The Poker Zoo Podcast

Today’s guest is Martin Harris, author of Poker & Pop Culture: Telling the Story of America’s Favorite Card Game. Martin is a top-tier poker writer, responsible for possibly the most informative and researched poker blog ever, a decade of poker journalism, two novels, and as of 2019, what is likely the most complete history of American poker and its influence on our culture. We go over the origin of the book, his ideas on the future of poker, make the pitch to Pokergo for a related documentary, as well as take up a few recurring themes of the game and our community. I didn’t spend a lot of time asking him to regurgitate examples of poker in popular culture, but instead urge you to explore that yourself in the reading of it. (Martin isn’t the first poker blogger I interviewed, speaking of the opening conversation: check out this Zoo conversation with Rob on the travails of the low-stakes lover of the game and all that is recreational poker culture.) Regarding the latter (poker in popular culture), a lot of the focus in the book is on poker popping up in “non-poker” contexts. For example, in the chapter “Poker on Television,” I do spend some time talking about “poker television” — i.e., the WSOP, the WPT, and all of the other “poker shows” that helped increase the game’s popularity, especially during the “boom” years of the 2000s. But I spend even more space describing poker being portrayed in TV westerns, dramas, and comedies — i.e., not actual poker but fictional poker — and talk as well about how those portrayals of the game have encouraged certain ideas about poker’s meaning and significance. Another way of describing the two goals of the book would be to say Poker & Pop Culture tries to share the true story of poker’s origin, development, and growth while at the same time provide a comprehensive overview of fictional portrayals of poker. It’s a lot to cover, which is one reason why the book is more than 400 pages long. When it comes to the true history of poker, a lot has been necessarily hidden, which requires writers like me to dig deep and sometimes be forced to settle for speculative answers to questions about the game’s history. Meanwhile, the fictional portrayals of the game might be a little easier to chronicle, but the “texts” nonetheless require some interpretation in order to figure out just what they are saying about poker and its place in American history and culture. — from the Hard-Boiled Poker blog The post The Poker Zoo 53: Poker & Pop Culture appeared first on Out of Position.

Scientific Poker Strategy creator Greg Porter, who has been grinding hard throughout the Covid lockdown, returns to the Zoo today. It’s a packed episode as we not only go over playing on Ignition, Bros, and the OOP training game, I get back to some strategy with two hand reviews. Porter reports on successfully getting a small band of colluders removed from the Bros union he plays in. Porter gives me some advice on changing my training game teaching strategy, which has gotten a little stale. We also touch on several current affairs in poker, including a consistent public misunderstanding of how app games work, Real Time Assistance fears, the various websites versus pros controversies, and a new trend in poker learning. You can hear more from Porter in episode 41, 29, and our kick-off, episode 1. If you want to play in the OOP training game and earn yourself a banana from Porter, contact him at [email protected]. First hand discussed: Ignition – $5 NL (6 max) – Holdem – 6 players SB: $414.43 (82.9 bb) Hero (BB): $569.50 (113.9 bb) UTG: $512.73 (102.5 bb) MP: $559.87 (112 bb) CO: $308.00 (61.6 bb) BTN: $492.50 (98.5 bb) SB posts $2.50, Hero posts BB $5.00 Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has 6s 7s UTG raises to $11.50, 4 folds, Hero calls $6.50 Flop: ($25.50, 2 players) 4s 5d 5c Hero checks, UTG bets $12.00, Hero raises to $41.00, UTG calls $29.0 Turn: ($107.50, 2 players) Qd Hero bets $119.50, UTG calls $119.50 River: ($346.50, 2 players) Ac Hero bets $397.50 and is all-in Second hand discussed Why do you play poker? Who are you and what do you want? Why are you here, reading this blog? If you play for fun, this isn’t about you. Do your thing, have a blast. But if your answer is something along the lines of, “Well someday I want to be…,” or “I’m actually pretty good, other than some mental game leaks,” then I’m talking to you. If you don’t even have an answer for “why” then I’m absolutely talking to you. If you want to master poker, then learn the fundamentals, understand the theory of the game, find the deviations, and finally build your own strategy. A strategy is more than tactics, more than a list of heuristics. Building your own strategy requires knowing your strengths and weaknesses and having your own ideas about the game. The confusion borne of having a jumble of ideas floating around your head, each from a different poker thinker, never ends until you take responsibility and develop your own ideas. “Poker reveals to the frank observer something else of import – it will teach him about his own nature. Many bad players do not improve because they cannot bear self-knowledge. The bad player will not deign to determine what he thinks by watching what he does,” as David Mamet wrote. Step 1- be a frank observer. Step 2- bear the self-knowledge. Step 3- ? — from Porter’s Poker and the Culture of Narcissism The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 52: Porter Goes Bananas appeared first on Out of Position.

Today I speak with mental game proselytizer, new author, Poker Detox advisor, and suspiciously even-keeled guest Jason Su on the pod. While Daniel and Doug swordfight for your clicks, Jason has made a more useful splash in poker 2020 with his book, blog, and appearances all over poker training media. I grill him on the necessity of emotional control, tilt avoidance and the intersection of strategy and mental health, but he remains calm – we even get a funny Mason Malmuth story from him. John Penturn’s comments on Magritte’s Décalcomanie MM, adapted here, echo some of Jason’s thoughts on mental game: “This approach in key ways was the meaning. The subject matter is almost incidental.” While Jason’s love of poker may be central to his life, Jason believes living with full bodily presence is equally central to all successes. This is a lesson the poker community has tacitly accepted, and is evidenced by the fitness and life improvement ethos most of the game’s ambassadors espouse (between squabbling and berating each other). Jason’s book is Poker with Presence: Unlocking the Final 15%. You can learn more at his website, where you’ll find the blog I mention. My article on Malmuth/Cardner. At one point in the interview, I mention Luka, a TBR member and former student who presently plays on stake at Detox, but I didn’t provide much context. Here is his 2020 appearance on the Poker Zoo. These were the pieces of wisdom shouted from the poker mountain tops, and soon a divide would form. Analytically oriented players who played primarily online discovered that the old timers had obvious technical deficiencies which could be exploited for large amounts of profit. They’d see a clear strategic mistake and think to themselves: Wow, how can they not understand this? They valued the study of tactics above all else, while the “old school” players would make fun of the internet players who showed no interest in developing a feel for the game and would bluff off their stacks in live games versus players incapable of folding. They’d see this obvious contextual mistake and think to themselves: Wow, how can they not understand this? Despite their differences, both sides wanted the same thing: to win, and win big. They’re both right. You can’t win at poker without a firm grasp of range analysis and game theory. You also can’t be the best version of yourself if you disconnect from what is happening inside and around you. You need both – a strong understanding of how the game works, and an equally strong ability to stay a step ahead, sense intentions and recognize when someone will change gears before they know it themselves. That’s the pinnacle of poker. -from Poker with Presence The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 51: Jason Su is Present appeared first on Out of Position.

