Poker Stories

Benny Glaser didn't earn his first cash at the World Series of Poker until 2015, but the Southampton, England pro has been able to accomplish a lot in his limited time on the felt. The 31-year-old part-time musician has won three WSOP bracelets during his short career, which is enough to make him the UK's most decorated player at the annual summer series.Glaser's first title came in 2015 in the $1,500 2-7 Triple Draw event, where he earned $136,215. A year later, he went back to back in Omaha eight-or-better events, taking down the $1,500 buy-in for $244,103, and the $10,000 Championship buy-in for $407,194. In the years since, he's also made final tables at the €25,000 WSOP Europe Mixed Games Championship and the $50,000 WSOP Poker Players Championship, and finished runner-up in the $10,000 Stud eight-or-better Championship. The mixed-games specialist has also been very successful online, winning five SCOOP (Spring Championship of Online Poker) and three WCOOP (World Championship of Online Poker) titles on PokerStars.Highlights from this interview include his first love of music, embarrassing band names, being introduced to poker by his father, the gradual process of turning pro, bricking his first summer in Las Vegas, why he excels at Omaha eight-or-better, being England's top winner at WSOP, close calls, trying to find mixed-game action, $1,000-$2,000 in Bobby's Room, his short-lived career as a paper boy, how poker ruined speed dating, and learning new poker variations like badugaha.

Lon McEachern is a longtime sports commentator that is best known for being the "voice of poker," having worked as part of the broadcast team for ESPN's annual coverage of the World Series of Poker. Prior to that, he covered numerous other sports such as bowling, cycling, mixed-martial arts, skiing, fishing, billiards, and even Scrabble. McEachern won a Golden Mic Award during his time in radio, and was nominated for an Emmy for his play-by-play work on the X-Games. In addition to ESPN, he has also done work for the Outdoor Life Network, NBC, and Fox Sports. McEachern first covered the main event in 2002 alongside Gabe Kaplan, and the next year formed his iconic partnership with Norman Chad as Chris Moneymaker won the tournament and helped spark the poker boom. Remarkably, he almost didn't take the gig. At the time, he had mostly moved on from the sports broadcasting world and had taken a day job as a mortgage banker. The duo's work over the last two decades has become such a fixture of televised poker that McEachern and Chad were jointly nominated for the Poker Hall of Fame in 2020, ultimately finishing with 20 votes from the panel of living members. Highlights from this episode include getting into the family business, playing baseball with a Hall of Famer, losing his dream gig to Michelle Tafoya, scaring Tim McCarver at the 1989 MLB World Series, earthquake souvenirs, finding his niche at ESPN, having to get a day job, trading in Gabe Kaplan for Norman Chad, getting snubbed by Roy Disney, the series that shall not be named, introducing the porch and the kitchen, interviewing Vin Scully, Wayne Gretzky, and Muhammad Ali, fortunate boat trouble, Alan Alda, secret socks and underwear, golf bets with Gavin Smith, ignoring expiration dates, and his time covering the X-Games, the Tour de France, and every sport in between.

Ronnie Bardah is fresh off of a career-best score of $566,135 after he chopped the $3,500 buy-in World Poker Tour Lucky Hearts Poker Open in late January. The 38-year-old poker pro from Brockton, Massachusetts now has nearly $2 million in career live tournament earnings. The limit hold'em standout won his World Series of Poker bracelet in the 2012 $2,500 six-handed limit hold'em event, earning $182,088. The next year, he finished third in the $5,000 limit hold'em event. Bardah also currently holds the record for the most consecutive WSOP main event cashes, with five. His deepest run was in 2010, when he finished 24th for $317,161.In 2019, Bardah competed on the 39th season of the CBS show Survivor: Island of the Idols. He was the fourth poker player to be cast on the American game show, joining Jean-Robert Bellande, Garrett Adelstein, and Anna Khait. Additionally, Ilari Sahamies competed on the Finnish version of the show, while Jackie Glazier was on the Australian broadcast.Highlights from this interview include a history lesson, the arcade kids, growing up at Foxwoods Casino, a different kind of dealing, why poker was his way out, private vs. public games, the streak, running deep in the WSOP main event, the war of limit hold'em, what he keeps in his box at Bellagio, splurging on Mickey Mantle, what went wrong on Survivor, getting bluffed by Miss Finland, running bad on a swap, backwards poker in Egypt, David Blaine to David Copperfield, beatboxing, and singing Boyz II Men.

Norman Chad has been a familiar sight on World Series of Poker broadcasts since 2003, half of the iconic commentary duo along with Lon McEachern that helped to spark the poker boom with ESPN's main event coverage. "This is beyond fairy tale, it's inconceivable," Chad exclaimed as Chris Moneymaker secured the title.In the years since, Chad has become a fan favorite, adding in catch phrases such as 'whamboozled' or 'squadoosh' while cracking jokes about his past failed marriages. His contributions to growing the game were recognized in 2020, when he and McEachern were jointly nominated for the Poker Hall of Fame.Outside of poker, Chad has worked as a sportswriter for The Washington Post and Sports Illustrated, and appeared on ESPN's Pardon The Interruption and as the host of Reel Classics. He also wrote the book Hold On, Honey, I'll Take You To The Hospital At Halftime (Confessions Of A TV Sports Junkie), and was credited on episodes for the TV shows Arliss and Coach.Highlights from this interview include being more of a watcher, the university of poker, stand up comedy and a premeditated egg, winning awards with Ed Asner, why he quit betting sports in 1984, how poker paid for someone else's law school, sleeping with angels, the secret Lon, a short-lived blackjack card counting team, stalking George McGovern, Sam Simon's home game, getting angled by Norm Macdonald, Wallace Shawn and Paul Giamatti, the Hellmuth of bowling, and the final table setting of his third wedding.

Jonathan Van Fleet was one of original stars of the online poker boom, terrorizing opponents on the virtual tables under the name 'apestyles.' The Texas Tech graduate racked up millions in cashes and was one of the top-ranked MTT players, although his battles with addiction cost him his bankroll on more than a few occasions. These days, however, the 39-year-old is once again on top of the online poker world. Van Fleet won the $5,000 buy-in partypoker Millions online in December of 2017 for more than $1 million. He has also done quite well in the $25,000 buy-in high roller events on GGPoker, cashing for several million along the way. According to PocketFives, he is now no. 4 on the online tournament all-time money list with $16.8 million behind just Sweden's Niklas Astedt, Hungary's Peter Traply, and the UK's Chris Moorman. Highlights from this interview include online poker wake up calls, hot pink shoelaces, starting college in recovery, bluffing for beer, apologizing for sleeping, punting his bankroll to Ben Sulsky, the meaning behind his online poker name, what he didn't do with a million dollars, his GTO study group with Stephen Chidwick and Elio Fox, losing $400,000 in a day, swaps with Timex, Fred Savage as a kid, holding his breath, and a bad rendition of Stairway To Heaven.

Michael Schwimer grew up a standout athlete in Fairfax, Virginia and in high school was a star on his baseball and basketball teams. The 6'8'', 240-pound guard led his team to a championship and was even named MVP over future NBA center Roy Hibbert, but ultimately decided to turn down scholarship offers from Coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke and Coach Rick Pitino at Louisville in order to pitch for his hometown University of Virginia.Schwimer decided to finish his degree, and even interned at a hedge fund, before he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent three years in the minor leagues before making his major league debut, and finished his career with a 3-2 record. Schwimer says he made more money in the poker games on team road trips than he did as a player during his time in the league.After retiring, Schwimer started Big League Advance, a company that invests in (or stakes) minor league baseball players in exchange for a percentage of their future earnings. His second company, Jambos, is now positioning itself in the rapidly-expanding sports betting market.This December, Schwimer will be appearing on new episodes of High Stakes Poker, which has returned for an eighth season with original hosts Gabe Kaplan and A.J. Benza. Schwimer will be competing against the lineup that includes Tom Dwan, Bryn Kenney, Rick Salomon, Nick Petrangelo, Jean-Robert Bellande, and Brandon Steven.Highlights from this interview include being born two feet tall, an early appreciation for data, beating Roy Hibbert for MVP, saying no to Rick Pitino and Mike Krzyzewski, the scorecard of hedge funds, being drafted by the Phillies, the truth about his signing bonus, how 'Houdini' got from the minors to the majors, short-stacking the team $100-$200 poker game, Jonathan Papelbon's favorite hand, big buy-in games with Tom Dwan in London, using the element of surprise on High Stakes Poker, the staking business of baseball, sports betting expansion, singing to Bruce Springsteen, reffing sixth-grade basketball games, pizza socks and slaps in the face, and betting $780,000 on the Super Bowl.

