Thinking Poker

Andrew is in Montreal for the second half of the WCOOP, and he and Nate discuss some hands. Strategy Hand 1 2-4 PLO8 on Bovada. 4-handed. I open to $12 with (AT)J7–I’m using Bill Chen’s notation where suited cards go in parentheses. Only the BB calls. He’s playing $200ish, and I cover. Flop KQ8 rainbow. BB checks; I bet half the pot ($13). Turn pairs the 8 and puts up a flush draw (I have the 7 of the suit). ...

Gareth Chantler joins us from the Dominican Republic to talk about his new life as a writer (a discussion that began during his last appearance on the show) and his WCOOP so far (as of the time of this recording, that is). Timestamps 0:30 Hello and Welcome 33:41 Strategy Strategy Hand 1 Hand 2

Nate and Andrew discuss a question of live card room ethics and procedure, then follow up a discussion of bluffing from Episode 140, then consider another bluff-turned-bluff-catcher! Timestamps 0:30 Hello and welcome 14:24 Strategy

Chad Power just finished 26th in the WSOP Main Event, so if you haven’t seen him on ESPN yet, you probably will soon. His real claim to fame in the poker world, though, is as the manager of a large stable of live cash game players whom he coaches and backs, and as an organizer of some of the biggest games in Maryland. Chad talks to us about the logistics and complications of his backing enterprise and how a winning ...

Neil Blumenfield is third in chips at the final table of the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event. At 61, he is also the second-oldest player ever to final table this event (the oldest, Pierre Neuville, will be competing against him this year). Neil talks to us about this dubious honor as well as the other challenges facing him as an amateur, albeit a serious and accomplished one, among professionals. You can root for Neil in November when ESPN ...

Carlos Welch is on the show with his most aggressive cost-cutting idea yet: living in a van! Find out how he’s managing it and how his first few weeks have been, then be sure to watch him on Twitch and read his new blog for the latest updates. Timestamps 0:30 Hello & Welcome 38:31 Strategy Strategy $5/$10 NLHE, $3000 effective stacks. UTG opens to $50, Hero calls 9d 7d UTG1, SB and BB call. Flop ($200) 6h 5s 4c. Check, ...

Ron Upshaw hosts the Don and Ron Show on KIRO radio in Seattle, and is one of the people behind The Poker Academy. We talk to him about the radio game, the poker training game, and even the beekeeping game. Timestamps 0;30 hello & welcome 17:00 strategy 34:54 ron upshaw Strategy Three limps, I make it 30 on the button with JxJx, BB calls, two limpers call. 120 in the pot: Qx6d4d. k/k/k/60/snap-c/f/f 240 in the pot. Kx. k/k 240 ...

Jamie Kerstetter is a lawyer-turned-poker-pro with a long and colorful career. She talks about her decision to go pro, her first experiences playing live poker, moving to Mexico after Black Friday, the East Coast poker scene, the New Jersey online poker scene (she represents Party Poker), and sexism in poker. You can follow Jamie on Twitter at @jamiekerstetter, and on Twitch at http://www.twitch.tv/jamiekerstetter. If you’re in New Jersey, you can play with her on Party Poker. Watch her videos on ...

Alex Weldon is a game designer and a writer for Part Time Poker. In this interview, we discuss what makes poker unique among games, how to strategize for unfamiliar poker variants, the art and business of game design, and how computers have changed the nature of gaming. You can find Alex’s digital games and more information about his tabletop games at www.benefactum.ca. This is the article about journalistic integrity mentioned in the interview, and this is his post about Courchevel ...

Before Julie Anna Cornelius became a professional poker player, she was a ballet dancer and a flight attendant working in the fleet of one of the poker world’s most notorious characters. In this interview, she shares her story and reflects on the nature of dedication, competition, talent. and hard work. You can follow Julie Annie on Twitter @LuckyJadeJules. Thanks to PokerWomenNews for suggesting this guest. If you enjoy our interview with Julie Anna, be sure to check out theirs. Timestamps ...

Alex “Assassinato” Fitzgerald and “The” Carlos Welch join Nate and Andrew in a room at the Gold Coast to talk about Las Vegas, getting better at poker, creativity, poetry, pre-flop raise sizing, and more. Don’t miss this rare treat, with two hosts and two guests all in the same place at the same time! We only get a few chances a year to do shows like this, and they are always a ton of fun. The books mentioned on the ...