The Zoo returns with TBR member “BFSkinner”, a grinder on WSOP.com and in the Las Vegas live games. While I was focused on hearing about the state of poker in gambling central, we also ended up covering Skinner’s poker path from Moneymaker to the Covid-19 boom online he’s enjoyed. We also get back to talking through some poker hands – the strat segment has been missing from the pod of late. Hand 1 Hand 2 A few notes for listeners and TBR members: We still run our training deepstack game on PPPoker, as well as some SNGs to sharpen tournament instincts. Get in touch through [email protected]. I’m looking to run the Easy Game Study Group in August. This will be the sixth time I run this three month, exhaustive review of Andrew Seidman’s exploitative poker masterpiece. Buy this great poker book and contact me for the prospectus. Skinner caught a lot of flack for his initial focus on punishment as reinforcement. To test his theories on birds and other small animals he developed the now-famous Skinner Box: a chamber in which an animal could be isolated and discrete stimuli be applied without external interference. The box included a light, speaker, a food dispenser, and a lever that could be pressed by the occupant. It also had an electrified floor grid through which shocks could be administered. In time, his work with birds became successful enough that he proposed to the Navy that they create pigeon-guided missiles during World War II – a one-way trip for the pigeon, obviously. The training program was successful (among other things, the birds became fairly decent ping-pong players), but, as was often the case in his career, Skinner had trouble getting anyone to take him seriously. But it was when he took his ideas about behavior and conditioning and applied them to humans that Skinner found most of his success. Skinner separated behaviors into two different types: Respondent behavior – Often called Pavlovian behavior, these behaviors are the direct result of a stimulation and are subconscious, like a dog salivating when food is presented. Operant behavior – Behaviors that are not initially induced by any particular stimulus, but which may be reinforced by environmental conditioning over time. His idea of operant behaviors allowed for an explanation of more complex human behaviors that had never been explainable under classical models. Skinner came up with the idea of chaining, a condition in which a number of behaviors were combined and reinforced as a set. –from Who Was B.F. Skinner? The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 50: “BFSkinner” appeared first on Out of Position.

This week on the Zoo Jerry Monaco, once the popular Imperator on the Red Chip Poker forum, emerges from radio silence. Back in the day on RCP when not only their founders posted but we were joined by Matt Berkey, Christian Soto, and other names in poker, Jerry gave us some of our most thoughtful threads. On today’s pod, we go all over the map from Covid to king-five, pharmaceutical culture to poker culture, and plenty of odds and ends in between. If we have some knowledge of our own uncertainty about our measurements of our opponents and her ranges; if we have some measurement of our own stupidity (faults, mistakes, leaks, egoism, etc); and if we can use all of this and more in our games to know ourselves and know others; then we should be able to win more and play better. Easier said than done. One aspect of our uncertainty is variance. The cards come at us randomly and we will never know which cards are coming next. We use math to estimate the probabilities of and tolerance of each hand. (But part of that tolerance is what we call “fold equity;” an uncertain estimate of our opponents tolerance of our bets.) Let us call these measurements “mathematical.” Another aspect of uncertainty is whether we should quit the poker table or not or whether we can select a good seat or see our opponents faces or measure and trust our opponents “tells”. Let us call these measurements “psychological.” What ever you call all this, entropy by any other name is still entropy, positive or negative, more or less, and can be measured with some (un)certainty. So yes, the game is not about being smart. It is usually the ones who think they are “smart” who also have false confidence, egoism, and pride. These are all psychological leaks. Such people mismeasure their own stupidity. The game is in part about not being as stupid as we usually are as biological beings who only have a limited capacity to make accurate measurements of anything, mathematically or psychologically. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 49: Jerry aka Imperator appeared first on Out of Position.

The Zoo continues to talk to poker coaches, with this week’s guest being Doug Hull of the popular Red Chip Poker low-stakes training site. Doug was one of four original founders, which also include James “Splitsuit” Sweeney, Solve 4 Why’s Christian Soto, and of course the “noted poker authority” himself, Ed Miller. Doug tells us about his unusually well-ordered life in poker, including his involvement in the “F.I.R.E” approach to life planning. We learn from Doug how RCP got started and hear about some of its challenges. Doug closes with his thoughts on how all of us need to get along at the poker table. If you are going to play, you might as well win. Winning poker is not intuitive, the self-taught poker genius is a myth. Everything you need to become a winning player is written. Read Ed Miller, Doug Hull and Matt Janda. The information is right there. However, the leap from reading to fully understanding and implementing is huge. That is where a coach comes in. When Ed Miller was my coach, he showed me some conceptual roadblocks that were stopping me from playing better. I never would have seen them myself. I will do the same for you. I teach what I know: low-limit, live, no-limit Texas Hold’em. 95% of all poker players lose in the long term. I can teach you to be on the better side of that line. I do not have some huge multi-million dollar success story, but I am able to consistently book wins. You can too. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 48: Doug Hull and the Easy Life appeared first on Out of Position.

Alvin Lau returns to the Zoo to talk poker industry and to continue our series covering the coaching for profits scene. We go over both coaching successes and failures, and investigate their causes. Yes, Alvin gets in some direct thoughts about other training sites, but his attitude has clearly changed as he settles into a now established poker coaching practice. With the quarantine boom in full swing, we also mull the reasons to play, how much to play, and when, maybe, to put it on the line against the big guns. You can find more about Alvin’s coaching at his website, Overnightmonster.com, as well as on his Youtube channel. Links to previous coaching for profits podcasts: Episode 43: Luka turns to CFP and Nick Howard Episode 40: Coaching for Profits with KYT Episode 36: Odb_Blackbaron/DLF on CFP Dean opens the show with a short chat with Greg Porter and his Scientific Poker Strategy webinar. As a side note, the OOP games continue to expand, adding some SNGs and more cash sessions. It’s not the easiest game and won’t help you take direct advantage of the “boom,” but its purpose as a deepstack trainer is working out well and has been a lot of fun. Contact [email protected] for more information. Stay safe. The post PZ 47: Alvin Teaches Poker Coaching appeared first on Out of Position.

