It’s been a tumultuous few months for The Chip Race. After years of stability as a Unibet-sponsored podcast, the team of David Lappin and Dara O’Kearney parted ways with the upstart poker site in May of 2025
They quickly rebounded, bouncing back with a new sponsor just a few weeks later, starting a new chapter of The Chip Race with the rapidly growing WPT Global. While that relationship started with a lot of optimism from the pair of Irish poker phenoms, it came to an abrupt end less than a year after it started, after the brand signed Ren Lin as a new ambassador.
The response from O’Kearney and Lappin was swift, with the pair announcing their departure from the brand within 24 hours of the signing announcement. After a decade of building their Chip Race and personal brands based on integrity in poker and life, signing an ambassador with a clear and recent history of RTA ghosting was a bright red line for the duo.
The Second Bounce to Patreon
Never down for the count, The Chip Race quickly bounced back with new episodes, albeit without an official sponsor. At least for now, the show has moved to a fan-sponsored model on Patreon and has recently released its first few episodes under the new model.
Labelled “Bonus Episodes”, the first two episodes under the new structure have been released. Bonus episode 1 is a look back at the beginnings of The Chip Race back in 2015, while the second new episode details the move from Unibet to WPT Global in 2025 and the show’s time with its new sponsor.
With the Patreon launch, Lappin and O’Kearney are continuing their tradition of straight talk. There’s no hint of holding back as the duo discusses all the ups and downs of the last couple of years. They heap praise on the previous sponsor from the initial contacts with WPT Global’s Ireland Marketing Manager, Cameron Soane, who reached out to O’Kearney directly about sponsorship when the two met in battle at the tables, but they are also clear about early red flags that began to appear for the relationship.
The Hottest Tea is Yet to Come
While the first two episodes released on Patreon contain their share of hot tea, it looks like the hottest tea is being saved for Episode 3, dropping soon. The latest segment is expected to go into details about the rapid end of the relationship with WPT Global in January of this year.
Give me the tenor of their opening salvos under the new community-sponsored model, it’s clear that, despite the turbulent waters in recent times, Dara and David are still the same straight-talking voices they’ve always been. While they are sometimes uncompromising with their (usually deserved) criticisms, they are also always ready to give credit where it’s due, and to introspect on their own behaviour when required.
But with the first two episodes dealing with the history of The Chip Race and the initial change in sponsorship last year, there was lots of room for positive, optimistic content. The next segment expected to be released looks to be somewhat more pointed, with some pretty specific details of the various behind-the-scenes activity leading up to the divorce on Jan 13.
The 3rd part of the trilogy detailing the saga of the show’s journey from its birth in 2015 through today is likely already live on The Chip Race Patreon page, and expect some spice. As the hosts and the show move into this new era, it’s nice to see that The Chip Race is just more of the same. In this case, that’s the best news possible.
To become part of a new community-sponsored voice on poker, join up at The Chip Race Patreon!
