Matt Savage, tournament director extraordinaire, talks shop about it takes to put on a great tournament series. We discuss the Tournament Directors’ Association, some of its more controversial rules, and Matt’s role as its public face and mouthpiece, as well as the delicate balancing act required to accommodate the interests of professional players, recreational players, and the casinos themselves. You can and should follow Matt on Twitter @savagepoker and pester him with all of your rules questions, whether mundane or arcane.

Timestamps

0:30 hello and welcome

13:28 strategy

33:12 matt savage

Strategy

Live Holdem NL Level 1 Blinds 25/50

First hand of the tournament so everyone has 15k in chips

Hero is dealt KsKh

SB posts 25

BB posts 50

(Hero) UTG raise to 150

UTG+1 raise to 325

UTG+4 call

SB call

BB fold

(Hero) UTG call

Flop (1350): 9s4h6s

SB check

(Hero) UTG check

UTG+1 check

UTG+4 check

Turn (1350): 4s

SB bets 600

(Hero) UTG call 600

UTG+1 fold

UTG+4 fold

River (2550): Jd

SB bets 1200

(Hero) UTG call 1200

Jimmy Fricke, once known as “Gobboboy”, was one of the early stars of the internet poker book. After a short stint traveling the live circuit, he chose to settle in Las Vegas, while most of his friends and peers continued traveling to compete. In this interview, he reflects on that decision, how it’s affected his life for better and for worse, and how he pursues his passions in the face of depression. Jimmy also sticks around to talk Omaha Eight-or-Better strategy!

You can follow Jimmy on Twitter @jvfricke. For the best dining in Las Vegas, be sure to check out his blog JimmyEatsVegas.

Timestamps

0:30 – hello and welcome

42:24 – food segment (happened to mark this time stamp, so feel free to include it if you wish)

57:24 – strategy segment

Strategy

The O/8 hand is the one from this thread – we reference some of the discussion in the thread as well.

Shane “Shaniac” Schleger is kind enough to grace us with his presence despite Andrew’s losing our last conversation. In this interview, we talk about depression, addiction, suicide, music, and, yes, poker. Even if heavy conversation isn’t your thing, be sure to tune in for two strategy segments, including one about limit hold ’em!

We don’t have a P Funk playlist from Shane yet, but we’ll update this post when we get it.

Timestamps

0:30 hello & welcome

7:20 – limit HE strategy

18:27 – Slowplaying Aces

31:05 – Interview: Shane Schleger

Strategy

Poker Stars, $0.91 Buy-in (75/150 blinds) No Limit Hold’em Tournament, 7 Players

Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager – The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

CO: 4,083 (27.2 bb)

BTN: 1,375 (9.2 bb)

Hero (SB): 3,290 (21.9 bb)

BB: 5,019 (33.5 bb)

MP1: 2,225 (14.8 bb)

MP2: 2,441 (16.3 bb)

MP3: 3,657 (24.4 bb)

Preflop: Hero is SB with Ad Ac

3 folds, CO raises to 375, BTN folds, Hero raises to 1,000, BB folds, CO calls 625

Flop: (2,150) 4h 3s 3h (2 players)

Hero checks, CO bets 1,075, Hero calls 1,075

Turn: (4,300) Qs (2 players)

Hero checks, CO checks

River: (4,300) Ah (2 players)

Hero checks, CO bets 2,008 and is all-in, Hero calls 1,215 and is all-in

On April 10, 2001, Danielle “dmoongirl” Andersen was a professional poker player living happily in a small town in Minnesota with her husband and young son. The film Bet Raise Fold (which also featured former podcast guest Tony Dunst) shows how Black Friday turned her life upside down. Nearly four years later, Danielle is settled in Las Vegas, once again living with her family and earning a living as a poker player. In this conversation, she reflects on the last four years of her career, her relationship with Ultimate Poker, and her new life in Las Vegas.

Timestamps

0:30 hello

6:07 strategy

41:11 Danielle Andersen

Strategy

I have AsKc in SB

Me: $170 in SB

OMR: $500 in MP

Reg: $700 in CO

OMR opens to $15

Reg calls.

I 3B to $45.

Both players call.

Pot $132 (after rake) Flop 2c 4s 8d

I bet $50, OMR folds, Reg calls.

Pot $232. Turn: 2c 4s 8d 3c.

I check, Reg shoves $75

Edoardo Riario Sforza has moved up through the ranks to become a contender in some of the biggest MTTs on the Italian sites. The same ambition that helped him succeed at poker is now taking him on a 10-month backpacking trip around the world. Edoardo talks about what and how he learned along the way, the advantages and disadvantages of playing in the ring-fenced Italian online poker market, and the journey ahead of him. He also joins Nate and Andrew for some strategy talk, where a tricky final table situation leaves all three stumped.

