Thinking Poker

Bill Chen (@BillChenPoker) is a quantitative researcher at the Susquehanna International Group and the co-author, with Jarred Ankenman, of The Mathematics of Poker. We talk to him about the connections between poker and trading, and Nate dares to make a math prop bet against him. Timestamps 0:30 hello 15:21 strat 32:35 bill Strategy Local card ... Read moreEpisode 272: Bill Chen

Danny Sprung, whom you may recall from Episode 194, joins us from the World Bridge Federation Championships. We compare this event to the World Series of Poker and discuss some key hands from Danny’s very deep run in the Monster Stack this summer. Timestamps 0:30 hello 3:07 danny sprung (featuring strategy) Strategy 1st hand after ... Read moreEpisode 271: Danny Sprung From the WBF Championships

Derek “Killingbird” Tenbusch is a co-founder and -owner of Tournament Poker Edge. He’s also a poker streamer and a beagle rescuer. We discuss all three, plus house hunting in Las Vegas and leaving Las Vegas. Derek’s first appearance on the show was Episode 16. Follow him on Twitter! Timestamps 0:30 Hello & Strategy 21:55 Killingbird ... Read moreEpisode 270: Killingbird

Why is the sports book always next to the poker room? Is the Supreme Court a political actor? Should check and raise be permitted? Our wide-ranging conversation with the always-interesting Matt Glassman covers these topics and many more. Matt Glassman is a poker and bridge enthusiast and a senior fellow at the Government Affairs Institute. ... Read moreEpisode 269: Check and Raise with Matt Glassman

Andrew and Nate share some book and podcast recommendations and, inspired by Dara O’Kearney, discuss the value of taking days off. In the strategy segment, Andrew takes an unconventional line vs Phil Galfond in a Progressive Knock-Out. Timestamps 0:30 hello 24:19 strategy Links Bundyville Stone Mattress Underworld Strategy http://www.boomplayer.com/en/poker-hands/Boom/28666025_17A2638EF1 HH below for those who can’t ... Read moreEpisode 268: Taking Off

Should dealers announce bet sizes if no one asks? Nate and Andrew discuss the arguments for and against this procedure. Plus, they discuss a strategy hand from the perspective of both active players, who happen to be brothers! Timestamps 0:30 Hello & Welcome 4:25 Strategy Strategy $0.50/$1 NLHE, $400 effective stacks Y straddles UTG to ... Read moreEpisode 267: A Tale of Two Brothers

Andy Bloch is a long-time professional poker player and computer programmer who was one of the pioneers at the intersection of these fields. He was also a member of the MIT Blackjack team that was the subject of Bringing Down the House and Twenty-One and an owner of Full Tilt Poker. His current project is ... Read moreEpisode 266: Andy Bloch

Ashley Adams is the host of the House of Cards podcast/radio show (Andrew was a guest in 2010!) and the author of Winning No-Limit Hold ‘Em and Winning Seven Card Stud. We talk to him about his (now complete) quest to play poker in all fifty US states, his love of home games, and the ... Read moreEpisode 265: Ashley Adams

Nate, in a special solo episode, dissects Phil Ivey’s bustout hand from the 2018 WSOP Main Event.

Comedian and professional poker player Clayton Fletcher earned himself a fourth podcast appearance with his 28th place finish in the 2018 WSOP Main Event! I think they gave him some cash for that as well. He and Andrew meet in his hotel room shortly after his elimination to discuss some key hands as well as ... Read moreEpisode 263: Clayton Fletcher Runs Deeper

Barney Boatman was a professional poker player in London before the poker boom. As a member of the Hendon Mob, he played in “spielers” and in tournaments across Europe. Andrew talks to him about England’s pre-boom poker scene, living in Madrid, and his contribution to the new poker-themed short fiction collection He Played For His ... Read moreEpisode 262: Barney Boatman (feat. Josh Miller and Eric Keppler)

Nate and Andrew discuss key hands from Andrew’s 13th place finish in the $2500 no-limit hold ’em WSOP event. Timestamps 0:30 hello 10:56 strat Strategy Hand 1 On the bubble, CO (16K) opens to 5k. Hero calls T9dd in the BB. Flop (13K) AQJd. Hero checks, Villain bets 5k, Hero calls. Turn (23K) 6. Both ... Read moreEpisode 261: Andrew Runs Deep

Nate got barely 72 hours in Las Vegas this summer, but he was kind enough to spend a few of them recording with Andrew and Carlos in his Gold Coast hotel room. The three talk about their summer plans, the dealer’s choice event, and all of the delightful weirdos in Las Vegas. Timestamps 0:30 – ... Read moreEpisode 260: WSOP Live 2018

Christian Holden is a professional musician and poker player who lives in an anarchist collective in Worcester, Massachusetts. In this in-person interview, he and Andrew discuss his music, his poker, his politics, and the staking deal he almost had with Martin Shkreli. Plus they talk about game theory and deep-stacked no-limit poker strategy! You should ... Read moreEpisode 259: Christian Holden

Zach Elwood is the author of Reading Poker Tells, Verbal Poker Tells, and Exploiting Poker Tells. Our first interview with him was on Episode 14. He’s quoted in this New York Times article (Edit: and this Washington Post article) about fake Facebook accounts. You can read his Top 7 Signs a Facebook Account is Fake. ... Read moreEpisode 258: Fake News with Zach Elwood

Thinking poker legend Gareth Chantler recently published a major exposé of flaws in Canada’s refugee approval process. He discusses the piece, which was the product of years of research, as well as his work more generally with the Syrian community in Turkey. Gareth is also raising money to bring one Syrian family in particular to ... Read moreEpisode 257: Gareth Chantler on Canada’s Missing Syrians

Sameer Singh grew up playing chess and teen patti, and he quickly became one of the sharpest rounders at the National Law School of India. This wide-ranging conversation covers everything from cuisine and literature to the Irish Open to overlimping the button off of a 12bb stack. Timestamps 0:30 – NOT hello and welcome 52:33 ... Read moreEpisode 256: Sameer Singh

Nate and Andrew talk strategy for BB Ante tournaments, play a round of “Underrated or Overrated”, and discuss two hands where players flop sets and end up facing tough decisions later. Timestamps 0:30 – hello 8:08 – strategy Strategy Hand 1 Effective stack: 22K Blinds: 300/600, 100 ante I was under the gun with pocket ... Read moreEpisode 255: Bet That Set!

Berk Brown has spent decades in the world of poker and seen it from the perspective of a floorperson, a dealer, and a professional player. He’s full of great anecdotes and insights about staking, longevity (of games, rooms, and professional careers), game integrity, and more. You can follow Berk on Twitter @BerkBrown, and you can ... Read moreEpisode 254: Berk Brown

Bryan is a long-time professional poker player who, like many, has expanded into daily fantasy sports and cryptocurrencies, but unlike many, has also expanded into river guiding. He works for AVA Colorado Rafting, and he recommends Dam Nation, Cadillac Desert, and Down the Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @devopoker! Timestamps 0:30 Hello & Welcome 4:15 Bryan Devonshire