What’s Heating Up This April In Poker News

If you’ve been away from the felt for even a week, you picked a wild time to check back in. April has already been one of those stretches where it feels like something new is happening every day, and not just at the tables. Between deep runs, format changes, and some big shifts in the online landscape, there’s a lot to catch up on.

Is Mizrachi about to do the impossible?

The biggest story right now—at least from what I’ve been seeing everywhere—is Michael Mizrachi making another serious run, this time over at the WSOP Europe in Prague. After what he pulled off in 2025 (winning both the PPC and the Main Event), it almost feels like we’re watching a continuation instead of a new chapter. He’s deep in the Main Event again, and people are already throwing around the phrase “Double-Double.” If he actually pulls this off, he’d join Phil Hellmuth as the only players to hold both the Vegas and Europe Main Event titles at the same time. Every update seems to send poker Twitter into a frenzy.

The "November Nine" are back (sort of)

At the same time, the World Series of Poker 2026 schedule just dropped, and that brought a whole different kind of buzz. The big talking point? They’re bringing back the delayed final table. For the first time in years, the Main Event is going to pause once they hit the final nine in July, then pick things back up later to crown a winner. It’s basically the "November Nine" idea all over again. And just like back then, people are split. Some love the idea of building hype, while others think it completely kills the tournament's momentum. Either way, it’s easily the most debated change we’ve seen in a while.

Dublin just moved the needle

Over in Ireland, the 2026 Irish Open just wrapped up, and it turned into one of those events people are going to be talking about for a long time. The Main Event pulled in 5,003 entries, which is just absurd and easily the biggest field they’ve ever had. It ended in a massive five-way ICM deal, with Narcis Nedelcu taking home the trophy and a payday just shy of $400K. What’s really impressive is that the Irish Open keeps growing like this even while going up against WSOP Europe. It’s clearly carved out its own identity as a "player-first" festival.

Hawkins hits another milestone

And then there’s Maurice Hawkins—because it wouldn’t be a news cycle without him in the mix. He just picked up his 24th WSOP Circuit ring, and at this point, that record is starting to look untouchable. Of course, the win wasn’t quiet. It sparked the usual back-and-forth with guys like Shaun Deeb and Dan Cates over the "rings vs. bracelets" debate. Love him or hate him, the consistency he shows on the circuit is just hard to ignore.

Better news for US grinders

On the online side, there’s actually some great news for U.S. players. Connecticut officially joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). This means shared player pools just got a little bigger. If you play online at all, you’ll start noticing the effects soon—larger fields, bigger guarantees, and generally more action across the board. It’s one of those "boring" legal changes that actually makes a massive difference in our day-to-day games.

The UK tax landscape is shifting

Finally, keep an eye on what’s happening in the UK. As of April 1, the Remote Gaming Duty jumped from 21% all the way up to 40%. That’s a massive increase, and there’s been a lot of worry in the community about it leading to higher rake or lower rewards. So far, the major sites are holding steady and absorbing the cost to stay competitive, but it feels like a "wait and see" situation to see if those costs eventually trickle down to the players.

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Sources:

PokerNews – Michael Mizrachi WSOP Europe Update https://www.pokernews.com/news/2026/04/michael-mizrachi-among-the-chip-leaders-wsop-main-event-50975.htm

Pokerfuse – WSOP 2026 Schedule Overview https://pokerfuse.com/live-poker/wsop/wsop-2026/

Tight Poker – Record-Breaking Irish Open Main Event https://www.tightpoker.com/news/record-breaking-irish-open-main-event-sees-five-way-deal-in-dublin/

PokerStrategy – Maurice Hawkins Wins 24th WSOP Circuit Ring https://www.pokerstrategy.com/news/world-of-poker/Maurice-Hawkins-wins-24th-WSOP-C-Ring_140046/

CardPlayer – Maurice Hawkins Coverage https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/1644029-maurice-hawkins-strikes-again-winning-24th-wsop-circuit-ring

DeucesCracked – U.S. Online Poker Compact Expansion https://www.deucescracked.com/us-online-poker-market-update-interstate-compacts-expand-in-2026/

CDC Gaming – UK Gambling Tax Increase Analysis https://cdcgaming.com/brief/uk-online-gambling-revenue-faces-spiral-effect-as-tax-hike-takes-effect/

GOV.UK – Official Gambling Duty Changes https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-gambling-duties/gambling-duty-changes