A remarkable guest on today’s Zoo – Andrew Seidman (aka Baluga Whale for the true old schoolers), author of Easy Game. One of poker’s finest texts, TBR members are especially familiar with the book, and really, most poker players should be. Part strategy document, part coaching journal, it can be read in a very light way as a review or for a few new ideas, or Easy Game can be taken very seriously, especially the later chapters, where Seidman is reaching to elucidate concepts that are still relevant in 2020. Andrew and I discuss not only the book, but the circumstances surrounding its creation, chat about the poker good life, recall his deflating heads-up match with Jungleman, and close with some serious advice for aspiring pros. Thanks to Andrew for finding time, and to Eugene for putting this together. Easy Game inadvertently became a big part of my coaching life in 2017 – a tidbit about that is at the end of this piece. Also, a little bonus – here’s a selection from the book for those who may be confused about the origin and use of poker vocabulary, which is a pain point for some in the community. I’ve always been fascinated with language. It’s impossible to really understand something without choosing the proper words for it. You’ve probably heard the saying, “You don’t understand something until you can explain it to a two-year-old”. With that in mind, I am very strict about what words I use and what I teach others to use. Knowing and using the right words is helpful in any nuanced debate, but it’s even more helpful in the time-sensitive environment of a poker game. If you’re playing 8 tables, you don’t have time to wade through a swamp of incomplete ideas, reproductions of things you’ve seen in videos, unsophisticated philosophies, and irrelevant information en route to finding the right answer. No—you need the right answer now. To make that happen, you need the path of least resistance to that answer. This is where language comes in. When your words are carefully chosen, you avoid distractions and move smoothly from point A to point B to point C until you’ve found the answer you were looking for. Throughout this book, I use a lot of terminology. Much of the terminology I’ve developed myself. Some I’ve borrowed from others. All of it is carefully chosen to describe specific elements of a complex game. I hope you’ll find this type of linguistic structure helpful on your quest to understand poker more fully. The post PZ 46: Andrew Seidman & Easy Game appeared first on Out of Position.

Today on the Zoo we speak with long time sports betting and poker writer Paul Hewson. He’s an avid tournament player who shares with us how he got into the game and became a winner. (For the curious, here’s some Hewson pieces on Bodog.) We talk Corona, how to learn poker, tournament strategy, and try to answer that age-old question: is poker a sport? The image above is one of Cézanne’s Card Player oils, a favorite of Paul’s. For those of you who missed it, here’s the link to Greg Porter’s Scientific Poker Strategy webinar. Good luck and be safe. The post PZ 45: Paul Hewson & Poker Writing appeared first on Out of Position.

Micheal Lukich returns to the Zoo, and a lot has changed for him. Michael is playing bigger, winning more, and has come into his own as a participant in the poker community. For the student of the game, he has created a poker learning website worth looking at. He’s made public appearances on the controversial Solve For Why show Poker Out Loud. Michael is a data guy so we spend some time reviewing his work on flop texture, but get the inside scoop on POL as well. Check out Lukich’s earlier appearance on the Zoo. I had been thinking about a bigger poker-related project for a while now. I started developing my strategy in the 2nd half of last year, and I’ll certainly be working on that through 2020 (and possibly beyond). In creating it, I did have one concern – I wasn’t sharing my thoughts broadly to challenge my thinking. Sure, I have shared some of it with my smaller poker circle that I have developed through Solve for Why. But that’s not going to fully give me broader criticism that I need to push me for success. So that’s how this website idea was born. I ultimately wanted to expand the audience for my work primarily as a way to share my perspective and challenge my thinking. I am not sure what it’ll turn into, but my initial plan is to publish something weekly. Some weeks will be a shorter post or an idea I’m working through, while others will be a full-fledged presentation on a subject I’ve spent significant time working on. I’m excited to engage with the community in a different way. 2019 was amazing for my growth as a poker player. I met some amazing people and broke through some plateaus that I’ve been struggling with for some time. I’m hoping this project is a way in which I can continue the upward trajectory and (hopefully) make a positive contribution to the thought process of others along the way. FYI: There’s still time to sign up for what will be a game-changer for many of you: Porter’s Scientific Poker Strategy webinar on March 21st. Find out more here. Also, the OOP club game continues to run and will expand. We currently play deep stack microstakes game for fun and practice, but will be adding more games in view of the necessary downtime. Contact us at [email protected]. Good luck to everyone in the crisis. I’ll be upping my podcast rate to provide something to listen to. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 44: Lukich Out Loud appeared first on Out of Position.

It’s great to be back talking to a TBR member, in this case Luka V. from Episode 2. Luka’s life has changed significantly since we last talked. In the midst of personal and financial upheaval, Luka turned to Poker Detox for a Coaching for Profits opportunity in order to rebuild his roll and continue his poker education. We go over the turns and twists of his semi-pro poker life that led him here; talk about the game online from the perspective of a former live grinder; learn about the Dextox/Nick Howard CFP program; get an update on poker in Portland. Luka also has some strong words on dealing with downswings – that other cat in almost every poker room. This interview continues a sub-series about CFP players, check out Francois and Kar Yung Tom to hear more. Here is the link to the Patrick Howard/Mobius/Radiosick blog mentioned, as well as a sample from it: While downswings can be useful to help a player learn from mistakes and improve, most players take the upgrade mindset way too far. In reality, you should always be questioning your decisions in a healthy and productive way whether you are winning or losing. If you only question your plays when a bunch of them don’t work out in a row, then you will always limit your growth because you will hold yourself to low standards when you win and impossibly high standards when you lose. In reality, the only way to get through a downswing as quickly as possible is to patiently play more hands. This also happens to be the recipe for success for poker in general. Most people underestimate how strong it is to just play a solid system over a large sample without making any huge mistakes. You can have a good win rate all the way up to high stakes just by steadily working on your game and not self destructing when things get really tough. Of course that’s easier said than done, but what alternative do you have? As mentioned at the end, check out Greg Porter’s coming webinar on Scientific Poker Strategy If you don’t know what the hell you are doing with the solver, this is the answer. The post PZ 43: Luka Turns to CFP and Nick H appeared first on Out of Position.

