.

Kid Poker is making a deep run in another big buy-in event, playing against some of the best, raking in the chips, and analyzing a few interesting hands along the way.

The man is on a mission!

Deeb has plans to outdo Phil Hellmuth, but that’s still a ways to go.

Such an amazing photo of Micheal Mizrachi winning bracelet number 9.

PokerOrg interview The Grinder but it’s the picture that really got me clicking on the article.

From Seoul to the felt, and now to the classroom and ambassadorship.

Esther Taylor has taken an unconventional route to the poker felt, from being found as a baby at a train station in Seoul to becoming a pro based in Portland.

She shared with PokerOrg how her journey inspired her new coaching venture, Her Edge Academy, focused on supporting women in poker.

Taylor’s first initiative is giving away five seats to the WSOP Ladies Championship. She asked women to submit their personal stories, saying, “I’m somebody who loves to get to know somebody and hear their stories. I had the women submit their stories to me.”

According to Taylor, poker can be a self-serving world, and she wanted to create a space that offers something back.

“It’s been very important to me to find ways to give back in my own way,” she told PokerOrg. Her Edge Academy is designed as a “for-her-by-her” training site, which Taylor says was missing when she was coming up.

How to tune in to the ESPN coverage of the WSOP Main Event.

ESPN is making a big deal out of its return to the WSOP Main Event in 2026, rolling out a schedule packed with both livestreams and edited episodes.

According to PokerNews, pre-final table action runs July 2 to July 13, streaming nightly on ESPN+ for subscribers.

The action at the 2026 WSOP has not disappointed. PokerNews rounds up some of the best hands of the last week.

Daniel Negreanu pulled off a king-high straight flush against Eelis Parssinen’s full house, sending Parssinen into the depths and boosting Negreanu’s stack.

Meanwhile, in the Super Seniors event, Nancy Birnbaum seemed poised for a comeback with ace-king against Lionel Barracano’s king-jack. The runout kept her in the lead, but the sweat was real as outs mounted on the turn. As for Martin Kabrhel, he summed up the chaos best:

“You screwed yourself and myself.”

Could this be the first WSOP bracelet of Daniel Negreanu’s summer?

He leads the final table with a huge stake — this is one of his best chances all summer to snag a bracelet.

Is Jamie Gold in the same league as Kabrhel and Kassouf?

He doesn’t think so. Check out what he has to say in table talk int he latest PokerNews podcast.

A dedicated WSOP Ladies Player of the Year race?

Kitty Kuo thinks so.

LuckyChewy’s WSOP bad beat explored.

Andrew Lichtenberger breaks down his bad beat at length in his latest post on X.

Caitlin Comeskey’s deep run after deep run.

She’s hoping for 3 final tables in one week! Lets goooooo!

For the first time ever, the World Series of Poker Circuit is heading to Mexico City.

The festival runs from August 31 to September 11 at Big Bola Casinos, featuring 12 gold ring events and a $1,700 Main Event.

GGPoker is offering online satellites, so players can try their luck at a Main Event seat for as little as $5, or even free through weekly freerolls.

Winners of each event will also get a package for the $5,000 WSOP Circuit Championship in the Bahamas later this year.

Peyton and Eli Manning welcome in the WSOP on ESPN.

Coverage starts from today.

July 01

Tune in for the final table of the $5,000 6-Max event.

There is close to $1,000,000 up for grabs for the winner. Markus Gonsalves is leading the way, but he’s facing a very tough competition.

June was a record-breaking month for Rampage.

Ethan is certainly no stranger to variance and all the ups and downs of poker, but he’s been on a bit of a heater lately.

There is $10k up for grabs for GGPoker Main Event qualifiers.

If you won your Main Event seat via GGPoker, you just need to outlast all other qualifiers in the tournament, and you’ll pick up $10,000. Easy enough, right?

How do you rate this shirt?

Will this one bring some luck for Aaron Barone as he tries his luck in some big-field events at the 2026 World Series of Poker?