Timestamps

0:30 Interview: Edoardo Riario Sforza

33:43 Strategy: Two tough final table decisions

Ben “ProfessorBen” Yu is an accomplished multi-table tournament player with three WSOP final tables to his name across a variety of games. He talks to us about ditching school to play poker, ditching poker to play Magic, and learning to play a variety of games. We also consider the possibly perverse nature of PLO tournaments, including strategy discussion of a key hand from the bubble of a WSOP event.

You can follow Ben on Twitter @professorben and read his articles in Cardplayer.

Timestamps

0:30 hello and welcome

6:00 strategy w Cyrus

43:21 Ben Yu

Strategy

$2/$5 NLHE. Two limps in early position, one limp in late position, Hero makes it $30 with AJo in the BB, all call.

Flop ($115) J86r. Hero bets $70, first limper raises to $210, second limper calls all-in for his last $85, folds back to Hero, Hero calls.

Turn ($620 in pot) 2. Hero checks and folds to $150.

Edit: Corrected flop, should be J86.

Gavin Griffin once held the record for youngest WSOP bracelet winner, and he remains one of a select few players to have won WSOP, EPT, and WPT events. Yet in 2012, he found himself writing this essay about rebuilding his bankroll and his confidence, starting at $8/$16 Omaha/8. In our interview, Gavin talks about his early success, how he stumbled, and how far he’s come in the last three years.

You can follow Gavin on Twitter @nhgg and read his column in Cardplayer Magazine.

Timestamps

:30 hello

7:57 fat harry potter

23:05 GG

Strategy

$1/$2 NLHE at MGM Grand. Hero is HJ with Kh9h. There are 2 limps in EP, Hero makes it $12 to go, BB calls, one limper calls.

Flop ($37) is 6h 7h Kd. Checks to Hero, Hero bets $25 as i know the young lad will be calling if he hit anything and doesn’t seem to be sensitive to bet size. However, he folds and the good player calls.

Turn ($87) 9c, Limper bets $60, Hero raises $125, Villain shoves, Hero calls.

Ed Miller talks about his latest book, No Limit Hold ‘Em Made Simple, as well as the Las Vegas poker economy, his experiences with the Clark County foster care system, and how his perspective on being a parent has changed.

Ed’s previous appearances on Episode 25 and Episode 71 are among the best strategy discussions the show has seen and are well worth checking out!

Timestamps

:30 hello

3:39 strat

24:53 EM

Strategy

PokerStars – $0.50 Ante $0.10 NL (6 max) – Holdem – 4 players

Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: 202 BB (VPIP: 67.16, PFR: 49.25, 3Bet Preflop: 32.26, Hands: 72)

BB: 214.74 BB (VPIP: 42.27, PFR: 25.71, 3Bet Preflop: 6.80, Hands: 1,191)

CO: 197.16 BB (VPIP: 32.68, PFR: 14.35, 3Bet Preflop: 5.68, Hands: 1,172)

Hero (BTN): 323.84 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB, 4 players post ante of 0.2 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.3 BB) Hero has A♦ 7♦

fold, Hero raises to 3 BB, SB calls 2.5 BB, fold

Flop: (7.8 BB, 2 players) 7♣ 3♣ 5♦

SB checks, Hero bets 4.82 BB, SB calls 4.82 BB

Turn: (17.44 BB, 2 players) 7♥

SB checks, Hero checks

River: (17.44 BB, 2 players) 3♠

SB bets 48 BB, Hero raises to 108 BB, SB raises to 193.98 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 85.98 BB

Nate and Andrew discuss showing bluffs and getting value. Then Carlos and Andrew talk tournament strategy from Carlos’ recent trip to Florida, with an emphasis on dealing with overly aggressive tables.

Timestamps

0:30 – hello & welcome

3:24 – strategy: getting value & showing bluffs

34:54 – interview: carlos in florida

A quick show that almost didn’t happen, this one features Nate and Andrew talking through an online NLHE hand and a live NLHE hand.

You can hear Andrew and his grandmother talk about her brother on Episode 21.

Be sure to pick up The Thinking Poker Diaries Volume 3 from nitcast.com or in the Amazon Kindle Store.

Strategy Hand 1

Villain raises to $3 from CO, BTN folds, Hero 3 bets to $10 from SB with AQcc, BB folds, Villain calls.

Flop: 7d 7c 8d

Hero bets $12.5 into $20 (after rake). Villain calls.

Turn Qh

Hero checks, Villain bets 24.5 into 43, leaving 64 behind. Hero shoves, Villain folds.

Strategy Hand 2

MP opens to $15, two calls, Hero calls 6c 5c in BB

Flop Ts 7s 4d. Hero bets 40 into 60, original raiser folds, one call, last player folds.

Turn 2s. Hero bets 80 into 140.

River brick. Both players check, Villain shows As 7h.