This week’s Zoo brings us to a well-known but still somewhat anonymous player who goes by the moniker DGAF. As you’ll hear or have been hearing through his podcast Sessions, he actually GAF about quite a few things. He’s presently in the fight of his life as he attempts to grind his through troubles, debt, and ultimately, out of poker itself. Although I don’t personally know him, DGAF’s poker story shares many themes with my own, so this interview was far from perfunctory. (You might even note some the similarities in how I described my games back when I wrote more). Enjoy as we discuss his changed, post free-fall life, as well as hit on some hot-button issues in the game and for him personally. There are many ways to get involved in DGAF’s saga, including purchasing Poker Rags gear, becoming a “patrone” of his pod, and joining one of his online communities. Also, a little reciprocation, DGAF-style, for podcast fans: This interview is part of an exchange, and so you can listen to him interview me on Sessions (if you can find it – the new organization of the podcasts is a little confusing for older episodes.) One other note: for those of you who enjoyed DGAF’s epic three-part interview of Abe Limon, be sure to check out Episode 15 of The Poker Zoo, which foreshadows his recent suspension from Twitter. You are strong enough for now to keep surviving/maintaining most of your sanity on your tiny island. You’ve been in this spot with your back up against the wall (a palm tree?) plenty of times before. And unless you spark some sort of extended heater (you’ve sparked a couple in your career but both times ****ed off all the money you should have saved/invested/taken nosebleed shots with/etc), you imagine you will be here again at least a few more times before it’s all over… It’s ok. It’s who you are and who you have always been. You fall down a lot- but you always get back up. You are both clumsy as **** and resilient as **** that way. Oh well, maybe tnite will be different… The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 42: DGAF about the Abyss appeared first on Out of Position.

Special edition today, focused on OOP’s partner coach, Greg Porter. Greg will present a webinar titled Scientific Poker Strategy: Using GTO+ to Explore and Design Robust Strategies on Saturday, March 21st. Having established himself as a successful professional player, this last year Greg has been quietly expanding his poker coaching practice: this seminar is one of its fruits. We discuss an additional video analysis Greg made for TBR about a spot versus me; talk more about the OOP training game; then round it off with some poker culture and strat stuff. As a student of the game, you learn new ideas and encounter novel situations, but it’s challenging to formulate a coherent strategy and adapt dynamically. Perhaps you’re familiar with or at least aware of modern poker tools like solvers, but aren’t sure where to start, can’t interpret their output, or use them unproductively. It’s important to study efficiently and effectively so you can have more time to play and play your best. Late in the pod, you may be startled when Greg breaks the 3rd wall (or what wall is it exactly?) to make sure you know what he’s reading; I’d imagine someone this worried about detail is a good poker coach. Here’s the video we touched on during the podcast: The seminar is scheduled to run about two hours and the fee is $225. Yes, it will be available later in case this date doesn’t work for you. Check out the details for Scientific Poker Strategy. 12/2020 note: The seminar is available but not through the site at present, as we make some changes. Contact Porter to get it. You can also email Porter directly at [email protected] or this contact form will work as well: [contact-form] The post PZ 41: Scientific Strategy with Porter appeared first on Out of Position.

On the pod this week is Kar Yung Tom, a serious Magic and Chess player who has recently recommitted to winning poker by joining a Coaching For Profits program. We explore what led Kar to a life completely surrounded by competitive gaming, and get opinions from him on the similarities and differences between these pursuits that so many players share. Kar discusses why so much of the poker community falls into small collectives – sometimes quite antipathetic to each other. We finish with the analysis of a fairly simple and common spot through the lens of the Coaching for Profits discipline and its metrics. Kar plays for the Grey Hat/Adam Jones “Academy” – just like Francois, the GTO+ content creator from Ep. 36.   The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 40: Coaching for Profits with KYT appeared first on Out of Position.

Thank you for making us the fastest Growing Poker Podcast! Grant Denison and Jonathan Levy help me kick off 2020’s Zoo podcasts. Known as the The Poker Guys, Grant and Jonathan have a voluminous profile of content, from Youtube videos which include a very fun Portland RFID game, to an extremely in-depth, hand-history focused podcast. I delve into the origins of their partnership and get their opinions on working as active poker content creators in an scene not without criticism and dissonance. We talk a little Portland, one of the most interesting scenes in American poker. Of course, the Poker Guys go over their new book, How Can He Fold???, available through their site linked here and the usual distributors. (FYI, as Jonathan mentions Alvin Teaches Poker, I have two interviews with Alvin for the Zoo; check those out for an introduction to the rising coach and Youtuber.) How Can He Fold??? has a simple structure: we present a poker hand that was played for monster stakes by the world’s best players and, as the hand progresses, we have conversations about the players’ decisions and (sometimes) how they should proceed. At the end of each chapter, we’ll wrap up with some key takeaways from the hand. These are concepts that we’ve identified as important, and they may be something you can apply to your own game. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 39: The Poker Guys appeared first on Out of Position.

Thank you for making us the fastest Growing Poker Podcast! Dean and listeners share some fun grievances for this important day. Merry Christmas and enjoy the holidays. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 38: Festivus appeared first on Out of Position.

Thank you for making us the fastest Growing Poker Podcast! Merry Christmas to all Zoo listeners! I close the year appropriately by interviewing the true hero of the Poker Zoo podcast, co-host and “announcer guy” Dean Martin. I kick things off with some overdue ranting about the blinkered poker community, then Dean coaxes out some of my plans for the podcast. We close by analyzing some hands Dean recently played, looking for some overall themes to help him – and anyone else – out of their rut. Thanks to everyone for listening to the Poker Zoo in 2019. Best wishes, and good luck at the tables. Hand 1: NL 2/5 1 limper, I r20 w 77ds in BU, BB is only caller (45) 6c9c8s x, b20, c (85) Kd x, x (85) 7h 160 ? He takes forever counting out his 160 in chips, I say – what are you doing over there – he says, making a big bet… Hand 2: 5/5 NL 900 eff 4 limps to me 9 r35 A4dd, 3 & 6 call (115) Ah5hAc 3x/c 6x/c 9 b35 (215) Qs 3 leads for 75, f, 9c (365) 9d 3 leads for 175 The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 37: Dean appeared first on Out of Position.

