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PODCAST

Poker in the Ears

by PokerStars

Every week, the hosts of PokerStars TV (James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton) bring you a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like being two regular folks on the international poker circuit. Told from the perspective of a cranky British dad (Hartigan) and an undateable American bachelor (Stapes), Poker in the Ears is a mostly uncensored take on the world of professional poker. The hosts also regularly call in favours, in the form of guest spots from their big-shot celebrity poker-playing friends. And they routinely hold on-air competitions, providing chances for listeners to join them on tour.

Publisher-supplied feed metadata · PodParley refreshed Apr 14, 2026 · Source feed

Episodes

  1. 342. James & Joe's huge WSOP news, PokerGo's Brent Hanks + SCOOP Correspondent Howard Swains

    James and Joe are excited to learn they're spending the summer in Vegas streaming this year's World Series of Poker, and Caitlin is "thrilled" to discover she might be needed in the booth and will be expected to do some work! The gang are joined by Brent Hanks - WSOP commentator and Director of...

  2. 341. Griffin Benger & Sam Greenwood talk Big Game on Tour + SCOOP 2025

    Following the Season 2 premiere of the 'Big Game on Tour', Griffin Benger joins the gang to share his thoughts on the first episode and talk about his experience playing on the show. Sam Greenwood makes a guest appearance for a 'Hand of the Century of the Day' x 'Punt of the Day' crossover,...

  3. 340. SCOOP 2025 with Kelvin Kerber & Howard Swains

    Finally, Joe gets the opportunity to talk to James and Caitlin about his adventures in Tokyo at the Japan Open Poker Tour, including his second-place finish in a PLO tournament. Brazilian pro Kelvin Kerber makes a guest appearance to analyse a couple of Joe's hands in 'Hand of the Century of the...

  4. 339. Jamil Wakil on controversial EPT Monte-Carlo hand, plus €1k champ Jon Kyte & SCOOP with Howard Swains

    The gang are back after a four-week break. James, Joe and Caitlin have been on the road all that time, so have three events to recap: the Irish Open, the PokerStars Open Philadelphia and EPT Monte-Carlo. They speak to Jon Kyte, who won the record-breaking €1k Open in Monaco, and Jamil Wakil, who...

  5. 338. Sunday Million Anniversary recap, plus Dublin, Philly & Monaco preview with Arlie Shaban

    With the guys on the road for the next four weeks, there's a lot to get to in this episode. James and Joe talk about playing a £1k tournament at The Hippodrome and hosting the 'Big Game on Tour Uncut' streams, and recap this year's #SundayMillionAnniversary. There's also a lot of events to…

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  6. 337. Big Game with Alan Keating, plus Blood Game with Jeffe Boats

    James and Joe are in an actual studio, as they prepare for 'Big Game on Tour Uncut'. On Friday and Saturday (April 4th and 5th), they're streaming all 150 hands from the first session of 'BGOT' Season 1, ahead of the Season 2 premiere later this spring. The enigmatic Alan Keating - one of the…

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  7. 336. Beth Hall & Faraz Jaka, plus Sam Grafton

    Sam Grafton joins James and Joe for a special announcement (which will be of particular interest to fans of 'The Big Game'). And then, poker boot camp is in session! Ahead of the Sunday Million Anniversary - which James is planning to play - the guys hear from actor and poker player Beth Hall and...

  8. 335. Alexandra Loveless, Josh Kasen & Seth 'Sethy Poker' Moeller

    After recapping the first ever PokerStars Open, and their two-day live stream covering the Campione Main Event, James and Joe meet some of the poker stars of the future. They speak to three influencers making their mark in the community as content creators: Alexandra Loveless, Josh Kasen and Seth...

  9. 334. PokerStars Open Campione update with Luca Pagano, plus Fintan Hand

    The first ever PokerStars Open is underway in Campione. James and Joe check in with their man on the ground, EPT legend Luca Pagano, ahead of this weekend's live streams (March 15th and 16th on the PokerStars Twitch and YouTube channels). The guys also recap their four nights in Las Vegas...

