Table 1 Podcast

Ben Heath was supposed to do something sensible.Finance.Teaching.Something with math.Something that made his parents feel normal.Instead, he played $3.50 sit-n-gos.A lot of them.Ben grew up in Brighton, England, playing chess, strategy games, and tiny family card games for one-cent coins. Then he went to Warwick, studied math, and started making a little money online during university.Not millions.Not nosebleeds.Just enough to avoid getting a job.Then one of his tutors casually mentioned that a few former students had gone into professional poker.That was all it took.Ben finished his degree, skipped the finance track, and gave himself two years to make poker work.From there, things got weird fast.He met Charlie Carrel through a university Skype group, went to Amsterdam with people he’d never met, moved to London, grinded Zoom cash, played live cash on weekends, went broke, ran it back, and started taking shots that were probably not approved by any financial advisor.At one point, he had around $100K to his name…then put a huge chunk of it into a €50K in Barcelona.It went badly.Then it went very, very well.Aussie Millions runner-up.A Wynn score he somehow left in the cage.A backpack full of cash walking back to the Rio.A SCOOP swap with Charlie that changed the year.A WSOP $50K bracelet.Triton.Super high rollers.$250Ks.$500Ks.And a runner-up finish for around $8 million.In this episode of The Table 1 Podcast, Ben joins Art Parmann and Justin Young to talk about the full ride:♠️ Growing up in Brighton and studying math♥️ Playing $3.50 180-mans for university spending money♦️ Why he skipped finance and chose poker♣️ Meeting Charlie Carrel and moving to London♠️ Going broke, rebuilding, and aggressive bankroll shots♥️ The Barcelona €50K shot that nearly wrecked him♦️ The Aussie Millions run that changed everything♣️ Winning the WSOP $50K bracelet♠️ The Sam Soverel time bank drama♥️ How he moved into the super high roller world♦️ Playing $500K buy-ins♣️ Coaching high-stakes players♠️ Why he barely plays the WSOP Main Event anymore♥️ Why Phenom Poker got his attentionWe also get into:- chess- Brighton hippies- volunteering in Fiji- getting stuck in Madrid during COVID- Triton invite politics- why some $50Ks are not like other $50Ks- backing, swapping, and selling action- and what it feels like to play a half-million-dollar buy-in.This one is a poker story about shot-taking, timing, discipline, and somehow staying calm while playing tournaments most humans would need a spreadsheet just to emotionally process.👇 Drop a comment:Would you ever fire half your net worth in one tournament?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ben’s Links:https://phenompoker.com/?r=BenHeathX - https://x.com/BenHeath48------------------------------------------------------------------------------------T1 LinksPlay with us in Vegas:https://table1.vegasCard Player Magazine:https://table1.vegas/cardplayerFollow us:X - https://x.com/table1vegas IG - https://instagram.com/table1vegas

Everyone wanted to talk about the laptop.

Jonathan Tamayo wanted to talk about mahjong.

Because before the 2024 WSOP Main Event title, the $10,000,000 score, and the most debated rail in poker, Tamayo was a kid in Houston playing games with his grandparents, getting bankroll money from his grandpa, trying to figure out PartyPoker, and learning the hard way like everyone else.

He had the early online poker growing pains, the college poker games, the PartyPoker bad beat jackpot, the Sunday Million score, the first WSOP summer, the 2009 Main Event heartbreak, Black Friday, daily fantasy, backing, a cash game stable, and years of being very good without quite becoming that guy.

Then 2024 happened.

And somehow the guy who had already been deep in the Main Event before found himself back in the exact spot every poker player dreams about.

Only this time, he won the whole thing.

In this episode of The Table 1 Podcast, Jonathan Tamayo joins Art Parmann and Justin Young to tell the full story.

