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The Rec Poker Podcast

RecPoker: Play. Learn. Belong.rec.poker
Building a vibrant and encouraging poker learning community.
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Episodes

Ep 535 - Chats: Matt Savage and the World Poker Tour!

With Jim away this week, Sasha Sutton and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Matt Savage from the World Poker Tour! They have an exciting series coming up in Las Vegas in December, but that’s not all! Matt talks about his role with the WPT, how he got into the business, the importance of standardizing tournament rules, the challenges live poker faces from phones and technology, some experiences he’s had on the floor, and a lot more! Plus of course we give away a free prize at the end for folks i...

Nov 17, 202352 min

Ep 534 - Chats: Robbie Strazynski and the 2024 RecPoker Mixed game Schedule!

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Robby Strazynski about his upcoming Mixed Game Festival at Resorts World in Las Vegas starting on November 26th, and they also announce the upcoming Mixed Game schedule for RecPoker’s 2024 home game club! If you are curious about mixed games, get ready - you are in for a treat as John Somsky, Joseph Wills and Robbie share their thoughts on why they love the 12 games John has lined up for 2024. They discuss the mechanics of every game, and...

Nov 16, 20231 hr 11 min

Ep 533 - Chats: Jeff Platt “Stands Up” for the RecPoker Podcast!

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Jeff Platt, a prominent poker broadcaster whose work has been featured on PokerGO, CBS Sports Network, and ESPN. Specifically he’s a sideline reporter for the World Series of Poker Main Event, a play-by-play commentator for PokerGO Tour events, and the co-host of PokerGO's "No Gamble, No Future” alongside Brent Hanks. Jeff shares some stories about making his way into the world of poker media, and some tips for less experienced players wh...

Nov 10, 20231 hr 11 min

Ep 532 - Forums: Overpairs and Annoying Players (Elizabeth)

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through a forum post by Elizabeth Bennett-Martin about facing a raise from an “annoying player” while holding an overpair to the board. While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses tournament variants, ICM pressure, player types, adjusting to different players, hand distribution, having a plan, and more! Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today to see all the great comments and replies...

Nov 07, 202336 min

Ep 531 - Chats: Alex “Assassinato” Fitzgerald on Lessons Learned From Coaching Poker

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Alex “Assassinato” Fitzgerald! You might know Alex from PokerHeadRush, or his various training videos, or his award-winning books, or back in the day from the Oneouter podcast - wherever you know him from, you probably know that he’s made a career out of exploiting the other players at his poker table. Now based in Colorado, Alex spends most of his time coaching and creating training material for his fans and clients. On today’s show, he ...

Nov 03, 20231 hr 3 min

Ep 530 - Forums: Middle Tournament Stages (Chris)

Happy Halloween! This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through the Spooky Theme of the Month at RecPoker: Middle Tournament Stages and Approaching the Bubble! While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses their favourite Halloween candy, and also how to make the most out of the middle stages of poker tournaments. The group goes over the different stack sizes and their incentives, how to apply pressure, how to avoid pressure, the value of cash...

Oct 31, 202338 min

Ep 529 - Chats: Tommy Angelo on Waiting For Straighters

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew welcome Tommy Angelo back on the show to talk about his book Waiting For Straighters - and if you are listening to this episode before the end of October, you can claim a free copy! Learn how at the end of the show. Tommy gets right into sharing how he came to write the book, and some immediate benefits to Hold’em and Omaha players that follow his guidelines for a happier, less stressful, more profitable poker game. They discuss the potential downs...

Oct 27, 202359 min

Ep 528 - Forums: Overpairs when Check-Raised (Chris)

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through a forum post by Chris Jones about holding an overpair when facing a check-raise. While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses stack sizes, positional ranges, postflop betting lines, player types, and more! Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today and join the fun! Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aY...

Oct 24, 202346 min

Ep 527 - Chats: Mike “O8Grinder” Serrano on Streaming, YouTube, and Balance

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Mike “O8GRINDER” Serrano! Mike and the gang talk about his time streaming popular tournaments when no-one else was doing it, what it's like building a YouTube following from scratch, making a place in the poker world, balancing poker and life, and he also shares some personal details about some challenges in his life over the past year. Plus we play Stake, Study, Stack for the first time and Mike’s answers may (or may not) surprise you! P...

Oct 20, 20231 hr 22 min

Ep 526 - Forums: Tournament Burnout (Dingo)

This week, Chris Jones leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through a forum post by Dingo about burnout from a recreational player perspective. If this is supposed to be a hobby we enjoy, why does it sometimes not feel like it? How do we address a sense of burnout or fatigue? What are some ways to recharge? The group looks at practices including meditation, taking breaks, building structure, and understanding our goals. Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today to see all the great c...

