James Hartigan
James Hartigan is the voice of PokerStars. We’d say he’s the voice of poker, but he’s too humble to admit to that one. One thing’s for sure – James’ dulcet tones are synonymous with millions of poker-lovers globally.
It all started in the early 90s when he was a recreational player who blew off steam while at university in Canterbury, Kent. A budding film critic, James graduated and instantly forged out a broadcasting career with the likes of the BBC and Heart Radio. Back then, a career as one of the most recognizable voices in poker wasn’t even on the radar, yet that all changed in 2005 when he was invited to play the European Poker Tour in Deauville.
Still a journalist at this point, James met the PokerStars team and developed the connections that would eventually lead to a decorated career behind the microphone. Before long, he made the role his full-time job and became a permanent fixture at PokerStars, taking the lead on major projects such as Shark Cage and the award-winning Big Game on Tour.
And if that wasn’t impressive enough, James received the Best Broadcaster award at the Global Poker Awards (GPA) in 2023. Not bad for a guy who thought the job would always be a “sideline activity” while he worked in radio.
Today, you’ll find James representing PokerStars in his role as an Ambassador and, of course, doing what he does best – presenting and commentating on our award-winning poker shows. So in between sharpening his skills at the tables, you’ll still find him calling the action on the PokerStars live streams with Stapes.
It’s been a long road, but James is as passionate as ever about what he does, and we couldn’t be happier to have him at the helm.
James Hartigan plays online poker exclusively at PokerStars, where he plays under the username ‘J.Hartigan’.