Topics include:

♠️ Growing up in Houston with NASA parents and mahjong games
♥️ Grandpa casually funding the early gambling years
♦️ PartyPoker, online mistakes, and the bad beat jackpot
♣️ His first WSOP summer and $1,500 runner-up finish
♠️ The wildest $1/$3 game at the Rio
♥️ The 2009 Main Event run and Billy Kopp hand
♦️ Black Friday and falling behind the European solver wave
♣️ Daily fantasy swings, including a $900K football sweat
♠️ The 2015 Main Event and Joe McKeehen rail
♥️ Building a cash game stable
♦️ The 2024 Main Event run
♣️ LaptopGate, final table prep, and what actually happened
♠️ The heads-up live tell that helped swing the match
♥️ Winning the Main Event and what changes after $10M

We also get into why the Main Event still matters, the truth about final table preparation, what people misunderstood about the rail, how poker strategy has changed, why the player pool is aging, and what poker’s future problem might really be.

This one is part origin story, part Main Event breakdown, and part answer to the controversy everyone had an opinion on.

What’s your honest take on final table rails using laptops?

Timestamps

00:00 — Intro + 2024 Main Event Champ
01:43 — Houston Roots, Mahjong & NASA Parents
05:22 — Humble High School + Lazy-Good Student Life
07:56 — Cornell, Hotel School & Golf
11:02 — First Poker Games in High School
15:18 — Grandpa Bankrolls the Gambling
18:02 — PartyPoker, Western Union & Online Growing Pains
19:15 — The PartyPoker Bad Beat Jackpot
21:39 — Sunday Million Score + Bad 2008 Job Market
23:19 — First WSOP Summer + $1,500 Runner-Up Finish
25:00 — The Wildest $1/$3 Game at the Rio
34:08 — Turning Stone, Brian Hastings & Cornell Private Games
36:21 — 2009 Main Event Run Begins
38:16 — Day 3 Heater + Jenga Chip Explosion
42:44 — Billy Kopp Hand + 21st Place Finish
45:20 — Backing, Supernova Elite & Old-School 10Ks
50:30 — Black Friday + Falling Behind the Europeans
52:23 — Daily Fantasy Grind + DraftKings Hockey Championship
58:23 — The $900K Fantasy Football Sweat
59:13 — 2015 Main Event Run + Joe McKeehen’s Year
1:02:23 — McKeehen Final Table Rail + Early “Laptop” System
1:04:54 — Cash Game Stable + Long-Term Backing Setup
1:06:58 — 2024 Main Event Begins
1:09:47 — Day 2 Heater + First All-In Risk
1:10:21 — “The Hand” That Changed Everything
1:12:09 — Day 5–8 Main Event Grind
1:13:29 — Final 18 + Dom Starts Coaching From the Rail
1:16:35 — From 15 of 18 to the Final Table
1:18:06 — 10 Left + The Queens Fold
1:23:25 — LaptopGate + Final Table Prep
1:29:02 — Heads-Up Live Tell Breakthrough
1:33:00 — Winning the Main Event
1:35:37 — What’s Next + Staying in His Lane
1:37:53 — What He Did With the Money
1:38:30 — Poker’s Future Problem

