Ryan van Sanford (@RyanTYFL on Twitter) is an active member of both the Tournament Poker Edge and the Thinking Poker Podcast communities. At 20 years old, he’s new to the live tournament scene and just had his first big win … Read more…
John the Lawyer left a profitable legal practice to play poker professionally. He cut his teeth in the big game at Foxwoods playing against, among others, a young Vanessa Selbst. In this interview, he shares his thoughts on live poker, … Read more…
Richard Veenman is a Dutch fixed limit hold ’em player with a lot of charisma and a big personality. At the start of 2014, he retired from both professional poker and PokerStars Team Online. In addition to the difficulties of … Read more…
Andrew and Nate ring in the new year with a discussion of goal-setting and their own resolutions, both in poker and in life. Plus how to take notes in live poker, first impressions of the (relatively) new poker room at … Read more…
Keone Young, prolific actor and poker player, was our guest on Episode 50. Due to some technical difficulties, part of our first interview with him was unusable, and we ended up recording a new interview that differed in many ways … Read more…
Joe LaPinta is a professional poker player who won the recent WSOP circuit event at Harrah’s Atlantic City. Of course it takes more than just a tournament victory to score an appearance on the Thinking Poker Podcast, but Joe is … Read more…
Andrew, Carlos, and Sean share stories from their recent trip to Atlantic City. There’s plenty of strategy, from small-stakes cash game hands to big decisions in a six-handed bounty tournament and the $2700 Fall Poker Open Main Event. Plus the … Read more…
Andrew’s friend Miklos is on the show this week to talk about the Hungarian poker scene, his recent deep run in a Super Knock Out tournament, and strategy adjustments more generally for tournaments with large bounties. This episode is extra-heavy … Read more…
Jonathan Bredin is an Australian aspiring professional poker player who won the recent ANZPT Queenstown event. He also has cerebral palsy, which made recording an audio interview with him somewhat complicated. We ended up having a text-chat conversation with him … Read more…
Nate’s away this week, but Leo Wolpert and Andrew take advantage of the opportunity to answer some listener questions that have been lingering for too long in the mailbag queue. 0:30 – Hello and welcome; impressions of WSOP final table … Read more…
Roy Bhasin is a professional poker player and a member of PokerStars Team Online who specializes in pot-limit omaha cash games. He talks to us about how he got into poker, how he got into PLO, and how he got … Read more…
Johannes Levemann is the head of Research and Development for the Snowie Group one of the creators of PokerSnowie, a neural net that has over the course of several years supposedly learned to play a nearly unexploitable no-limit hold ’em … Read more…
It’s time again to catch up with our old friend Gareth Chantler. From Trondheim, Norway, he tells us about his new job as a Full Tilt Poker blogger and gets Triple Draw advice from Nate Meyvis. Plus Zoom/Rush Poker strategy, … Read more…
Dave Thornton is one of the principals at SkillInGames and OneBillionHands, a recently-launched site with access to, well, roughly one billion hands’ worth of anonymized hole card data from real money online poker games. We talk about where these hands came from … Read more…
Shane “Shaniac” Schleger was our very first guest, and he’s had quite a year since he last talked with us. From getting married to getting turned away at the Canadian border to final tabling the WCOOP Main Event, he shares … Read more…
Keone Young is a character actor whose decades-long career has spanned television, movies, theater, and even video games. He’s also a serious poker player and a regular contributor to the comments section of the Thinking Poker Blog. He joins us … Read more…
Sean Lango is the editor of the Thinking Poker Podcast and a member of Palmyra, the band you’ve been hearing on the show for the last few weeks. He’s also a professional musician who supplements his income with poker. We … Read more…
After some brief reminiscences, Nate and Andrew dive into a strategy-rich show. Even if you’ve never heard of Courchevel before, you’ll want to hear what it can teach you about poker in general. If it piques your interest, you can … Read more…
Carlos Welch was one of our most popular guests, and he’s back to talk about his new life as a professional poker player. Find out why he didn’t move to Jamaica, what he’s doing instead, and how he’s dealing with … Read more…
Jennifer Newell, @WriterJen on Twitter, is a freelance writer who frequently covers the world of poker for Poker Scout, PokerStars Women, and others. Though she doesn’t play much herself, she loves the many colorful personalities and fascinating stories of the … Read more…
Mike Stein, author of the excellent Quantitative Poker blog, joins us to talk about skill vs luck in poker, how tax implications and the declining utility of money should affect your game selection, and game theoretically optimal bluffing strategy across … Read more…
Leo Wolpert, who’s been both an interviewee and guest host on the show before, returns in the latter capacity. We talk cold war politics, getting value from maniacs, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? strategy, and the difference between good … Read more…
