Images courtesy of PokerStars (Danny Maxwell)
The new season of the European Poker Tour came with a fresh start in many ways. With long-time collaborator Joe Stapleton leaving for pastures new, James Hartigan has embraced an era of change at poker’s biggest operator of the past 20 years, with talent like Griffin Benger and Maria Konnikova among his new team.
I caught up with James as he prepares to embark on a 2027 EPT series to remember.
Drawing on New Blood
There’s only one place I can start with James, who for 15 years was one half of poker’s most-celebrated year-round commentary team with Joe Stapleton. With ‘Stapes’ joining the WSOP, there’s a fresh look to the PokerStars team, and James is embracing the change.
This year’s EPT Barcelona broadcast signaled a fresh start, and a new approach to our live coverage of the European Poker Tour, he says. Utilizing dynamic delay and a second feature table, based on the viewership, I’d say it was a success.
We had Sam Grafton return to the roster of analysts, alongside Griffin Benger and Nick Walsh, and David Lappin joined as our second play-by-play commentator, establishing the foundations of a strong on-air team.
While the new talent has been welcomed by viewers old and new, James confirmed that there will be more changes coming as part of the growth of the media side of PokerStars.
There are likely to be further additions to the squad in 2027, and there will certainly be further innovations next year. When it comes to live streaming, PokerStars has always been a pioneer, and I think poker fans will love some of the changes and additions that will be implemented in the coming months. We’re definitely going through an exciting period of evolution right now.
What Makes a Great European Poker Tour
There have been so many great EPT events over two decades of the series, so I wanted James to tell what makes a good event and creates that bond between players and organizers.
What’s the proverbial secret sauce? James smiles. Well, as Martin Fry sang in the 1982 pop classic The Look of Love, “If I knew, I would tell you.” Seriously, it’s a combination of factors. But I would argue the most important is prioritizing the player experience.
With the ‘Stars’ tournament schedule, something Toby Stone and his colleagues are always “refining and improving,” according to James, that process offers a variety of games at a range of price points, ensuring those tournaments are run by who he believes to be the best team in the world.
The EPT is renowned for the proficiency and professionalism of its dealers and floor staff. They run a tight ship, putting game integrity first, but also understand the importance of customer service, treating the players with politeness and respect. Sadly, that’s not the case everywhere in the world.
Where Could Be Next on the EPT?
Last year, Malta dropped off the EPT schedule, and other tour stops in celebrated cities have come and gone. While James says he has “limited insider knowledge,” he gives us an insight into what goes into considerations for new stops and why some are removed.
I do know that it’s really hard to find venues that tick all the boxes. I believe it’s important to take the tour to locations that players want to visit, places that offer something other than poker.
Of those stops, James highlights two cities that in recent years have played host to memorable victories for players such as Stephen Song, Barny Boatman and August’s 2026 Barcelona champion, Manuel Ferrari.
Paris is one of the world’s greatest cities, and Barcelona has pretty much everything you could ever want: beaches, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, culture, history. I like the fact that, in recent years, we’ve focused on fewer stops; bigger festivals. That makes sense. With the caveat that I have zero control or influence, I’m banging the drum super hard for Lisbon.
A New Podcast for Poker Fans
For a long time, the Poker in the Ears podcast was one of the most popular in the game, regularly inspiring listeners to play the game we all love. At the time I speak with James, he’s excited about the imminent launch of a brand-new podcast… with a different co-host too.
We’ve just announced the launch of a new podcast called The Tough Call, hosted by myself and fellow PokerStars Ambassador Maria Konnikova, he tells me. It’s a very different show, nothing like Poker in the Ears. It’s a podcast about decision-making, exploring how we think, and the factors that govern and influence the choices we make in everyday life.
Podcasts where there are two or more hosts rely on chemistry between the hosts, and James is keenly aware of this.
Maria and I started work on the first season back in the spring, and have now recorded ten episodes, covering a wide range of topics with a stellar line-up of guests, from performance coaches to entrepreneurs; from poker pros to leading figures in the entertainment industry. I’m really excited about it. Obviously, I enjoy hosting podcasts, because it reminds me of my radio days. And I’m a sucker for nostalgia.
The Name’s Hartigan… James Hartigan
James is a well-known film buff and a keen James Bond fan. In fact, he’s a walking, talking encyclopedia of knowledge on the Ian Fleming creation, so I picked his brains on who he thinks should be the next James Bond, with time running out before the decision is made.
So, right now, the final screen tests are taking place, with four candidates rumored to still be in the running. There’s a good chance we’ll know who’s landed the role by the time this interview is published!
That may be the case, but unlike Goldfinger pointing a giant laser beam at Sean Connery’s crown jewels in 1964, I expect Mr. Hartigan to talk.
I’m glad that Tom Holland and Jacob Elordi seem to have been ruled out, he says. They’re good actors, but they’re too recognizable, too famous to play Bond.
The final shortlist seems pretty solid, and I could easily see Jack Lowden, Josh O’Connor or Mr Dua Lipa [Callum Turner] as a young 007. I trust Denis Villeneuve and the producers to pick the best man for the job.
Entertainment vs. Analysis
The balance between entertainment and information is one that every live-streamed broadcast needs to strike. Having fronted EPT broadcasts since 2006, James’ philosophy has always been entertainment first, competition second. But how does that hold up in 2026 and 2027, with so many streams featuring solver-driven analysis?
I believe Jared Bleznick had a thing or two to say about this recently! laughs James. Look, entertainment and competition aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, they’re inseparable; the competition is part of the entertainment.
I think it’s very important to position tournament poker as a game with a strong element of skill, and have experienced players and great poker minds drill into the strategy, analyze key plays and discuss theoretical decision-making… but not ad infinitum.
As far as James sees it, that balancing act is best served by centering coverage around the people at the heart of all poker action – the players.
Focusing on characters and storytelling should always be the priority for any live ’sport’ but, again, the two aren’t mutually exclusive. It’s about balance. Just like I think it’s important to balance light and shade.
In any EPT Main Event, there are moments of incredible drama – hands with hundreds of thousands of euros on the line – which should be treated seriously. And then there are long periods of time where nothing consequential happens and the commentary occasionally goes off piste.
I think it’s possible to be light-hearted without undermining the gravitas of the game or belittling the prestige of the event. Our live broadcasts will continue to entertain and, hopefully, remain popular.
A New Season on the EPT
As PokerStars players head to EPT Prague between 2-13 December for the conclusion of the 2026 season, plans will already have been announced for the 2027 season. James loves the fact that the European Poker Tour itself is “always innovating and always evolving” and that will continue to happen over the next 12 months.
In recent years, we’ve seen numerous adjustments to the rules, designed to improve the fairness of the game, for example, transitioning to hands-per-level once a tournament reaches the final table. We’ve also seen the move to mandatory slide dealing, again protecting the integrity of the game.
Game integrity is clearly important to James too, and as the longest-serving presenter on the PokerStars team, he is seen as the senior bastion of those values.
I know that 2027 is likely to be a big year for the EPT. In the coming months and years, it will be incredibly exciting to witness the EPT consolidate its position as the best live poker series in the world.
If there is a sense that James Hartigan acts as a responsible captain of the good ship EPT, it should be comforting and inspirational in equal measure for fans and players to see his experienced hands still on the wheel after all these years.