On this week’s Poker Zoo we take a look at the world of Coaching for Profits through an interview with Francois N., a content creator, trusted TBR poster, and microstakes grinder I have known for many years. Francois has gone by several different screen names, including Adam Wheeler – a name and story you should look into. We talk about his experience in poker, his work with PIO and GTO+, then focus on his experience as part of Adam Jones’ “Academy,” a staking program the popular coach runs. We conclude with a hand Francois played, going into how and why the Academy would approach the spot. PokerStars Zoom Hand #206687090113: Hold’em No Limit ($0.10/$0.25) – 2019/11/30 22:12:59 ET Table ‘Hydra’ 6-max Seat #1 is the button Seat 1: Kubanen2008 ($30.62 in chips) Seat 2: l3E7 ($64.07 in chips) Seat 3: wincor_nix ($28.54 in chips) Seat 4: Hegotmonay1 ($35.03 in chips) Seat 5: undersun8 ($75.78 in chips) Seat 6: noluck104 ($33.15 in chips) l3E7: posts small blind $0.10 wincor_nix: posts big blind $0.25 *** HOLE CARDS *** Dealt to l3E7 [Qh Qd] Hegotmonay1: folds undersun8: raises $0.31 to $0.56 noluck104: folds Kubanen2008: folds l3E7: raises $1.69 to $2.25 wincor_nix: folds undersun8: calls $1.69 *** FLOP *** [Th 6d 7c] l3E7: checks undersun8: bets $1.36 l3E7: calls $1.36 *** TURN *** [Th 6d 7c] [Qc] l3E7: checks undersun8: bets $5.35 l3E7: raises $9.81 to $15.16 undersun8: calls $9.81 *** RIVER *** [Th 6d 7c Qc] [3d] l3E7: bets $19.85 undersun8: calls $19.85 *** SHOW DOWN *** l3E7: shows [Qh Qd] (three of a kind, Queens) undersun8: mucks hand l3E7 collected $75.49 from pot The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 36: Odb_Blackbaron/DLF on Coaching for Profits appeared first on Out of Position.

This week on the Zoo, a busy poster in the TBR forums joins us, the one and only Joe Offsuit. Completely dedicated to playing in our deepstack practice game, Joey records all the action and often posts up to ten hands from the game for discussion. Joe isn’t just a poker player, but a true edge gambler – I’ve sat with him and watched him beat the house myself. We talk about his gambling interest, travels, and writing, then get into some hands from the game. Joe also wins a beer from me when I stumble over a fold equity question. D’oh! Joe’s Travel writing: Family trip report Solo Trip (December 2018) Family Lake Tahoe Trip (plus Reno, Seattle, and Sacramento) Solo Trip (June 2019 Red Chip Meetup) Atlantis/Paradise Island Family Trip (Plus Universal Orlando) Hand 1 7-handed 0.10/0.20 NL on PPPoker TBR members of interest: UTG: Ah Th CO: As Ac $30 effective stacks (150 BB) between the two TBR members of interest. Preflop: UTG raise to 0.60 LJ fold HJ fold CO raise to 1.80 BU fold SB fold BB fold UTG call 1.20 Pot 3.90 (SPR~7.2) Flop: Jd 6h Qh UTG check CO bet 2.60 UTG call 2.60 Pot 9.10 (SPR~2.8) Turn: 9d UTG check CO bet 7.01 UTG call 7.01 Pot 23.12 (SPR~0.8) River: 7h UTG bet 18.59 (effective) HJ call 18.59 Hand 2 8-handed 0.10/0.20 NL on PPPoker TBR members of interest: SB: Ts Tc HJ: Ah Th $100 effective stacks (500 BB) between the two TBR members of interest. Preflop: UTG raise to 0.60 LJ fold HJ raise to 2.00 CO fold BU fold SB raise to 8.00 BB fold UTG fold HJ call 6.00 Pot: 16.80 (SPR~5.5) Flop: 2d Qs 3h SB bet 5.60 HJ call 5.60 Pot 28.00 (SPR~3.1) Turn: 8h SB bet 18.66 HJ raise to 86.40 (effective) SB call 67.74 Find Out of Position PPPoker Club (#505400) and contact [email protected] to introduce yourself. A reminder from Dean: Let your voice be heard! Leave a message at 410 775 6224 or email audio file to [email protected] The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 35: Joe Offsuit and PPPoker appeared first on Out of Position.

This week Dean interviews Pat Bourke, successful businessman, entrepreneur and poker player. Pat was generous enough to share some of his memorable life lessons, how he leveraged risk and opportunities to create financial success, and a few fun poker stories. Have something interesting to share? Call 410 775 6224 and leave a message or record a short audio file and email to [email protected] Referenced in the podcast: Persuadeo’s Out Of Position Blog Pat Bourke Charles Murray Interview Perot Systems The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 34: Pat Bourke, Lessons in Life, Business and Poker appeared first on Out of Position.

New pro alert. Today on the podcast we talk to Solve For Why and Fausto acolyte Gerard S., who is making poker his full time work in Florida. Gerard tells us about his new blog, Gerard Plays Poker, and how his life in education continues to influence his current and future plans. We discuss tournaments, a big piece of that puzzle. In the strategy segment, we take on combating the down bet when out of position, and then close with some sober bankroll talk. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 33: Gerard appeared first on Out of Position.

Back after a brief hiatus, I speak with one of the latest TBR members, Greg, who just completed Construction 1 and 2. Greg lives and plays in the PNW with another TBR mainstay, Luka who appeared on episode two. After years of not going anywhere in one-two games, Greg is now applying himself and is, well, looking to go deep, so to speak. We talk through two spots: one is a conceptual solve that Greg created in order to examine betting frequencies on deceptively advantageous boards, and two, a hand he played in the OOP club games. (By the way, I forgot to follow up, mid-interview, about that turn sizing point I made, but the solver did confirm my suggestion.) Speaking of the OOP games, you are invited to play in them. Contact Porter at oop.pppclub @ gmail.com to introduce yourself and join club #505400 on pppoker. Sketch of Greg by “Chief.” The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 32: Greg & OOP Club Games appeared first on Out of Position.