Nathan Gamble was a child when he started playing cards, turning an Uno obsession into a modest poker bankroll before he was even a teenager. He continued to play throughout his time at Johnson and Wales University, and would take leave for poker while he was enlisted in the United States Army as a field artillery officer stationed in Korea. The Texan briefly considered a career flying helicopters, but ultimately decided to pursue poker instead.Gamble made a deep run in the 2016 WSOP main event, earning $42,285 for finishing in 176th place. A year later, he returned to the summer series and earned his first career gold bracelet, winning $223,339 for taking down the $1,500 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better event. This summer, Gamble added a second bracelet, this time winning the $600 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better event for another $89,424. He has 11 Omaha cashes overall at the WSOP.The 31-year-old is now lending his commentary skills to the Galfond Challenge, an ongoing heads-up PLO match between Phil Galfond and Chance Kornuth. Gamble is also sharing his stories in a regular column for Card Player Magazine.Highlights from this interview include waiting at the door with Uno, mowing the yard for his bankroll, royal hold'em, all-night poker sessions with Dad, 'never alone' in the Army, flying helicopters, a summer-saving run in the WSOP main event, being stranded in Wyoming with a stack in Oklahoma, the strange way he celebrated his first bracelet, why online bracelets are legit, commentating the Galfond Challenge, faking an audition, ranking bull riding, skydiving, and bungee jumping, battling yellowsub86, haunted drive-in carnival poker, Macaulay Culkin, writing a poker movie, the death of NLHE, and burning houses down in the woods.

Gavin Griffin was one of the original young stars of the poker boom, becoming the then-youngest World Series of Poker bracelet winner in history at the age of 22 at the 2004 summer series. The Darien, Illinois native earned $270,420 for taking down the $3,000 pot-limit hold'em event. He busted Phil Hellmuth at the final table, which prompted the Poker Brat to utter the now infamous line of, "If there weren't luck involved, I guess I'd win every one."A few years later, Griffin made the trip to Monte Carlo for the EPT Grand Final Championship and took it down for $2,429,103. In 2008, he won the World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open for another $1,401,109. The three marquee tournament titles made him the first player ever to win poker's Triple Crown, a feat that has since been accomplished by only eight others. In 2012, he nearly added a second bracelet, finishing runner-up in the $1,500 Omaha eight-or-better event. The 39-year-old has more than $5 million in career tournament earnings.Highlights from this interview include 'cleansing' rain, the relationship between Dalmatians and horses, 'losing' for a living, leaving TCU for poker, riverboat casino dealing, winning his WSOP bracelet, Hellmuth's quote, running good while being sick, David Pham's consistent lie, the Triple Crown, what you do with a free Harley Davidson, feeling the pressure from PokerStars, a $1,000-$2,000 2-7 triple draw game, side bets with Gavin Smith, Mike Sexton's chuckle, being an 'equities analyst,' and disappointing Tobey Maguire fans.To download this episode or to subscribe to the podcast check out the link below:https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/card-player-poker-podcasts

Dan Smith has one of the greatest tournament poker resumes of all time, with $37 million in cashes during his time on the felt. Although he is only 31 years old, Smith has been playing cards for half of his life, having discovered the game as a child chess prodigy. The New Jersey native was already winning big online as a teenager, and by his junior year of high school he had a bankroll that would make many professionals jealous. Although he had a bit of a slow start to his live tournament career, Smith began to rack up huge scores as he climbed his way to the top of the high roller circuit. He now has 22 tournament titles, along with nine cashes of seven-figures. Smith even cashed in two $1 million buy-in events, finishing third in both the 2018 Big One For One Drop and the 2019 Triton Super High Roller London. He also has a World Poker Tour title, winning the Five Diamond World Poker Classic in 2013. He currently sits in fifth place on poker's all-time money list behind just Bryn Kenney, Justin Bonomo, Daniel Negreanu, and Erik Seidel.In 2014, Smith founded The Double Up Drive, an organization that matches public contributions dollar for dollar to more effectively help various charities. In the years since, he has brought on more members of the poker and daily fantasy sports community and helped to raise more than $16 million. You can learn more about the cause at DoubleUpDrive.com. Highlights from this interview include Survivor lockdown, the Vegas pickle ball scene, tying a chess grandmaster, why Mike McDonald might not be invited to future BBQs, his horse betting bankroll at 7 years old, starting off his career in a downswing, the fruitless pursuit of poker accolades, writing your own eulogy, psychedelic adventures in the desert, starting his own charity, why he quit daily fantasy sports, giving gifts to NFL kickers, being the best without a bracelet, climbing the money list, drinking his collectibles, splitting a mortgage with Stephen Chidwick, losing a $250,000 pot, lucky shirts and Doyle Brunson's cowboy hat.

Mark Newhouse grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and found poker during a couple of unsuccessful stints in college. After a few $50 deposits online, he was able to run up a six-figure bankroll, winning $100,000 in consecutive months. He turned pro immediately after turning 21, and was quickly playing limit hold'em cash games against some of the top players in the world for stakes as high as $1,500-$3,000.Despite having a preference for cash games, Newhouse has dabbled in tournaments over the years, most notably winning a World Poker Tour title in 2006 at the Borgata Poker Open for $1.52 million. In 2013, he made the final table of the World Series of Poker main event, ultimately finishing in ninth place for $733,000. A year later, Newhouse once again made the final table, and once again had to deal with the agony of ninth place, settling for $730,000. The 35-year-old has $3.52 million in career tournament earnings.Highlights from this interview include three strikes and two shots at college, from $50 to consecutive $100,000 months, heads-up grudge matches at Bellagio, reluctantly playing to a $1.5 million win, no splurging, brutal six-figure online sessions, "a mission to light it all on fire," from $1,500-$3,000 stakes to Bobby's Room at $20-$40, living at Commerce Casino for three years, the infamous Tweet, being the kill game fish, getting arrested for protesting, concert T-shirts, Brendan Fraser and Jeremy London, pushing pots to Tommy Hang, and getting the most out of swaps with Chino Rheem.

Barry Shulman found poker while studying at UC Berkeley and the University of Washington. He received his degree in accounting, but opted to forgo the family liquor business in order to build an empire of his own in real estate. His expertise in the field meant that he was often quoted by publications such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and Forbes, among others. After retiring, Shulman moved to Las Vegas and continued to play poker. While he enjoyed the game as a player, he could also sense that poker was about to go mainstream. Shulman decided that he didn't like being retired after all, and purchased Card Player Magazine from Linda Johnson, transforming it into the industry leader it is today. In 2001, Shulman won his first World Series of Poker bracelet, taking down $222,295 in the $1,500 stud eight-or-better event. His second bracelet came in 2009, when he defeated Daniel Negreanu heads-up for the World Series of Poker Europe main event title and a prize of $1,321,534. The next year, he finished third at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure main event, banking another $1,350,000. Just last summer, Shulman narrowly missed out on adding a third bracelet, taking second place in the Super Seniors event and third in the $1,500 Double Stack. He now has more than $5.6 million in career live tournament earnings. Highlights from this interview include abandoning ship, the free speech movement at Berkeley, $20 five-card draw games at the Oaks Club, a knack for numbers, one-hand Luke, "retiring" in Las Vegas, calling him at the Mirage, "muscling" his way into Card Player, forecasting the poker boom, winning his first bracelet in a game he didn't play, a seven-figure score in London, playing like a "piece of furniture," sweating family at final tables, Costco regrets, poker in Cambodia, why he can't beat David Williams, and what cow balls taste like.

Seth Davies is a 31-year-old high-stakes pro who originally found poker when he was just in high school. The Bend, Oregon-native was a standout baseball player, and was recruited to play at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. Nagging injuries and surgery kept him off the field, but it also allowed him to focus more on his development as a poker player. Davies spent a handful of years grinding out a living online, and even moved to Mexico to continue playing after Black Friday. In 2016, however, he started to focus more on live tournament after putting together a series of big cashes. Davies won the WPT Spring Classic, and finished second in the Hard Rock Poker Open main event later that summer. He also took third at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $877,285, second at the EPT Barcelona high roller for $800,044, and he also made the final table of the Super High Roller Bowl Bahamas for a $1,020,000 score. He now has $8.8 million in career live tournament earnings. Highlights from this interview include the death of poker's middle class, freeroll origin stories, two grand slams in the same inning, a career cut short by injury, college in Vegas, treading water in Mexico, a nudge into the high rollers by Jason Koon, the Oregon money list, the 'work' of poker, a massive EV loss to Erik Seidel, reluctant sports bets, spending half his bankroll on a car, the unbeatable Ike Haxton, achieving maximum focus, and fainting on a roller coaster.

Bill Perkins is a hedge fund manager and entrepreneur, focusing on venture capital and energy markets. In his spare time, he's also a film producer. But to those of us in the poker world, Perkins is a high-stakes poker regular who has also been the catalyst for some of the more outlandish prop bets in recent memory. The 51-year-old University of Iowa graduate has more than $5.4 million in live tournament earnings, including a $2 million score for a third-place finish in the $111,111 buy-in One Drop High Roller in 2013. His largest cash came last summer in the Triton Poker Super High Roller London for $2.7 million. Although he has been financially successful during his life, Perkins is determined to exchange that wealth for time and experiences to make the most out of his remaining years. Perkins' most recent project is his new book dedicated to sharing those principles, Die With Zero: Getting All You Can From Your Money And Your Life. Highlights from this interview include European vacation lengths, the leather helmet days of the NFL, getting the wrong message from Wall Street, liar's poker, risk and being broke, why you don't want to be rich and old, the compounding interest of storytelling, an expensive cookie, why the rat doesn't get off the wheel, death countdowns, poker gets the heart pumping, golfing with Tiger Woods, drug use, checking his actual bucket list, his insane 45th birthday party, the pain of Brangelina, seven-figure wins and losses, being a retired robot dancer, and BillsCoinCollection.com.

