In the 953rd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is at the 2026 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) in Prague, where he is joined by special guest cohost Shaun Deeb, who talked about losing to quads twice when heads up for a gold bracelet.

He then talks about his passion for the Player of the Year race, responds to Nick Palma's poor sportsmanship comments, and shares his thoughts on the controversial Maurice Hawkins and the WSOP Circuit. Deeb also talks about whether or not he'd encourage his children to play poker, playing the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, coaching Hellmuth's sons, and why he thinks he'll ultimately surpass Phil Hellmuth atop the all-time bracelet list.

Finally, Deeb opens up about turning 40 and becoming eligible for the Poker Hall of Fame. Does he think he should get in? Deeb has never been one to shy away from sharing his thoughts, and that proved true in this in-depth interview from the 2026 WSOP Europe.

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Time Stamps00:00 Welcome to the show 01:50 Losing to quads… twice! 05:31 Going for WSOP Player of the Year 06:08 How does Prague compare to Rozvadov? 07:40 Responding to Nick Palma's comments 09:57 Allen Kessler prop bet 11:44 Thoughts on Maurice Hawkins 16:13 Deeb for Poker Hall of Fame 19:30 Would you encourage your kids to play poker? 24:04 What was your go-to game as a kid? 27:16 Will you get more bracelets than Hellmuth? 28:41 National Heads-Up Poker Championship 29:30 Playing action Kevin Pollak