Lex Veldhuis Leaves PokerStars After 17 Years and Returns to Online Poker

By Mauritz Altikardes

04 Jan 2026

Mauritz Altikardes 04 Jan 2026

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Lex Veldhuis leaves PokerStars, joins GGPoker as a free agent.
Plays legally from Netherlands; his first GGPoker win is $2,541.
Plans to stay a free agent despite sponsorship speculations.

Lex, former Pokerstars Ambassador, now a free agent.

Lex Veldhuis has ended his 17 year ambassador role with PokerStars and returned to online poker on GGPoker. The Dutch streamer is playing from the Netherlands as a free agent while restarting regular poker streams in 2026.

Lex Veldhuis has ended his 17 year ambassador role with PokerStars and returned to online poker on GGPoker.

The poker industry has entered 2026 with a high profile development. Lex Veldhuis has officially ended his long running ambassador relationship with PokerStars and has returned to playing online poker on a different platform.

On January 3, 2026, Veldhuis confirmed on his first stream back on Twitch that his partnership with PokerStars had ended.

The Dutch professional spent 17 years representing the Red Spade brand, making him one of the longest serving ambassadors in online poker history.

Veldhuis avoided sharing specific reasons behind the split. He explained the decision as a personal reset after a difficult year away from regular poker streaming.

During 2025, his channel focused mainly on variety games such as Zelda and League of Legends rather than multi table tournaments.

Return to the Virtual Felt on GGPoker

Following the announcement, Veldhuis immediately returned to grinding online poker. This time, he logged in on GGPoker instead of PokerStars.

He is now playing from his home in the Netherlands. His Twitch chat includes an automated message confirming that he is not sponsored by any poker site and is currently playing only on GGPoker.

This move also solves a long standing logistical issue. Due to Dutch regulations, Veldhuis previously traveled to Belgium to play on PokerStars. GGPoker allows him to play legally from the Netherlands, which likely played a role in the platform change.

Veldhuis showed no signs of rust during his first session. He won the $108 Bounty Hunters Special on GGPoker, collecting around $2,541. The result reinforced his reputation as a consistent online tournament player despite a reduced poker schedule over the past year.

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Free Agent Status and Sponsorship Speculation

The poker community quickly began speculating about a possible GGPoker sponsorship. The platform has a history of signing established professionals and streamers.

Veldhuis addressed this directly on stream. He joked that entering a new deal immediately after a long partnership was not the right move. For now, he has made it clear that he plans to remain a free agent.

GGPoker Promotions in January 2026

Veldhuis returns during a busy period for GGPoker. The platform is running January promotions with a reported $20 million in guaranteed giveaways. This includes the upcoming Winter Series, which features multiple large guaranteed tournaments.

GGPoker is also set to launch its new loyalty system, Ocean Rewards, later this month. The program advertises cashback levels of up to 80 percent.

Players can register using the GGPoker bonus code GOPOKER to access a welcome bonus of up to $600.

Chris Moneymaker Comment Sparks Reaction

After Veldhuis shared his announcement on X, Chris Moneymaker commented that he also spent roughly 17 years as a PokerStars ambassador before moving on to another platform.

The remark did not land well with the Dutch player. Veldhuis responded with an unusual comment that caught the attention of the poker community and added another layer to the discussion surrounding long term ambassador exits.

For now, Veldhuis is back on the felt, streaming poker again, and writing the next chapter of his career without a logo on his screen.