Table 1 Podcast

Jen Harman woke up from a kidney transplant. Her husband told her Andy Beal was back in town.“Are we in?”Ten days earlier, she’d been playing the billionaire while in kidney failure. She says she won and lost $6 million in 20 minutes. Now she was recovering in a hospital bed—with a piece of the next game.Jen joins Art Parmann and Justin Young to take us inside the Corporation: the group of poker legends who pooled their money to play Andy Beal. The stakes kept climbing. The bankroll ran out. Doyle Brunson made a phone call, and $2 million showed up at Bellagio.And somehow, that’s only part of her story.Before the biggest games in Vegas, there was a fake ID in Reno, cocktail waitressing, and acting classes in LA. Then she left poker for love, bought a coal truck, and ended up so broke she couldn’t replace a windshield.Going back to poker worked out considerably better.We get into beating Sam Grizzle twice, her long friendship with Daniel Negreanu, and winning a WSOP bracelet the first time she played no-limit 2–7. There’s also the Chip Reese prank that sent her flying home from Italy, the rise and collapse of Full Tilt, and what changed when she became a mom.Now she’s writing a memoir—and figuring out how much of a life spent keeping a strong front she’s ready to put on the page.👇 Jen needs a title for her book. What would you call it? Put your best suggestion in the comments.SHOW NOTES00:00 “Are We In?”00:28 Meet Jen Harman01:32 Growing Up Competitive in Reno15:41 Losing Her Mom and Facing Kidney Failure23:23 A Fake ID and Poker as an Escape33:26 Moving to LA, Acting Classes, and the Bicycle Club42:10 Beating Sam Grizzle Twice48:23 Love, a Coal Truck, and Starting Over in Vegas57:20 Meeting Daniel Negreanu1:05:00 Tournament Lessons and Her First WSOP Bracelet1:15:10 Andy Beal and the Corporation1:20:24 “We’re Broke”—Doyle Makes a Phone Call1:29:34 A Kidney Transplant and a Piece of the Game1:34:38 Chip Reese’s Prank and a $130,000 Win1:36:02 Full Tilt: The Boom and the Collapse1:43:32 Family, Her Twin Boys, and Life Away From the Table1:48:40 The Poker Hall of Fame1:52:00 Homeschooling During COVID1:56:33 Tournament Comebacks and What She Plays Now2:00:29 Writing the MemoirJEN’S LINKSX: https://x.com/RealJenHarmanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/realjenharmanTABLE 1 LINKSPlay with us in Vegas:https://table1.vegasPhenom Poker:https://play.phenompoker.com/register?r=Table1Justin’s live cash game course:https://pokercoaching.com/table1Mako travel bags:https://safetravelsbag.comFollow Table 1:X: https://x.com/table1vegasInstagram: https://instagram.com/table1vegas#JenHarman #Poker #Table1Podcast

Limon's boss caught him playing online poker at work.He told him to choose: the job or the cards.Then Limon showed him how much he'd been winning.The boss changed his mind. Now Limon could play in his office—as long as he taught him how.Unfortunately, the boss turned out to be a world-class tilt monkey. The keyboards didn't stand a chance.Abe “Limon” joins Art Parmann and Justin Young for the story of a kid from Oregon who hustled baseball cards at Monopoly, discovered card counting through Mensa, and eventually decided he wanted a cut of the poker business—not just the pots.He was making the calls. Filling the seats. Buying the drinks. Getting PLO games off the ground.The casino was collecting the rake.So he asked for half. They offered 40%. He says he would've happily taken 20%.That deal leads us into the business behind the games: hosting, casino politics, ownership at Live at the Bike, and why getting pushed out didn't mean the checks stopped coming.And after all of it, Limon says he made millions, kept the money, and walked away when the job stopped being fun.His explanation: “I'm too rich for this.”In this episode:♠️ Becoming the house: Limon explains the table-stakes catch with an example of a $50,000 royal flush and a banker with only $10,000 in front of him.♥️ The 40% rake deal—and what happened when the casino owner noticed how much the PLO host was getting paid.♦️ Limon's side of the Live at the Bike split: Ryan Feldman, Doug Polk, a change in the business model, and getting paid for another year before the buyout.♣️ The Main Event bet that lets you pick 100 top players—and why Limon says he's never lost it.We also get into: Talking his way into university without submitting an application first. A 100% rakeback account at Ultimate Bet, being cheated, and the refund he says never came. Why he blames bigger stakes and nonstop bomb pots for driving his regulars away. His WPT call-in show, where the people he talks about can call to argue back. Why he misses the old gambling scene—and thinks modern poker feels like a cubicle job.👇 Drop a comment:Has poker gotten better—or have we just gotten better at making it boring?Follow the show for more stories from the people who've lived it. Preferably before Limon gets us banned.Show Notes00:27 — Meet Limon + “Country Club Ready”02:50 — Where the Name Limon Came From06:12 — Oregon Roots + Hustling Baseball Cards11:27 — Talking His Way Into University15:29 — Mensa, Card Counting + Getting Paid to Solve Puzzles17:05 — Being Cheap Without Being Miserable20:47 — Bookmaking, Credit + Keeping Customers in Action26:46 — Getting Paid When Gamblers Owe You Money30:01 — Card Counting Bans + A Career in Finance33:50 — Becoming the House + The Royal Flush Catch41:46 — Playing Poker at Work + Teaching the Boss46:02 — Ultimate Bet, 100% Rakeback + The Missing Refund49:08 — Getting Crushed in PLO + Wanting a Cut of the Rake53:12 — Negotiating the 40% Rake Deal59:27 — Live at the Bike + Hosts Losing in Their Own Games1:05:34 — Early Poker Streams + The Money Behind the Table1:10:58 — Bart, Ownership + Building Live at the Bike1:13:24 — Ryan Feldman, Doug Polk + The Buyout1:19:51 — Moving to Commerce + Protecting the Game1:26:09 — Bigger Stakes, Bomb Pots + Losing the Regulars1:32:08 — “I'm Too Rich for This” + Walking Away1:33:09 — The WPT Call-In Show1:34:51 — The 100-Player Main Event Bet1:39:52 — Golf Hustles + What Happened to Gambling?T1 LinksWhat is Table 1?Find out here 👇https://table1.vegasFollow us:X — https://x.com/table1vegasIG — https://instagram.com/table1vegas#Limon #Poker #Table1Podcast