John “The Lawyer” Larochelle is a consummate live cash game pro. He plays lots of games, he plays them well, and he plays them big. So why hasn’t he set foot in Las Vegas all summer? We talk about game selection, quality of life, ego vs. profit, and PLO strategy. John’s first appearance on the podcast was Episode 64. Timestamps 0:30 – Hello & Welcome 46:44 – PLO Strategy Strategy 10-10 PLO Live eight-handed game. Stacks are about $4,000 each ...

Fresh off a second-place finish in WSOP Event #45 ($1500 NLHE), Dara O’Kearney, who first appeared on Episode 102, returns to the show to talk about the mixed emotions that result from a near-victory at the WSOP and why he chose the WSOP over the softest online tournaments of the year. You may not be a Super Razzdugi player, but please don’t skip the opening strategy segment! Nate’s “meditation” is a delight. Here are rules for Razzdugi. The “Super” qualifier ...

Nate and Andrew follow up on the strategy discussion of donk betting from Episode 128.1, then discuss protecting your hand and a dealer who miscalled the action. Timestamps :30 hello & welcome 15:43 strategy Strategy EP open limps. I raise from HJ with JTo to 20. Button calls, blinds and limper call. Flop 775 two diamonds. SB checks, BB donks for $25 into $100 pot. Limper folds. BB started with $450 and I have him well covered. I raise to ...

Gareth quits his job. Nate folds an overpair. Andrew agrees to let Gareth come back on the show. Gareth’s last appearance on the show was Episode 123. For those who don’t know who he is, his first appearance was Episode 6. Timestamps 0:30 – hello & welcome 46:10 – strategy: folding an overpair Strategy Blinds 300/600/75. Hero (12K) opens to 1450 with Kd Kh. Late middle position (15K), SB (10K), and BB (20K) call. T96cc. Check, check, check, 3000, fold, ...

This isn’t a proper podcast episode, but it’s better than nothing! Andrew goes solo, with no co-host, no editor, and no bumper music (or, perhaps, worse than no bumper music). He talks about his World Series of Poker so far and discusses some hands related to donk betting. The 2015 Nitcast Las Vegas Meetup will take place on July 6th, which is Day 1b of the WSOP Main Event. Don’t worry, though! The meetup will start at 10AM, so even ...

Carlos sits down in-person with Nate and Andrew to talk about putting happiness, rather than profit, front and center in his poker career (though of course winning tends to make one happier than losing!). Then the three discuss a hand from a single table satellite Nate and Carlos played, and a hand from the final table of the $10,000 SCOOP Main Event. Timestamps 0:30 Hello & welcome & happiness & poker 18:19 Strategy

The SCOOP is underway, and so Andrew and Nate grab time to record when they can, with Andrew playing a $200 PLO8 event during the show! The two discuss the various ways to run bad, some hands that arise as Andrew plays, some hands Andrew already played, and some listener questions. Note from Andrew: I’m in a hurry at the moment and don’t have time post hand histories for the strategy segment. I’ll update this post with them when I ...

Andrew and Nate talk about Andrew’s recent friction entering Canada to play online poker, then review two hands from early Spring Championship of Online Poker events. Strategy Hand 1 PokerStars – $1000+$50|30/60 Ante 5 NL – Holdem – 9 players Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com Hero (BB): 104.08 BB UTG: 15.88 BB (VPIP: 17.20, PFR: 12.09, 3Bet Preflop: 5.56, Hands: 93) UTG+1: 75.53 BB (VPIP: 23.19, PFR: 14.49, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 70) MP: 66.27 BB (VPIP: 21.43, PFR: ...

Angela Jordison made headlines when she won the first three events of the Spring Poker Round-Up at Oregon’s Wildhorse Casino. Her poker accomplishments run a lot deeper than that, though. Angela is also one of the founders of the modern Oregon poker scene and a regular in what has to be one of the world’s only consistently running high-stakes PLO8 cash games. Timestamps :30 Hello & Welcome 4:06 Strategy 15:29 Interview Strategy $1/$2 Spread Limit Hold ‘Em Hero opens for ...