Daniel Dvoress sits in fifth place on Canada's all-time earnings list, despite the fact that he only started concentrating on live tournaments in the last five years. Dvoress was born in Russia, but emigrated with his family to Toronto where he was raised. He picked up poker while in high school, and stuck with it through college before turning pro, focusing mainly on grinding online cash games.After stringing some results together in 2015, he was pushed by his peers to take a shot on the high roller circuit, which proved to be a smart decision. In fact, of his top 20 cashes, only one has come in an event with a buy-in of less than $25,000. The Run It Once coach has now cashed for more than $17.2 million, including the $4.08 million he won for taking down the November 2019 Super High Roller Bowl in the Bahamas. Most recently, the 32-year-old won his first World Series of Poker bracelet and $1.489 million by topping a field of 6,299 in the 'Millionaire Maker' online.Highlights from this interview include a rough childhood in Moscow, the lunchroom poker game, the variables of MTTs, being a bit of a bankroll nit, a nudge from Stephen Chidwick, super exploits of ICM outputs, what winning $4 million feels like, his plans for the WSOP bracelet, being prepared for the apocalypse, the $10-$25-$50-$100 game, his Screech phase, a puzzling lockdown, catching poker's second boom, turkey calls, and why you shouldn't whistle inside.

Mark Gregorich has been making his living in high-limit cash games since the mid-'90s, but before that he followed in his parents footsteps, working as a high school teacher. When budget cuts cost him his job, he decided to make the move to Las Vegas, where he has been grinding ever since. Gregorich, considered by his peers to be one of the nicest guys in the game, was also once voted as the best Omaha eight-or-better player. In fact, his skills in the game were so revered, that Doyle Brunson asked him to contribute to his book Super System II. Although he has always preferred cash games to tournaments, the Washington-raised Gregorich does have a solid record at the World Series of Poker, with 11 final table appearances. Highlights from this interview include bear spotting with the kids, the family business, self-deal poker rooms, having a bad bluffing face, teaching high school at 22 years old, the only reasons to wear a tie, The Horseshoe and The Mirage, poker in the '90s, the who's who game at Bellagio, seeing Omaha8 games literally die out, writing for Doyle Brunson, losing a bracelet to Carlos Mortensen, the animal mentality in Bobby's Room, throwing cards at Sam Grizzle, home game raids, penguin betting, poker cruising, the long route home, and hitting lessons from Orel Hershiser while looking like Greg Maddux.

Jennifer Harman is one of the most prolific card players in history, having competed for higher stakes than nearly anyone else in poker. The Reno-native used to play cards around the family dinner table, before becoming hooked on poker while working her way through college. After moving to Los Angeles, she began to grind her way up the cash game ranks, determined to play the biggest game available. She eventually made her way to Las Vegas, and found her place at table one at Bellagio, and later Bobby's Room among some of the most legendary players of all time. Harman was one of the most important players for The Corporation, which was a group of poker players who pooled their money together to take on billionaire banker Andy Beal in a series of seven-figure heads-up matches. At one point in the series of games, Harman beat Beal three consecutive sessions, winning $3 million each time, and even took him on at stakes of $100,000-$200,000 when he returned for more action. Harman has two World Series of Poker bracelets, the first coming in the 2000 $5,000 no-limit 2-7 lowball event, and the second coming in the 2002 $5,000 limit hold'em event. The accomplishment made her the first woman to win two open events in WSOP history. In 2015, she was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.Highlights from this interview include the acoustics of live poker, mom's bar room pinochle games, burying the printing press in the backyard, not using her degree in biology, the recognizable cadaver of Reno, hand shakes, using her fake ID to play, finding poker in an LA grocery store, setting her eyes on the biggest game in the room, the non-issue of gender, Phil Ivey's struggles at $400-$800, Doyle Brunson's nickname for her, Chip Reese's $300k practical joke, investing in the Corporation while in surgery, proving Amarillo Slim wrong, losing her bracelets twice, the rigorous filming schedule of reality TV, the Poker Hall of Fame, seven-figure pots at $100k-$200k, profiting off of Daniel Negreanu's tournament success, being cheated in a New York home game, betting the wrong side with David Oppenheim, working as a "songwriter," and the perks of Air Force One.

Kahle Burns has been playing poker professionally for more than a decade, grinding his way from play chips online to some of the biggest cash games spread in both Las Vegas and Macau. The Geelong, Australia native started focusing more on live tournaments in 2016, however, and the result has been a quick rise to the top of the high roller ranks. The 31-year-old has $10.8 million in live tournament earnings, which is good for no. 2 on Australia's all-time money list, just behind WSOP main event winner Joe Hachem. Burns has two WSOP bracelets of his own, including the €25,000 high roller at the 2019 WSOP Europe series. Burns started 2020 off strong, winning the AUD$100,000 Aussie Millions high roller for $1.2 million, and finishing runner-up in the AUD$250,000 Super High Roller Bowl Australia for another another $828,000.Highlights from this interview include following the job, $10 high school games, racking up play chips, turning his game around after a downswing, climbing the cash game ranks, grinding for months in Macau, getting his pulse felt during a hand, why you show up early for high rollers, the poker faces of Stephen Chidwick and Adrian Mateos, passing up the WSOP for high-stakes cash, where he keeps his bracelets, winning a $1.6 million pot, playing $2,000-$4,000 heads-up for Sydney, Frankie Muniz, the Scrabble analogy, getting to the top of Australia's money list, show me your chips, the death of poker's middle class, and not complaining about runner-up finishes.

You won't find the name Houston Curtis on any poker leaderboards, but for a brief period of time during the height of the boom, he was among the biggest winners in the game. Curtis made his way to Los Angeles by way of Illinois, hoping to make it in the music business. He transitioned to TV production after doing audience warm up for Showtime At The Apollo, later working on shows such as Jerry Springer and The Dating Game, and as an executive at MTV. His Best Of Backyard Wrestling videos in the early 2000s made him a millionaire, and he went on to produce poker strategy videos for Phil Hellmuth, and the Ultimate Blackjack Tour. By chance, Curtis was seated next to SpiderMan star Tobey Maguire one night while playing poker at the Commerce Casino. The two hit it off and became friends, moving their action from the casino to private high-stakes games filled with the Hollywood elite. The games were chronicled in the movie Molly's Game, as well as the book it was based on written by Molly Bloom. But according to Curtis and his book, Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist, it was actually he and Maguire, not Bloom, who ran the game while it was in L.A., taking upwards of $1 million per month from players such as Nelly, David Schwimmer, director Todd Phillips, Don Cheadle, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Pete Sampras, Jon Landau, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Leonardo DiCaprio, before it all came crashing down.Highlights from this interview include shooting music videos in the desert, being "related" to Minnesota Fats, Fortress: Stronghold Of Rock to Mind Over Matter, warming up crowds at Showtime At The Apollo, Jerry Springer and Backyard Wrestling, hiding his sleight-of-hand skills, car washing with Steve Perry, the ultra-competitive and eccentric Tobey Maguire, separating fact from fiction in Molly's Game, The Viper Room, Todd Phillips and Old Spice, $800,000 bluffs at $200-$400, integrity and honesty from Rick Salomon, telling Layne Flack and his bag of cash to go home, Leonardo DiCaprio and his Armani furniture, the disappointing poker skills of Matt Damon, why David Schwimmer is such as Ross, Don Cheadle at the Playboy Mansion, losing seven figures in one night, playing on the set of SpiderMan 3 and in a sex dungeon, a nightmare with Cheech and Chong, hustling a weight loss prop bet, and the sounds of Norm Macdonald.

Kenny Hallaert is one of Belgium's top poker pros, having won more than $4.2 million in live tournaments, along with another $6.5 million online playing under the name 'SpaceyFCB.' The 38-year-old recently won his third SCOOP online title, and has four World Series of Poker final table appearances on his resume, along with four deep runs in the main event. In 2016, he finished sixth for nearly $1.5 million.Hallaert is currently no. 3 on Belgium's all-time money list, but despite his success, he never gave up his day job. He started his poker journey while working as an electrician, and then later took a marketing job at a local casino. He was tasked with bringing players to the property, and as a result helped to popularize live tournaments in Belgium. Eventually Hallaert took over duties as Tournament Director, and he has since worked EPT events for PokerStars, as well as Unibet. Highlights from this interview working as an electrician, playing card games at the bar with mom, Dutch poker, how a football accident made him a better player, bringing tournaments to Belgium, his unusual path to tournament director, why he never gave up his day job, the mental game, Ivey the end boss, a brutal but important bad beat, burning a house down in Monte Carlo, the silver lining of a sixth-place finish, a lottery ticket in the WSOP, finishing the job he signed up for, bathroom stall gaps, double-cooked fries, factory work, the unbeatable Niklas Astedt, three-betting with industrial techno, and getting away with graffiti.