Jonathan’s Links

X: https://x.com/driverseati
Instagram: https://instagram.com/driverseati

Table 1 Links

Play with us in Vegas: https://table1.vegas

Kenny Hallaert has lived almost every version of a poker life.Player.Tournament director.Casino marketer.Festival builder.PokerStars live events advisor.WSOP November Niner.Before the $1.4M score…before the Main Event final table…before he was helping shape live poker festivals around the world…Kenny was an electrician in Belgium who found poker through an online banner in 2004.Then a soccer injury forced him indoors.So he played.A lot.Limit Hold’em. Full ring. Online tournaments. Freerolls. Tiny bankroll discipline. The whole old-school grind.But Kenny’s story doesn’t stop at becoming a player.He helped build live poker in Belgium.Worked around weird legal restrictions.Launched tournament festivals.Ran floors.Designed structures.Learned the game from both sides of the table.Then he went on one of the most ridiculous WSOP stretches ever:Deep in the first Colossus.Deep in the Main Event.Then the next year…November Nine.In this episode of The Table 1 Podcast, Kenny joins Art Parmann and Justin Young to talk about the full ride:♠️ Growing up in Belgium♥️ Finding online poker in 2004♦️ Going from electrician to casino marketer♣️ Building live poker festivals in Belgium♠️ Knocking out Daniel Negreanu at EPT Monaco♥️ His first WSOP trip♦️ The first Colossus final table♣️ The 2016 November Nine run♠️ Preparing with Fedor Holz’s team♥️ Why tournament structures are broken♦️ PokerStars, AI, smart glasses, solvers, and the future of live pokerThis one is part poker origin story, part WSOP time capsule, and part masterclass on how live tournaments actually get built.👇 Drop a comment:What’s the best poker tournament structure you’ve ever played?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Show Notes00:00 — Intro + Belgium Roots 04:33 — Discovering Online Poker 08:00 — From Electrician to Casino Marketer 14:25 — Soccer Injury → Poker Boom 20:06 — Early Poker Breakthroughs 25:01 — Building Live Poker in Belgium 37:21 — EPT Monaco Heartbreak 42:07 — First WSOP Trip 45:17 — WSOP Colossus + Main Event Runs 50:13 — The November Nine Run 54:53 — Balancing Player Life & Poker Business 59:53 — Main Event Strategy & Table Dynamics 1:01:40 — Tournament Structures Are Broken 1:17:07 — PokerStars, Future Formats & Game Integrity 1:23:22 — Where to Follow Him ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kenny’s Links:X / IG - @SpaceyFCB------------------------------------------------------------------------------------T1 LinksWhat is Table 1? https://table1.vegasFollow us:X - https://x.com/table1vegas IG - https://instagram.com/table1vegas

Esther “E-Tay” Taylor did not take the normal road to poker.She was born in South Korea, found as a baby, adopted into a strict Christian family in Portland, and raised with two older brothers who made sure she was tough enough for whatever came next.Game nights.Sports.Church five days a week.A real job at Wells Fargo.A future in private banking.Then poker showed up.At first, they weren’t even playing with chips.They were playing with dried beans and macaroni.A few years later?E-Tay quit her good job, moved to Vegas with almost no money, learned mixed games online for $26 at a time, took five years off to become a mom, came back to final table a WPT, and eventually became one of the most respected mixed-game players in poker.In this episode of The Table 1 Podcast, E-Tay joins Art Parmann and Justin Young to talk about the whole ride:♠️ Being adopted from South Korea and growing up in Portland♥️ Her strict Christian upbringing and her dad’s support♦️ Quitting Wells Fargo to chase poker♣️ Learning mixed games the cheap way online♠️ Taking five years away from poker for motherhood♥️ Coming back with a WPT final table at Borgata♦️ Jumping into the $25K PLO and finishing 3rd♣️ Her $50K Poker Players Championship run♠️ Why mixed games are so hard to learn now♥️ Representing women in poker the right way♦️ Launching Her Edge Academy to help more women get into mixed gamesWe also get into golf, motherhood, old-school online poker, PLO confidence, why she never studied from charts, and why poker needs more humans instead of robots.This one is funny, honest, and a really good look at what it takes to build a poker career without following anybody else’s playbook.👇 Drop a comment:What poker game should every Hold’em player learn next?Show Notes00:00 — Intro + why “E-Tay”01:48 — Born in South Korea / adoption story07:16 — Strict Christian home + her dad’s support09:59 — Game nights, brothers, and competitiveness17:28 — Wells Fargo and the “real job” path19:02 — First poker games with beans and macaroni23:10 — Quitting her job and moving to Vegas24:34 — Learning mixed games online32:48 — Taking five years off for motherhood35:03 — Returning with a WPT final table41:58 — Parks Casino ambassador chapter47:04 — Finding PLO and mixed games49:20 — Jumping into the $25K PLO56:20 — How her mindset changed over time1:11:00 — Women in poker and ladies events1:17:12 — Recent heater + full WSOP schedule1:19:34 — Deciding to play the $50K PPC1:22:26 — The $50K PPC run1:31:58 — E-Tay Poker + Her Edge AcademyE-Tay’s Links:Website: https://etaypoker.comHer Edge Academy: https://heredgeacademy.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/__etay__Follow us:X - https://x.com/table1vegasIG - https://instagram.com/table1vegas

