On Episode #88 of the Thinking Poker Podcast Andrew Brokos andNate Meyvis break down two hands that were submitted from the audience. One is a cash game hand from an underground joint in New York with a favorable preflop rake, and the other comes from a tournament.
Nate and … Read full post
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Nate is back on the program to discuss a hand he played in the World Series of Poker Main Event, then he and Andrew talk with Mike “goleafsgoeh” Leah about mixed games, how he got into poker, backing, and more.
Nate’s no longer in Vegas, but Andrew and Leo Wolpert sit down during Day 6 of the Main Event to talk about their own deep runs in the WSOP as well as some key hands from their 2014 tournament.
I’ve obviously been running this over in my head a lot, so I might as well post it here. It’s the last hand before break, blinds are 250/500/25. I have a little shy of 20K, Villain has 30 or 35K. He seems to be the only other pro at the … Read full post
After a cross-country drive, Andrew has finally reunited with Nate in Las Vegas for the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event! The two are joined by Carlos to talk about a few hands Nate played in a preliminary 10-game event, low-stakes tournaments in Vegas, and much, much more.
Needless to say, I’m looking forward to it. Nate ended up switching from Day 1C to 1B, and I was tempted to do the same, but last-minute changes tend to throw me off, as I’d already mentally planned some things I wanted to do yesterday. The only downside to this … Read full post
Alex “Assassinato” Fitzgerald joins Nate and Andrew on the Thinking Poker Podcast to talk about his childhood in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, winning and losing a fortune, abusing drugs and getting clean, and his new life in Costa Rica.
Sorry for the delay on this episode. I’ll get a … Read full post
On this episode of the Thinking Poker Podcast, Nate and Andrew set the location for the meet up in Las Vegas, break down a cash game hand that listener Jason played at Maryland Live! Casino, and talk withAri Engel about how to travel the circuit profitably, the … Read full post
I’ve been busy of late. Actually I was busy a while ago, and people were slow to publish stuff.
Anyway, first up is Where Do the Weak Hands Go?, a Two Plus Two article that should help you think through situations where your opponent begins with a wide range:… Read full post
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Nate and Andrew discuss strategies for the World Series of Poker that will assist you both on and off of the felt, and they also break down a hand from Nitcast favorite Gareth Chantler and another from the PokerStars Sunday Million.
This … Read full post
The WSOP is right around the corner, so bone up on your live tournament skills with my new Tournament Poker Edge series, LOL Liveaments. It’s a review of key hands from a $1000 tournament that I final tabled at my local casino. Although I’m not the world’s biggest expert … Read full post
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Kristy Arnett recently announced that she is stepping down from her long-time role as a producer, host, and writer for PokerNews. We talk to her about her career as well as her goals for the future, which include playing more poker, … Read full post
I’ve got a new article on Learn.PokerNews that addresses one of my (many) pet peeves, the idea that satellites are a good choice for players with limited bankrolls:
… Read full postWinning $480 in a satellite doesn’t magically make it a good idea for you to buy into a $480 tournament any more
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You might know Pauly Maguire from his Tao of Poker blog. Or his Tao of Pauly blog. Or the Dope Stories podcast that he co-hosts with Shane Schleger (our interviews with Shane here and here). Or from his book Lost … Read full post
In case you didn’t hear the announcement on the latest podcast, Nate and I have just released more than five hours of tournament strategy podcasts that are available for $19 at www.nitcast.com. Though similar to the strategy discussions we have on the weekly podcasts, the content in these premiums … Read full post
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After last week’s interruption, Nate and Andrew are back with an all-strategy episode plus exciting news about how to get even more strategy from us! You’ll hear our thoughts on Ed Miller’s new book (more from Nate on his blog), folding … Read full post
If one podcast a week isn’t enough to make you sick of me, you can get an extra two hours this week. I joined RonFezBuddy and Killingbird on the Tournament Poker Edge Strategy Podcast. We talked about my background in poker plus a ton of strategy topics, from hand … Read full post
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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 also an … Read full post
Nate and I were flattered to be nominated for Best Podcast in the 2014 Bluff Reader’s Choice Awards. Hopefully this will prompt some new listeners to come check out the show, and with nearly 100 hours of content out there, it might be hard to know where to start.
In … Read full post
My latest poker strategy, Analyzing Heads-Up Play From the 2013 WSOP Main Event Final Table, is now appearing in the December edition of 2+2 Magazine. It specifically focuses on the perils of what I call a “weak pot control” strategy where the pre-flop raiser attempts to check back all … Read full post
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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
18:23 – … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, He Has to Have Something, is now appearing in the November 2013 edition of Two Plus Two Magazine. It deals with a bit of sloppiness to which even otherwise good hand readers often fall prey:
… Read full post” The bottom line is that you need to
Daniel Negreanu just won WSOP Player of the Year for the second time. That’s a great accomplishment, he’s a great guy who’s great for poker, and I’m very happy for him. But it doesn’t change the way I think about him as a player, and I doubt it changes the … Read full post
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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 … Read full post
Just wanted to let you know about some recently published stuff you might be interested in:
WSOP 2013 Trip Report, Part 4: The Main Event – Unfortunately this is a lot shorter than it’s been in past years, but I did get to play a pretty famous player: “Usually, tough … Read full post
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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 a downswing. … Read full post
Part 3 of my trip report from the 2013 WSOP is now appearing in the Two Plus Two Magazine. It deals with the only two preliminary events in which I made Day 2: the $3000 Mixed Max and the $1500 PLO8:
… Read full post“By the end of Day 1, I was playing
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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 full post
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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 of the … Read full post
The second installment of my WSOP trip report is now appearing in Two Plus Two Magazine. After a disappointing start to the series, my next few tournaments offer me some opportunities to regain confidence:
… Read full post“Phil probably forgot about this hand seconds after it happened, but although it was in some
Edit: I awarded John a bracelet in the wrong event.