Jesse Martin is a highly-respected poker pro and sports gambler from Massachusetts. Although he started out as a cash game player and has always competed in high-stakes mixed games, Martin has also done quite well on the tournament circuit, racking up more than $3.2 million. He has also won millions online playing under the name 'MazeOrBowie', and had a fourth-place finish in the SCOOP main event for $401,600.Martin has several final-table finishes at the World Series of Poker, including a third-place showing in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $594,570, along with two bracelet wins. His first came in the 2013 $10,000 No-Limit Deuce-To-Seven event, where he won $253,524. His second title came in 2017, when he pocketed $130,948 for taking down the $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw event.In the last few years following the birth of his son, Martin has started playing less poker and devoting more of his working time to daily fantasy sports. In December, he beat a field of 180 in the DraftKings Fantasy Football World Championship in Miami to earn a massive $2 million payday.Highlights from this interview include catching poker right before the boom, Syracuse to TurningStone, Red Sox and Phish, talent vs. hard work, chasing a fish into a H.O.R.S.E. game, a painful finish at the LAPC, bracelet or watch?, $3,000-$6,000 game in Bobby's Room, dirty looks from Gus Hansen, thriving in crazy games, one hand at $200-$400 no-limit, getting paid by Chino Rheem, barbershop quartet conventions in Austria, being bad at bagels, Larry Bird words, what winning $2 million feels like, Joey Chestnut, running good/bad against John Hennigan, 175 concerts, why you shouldn't compliment his stack size, and how Rudy Gobert gave him a big COVID-19 win.

Danny Tang was first introduced to poker by his older brother back in Wales, and dreamed of one day sitting head-to-head with the likes of Phil Ivey or Tom Dwan. Less than a decade later, Tang is now hopping from high roller-to-high roller stop on private jets with the very same Ivey and Dwan. The 28-year-old poker pro didn't start competing on the circuit regularly until 2016, but he quickly rose up the ranks and has now racked up more than $8.4 million in live tournament earnings. Tang had a breakout victory at the PokerStars Championship Prague main event in December of 2017. The next summer, he went deep in the World Series of Poker main event, earning $230,475 for 31st place. Later that year, he very nearly repeated his win in Prague, ultimately settling for fourth place in back-to-back runs. In 2019, Tang picked up the three biggest scores of his career. The Hong Kong resident earned $1.83 million for his runner-up showing to Bryn Kenney at the Triton Montenegro Super High Roller, and then banked another $1.6 million and his first bracelet in Vegas. The Natural8 online poker ambassador followed that up with a third-place showing at the EPT Barcelona High Roller for another $940,803.Highlights from this interview include quarantine days in Malaysia, being in Neymar's shadow, a helpful nudge from J.C. Alvarado, being the last man standing in the Uber to the Rio, jumping into the high rollers with Paul Phua, not realizing he won a WSOP bracelet, a $1.6 million pot in Macau, thinking in big blinds, dropping Tony G off in Lithuania, skiing with Tom Dwan, being snubbed at the airport, a 'not-ridiculous' six-figure baccarat bet, from James on Geordie Shore to Bob Lam on TVB, God Of Gamblers, a shout out to Michael Addamo, the appeal of short deck poker, lucky underwear, avoiding the shoulder tap, and 7-Eleven chicken teriyaki sandwiches.

In this special episode of Poker Stories, we revisit two of our most popular early guests to catch up on what's happened in their lives over the last three years. Barry Greenstein appeared on the podcast back in November of 2017. The Poker Hall of Fame inductee and two-time World Poker Tour champion has stayed pretty busy despite his age of 65, and has had a high cash rate at the World Series of Poker for the last two years, even finishing with 13 in one summer while looking to add to his three career bracelets. Daniel Negreanu was featured in an episode in March of 2017, and has experienced quite a bit of personal change in the time since. Although he was passed at the top of the all-time money list by Justin Bonomo and then Bryn Kenney, he did add several million to his earnings and now sits at $41 million for his career. At the 2019 WSOP, he played well enough to earn his third Player of the Year title, only to be slowrolled by a clerical error. He also managed to marry longtime poker host Amanda Leatherman, while also ending his 12-year relationship with PokerStars. He is now a team pro at GGPoker. Highlights from this interview include why jail isn't scary, a time for self-improvement, poker germs, finding the spots at the table, a pain in the eyes, Alice Cooper hair, the poker rope-a-dope strategy, slap boxing, an outgoing introvert, reading The Godfather, online poker sponsorships, what's really good for the players, Andre Agassi at the 1999 US Poker Championship, double hoop earrings, being mistaken for Phil, Scott Seiver wins the psychological war, gender swaps, and will the WSOP happen in the fall?

In this special episode of Poker Stories, we revisit three of our most popular early guests to catch up on what's happened in their lives over the last three years. Jason Koon was first featured on the podcast in December of 2016. At the time, the West Virginia native was coming off of his best year ever on the live tournament circuit, and had amassed $6.5 million in career earnings. Now, Koon has solidified himself as one of the top players on the high roller circuit, and has climbed to no. 9 on the all-time money list with $31 million. Nick Schulman's episode of the podcast came out in April of 2017. The high-stakes cash game grinder has since added a handful of high roller titles in limited tournament appearances, and even added his third World Series of Poker bracelet in the 2019 summer series. The New York pool hustler turned card shark is also regarded as one of poker's most popular commentators.Bryn Kenney was just a modest 15th on the all-time tournament earnings rankings with $17 million in cashes when his episode aired in the Spring of 2017. He was confident he would some day be no. 1, however, and his premonition turned out to be correct when he won the biggest prize in poker history for $20.6 million. Kenney now has a $7 million lead over Justin Bonomo after his historic high roller run with $57 million total. Highlights from this episode include feeling the same after $25 million, high-stakes birthday parties in Thailand, Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Cracker Barrel, the exhaustion of telling people you play poker, hanging with Isaac Newton, the ups and downs of gambling life, nobody asks dentists their salary, David Oppenheim the mixed game GOAT, being a reluctant shoplifter, a time of self improvement, poker players are EV hunters, why you don't need a seven-figure watch, playing with your back against the wall, Vin Diesel at the grocery store, and why Uncut Gems was both amazing and terrible.

Garry Gates has worn many hats in the poker industry. After moving to Las Vegas from his native Titusville, Pennsylvania, Gates attempted to play professionally, with limited success. A chance encounter at the World Series of Poker, however, gave Gates an opening into the media side of the poker world. He then spent ten years working for PokerStars as a senior manager, dealing with player relations and community engagement. Then last summer, Gates got to put his player hat back on for his annual shot at the WSOP main event. He had previously finished in-the-money three times, including semi-deep runs in 2011 and 2015. Gates surpassed all expectations, however, when he made the final table, ultimately finishing fourth for a $3 million payday. He has since taken a position with daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings as a New Business Executive. Highlights from this interview include growing up with the Heisman and oil parties, getting the lead in Oliver!, learning about online poker from his dad, Elk's Club games with Loopy and the Butcher, sitting behind Doyle and Puggy at Binion's, how to lose $1,000 at $4-$8 limit, a long walk home from the Bellagio, why Tom Dwan needed six computer mouses, making Vanessa Rousso teach Barry Sanders how to play poker, being one of Jason Mercier's most successful horses, why he wasn't nervous at the final table, ignoring Mike Matusow criticisms, why Australia is his favorite poker trip, working in an underground mine, the resemblance between Justin Verlander and WWE wrestler Cesaro, and getting out of school to hunt deer in traffic.

Tyler Patterson found poker before the boom, and worked in the industry as a dealer for a few years before making the switch to professional player. The Washington-native has split his time between cash games and tournaments, but has still managed to rack up more than $2.6 million in earnings on the circuit. Patterson has a World Poker Tour title, having taken down the 2015 bestbet Bounty Scramble for $375,270. He final tabled the event the very next year, taking fourth for another six figures, and he very nearly did it three years in a row, finishing just short in 14th place. Patterson won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2014, coming out on top of the $1,500 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better event for $270,992. He's also final tabled the WPT Borgata Poker Open, and has wins at the LA Poker Classic, and Fall and Spring Poker Round Ups. Most recently, he finished fourth after an ICM deal at the Bay 101 Shooting Star for $113,840.Highlights from this interview include having golf in his blood, playing trumpet in a ska band, diving into poker after becoming a dealer, a crazy night at Spanish 21 with a biker bandit, Too Lay Lip Casino, the adrenaline factor in tournaments, playing $25-$50 with half his bankroll on the table, winning his World Poker Tour title, the interesting timing of his WSOP bracelet, a love for PLO, being notoriously bad at prop bets, weigh-ins for marathons, beer-per-hole golf matches, being hospitalized after a race with Matt Savage, Hoge Bogey, losing an $80k+ home game pot, Alabama poker, how feta cheese ruined his pizza job, Parmesan cocaine, bath tub crocodiles, and the link between Chipper Jones and Boyz II Men.

Faraz Jaka is a former World Poker Tour Player of the Year, and has more than $6.8 million in career live tournament earnings, to go along with another $4.3 million won online. The 34-year-old from San Jose, California has several notable final-table finishes on his poker resume, including runner-up showings at the Bellagio Cup for $774,780 and Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown for $454,496. He finished third at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $571,374 and third at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for another $755,000. He also has six final-table appearances at the World Series of Poker. Jaka is well known for his nomadic lifestyle, having reduced his belongings to just two small suitcases so that he could more easily travel the globe between tournament stops. CNN even went so far as to dub him 'The Homeless Millionaire' as the University of Illinois graduate split his time between five-star hotels and the couches of strangers. After nearly a decade of non-stop moving, Jaka briefly put down roots in Brazil for an online poker project, before recently resuming his travels on the circuit with his new wife. Jaka has also started to share his poker knowledge and years of experience to the students at Jonathan Little's Poker Coaching website. For a limited time, get half off your first month by visiting pokercoaching.com/Faraz. Highlights from this interview include being an angry kid, running the mile with a torn ligament, escaping home and crossing the country, being TheToilet, blowing a six-figure bankroll in college, going from dorm games to Vegas, falling from $50-$100 no-limit to $5 sngs, WPT POY, getting Card Player Magazine respect, poker pros who 'fake it', reducing his life to two bags, the ups and downs of launching an online poker site, tying the knot, poker coaching, ten days of silence in Thailand, selling magnets and FUBU, underground cash games in Mexico City, playing with Kevin Hart and Nelly, and an ideal trip into the Congo.