TJ Reid Joins Art Parmann (https://x.com/ArtParmann) and Justin Young (https://x.com/Justinyoung07) on this week's episode of the Table 1 Podcast! We peel back the curtain on this incredible journey from vows of poverty as a Jehova's Witness to pokerORG reporter, to Final Tabling one of the biggest tournaments of the year in the Bahamas at WSOP with $10,000,000 for the winner.Show Notes00:00 Growing Up in Missouri, Religion, and Family Games09:03 Discovering Poker While Living a Double Life12:42 Excommunication, Starting Over, and Leaving the Church25:29 From Service Industry to Live Cash Poker31:45 Marriage, Idaho, COVID, and the First Vegas Trip36:07 Winning His First Major Tournament Score40:59 PokerNews, PokerOrg, and Building a Career in Poker Media47:09 Thunder Valley, Table One, and Playing Bigger52:48 The 2025 NAPT Main Event and Slot Machine Chaos56:04 Chasing EPT, PokerStars Incentives, and Bigger Buy-Ins1:06:38 The 25K Super Main Run1:14:24 Finishing 4th for $3.1 Million1:17:23 Becoming WSOP Circuit Manager and Growing the Game1:21:33 25K Fantasy Draft Strategy1:27:27 TJ’s Daily Vlogs and OutroFollow TJ on youtube  @tjreidpoker  https://x.com/tjreidpokerhttps://www.instagram.com/tjreid1/Follow Table 1: https://table1.vegas

Jeff Gross on the pod!

Francis Anderson quit running the day his little brother beat him.

Poker was different.

That one stuck.

Francis grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, in a competitive family. Road races on the weekends. Soccer. School. A normal path.

Then college happened.

University of Albany. Accounting major. Study room poker games. $5 and $10 buy-ins.

And then Jamie Gold won the 2006 WSOP Main Event.

For a lot of people, Moneymaker was the moment.

For Francis?

It was Jamie Gold talking people into doing the wrong thing for $12 million.

From there, poker got serious fast.

He started playing online, driving to Turning Stone, grinding $150 nightlies with a tiny bankroll, and building a network through PocketFives and AOL Instant Messenger.

Then he satellited into the Sunday Brawl, got 7th for around $10K, and told his mom he was dropping out of college.

As one does.

In this episode of The Table 1 Podcast, Francis joins Art Parmann and Justin Young to talk through the full ride:

• ♠️ Finding poker during the Jamie Gold WSOP era
• ♥️ Dropping out after a Sunday Brawl score
• ♦️ Black Friday and the Costa Rica online poker migration
• ♣️ Grinding with David Peters and seeing elite work ethic up close
• ♠️ Moving to Vegas with a tiny bankroll
• ♥️ Getting crushed, going nearly broke, and rebuilding
• ♦️ Wearing a cowboy hat and mask to disguise himself in the Monster Stack
• ♣️ Turning a $5K bankroll into a massive WSOP score
• ♠️ Winning the $800 Independence Day event for $500K
• ♥️ Becoming Main Event chip leader the next day
• ♦️ Back-to-back WPT final tables
• ♣️ Why he still shows up early for $800s and $1Ks

This one is a real grinder story.

Not overnight success.

Not one heater.

A decade-plus of moving countries, rebuilding bankrolls, firing bullets, getting better, and showing up again the next day.

Sometimes in a cowboy hat.

👇 Drop a comment:
What was YOUR poker boom moment — Moneymaker, Jamie Gold, High Stakes Poker, or something else?

Show Notes:

