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Ryan LaPlante, who joined us on Episode 95, won his first WSOP bracelet this summer in the $565 Pot-Limit Omaha event. In this interview, he talks about his emotional victory speech, why winning matters so much to him, and the importance of being “out and proud”.
You can follow Ryan on Twitter and get more information about him and his coaching from his website. He recommends reading The Red Rising Triology.
Timestamps
0:30 hello
12:01 strategy
41:29 ryan laplante
Strategy
Full ring, $1-$2 NL. I have $350 in the BB and the main villain, on the button, has $600. Other two villains directly to my left are a mix of loose aggressive and loose passive with stacks of around $250.
I have 5h5c in the BB and main villain is OTB. UTG1 raises to $17, UTG2 calls, folds to main villain who calls. I call.
Flop ($69) Qs,5d,3s
Hero checks, UTG bets $25, UTG1 calls, BTN (main villain) raises to $50, I raise to $150, UTG 1 and 2 both fold. BTN calls.
Turn ($419) is 2d. We both check.
River ($419) is Jd. I check, Villain bets $110, I shove for $183, Villain calls.
Nice interview, Andrew. I don’t know about everyone else, but I find Ryan really inspiring. It’s so nice to see hard work paying off. Makes me feel like I could be successful at this as well as long as I’m willing to put in the work.
Hi,
Interesting podcast with Ryan. I have difficulties to understand though why do we need publicly known gays in pro sport or anywhere. The highest degree of tolerance to minorities is that what ever makes them a minority (sexuality, nationality, race, faith etc) does not have to be discussed as it does not matter if you are straight or gay. I don’t need to know as it does not change my opinion about a person.
All you need to know about an ice hockey player is if he is a good player. It’s he a great role model off the ice. That is what counts.
Thanks, Boris. That may be the ideal, but it’s not currently the case that “not talking about it” -> equality and opportunity for everyone! I don’t want to put words into anyone’s mouth, but I think this is consistent with what Ryan said during the interview: quite a lot of young LGBT people feel some combination of isolation, hopelessness, and that there is something wrong with them because of their sexuality. They (not always wrongly) fear that it will keep them from being accepted in many corners of society, from living happy and fulfilling lives, or from achieving certain things, such as becoming a professional athlete. The idea is for them to see that homosexuality has not prevented others from achieving these things, and perhaps for them to learn strategies for dealing with some of the difficulties that their sexuality (or, more accurately, ignorance and/or bigotry towards their sexuality) may cause them.
There is also the hope, borne out I’d like to think by the last few decades of the American experience, that bigotry and intolerance can be reduced through knowledge and familiarity. In other words, the more that people realize that some of their friends, family, co-workers, and sports heroes are gay, the more likely they are to be accepting of other LGBT people in their lives.
It may be the case for you that a person’s sexuality does not change your opinion of them, but there are many people who do still hold negative views and/or stereotypes about LGBT people. Changing those opinions is possible and important, and it requires some brave folks to take the lead.
Great episode. Andrew’s thoughts on the election aftermath are smart and quietly inspiring. This helped quite a bit. The interview was quite good too, Ryan’s self awareness and honesty about his passions, struggles, and motivations was impressive.
Thanks! I’m particularly glad to have the feedback on the election talk, as I was conflicted about whether to say anything.
Hey guys, great episode! Big fan of the show!
I wonder if you can help me — where can I find the theme song? I’ve tried to Shazam it, and tried to look for Palmyra music to no effect.
Cheers!
Plamen
Palmyra: https://palmyra.bandcamp.com/