It’s a nice lineup for the High Stakes Wednesday on HCL.

Mariano and Britney will be the stars of the show, but rest of the lineup is nothing to sneeze at. It should be a fun session with some big pots.

Keep up with Kevmath in the $600 WSOP Deepstack Championship.

Kevin Mathers joins the action once more. If you’d like to follow his progress and/or offer your support, this is the thread to do it. GL Kev!

This is an interesting breakdown of how poker moved from public spaces to private games.

It is getting harder to find good public games. More and more, the action is moving to semi-private and private games where you need an invitation to join. This post tries to explain how this change came about through numerous small changes.

Caitlin is running deep in another one.

It seems that Comeskey’s decision to max late-reg the $10k Stud 8 Championship was a good one. She made it through to Day 2, locked up a profit, and will be battling for a bracelet with just 13 players left.

One poker dream is halted.

The man who managed to parlay his $120 satellite entry into a seat in the $100k PLO High Roller was stopped during Day 1. It’s a shame, really, as it could have been such an epic story!

Angle shooting or not?

This is an interesting question and it seems very specific to the mixed game community, as no one would ever consider this an angle in a Hold’em game. It’s down to players to verify their opponent hand before mucking.

Is this really something the WSOP should regulate through a specific rule? Not being a part of the mixed game community, it’s hard to say how much of a big deal this really is or isn’t.

Rampage on winning his second WSOP bracelet after a few losing years.

Listen to what the man has to say below.

Not sure how I came across this.

And then couldn’t stop watching. Here is your life as every rank of online poker pro. You’re welcome.

The Lock In at PokerStars Open Malaga episode is here.

It is a jam packed episode that covers not only the PokerStars Open action but all the latest at the WSOP. Oh and David almost castrates himself. It’s a doozy of an episode.

🎙 The Chip Race 🎙 (@thechiprace)

PokerStars Open Malaga 2026 ~ Disruptive Players, Time Police & David Does His Cajones (Lock-In 115)

This week, we are locked in to the Casino Torrequebrada on the beautiful Costa Del Sol as we play the PokerStars Malaga Open

Want to know what makes an excellent poker player?

Alex Foxen, thinks its do with the gap between knowledge and execution. Daniel Negreanu agrees. Quite the endorsement.

Jesse Lonis AMA on 130 days sober.

There are some big names in the chat asking him all sorts from withdrawal symptoms to how long he intends to say sober.

Jeremy Ausmus loves the WSOP Live app but thinks it could be better.

He thinks adding incentives like lower rake could help to improve the high roller tournaments. You?

Shaun Deeb has only gone and done it.

WSOP bracelet number 9 is in the bag, and he’s been catapulted to the top of the Player of the Year race.

June 30

Day 3 of the WSOP $5k 6-Handed Event on the live stream tonigh.

Tune in for one of the WSOP toughest events as it inches closer to finding its winner!

Mixed games have arrived to iPoker!

All fans of mixed games have plenty to be excited about as iPoker has introduced mixed games to their software, starting with HORSE and 8-Game.

The action continues in the $10k Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Championship.

There are some last-minute entrants, including Caitlin Comeskey who is coming hot off of her deep run and fourth place finish in the $1,000 Ladies Championship.

Rampage is feeling good after his WSOP win.

Ethan 'Rampage’ Yau is excited after winning his second WSOP bracelet, outlasting a very tough final table.

You don’t want to miss this episode of the PokerNews Podcast.

Jamie Gold, the 2006 Main Event winner, joins the podcast for a fun interview on the 20th anniversary of his huge achievement, and shares some stories you probably haven’t heard before.

Josh Arieh is hunting for a bracelet.

With only 60 players remaining in the $5k 6-max event, Josh Arieh is coming back to a decent stack, looking to increase his bracelet count (and claim some valuable points for the Fantasy Draft, of course).

Jeremy Ausmus talks about Poker Hall of Fame.

