button in SafariCan You Be “Player of the Year” Even if You Lose Millions of Dollars? | PokerNews Podcast #988
In the 988th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by FanDuel Poker, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow are joined at Level 9 Studio by Ryan Depaulo to talk the latest from the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
That includes the money bubble bursting and none other than 2003 WSOP Main Event champ Chris Moneymaker being a part of it. See what went down and the aftermath yourself. The crew then talks about the debate surrounding whether or not a player should have to be profitable in order to win WSOP Player of the Year. It's a heated debate between Shaun Deeb and Phil Hellmuth, with Daniel Negreanu and others weighing in.
Other stories include a streaker at the WSOP, Martin Kabrhel's antics, WSOP POY update, and a player who built up a big stack in the Main Event and then decided to abandon it while he went to South Point casino to play $1-$3 NLH and watch a movie.
Finally, Chad previews the upcoming $400 buy-in, $250K GTD PokerNews Cup at the RGPS Thunder Valley.
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 |
| 00:17 | Ryan Depaulo joins the show |
| 00:52 | The WSOP Streaker |
| 02:28 | Player of the Year debate |
| 03:54 | Hellmuth vs. Deeb |
| 10:40 | WSOP POY Leaderboard |
| 18:00 | Martin Kabrhel circus |
| 23:10 | WSOP Main Event update |
| 23:37 | Bubble Hands |
| 26:13 | Chris Moneymaker bubble boy |
| 30:00 | Player abandons stack |
| 34:16 | RGPS Thunder Valley |
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!