Owen Messere quit university twice.His parents were happier the second time.The first time, he was studying maths at a campus he hadn't realized he'd signed up for. He discovered the mistake while booking his train.Seven and a half hours from London. Surprise.An acid trip, a long conversation with a mate, and a decision: he was going home.He tried again. Philosophy at Warwick. Better friends. A degree he actually enjoyed.Then he won a £10 poker tournament.Soon, Owen was spending around 70 hours a week playing and studying. Christmas revision became hours poring over poker simulations. His parents had never seen him work that hard at anything.Leaving university again suddenly made more sense to them than staying.This was the same kid who learned chess at three, played for England's junior team by eleven, and retired at fourteen. Now he'd found a game he couldn't leave alone.He filled notebooks with bluffs. Rented a server to run simulations. Spent months chasing answers to hands that didn't make sense.Then he studied heads-up so hard that, when he started taking on the regulars, some reported him for using real-time assistance.His explanation: he'd studied. He thought it was fun.In this episode of The Table 1 Podcast, Owen “Pr0digy” Messere joins Art Parmann and Justin Young to talk through the full ride:♠️ BTC Demon wins about $1.3 million off him at $1,000/$2,000 heads-up — while Owen scrambles to sell action.♥️ A roughly $150K tournament win funds bigger cash-game shots. More than half his bankroll disappears before he gets help.♦️ The Doug Polk challenge: nearly $200K up on day one, almost all of it gone on day two, and a nine-high call he thought was a flush.♣️ Around $600K in profit at the Cash Game World Championships — followed by another championship run that comes down to a river decision with minutes left.We also get into: Turning chess into a drinking game without trusting your teammate. Why studying solvers made poker stranger and more interesting. Learning that high-stakes regulars aren't all unbeatable. Why Owen thinks the winning hand should always be shown. A $50K Rolex and some very concerned players in Barcelona. Going from student to partner at Guerrilla Poker, and why getting better can mean getting less action.It's a story about finding the work you want to do even when nobody's making you do it.👇 Drop a comment:Would you have backed Owen's decision to quit university for poker — or told him to finish the degree?Show Notes00:29 — Intro + The $1.3M BTC Demon Session07:37 — London Roots + England's Junior Chess Team20:23 — Rugby, ADHD + The Wrong University Campus27:12 — Dropping Out + Finding a Different Path30:56 — The First Poker Win35:54 — Early Wins + The Reality Check40:09 — Getting Obsessed with Solvers49:19 — Going Pro + His Parents' Support53:55 — Heads-Up, a $150K Score + Moving Up59:59 — Guerrilla Poker + Learning to Exploit1:04:24 — Reported as a Bot + Taking Over the Lobbies1:08:11 — The Doug Polk Challenge1:15:20 — The Cash Game Championships1:19:11 — A $600K Win + A Last-Minute Near Miss1:23:10 — Why Tournaments Drive Him Crazy1:26:53 — Coaching, Streaming + What's NextOwen's Links:X:https://x.com/OwenMessereTwitch:https://twitch.tv/pr0diiigyGuerrilla Poker:https://guerrilla-poker.com/T1 LinksWhat is Table 1?Find out here 👇https://table1.vegasFollow us:X - https://x.com/table1vegasIG - https://instagram.com/table1vegas

