What Lessons Have Been Learned from Poker in 2025?

In the past 12 months, poker has gone from strength to strength in many ways. From the emergence of female players at an elite level to the biggest ever winner of the WSOP Main Event in terms of multiple events in the same series, poker has captured our imagination like never before. With online security concerns, Donald Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ and the ongoing battle to grow poker guarantees to the very brink of the bubble bursting, could there be worries or wonder around the corner in 2025?

Is Poker’s Future Female?

In the 1998 movie Rounders, Worm turns to Mike and confidently states that ‘In the game of life, women are the rake’. We, of course, can only disagree. We think they are the overlay. In every corner of the game, the female player adds value to the glorious entertainment that is the greatest card game on Earth.

From content creators such as Abby Merk to elite professionals like Kristen Foxen, the game of poker has been immeasurably improved by female superstars in 2025. On the presenting side of the game, PokerOrg’s Sarah Herring brought the game to new life across multiple mediums, while poker author Maria Konnikova called out misbehavior where she saw fit. Just last week, Natasha Mercier made the final stages of the $25,000 Super Main Event.

In one of the best female achievements for a long time, Leo Margets became the first woman to reach the final table of the WSOP Main Event in 30 years. While her run ended in seventh place for $1.5 million, her performance earned nothing but plaudits. It will doubtless be a much shorter wait for another woman to reach the promised land of the final nine in the World Championship.

It’s a Grinder’s Game

In the 2025 WSOP, one man rose above all others to walk away a poker legend. Michael Mizrachi’s triumph in the WSOP Main Event for $10 million taught the world that you don’t have the be a GTO genius or wily old wizard to take away the biggest prizes. Sometimes you can be in the middle and do just fine.

Mizrachi – known as ‘Grinder’ – enjoyed a spectacular World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Not only did he win ‘The Big One’ but he also took down the Poker Players Championship for a record fourth time. Upon doing so, he had fulfilled a dream and having won both of the biggest events in Sin City, even better was to come.

An emergency council of the living members of the Poker Hall of Fame saw ‘Grinder’ admitted to the hallowed halls as poker’s greatest recognition was bestowed upon him. Mizrachi, almost overcome with emotion inside the Thunderdome, was ecstatic, and signing with GGPoker as their newest Global Ambassador surprised nobody. In 2026, the Grinder is in charge… and we can’t wait to see more intuitive play as a result.

Obstacles Need Overcoming in 2026

While there was plenty of good news in 2025, there are a few issues that need sorting out in the first few months of 2026. While WSOP Paradise breaking all records with their $72.7m prizepool in the $25,000 Super Main Event, debate rages about whether such an event being open to multiple rebuys spoils the ethics of the game because it protects better bankrolled players from losing. The rich get richer? It’s the system that’s been in place for years in all walks of life… but maybe poker could level the playing field a little and reduce the number of rebuys.

The subject of online security certainly warrants investigation on a deeper level in the next 12 months. Operators such as GGPoker have excelled in the last year, blocking people at the final table stage if they are ghosting, for example. But security needs to take precedence at all levels to help players stay safe at all times. Everyone’s money should be worth the same amount if it is on the table in poker.

Finally, but perhaps most importantly, is the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’. Donald Trump’s idea of taxing losses in poker doesn’t sound like a winner to us and Erik Seidel has threatened retirement if the bill is passed in the first few weeks of January. It could genuinely change the game in the United States and not in a good way.

The next year at the felt could be very interesting indeed.