In his latest vlog, Ausmus breaks down this year’s Poker Hall of Fame situation, talks about the nominees, who he thinks might get inducted, and more.

PokerStars Open Malaga Main Event wraps up.

It was Norway’s Oskar Bilstad lifting up the trophy and picking up €178,840 in prize money for his extraordinary run in this big-field event.

Jen Harman sharing her thoughts on this year’s Hall of Fame nominees.

Just like quite a few other well know pros out there, Harman is somewhat disappointed that the likes of Josh Arieh, Jeremy Ausmus, and Gus Hansen did not make the shortlist for this year’s Poker Hall of Fame.

BetRivers Poker Micro Mania pays over $50k in prize money.

The low-stakes focused series attracted nearly 8,000 entries across 30 affordable tournaments, dishing out $53,000 in prizes, with the $10 Main Event attracting the largest individual field of 483 entries.

How to turn $120 into a $100k tournament entry.

The poker dream is still very much alive. It may be harder, but there are still people turning a couple of hundred bucks into entries to massive tournaments with life-changing prizes.

Feel we can all relate to this 🤣.

Catch the full episode of Hellmuth’s Home Game via Poker Night in America.

Rampage wins WSOP bracelet number 2.

👏👏👏

The women who played the WSOP Ladies event were happy Aubrey Williams played, it’s just everyone else that has an issue.

If everyone in that event like and respect Aubrey, let’s please move past it.

Mike Matusow with a good WSOP improvement idea.

I actually think he is talking a lot of sense here—words I never thought I would say.

Organizers have been listening to lots of player feedback this year, but will they consider this one?

Micheal Mizrachi wins his 9th WSOP bracelet.

The Grinder is absolutely unstoppable!

Garrett Adelstein on why he thinks Robbi knew she had J4 all along.

I’ll say his analysis is very compelling!

June 29

Watch Grinder going for his ninth WSOP bracelet.

Streaming tonight is the final table of the $10k PLO Championship, with Michael 'Grinder’ Mizrachi starting as the chip leader and looking to add another title to his impressive resume.

Check out an interview with Skye Chen, the Ladies Championship winner.

After winning in the largest-ever Ladies Championship, Chen remains very humble. She explains that she doesn’t really play that much poker and although she’s a winning player at small stakes cash, this victory wasn’t something she saw coming.

Ninth WSOP bracelet is well within The Grinder’s reach.

Combining a massive chip lead and his tremendous experience, we wouldn’t bet against Michael Mizrachi in this one.

Attack medium stacks near the bubble.

This piece of tournament strategy advice can come in really handy, especially in lower buy-in events, where many players will be reluctant to go broke before the bubble bursts.

Ladies and gentlemen, he is back!

Will Kassouf is back at the World Series of Poker. He’ll be playing in the Main Event, so get ready for some shenanigans.

There is a $150 WSOP Express ticket up for grabs.

Put in your guess, try to predict the order of the final four players in GGMillion$, and you could be walking away with a $150 WSOP Express ticket.

Brad Owen is looking to make things happen at the WSOP.

It has been a rather quiet series for the popular poker vlogger so far, but he is running deep in a Mixed Big Bet event and things could change.

WSOP Ladies Final Table wraps up.

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.

The real main event: Japan’s summer at the WSOP.

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.

Knockout season is coming to GGPoker.

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.

Winner of WSOP Ladies Event crowned.

It was a stacked final table, but the narrative was definitely overtaken by Aubry Williams run.

David Williams playing in Magic The Gathering tournament.

Nerds gonna nerd.

Daniel Negreanu cashes in 5 PLO events this WSOP.

Again, Tim Duckworth has all the stats we need.

Guess who’s back leading another WSOP final table?

Michael Mizrachi is once again proving that old habits die hard, sitting atop the $10K PLO Championship final table with huge stack.

For the first time in almost a year, GGMasters just posted back-to-back overlays.

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.

A great take on the discourse around the recent WSOP Ladies event.

Read it.

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.”