  10. 333. Co-host Caitlin Comeskey, plus Danny Maxwell

    Welcome to the #PITE Post Oscars Party! Yes, the Academy Awards are in the books. And Caitlin is back. So, time for James, Joe, Ms Comeskey and their special guest - Global Poker Award winning photographer Danny Maxwell - to discuss the top films of recent months, including this year's Best…

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  11. 332. Global Poker Award winners, including Cherish Andrews, plus PokerOrg's Chris Land

    And the winner is… James and Joe run through some of the key names who scooped Global Poker Awards in Vegas at the weekend. Hear from some of the winners and a few highlights from the show (courtesy of PokerGo). Plus, the guys talk to GPI Female Player of the Year Cherish Andrews. They also check...

  12. 331. David Docherty, David Lappin & Cedric Billot (Associate Director, PokerStars Live Events)

    There's less than a month to go before a new series of European live events begins in Campione. So, what do poker players make of the PokerStars Open? What are their thoughts on the PokerStars Live League? Two circuit regulars - David Docherty and David Lappin - share their honest opinions, while...

  13. 330. Co-host Caitlin Comeskey, plus Irish Open owner Paul O'Reilly

    James and Joe are joined by guest co-host Caitlin Comeskey: multi-award nominated content creator and up-and-coming streamer. There's a summary of the week's poker news headlines, including the death of 'Miami' John Cernuto, the announcement of the new PokerStars Live League and an update on the...

  14. 329. Jason Koon

    Meet Jason Koon. He's a high stakes crusher with $60m in live earnings and one of the newest members of Team PokerStars Pro. In an extended interview, Jason talks to James and Joe about his start in poker and his journey towards playing the biggest buy-in tournaments in the world. Plus, he gives...

  15. 328. Co-host Spraggy, plus YouTuber Spencer Owen

    Welcome to 2025. Part 2. The duo becomes a trio, as James and Joe partner with Benjamin 'Spraggy' Spragg to present this week's episode. They talk about Spraggy's trip to Brazil to play high stakes Hold'em against Neymar, the New Year Series on PokerStars, and celebrate Spraggy hitting 100,000...

  16. 327. Global Poker Awards with Eric Danis & Abby Merk, plus Nick Walsh

    Welcome to 2025! The Global Poker Award nominations are out, so GPI President Eric Danis joins James and Joe to run through this year's shortlist , which includes recognition for Joe, #PITE and #TheBigGameOnTour. Plus, the guys speak to double nominee Abby Merk, who's up for Rising Star in…

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  17. 326. EPT Prague champion Pedro Marques

    In the final episode of the year, James and Joe recap their trip to #EPTPrague and speak to Main Event champion Pedro Marques. Joe also talks through some hands from his deep run in the €550 Cup. The guys discuss their poker highlights of 2024 and look ahead to a new series of PokerStars live...

  18. 325. EPT Prague preview with Nick Walsh

    James has been continuing to travel around Texas playing poker, including firing multiple bullets in a tournament at The Lodge in Austin, while Joe was at home for Thanksgiving, watching a lot of movies and TV shows. Both will soon be heading to the Czech Republic for #EPTPrague. The guys preview...

  19. 324. UKIPT Nottingham, BSOP Millions & Women's Winter Festival with Kerryjane Craigie

    Since leaving Las Vegas, it's been a busy two weeks for our hosts. James braved the snow and ice at #UKIPTNottingham, while Joe flew to Sao Paulo for the #BSOPMillions. Then, the two were reunited (briefly) for a meet-up game in Houston, Texas. With all this travelling, they missed the Women's...

  20. 323. Las Vegas recap featuring NAPT Main Event champion Nick Marchington

    With #NAPTLasVegas in the books, James and Joe recap their two weeks at Resorts World, from casting Loose Cannons and filming a new season of The Big Game on Tour to performing comedy (Joe), singing karaoke (James) and playing slots (both). There's also a chance to hear from Nick Marchington, the...

