Thinking Poker

Former Thinking Poker Podcast host Nate Meyvis steps back into the host’s seat to interview current hosts Andrew Brokos and Carlos Welch in honor of the show’s surpassing 500 episodes.

Zippy Flash

For more information or to sign up for coaching with Andrew, email andrew (at) thinkingpoker (dot) net or DM on Twitter or BlueSky.

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

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

Shawt Stack Shawty g...

Comedy writer, poker pro, and content creator Liliana Marmolejo joins Carlos and Andrew to discuss her intense love affair with poker, how she brings fun and liveliness to the table, how poker fits into a Hollywood career, and more!

Liliana on Instagram
Carlos and Liliana in a Hungry Horse video

For more information or to sign up for coaching with Andrew, email andrew (at) thinkingpoker (dot) net or DM on Twitter or BlueSky.

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

...

Erik Seidel has been one of the greatest poker players in the world for over four decades. We are proud and honored to celebrate this milestone episode with such a legend of the game. Erik discusses with Carlos and Andrew his early days as a backgammon player at the Mayfair Club, his second-place finish to Johnny Chan at his first WSOP, and how he’s navigated so many dramatic changes in the poker landscape without losing his edge.

Thanks to Sam Greenwood for helping us connect with Erik.

Our fun new Throwback Hand History Review is...

Run It Once coach and Know Your Poker YouTuber Luke Johnson joins Andrew for a conversation about solvers, extreme exploits, coaching, and the psychological stress of high stakes poker.

Watch a High Stakes Pro Exploit 10NL for 58 Minutes

For more information or to sign up for coaching with Andrew (Brokos), email andrew (at) thinkingpoker (dot) net or DM on Twitter or BlueSky.

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

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

Sam Greenwood returns to the show to talk poker, punting, gigablocks, hip hop, and how he’s more of an “intuitive player” than we made him out to be in our recent interview with Andrew Lichtenberger. 

Sign up for Sam’s newsletter at puntoftheday.com/thinking for 20% off a 1-year subscription.

Sam first appeared on Episode 476.

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

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

Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger joins Carlos and Andrew to discuss his unique place in the upper echelons of tournament poker. Is intuition a largely untapped vein of potential poker profit? Can we remember the future? Have extraterrestrials made contact with Andrew? This is one of the most extraordinary conversations we’ve ever had!

For more information or to sign up for coaching with Andrew (Brokos), email andrew (at) thinkingpoker (dot) net or DM on Twitter or BlueSky.

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

You ca...

Organizer, advocate, and poker pro Caityln Arnwine (and her infant daughter Imani) speaks with Carlos and Andrew about parenthood, poker plans, Black History Month, and her forthcoming children’s book.

Caitlyn Arnwine first appeared on Episode 397 as Caitlyn Cobb. She also appeared on our earlier episode on women’s events, on Episode 431 with LoriAnn Persinger, on Episode 451 with Justin and Barbara Arnwine, and on Episode 463. We interviewed her husband, Justin Arnwine, on Episodes 398 and 399.

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

Receive 10...

Artist and poker player Gus Hoffman joins us to discuss New Orleans, creativity, the Hungry Horse and bootcamp, and much more!

David Sklansky passed away last week. We spoke with him on Episode 300 and Episode 333. 

Carlos and Andrew answer Thinking Poker Daily listener questions about ICM, training your folding muscle, and more!

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

Fresh off a $2 million win in the WPT World Championship, poker pro Soheb Porbandarwala shares his story with Carlos and Andrew: winning five figures as a high school student, explaining poker to his Muslim parents, why it pays to be the worst player in your group chat, and more!

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

Mystery Bounty Poker Strategy by Dara O’Kearney

Bounty Buster Calculator by Dr Kamikaze

Carlos and Andrew answer Thinking Poker Daily listener questions about ICM, training your folding muscle, and more!

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

Russ Fox joins the show after a thirteen-year hiatus to discuss the Big Beautiful Bill’s disastrous change to how gambling losses are taxed. And what you can do about it!

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

Tech entrepreneur Victoria Livschitz discovered poker in 2021 and quickly befriened some of the best players in the game. She’s now a force to be reckoned with both on and off the felt, with multiple major final tables under her belt plus the Octopi Poker training site and Pocket Queens study group for women.

Andrew and Carlos look back on a year’s worth of conversations to choose their favorites and recommend some hidden gems.

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

You can now...

Andrew and Carlos look back on a year’s worth of conversations to choose their favorites and recommend some hidden gems.

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

Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up!

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

Our conversation from Episode 488 continues (without Nate, unfortunately). We even talk some poker strategy!

For more Joel:

First appearance on Episode 409

Another two-part conversation begins with Episode 484

Joel’s blog
Old Man James
DJ Renegade on Soundcloud
Joel’s book Ideas of Improvisation

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

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It’s an epic meeting of the minds as former Thinking Poker host Nate Meyvis meets guest extraordinaire Joel Porter-Dias to discuss the NBA/poker cheating scandal, AI poker coaching, poetry, trivia, and more! 

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

Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!

