Nick Wealthall is a TV presenter, writer and broadcaster who works in comedy, poker and sports media. He’s got a long history in poker that predates the boom by several years. He shares his evolution from player to writer to presenter, opines on the current state of poker media, and even gazes a bit into the future.

Timestamps

0:30 – Hello & Welcome

6:05 – Strategy:

29:17 – Interview: Nick Wealthall

Strategy

Villain ($240) limps UTG1. UTG2 ($150) raises to $8. BN ($80) calls. SB folds. Hero ($120) calls with 9s 8h in the BB. Villain calls.

Flop:  10s, 9h, 2d. Pot: $28 after rake. Hero bets $10. Villain calls and the other 2 fold.

Turn: Ks. Pot: $48. Both check

River: 10h. Pot: $48. Hero bets $18, Villain shoves.

The second batch of Thinking Poker Premium Podcasts is now available, and tonight you’re getting the first episode FREE. Fresh off of a $1-$2 no-limit game, Andrew and Nate help Carlos Welch take his first steps from tourney donk to cash game crusher. The entire Coaching Carlos series is available for just $19 at www.nitcast.com.

It’s an all-strategy episode as your hosts tackle spread-limit hold ’em, value betting, and playing your image. Don’t forget to support the show this holiday season with the Thinking Poker Amazon Affiliate Link and the fine offerings at www.nitcast.com.

Strategy

UTG+2 limps. Hero raises to $25 with Tc 7c in MP2. SB calls, BB folds, limper calls.

Flop ($80) is Jc 9c X. Two checks, Hero bets $30, SB folds, UTG2 calls.

Turn ($140) Jc 9c X 8h. Check, Hero bets $65, UTG2 raises to $140, Hero calls.

River ($420) Jc 9c X 8h Qx. UTG2 bets $175, Hero calls.

Matt Sienkiewicz is an assistant professor of communications and international relations at Boston College. He’s also a film buff and a poker fan. Matt puts Andrew’s knowledge of Foucault to the test with his analysis of key scenes from Rounders as well as a discussion of power dynamics in the poker world.

To bask in more of Matt’s podcasting prowess, check out the Interpreter Magazine Podcast that he cohosts. You can also follow Matt on Twitter.

Timestamps

0:30 Hello & Welcome

1:45 Strategy: Deepstacked NLHE for Advanced Players

37:39 Interview:  Matt Sienkiewicz

Dara O’Kearney went pro somewhat later in life than your average grinder, but his background in bridge, chess, backgammon, and most recently ultramarathoning made him a natural. He’s also a natural raconteur and an excellent writer. We talk about his unconventional background, the Irish poker scene, his staking business, and more. For even more stories, follow Dara on Twitter or check out his excellent blog.

Timestamps

0:30 – Hello & Welcome

8:29 – Strategy: a hand that will haunt you for the rest of your life

45:33 – Interview: Dara O’Kearney

Strategy

Blinds 6K-12K with a 2K Ante. Villain (350K) opens to 25K, Hero (500K) calls ATo on the button, everyone else folds.

Flop As 8s 6h. Villain checks, Hero bets 75K into 84K, Villain calls.

Turn 3h. Villain checks, Hero shoves, Villain calls.

Jim Greer, founder of Kongregate, is an avid poker player. Now he’s using game theory to combat “dark money” in American politics through CounterPAC, an organization that threatens to outspend candidates who accept anonymous donations. He joins the show to talk about his “gamesplaying” approach to campaign finance reform and the threat that Sheldon Adelson and others pose to American democracy.

:30 Hello and welcome

3:38 Crazy happenings at the poker table

8:31 Strategy: out of position with a set in a multiway pot

23:51 Interview: Jim Greer

bovada 20+2 tourney

blinds 40/80

villain 1 stack 6344

villain 2 stack 3393

hero in BB stack 7575

Villain one opens to 280 from middle position and action folds to small blind who calls.

Hero looks down at two black 3s and completes for 200.

pot goes to 840

flop 4d9c2d

all checks around

turn 3d

we turn a set and the small blind checks to us

hero bets 528 and villain one calls with villain 2 folding

pot 1896

river comes 6c

final board run out

4d9c2d3d6c

hero holds 33 for a set and bets 766

This landmark episode sets a new bar for navel-gazing, as guest hosts Carlos Welch and Gareth Chantler turn the tables on guest guests Andrew and Nate and ask about their lives, their poker careers, and their work together on the podcast.

For a guy who’s played $500/$1000 no-limit, Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky is a surprisingly nitcast-appropriate guest. He talks about his background in philosophy, his low-rolling lifestyle, how he arrived at the heavily game theoretic style he plays today, and how he thinks artificial intelligence will shape the future.

The Thinking Poker Diaries

As announced on the show, The Thinking Poker Diaries Volume 1 now available at www.nitcast.com and will be available on Amazon on October 23 (the latter is actually a slight clarification from what was announced on the show).

Timestamps

0:30 – Hello & Welcome

10:23 – Mailbag: Locking up a win

23:04 – Interview: Ben Sulsky

Chris Moon, a border-straddling tournament pro and Tournament Poker Edge instructor, is on the show this week talking about Detroit, economics, data science, five-betting light, and searching for a post-poker career.

Timestamps

0:30 – hello and welcome

6:00 – Strategy: An O/8 hand

35:27 – Interview: Chris Moon

Strategy

I have 80K and I am on the Cutoff.

I have Ad 2d 4d 10c

Folds to me and I raise to 20K

Fold to BB and he calls.

Flop comes QAA

BB checks. I bet 10K

He raises to 20K. I call.

Turn is 6h

BB bets 20K I call

River is Jc

BB bets 20K

On Episode 77, we spoke to Kristy Arnett as she was about to embark on a career as a professional poker player. Now she returns to the show to talk about her first WSOP, the frustrations of her first few months, and her goals for the future. You can read and see more of Kristy on Twitter, her website, her YouTube channel, or her Under Armour Facebook page.

This is our final episode on the iBus Media Network. The Thinking Poker Podcast will once again be available on its original feed, which you can subscribe to here, by using the links on the right-hand side of this page, or by searching Thinking Poker Podcast in your podcast player of choice.