  21. 322. Las Vegas preview with Big Game on Tour Loose Cannon Lily Newhouse

    It's that time of year again. James and Joe are heading to Vegas for The North American Poker Tour. They run through everything happening at #NAPTLasVegas, including the qualifying tournaments and auditions leading up to the filming of a new season of the Big Game on Tour. They're joined by Lily...

  22. 321. EPT Cyprus finalist Anton Wigg

    James and Joe summarise their trip to #EPTCyprus and talk to Main Event finalist Anton Wigg, the Swedish pro who won a European Poker Tour title in 2010 and has now made deep runs in Cyprus in back-to-back years. The podcast hosts also reveal their travel plans for the next few weeks, which…

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  23. 320. EPT Cyprus preview with 'Wistern'

    James and Joe are heading to Cyprus for the penultimate leg of the 2024 European Poker Tour. Team Pro Lasse Lagd Lauritsen, better known as 'Wistern', is already there, so joins the guys to preview #EPTCyprus, ahead of six days of live streaming on the PokerStars Twitch and YouTube channels. This...

  24. 319. Five-time WCOOP 2024 champ Parker 'tonkaaaa' Talbot + Howard Swains

    With the 2024 World Championship of Online Poker now in the books, James and Joe get a full summary of the series from their #WCOOP Correspondent Howard Swains. Plus, they talk to PokerStars Ambassador Parker 'tonkaaaa' Talbot, who won five titles during WCOOP, including two championship…

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  25. 318. Sebastian 'peace&loove' Huber + WCOOP Correspondent Howard Swains

    It's (pretty much) all about #WCOOP this week. As the 2024 World Championship of Online Poker heads into its final weekend, James and Joe preview their Main Event coverage on the PokerStars Twitch channel and get an update from the man in the know, WCOOP Correspondent Howard Swains. Plus, they…

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  26. 317. Dead Money star Emile Hirsch + WCOOP Correspondent Howard Swains

    There's a new poker movie for James and Joe to sink their teeth into. They review 'Dead Money', which stars Emile Hirsch as a professional player who endures a dramatic 24 hours at the tables in a series of private games. Emile joins the guys to discuss the film and how he rediscovered his love…

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  27. 316. EPT Barcelona Super High Roller champ Kayhan Mokri + WCOOP Correspondent Howard Swains

    What happened on and off the felt at #EPTBarcelona? James and Joe recap the European Poker Tour's 20th anniversary celebrations with two-time Super High Roller winner Kayhan Mokri. And, with the 2024 World Championship of Online Poker now running on PokerStars, they get the early headlines and...

  28. 315. The EPT at 20 with John Duthie

    James and Joe celebrate the 20th anniversary of the European Poker Tour with its founder John Duthie. In an extended interview, John talks about his journey into the television industry, discovering poker in the 1980s, winning the first ever Poker Million, and seeing an opportunity to launch the...

  29. 314. WSOP 2024 Main Event champion Jonathan Tamayo

    James and Joe conclude their recap of the biggest poker stories of the summer by talking to this year's World Series of Poker Main Event champion Jonathan Tamayo. Obviously, 'laptop-gate' is a major point of discussion. Jonathan also talks about his journey into poker, how he and his coaches...

  30. 313. Summer recap, plus Big Game on Tour Loose Cannon Nikki Limo

    James and Joe are back from their extended summer break and have a LOT to discuss. Joe's comedy tour, James's multiple trips to Vegas during the WSOP, UKIPT Malaga, a charity poker tournament in Hollywood, Destination RunGood at Thunder Valley, UKIPT London. And more! Plus, with new episodes of...

  31. 312. Kenny Hallaert

    For their second summer special, James and Joe talk to the newest PokerStars ambassador: Belgian poker pro, former WSOP finalist and tournament director Kenny Hallaert. Kenny started his poker journey as an online grinder nearly 20 years ago. He's since organised and run live events in his home...

