Why Hustler Casino Live Boss Ryan Feldman Was Kicked Out of the WSOP Main Event

Name Surname
Editor & Live Reporter U.S.
Hosts:
Connor Richards @CRichards1995
Guests:
Ryan Feldman @TheRyanFeldman

Ryan Feldman, co-owner of Hustler Casino Live, revealed on PokerNews' Life Outside Poker podcast that he was kicked out of the 2016 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event over a conflict of interest stemming from his employment at ESPN.

In the 16th episode of the podcast, host Connor Richards speaks with the producer/founder of the most popular livestream in poker history about why he was booted from poker's biggest tournament, along with numerous other topics such as sports journalism, interviewing star athletes, leaving ESPN to start a poker stream, founding HCL and putting together some of the most entertaining lineups in poker history.

Feldman went into detail on the podcast about why he was booted from the Main Event, and it's a story he's never shared publicly, but one worth the listen.

"You either have to withdraw from the tournament or you might lose your job," Feldman was told on Day 3 of the $10,000 buy-in world championship event.

Hear what Feldman had to say in detail about the "brutal start" to his poker career post-ESPN following the Main Event disqualification on the newest edition of the Life Outside Poker podcast below:

This interview was filmed in July at the 2024 WSOP inside Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.

The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Ryan Feldman by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel.

Be sure to follow Ryan Feldman and Connor Richards on X.

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Time Stamps

TIMETOPIC
0:00Intro
0:45Sports journalism
5:57Starting NBA website
8:28Interviewing NBA players
17:15Working for ESPN
23:46Moving to LA & getting into poker
29:00Leaving ESPN for poker
31:34Kicked out on Day 3 of 2016 WSOP Main Event
40:17Poker production & lineup building
43:51Live at the Bike
45:32Starting Hustler Casino Live
46:22Million Dollar Game
47:32Mr. Beast game
51:01Can poker streams continue growing?
53:51Dream HCL guests
55:59J4, Garrett & Robbi
1:04:28Alan Keating & Cody Daniels story
1:10:53Advice for younger self
1:13:46Life lesson from poker
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Editor & Live Reporter U.S.

Connor Richards is an Editor & Live Reporter for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.

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