Is Shiina Okamoto the G.O.A.T.? Plus, a Dirty Adventure with Phil Hellmuth
Release Date: 09/04/2025
Defiant Player Set Up in $2,400,000 Hand of Poker But Can He Get Lucky?
PokerNews Podcast
In the 936th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow are all in Las Vegas at Level 9 Studio to talk about the viral $2.4 million poker hand played between Antonio Esfandiari and Alan Keating. The hand, part of Super High Roller Cash Game on PokerGO, blew up fast and had the whole poker world talking. From there, the crew talks about the Daniel “Jungleman” Cates vs. sports bettor "Elf" boxing match, looks at a controversial hand from High Stakes Poker involving Sam "Señor Tilt" Kiki, and a winner interview with Andrew "Lucky Chewy" Lichtenberger after he...
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88-Year-Old Grandma Spanks Poker Players for $10,000!
PokerNews Podcast
In the 935th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow talk about Linda “Granny” Hammons, an 88-year-old who discovered her favorite slot machines had been removed, so she decided to play her first-ever poker tournament. It took place at the Beau Rivage Million Dollar Heater down in Mississippi, and she did quite well while capturing the hearts of the poker community. Bill Phillips from the Gulf Coast Poker event caught up with her in a set-down interview he shared with PokerNews. From there, the trio looks at the straight flush misclick by Sebastian...
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Poker Players Agree “Winner Take All” for Five Figures in Prize Money!
PokerNews Podcast
In the 934th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow talk about the two players who made it all the way to heads-up play and then agreed to play winner take all for the prize money. It was a wild story that saw one player walk away with a five-figure payday and the other leave empty-handed. The trio then discusses WPT Global's controversial signing of Ren Lin as an ambassador, which led to a discussion about ClubWPT Gold's social media strategy and how those two brands are related to the main World Poker Tour (WPT) brand. In between, former WPT Global...
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Good or Bad? Our Poker Predictions for 2026; Will the WSOP Raise the Main Event Buy-in?
PokerNews Podcast
In the 933rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Ben Ludlow kick off Season 17 with some poker predictions for 2026. Will the Big Beautiful Bill's gambling tax situation be resolved or lead to big ramifications in the industry? Will Phil Hellmuth win his 18th gold bracelet? Would the World Series of Poker (WSOP) ever raise the buy-in for the Main Event? The triumvirate also covers recent stories, including poker players Galen Hall and Jason Somerville winning big in the Circa Survivor content, arbitration ending between Maurice Hawkins and Denise Pratt, and Lex...
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Cheaters, Arrests and Poker Villains Among Top Stories of 2025
PokerNews Podcast
In the 932nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz recap the top 10 stories of 2025 according to PokerNews. They include: - Cheating Technology Fears Rise - Trump's Tax Bill Detrimental to Poker Industry - Benny Glaser's Summer for the Ages - Twelve Months That Might Change Women’s Poker Forever - Attorney Tom Goldstein Indicted Over Million-Dollar Poker Games - Ossi Ketola’s Record-Shattering Heads-Up Poker Matches - Return of Poker Villains - Millionaire Maker Controversy at 2025 WSOP - Poker Game Arrests Involving Basketball Stars Rock the...
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Was This Poker Player an A$$---e for Slowrolling with Pocket Aces?
PokerNews Podcast
In the 931st episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz bring Christmas cheer to the poker world! The duo discusses the brutal slowroll from Eric Wasserson against Benny Glaser deep in the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise Super Main Event, bracelet winners from the Bahamas, and their thoughts on Ren Lin being allowed back to play without even missing a single stop during his "indefinite" suspension. From there, it's over to Las Vegas to recap the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship, including an interview with winner Schuyler Thornton, and other events like...
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Who F***ed Up in This Poker Hand Everyone is Talking About
PokerNews Podcast
In the 930th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are joined by 2024 World Poker Tour (WPT) World Champion Scott Stewart at Level 9 Studios in Las Vegas. The trio offers an update regarding the home game fight between Maurice Hawkins and aggressor Eugene Castaneda, namely a warrant out for the latter. They then dissect the controversial hand played by Ryan Depaulo, Andre Moreira, and James Caputo in the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise $25K Super Main Event. Who was in the right? Who was in the wrong? Speaking of that tournament, Jesse Lonis made...
