The popular Chip Race Podcast is celebrating a major milestone this weekend, with PokerStars hosting a special bounty tournament to mark the show’s 200th episode and give players the chance to win their way into the Sunday Million 20th Anniversary.
Available to all PokerStars users, the $11 Chip Race Special Bounty Builder takes place on Sunday, July 26 at 16:30 WET (11:30 ET) with a $20,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Players who eliminate one of the Chip Race hosts or PokerStars Ambassadors will collect the bounty and a $109 Sunday Million Anniversary ticket, along with the bragging rights that come with taking down presenters David Lappin and Dara O’Kearney, as well as Barry Carter, Seb Huber, Marle Spragg, and Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg.
The special event gives players another opportunity to qualify for PokerStars’ Sunday Million 20th Anniversary, celebrating the birthday of a legendary tournament on the online poker scene. The double-decade anniversary edition features a $5 million guaranteed prize pool and is being played in a phased format, with players battling through Daily Heats before the grand finale on September 6.
Celebrating 200 Episodes of The Chip Race
The Chip Race Podcast, hosted by PokerStars Ambassador Lappin and recently anointed PaddyPower Poker pro O’Kearney, has become one of poker’s most recognizable podcasts, combining player interviews, strategy discussions, and debate around the biggest stories in the game.
The milestone comes shortly after the release of the Season 28 finale, which featured a star-studded line-up including poker endboss and PokerStars Ambassador Jason Koon, EPT tournament director Toby Stone, and PokerNews Podcast host Mike Holtz. Holtz, who recently won his second WSOP bracelet, joined the show to discuss his career and memorable summer at the World Series of Poker.
Reflecting on reaching 200 episodes, co-host Lappin said the show’s original ambitions were much smaller than what it has become.
“Our original goal was twofold: to appeal to a couple of thousand Irish players by covering the local scene and to get sponsored by PaddyPower Poker,” Lappin told the PokerStars Blog. “We achieved the first goal in seven episodes, but it took us over 190 shows to lock up the latter.”
The podcast has since built an audience of more than 25,000 listeners across 76 countries, with Lappin attributing much of the growth to word of mouth rather than paid promotion.
Over 200 episodes, the show has welcomed many of the biggest names in poker, including interviews with Phil Hellmuth, Mike Sexton, and Koon, as well as regular favorites such as Maria Konnikova, Jen Shahade, and Kat Arnsby.
Other poker A-Listers to appear on the show have included Shaun Deeb, Ike Haxton, Nick Schulman, Scott Seiver, Vicky Coren, and many more influential figures across the game.
When asked which episodes he would recommend to someone discovering the podcast for the first time, Lappin pointed to conversations with Jennifer Tilly, Doug Polk and Stephen Chidwick as standout moments from the show’s history.
Hunt the Hosts on Sunday
Let’s forget all the nicities though – after all, there are bounties up for grabs on Sunday, July 26!
You can join the $11 Bounty Builder on PokerStars and hunt down the Chip Race team and friends while chasing a seat in one of online poker’s biggest upcoming events.
And be warned, Lappin isn’t giving his bounty up easily, joking to the PokerStars Blog, “You can pry those virtual chips out of my avatar’s cold, dead, pixelated hands!”
Finally, please note that if you are based in Germany, Sweden, Belgium, or Denmark, unfortunately you’ll have to sit this one out due to licensing restrictions.
Eliot Thomas
Editor, Poker & Casino