To celebrate reaching their 50th episode, MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Strategist Dr. Tricia interviewed Super High Roller Matt Berkey! He spent almost 2 hours answering listener questions. Topics covered included: • How to improve your MTT game • Why the mental game is so critical to poker performance • Variance • The importance of emotional intelligence • How to deal with tilt • How to play your A-game more often • And, much more Because Matt gave such thorough and thought-provo...
Sep 21, 2018•1 hr 11 min
In Episode 49, MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Engineer Dr. Tricia talk about several topics including: •The best ways to study for an upcoming live MTT with only limited time •Why pre-flop range construction is so important •Not having a min-cash mindset •The importance of volume •The recent cyber-attacks on PokerStars Then, they devoted the majority of the episode to talking about a listener question on pulling the trigger on certain plays and why that can be so challenging. Fear o...
Aug 18, 2018•1 hr 7 min
In Episode 48, MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Engineer Dr. Tricia Cardner are back to discuss Gareth’s recent poker trip to Romania for the Unibet Open. They covered a couple of hand histories as well as some of the psychological components that go into playing live tournaments with opponents of varying skill levels. Then, they addressed listener question related to the frustration when playing with lesser skilled players. Yes, it can feel frustrating when they, “don’t respect your ...
Aug 10, 2018•1 hr 33 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Engineer Dr. Tricia Cardner are back to answering listener questions in Episode 47 after starting out the episode by talking about the book they are working on that will teach readers how to develop their poker expertise more easily and efficiently. The plan is to have the book available during next summer’s WSOP, so stay tuned! Then, they addressed two listener questions; one on how to make sure you keep your mental fortitude at an all-time high so as...
Jul 27, 2018•1 hr 10 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner spend Episode 46 reviewing their respective trips to the 2018 WSOP. Gareth had many adventures including hot air ballooning, golfing, and he even got paddled! Both Tricia and Gareth got in plenty of poker and various hands and situations were discussed. We covered a variety of events including the WSOP Tag Team, the WSOP Monster Stack, PH 6-max and the Wynn Classic. We chatted about some plays we saw others make at the WSO...
Jul 21, 2018•1 hr 34 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner spend Episode 45 talking about all things Vegas and WSOP. Tricia has just arrived in Vegas and is setting up shop in preparation for a poker marathon. Gareth is following behind in just a couple of weeks and he, too, is planning and strategizing! We also tackled a twitter question from Sandra who asked about setting up daily habits in order to enhance performance at the table. Tricia discussed the importance of a morning r...
Jun 11, 2018•1 hr 9 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner spend Episode 44 discussing Gareth’s recent runs in SCOOP (and other assorted online poker festivals) while he was in residence at a grind house with a few other players. They also discussed the recent Super High Roll Bowl where Daniel Negreanu started out with a strong focus, even as Doug Polk attempted to troll him (and Gareth explained the backstory of the feud which led to said trolling). Sadly, his focus seemed to wan...
Jun 05, 2018•1 hr 44 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner spend Episode 43 live podcasting as Gareth plays a Powerfest event as well as the $55 Daily Marathon. We discuss several hands and the various lines that Gareth plays in real time. In addition, Tricia received a question from “Doug” regarding how to stop blowing up after playing well for 1-2 hours. Tricia explained how distractions are the main cause of lost focus. There are 2 types of distractions: internal and external. ...
May 23, 2018•1 hr 3 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner devote Episode 42 to discussing how to keep yourself focused and centered so that you can play more effectively. This is especially important if you find yourself getting nervous or anxious before you play. Before we dove into our main topic, we discussed the various online events that are coming up (SCOOP, Power Fest. etc.) and Gareth shared that he is getting a grind house for SCOOP! We will be expecting some fun reports...
May 04, 2018•1 hr 38 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner devote Episode 41 to discussing a recent slight ICM mistake that Gareth made as well as a deep run that he posted up in the Big $55. Gareth took us through some ICM calculations in a spot where 3 players are left and the two short stacks are close in size to each other and the deep stack has an overwhelming percentage of the chips. It turns out that we must call the deep stack’s push a lot tighter than we might imagine in ...