David Tuchman has one of poker's most well-known voices, having been in the commentator's booth for some of the biggest tournaments and cash games ever filmed. The New York-native got his start with Live At The Bike!, and then later Full Tilt's Million Dollar Cash Game. While living in London and covering the NFL and NASCAR for Sky Sports, Tuchman worked with PokerStars for online and live events. In 2011, he began working with the World Series of Poker, and has continued to call the action every summer since. Before finding poker and his career in sports broadcasting, Tuchman was in Los Angeles to pursue his passion for acting. He ultimately ended up with a few close calls, including a network TV series that wasn't picked up, and a movie he was cut out of. His IMDB page has half a dozen credits, including appearances on shows such as Beverly Hills 90210, Party Of Five, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Highlights from this interview include childhood nicknames, scoring five goals for grandma, pros and cons of college, wearing many hats, being extra for Pamela Anderson, close calls in Hollywood, why he had to miss his best friend's wedding, getting cut out of a George Clooney movie, shoving Jason Priestley, double pay on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, lonely lunches with Jennifer Love Hewitt, how poker keeps calling, working for Sky Sports in London, calling the WSOP, the player who was banned from the broadcast booth, betting on elections, Springsteen tattoos, Slapshot > Goon, from Corey Haim to Jim Carrey, and casting Shawshank: The Musical.

Steve Albini is regarded as one of the top recording engineers in the world, and has been creating music with his bands Big Black, Rapeman, and Shellac, since 1981. As the owner of Electrical Audio in Chicago, Albini has produced thousands of albums and has worked with numerous notable acts such as Nirvana, Bush, The Pixies, The Breeders, Chevelle, PJ Harvey, Joanna Newsom, Jawbreaker, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, and Cheap Trick.Despite having his name on some of the most memorable indie rock albums ever made, Albini chooses not to collect royalties and instead earns a flat rate for his time, leaving more cash on the table for the artists themselves. As a result, he has been relying on poker to supplement his income for several years. Albini has been competing in a regular low-stakes home game for years that includes several World Series of Poker bracelet winners, including Brandon Shack-Harris, Eric Rodawig, Jason Gola, Matt Ashton, and Matt Grapenthien. Albini has WSOP cashes dating back to 2010, and in 2018, he earned a bracelet of his own, taking down the $1,500 stud event for $105,629.Highlights from this interview include mixed games with Norman Chad, fires so big they make their own weather, The Problem With Music, Go-go with Dave Grohl, balancing time for touring, engineering, and poker, ignoring his day job for Bill Withers, Bush's surprising American success, the stacked game above a bakery, whammy cards, being ethically poorer than he should be, working differently than Phil Spector and Brian Wilson, Jeff Lisandro reads from Matt Ashton, wearing a guitar like a belt, quitting drummers and nude singers, prank calling Gene Simmons for Kurt Cobain, cured bacon, Krakow poker, being 3% gamble, the problem with circular glasses, Fun House by The Stooges, tar targets in concrete bunkers, and the Krispy Kreme donuts at Gwen Stefani's wedding.

Eric Rodawig is considered to be a semi-professional poker player, having regularly maintained a day job, but he has managed to put together the poker resume of a solid pro despite a limited schedule on the tournament circuit. The 34-year-old Nebraska resident, who recently appeared on PokerGo's Dolly's Game broadcast, has five final-table appearances at the World Series of Poker, including a gold bracelet win.Rodawig's victory at the summer series came in 2011, when he topped a field of 168 in the $10,000 stud eight-or-better championship, beating Phil Hellmuth heads-up for $442,183. The mixed-game specialist also has final tables in Omaha eight-or-better, pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better, razz, and O.E. A couple summers ago, he narrowly missed out on his second bracelet, finishing runner-up in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship for another $236,841.Highlights from this interview include 'slumming it' at $50-$100, Thought Crimes at The Hoya, a close call with UIGEA villain Bob Goodlatte, earning a partypoker iPod shuffle, the instant validation of winning a WSOP bracelet, beating a well-behaved Phil Hellmuth heads-up, making poker more accessible to fans, obsessing over curling, flying as a polar bear, being a National Geographic geography bee finalist, meeting Alex Trebek, running the teleprompter for a news station, Jim Carrey's flat top, an affinity for Weird Al, and looking at noses with Crocodile Brandon.

Antonio Esfandiari stole the attention of the poker world with his breakthrough victory in the 2004 World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic main event, and he kept it by showing off his skills as a high-stakes prop gambler while keeping everyone else at the table entertained with his gregarious personality. Originally known at the tables as "The Magician," Esfandiari excelled as a staple of televised poker shows and live streams during the decade that followed the poker boom, and maintained his status as one of the game's best with consistent wins on the tournament circuit. Esfandiari won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 2004, and added his second WPT title in 2010 when he took down the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio, a tournament in which he has also finished fourth and sixth. He picked up another bracelet at the 2012 WSOP Europe, but his biggest score came at the summer series when he finished on top of the $1 million buy-in Big One For One Drop event, earning a then-record payout of $18.3 million. It was enough to see him temporarily overtake the top spot on poker's all-time money list, before being passed by Daniel Negreanu, Justin Bonomo, and eventually Bryn Kenney. The 41-year-old has more than $27 million in career live tournament earnings. Highlights from this interview include stage names, a childhood at war, obsessing over sleight-of-hand, why Phil Laak couldn't just enjoy the magic, showing off for dad at spread-limit hold'em, binking at Commerce with the last of his bankroll, being more modest than Phil Hellmuth, focusing on fatherhood, falling off the all-time money list, the exhilaration of getting shot by Dan Bilzerian, the 90 seconds following his One Drop victory, forcing Brian Rast into a tournament beast, how Phil Ivey was stoic in the face of death, considering love during trouble in the skies, washing cars and dishes for work, his Persian calling for real estate, being on the celebrity D- list, autographing body parts, Pinocchio insults, boxing training by Audley Harrison, buying out of a 'no release' prop bet, life as a bird, and being able to tell his kids he beat up Kevin Hart.

Kitty Kuo has always had gambling in her blood, taking weekend trips to Las Vegas for long blackjack sessions while studying at the University of Southern California. Although she ultimately got her master's degree in electrical engineering, it was poker that she chose to pursue as a profession. Despite being cut off by her parents for the decision, Kuo made the bold move to Vegas to chase her dream. In the years since, Kuo has earned more than $2.3 million in live tournaments, improving her game along the way with the help of poker superstars such as four-time WPT champion Darren Elias and high roller crusher Steffen Sontheimer. Kuo won the Macau Poker Cup, and has final tabled the Aussie Millions main event, the Hollywood Poker Open, WPT Malta, and the Legends of Poker main event. She also finished runner-up in the WPT Bobby Baldwin Classic and most recently took second in a $5,000 side event at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic.Kuo has also made frequent appearances on live streamed games such as Live At The Bike!, and even had her own cash game on Poker After Dark. Last summer, she was named in an anonymous survey of high rollers as one of poker's best follows on social media. Kuo is also married to 2012 WSOP main event fourth-place finisher Russell Thomas. Highlights from this interview include growing up in Taiwan, how her parents tried to choose her future, a love for ping pong, weekend trips to Vegas, her USC blackjack team, using the Martingale strategy to deal with losses, why she has gambling in her blood, being disowned by her family for six months, bribing a floorman so she could sit next to Daniel Negreanu, learning from Darren Elias and Steffen Sontheimer, and why she turned down help from Bryn Kenney, why its easy to get Phil Hellmuth to fold, calling her future husband a fish, why men in poker are thirsty, celebrating wins by spending six-figures on Chanel bags, being a social media cartoon, selling CDs on the street, winning a spin class last longer bet, getting mistaken for Maria Ho, and the dance skills of Russell Thomas.

Dan Shak is not a professional poker player, but his tournament resume and travel schedule would lead you to believe otherwise. The 60-year-old New Jersey-native has spent the majority of his working time working as a hedge fund manager and commodities trader, and although he's been successful in his day job, poker has also treated him well with more than $10.6 million in tournament earnings. That's good enough for no. 80 on the all-time money list, along side players such as Andrew Lichtenberger, Gus Hansen, and David "The Dragon" Pham.Shak's biggest score came in the 2010 Aussie Millions High Roller, when he pocketed $1.2 million for beating Phil Ivey heads-up. He nearly matched that cash four years later with the second of two runner-up finishes at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure high roller. Shak also won the 2013 PartyPoker Premier League. Shak doesn't yet have a World Series of Poker bracelet, but he has notched two wins at the series. In 2007, he stunned the poker world by donating all $243,893 of his winnings back to the charity in the inaugural Ante Up For Africa Event. In 2017, he won the €25,000 buy-in high roller at the WSOP Europe series for another $245,831. Highlights from this episode include why home is relative, discovering poker after wrestling matches, a brief college detour, running coffee on the trading floor at 12, staking and being a market maker, what he's doing on that computer at the table, why the high rollers aren't fun anymore, trying to make a deal with Phil Ivey, emergency landings in Iceland, renting bathing suits with Antonio Esfandiari, two WSOP wins with no bracelets, donating his entire winnings to charity after winning the Ante Up For Africa event, giving the recs a chance to win, getting cheated by nine high, why he sometimes has to leave a good game, losing a $600k pot to JRB, a painful bubble in South Florida, a humble job at KFC, preferring regular Joes to rich people, escaping the golf course, and how to make David Peters smile.