This week Persuadeo is away so Dean interviews east coast pro Chase Bianchi. Chase has almost a million dollars in live tournament winnings, at least one WSOP bracelet that I know of, plays quite a few tournaments as well as live cash, while also keeping a great work/life balance. We discuss life in Boston, his journey through Maryland Live, National Harbor, the new Encore casino and poker room and keeping priorities in line so that being a poker pro is not your only identity. Chase isn’t shy about his faith and the importance that a church community has in his life, as well as his distrust of the various poker apps and unregulated clubs. Hear more from Chase on the Top Two podcast, as well as his guest appearance on Thinking Poker. You can find Chase on Instagram and Twitter. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 31: Chase Bianchi on East Coast Poker appeared first on Out of Position.

Today I speak with Ken Kohl, a long, long-time mid-stakes Las Vegas cash game pro. Kenny went through something of a rejuvenation last year after attending the liberating Solve For Why Academy, and has entered the second half of his career with a fresh perspective on how he and Vegas plays (and should play) poker. He also has a keen eye for what’s going on along the strip, and gives the audience and potential pros a good idea of what they have in store for them. (Chris Konvalinka, take notes.) The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 30: Ken Kohl on Vegas Cash appeared first on Out of Position.

Episode one guest Greg Porter returns to the Zoo. We talk about his post-WSOP shift to Ignition online, discuss the talented streamer Invoker, and confront an interesting hand in TBR that’s really not about the hand. The podcast closes with a hint of what’s come at OOP. Greg also runs the Out of Position PPPoker Club (#505400) with me. For now, at least, a bunch of us play extremely deep NL20 for practice and fun – what’s better than punishing your friends in poker. Contact one of us for details and instructions on how to get involved. To leave an audio comment, talk with Dean about BBQ or his great home state of Pennsylvania, leave a message at (410) 775-6224‬. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 29: Porter appeared first on Out of Position.

I check in with player and coach Fausto Valdez, who has made big life changes since we last spoke to him on on episode three. Fausto just completed a long-planned move to L.A. with his girlfriend; his website is up; and – surprise – he’s been caught working with a solver. We talk about the L.A. games, how his style has co-evolved with his Solve For Why influence, and review his WSOP. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 28: Fausto appeared first on Out of Position.

This week I speak with “life-long beginner” Steve B., currently a TBR member, and a lurker on channels and forums throughout the scene. We ramble over a number of poker topics, among them Texas poker, the nearby Winstar, how to learn, who to learn from, and the tribulations of various poker personalities. We focus at the end, closing with a conceptual spot where BU range bets and is met with a big check raise by the BB on a low, two-tone flop. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 27: Steve appeared first on Out of Position.

On this week’s Zoo, I reach out to Soto prodigy and Instagram road rager Chris Konvalinka. We hear about his fast and furious entry into the Vegas scene, including an immediate stake and the roller coaster after. Chris also talks about his S4Y connection and finding his community. In the strategy section, we go over pot construction and positional issues: UTG 40 @ wynn 5-10 2k eff I flat QQ UTG1 HU AQ3r. he 30 we 110 he calls turn 4h he check we 250 he calls. river 8d he checks we 900 he all in 1600 we call The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 26: Chris K. appeared first on Out of Position.

I catch up with poker coach Alvin Lau, who first joined the Zoo on episode 6. Since then, Alvin has been busily becoming a compelling content creator, but most recently has been examining the database of Pluribus hands. We talk about the result, Pluribus’ overall strategy, what a few of those who had success against the computer were doing, what we can learn from the experiment, and examine two of its hands versus Mr. Blue. We conclude with some hints about his follow up to Overnight Monster, Alvin’s course on GTO NL strategy. Hand 1 Hand 2 The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 25: Alvin On Pluribus appeared first on Out of Position.

The Poker Zoo Podcast was created with intention of keeping track of TBR members and others. Today we return to online and live cash player Jason Burge, whom we talked to in Episode 6. Jason, an avid experimenter, has continued to tinker with his game, but is increasingly spending time in PPPoker games. Under the JamBasket name, he’s created some fun videos where he demonstrates understanding his club game opponents through some very simple metrics. We also talk about a live hand where an aggressive player bombs check bombs it, putting TPTK to the test. 2/5, 9 Handed, BTN straddle to 10, 1k eff. I open AKo from 5 to 35, 7, 9, and 2 call. Flop KQ9r. 9 bets 165 into 140, I call. Turn Qx. Check check. River 7x. 9 bets 500 into 470. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 24: Jason appeared first on Out of Position.

In the second episode of the “doubleheader” promised this week, I interview East coast tournament grinder Greg Candido. Our focus is on his run to Day 7 of the 2019 WSOP Main Event (104th for $59,295). We start with Greg’s background and the poker club that helped prepare him, then go over each day of his main event, including four hands he picked out as crucial or troubling. Greg’s Ugly Tuna Poker Club WSOP ME Day 2 Hand 1 MY HAND: AQ (Ace of Hearts) MY STACK: 25K BLINDS: 500-1000-100 MY POSITION: BB Preflop: Aggressive V opens CO 2500 all fold, I Call. V covers me by a lot. Flop: JJ9 (two hearts) I check, 4500, I call Turn: 3x I check, V checks River: 9x I check and V tanks all-in. WSOP ME Day 3 Hand 1 MY HAND: TT (Ten of Diamonds) MY STACK: 100K BLINDS: 1200-2400-2400 MY POSITION: UTG Preflop: Open 6000, V (No History) from MP calls. Villain second largest stack on the table (450Kish) Flop: 842 (2 Diamonds) I bet 8500, V calls Turn: 7d I bet 12000, V calls River: 5d I bet 15000, V shoves. WSOP ME Day 3 Hand 2 MY HAND: JT MY STACK: 65K BLINDS: 1200-2400-2400 MY POSITION: BB Preflop: The button opens to 6K, SB calls, I shove. Button calls. WSOP ME Day 3 Hand 3 MY HAND: 98s MY STACK: 300K BLINDS: 2000-4000-4000 MY POSITION: BB Preflop: The button opens 10K. SB folds, I 3B 33K V Calls Flop: AKQ I bet 30K, V Calls Turn: 3x I check, V checks River: 9x I bet 65K. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 23: Greg Candido’s Main Event appeared first on Out of Position.