Apr 23, 2018•1 hr 21 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner devote Episode 40 to Tricia and Gareth discussing the roller-coaster tide that is poker. We discussed how the swings of the game can play tricks on your mind and Tricia gave several tips for keeping a positive mindset. With the summer coming up quickly and many of you going to the WSOP and other summer festivals, it is crucial that you not put yourself in a positon to have to rely on luck. You want to have your skills in o...
Apr 11, 2018•1 hr 13 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked Episode 39 off with Tricia and Gareth discussing his recent trip to the Irish Open. He had a great time and it is definitely a warm-up for the summer! He also shared a question from one of his group members about why we often get defensive and feel the need to explain ourselves at the table. We considered several relevant theories and offer suggestions as to changing that mindset. Tricia then tackled a question from...
Apr 03, 2018•1 hr 29 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked Episode 38 off with Tricia and Gareth discussing International Women’s Day as well as the role of women in poker. Gareth also discussed his top picks for his summer visit to WSOP/Vegas based off of Kenny Hallaert’s spreadsheet of summer poker schedules which you can find here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qpxeIG3O7IVPq_loaFNGTKixAHmxLLdQPHxm1z2GX4E/edit#gid =308492317 The show then transitioned into Garet...
Mar 17, 2018•1 hr 28 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked Episode 37 off with Tricia and Gareth discussing the UKPC which Gareth recently attended. He played the Main Event and the Finale and gave us some insight into the way he played, how the fields were, and what it was like for an online player to go live. Tricia also shared some information on the withdrawal process from online sites that was sent to her via listener Jonas. We then got into the show and tackled a ques...
Mar 04, 2018•1 hr 10 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked Episode 36 off with Tricia and Gareth discussing Valentine’s Day, the Olympic Games and Gareth’s many recent online scores. Among other things, we discussed how MTT poker is really a volume game and how getting in proper volume is the key – whether you feel like it or not. We then tackled listener Nigel’s question on a related topic. Specifically, he asked how to stay motivated to play after posting a couple of big ...
Feb 21, 2018•1 hr 4 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked Episode 35 off with Tricia and Gareth talking about her new puppy Oliver Twist & Gareth’s new boiler situation. Also, Gareth shared a couple of large online MTT wins that he accomplished in the last couple of weeks. Gareth jumped into his question on game selection and we had an in-depth discussion on the various components that make a game “good” including field size, overall opponent skill, and value. Game sel...
Feb 14, 2018•1 hr 31 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked Episode 34 off with Tricia and Gareth talking about all the progress Gareth has been making towards getting into shape so far this year. He also shared an app called Sleep Cycle that you can download to your phone to track your sleep. Tricia discussed a bit about how the 2nd round of the Solve for Why Academy Primer Course is underway and how she is learning so much more on this second go around. It pays to revisit ...
Jan 28, 2018•1 hr 20 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked Episode 33 off talking about accommodations for WSOP as Tricia has gotten hers booked! Gareth has not gotten his booked yet, but needs to get after it because this year will be his longest visit to WSOP so far. (33:36) We then launched into answering a question from a Red Chip member who asked about the value of positive visualizations in reaching his goals. Tricia explained the scientific research that shows that p...
Jan 21, 2018•1 hr 11 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked off 2018 with Episode 32 and Gareth talking about his new personal trainer! Gareth has set a goal of gaining muscle while getting into tip-top shape for this year’s WSOP. Likewise, Tricia has turned up her study time and is reviewing all of her Solve for Why materials. (34:13) We then launched into answering a question from YouTube viewer Oliver who asked Gareth specifically about the value of playing low buy-in liv...
Jan 13, 2018•1 hr 24 min
In episode 31 MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner tackle a plethora of questions that have recently been sent in. (16:54) Gareth discussed satellite strategy and explained why even though a shove might be mathematically correct, it is not always the best strategy in a satellite. Tricia also shared some of her experiences playing satellites at the WSOP. Next up (41:27) Tricia discussed the topic of making bad calls even though you know you’re beat. She explai...
