Thinking Poker

Our conversation from Episode 488 continues (without Nate, unfortunately). We even talk some poker strategy!For more Joel:First appearance on Episode 409Another two-part conversation begins with Episode 484Joel’s blogOld Man JamesDJ Renegade on SoundcloudJoel’s book Ideas of ImprovisationYou 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.  Joel Porter-Dias Joel Porter-Dias is a poet who has earned a living from gambling for over thirty years. He has also been a DJ, a computer programmer, and probably a few other things we didn’t even get to ask him about. His book Ideas of Improvisation is available from Thread Makes Blanket Press. Twitter Link

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 Daily.  NATE MEYVIS Nate Meyvis is a software engineer and a former professional poker player and original co-host of the Thinking Poker Podcast. Twitter Link Joel Porter-Dias Joel Porter-Dias is a poet who has earned a living from gambling for over thirty years. He has also been a DJ, a computer programmer, and probably a few other things we didn’t even get to ask him about. His book Ideas of Improvisation is available from Thread Makes Blanket Press. Twitter Link

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. 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.  ALEX LIVINGSTON Alex Livingston is a professional poker player and coach. With Chris Vitch, he teaches the Mixed Minds course. Alex finished 3rd in the 2019 WSOP Main Event for $4 million. Twitter Link

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 programThe Mechanics of Poker PodcastSupport 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 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.  RENE KUHLMAN Rene “TheWakko” Kuhlman is a professional poker player specializing in high stakes online cash games. He is a coach for The Mechanics of Poker and GTO Wizard and co-host of The Mechanics of Poker Podcast. Link

This is the conclusion of our interview with Joel Porter-Dias, which began with Episode 484. Joel first appeared on Episode 409.Joel’s blogOld Man JamesDJ Renegade on SoundcloudJoel’s book Ideas of ImprovisationYou 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.  JOEL PORTER-DIAS Joel Porter-Dias is a poet who has earned a living from gambling for over thirty years. He has also been a DJ, a computer programmer, and probably a few other things we didn’t even get to ask him about. His book Ideas of Improvisation is available from Thread Makes Blanket Press. Twitter Link

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 blogOld Man JamesDJ Renegade on SoundcloudJoel’s book Ideas of ImprovisationYou 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.  Joel Porter-Dias Joel Porter-Dias is a poet who has earned a living from gambling for over thirty years. He has also been a DJ, a computer programmer, and probably a few other things we didn’t even get to ask him about. His book Ideas of Improvisation is available from Thread Makes Blanket Press. Twitter Link

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 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.  JENNY WESTERLUND Jenny Westerlund is a professional poker player from Switzerland. She recently won the Main Event of the WSOP Circuit in Tallinn, Estonia. Link

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 GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.  Ian Gavlick Ian Gavlick is a poker playing Software Engineer, who spent 15 years working at companies like Twitter & Microsoft before starting Stud Flop Draw to build modern study tools for mixed games. Twitter Link

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:InstagramFacebookTiktokYou 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 & Natascha Carpenter Michelle Farmer and Natascha Carpenter have over 15 years of poker experience. Royal Queens Poker hosts ladies-only tournaments and offers classes to encourage female participation. Additionally, Royal Queens Poker provides free poker events at local restaurants and bars, where players have the chance to win prizes. Link

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. 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.  CRAIG SAVAGE Craig is an educator with 31 years of experience, specializing in psychology, the psychology and ethics of leadership, and advanced biology. A former collegiate athlete, he turned to poker in 2003 as a new competitive outlet. He has a gold WSOP bracelet from the 2025 $500 NLHE Freezeout and is part of the Chase the Dream docuseries. Twitter Link

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/?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.   IAN CHAN 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. Twitter Link

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

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 Thinking Poker Daily.  NATE SILVER 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. Twitter Link MARIA KONNIKOVA 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. Twitter Link

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. 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.  SAM GREENWOOD 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. Twitter Link

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 episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.  CHRIS VITCH Chris Vitch is a long-time professional poker player, coach, and instructor focusing on mixed games. He has three WSOP bracelets. Twitter

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

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

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. 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.  Andres Korn 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 TablesYou 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.  ARIEL SHEFER 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.” Link