00:00 The Legend of the 14 Espresso Martinis
03:19 Why Francis Can Never Go by “Frank”
05:40 Intense Sibling Rivalry
06:16 Retiring From Running After His Little Brother Beat Him
09:11 University at Albany & Accounting
09:41 Jamie Gold Sparks the Poker Obsession
12:48 Turning Stone Trips for 18+ Poker
13:30 Early Screen Names: The Lab Rat vs. The Lag Rat
14:34 Dropping Out After a $10K Sunday Brawl Score
15:38 PocketFives, AIM & Chris Hunichen
16:21 First 6-Figure Online Score
18:45 Black Friday, Vegas & Costa Rica
20:14 Learning David Peters’ Insane Work Ethic
27:23 Moving to Vegas for Live Poker
29:42 WSOP Marathon Breakthrough
35:40 Going Nearly Broke in 2022
36:38 Cowboy Hat / Face Mask Disguise
39:15 $450K Monster Stack Score
42:49 $800 Independence Day Bracelet Run
44:49 Winning $500K
45:51 Main Event Chip Leader 24 Hours Later
49:20 Coaching With Justin Saliba
51:42 Buying His Mom a Car
55:06 Still Grinding $800s and $1Ks
58:06 Back-to-Back WPT Final Tables
1:00:50 Deepest Main Event Run
1:01:49 Big Field Tournament Strategy
1:04:52 First Trip to Asia for APT
1:07:10 Francis Anderson Poker on Instagram

Francis’ Links:

Instagram - https://instagram.com/francisandersonpoker

T1 Links:

What is Table 1? Find out here:
https://table1.vegas

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Come Play Poker with us online & Get a 150% Deposit Bonus up to $3K!Sign up here: https://play.phenompoker.com/register?r=Table1OR...Come play with us in Las Vegas at Table 1! (https://table1.vegas)---00:00 Cold Open: Fixing Vera Richmond's WSOP Omission00:45 Welcome to Table One & Guest Linda Johnson02:10 Childhood, Military Upbringing & Moving Every 3 Years03:12 Turning 21: Shifting from Blackjack to Poker04:08 Sponsor Break: Phenom Poker04:45 Postal Service Career & Card Games with Coworkers05:33 Early Days of Stud & Razz at Caesars Palace05:49 The 1980 WSOP Ladies Event & Quitting Her Job07:32 Cutting Her Teeth in Gardena's Smoky 1975 Card Rooms09:14 Linda's Dad Missing Her Final Table for a Shoe Shine10:13 Moving to Vegas with a $5,000 Bankroll10:33 Grind Routine: Condo Living & Playing Until the Sun Comes Up11:23 Strict Money Management & Climbing the Limit Stakes12:18 Breaking Into the Male-Dominated "Man Caves" of Poker13:58 Sisterhood of Early Female Players & Mentors15:12 Tournament Poker in the 1980s: Lapel Timers & 3-Spot Payouts18:31 WPT Boot Camp Bankroll Advice: Cash Games vs. Tournaments19:35 The Rise of Texas Hold'em Popularity in the Mid-80s20:19 Table One Mid-Roll Promo21:03 Why Poker is Beatable Compared to Roulette & Craps22:28 Shifting Focus to the Business & Administrative Side of Poker23:43 Going Glossy: Buying Card Player Magazine in 199226:36 Table One Mid-Roll Promo27:15 Financing the Buyout & Turning a Profit on Card Player29:23 The Early Logistics of Managing Card Player Cruises31:36 Wild Cruise Stories: Bunk Beds, PTSD, & Mexican ATV Wrecks34:30 The Dangerous Financial Hit of the 2001 $1M Guarantee38:10 Becoming Global Ambassadors & Affiliates for Party Poker41:05 Turning Down a Foreign Move & The Historic 2005 Stock Buyout43:16 Founding "Poker Gives" & Feeding the Homeless in Las Vegas45:02 Private Jet Prop Games: Chinese Poker & Razz with Kenna James47:00 The 1997 Razz Bracelet Win & Confronting an Offensive Advertiser49:34 Emotional Walk to the Horseshoe Final Table & Fan Support

