Last Updated on September 1, 2026 by Bala Kumar
Some weeks in poker are busy. This one was historic. A record-shattering pot lit up High Stakes Poker, a Brazilian grinder ran through Casino Barcelona for back-to-back seven-figure scores, and Hollywood’s poker crossover kept climbing with Caitlyn Jenner’s tournament debut. If you’re catching up on poker news 2026, this recap covers all three storylines in one place.
High Stakes Poker Record Pot: How Texas Mike and Wasserson Made History
If you thought High Stakes Poker couldn’t top itself, think again. PokerGO’s marquee cash game show blew past its own all-time pot record not once, but effectively twice within the same session, capping off a week that had the poker world buzzing on social media.
The record briefly stood at $2,478,000 after Andrew Robl played the biggest pot in the show’s history two nights earlier. Then Monday’s finale detonated that mark entirely.
The $4.26 Million Hand
This new High Stakes Poker record pot started innocently enough. Eric Wasserson opened for $20,000, and Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek three-bet to $80,000, clearing the table down to a heads-up pot. The flop gave Wasserson a pair and a flush draw while Texas Mike had nothing but a backdoor club. Undeterred, Moncek bet $100,000 on the flop and $330,000 on the turn — still holding just five percent equity. The river completed Wasserson’s flush, and after a long, laughing pause (“I kind of want to fold,” Wasserson admitted at the table), Wasserson made the call and scooped a record $4,260,000 pot.
“I’ve never played a pot that big before,” Wasserson said afterward — and it’s easy to see why. By the end of the stream, Wasserson had nearly $5 million on the table, with well over $10 million in play among just six players.
Texas Mike Poker: The Redemption Hand — and Robl’s Revenge
Known across the poker world simply as Texas Mike poker, Michael Moncek wasn’t done. On a later hand, he raised to $1,692,000 on the river with second pair, putting Andrew Robl — who held kings — to a decision that would have created the second-biggest pot in the show’s history. Robl folded, conceding the hand while fist-bumping his opponent: “You’re the best, Mike.”
The night’s final hand delivered one more twist: Wasserson and Robl got it all-in with A♠K♦ against J♠J♦ in a $2,418,000 pot. Robl elected to run the board once, and this time the cards fell his way, giving him a rare win over his rival to close out the session.
Monday’s High Stakes Poker results:
- Eric Wasserson: +$2,435,000
- Papo MC: +$419,000
- Justin Gavri: -$215,000
- Texas Mike: -$296,500
- Rick Salomon: -$408,000
- Andrew Robl: -$425,500
It capped an extraordinary week for the show — one that pushed televised cash game poker into territory it’s never seen before, and cemented this as the biggest High Stakes Poker record pot in the show’s history.
EPT Barcelona 2026: Fabiano Kovalski Wins Back-to-Back Titles
While PokerGO was breaking records in cash games, the tournament scene had its own headline-grabber at EPT Barcelona 2026. Brazilian pro Fabiano Kovalski turned Casino Barcelona into his personal playground during the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona festival, capturing two major titles in a matter of days.
Kovalski first won the €3,250 mystery bounty event for $447,099 on August 27, then returned two days later to take down the €10,300 no-limit hold’em high roller for a career-best $843,645, topping a field of 429 entries. He struck a heads-up deal with runner-up Igor Picone, who banked $691,267.
Across four cashes during the series — including a 120th-place finish in the EPT Barcelona Main Event — Fabiano Kovalski collected more than $1.3 million, pushing his lifetime tournament earnings to $4,758,530 and vaulting him from off the leaderboard entirely to 44th in the Card Player Player of the Year standings.
High roller final table results:
| Place | Player | Payout |
| 1 | Fabiano Kovalski | $843,645 |
| 2 | Igor Picone | $691,267 |
| 3 | Gediminas Uselis | $421,544 |
| 4 | Tommi Lankinen | $324,104 |
| 5 | Kalle Parkkinen | $249,400 |
| 6 | Alexandre Reard | $191,864 |
| 7 | Paolo Boi | $147,552 |
| 8 | Leo Worthington-Leese | $120,988 |
| 9 | Fehim Hajdari | $100,804 |
Kovalski’s run was part of a broader EPT Barcelona 2026 festival that spanned two weeks and produced huge fields across dozens of events, including a $1.2 million Main Event title for Manuel Ferrari and a deep run from Scott Margereson in the side events. It’s one of the most stacked stops on the European Poker Tour calendar every year, and 2026 lived up to the reputation.
Caitlyn Jenner Poker Debut: Celebrity Poker Tour Heads to Las Vegas
Poker’s celebrity crossover continued to grow this week with news that Caitlyn Jenner poker fans have been waiting for: the Olympic gold medalist and reality TV star will make her Celebrity Poker Tour (CPT) debut at the CPT Invitational XIII in Las Vegas.
Jenner will be joined by her son Brandon Jenner, along with a lineup that includes R&B singer Ray J, TikTok star Bryce Hall, and UFC champion Aljamain Sterling, last year’s CPT Bahamas winner. The event takes place inside PokerGO Studio and streams live on the CPT YouTube channel.
Jenner isn’t the first in her family to embrace poker. Her daughter Kylie Jenner released a viral “hot girl poker” masterclass with Vanity Fair earlier this year, and was previously spotted playing informal games with actor Timothée Chalamet.
Since launching in 2023, the Celebrity Poker Tour has built a growing roster of recurring faces — including Princess Love, influencer Suede Brooks, and poker pro Maria Ho — and has become one of the clearest signs of poker’s expanding reach into mainstream pop culture.
Why This Week Mattered
Between a record-breaking High Stakes Poker record pot, a career-defining run from Fabiano Kovalski at EPT Barcelona 2026, and another Celebrity Poker Tour crossover moment courtesy of Caitlyn Jenner poker, this week captured poker’s full range — from the nosebleed cash games watched by hardcore grinders to the mainstream spotlight pulling in new fans. If you needed a reminder of why poker’s popularity keeps climbing, this week of poker news 2026 was it.
FAQs
1. What was the biggest poker story of the week?
The biggest story was the $4.26 million record pot on High Stakes Poker, where Eric Wasserson defeated Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek in the largest pot in the show’s history.
2. Who is Fabiano Kovalski?
Fabiano Kovalski is a Brazilian professional poker player who won two major titles at EPT Barcelona 2026, including the €10,300 High Roller for $843,645.
3. What happened in the High Stakes Poker record pot?
Eric Wasserson called Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek’s large bluff after the river completed his flush. Wasserson won the $4.26 million pot, setting a new High Stakes Poker record.
4. Is Caitlyn Jenner playing in the Celebrity Poker Tour?
Yes. Caitlyn Jenner is scheduled to make her Celebrity Poker Tour debut at CPT Invitational XIII in Las Vegas, alongside other celebrities and poker personalities.
5. Why was this week significant for poker in 2026?
The week combined a record-breaking televised cash-game pot, back-to-back EPT Barcelona titles for Fabiano Kovalski, and Caitlyn Jenner’s Celebrity Poker Tour debut, highlighting poker’s continued growth across competitive and mainstream entertainment.
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