Julien Martini is just 27 and has only been grinding the tournament circuit for a few years, but during that stretch he has been red hot, winning more than $4.5 million. It's enough to already place him in France's all-time tournament earnings top 10. Nearly $3 million of those cashes came in January of this year when he finished runner-up in the $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players Championship. Martini also has a win at the Poker Masters, and recently made the final table in the World Series of Poker Europe main event. However, the greatest score of Martini's short career came in 2018 at the WSOP in Las Vegas. The former handball standout navigated his way through a field of 911 players in the $1,500 Omaha eight-or-better event, winning his first bracelet, and the $239,711 first-place prize. Although the payout wasn't a personal best, he also managed to land a date with his heads-up opponent, mixed-game specialist Kate Hoang. Martini and Hoang got married in September, in one of the best off-the-felt stories of the year.Highlights from this interview includes one bad jump out of 100,000, an unwise decision to turn pro at 18, going broke and starting a real job, learning life lessons while selling door-to-door, the joy of being your own boss, being an early GTO advocate, why he's not really a tournament pro, gifting his bracelet to his father, finding love at the poker table, what Americans think of the police, France's top five players, the player he couldn't quit in a 42-hour session, losing to a one-outer for a $260k pot, rewarding yourself with expensive watches, last name jokes and a love for red wine, underground cash games in Taipei, bricking an entire WSOP, Ryan Gosling's looks, $25k flips, running from robbers, and why he prefers cats to dogs.

Jamie Gold was just a teenager when he got started in the entertainment business, and was the youngest talent agent in Hollywood when he broke in, landing clients such as James Gandolfini, Jimmy Fallon, Felicity Huffman, Jeffrey Wright, and Donnie Wahlberg. After getting burned out by being constantly on call, however, Gold decided to take some time off and focus on his new passion, which was poker.Gold jumped head first into some of the biggest cash games in Southern California, and eventually found success playing tournaments. Later that year he worked out a deal to play the World Series of Poker main event, and after navigating his way through a field of 8,773 players, earned the title and the $12 million payout. In the years since, Gold has been seen on numerous poker shows, including High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark, but has spent the majority of his time on the felt helping to raise more than $500 million for various causes and charities. Highlights from this interview include missing Dean Cain's birthday party, a Woodstock birth, being the youngest agent in Hollywood, the year Jimmy Fallon slept on his couch, why James Gandolfini hated the spotlight, jumping into the biggest cash games BEFORE winning the WSOP, hanging around Johnny Chan for poker tips, table talk, trading celebrities for buy-ins, the truth about his deal with Crispin Leyser, money misconceptions, 'losing $1 million' in a city he hasn't been to in a decade, being cheated in private games, from Molly's Game to Inside Game, the Hollywood party that made the Playboy Mansion look boring, getting yelled at by Jack Nicholson and being consoled by Paul Reiser, a four-day poker session, what Robert Downey Jr., Stephen Colbert, and Chad Lowe have in common, betting a yacht on the Super Bowl, and seeing Bad News Bears 22 times in the theater.

Vince Van Patten is a man of many talents. The son of legendary actor Dick Van Patten got his start as a child, appearing in numerous commercials, as well as TV shows and movies such as Bonanza, Baywatch, The Six Million Dollar Man, Hell Night, and The Break. Despite being introduced to gambling at a young age by his father, Van Patten ultimately dedicated himself to tennis, and won the ATP Rookie of the Year award. In 1981, he even beat John McEnroe to win the Seiko World Super Tennis Tournament in Tokyo, reaching a peak of no. 26 in the world. After his tennis career was over, Van Patten returned to Los Angeles to continue acting, as well play host to some of Hollywood's biggest home poker games. His experience with the game and his time in front of a camera made Van Patten a natural choice for the World Series of Poker in 1998, and when the World Poker Tour made its debut in 2002, he was hired alongside Mike Sexton as commentator. Van Patten is now sharing the duties with poker pro Tony Dunst, and is in the middle of his 18th season on tour. Van Patten's most recent project is a gambling movie that he co-wrote and stars in called 7 Days To Vegas. The film focuses on a group of poker players who will bet on anyone and anything. As the prop bets get bigger and bigger, Van Patten's character agrees to attempt to walk from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, in under seven days, while wearing a suit. The film is available now on demand through Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, and more. Highlights from this interview include 600 drives to Vegas, selling toothpaste as a child actor, his slow start in tennis, fighting for a top ranking and beating John McEnroe, Dick Van Patten the smart gambling degenerate, learning poker at age 8, running three-card monte games in seventh grade, fake beards and mustaches, scraping up $5 of fountain change for gas money, his new movie 7 Days To Vegas, Hollywood home games with Jerry Van Dyke, John Huston, Ben Affleck, and Tobey Maguire, winning some teeth in a poker game, calling Scotty Nguyen's WSOP win, how he got the WPT gig, dodging the cigar murderers, a three-day poker session, a sketchy game on the Mexican border, bear encounters at Yosemite, and trips to the racetrack with Mel Brooks.

Dylan Linde didn't find poker until he was 23, instead focusing on competitive video games and Magic: The Gathering during his youth. The Coeur D'Alene, Idaho native began taking poker more seriously after seeing the wins put up by his friend and fellow poker pro Kevin MacPhee.Linde has become a consistent force on the tournament circuit in the years since, having won more than $4.1 million live to go along with another $6 million won online. Last December, Linde earned the biggest score of his career, banking $1.63 million for taking down the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio. He also owns a WSOP Circuit ring, haing won the Chicago main event in 2016 for another $350,000.When he's not playing, Linde provides content for training site Run It Once. He also recently wrote a poker book, available now from D&B Publishing, called Mastering Mixed Games: Winning Strategies For Draw, Stud, And Flop Games.Highlights from this interview include an amazing seat draw in his first WPT event, a rude gift from Mike Matusow, all sorts of nerdery, cruising the lake on The Dylan, going to college at 16 and staying there for 7 years, being a Street Fighter, high-stakes video games, unique short-stack strategies, coming up in the game with Kevin MacPhee, teaching Stephen Chidwick how to be an adult, using solvers to find exploitative spots, the barrier to entry in mixed games, getting Phil Hellmuth to endorse his book, escaping arson charges in Canada, a 30-minute crying session at the PCA, and the $1.6 million score that allowed him to play on his own.

Mike Matusow was born in Los Angeles, but has spent the majority of his 51 years in Las Vegas. His autobiography, Check Raising The Devil, chronicles his time playing video poker before he was taught hold'em in the late '80s and shifted his focus to poker. In 1998, Matusow backed Scotty Nguyen to the World Series of Poker main event title, giving him a third of the $1 million prize. The next year, he won his first bracelet, taking down a $3,500 no-limit hold'em event. Matusow has four bracelets in total, his other three coming in the 2002 $5,000 Omaha eight-or-better event, the 2008 $5,000 no-limit 2-7 lowball event, and the 2013 $5,000 stud eight-or-better event. He has also made the final table of the WSOP main event twice, and won the Tournament of Champions in 2009 for $1 million. In 2013, he took down the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship for another $750,000.The Poker Hall of Fame nominee has more than $9.3 million in career live tournament earnings, but has had as many downs as ups during his career. Matusow served time in jail on drug charges in 2005 after he was set up by undercover police officer. He has also dealt with going broke, and health issues have threatened to derail his playing career.Matusow's popular webshow The Mouthpiece has returned as a podcast, with episodes featuring Jennifer Tilly, Mike Sexton, Michael Mizrachi, Greg Raymer, and Daniel Negreanu. You can also check out his YouTube channel Mike The Mouth, which features action vlogs from his cash game and tournament sessions. Highlights from this interview an explosive introduction, free speech for comedians and Michael Jackson cosplayers, high school fights, some advice for Michael Phelps, demanding a raise from Full Tilt, a lack of respect for the old school guys, the politics of the Poker Hall Of Fame, Barry Bonds has Phil Hellmuth ego, his WSOP main event final table shot, drugs for world peace, a 72-hour session, two secrets for Phil Hellmuth, Doug Polk and ranges, why GTO is for players with no talent, Trump's biggest problem, beating Daniel Negreanu heads-up for a bracelet while detoxing from crystal meth, the $2 million weight-loss bet with Ted Forrest, and his thoughts on climate change.

