Episode 83 - Matt Salsberg🎬 From Hit TV Shows to High Stakes Poker: The Story of 2012 WPT Player of the Year Matt Salsberg

Play with us on Phenom Poker: https://play.phenompoker.com/register?r=Table1

Play with us at Table 1: https://table1.vegas

Matt Salsberg isn’t your typical poker pro.

He wrote on Weeds. Sold scripts to Showtime, HBO, Amazon. Created a sitcom with Lee Majors. But just as it was about to take off… Hollywood did what Hollywood does.

Then came cancer. Then came the comeback.

This episode is a masterclass in storytelling, reinvention, and chasing edge — from scriptwriting rooms to final tables. Matt shares how he went from ghostwriting for Curb Your Enthusiasm to battling colon cancer and finishing 70th in the Main Event — all while pitching shows that networks weren’t ready for (but should’ve been).

🧠 If you’re into storytelling, poker, Hollywood drama, or what it means to take a shot when everything’s stacked against you… you’ll love this one.

Show Notes:

• 00:00 🎬 Intro & First Impressions
• 02:00 🃏 Hollywood Meets Poker
• 10:00 🧠 A Life of Obsession
• 20:00 ✍️ Breaking Into TV
• 30:00 📺 The One That Got Away
• 45:00 ♠️ The Poker Arc Begins
• 55:00 💔 Dreams, Rejection & Redemption
• 1:10:00 🩺 Cancer, Chaos & Survival
• 1:30:00 🔁 Coming Back to Life
• 1:45:00 🎯 The Final Chapter (For Now)

Follow Matt:

https://x.com/msalsberg

Follow Table 1:

https://x.com/table1vegas
https://instagram.com/table1vegas
https://table1.vegas
https://youtube.com/@table1vegas

Follow Justin:

https://x.com/justinyoung07

Follow Art:

https://x.com/artparmann