WILD Billionaire WSOP Stories: Ultra-Rich Poker Players Revealed
Release Date: 06/05/2025
WILD Billionaire WSOP Stories: Ultra-Rich Poker Players Revealed
PokerNews Podcast
In the 895th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, is joined by and four-time bracelet winner to dive into the world of the ultra-rich at the . Which billionaires have participated in the WSOP over the years? How much money has the WSOP actually awarded? And who are the wealthiest players at the tables today? After introducing the topics, Chad, Mike, and Jeff take a deep dive into WSOP statistics to determine just how many billions the World Series of Poker has awarded to players over the last five decades. They also take a closer look at some of the most...
info_outline
2025 WSOP Fantasy Draft with Joey Ingram & Christina Gollins
PokerNews Podcast
In the 894th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, , is joined by , , and to draft their favorite teams for the . Each of the four hosts can pick seven players and one alternate player who will score points throughout the 2025 WSOP. The hosts need to follow several rules, such as drafting at least one female poker player, and one poker vlogger/creator, as well as adding an alternate that they can swap in for any of their seven players. The rules of this draft are simple: WSOP Fantasy Draft Scoring Achievement Points Cashing an event 1 point ...
info_outline
Poker Players Who've Murdered Their Parents + Jeff Madsen's 40th Birthday
PokerNews Podcast
In the 893rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England celebrate Jeff Madsen's 40th birthday before talking about two poker players who murdered their parents. Recently in Texas, Benjamin Frakes, 39, was taken into custody at Doghouse Poker Club in Cypress, a town 25 miles northwest of Downtown Houston. He was charged with capital murder for allegedly shooting his parents. The tragic situation was reminiscent of poker player Ernie Scherer, who was convicted in 2011 of killing his parents in an elaborate plot to collect an inheritance. It's a true crime story...
info_outline
Suspects Busted Trying to Cash Counterfeit Poker Chips in Texas Cardroom
PokerNews Podcast
In the 892nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England talk about the counterfeit poker chips that were discovered at a Texas cardroom, a home game robbery in Hawaii, and a huge laydown in a $2.4 million cash game pot from Triton Poker. Speaking of, Xuan Liu became the first woman to claim a Triton title, while Jesse Lonis and Alex Foxen also won Triton tournaments. Speaking of big winners, Kevin Li took down the 2025 WSOP Tournament of Champions, Stephen Song was victorious on The Lord Poker Tour for $750K, and both Corey Wick and Josh Freund claimed big...
info_outline
Viral Poker Fight & an Alleged Angle Shot Stirs Controversy
PokerNews Podcast
In the 891st episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England talk about that viral knockout punch between two poker players at Red Rock in Las Vegas. See the video and learn what the Las Vegas Metro Police Department had to say when reached by PokerNews. Also, learn about a controversy from the EPT Monte Carlo final table in which Aleksandr Shevliakov, who won the tournament, allegedly shot an angle with six players remaining. It caused quite the stir on the live stream, but was it all as it seemed? Shevliakov took to social media to share his perspective, and...
info_outline
Poker Cheat DQ’ed from Tournament, Tom Dwan Update & Hawk Tuah Girl Returns
PokerNews Podcast
In the 890th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England talk about admitted poker cheat Ali Imsirovic being DQ'ed mid-tournament from an event in Florida. Was it the right thing to do? It was a highly debated development, and the crew dove headfirst into the drama by discussing a poker black list, what bestbet Jacksonville could've done differently, and if poker pariahs could even be welcomed back to the game. They then give an update on Tom Dwan, whose recent social media posts really concerned the poker community, and then Connor Richards headed to PokerGO...
info_outline
Denise Pratt Confronts Poker Debtor Maurice Hawkins at Payout Desk | PokerNews Podcast #889
PokerNews Podcast
In the 889th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and [Kyna England talk about the recent drama involving, you guessed it, Maurice Hawkins and Denise Pratt. The latter claims to be owed $11,200 after backing the former, and things boiled over when she confronted him at the payout desk at the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Tunica stop. What's more, the crew reacts to an interview Hawkins gave on his own podcast, him agreeing to come on the PokerNews Podcast before not responding, and then goes one-on-one with Denise Pratt to hear her side of the story. Mike then shares his...
