Joe is back – and sounding better than ever! To James's horror, he describes, in graphic detail, the surgical procedure on his vocal chords, and gives a lightning-fast summary of everything he's watched while in recovery. Meanwhile, James recaps the two #SundayMillion final tables that Joe missed, and teases the first edition of #PokerStarsRetro (live every Thursday, starting 4th March, at 15:00 GMT on Twitch and YouTube). This week's guest is Twitch streamer Craig 'onscreen' Shannon, who talks about his journey from gamer, to professional 'Counter-Strike' player, to content creator and occasional poker player. Craig's had some decent MTT scores, live and online, and has recently starting playing/streaming PokerStars VR. Finally, 'girafganger7' returns to the podcast: high stakes pro Bert Stevens is this week's Superfan, hoping to beat Joe in a ridiculously difficult quiz about 'The Godfather' (Parts I and II). Please don't forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

Episode 206 – 25/02/2021 – Craig 'onscreen' Shannon & Superfan Bert 'girafganger7' Stevens

Every week, the hosts of PokerStars TV (James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton) bring you a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like being two regular folks on the international poker circuit. Told from the perspective of a cranky British dad (Hartigan) and an undateable American bachelor (Stapes), Poker in the Ears is a mostly uncensored take on the world of professional poker. The hosts also regularly call in favours, in the form of guest spots from their big-shot celebrity poker-playing friends. And they routinely hold on-air competitions, providing chances for listeners to join them on tour.

In a change to our advertised programming, James and Joe are joined by poker player, coach, content creator, author, and commentator Lexy Gavin-Mather. In an extended interview, Lexy talks about her start in poker, her years as an online grinder, her first foray into live poker at the PCA, finding love on the circuit, and diversifying into coaching and writing. Meanwhile, a former member of the #PITE production team, Viviana Pazmino, volunteers for 'Superfan vs Stapes'. And Joe is NOT happy about her chosen specialist subject. Please follow/subscribe to the podcast and join our community on Discord (psta.rs/Discord). Also, make sure you subscribe to James's YouTube channel (youtube.com/@James_Hartigan) and heed Joe's edict: positive feedback only!

305. Lexy Gavin-Mather

James is celebrating a deep run and a $5k score in the #SundayMillionAnniversary. He and Joe also celebrate the champion 'CrossBreed17', having streamed the final table and the winning moment on the PokerStars Twitch channel. They guys are then joined by Jon Sofen, Senior US Editor at PokerNews, to discuss the latest poker stories from North America, including the WPT Voyage, controversy surrounding the WSOP Tournament of Champions, and a win for Robbi Jade Lew. Finally, Josh Rawlings from the UK hopes to continue his streak of winning Power Passes from #PITE, as he competes against Joe in a quiz about the movie 'Poor Things'. Please follow/subscribe to the podcast and join our community on Discord (psta.rs/Discord). Check out video highlights from #PITE300 on James's YouTube channel (youtube.com/@James_Hartigan).

304. Sunday Million Anniversary recap, plus news update from Jon Sofen (Senior US Editor, PokerNews)

James and Joe are back from Dublin – and Stapes has recovered from a nasty stomach bug – so they recap the last few days of the #IrishOpen in the company of Main Event champion Tero Laurila: the first ever Irish Open winner from Finland. He talks about his 20-year poker career and what it means to him to win such a historic title. Meanwhile, Swedish listener Robin Berg tries to secure a victory of his own in 'Superfan vs Stapes', answering questions about 'Captain America: Civil War'. Please follow/subscribe to #PITE and join our community on Discord (psta.rs/Discord).

303. Irish Open 2024 champion Tero Laurila

It's a special edition of the podcast recorded on location at the #IrishOpen in Dublin on Day 1A of the Main Event. James and Joe have had the chance to play a couple of tournaments, and Joe scored big in one of them. Felix Schneiders from Team Pro streamed the final table on Twitch, so joins the guys to discuss Joe's journey to (near) victory. Event owner Paul O'Reilly then sits down to talk about the history and legacy of the Irish Open and why he believes it's become such a popular festival. Finally, pros David Lappin and Dara O'Kearney – hosts of the award-winning 'Chip Race' podcast – reveal what this iconic event means to them. Expect to hear from both David and Dara on the Irish Open Main Event live stream, broadcasting on the PokerStars Twitch and YouTube channels: Friday 29th March – Monday 1st April. Please follow/subscribe to #PITE and join our community on Discord (psta.rs/Discord).

302. At the Irish Open with Felix Schneiders, Paul O'Reilly, David Lappin and Dara O'Kearney

It's the #PITE300 after-party, as James and Joe recap what happened behind-the-scenes in the run up to their live show in London, and what happened at the poker tables afterwards. Patrick Marber's name came up a couple of times at The Hippodrome, and the actor-writer-director is the guest on this week's episode. Patrick talks about playing in the 'Archway Game' with Vicky Coren and the Boatman brothers, writing the award-winning play 'Dealer's Choice' – revealing that one of the characters is based on Barny Boatman – and discusses some of his characters from the classic comedy series 'The Day Today'. Meanwhile, James relives his experience playing, streaming, and cashing the #SundayMillion for the very first time, and Jude Arrowsmith from the UK picks science as his specialist subject in 'Superfan vs Stapes', competing for a Bronze #PowerPass. Please follow/subscribe to #PITE and join our community on Discord (psta.rs/Discord).

Episode 206 – 25/02/2021 – Craig 'onscreen' Shannon & Superfan Bert 'girafganger7' Stevens

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