Come Play Poker with us online & Get a 150% Deposit Bonus up to $3K!Sign up here: https://play.phenompoker.com/register...OR...Come play with us in Las Vegas at Table 1! (https://table1.vegas)---Mike Noori's poker career started with a crime.Well...sort of.At 16 years old he was sneaking into casinos, waiting for security guards to look the other way before sprinting into poker rooms.When that stopped working?He bought a fake ID.Not to be 21.To be 18.Because all he wanted to do was play poker.That obsession took him through:online poker's wild west,college dropout life,massive bankroll swings,mixed games,prop bets,a WSOP bracelet...and eventually...a 43-acre farm in North Carolina.Seriously.In this episode of The Table 1 Podcast, Mike joins Art Parmann and Justin Young for one of the funniest and most unexpected poker journeys we've heard yet.We talk:♠️ Sneaking into casinos as a teenager♥️ Turning a free $50 online poker signup into $12,000 (and losing all of it)♦️ Why he chose college based on nearby poker rooms♣️ Dusting a PCA package and nearly going broke♠️ Staking a friend in the Mega Millions that saved his bankroll♥️ Learning mixed games at Commerce and Hollywood Park♦️ Winning the WSOP Monster Stack bracelet♣️ The legendary McDonald's prop bet♠️ Walking 30+ miles to get out of a golf bet♥️ Training for a $35,000 basketball prop bet♦️ Leaving poker behind for cows, bees, and farm lifeWe also get into:

• fake IDs
• bad beat jackpots
• golf gambling
• mixed game glory days
• bracelet parties
• contractor scams
• beekeeping
• and why sometimes the best move is leaving the game entirely.

This one starts in a garage home game and somehow ends with seven cows and a greenhouse.Only in poker.👇 Drop a comment:What's the most ridiculous prop bet you've ever seen?Mike's Links:X - https://x.com/MikeNoori---T1 LinksPhenom Poker (Daily MTTs + deposit bonus):https://play.phenompoker.com/register...Play with us in Vegas:https://table1.vegasCard Player Magazine:https://table1.vegas/cardplayerFollow us:X - https://x.com/table1vegasIG -   / table1vegas  

Before Wayne Chiang was helping shape the future of poker content at the WSOP…

he was one of the best StarCraft players in the world.

Not “pretty good.”

World Champion.

Back when esports barely existed…
before Twitch…
before streaming…
before anyone thought playing video games could become a career…

Wayne was already there.

Grinding real-time strategy games.
Writing battle reports by hand because replays didn’t exist yet.
Competing against future poker legends, esports pioneers, and internet entrepreneurs before any of them were famous.

Then poker happened.

And suddenly the same competitive obsession that made him elite at StarCraft…
translated perfectly into online poker during the boom.

In this episode of The Table 1 Podcast, Wayne “D22-soso” joins Art Parmann and Justin Young for one of the most fascinating crossover stories we’ve had yet:

• ♠️ Becoming a StarCraft World Champion in the earliest days of esports
• ♥️ The original “content creator” grind before streaming existed
• ♦️ The overlap between elite gamers and poker crushers
• ♣️ Going broke in poker and rebuilding from scratch
• ♠️ The insane early online poker ecosystem
• ♥️ Playing the biggest games online before bankroll management existed
• ♦️ Becoming part-owner of Live at the Bike
• ♣️ Helping shape the WSOP Vlogger Program today
• ♠️ Why poker needs creators more than ever
• ♥️ How AI, content, and media are changing poker forever

We also get into:

• esports history
• Commerce poker politics
• poker fame vs actual skill
• livestream tells
• what makes good poker content
• and why “your network is your net worth” becomes more true the longer you play poker.

This one feels like a time capsule of:
early esports,
early online poker,
and the weird internet era that created both.

👇 Drop a comment:
What old-school poker or esports moment made YOU realize the internet was changing everything?

Show Notes

00:00 Pro Gamer Origins
11:46 E-Sports Forever?!
16:05 Poker!
19:30 “Old school” online poker
30:46 Going Broke
39:00 Streaming Poker & Live at the Bike
46:36 2-Hand Hold’em
48:49 WSOP & Content!
56:45 The BOOK

Wayne's Links

X - https://x.com/D22_soso
2 Hand Hold'em - http://play2hh.herokuapp.com/
YouTube - https://youtube.com/@waynechiangpoker

WSOP Vlogger Program:
https://www.wsop.com/poker-vlogger-program/

T1 Links

Phenom Poker (Daily MTTs + deposit bonus):
https://play.phenompoker.com/register?r=Table1

Play with us in Vegas:
https://table1.vegas

First-time depositors can get up to 200% on $2,000 when you use our link.

Card Player Magazine (Table 1 stories):
https://table1.vegas/cardplayer

Follow us:

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