It’s our first Pot Limit Omaha-centric episode, with guest John “KasinoKrime” Beauprez. John is a professional poker player who specialized in PLO and the author of the PLO QuickPro Manual. He won his first WSOP bracelet in the 2013 $1500 … Read more…
Faraz Jaka is one of the most consistent tournament players in the game. He was the 2009 – 2010 World Poker Tour Player of the Year and continues to appear at major final tables around the world. He’s also one … Read more…
Gareth Chantler talks about Norwegian family politics and covering tournaments for the PokerStars Blog. He also joins in discussions of the ethics of accepting an unsolicited chip dump, playing second pair in a limped pot, and playing Kings when an … Read more…
Bill Ordine is the editor of PhillyGambles.com, an editor and writer for PressBox, and a former reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Baltimore Sun. In his capacity as a sports writer, Bill pushed for greater poker coverage in the … Read more…
Carlos “loxxii” Welch is a grinder if ever there were one. The former math teacher was happily learning the game playing small-stakes online tournaments until Black Friday complicated that plan. Undeterred, he now travels to casinos, sleeping in his truck … Read more…
Nach Ralston, whom you might know better as Private Joker if you frequent either the Two Plus Two Limit Hold ‘Em forum or Zach’s movie review blog, is a professional poker player turned television producer. Specifically he works for POKER … Read more…
In honor of Andrew’s deep run in the $1500 WSOP PLO8 episode, this show is dedicated to that beautiful game. Nate and Andrew discuss general strategy for the game, tournament-specific adaptations, and a number of hands from Andrew’s tournament. Since … Read more…
Nate and Andrew discuss Andrew’s second week in Las Vegas, dealing with dealer errors, tricky decisions for the floor, a big bluff, a big call, and a big fold. Timestamps 0:30 Hello and welcome 7:10 Table manners and procedure 44:00 … Read more…
Ray J has been dealing for nearly 20 years and now, much like a professional poker player, follows the tournament circuit around the country plying his trade. He talks to us about the life of a traveling dealer, the rewards … Read more…
No interview this week, but Gareth Chantler makes an extended appearance to share his on-the-ground experience with the civil unrest in Istanbul and his thoughts on The Mental Game of Poker 2. Plus Nate and Andrew discuss the ethics of … Read more…
Taylor Caby, playing as “Green Plastic”, was one of the first superstars of online poker. He’s also one of the only self-described entrepreneurs in the poker world who has actually founded several successful businesses. The first was Cardrunners, which launched the video … Read more…
Jared Tendler, author of May book club book The Mental Game of Poker 2, talks about his transition from aspiring pro golfer to psychology student to mental game coach. Then talk turns to his new book and your questions! Timestamps … Read more…
Apparently certain browsers/apps had trouble with the original version of Episode 31, so here’s a new file that I think will work better. Please let me know whether this fixes your issue. Thanks!
As a moderator in 2+2’s News, Views, and Gossip forum, Nicole “SGTRJ” Rejiester probably has one of the hardest jobs in poker. Thankfully her background in law enforcement and the US Army has prepared her to thrive in environments characterized … Read more…
Jussi Palomäki is a cognitive scientist who’s published several studies on the subject of tilt. He discusses his findings, opines on Angelo’s and Tendler’s treatments of the subject, and even proves capable of discoursing on ancient philosophy. He also shares … Read more…
Listener (and host) favorite Tommy Angelo returns to the podcast to discuss Elements of Poker. If you enjoy this one, be sure to check out his previous appearance as well. And if you like the mailbag segment, there’s more discussion … Read more…
Olivier Busquet is back for more (actually he never left, we just chopped up our interview with him). This time around, we talk about televised poker commentary, the quality of political discourse in America, Olivier’s Toronto poker pad, and the … Read more…
Olivier Busquet, AKA high-stakes heads up sit-and-go boss livb112, joins us from his poker refugee pad in Toronto. With remarkable candor, he talks about his frustrations and his strategy for staying on top of his chosen format. You can follow … Read more…
No guest this week, just thorough strategy talk. Andrew brags about a deep run in a free poker tournament, we break down a hand from a 6-handed WSOP prelim event, and we discuss the first third of Tommy Angelo’s Elements of … Read more…
Poker author Ed Miller, the brains behind March book club selection Playing the Player among other great titles, gives generously of his time for both a regular interview and a thorough discussion of his book. We talk about the unconventional … Read more…
Nicolás “Nico” Amaya is a professional heads up hyper-turbo sit-and-go player. He’s also an industrial engineering student, an entrepeneur, and a former member of the Spanish national ski team, and we talk to him about all of those things. Nico … Read more…
Leo Wolpert, whom you may remember from Episode 10, is back as a co-host this week. He shares a hand from a recent WSOP circuit event and a story from his friend Jason Somerville’s blog. Strategy Segment Leo starts the … Read more…
