Thinking Poker

Peter Alson, author of the new poker novel The Only Way to Play It and coauthor of a Stu Ungar biography, joins us to discuss The Mayfair Club, poker in fiction, writing about poker for a general audience, working for a bookie, and more. Peter recommends buying from Bookshop.org.Douglas Stewart was our guest on Episode 237.Other novels mentioned were The Man with the Golden Arm, Shut Up and Deal, and King of a Small World.Timestamps0:30 Strategy35:35 Peter Alson 

Peter Alson

Peter Alson is the author of Confessions of an Ivy League Bookie and coauthor of One of a Kind, a biography of the poker champion Stuey Ungar, and Atlas: From the Street to the Ring: A Son’s Struggle to Become a Man. Magazine. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Alice, and their daughter Eden.

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Legendary poker author David Sklansky returns to the podcast to discuss his new book Geeking, Grifting, and Gambling Through Las Vegas. David first appeared on Episode 300.Timestamps0:30 Strategy34:18 David SklanskyStrategyI ($197) am dealt QcJd in the BB. UTG ( $165) limps, HJ ($710) limps, CO ($168) limps , button folds, SB ($72) completes and I check my option Flop ($10) is 6d9dJs. SB checks. I bet $8. Only CO calls. Turn ($26) is the 7h. (6d9dJs7h). Both check. River ($26) is the Qs. (6d9dJs7hQs) I checked and called $25.

David Sklansky

David Sklansky is the author of 16 books about poker, gambling, and strategy. He has 3 WSOP bracelets and has consulted with several casino companies.

Nate and Andrew break down two hands submitted by listeners, with an emphasis on which player has the more polarized range and how that influences betting and bet sizing decisions.For more information about coaching, please visit http://www.thinkingpoker.net/coaching/.Strategy Hand 1It’s a home game, 7 handed, $5/$5 blinds, BT vs BB. Pre: Hero raises to $15 on the button with Qc7c, BB just calls.  Pot is $35.Flop: 7hKhAd, BB checks, Hero bets $12, BB calls.  Pot is $71.Turn: 6d, BB checks and Hero checks behind.   Pot is still $71.River: Qd, BB leads for $25, Hero raises to $75, BB calls.  Hero scoops pot with two pair and BB shows AhTc for one pair.Strategy Hand 2This is from a $1500 guarantee tournament on ACR. $1.65 buy in.We are about halfway through late reg. Blinds are 650/1300.Folds to Villain on the BU. They min raises to 2600 with 48K behind.SB calls with 80K behind.I am in BB with 9c9d, and have them both covered. I call3 ways to the flop with 9,100 in the pot. Villain has 48K behind. I cover.Flop is 3h2h2cSB checks. I bet 4550. BU raises to 11K. SB folds. I call.Turn is the Kd.I check, BU checks.River is the 9h.

Brian Rast may not have the knack for self-promotion that some of the biggest names in the industry do, but he’s been quietly winning at the highest stakes, in a variety of formats, for years. In this interview, he talks about discovering Macau, the social dynamic of nosebleed live games, and how he balances his work and family life. Oh and that call against Phil Laak.This is a re-broadcast of a “lost” episode originally published in 2014. It has recently become available to us again thanks to Russ Fox.

Brian Rast

Brian Rast is a professional poker player who frequents the world’s biggest games. He has four WSOP bracelets, including one from the $50K Poker Players’ Championship event.

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Irish poker pro Dara O’Kearney joins us again to discuss progressive knockout tournaments, his new book, and David Bowie. Dara previously appeared on Episode 102, Episode 131, and Episode 218.Timestamps0:30 Hello and Welcome5:32 Strategy23:34 Dara O’Kearney

Dara O'Kearney

Dara O’Kearney is a professional poker player from Dublin, Ireland. He hosts the The Chiprace podcast and is co-author of Poker Satellite Strategy and the new PKO Poker Strategy.

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Author and poker player Jane Hitchcock joins us to discuss her journey from high society to underground poker games, her new book Bluff, the real life crime that inspired it, and some PLO8 strategy.