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Why Did This Poker Player Pull a Gun on His Opponent? Interview w/ Squid Game's Steven Jones
PokerNews Podcast
In the 929th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are joined by Hayley Hanna and Steven Jones, the latter having recently finished third place in Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2. He talks about that experience and what it's been like to become a reality TV show star. The crew then discusses recent developments in the home game fight between Maurice Hawkins and the aggressor Eugene Castaneda. That includes surveillance footage that shows both men going to their respective cars, where Eugene admitted that he retrieved a firearm. From there, it's a recap of Hustler...
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SWAT Team Cracks Down on €100 Poker Tournament + Maurice Hawkins Fight
PokerNews Podcast
In the 928th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow at Level 9 Studios to talk about the SWAT team raid of a low-stakes poker game in Sweden. Find out what caused armed authorities, supported by drones and even a helicopter, to raise the $100 buy-in poker tournament. The trio then discusses the physical altercation between Maurice Hawkins and a player known as "Eugene" in a Florida home game. Was Maurice running his mouth? Was it an unprovoked attack? Not only do you get to hear about what happened, but you can see some video clips of the...
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Is AI Killing Poker Content? And How Did PokerNews Piss Off Shaun Deeb?
PokerNews Podcast
In the 927th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is joined by Connor Richards at Level 9 Studios to talk about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) when it comes to poker content. The discussion stems from the recent controversy involving the World Series of Poker (WSOP) documentary No Limit, in which showrunner Dustin Iannotti admittedly used AI in edits involving Alan Keating's quotes. The show was pulled from YouTube by the WSOP as a result, and opened up a whole can of worms. PokerNews also pissed off Shaun Deeb with an AI oopsie of our own, while ClubWPT Gold’s tweet...
info_outlineIn the 915th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are once again joined by Ben Ludlow to talk about the latest stories and highlights from the poker world. That includes back-to-back WSOP Ladies Event champ Shiina Okamoto, who was back to her winning ways after taking down the Women's Event at the recently-completed EPT Barcelona. Is it time to start mentioning her name when talking about the G.O.A.T.s of the game?
Speaking of the EPT Barcelona, David Coleman had four runner-up finishes there, while Thomas Eychenne took down the EPT Barcelona Main Event for €1,217,175. It was actually in that tournament that PokerNews spotted Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll, the two friends who caused quite the controversy over the summer in the WSOP Millionaire Maker, seated next to each other. Strange coincidence, that.
From there, Chad offers highlights from his Wisconsin hangout with Phil Hellmuth, who then went ot New Hampshire for a "Beat the Champ" weekend that saw Brandon Cantu emerge victorious. Hellmuth also remembered the late, great Poker Hall of Fame tournament director Jack McClelland.
Speaking of winners, Grant Hinkle, Nick Rigby, and Maurice Hawkins all took down titles, which are recapped in this episode, and inspired Mike to share a Rigby story of his own. Also, a preview of the upcoming PokerGO Tour (PGT) Venetian Las Vegas Classic.
Finally, remember PokerNews is giving away a seat in the World Tournament of Slots (WTOS). You could have an approximate one in 500 chance at a $1,000,000 top prize. Click here to learn more about the WTOS.
A new PokerNews Podcast drops every Thursday 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
00:10 | Ben Ludlow joins the show
01:00 | Shiina Okamoto wins EPT Barcelona Ladies Event
05:00 | Shiina Okamoto’s winning hand
05:50 | David Coleman four runner-up finishes
09:00 | What’s your favorite cheese?
10:33 | World Tournament of Slots giveaway
13:20 | Chad hangs out with Hellmuth in Wisconsin
16:16 | Hellmuth’s ‘Beat the Champ’ weekend in New Hampshire
19:07 | Highlight videos from Hellmuth’s ‘Beat the Champ’
22:31 | Phil Hellmuth remembers Jack McClelland
25:36 | James Anderson wins MSPT JACK Cleveland
27:20 | Thomas Eychenne wins EPT Barcelona Main Event for €1,217,175
31:36 | Jesse Yaginuma & James Carroll get sat by each other
35:00 | Grant Hinkle wins Oklahoma State Championship; First Winner in Six Years
35:53 | Nick Rigby wins RunGood Grand Prix Caesars Southern Indiana
36:20 | Mike’s Nick Rigby story
38:51 | Maurice Hawkins wins two rings at WSOP Circuit New Orleans
42:57 | PGT Venetian Classic features $1M Guaranteed Main Event