info_outline
WSOP Bracelet Winner Pleads Guilty of Attempted Murder, Hawkins the Debtor; Interview w/ 888poker’s Nick Eastwood
PokerNews Podcast
In the 888th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England talk about a WSOP gold bracelet while out on bail, who recently pleaded guilty to intent to commit murder against his wife. It's a sad tale, but the victim is now openly sharing her tale of survival and the horrific aftermath. The crew then talks about Maurice Hawkins, who has yet to address the $100K+ judgment against him despite racking up wins and big paydays, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the new poker room slated to open next month at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Other stories include the...
info_outline
Security Swarms as Player Goes Wild Inside Las Vegas Poker Room
PokerNews Podcast
In the 887th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England discuss the fight that recently broke out inside the Aria Poker Room in Las Vegas. What could've caused "Tony" to fly off the handle like he did? The crew then debates all the discussion surrounding the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Industry Employee Event, recognizes the 14th anniversary of poker's infamous Black Friday, and Chad answers the question of whatever happened to two-time WPT and WSOP champ Hoyt Corkins (AKA the Alabama Cowboy)? Plus, Allen Kessler plays the piano, Chad shares highlights...
info_outline
Illegal Poker Games: Florida Man Accused of Laundering $800,000
PokerNews Podcast
In the 886th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, hosts Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England discuss the Florida man who was arrested for allegedly laundering $800K from illegal poker games. That led to a larger discussion on policy over such games and whether law enforcement is doing justice by cracking down. They then share results from Doug Polk's $100K 'Code Doug' Challenge, including a big hand he played against Eric Persson; highlight recent tournament winners such as Shannon Shorr, Francis Anderson, and Missy Bartleme; Jesse Lonis crushing the recently-completed PGT PLO Series;...
info_outlineIn the 895th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and four-time bracelet winner Jeff Madsen to dive into the world of the ultra-rich at the World Series of Poker. Which billionaires have participated in the WSOP over the years? How much money has the WSOP actually awarded? And who are the wealthiest players at the tables today?
After introducing the topics, Chad, Mike, and Jeff take a deep dive into WSOP statistics to determine just how many billions the World Series of Poker has awarded to players over the last five decades.
They also take a closer look at some of the most ultra-wealthy poker players and face off in a special WSOP Billionaire trivia challenge to see who knows the most about poker’s richest.
In the second half of the episode, Chad sits down with two prominent voices in the high-stakes scene to further peel back the curtain on poker’s elite.
First up is author Michael Craig, best known for writing The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time. The 2006 book explores the legendary high-stakes battle between billionaire Andy Beal and a syndicate of top pros at the time including Phil Ivey, Jen Harman, and Howard Lederer.
Craig’s book is widely regarded as one of the best poker books of all time — if you haven’t checked it out, you can find more information below.
Learn More About Craig's Famous Book
Next, Chad connects with veteran Dutch high-stakes player Wouter Beumers, better known under his online alias 'MMAsherdog'. Beumers has crushed the top online stakes for years and regularly offers insights into the high-stakes grind through his X account.
To close out the show, Beumers shares some incredible stories and personal reflections from his time battling at the top of the online and live poker world.
A new PokerNews Podcast will drop twice a week during the 2025 WSOP every Thursday and Sunday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode!
Time Stamps
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | Welcome to the show Mike Holtz & Jeff Madsen |
| 02:10 | How do you cover WSOP Billionaires? |
| 04:06 | Phil Hellmuth doesn’t show at Wynn |
| 05:21 | How many billions has the WSOP awarded? |
| 08:46 | Jeff vs. Mike in WSOP Billionaire trivia |
| 09:34 | Jeff Madsen invests in movie ‘Hitting the Nuts’ |
| 16:00 | Which players are literal billionaires? |
| 23:00 | Michael Craig Interview |
| 41:11 | Wouter Beumers Interview |
Tell us who you want to hear from. Let us know what you think of the show — tweet about the podcast using #PNPod, and be sure to follow Chad Holloway on X.
The podcast is sponsored by the #1 free-to-play WSOP app. Remember to use the bonus code "POKERNEWS" if you download and play for an extra 1,000,000 in chips!
Subscribe to the PokerNews Podcast on Apple Podcasts here! You can also find us on Spotify as well as our new page on SoundCloud!