Sean McCormack started dealing poker at a dog track. Somehow, he ended up dancing with J.Lo at her house.We may have picked the wrong side of the table.This week, “The Poker Boss” joins Art and Justin for the story of a guy who wanted to play poker for a living—and found a different way to make it in Vegas.He leaves Florida with about $1,000 and two suitcases. His first table dealing at Bellagio? Bobby’s Room. $4,000/$8,000. Doyle Brunson. Chip Reese. Pretty much everybody whose picture is on the wall.No pressure, kid.Doyle has to put a hand on his arm and tell him to slow down. Years later, Bobby Baldwin is asking him to run ARIA’s poker room.We get into how that happened, why the reserved-game arguments got so ugly, and what Alan Keating understood about people that a lot of poker pros missed. There’s also a Devilfish story involving a suspicious “$10,000” cash bundle, a car coming through the casino lobby, and Kevin Hart taking over a call to Sean’s wife.And before we let him go, we get into hidden cameras, game integrity, and why Sean says the way dealers pitch cards needs to change.Turns out, the guy dealing the cards sometimes leaves with the best stories.Tell us in the comments: What’s the most ridiculous place poker has taken you?Like the episode? Follow Table 1 on Spotify. We’ve got more people with questionable career plans and excellent stories coming your way.SHOW NOTES0:00 Intro0:34 Meet The Poker Boss1:32 Growing Up in Massachusetts13:34 Computers, Basketball & the Move to Florida18:33 Catching the Poker Bug23:26 Casino Boats & the Dog-Track Audition28:37 Taking the Show on the Road: The WPT33:19 A Car Comes Through the Casino Lobby38:40 Devilfish’s “$10,000” Surprise41:32 $1,000, Two Suitcases & a Midnight Departure47:41 First Table at Bellagio: Bobby’s Room50:24 From Dealer to the Rules Guy57:50 The Call From Bobby Baldwin59:53 Reserved Games & the Backlash1:09:07 What Alan Keating Figured Out1:13:23 Behind the PokerGO Deal1:17:37 Kevin Hart Hijacks a Phone Call1:20:50 Poker at Ben & J.Lo’s House1:27:32 Hidden Cameras & Changing the Deal1:33:27 Bellagio’s Slide-Pitch Plan1:38:08 Shufflers, Home Games & Game Integrity1:42:36 Where to Find The Poker BossPLAY WITH US IN VEGASCome for the poker. Leave with a story.table1.vegasSUPPORT THE SHOWSafe Travels Bag — use code TABLE1 at checkout.Justin’s How to Crush Live Cash Games coursePhenom Poker — use code TABLE1.SEAN’S LINKS@ThePokerBoss on XTABLE 1 LINKSTable 1 on XTable 1 on Instagram#Table1Podcast #Poker #DoyleBrunson

Mike Holtz thought “Napster” was just a guy in his World of Warcraft group.It was the guy who created Napster.They’d been playing together for years. Mike had no idea.At 17, he was traveling to gaming tournaments with him—with his mom’s permission. Poker was something they played between dungeon raids.Then the gaming circuit lost its funding.What followed wasn’t exactly a straight line to the WSOP.Selling weed. Thirty days in jail. A hotel front-desk job. Then an invitation to a $300 home game with the wealthiest business owners in town.His boss warned him: these guys were sharks.Mike won about $1,100.They invited him back.He says he won every Tuesday for a year. The poker money was beating the paycheck, and his biggest worry was that they’d stop inviting him.Vegas proved a little less cooperative.There were cash-game struggles, a marriage breakdown, and a return to World of Warcraft during COVID. One of his Twitch regulars turned out to be David Williams. Somehow, gaming kept bringing him back to poker.By 2021, he was chasing WSOP.com Player of the Year.The guy who used to sleep beside his computer to grind Warcraft rankings had found another leaderboard.In this episode of The Table 1 Podcast, two-time WSOP bracelet winner and PokerNews Podcast co-host Mike Holtz joins Art Parmann and Justin Young for the stories behind the results:♠️ The family secret that led to a private investigator—and a brother living 30 minutes away♥️ Thirty days in jail, where he already knew half the people inside♦️ Talking the final table into an $11,650-per-person chop with seven big blinds… then busting two hands later♣️ The fake tournament-package story he told his boss to get to Vegas♠️ Turning the online tournament grind into two WSOP.com Player of the Year titles♥️ Why he says his online bracelet was harder to win than his live one♦️ A WSOP rail chant he had to shut down before heads-up♣️ Joining PokerNews, interviewing Maurice Hawkins, and the bracelet-ceremony “apology”About that apology.Mike got onstage and said he wanted to apologize to Maurice Hawkins.“For absolutely nothing.”Then dropped the mic.We also get into the two-monitor kitchen-table setup, taking naps with 12 players left, and the coaching videos he keeps winning too much—and procrastinating too hard—to finish.Probably not the preparation routine you’ll find in a poker textbook.👇 Drop a comment:What’s the strangest thing that led you to poker?Mike’s LinksX: https://x.com/MikeHoltzPokerIG: https://instagram.com/MikeHoltzPokerT1 LinksPlay with us at Phenom Poker:https://play.phenompoker.com/register?r=Table1Play with us at Table 1:https://table1.vegasJustin’s Poker Coaching Series:Learn to Crush Live Poker — https://pokercoaching.com/table1Follow T1:X — https://x.com/table1vegasIG — https://instagram.com/table1vegas