John “KasinoKrime” Beauprez, winner of the 2013 $5000 pot-limit omaha $1500 no-limt hold ’em 6-max WSOP event, will be our guest on Episode 43 of the podcast. In addition to talking to him about his poker career and the excitement … Read full post
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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 Ace flops, … Read full post
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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 or on … Read full post
Hopefully a lot of you follow me on Twitter, because I know I’ve been bad about keeping the blog up-to-date. The short version is that I’m still in the Main Event going into day 3. I’ve got about 20K chips, and blinds are 800/1600/200 when we return, so if I’m … Read full post
Thanks for the comments on the river bluffing What’s Your Play? I was actually surprised not to get more comments on this one, because the impression I get is that many people don’t feel comfortable in their ability to make good decisions about whether or not to fire a second … Read full post
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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 PROductions … Read full post
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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 recording this … Read full post
When: Saturday, July 6, 10 AM – Noon
Where: Rio Convention Center Starbucks (the one closer to the WSOP area, not the one on the casino floor)
What: Sip coffee, tea, or tap water (nitcast FTW!) with Thinking Poker Podcast hosts Andrew Brokos and Nate Meyvis. Stop … Read full post
I know it’s a little early for a What’s Your Play?, but I decided to publish my report from this tournament elsewhere so this hand is sort of a stand in before I move on to the next one. Patient listeners and those stuck in the driver’s seat of moving … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on this week’s What’s Your Play? In this post I’m going to talk a lot about a concept that I call Value Targeting. Hopefully it will make sense just from what I say here, but if you want to learn more about it, you can … Read full post
It’s early in a $1500 WSOP event, and we’re playing 10-handed. Hero has been one of the more active players at the table but hasn’t done anything especially crazy or noteworthy. Villain is a middle-aged white woman, pretty clearly an amateur and seems a little scared/concerned about doing well in … Read full post
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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 Mailbag: Staking … Read full post
I’m really tired and busy today, but just wanted to put up a quick update here to say that I ended up 16th in the $1500 PLO8 event, cashing for a little shy of $10K. Certainly not enough to get even on the trip, but it was a big help … Read full post
After a rocky start, yesterday was a lot of fun. During the first two levels, I felt kind of overwhelmed. Although I have a fair bit of PLO8 experience, including final tables in UBOC and PCA events, I haven’t played it in a while, and during those first two hours … Read full post
I’m about a week behind on my WSOP trip reports, but I just want to interject with some exciting real-time news:
Today is the $1500 PLO8, the last WSOP event I’m going to play before the main. Although the series hasn’t been kind to me so far, I’m optimistic about … Read full post
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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 and frustrations … Read full post
My sudden reversal of fortune in the $2500 6-handed was another visceral reminder of how much needs to go right even to make a run at a tournament. I mean by all accounts I ran extremely well in several important ways for the first hours of the tournament and two … Read full post
The $2500 six-handed event got off to a good start for me. It seemed like a pretty tough field overall, so I was pleased with my starting table at which there was only one truly tough player, seated across from me.
Even better, I took a big bite out of … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get results up, but I ended up playing two long days of poker on Friday and Saturday, so I’m just getting around to it now.
Estimating … Read full post
Someone flopped a set against my Aces in a four-bet pot. Stack-to-ratio was less than three when we saw the flop. If I put it to you like that, it sounds like a cooler plain and simple, like I was simply destined to go broke. And maybe I was. But … Read full post
My starting table was a thing of beauty, nine opponents who lay somewhere on the spectrum of weak to competent but none who seemed likely to give me tough decisions, a great example of why I wanted to play a $1K WSOP event. The table was loose and limpy and … Read full post
The Millionaire Maker is like the PokerStars Sunday Million on crack, drawing a field of thousands with a relatively affordable buyin and the distant prospect of a life-changing score. It ended up drawing a field of 6343, making it roughly the size of the Main Event for about 1/7 the … Read full post
I went grocery shopping on the night I arrived in Las Vegas, but more chores remained for the next morning. I packed myself a lunch, a task that took me back to my grade school days as I tucked two halves of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (I didn’t … Read full post
This hand comes from level 3 of the $1500 “Millionaire Maker” WSOP event, a two-day affair expected to draw a field of 5000+. With just 4500 starting chips, preflop shoves were commonplace. They’ll be commonplace in lots of the low buy-in tournaments in Las Vegas this summer, so if you … Read full post
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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 by … Read full post
For the first time ever, I’m doing pretty much the whole Las Vegas/WSOP thing this summer. In past years I always had other places I wanted to be in the summer, plus I thought my hourly rate would be just or nearly as good playing online without all of … Read full post
The World Series of Poker is unique among poker events. In no other tournaments will you encounter such a wide variety of opponents, from those who barely know the rules to the very best in the world. This seminar will discuss a number of strategic adaptations for dealing with various … Read full post
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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 about … Read full post
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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 possibility of
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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 @OlivierBusquet on … Read full post
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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 full post
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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 an FTOPS … Read full post
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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 2012 … Read full post
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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 full post
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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 full post
After bubbling the final table of the $300 2x Chance, I took the rest of Tuesday off, choosing Boardwalk Empire and the last of my Quebecois microbrews over the $1K NLHE. So, I woke up refreshed and ready for a long day on Wednesday, which is what I got … Read full post