Good or Bad? Our Poker Predictions for 2026 | PokerNews Podcast #933
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 Veldhuis returning to the streaming streets, albeit not as a PokerStars Ambassador. Similarly, Caitlin Comeskey's ambassadorship with PokerStars US came to an end, and got the crew asking, "Is there still value in poker ambassadors?"
You'll also see a short interview of Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel chatting with Rep. Dina Titus about the aforementioned tax bill, hear about Jeremy Becker and Matthew Wantman winning titles at the Venetian, and another book giveaway for a copy of Jonathan Little's The Complete Poker Workout.
Find out all about those stories and more in this week's episode of the PokerNews Podcast! Oh, and be sure to check out the audio version of the PokerNews Podcast that is available on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
Time Stamps
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | Welcome to the show |
| 01:40 | Poker players win big in Circa’s Survivor contest |
| 08:20 | Maurice Hawkins arbitration ends |
| 21:56 | Lex Veldhuis is back! |
| 26:07 | What are the value of “Poker Ambassadors” nowadays? |
| 30:00 | Poker predictions for 2026 |
| 30:42 | Video: Erik Seidel chats w/ Rep. Dina Titus |
| 38:29 | Trivia – Venezuela’s all-time money list |
| 40:03 | Is late reg and unlimited reentries a problem? |
| 47:45 | Could WSOP Main Event be $15,000? |
| 49:50 | Hellmuth will win bracelet No. 18 in 2026 |
| 50:30 | Recent Tournament Winners presented by 888poker |
| 51:18 | Jeremy Becker claims title at Venetian |
| 51:35 | Matthew Wantman kicks off New Year with win |
| 51:46 | Preston Dean wins RoughRider Poker Tour title |
| 52:10 | Jonathan Little book giveaway |
| 54:13 | Disc golf with TJ Reid |
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.
Subscribe to the PokerNews Podcast on Apple Podcasts here! You can also find us on Spotify as well as our new page on SoundCloud!