  32. 311. Gutshot Straight with Rob Perez

    For their first summer special, James and Joe present a Poker Movie Monday (on a Wednesday). And the motion picture they're reviewing might be one of the worst they've ever seen. The harsh reality is that most films featuring poker are pretty bad and nearly all films featuring Steven Seagal are...

  33. 310. SCOOP 2024 with Lex Veldhuis and Howard Swains

    With the 2024 Spring Championship of Online Poker in the books, James and Joe recap the series with their #SCOOP Correspondent Howard Swains, summarising the headline stats and biggest stories of the last three weeks. Plus, the guys talk to Lex Veldhuis, who won his first SCOOP trophy this year…

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  34. 309. WSOP 2024 preview with reigning Main Event champ Daniel Weinman + SCOOP Correspondent Howard Swains

    Players from every continent will be heading to Las Vegas in the coming days for the 2024 World Series of Poker. James and Joe look ahead to this year's #WSOP and discuss when they'll be there and what they're planning to do and play. Plus, they talk to the man who won the 2023 Main Event…

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  35. 308. The Big Game on Tour with Jennifer Tilly + SCOOP Correspondent Howard Swains

    The Big Game on Tour is finally here, with new shows broadcast every Friday on FS1 in the USA and uploaded to the PokerStars YouTube channel the following day. James and Joe recap the first episode with the star of the show: Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Tilly. They also talk about Joe's...

  36. 307. EPT Monte-Carlo finalist Rania Nasreddine + SCOOP Correspondent Howard Swains

    James and Joe are back from Monaco. They start the show paying tribute to Steve Albini, the two-time WSOP bracelet winner and legendary music producer who died this week at the age of 61. The guys then look back at #EPTMonteCarlo, with some behind-the-scenes stories and an interview with Main…

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  37. 306. EPT Monte-Carlo preview with Wolfgang Poker

    James and Joe are about to head to the PokerStars European Poker Tour Presented by Monte-Carlo Casino. They look ahead to seven days of live streaming (April 28th – May 4th) on the PokerStars Twitch and YouTube channels, plus a second edition of the #MysteryCashChallenge. Among the players taking...

  38. 305. Lexy Gavin-Mather

    In a change to our advertised programming, James and Joe are joined by poker player, coach, content creator, author, and commentator Lexy Gavin-Mather. In an extended interview, Lexy talks about her start in poker, her years as an online grinder, her first foray into live poker at the PCA…

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  39. 304. Sunday Million Anniversary recap, plus news update from Jon Sofen (Senior US Editor, PokerNews)

    James is celebrating a deep run and a $5k score in the #SundayMillionAnniversary. He and Joe also celebrate the champion 'CrossBreed17', having streamed the final table and the winning moment on the PokerStars Twitch channel. They guys are then joined by Jon Sofen, Senior US Editor at PokerNews…

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  40. 303. Irish Open 2024 champion Tero Laurila

    James and Joe are back from Dublin – and Stapes has recovered from a nasty stomach bug – so they recap the last few days of the #IrishOpen in the company of Main Event champion Tero Laurila: the first ever Irish Open winner from Finland. He talks about his 20-year poker career and what it means…

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  41. 302. At the Irish Open with Felix Schneiders, Paul O'Reilly, David Lappin and Dara O'Kearney

    It's a special edition of the podcast recorded on location at the #IrishOpen in Dublin on Day 1A of the Main Event. James and Joe have had the chance to play a couple of tournaments, and Joe scored big in one of them. Felix Schneiders from Team Pro streamed the final table on Twitch, so joins the...

  42. 301. Patrick Marber

    It's the #PITE300 after-party, as James and Joe recap what happened behind-the-scenes in the run up to their live show in London, and what happened at the poker tables afterwards. Patrick Marber's name came up a couple of times at The Hippodrome, and the actor-writer-director is the guest on this...