Randy Ohel spends most of his working time grinding high-stakes cash games at Bellagio in Las Vegas, but the 34-year-old mixed-games specialist from Coral Springs, Florida does concentrate on tournaments during the annual World Series of Poker. In the last seven years, Ohel has done quite well at the summer series. In 2012, he won a bracelet, taking down the $2,500 triple draw event. In 2014, he finished runner-up in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship. In 2016, he took third in the $3,000 pot-limit Omaha six-max event, and second in the $10,000 stud eight-or-better championship. Last year, he finished second once again, this time in the $10,000 triple draw championship.When you add those scores to the occasional no-limit hold'em cash, Ohel has accumulated more than $2.1 million in live tournament earnings. He has appeared on numerous poker live streams to offer commentary, and most recently, Ohel has started sharing his mixed-games expertise in a semi-regular column for Card Player.Players interested in poker lessons can contact Ohel directly on Twitter @RandyOhel. Check out his first three articles on 2-7 no-limit lowball, triple draw, and stud eight-or-better on CardPlayer.com.Highlights from this interview include growing up happily indoors, why his grandmother takes credit for his poker career, being unqualified for McDonald's, a highschool tournament series, going broke and getting a job, grinding his way back, some realism from his grandfather, a sad and lonely dinner break, winning a marathon heads-up battle for a WSOP bracelet, all of the painful close calls since, a bad beat against George Danzer and Justin Bonomo, the politics of a 12-game mix, being a jack of all trades and master of none, playing with Doyle, being a dad in poker, a 24-hour session, a $5,000 prop bet, a secret need to sing, and the future of driving ranges.

Ali Nejad is one of poker's most experienced television personalities, having lent his talents to productions such as the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, The Poker Parlor, The Ultimate Poker Challenge, The Pro-Am Equalizer, and Poker After Dark. He has also done commentary for a majority of the major poker tours, including the World Poker Tour, European Poker Tour, World Series of Poker, and most recently, the Triton Millions. The 41-year-old has also done his fair share of work outside of poker, having worked on Road Trip and UNite for ESPN, and The Daily Share for CNN. While attending UC Berkeley, he was tapped to host Total Request Live on MTV before tragedy changed the course of his career. Before stepping in front of poker cameras, the San Francisco native worked as a prop and dealer in local cardrooms, eventually working his way up the cash game ranks. These days you can find Nejad on PokerGo, including coverage of the upcoming British Poker Open and Super High Roller Bowl in London. Highlights from this interview include being confused for the pantyhose rapist, confidence vs. arrogance, landing a TV gig in high school, First Cut, consuming condiment cocktails at Cal, entering the teepee kingdom, getting hired to host TRL on MTV, and why Carson Daly took the job instead, dealing with tragedy, self-destructive escapism into the poker world, befriending Prahlad Friedman and Erick Lindgren, propping his way up to the high-stakes games, a lifeline from SuChin Pak, playing soccer in a literal dump in Guatemala, a game of backgammon with the Ice Princess, a chance meeting with Mori Eskandani on the PartyPoker Million Cruise, subbing in for Daniel Negreanu, NY to Bristol and back, landing a dream gig with ESPN, an infamous call for Justin Bonomo, a death match with Maria Ho, playing football with Kevin Durant, why Don Cheadle gets great service, a crooked 11-handed poker game, a low-limit $800-$1,600 game at Bellagio with Joanna Krupa, and the perspective of a 59-cent taco.

Joao Vieira is only 29 years old and missed the entirety of the poker boom, but that hasn't stopped him from climbing to the top of Portugal's all-time money list both live and online. The Madeira-native is one of the top five online tournament winners ever, with more than $13 million in cashes. He also has $3.4 million in live tournament earnings, and most recently won his first career World Series of Poker bracelet, pocketing $758,000 in the $5,000 six-max no-limit hold'em event. But poker is only the second "sport" that Vieira has gone pro in. The Winamax Team Pro spent much of his teens and early twenties playing professional basketball in Portugal, and as a junior, he competed on the national team and even had two 50-point games before he got burned out and transitioned to poker. Highlights from this interview include being bad at days off, growing up on an island, an early knack for basketball, turning pro at age 15, playing like he was 7 feet tall, Iverson vs. Stockton, being a late starter online, how an injury led to better poker, going from $10 to $300 sit-n-go's in a month, developing habits, being top five all-time on the online money list, a goal to crush the super high rollers, using a live read to earn a WSOP bracelet, a nice swap with Super Dario, keeping kids alive at summer camp, living in his headphones, and what Europe thinks of American fast food.

Jackie Glazier grew up playing cards with her grandparents, but didn't find poker until well after fellow Australian Joe Hachem had won the World Series of Poker main event. The Melbourne-native grew up with a passion for sports and earned her degree in education, but ultimately felt lost as to what she wanted to do for a career. While searching for the answer, she stumbled on poker, and found herself grinding small-stakes at the casino. One good month turned into three good months, and she decided to give poker a shot. The decision paid off quickly, with Glazier finishing second in the opening event of the Melbourne Championship Series in 2012, before winning the main event. She took her newfound bankroll and confidence to Las Vegas, where she finished runner up in a $3,000 no-limit hold'em event for $458,996. The next year, she was the last woman standing in the main event, cashing for $229,281 in 31st place. Glazier earned her WSOP bracelet in the WSOP Europe ladies event. Last year, she competed on Australian Survivor, spending a month in Fiji for the televised reality game show. Highlights from this interview include flashing her accent to attract American men, not using her degree, crashing the guy's poker game, being on the good side of variance early on, learning the ropes with Joe Hachem, a mandatory win in Melbourne, refusing a big chop, crying for three days over a half-million dollar score, being the last woman standing in the WSOP main event, learning to practice gratitude, binking her first ladies event, where she keeps her bracelet, the online poker situation in Australia, playing poker on the London Eye, being married to a golf whisperer, calling the snake catcher, competing on Survivor in Fiji, pretending to be a Rubix cube expert, folding kings preflop and being right, a nice swap with Heidi May, cleaning the sausage roll vats, and the joy of driving in silence.

Steffen Sontheimer recorded his first cash in the summer of 2015, and it wasn't until a year later that he started competing regularly in the high roller events. But despite his limited time on the felt, the 28-year-old already has more than $13.5 million in live tournament earnings, which is currently good enough for no. 44 on the all-time money list, and no. 6 in Germany. Sontheimer's run really started in 2017 when Fedor Holz went on Twitter on told that world that 'Go0se' was about to start crushing. Holz's prediction came true, and Sontheimer began making regular final table appearances. In September, he made four final tables and won two events at the Poker Masters to earn the purple jacket as overall champion. He also final tabled the six-figure buy-in High Roller For One Drop at the WSOP Europe. He finished the year with $6.8 million in cashes, 16 final tables, three titles, and a ninth-place finish in the Player of the Year race. Just last November, he won the $250,000 buy-in super high roller at the Caribbean Poker Party for $3.685 million. Highlights from this interview include growing up in the Black Forest, treating poker like a video game, making friends the Fedor Holz way, learning how to beat "the people," the spots where live tells actually matter, the Foxen stare, feeling relieved rather than happy after a big win, a buddy calls his shot, the sun run at the Poker Masters, where he keeps his Purple Jacket, getting a shout out from Daniel Negreanu, a $2 million summer downswing, never meeting your backers, the ties between staking and bitcoin, how winner's photos reveal who has the action, why the Germans are slightly overrated, cheering on the new WSOP champ, the integrity of the high roller community, betting against Jason Mercier during the wrong summer, a kindergarden connection, getting rid of baseball "matches," and winning a $400k pot on the last hand of the night.

Scott Blumstein had a magical run through the 2017 World Series of Poker main event, topping a field of 7,221 to earn his first gold bracelet and the $8.15 million first-place prize. The win, however, came just a year after the Morristown, New Jersey native considered quitting the game entirely. While the 2016 WSOP main event was playing out in Las Vegas, Blumstein was back home in New Jersey, considering his options. After a conversation with his dad, he ultimately decided to give it one last shot at the Borgata Summer Poker Open. Blumstein won the opening event for just shy of $200,000, and that score kept him in the game. By the time the next summer rolled around, Blumstein was ready for the $10,000 main event. After building up his stack during the bubble, Blumstein rode his chip lead to the final table, which included players such as Ben Lamb, Jack Sinclair, Bryan Piccioli, Antoine Saout, Benjamin Pollak, and the headline-grabbing Englishman John Hesp. Now 27, and two years removed from his life-changing win, Blumstein remains relatively active in the poker world, and has lent his support to various charity causes and events. Highlights from this interview include the quality over quantity strategy, being better in pass protection, TurningStone Casino: an 18-year-old's Disneyland, accounting regret, the New Jersey cheat code, getting knocked out by Darvin Moon, why the story gets good at Borgata, a tough conversation with dad, learning the lesson of taxes, finding a backer, streaming on Twitch to 18 people, punishing the money bubble, hiring a mental coach, turning down a world-class player for final table help, helpful tips from Ryan Riess, having the freedom to not know what he wants to do, not relying on poker for happiness, lessons from an actuary, a scandal at Dick's Sporting Goods, the sharp side of Utah St., a love for rotisserie chicken, and a message from Mac Miller.