0:30 Hello & welcome3:17 Jane Hitchcock

Jane Hitchcock

Jane Stanton Hitchcock is a New York Times bestselling author, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for her mystery novels. Her sixth novel BLUFF pays tribute to her passion for poker.

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Professional poker player and best-selling author Maria Konnikova returns to the show to discuss focus, multitasking, the progress of her career, and her new book The Biggest Bluff. Maria’s first appearance on Episode 247 is one of our all-time favorite shows!We’ll be donating all June proceeds from The Nitcast Store to Give Directly. Get yourself a Weekend Warrior or Play Optimal Poker and help folks living in poverty while you’re at it!Timestamps0:30 – Strategy 28:27 – Maria KonnikovaStrategyIgnition – $0.10 NL (6 max) – Holdem – 6 players Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com Hero (BTN): 111.3 BBSB: 105.8 BBBB: 100 BBUTG: 80.6 BB.  MP: 160.9 BBCO: 118.4 BB SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB.    Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB)         Hero has Kh Qh UTG raises to 3 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 3 BB, fold, fold Flop : (7.5 BB, 2 players) Ac 2h 2cUTG bets 5.4 BB, Hero calls 5.4 BB Turn : (18.3 BB, 2 players) 7cUTG checks, Hero bets 13.1 BB, UTG calls 13.1 BB River : (44.5 BB, 2 players) 7sUTG checks, Hero checks

MARIA KONNIKOVA

Maria Konnikova is a poker player, a contributing writer for the New Yorker, and the author of The Confidence Game, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, and the new The Biggest Bluff.

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Mason Malmuth, owner of Two Plus Two Publishing, joins Nate and Andrew to discuss the history of Two Plus Two, his new book The History of the World From a Gambler’s Perspective, and more.In the strategy segment, Andrew discusses range construction in multiway pots.We’ll be donating all June proceeds from The Nitcast Store to Give Directly. Get yourself a Weekend Warrior or Play Optimal Poker and help folks living in poverty while you’re at it!Timestamps0:30 Strategy28:14 Mason MalmuthStrategyWe are playing $0.10/0.25 on Ignition and I am sitting in the small blind with Qc 6c clubs and a 105BB stack. UTG+1 limps, MP raises to $0.50, HJ calls, the button calls, I call, BB and UTG1 call.6 ways to a flop that comes Ts8c3c, with $3 in the pot. I check, BB leads out for a min bet of $0.25, the preflop raiser raises to $1.25. HJ folds, Button calls, I call, BB calls and UTG+1 folds.4 ways to the turn with $8.25 in the pot, which comes the 2c. The BB bets $0.25, the preflop raiser raises to $2.25 leaving $9.67 behind,3 ways to the river with a pot of $15 which is essentially a brick, the 5 of diamonds. I check and the BB once again leads with a min bet of $0.25 , then the preflop raiser shoves the remainder of his stack for a roughly 2/3 pot sized bet. I just call, the BB shoves, putting me all in for my remaining $12.53.

MASON MALMUTH

Mason Malmuth is a poker player and author and the owner of Two Plus Two Publishing. His latest book is The History of the World From a Gambler’s Perspective.

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Jason Su, author of the new Poker with Presence, talks to Andrew and Nate about his background in tennis and debate, his poker career, and his new book.In the strategy segment, Andrew answers a tricky question about mixed strategies: if a solver recommends a mixed strategy but takes one action 95% of the time, does that make it “better”?We’ll be donating all June proceeds from The Nitcast Store to Give Directly. Get yourself a Weekend Warrior or Play Optimal Poker and help folks living in poverty while you’re at it!Timestamps0:30 Hello and Strategy21:47 Jason Su

Jason Su

Jason Su is a poker player and coach. He is the author of Poker with Presence.

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Nate and Andrew discuss Play Optimal Poker 2: Range Construction, available now from Amazon (paperback/Kindle) or the Nitcast Store (all e-book formats). Includes chapter-by-chapter discussion of the book’s contents.The original Play Optimal Poker e-book is currently 67% off on Amazon or Nitcast.com.