Thinking Poker

Caitlyn Arnwine and LoriAnn Persinger return to the show to help us brainstorm solutions to the problems of representation and unequal opportunity in the poker world. In the introduction, Andrew and Carlos console themselves over their runner-up finish at the GPI Awards and Gloria Jackson joins to discuss the event. 

Caitlyn Arnwine first appeared on Episode 397 as Caitlyn Cobb. She also appeared on our earlier episode on women’s events. We spoke with her husband, Justin Arnwine, on Episodes 398 and 399.

LoriAnn Persinger first appeared on Episode 394.

Gloria Jackson first appeared on Episode 401. She and Carlos discuss their relationship on Episode 411.

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0:30 – Intro and GPI Awards Debrief with Gloria Jackson
26:30 – Caityln and LoriAnn

Caitlyn Arnwine describes herself as a force that makes change. Caitlyn is the former Coordinator of Public Education for @NationalHomeles and Social Media Director of @TJC_DC.

LoriAnn Persinger is a poker lover, Navy veteran, and serial game show champion with a history in poker media.

From (semi) professional paintball to house party home games to high stakes LA cash, Fausto Valdez’s path to poker has been unique. He’s formed some strong opinions along the way: about pre-flop raise sizes, the politics of private games, how nits stack their chips, and more.

Support the podcast, get daily strategy discussions, *and* be eligible to win a one-month subscription to GTO Wizard by subscribing to Thinking Poker Daily. 

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Fausto Valdez is a professional poker player and coach with Blueprint Poker Coaching, Solve for Why, and Jaka Coaching.

Isaac “Ike” Haxton returns to the podcast after eleven years, joining Carlos and Andrew for a conversation about studying, staying on top, the limitations of solvers, why he still masks in public spaces, and more. Isaac first appeared on Episode 18.

Support the podcast, get daily strategy discussions, *and* be eligible to win a one-month subscription to GTO Wizard by subscribing to Thinking Poker Daily. 

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Isaac Haxton is one of the most successful no-limit hold ’em tournament players of all time, with nearly $50 million in Hendon Mob cashes. He won PokerGO Tour Player of the Year in 2023.

Jorbs AKA Stephen Flavall is a storyteller and strategy games streamer. His current focus is Slay the Spire, but once upon a time he was a professional poker player. He shares that journey with Carlos and Andrew, plus insights into cultivating community, the darker side of streaming, and more.

Stephen is the author of Before We Go Live: Navigating the Abusive World of Online Entertainment. You can find him on on Twitch, YouTube, and Discord.

Support the podcast, get daily strategy discussions, *and* be eligible to win a one-month subscription to GTO Wizard by subscribing to Thinking Poker Daily. 

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Stephen “jorbs” Flavall is a former professional poker player and a leading strategy game streamer on Twitch.tv, where he has a growing 100,000 follower community. He holds multiple world records in difficult strategy games and currently concentrates on Slay the Spire.

Pamela Balzano’s older brother got her into poker, but while he was a professional player, her first interest was in content creation. After launching successful Spanish language YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, and TikTok channels, she is now a serious player as well, as well as an announcer and host for events across Latin America.

Pamela recommends Cosmos by Carl Sagan.

The author Andrew recommended is James Gleick.

Support the podcast, get daily strategy discussions, *and* be eligible to win a one-month subscription to GTO Wizard by subscribing to Thinking Poker Daily. 

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Pamela Balzano is an Argentian poker player, content creator, announcer, and host. She is a member of GGTeam.

Math professor and poker author Ducan Palamourdas returns for another wide-ranging conversation about game theory, finding edges, local metagames, how strategies evolve, and much more. Duncan first appeared on Episode 349 of the Thinking Poker Podcast.

Why Alex Beats Bobbie at Poker
Slay the Spire

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Dr. Konstantinos Palamourdas, otherwise known as Duncan, is a UCLA instructor, author, columnist and researcher. Duncan holds two master’s degrees (one in pure math and one in Computer Science) and a PhD in Mathematical Logic. He is the author of Why Alex Beats Bobbie at Poker.

Matt Matros is a professional poker player and writer whose works include both fiction and poker books. With Carlos and Andrew, he discusses concepts from his new book, 23 No-Limit Hold ‘Em Hands From 2023, and an interesting pot he and Carlos played together. Matt previously appeared on Episode 301 and Episode 379.

Support the podcast, get daily strategy discussions, *and* be eligible to win a one-month subscription to GTO Wizard by subscribing to Thinking Poker Daily. 

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Matt Matros has three WSOP bracelets and an MFA in creative writing. He is the author of The Making of a Poker Player, The Game Plan, The Poker Brain and the new 23 No-Limit Hold ‘Em Hands From 2023.

2023 was a banner year for the Thinking Poker Podcast, and we’re counting down our favorite interviews and best strategy content. Helping us out is Chad McVean, who may well have consumed more hours of poker podcasts this year than anyone else on Earth!

Support the podcast, get daily strategy discussions, *and* be eligible to win a one-month subscription to GTO Wizard by subscribing to Thinking Poker Daily. 

Chad McVean is a mixed game enthusiast, a connoisseur of fine poker podcasts, and the Social Media Director for Poker Life Media.

K.L. Cleeton returns to the show to discuss the highs and lows of his last few years, including memorable WSOP trips and getting stranded by a hotel that couldn’t accommodate his hospital bed. K.L. has previously appeared on Episode 224 and Episode 279.

In the strategy segment, Andrew discusses some counter-intuitive exploits against opponents who c-et too often.

Support the podcast, get daily strategy discussions, *and* be eligible to win a one-month subscription to GTO Wizard by subscribing to Thinking Poker Daily. 

K.L. Cleeton was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, but that hasn’t kept him from playing poker both live and online. In 2017, he won a contest sponsored by Daniel Negreanu and lived his dream of playing in the WSOP Main Event, ultimately cashing for over $16,000!

K.L. is the co-founder of Range Trainer Pro and manager of Learn Pro Poker.

Dad, data engineer, and poker player Chad Gardner talks about (not) making time for poker and how, as an amateur, he prepared to compete in Day 3 of WPT Jacksonville.

Support the podcast, get daily strategy discussions, *and* be eligible to win a one-month subscription to GTO Wizard by subscribing to Thinking Poker Daily. 

Chard Gardner is a dad and Data Engineer at BlocPower, with a side of poker.