Adam Friedman got his start in poker with a deep run in the 2005 World Series of Poker main event. Just 23 at the time, he has since put together a remarkably consistent career playing both cash games and tournaments. In 2006, he won the Midwest Regional Poker Championships main event. Incredibly, after skipping the tournament in 2007, he won the very same event again in both 2008 and 2009. This would not be the last time that Friedman was able to successfully defend a tournament title. The Gahanna, Ohio native scored his first WSOP bracelet back in 2012, topping a tough final table in the $5,000 stud eight-or-better event that included the likes of Todd Brunson, John Monnette, Bryn Kenney, and Phil Ivey. In 2013, he won the HPT main event in Indiana, and in 2014, he final tabled the L.A. Poker Classic. In 2018, he won his second career bracelet, earning $293,275 in the $10,000 dealer's choice event. Amazingly, he returned to Las Vegas this summer and won the very same event again, this time banking a $312,417 payday. In total, the 37-year-old mixed-games specialist has $2.9 million in career live tournament earnings. Highlights from this interview include summer series accommodations, becoming a Hoosier, sleeping through the final four, a love for sports but not sports betting, being too emotional at the table, demanding the safe at the Tropicana, the 2005 WSOP main event, why his dad took away $100k, Ohio living, making sure he booked a win at Commerce, a slow peel vs. Phil Hellmuth, a compliment from Doyle Brunson, the emotional turmoil of downswings, taking ego out of the game, why you need a plan for your money, betting on The Voice with Gavin Smith, back-to-back bracelets, drowning his sorrows in room service, and why we're drawing dead on another 1,000 years.

Darren Elias is just 32 years old, but he's already established himself as the end boss of the World Poker Tour. The New Jersey resident not only holds the tour record with four titles, but he's also the tour leader in cashes with 35, and final tables with 13. His first WPT title came at the 2014 Borgata Poker Open, where he won $843k. His second title came immediately after that at the WPT Carribbean stop. Elias' third win came in Canada at the 2017 Fallsview Poker Classic, and his latest victory was at Aria in the 2018 Bobby Baldwin Classic. This year, Elias has already won a $25,000 high roller at the Gardens Poker Championship, and he nearly won his fifth WPT title, the LA Poker Classic, ultimately falling just short in third place for just under half a million dollars. In total, Elias has cashed for more than $7.1 million dollars during his live career, along with another $4 million won online. Highlights from this interview include off days in Vegas, living all over with a football coach dad, a love for watersports, winning big in college, the dorm room fan club, the growing pains of live poker, unintentional intimidation, the one time he lost his cool at the table, $200-$400 2-7 games with Billy Baxter, running at expectation, his attitude towards the high rollers, being the top-ranked dad, revisiting a decade-old blog post, a healthy fear of mediocrity, using his internal solver, a scary situation at home, bluffing in six-figure pots, Nick Petrangelo's beer tips, online poker on the highway, the only other job he's ever had, a whiskey shot prop bet, big picture science, and the grinding ability of David Peters.

Jennifer Tilly is an Academy Award-nominated actress who has starred in films such as Bullets Over Broadway, Bound, Liar Liar, Monsters Inc., St. Ralph, The Fabulous Baker Boys, and the Chucky series. But she also happens to be an avid poker player, and a World Series of Poker bracelet winner. Tilly, who is in a relationship with poker pro Phil Laak, won the ladies event at the 2005 WSOP, picking up the title and the $158,625 first-place prize. She also has a win a the 2010 Bellagio Cup, taking down a $5,000 no-limit hold'em event for $124,455. Poker fans will recognize Tilly from her many appearances on shows such as the Celebrity Poker Showdown, Poker Royale, Poker Night In America, The National Heads Up Poker Championship, The Poker Superstars Invitational, High Stakes Poker, and Poker After Dark. Highlights from this interview include the brilliant mumblings of Norm MacDonald, what Wikipedia got wrong, Lou Diamond Phillip's Monday night poker game, intruding on guy's night, playing the teamsters for their per diem, Tilly chili, trying to friend zone Phil Laak, bad driving on a bad first date, Joan Allen's bedroom hair, taking $20k to a $1-$2 home game with Ben Affleck, getting 'passed a check,' being a D-JEN, virtual bracelets and real bracelets, her father's hidden poker life, seeing ghosts, using her voice to get rid of telemarketers, comedy math with Dave Foley, winning a $260k home game pot, passing on a piece of Antonio, the poker problems with Molly's Game, James Bond's terrible betting style, and a joke from Charles Durning.

Scott Clements has a unique poker origin story, having been so infatuated with the game that he overpaid for his buy-in into the World Poker Tour Canadian Poker Open event. Despite the bad bankroll management decision, he managed to lead the tournament wire-to-wire and emerge with a win. That tournament gave him an automatic entry fee into the WPT North American Poker Championship, which he also won, this time banking $1.45 million. In addition to his two WPT titles, Clements also has two World Series of Poker bracelets. He earned the first in the 2006 $3,000 Omaha eight-or-better event, and the second in the 2007 $1,000 pot-limit Omaha event. The Washington-native has come incredibly close to more bracelets in the years since, with numerous final tables and six runner-up finishes. In total, the 37-year-old poker pro has nearly $7.8 million in lifetime live tournament earnings, along with another $4 million or so won online. Highlights from this interview includes a strict gym regimen, buying a house while still in school, cards games with family, expensive nights of 4-5-6, hosting the home game without knowing the rules, running up his first online deposit, getting knocked out by Maria Ho in his debut, a disputed World Poker Tour win, buying into a sold out tournament, ignoring the money on a seven-figure score, an early knack for Omaha, where he keeps his bracelets, dealing with close calls at the WSOP, the 100 McNugget challenge, how he backed into a piece of Martin Jacobson's main event win, where he got his work ethic from, flipping drug houses for profit, and the many ways he has earned stitches.

Layne Flack is a six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, which puts him in a tie for no. 9 all time with poker legends such as Daniel Negreanu, TJ Cloutier, Jay Heimowitz, Jeff Lisandro, and Ted Forrest. He also has numerous World Poker Tour final table appearances, and a title in the WPT Invitational. The 49-year-old poker pro has slightly more than $5 million in career live tournament earnings. Flack got his start both playing in, and running poker games near his childhood homes in Montana and South Dakota. After a nudge from 1996 WSOP main event winner Huck Seed, he made his way to Las Vegas and immediately found his way into the winner's circle. He earned the nickname "Back-to-Back Flack" after taking down consecutive events at the Legends of Poker series in 1999, and then further cemented that moniker by doing it again at the WSOP in both 2002 and 2003. Highlights from this interview include a passion for singing competitions, the stabbin' cabin, crushing games in Deadwood, why he didn't last long as a dealer, how to properly hit and run, playing Men the Master for the Orient Express, no sleep between bracelets, the unfortunate influence of Mike Matusow, putting his underwear on the table, how Ted Forrest lost one of his bracelets, the politics of the Poker Hall of Fame, $250k pots in Larry Flynt's game, getting a piece of Doyle Brunson, two weeks at McDonalds, stand up strip club games, and that one time he almost went undercover for the Chicago mafia to play in Michael Jordan's home game before being outed by David Letterman.

Matt Waxman learned the game in high school, but really got his career going in 2009 when he final tabled a $5,000 no-limit hold'em event at the World Series of Poker. The Parkland, Florida native won a WSOP Circuit ring the next year in Atlantic City, and followed that up with his biggest score to date, taking down the World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris for just over $720,000. Waxman nearly won the Festa al Lago Classic the next year, and in 2013, he won his first WSOP bracelet, banking $305,000 for topping a $1,000 no-limit hold'em event. Waxman had a deep run in the 2014 WSOP main event, and just last year, he picked up his second WPT title, pocketing $463,000 at the WPT Tournament of Champions. In total, the 34-year-old has more than $4.1 million in live tournament earnings to go along with millions more won online. Highlights from this interview include being a resident of the world, flipping noodles for profit, being on the middle school basketball team with Alex Jacob, poker on the boat, playing among the ashtrays, the benefit of ignorance, being British at the tables, catching cheats, going broke, blinding out of an FTOPS win, having parents unimpressed by six-figure scores, a WPT championship in France, being a millionaire and feeling empty, a seven-hour heads-up match with Eric Baldwin, bad news from home a world away, pushing time shares, hearing 'water' in his ear, and dealing with stabbed TVs and the police.

Steve Sung trudged through college, always knowing in the back of his mind that he wanted to play poker for a living. Having always been a gambler, Sung immediately jumped on the tournament circuit when he turned 21 and quickly found success, making several World Poker Tour final tables and racking up large cashes around the world. In 2009, Sung won his first World Series of Poker bracelet, taking down a $1,000 no-limit hold'em event for $771,106. He followed that up with a second WSOP title in 2013, earning $1,205,324 for topping a stacked field in the $25,000 buy-in six-max no-limit hold'em championship. Most recently, Sung finished third in the WPT Gardens Poker Championship, adding another $259,880 to his poker resume. In total, the 33-year-old has just shy of $6 million in career live tournament earnings, but those numbers pale in comparison to the amounts he won and lost during high-stakes cash game sessions, and even his time gambling in the casino pit. Highlights from this interview include growing up in Seoul, visualizing the United States, being thirsty for some wata, how a pay-per-view fail led to poker, dominating pusoy, why Phil Hellmuth quit him in Chinese poker, how Ryan Young won in Vegas before turning 21, paying for good grades, getting his feet wet with a $25k buy-in, battling it out at $2k-$4k online, losing seven-figures in a day, an unhealthy love for blackjack, blacking out with $1.2 million in a middle school pencil case, being numb to losses, the concept of Korean Han, weed paranoia while winning a bracelet, jumping in $300-$600 badugi without knowing the rules, going to space, beating Galfond for bracelet no. 2, a decade-old compliment from Shannon Shorr, winning $300k after closing the window, mastering the flute, and why he settled on Steve as his name.