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

Mixed game master and Main Event final tabler Alex Livingston joins Carlos and Andrew to discuss playing mixed games, coaching mixed games, teaching in Rwanda, and coining the term Old Man Coffee.

Alex and Chris Vitch teach the Mixed Minds video training course.

Support the Podcast:

You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold (now in Canada!) by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. 

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Rene “TheWakko” Kuhlman is one of the best no-limit cash game players in the world, and he’s an even better teacher! With Andrew and Carlos, he discusses his rocky journey to the top and the lessons he learned along the way about bankroll management, mindset, and success.

More from Rene:

The Mechanics of Poker coaching program

The Mechanics of Poker Podcast

Support the Podcast:

You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold (now in Canada!) by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. 

Receive 10% off you...

This is the conclusion of our interview with Joel Porter-Dias, which began with Episode 484. Joel first appeared on Episode 409.

Joel’s blog
Old Man James
DJ Renegade on Soundcloud
Joel’s book Ideas of Improvisation

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

Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!

You can now get two FREE episodes per week

Joel Porter-Dias, who first appeared on Episode 409, returns to discuss advantage slot play and some legendary gamblers who recently passed. Joel is a fascinating and multi-faceted guy, which is why this is only Part 1 of a very long interview!

Joel’s blog
Old Man James
DJ Renegade on Soundcloud
Joel’s book Ideas of Improvisation

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

Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today an...

Swedish pro and mother of two Jenny Westerlund recently had the biggest score of her career when she shipped the Main Event of the WSOP Circuit in Tallinn, Estonia for over €200,000. She talks to Nate and Andrew about her background as both a dealer and a kindergarten teacher and how she balances traveling the live circuit with (co-)parenting two kids as a single mother.

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

Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign...

Software engineer and avid mixed games player Ian Gavlick is bringing games like triple draw into the modern era of poker strategy with Stud Flop Draw. He shares his passion for mixed game strategy and software with Andrew and Carlos and offers some predictions for how AI will shape the future of poker.

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

Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with...

Andrew and Carlos answer strategy questions from the Patreon, and Carlos discusses his move from Las Vegas to Jacksonville.

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

Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!

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

Michelle Farmer and Natascha Carpenter founded Royal Queens Poker in Atlanta in 2024 after seeing the lack of diversity in other leagues, a journey they shared with Andrew, Carlos, and Gloria Jackson on Episode 459. Now they’re back to discuss the joys and challenges of their rapid growth plus some thoughts on the 2025 World Series of Poker.

Thanks to Caitlyn Arnwine for connecting us with them!

Follow Royal Queens Poker on Social Media:

Instagram
Facebook
Tiktok

You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgo...

Craig Savage is an educator by trade, but he’s been a competitive poker player and a student of Carlos’s for many years. Hot on the heels of his bracelet victory in the $500 NLHE Freezeout, he speaks with Andrew and Carlos about the experience and how he stays on top of the game despite family and professional obligations.

In the strategy segment, Andrew discusse what exactly “targeting” means and why so many people get it wrong.

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

Recei...

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.

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

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.

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

Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!

You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Think...

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. 

Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!

You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thi...

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.

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

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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.

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

Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!

You can now get two FREE epi...

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.

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

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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.

You can join An...

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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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 pr...

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...

It’s been two years since Carlos met Gloria Jackson when he contacted about for an interview. Now he lives with her and her two youngest sons, and both their lives have changed dramatically. The two of them share with Andrew what their lives look like now, both on and off the felt.

If you aren’t familiar with Gloria, her original interview is well worth listening to even if you don’t care about Carlos’s love life. For those who do, the story of how they got together is a great listen, too.

You can...

Co-owner of the Irish Poker Open Paul O’Reilly discusses the historic event with Carlos and Andrew. Plus the Irish poker scene, tips for visiting Dublin, and more!

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. 

Card player, political scientist, and fan favorite Matt Glassman returns to the show to discuss the Oh Hell! book he’s working on and answer listener questions about American politics.

Matt is a frequent Thinking Poker guest who first appeared on Episode 191.

Lamont Jones talked Bid Whist with us on Episode 433.

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

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Jim Reid, LoriAnn Persinger, and Rob Gardner join Andrew and Carlos to talk about the RecPoker community and how the needs, goals, and experiences of recreational players differ from those of professionals.

LoriAnn first appeared on Episode 394 of the Thinking Poker Podcast.

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...

Carlos shares his experiences from the GPI awards banquet and a visit with Tom McEvoy. Then he and Andrew discuss two tricky tournament spots with AK.

We interviewed Tom McEvoy on Episode 450. 

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

Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!

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

 ...

Winning a major poker tournament isn’t a fast track onto the Thinking Poker Podcast, but when Matt Savage says, “You have to talk to this guy!”, we oblige. And so glad we did!

Zak VanKeuren, who won the WPT Prime Championship in December for over $1 million, is a great poker player, but he isn’t just a great poker player. He’s also a holistic wellness enthusiast and performance coach.

We talk to him about what exactly that means, how it helped him perform on one of poker’s largest stages, and what he hopes to tea...