Mike freakin’ McDonald is on the show this week, talking about his meteoric rise to the top of the poker world, his unconventional views on the desirability of online gambling, his “retirement”, reg-filled rake fests, the Bank of Timex, the influence of staking on the modern tournament scene, and why he still plays both $10 and $100,000 tournaments. PLUS Mike sticks around for a meaty strategy segment that touches on topics such as dealing with overactive players, pre-flop raise sizing in tournaments, and hero checking.

Timestamps

0:30 – Hello and welcome; the Mike McDonald story

61:02 – Hero checking and other strategy concepts with Mike McDonald

Edit: I made a big mistake in my introduction, stating that Mike won the 2014 PCA Main Event. In fact they made a deal three-handed, and Mike went on to take second. Apologies to anyone I confused, and especially to Mike. I’ve added a correction to the audio file as well.