Thinking Poker

Sam Grafton’s post-graduate studies in critical theory make him the first guest capable of schooling Andrew on Foucault. We talk about staking and swapping, the importance of social capital to success in poker, the blurred line between poker and gambling, the extent to which the poker world operates independently of traditional government and economic institutions, and Sam’s political activism.

Sam is a video producer at Run It Once. You can read his columns in UK PokerPlayer and follow him on Twitter @squidpoker.

For more great strategy content, be sure to pick up the Thinking Poker Premium Podcasts and sign up for Tournament Poker Edge.

Timestamps

0:30 – Hello and Welcome

3:58 -Interview: Sam Grafton

57:30 – Strategy: Queens with a King on the Board

Strategy

Blinds are 200/400/25 ante. Hero (42,900) opens to 1600 in MP1 with QQ. Villain (57,675) calls in the CO, and the Button also calls.

Flop (5900): Kc 6h 5c 3 players. Hero bets 2500, Villain calls, Button folds.

Turn (10,900): Th (board Kc 6h 5c Th). Hero checks, Villain bets 10,000 into 10,900.

River (30,900): 2d (board Kc 6h 5c Th 2d). Hero checks. Villain bets 20,000 into 30,900.

Clayton Fletcher, professional poker player and comedian, talks about growing up in a poker playing family (his mother is also a professional poker player!), how his two careers complement each other, and what he’s learned from each. Then, we talk about the strategic implications of playing against world-class players in a tournament with a generally soft field.

Clayton first came to our attention when he mentioned our show on Dennis Has a Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @claytoncomic and learn more about his upcoming shows from his website. Be sure to hit him up on Twitter if you want to check out the Clayton Fletcher Show at the New York Comedy Club.

In the opening, we mentioned a few of our past episodes, specifically our interviews with John the Lawyer and Ben Wilinofsky. The Premium Podcasts are available at www.nitcast.com.

Timestamps

0:30 – Hello & Welcome; Andrew gets shunned

14:36 – Interview: Clayton Fletcher

59:01 – Strategy: Clayton Fletcher vs the World

Matthew “theginger45” Hunt is one of the newest video producers at Tournament Poker Edge. After several years of traveling and living abroad, he’s returned to his native England to focus on poker and writing. He talks to us about why he gave up his nomadic life for poker, how he’s using poker to support his aspirations as a writer, and how many poker players could benefit from some life coaching. We also discuss a strategy hand from the Tournament Poker Edge forums.

Members of TPE can watch Matthew Hunt’s videos, including his latest series, Life Coaching for Poker Players. If you’re not a TPE member, you can still read Matt’s articles, but you really should consider signing up!

You should also consider picking up our WSOP Premium Podcasts. Nineteen dollars gets you more than five hours of strategy as Nate and Andrew discuss key hands from the 2013 WSOP Main Event as well as important concepts in any poker tournament.

Timestamps

0:30 – Hello, welcome, & thank you

4:53 – Interview: Matthew Hunt

52:20 – Strategy: Playing nines when a ten flops

After last week’s interruption, Nate and Andrew are back with an all-strategy episode plus exciting news about how to get even more strategy from us! You’ll hear our thoughts on Ed Miller’s new book (more from Nate on his blog), folding a straight in a multi-way pot,  folding a set on the river, and folding AJ to a four-bet on Day 6 of the WSOP Main Event. #nitcast

The Big News

For those of you who can’t get enough Thinking Poker strategy, now you can get more! We’ve released a series of premium podcasts featuring more than five hours of strategy content relating to tournament poker in general and drawing specifically on examples from the 2013 WSOP Main Event. Whether you’re preparing for the World Series of Poker or another big event yourself or just enjoy hearing stories from the world’s biggest poker tournament, there’s something here for you. You can score your Thinking Poker Premium Podcasts here for just $19 at www.nitcast.com.

Timestamps

:30 – Hello and welcome; Andrew at Lucky Chances; Thinking Poker Premium; Poker’s 1%

25:39 – Strategy from the Mailbag

Ed Miller, whose first first appearance on the show set a new bar for Thinking Poker Podcast strategy content, is back to talk about his new book, Poker’s 1%. Ed and the guys talk about why so many players struggle to think in terms of ranges and frequencies and address some common misunderstandings, plus Ed fields questions from the Twitterverse.

0:30 hello and welcome; nittin’ ain’t easy

17:27 a message from carlos welch

19:09 ed miller on poker’s 1%

Jennifer Shahade is a two-time American Women’s Chess Champion, an author, and a professional poker player. She joins the show to discuss the world of chess, her transition to poker, Open Face Chinese, the Grindettes, and her recent TED talk. You can follow her on Twitter or on Instagram and read her articles or buy her book, Chess Bitch.

Plus Nate returns to the show to let Andrew how he did in his absence, and the two discuss a big laydown Nate made in a $2/$5 game at Foxwoods.

Carlos Welch fills in for Nate this week and is remarkably open about his recent setbacks, including the challenges of playing underrolled, finding a good backing deal, and balancing live vs online play. In an extra-long strategy segment, he and Andrew discuss bluffing in small stakes games, taking examples from Carlos’ recent play as well as the Thinking Poker mailbag. For more bluffing strategy, check out Andrew’s most recent series on Tournament Poker Edge.

Timestamps

0:30 Hello and welcome; updates from Carlos

29:56 Strategy: bluffing in small stakes games

Mike freakin’ McDonald is on the show this week, talking about his meteoric rise to the top of the poker world, his unconventional views on the desirability of online gambling, his “retirement”, reg-filled rake fests, the Bank of Timex, the influence of staking on the modern tournament scene, and why he still plays both $10 and $100,000 tournaments. PLUS Mike sticks around for a meaty strategy segment that touches on topics such as dealing with overactive players, pre-flop raise sizing in tournaments, and hero checking.

Timestamps

0:30 – Hello and welcome; the Mike McDonald story

61:02 – Hero checking and other strategy concepts with Mike McDonald

Edit: I made a big mistake in my introduction, stating that Mike won the 2014 PCA Main Event. In fact they made a deal three-handed, and Mike went on to take second. Apologies to anyone I confused, and especially to Mike. I’ve added a correction to the audio file as well.

Gareth Chantler calls in from a hostel in Phuket, Thailand to discuss his latest travels, his second-place finish in a $215 TCOOP tournament, and the plight of the Rohingya people.

You can follow @GarethChantler on Twitter, read his final table write-up on the PokerStars blog, and read more from Brad Willis on his excellent blog.

Timestamps

0:30 – hello and welcome; catching up with Gareth

45:58 – strategy: playing Jacks against heavy action

Andre Coimbra returns to the show to reflect on his year as a full-time multi-table tournament professional. He shares what he learned from the experience, his poker plans for the new year, the charity to which he ended up donating his 2013 profits, and what his home life is like now that his girlfriend is also a professional poker player.

You may wish to listen to our first interview with Andre, watch the free coaching videos Andre and Andrew have on YouTube, study push-fold situations with ICMizer, or read Andre’s girlfriend’s blog. And listen to Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast!

Timestamps

0:30 – Hello and Welcome

5:39 – Mailbag: “soft” poker skills

27:01 – Strategy: bluffing the river

45:27 – Interview: Andre Coimbra