After a break for the WSOP, we’re back in the Zoo. Our guest is Adam Zerner, a low stakes online and live player I met in Las Vegas. An accomplished coder, Adam has created NLHE equity analysis software he calls Premium Poker Tools. This web-based application is an expansion on the Flopzilla and Equilab idea, with some of the scenario-specific flavor of Doug Hull’s Flop Falcon. Together we explore the software, which is in continuous development. We talk about why and what we are doing when we re-raise preflop, and then go over his strategy in a hand from a meet-up game at the Golden Nugget. Adam Zerner’s Premium Poker Tools I’m playing in a private 1/2 NL game with some very good opponents from Red Chip. The particular opponent I was up against seemed on the TAGgy side. My image was probably pretty tight and somewhat aggressive. Effective stack is about $320. I look down at AKo UTG and open to $10. It folds around to Villain on the BTN. He 3bets to about $35 I believe. I was playing tight preflop and am UTG, but I still interpret his 3bet as being wide enough where I should 4bet, so I immediately pop it to $110. He thinks for a few seconds, and calls. Flop comes KQ8r with about $220 in there and $210 behind. I decide to check. Turn is an offsuit 6. I decide to check again, feeling somewhat confused, not really feeling good about going for value, hoping he checks behind. Instead, he shoves. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 22: Adam Zerner’s PPT appeared first on Out of Position.

In this episode of the Zoo, TBR members discuss the culture of low to mid stakes cash at WSOP 2019. We cover strategy trends, game culture, venues, and, of course, the food of Las Vegas. Also, an announcement from Dean: Have a comment about the show but don’t feel like typing an email or comment? Call the new Zoo hotline: (410) 775-6224‬. The post The Poker Zoo, Ep. 21: The WSOP Cash Scene appeared first on Out of Position.

We return to our regular programming this week, with the hard-working David C., an RCP and TBR member. We talk about his off-table study but focus on a deep, straddled multiway hand where the type of flush draw and potential passive dead money informs which action hero should take. David reviews the 1% NB: Hand is recorded using TBR notation where 1 is the SB, etc., and listed with stack size. 1/2 1 800 20 3 600 s 4/f 5 400 4/20 7 600 4/20 9 1200 9h7h 20 Flop 86 Kc 6h 3h 1 780 56 5 380 f 7 580 c 9 1180 ? c Turn 254 8s 1 724 75 7 524 f 9 1124 c River 404 9d 1 x 9 x The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 20: David appeared first on Out of Position.

Charles Murray @CharlesMurray is a political / social scientist and prolific author. His writings, although not without controversy, make him a regular guest on the Sunday morning political TV shows. He also happens to enjoy playing poker and he happens to be rather good at it. Just a few hours ago he finished in the money at the 2019 WSOP seniors tournament. With Persuadeo out of town, Dean is our interviewer as he and Charles talk about life, poker, the Mid-Atlantic poker scene and WSOP. Mentioned in the episode: Poker Is America – New York Times Making Sense podcast – Sam Harris & Charles Murray Subscribe in iTunes The post The (Poker) Zoo Ep. 19: Charles Murray appeared first on Out of Position.

On the Zoo this week, it’s Nick Ronyecz, host of the TBR subforum Chasing the Dragon. We talk about his background, his continuing tournament success, a little WSOP planning, and take apart a low-stakes cash game hand where Nick faces two leads from a reg. 2/5 at the Wynn: 700 effective Folds to me in the co. I open 20 w QTo. Bb calls Flop: 8s5s3h Bb leads 30. I call Turn (100): 8s5s3h Qc Bb checks. I bet 65. Bb calls River (230): 2d Bb leads 130 The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 18: Nick appeared first on Out of Position.

Rob S. has accrued a nearly unique record of the post-Black Friday live poker scene at the heart of the West Coast game, Las Vegas and California. We talk about poker, his blog, and his observations on the state of what might be the most important pool of players in our game – the novice stakes which feed our scene. We conclude with the anatomy of a cooler. $300 buy-in, ~$270 left, early position I open to $12 with JJ. After a call a guy makes it $35. He was new to the table but I’ve played with him before and have a vague memory of him being a bit loose, not especially aggro. The caller had a huge stack, I hadn’t seen him get those chips, he was a loose caller but also not aggro. I call, caller calls. Flop is KQJ, 2 diamonds, Jack on the board is a diamond I check, caller checks, preflop three-bettor puts out $85.I called. The other guy then shoves! The pre-flop raiser shoves. Rob’s Vegas and Poker Blog The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 17: Rob and His Blog appeared first on Out of Position.

Dean and Persuadeo talk about the poker scene, relieve confusion over poker learning and education, and then lay out a simple recipe for enjoying the WSOP. (It might include brisket.) One of the most confusing concepts the aspiring poker player will encounter is the notion of an overall Strategy. Perhaps surprisingly, it is counter-intuitive to many that a relational game of information can have a strategy that is not merely reactionary and essentially reciprocal. For instance, even very smart people balk at the concept, as evidenced in this thread, where a poster posits there can only be one strategy for poker – a position which is at least novel, plays to the fears of many, and useful for our discussion, however wrong it is. Nevertheless, even though this poster is stuck on the much abused term of GTO, he’s not really proposing anything vastly different from what your garden variety equity pusher, or all those who have looked at some hot and cold values for the cards they are dealt, or even those who wander into complex EV equations, do. After all, we are all dealing with the same tangibles, and no matter how complex they become or ingenious we are in dealing with them, we cannot escape certain limitations of an unlimited game. The question, then, is about a kind of nuance, because in this respect, the poster is right – we all have the same goal. So how can our philosophies really be different? More thoughts from Persuadeo on poker learning, coaching, and training: Learning, Coaching, & Relearning Coaching The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 16: Persuadeo on Learning Poker appeared first on Out of Position.

The long-time sage of Los Angeles poker, Abe Limon, calls in from the golf course on this week’s Zoo. We catch up with the life of this successful gambler, now enjoying what he calls “functional retirement.” Limon explains the latest in his string of social media exits, gives poker and life advice, and tells us what he’s drinking: apparently some things do change. The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 15: Limon appeared first on Out of Position.

We celebrate Christian Holden’s first day as professional player with this week’s podcast. Christian is an original member of TBR. He participated in the first Easy Game group, which helped send five students to the S4Y, and has gone on to both their Elite and MTT academies. He’s since played steadily online and live, including multiple live stream appearances. Christian hosts the Human Resources subforum of TBR, our mental game section, and talks in depth about his own struggle to master himself at the tables and cope with his often intuitive and aggressive style. We discuss his poker ups and downs, then focus on his rather unique poker studies, including a novel approach to flop groupings which he continues to perfect. We conclude with a 2/5 hand where he both plans out the flop and turn, then reacts to sizing on the river.       The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 14: Christian appeared first on Out of Position.