  43. 300. Live at The Hippodrome with Victoria Coren Mitchell, Jake Johnson, Nico Leonard and others

    To celebrate their third centenary, James and Joe returned to The Hippodrome Casino in London on Wednesday 13th March 2024 to record the podcast on stage in front of an audience of fans. This special live show opens with a five-minute stand-up set from Stapes, followed by a Poker Movie Monday, as...

  44. 299. Global Poker Award winners Marle Spragg and Francine Watson (Associate Director, Creative and Content, PokerStars)

    With one week to go until their live show at The Hippodrome in London, James and Joe preview #PITE300 and celebrate the success of a couple of their friends at last month's #GlobalPokerAwards. They're joined by Marle Spragg – winner of Best X/Twitter Personality – and Francine Watson, Associate...

  45. 298. EPT Paris champion Barny Boatman, plus Global Poker Awards winners

    Following a big weekend, which saw UK poker legend Barny Boatman take down the #EPTParis Main Event and the PokerStars live stream production team triumph at the #GlobalPokerAwards, James and Joe look back on a successful start to the European Poker Tour's 2024 season and highlight some of the…

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  46. 297. EPT 2024 preview with Prague champ Padraig O'Neill

    There's less than a month to go until #PITE300: James and Joe's live show at The Hippodrome in London. Listen to this episode to find out how to secure your seats and hear a few headline details about the event. Meanwhile, with #EPTParis getting underway, the guys look ahead to the 2024 European...

  47. 296. All aboard The Good Ship Murder with Jonathan Little

    James and Joe are reeling from what might be the worst poker scene ever filmed (and that's saying something), having watched 'The Good Ship Murder'. They review the poker-themed episode of this British TV series and ask poker pro and coach Jonathan Little to analyse the Hold'em hands. Jonathan…

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  48. 295. News round-up, including PokerStars Rewards changes with Ashley Chase and Chris Straghalis

    Welcome to #PITE 2024! On their first podcast of the year, James and Joe recap some of the big poker headlines of the last six weeks. From the good – the Global Poker Award nominations – to the bad – accusations of super users and bots on other sites. As far as PokerStars is concerned, the Sunday...

  49. 294. EPT Prague preview with Jasper Meijer van Putten + Elliot Roe on A-Game Poker

    In their final episode of 2023, James and Joe look ahead to the last European Poker Tour event of the year: #EPTPrague. They run through the live streaming schedule (six days of coverage on the PokerStars Twitch and YouTube channels) and catch up with 2016 Main Event champion Jasper Meijer van...

  50. 293. The Truth Detective with Alex O'Brien

    James and Joe are still recovering from Vegas (and a large Thanksgiving meal), but have had a bit of time to relax, watch movies…and read a book! Yes, on this week's podcast, they delve into 'The Truth Detective' by Alex O'Brien. Alex is a science writer and poker enthusiast. She talks about the...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Every week, the hosts of PokerStars TV (James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton) bring you a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like being two regular folks on the international poker circuit. Told from the perspective of a cranky British dad (Hartigan) and an undateable American bachelor (Stapes), Poker in the Ears is a mostly uncensored take on the world of professional poker. The hosts also regularly call in favours, in the form of guest spots from their big-shot celebrity poker-playing friends. And they routinely hold on-air competitions, providing chances for listeners to join them on tour.

HOSTED BY

PokerStars

Produced by Ben Strivens

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Poker in the Ears have?

Poker in the Ears currently has 343 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Poker in the Ears about?

Every week, the hosts of PokerStars TV (James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton) bring you a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like being two regular folks on the international poker circuit. Told from the perspective of a cranky British dad (Hartigan) and an undateable American bachelor (Stapes), Poker...

How often does Poker in the Ears release new episodes?

Poker in the Ears publishes regularly with 343 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.

Where can I listen to Poker in the Ears?

You can listen to Poker in the Ears on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Poker in the Ears?

Poker in the Ears is created and hosted by PokerStars.
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