Dec 27, 2017•1 hr 14 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked off Episode 30 with Tricia revealing that she has a new rescue puppy! We then launched into a discussion of the WSOP (9:30) since the 2018 schedule was recently released. Reader Jon asked which WSOP events we think hold the most value for a recreational player and which are our picks as most fun events. We then launched into answering another listener question sent in by Tim (47:40) about how to properly and profita...
Dec 16, 2017•1 hr 20 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked off Episode 29 by discussing the fact that the holiday season is upon us! Even so, Gareth managed to get out to play some live poker (watch the new vlog here: https://youtu.be/niyNCJzwYJM) and Tricia is still studying the Solve for Why Primer Course while looking for a new puppy or two! (33:26) We then launched into the show with Gareth answering a question about the proper way to play versus an UTG +2 3x open when ...
Dec 09, 2017•1 hr 12 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked off Episode 28 by discussing the fact that the holiday season (including Black Friday) is upon us! Just in time for holidays, Tricia is offering a limited time coupon code (holiday2017) for a massive discount of $40 off of her Procrastination Course. If you want to stop procrastinating once and for all, check it out at http://bit.ly/ProOnlineCourse Gareth also has plans to offer more holiday discounts, so to ensure ...
Dec 03, 2017•1 hr 28 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked off Episode 27 by discussing the fact that the holiday season is upon us! There is no better time of the year than now to think about all the things you’re grateful for as well as to start planning for an amazing 2018. We then launched into the show (21:30) with Gareth answering a question about the adjustments we need to make when antes kick in. As Gareth explained, there are a number of important strategic adjustm...
Nov 26, 2017•1 hr 16 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked off Episode 26 by discussing the fact that Gareth is a bit under the weather but that didn’t stop him and his poker buddies from posting a vlog of their recent live poker MTT adventures! Check it out here: We then launched into the show with Tricia addressing a question about how to deal with sleep issues. Specifically, a listener asked about how to get better sleep when you are amped up after a poker session. Trici...
Nov 18, 2017•51 min
MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked off Episode 25 by discussing the latest on the UK live MTT poker scene, and Gareth revealed that a vlog of his recent poker trip is on the horizon! Please stay tuned for that. We then launched into the show with Tricia addressing a question about depression. Specifically, a listener asked about how to know if one has a diagnosable depression and what to do about it. Tricia broke down the 9 key diagnostic criteria to...
Nov 03, 2017•1 hr 14 min
In episode 24, MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked off the show by discussing some of the latest poker news including the changes at Pokerstars and Phil Ivey’s recent court case. We then launched into the show with Tricia answering a listener question about how to stay motivated when it is taking a long time to move up in stakes and progress seems slow. Tricia explained the four variables in the motivation equation and gave some tips on how to stay mo...
Oct 27, 2017•1 hr 8 min
In episode 23, MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner kicked off the show by discussing a bit about the MTTs Gareth played recently on America’s Cardroom. Tricia then talked about her continuing studies with the Solve For Why Academy. We then launched into the show with Gareth addressing a question requesting tips of playing slow-structured MTTs. Listener Jonas asked if one should follow a low-variance route and play small ball or go really big and play long ba...
Oct 20, 2017•1 hr 4 min
In episode 22, MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner opened the show by taking a bit of time discussing how to get the most value out of the courses, books and other content you consume to improve your poker. Tricia is studying GTO concepts right now and she and Gareth talked about how it’s important to know GTO lines so you can deviate from them to exploit opponents. In a recent lower buy-in live MTT, Gareth practised chatting up his table mates and used the ...
Oct 13, 2017•1 hr 11 min
In episode 21, MTT Coach Gareth James and Peak Performance Consultant Dr. Tricia Cardner opened the show by discussing the recent mass shooting that occurred in Las Vegas. It is a very sad situation that is quite complicated by the gun laws in the USA. Gareth shared the UK perspective and Tricia outlined some of the criminological and psychological as well as legal issue that exist in the USA. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families at this difficult time. After this sobering discus...
Oct 07, 2017•1 hr 20 min