Known appropriately both online and in TBR as Derdonker, Andrew is fresh off the latest Easy Game study group, and rapidly becoming the volatile live force he wants to be. We discuss the San Jose games, his learning path with Fausto and Solve For Why, heads-up poker with a disgruntled vlogger, and playing on the Stones stream. We finish with a late-night bomb pot hand, including some key line construction points. it was a bomb pot and i’m in the sb. eff stacks 500 20 each, 9-handed, so it’s 180 in the pot, and the flop is 543r. i’ve got 96o. it checks all around. turn is a 9. so i lead 30. it goes fold, fold, fold, then shove, fold, fold, fold back around to me. Andrew versus Ari at Denny’s Persuadeo reviews Mark Ari The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 13: Andrew appeared first on Out of Position.

Bruce is a Sacramento area player who has worked with me through a number of courses and privates. We discuss his arrival in poker, why he plays, and his games, chiefly at Stones Gambling Hall. We finish with quite some time handling this multi-way spot and related ideas.   $1/3 $1100 effective with the Villain in Cut Off, MAWG. For the most part, all the players are at or near 200bb. Hero, utg, opens AThh to $15. Utg 1 LAG post calls ($800) HJ ($900) fit/fold rec type older gent calls CO $1100 Villain Btn ($600) calls Flop: Qh 2h 3d Pot: $75 Hero x/$40/$85 ($960 behind) utg1 x/f HJ x/f CO x/$125 ($960 behind) Btn bets $40/f Turn 5h $365 Hero x/ ?? Co $175 The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 12: Bruce appeared first on Out of Position.

Persuadeo, aka Cmurray on the Borgata Poker Tournament Blog, talks about his experience writing tournament coverage. We cover incidents common to tournament blogging, the highs and lows of the work, and how it is done. Thanks to Announcer Voice/Poker Zoo producer Dean for running the show. Example post: covering the Pokermantis for the BFPO The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 11: Tournament Blogging appeared first on Out of Position.

Michael Lukich, new member of the The Back Room, has a strongly rejuvenated interest in poker. We talk about his path, his coming attendance at the S4Y Academy, but most of all, his first video for TBR, Flop Characteristics and their Effect on EV. There are many flop simplification analyses and efforts in poker circles but Michael’s particular work to detangle value from noise and find some conclusions caught the forum’s eye. We finish with a finely played hand by him from the Vegas 2/5 games. I have $1300 in front of me and open the HJ with T9ss to $20. SB has a stack of $800 and 3-bets very small to $45, I call. Flop ($90 in pot) is 9c8d7s. He leads out small-ish to $40. I raise to $160 with my pair plus OESD plus backdoor spades. He calls. Turn ($410 in pot) is Td. He checks and I bet $125. He tanks and decides to call. River ($660 in pot) is 7c. He checks. I jam for his effective stack of $470. The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 10: Lukich appeared first on Out of Position.

This week’s guest is the infamous FAO – Fernando Ortiz. He’s been through the Easy Game Group and the Solve For Why Academy, helping make him a solid winner in his games. We talk Vegas, trading, Face Equity, and a multi-way spot facing an unexpected flop lead. Stakes 1/3 S3 ($900) young asian male, gf beside him S4 ($300) newly sat S9 Hero ($705) S3 L/C $55 S4 $10/$55 S9 $55 Flop ($164) [Ts][5c][2c] S3 $125 S4 Folds S9 Calls Turn ($414) [5s] S3 $200/Calls S9 Shoves $525 A piece by Fernando on OOP. Kat Martin on the low-level vegas grinder. Persuadeo at Vegas Nit Central Command. The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 9: Fernando appeared first on Out of Position.

This week on the Zoo, founding TBR member and cash game player Julie McGrath. She tells how she got into poker, both live and online. There’s a little GOT talk, naturally, and then we discuss a multi-way spot she played on Global. 100 NL 6 max UTG open $3 ($87) MP call [Ks][Js] ($100) SB calls ($45) Pot $10 [Kc][7h][Qs] UTG bets $6 I call and SB calls Pot $28 [As] UTG bets $12 I raise to $40 SB folds and UTG goes all in for $37 more I call [Ac] Julie McGrath on Twitter Porter’s Video (TBR member access) The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 8: Julie appeared first on Out of Position.

Christian Soto is a pro, coach, and much more. An early TBR member, he comes back after a long absence to talk commentary and strategy. He also discusses his poker academy Solve For Why – and criticism of it. Christian on Twitter. The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 7: Soto appeared first on Out of Position.

This week features Jason Burge, who has very actively studied within my coaching circle since the inception of The Back Room, having taken both the Easy Game Group and both Construction courses. Jason has reached the biggest games in his surprisingly active poker home, Detroit. Hand History: 2/5 live, 9 handed, $500 effective. EP, HJ, CO limp, I limp button with T9o, BB checks. Pot is 25, flop Q97r. HJ bets 10, I call. Pot is 45, Turn 9h. CO bets 25, call. Pot is 95, River 5. CO bets 100. CO has been a very passive player in this session. Listener note: I am still tweaking how the podcast is hosted and distributed. If you are having problems receiving it for the moment from Itunes or Sticher et al, have patience. The pod will always be available here on the blog, regardless. The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 6: Jason appeared first on Out of Position.

Zac Shaw has moved from blogger and podcaster at Red Chip Poker, to working on their growing content and business side. Zac interviewed Persuadeo twice for the RCP Podcast, so today the tradition continues but with the roles reversed. 3 limps, HIJ raises to $7, BTN & SB calls, Hero calls in BB with AdTh. Everyone else calls. 6 players, $45. BTN is short stack of $125. Flop: QcTcTd SB checks, I check… Checks around to HIJ (PFR) who bets $25 into $45. BTN shoves for $120. SB folds. HJ has me covered, I have just under $300. There’s about $200 in the pot. Listener note: I’m trying a different hosting and player service for the next few days – please let me know if there are any issues. The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 5: Zac appeared first on Out of Position.

On the latest Zoo, a discussion with Alvin Lau, who is an influence on member strategy in The Back Room. We talk GTO, its teachings, and the teaching of it. Overnight Monster Alvin’s Youtube Channel The post The (Poker) Zoo, Ep. 4: Alvin appeared first on Out of Position.