André Coimbra is a member of PokerStars Team Online and the 2009 Magic: The Gathering World Champion. In 2013, he withdrew all but $100 from his PokerStars account, asked support to reset his VIP status to Bronze Star, and set about trying … Read more…
Something different today: Andrew interviews his grandmother about her brother, a 400-pound cross-dressing stand-up comedian with a love for all things gambling. The result is a moving, inspiring portrait of a life well-, if strangely, lived. Plus, some exciting announcements! … Read more…
Steve Day, better known in some circles as “SteveD” and in others as “ackbleh”, is Manager of VIP, Team Online, Ring Games, and Sit-and-Go tournaments at PokerStars. He takes us behind the scenes at PokerStars to talk about how major … Read more…
John Wray, co-creator, director, and co-writer of The Micros, talks about the origins of the show and his early vision for it. We also delve into John’s own origin story, from his studies at film school to his stint at … Read more…
“Ike” Haxton, the newest member of PokerStars Team Online joins us for one of our most wide-ranging interviews, covering his lifelong love of games, his first job in a spring factory, his days as a limit hold ’em grinder, his … Read more…
Ryan Hall has a full-time job teaching high school in Ontario, but that hasn’t stopped him from staying on top of the MTT world for six years and counting. Ryan has amassed more than $2 million in online winnings and … Read more…
Derek “Killingbird” Tenbusch is a founder and owner of Tournament Poker Edge, the video training site for which I now make videos, and a host of the Tournament Poker Edge Strategy Podcast. Tournament Poker Edge Live and The Chirp Herm Show round … Read more…
Edit: Some people reported difficulty playing/downloading this episode, so I’ve re-uploaded and re-published it. If you had trouble before, please try again now and let me know whether it’s working for you. Gareth Chantler fills in for Andrew while your … Read more…
Zachary Ellwood is a former professional poker player and author of “Reading Poker Tells“. We recorded this episode on the assumption that I would have already published a review of the book, which unfortunately I haven’t gotten around to doing … Read more…
Russ Fox is an Enrolled Agent and author of the Taxable Talk blog, which often addresses issues related to poker and gambling. With Scott Harker, Russ is the author of Why You Lose at Poker and Mastering No-Limit Hold ‘Em, and with Nick … Read more…
Our guest is PokerStars Team Online member, occupational therapist, and all-around delightful poker player Adrienne Rowsome. She talks to us about getting more women into the game, getting everyone to have more fun at the table, taking a shot at … Read more…
Due to some logistical conflicts we found ourselves without a guest this week, but what you get instead is lots of strategy talk and a cameo from Gareth Chantler. Here’s what to expect and when: 0:23 — Hello! Nate on … Read more…
Leo Wolpert, a true grinder and a good friend, joins us on the 10th episode. Leo has a WSOP bracelet, a law degree, a Quiz Bowl pedigree, and a Jeopardy! appearance to his name, and he finished 50th in the … Read more…
Lee Jones joins us on the show to talk about the past, present, and future of poker and PokerStars. Lee’s an interesting guy with an interesting story, and his PokerStars blog is pretty interesting too. You can learn more about … Read more…
Ben “NeverScaredB” Wilinofsky is an MTT superstar with an EPT title and over $3 million in online tournament cashes, but that’s not why we asked him to come on the show (though it is why we asked him to stick … Read more…
Matt Parvis of Poker News joins us to talk about how his interview with Howard Lederer came about, how he prepared for it, and what he wishes he’d done differently. Matt’s excellent blog post on the same subjects is what inspired … Read more…
Gareth Chantler will be a familiar name if you’re a regular “What’s Your Play?” participant. He’s the guy whose comments always knock it out of the ballpark and make you feel like an ass for posting anything different. If that’s happened to … Read more…
Does Vanessa Selbst really require an introduction? Not only is she a graduate of Yale Law School and a member of Team PokerStars with two WSOP bracelets and a two-for-two record in the NAPT Mohegan Sun, but since recording this interview, she … Read more…
Martin Harris is better known in the poker world as Short-Stacked Shamus, author of the Hard-Boiled Poker blog. Martin is also a freelance writer, contributing to both Poker News‘ WSOP coverage and the PokerStars blog, and an adjunct associate professor … Read more…
Edit: Sorry, I didn’t properly embed the file last night. The player/download tool on this page works now. Not sure how long it will take for the change to propagate to iTunes. Apologies for the inconvenience. Our guest this week … Read more…
This week’s guest is Tommy Angelo, the great poker player, writer, philosopher, psychologist, humorist… the list goes on. Tommy’s two books, Elements of Poker and A Rubber Band Story (follow links to read my reviews) are available for purchase from … Read more…
I’m very excited to announce this new podcast hosted by myself and my friend Nate Meyvis. Our objective is to provide insight into the strange and fascinating world of poker, its culture, and its people. We’re going to talk about … Read more…