Thinking Poker

Ian Chan is a Silicon Valley software engineer and a triple draw enthusiast who built his own badugi solver. He talks game theory, artificial intelligence, mixed games, and the underappreciated role of tactile poker experiences.

We’ve also got a little in memoriam for Jane Hitchcock, who was our guest on Episode 330.

All our interviews with the University of Alberta Computer Poker Research Group are here.

The Counterfactual Regret Minimization paper we discuss is here.

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You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. 

Ian Chan is the VP of Engineering at Postscript. He’s also an avid poker player who enjoys applying his knowledge of game theory and computer science to triple draw games.

Former Thinking Poker Podcast host Nate Meyvis joins the show to talk about AI, spaced repetition, and his new flashcard site ZippyFlash.com. Meanwhile Carlos drops in with occasional updates while playing the $1500 Shootout at the WSOP.

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Nate Meyvis is a software engineer and a former professional poker player and original co-host of the Thinking Poker Podcast.

This week, we’re bringing you an episode of Risky Business, a podcast about better decision making from our friends Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova. You can find more Risky Business at https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/risky-business-with-nate-silver-maria-konnikova.

You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. 

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You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. 

Nate Silver is the founder of FiveThirtyEight and a former professional poker player. He is the author of On the Edge, The Signal and the Noise, and the Silver Bulletin substack, and he co-hosts the Risky Business podcast with Maria Konnikova, whom we interviewed on Episode 247. Nate first appeared on Episode 318.

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.

Nosebleed MTT crusher Sam Greenwood is one of the most successful poker players of all time. But how did he get started, how did he rise to the top, and why is he now giving away his secrets in a daily newsletter? Carlos and Andrew get to the bottom of it all in this fantastic interview.

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You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. 

Sam Greenwood is one of the most successful tournament players of all time, with nearly $40 million in live winnings. He is an instructor at Run It Once and the author of the Punt of the Day newsletter on Substack.

Chris “DeathDonkey” Vitch joins Carlos and Andrew for a lively discussion of poker in all its forms, including why he prefers non-hold ’em games, what hold ’em players get wrong about mixed games, and he approaches mixed game tournaments differently than cash games.

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Chris Vitch is a long-time professional poker player, coach, and instructor focusing on mixed games. He has three WSOP bracelets.

Tom “Tombos21” Boshoff returns to the show to discuss new developments in poker strategy and technology since his last appearance.

Alex Sutherland is the source of the “think of a solver as a tool for conducting experiments” idea.

We first discussed the idea of AI “intuition” with Michael Bowling of the University of Alberta Computer Poker Research Group.

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You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. 

Tom Boshoff is the Head Coach at GTO Wizard. He previously appeared on Episode 393.

Five years ago, Jason Su taught the poker world to play with presence. Now he’s back to advocate for playing with joy. We discuss his new book, why most poker players motivate themselves in unsustainable ways, and how to change those habits both at the poker table and in life.

In the strategy segment, Andrew discusses game theory in the real world and whether strategic uncertainty has a role to play in trade negotiations.

Jason previously appeared on Episode 327.

His new book is The Joy of Poker.

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Jason Su specializes in helping poker players maximize their performance and earnings at the table with zero sacrifice from their personal lives.

Andres Korn grew up playing poker with his friends, but it wasn’t until he saw it on TV that he decided to take it seriously. He bought straight in to the WSOP Main Event and never looked back. Now he’s one of the most successful players in Argentina (and the world!), with an emphasis on mixed games but enough hold ’em proficiency to hold a bracelet in the prestigious $5K six-max event.

You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. 

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You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. 

Andres Korn is one of the most successful poker players in Argentina, with nearly $4M in live cashes and a WSOP bracelet from the prestigious $5K six-max event.

Ariel Shefer wants to be a world champion. He’s tried backgammon, he’s tried bridge. Now, he lives in his car, driving for Uber to earn buy-ins for poker tournaments. He’s not broke (or at least, he wouldn’t have to be); this is how he keeps himself hungry. And maybe how he nets a sponsorship from Toyota, Hilton, Uber, or Virginia Slims…

Ariel shares with us his remarkable life and his unique philosophy, and of course he and Carlos compare notes on car living. In the strategy segment, Andrew discusses betting in multi-way pots and why protection bets should be small.

Ari’s Digital Poker Tables

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You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. 

Ariel Shefer retired from a career in business to live in his car, play poker, and drive for Uber. He describes himself as the “poorest, happiest person in the world.”

Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher are titans of the industry, with over 100 years of poker experience between them. They share stories with Carlos and Andrew about poker rooms in the 1970s and 80s, how and why they changed, the history of Card Player Magazine, the history of Card Player Cruises, the founding of the Tournament Directors’ Association, and Poker Gives, a charitable project feeding hungry people in Las Vegas.

In the strategy segment, Andrew and Carlos discuss bluffing frequencies, polarized betting, and multi-way pots.

You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. 

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You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. 

Linda Johnson is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame, and the Tournament Directors’ Association. She is a former professional poker player and owner of Card Player Magazine. She now co-owns Card Player Cruises.

Jan Fisher is a former poker dealer, professional player, and contributor to Card Player Magazine. She is a member of the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame and co-owns Card Player Cruises.