Lex Veldhuis and his "new chapter" started with a bang on Saturday when the former PokerStars Ambassador won his first tournament in a return to the livestreamed poker beat after a lengthy absence.
Veldhuis, who recently ended a 17-year relationship with PokerStars, will enter 2026 as one of poker's most coveted free agents. And while he doesn't appear to be in a rush to sign a new sponsorship deal, Veldhuis is back to streaming on GGPoker from the Netherlands in the meantime.
'I've been away for a while'
The two-time GPI Award winner popped up this year at Lex Live and spun it up on The Big Game on Tour, but Veldhuis spent the latter part of 2025 playing video games and other non-poker activities on his livestream. He announced his break from PokerStars on Saturday and quickly jumped in on the first poker stream of the year, kicking off with the $108 Bounty Hunters Special. The tournament drew 120 players and Veldhuis beat all of them, grabbing $1,240 in bounties and a total score of $2,541.
"I've been away for a while," Veldhuis said during a stream that featured some growing pains with an unfamiliar GGPoker platform. He had issues with the sound, peeling the cards, and even a jump scare from what are called "Snap Cam Voice Messages."
But he managed to figure most of it out, and Veldhuis had the opportunity to use the "peel" feature during the final runout of his victory. Veldhuis had 
and his opponent showed 
, while the board sweated out 
before the card graphic slowly turned a 
to confirm the win.
Veldhuis settled in for another stream on Sunday, and it appears he is back on the grind for the foreseeable future. Whether he signs a new sponsorship deal soon remains to be seen — but there’s no indication he’s in a rush.
