Deputy Editor
Top poker streamer Lex Veldhuis announced a split with longtime sponsor PokerStars, as he returned to the streaming booth for the first time in months. Veldhuis had been playing with the PokerStars patch for 17 years.
The longtime pro, who hails from the Netherlands, titled his return “Back for Good.” He said he plans to return to high-volume online play with plenty of streaming. Last year, he said, will remain “in the rearview mirror.”
“I’m excited about this year,” he said. “I’m going to play a lot of poker. I felt like it was time for a new chapter, a new beginning.”
Veldhuis had last streamed in mid-2025, and poker was not a big part of his show. He had dabbled in some variety streaming, showcasing himself playing video games and chess.
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Veldhuis Playing on New Platforms With New Streams
Veldhuis’ viewers — and there are plenty of them, as he has more than 300,000 followers to his Twitch gambling stream — were treated to an unfamiliar sight: Veldhuis grinding on GGPoker.
He said it was his first time playing on GGPoker, now the global traffic leader. GGPoker seems like a natural home for Veldhuis play for the time being. That particular operator features a special “streamer mode” that offers 100% rakeback.
Veldhuis also revealed that he’s added a stream on Kick to go with his feeds on Twitch and YouTube. Kick has become a fairly popular platform for poker streaming, but it has also become controversial for its connections to Stake.
If Veldhuis’ proclamations prove true, he’ll be resuming a poker career that has created quite a buzz at times. He captivated viewers when he burst onto the scene with his ultra-aggressive play on televised poker, both in tournaments and cash games.
While Veldhuis never made much noise in live tournaments — he cashed for about $700,000 there with one World Series of Poker final table — he proved adaptable to the streaming era.
Other longtime PokerStars-sponsored players saw their contracts end when the operator made a strategic decision to put its dollars behind streamers. Veldhuis, though, quickly built one of the biggest followings. He continued to stream higher-stakes tournaments, making memorable runs in World Championship of Online Poker events, including a six-figure win in 2024.
Veldhuis’ volume waned in 2025 as he ran out the clock on his contract. He wasn’t the only Team PokerStars Pro to move on, as Fintan Hand did the same. Hand announced a new home with WPT Global. Fans of Veldhuis may soon find out if he has a follow-up gig lined up as well.
