I have pointed out on several occasions that I am not a big fan of interviews with poker players. Well, I think I need to better define my range there. I have found myself enjoying such interviews over the past couple of weeks and have realized that the personalities and topics covered in the interviews play a big role in my appreciation of those segments.
I bring this up because once again because I found myself really enjoying an interview with a poker player. This time it was Barry “gingertoys” Chalmers’ interview on OneOuter.com with 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion and PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker. Thinking back, I don’t think I ever heard an in-depth interview with Moneymaker before and I was eager to listen to this one.
Anyone interested in the history of online poker should give this interview a listen. Chris tells plenty of interesting stories including how his registration into the satellite that eventually culminated in his WSOP Main Event Seat was an accident and he takes the audience through his experience at the Main Event from day1 through the heads up battle with Sammy Farah.
But the stories don’t stop there. Chris talks about his experience as a Main Event Champ playing in a game that was undergoing a vast amount of change strategically, he addresses some recent controversy and offers his advice on leading a balanced life during the WSOP.
This week’s episode of the 2+2 PokerCast was probably the best poker podcast I’ve listed to all year.
Anyone interested in the current events of the poker industry would do themselves a favor by listening to this week’s episode of the PokerCast. Now you may not agree with what the guys have to say about the Epic Poker League debacle, but from my point of view Mike and Adam were spot on. They didn’t seem to pull any punches or sugar coat the issues like I have heard from other media outlets, but they did seem to enjoy a little good-natured ribbing.
After their discussion of the Bodog and Calvin Ayre situation – which was insightful and informational – they dug into the blog wars surrounding the Full Tilt saga. As with their discussion of Epic, they cut through all of the BS and expose key facts of the issue. As if that wasn’t enough, they also brought in Barry Greenstein to give his inside opinion of the situation. Barry doesn’t disappoint. He touches on his own situation with Full Tilt, talks a bit about Ivey and frames the entire situation with Doyle like few others can.
If you like poker player interviews (or are like me and are living in denial) be sure to catch the conversation with high-stakes poker pro Matt “ADZ124” Marafioti. He has an interesting backstory and if you can listen beyond his brags there is some good advice.
Just past the two-hour mark David Schwartz, Director of the Center for Gaming Research at UNLV calls in to give the guys an inside look at casino markers; a topic thrust into the spotlight recently with the news of the Full Tilt pros with outstanding debts.
That’s all for this week. As usual, feel free to leave your own reviews, rip on mine, or suggest other poker podcasts for my listening pleasure.