Oct 17, 202324 min

Ep 525 - Chats: Abe Limon Shares Some Thoughts on Poker

(EXPLICIT LANGUAGE) This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Abe Limon, known among other reasons as the former owner of Live At The Bike and his popular Poker Sesh! Abe has been a fixture in the poker world for the last 25 years and shares his thoughts on a range of topics: from the history of poker learning on boards like 2+2 and rec.gambling.poker, to private games of yesteryear and the state of poker today; from his portfolio of advantage plays available to casino-goers, to ...

Oct 13, 20231 hr 31 min

Ep 524 - Forums: Flat with KK? (ARW)

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through a forum post ARW about when we can consider flatting an open with a premium hand like KK. While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses the different stages of the tournament, the stacks in play, how often we need the opponents behind us to squeeze to consider flatting, and they even break into a conversation about how to randomize at the table if we can't make up our minds. Come sign up for a fre...

Oct 10, 202336 min

Ep 523 - Chats: Caitlyn Arnwine on Winning the Real Game of Poker

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interviewed Caitlyn Arnwine! Caitlyn shared her experiences in the poker world, including her meteoric rise in earnings and her advocacy efforts for causes such as homelessness and representation in poker media, before continuing with a discussion of the challenges faced by women in the male-dominated world of poker. Caitlyn and Sasha Sutton shared their experiences and emphasized the importance of mental game work in overcoming these challenges. T...

Oct 06, 20231 hr 23 min

Ep 522 - Forums: Running Aces Fan Question 2: Chris

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through another question from a new friend at Running Aces over the summer. While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses that feeling you get when you have been playing great all day and you get to a spot in a hand where weren’t paying perfect attention for a second and you made a play - and now you feel stupid! We’ve all done it - how can we stop ourselves from making careless mistakes at the poker tabl...

Oct 03, 202319 min

Ep 521 - Chats: Matt Stout on the Charity Series of Poker

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Matt Stout, poker pro and founder of the Charity Series of Poker! They talk about family life, running charity tournaments and events, wrangling donations, tournament versus cash games, the ‘pro’ mindset, and a lot more! Plus of course we give away a free prize at the end for folks in the YouTube chat. Join us LIVE on YouTube next Monday at 7:30 ET for free to ask our guests questions in real time, and you can win too! Matt is active on T...

Sep 29, 20231 hr 10 min

Ep 520 - Forums: Running Aces Fan Question 1: Lawrence

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through a question raised at our summer RecPoker RoadTrip to Running Aces, which we thought deserved an answer on the air. New member Lawrence asks “what can I say to folks in my life that will make them more supportive of my playing poker?” While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses the importance of knowing what your goals are as a player, trusting yourself and your loved ones to be honest, deciding ...

Sep 26, 202338 min

Ep 519 - Chats: Derek Tenbusch on TPE, Twitch, and Beagles!

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Derek Tenbusch from Tournament Poker Edge! Derek talks about the arc his career has taken: from playing semi-professionally, to forming TPE, transitioning through the Black Friday era, streaming on Twitch, his new day job running a distillery, the importance of following your passion, some tips for recreational players, and a lot more! Plus of course we give away a free prize at the end for folks in the YouTube chat. Join us LIVE on YouTu...

Sep 22, 202346 min

Ep 518 - Forums: Big Blind with a Short Stack (Chris)

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through a forum post by Chris Jones about a hand he played at Running Aces at RecPoker Weekend! While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses stack sizes, player types, shoving versus calling, draw equity, fold equity, and more! Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today to see all the great comments and replies – and you can post a question of your own in the forum for the panel to revie...

Sep 19, 202330 min

Ep 517 - Chats: Crazy Home Games!

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew talk about all the crazy different kinds of home games are out there - wild cards are just the tip of the iceberg today! The group runs down some popular home game variants that you might want to try out yourself, and they even talk about some of their favorite NON-poker games (shudder)! Plus of course we give away a free prize at the end for folks in the YouTube chat. Join us LIVE on YouTube next Monday at 7:30 ET for free to ask our guests questi...

Sep 15, 20231 hr 3 min

Ep 516 - Forums: ‘Punting’ with Abby Merk

This week, Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew are joined by recent Chats guest @‌AbbyPoker34 Abby Merk! While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, Abby and the panel discuss two hands Abby thinks she could have played better: they get into cash game strategy, limped pots, monotone boards, blocker bets, etiquette about disclosed cards, player types and how to exploit them, and more! Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today to see all the great comment...

Sep 12, 202337 min

Ep 515 - Chats: Lara Eisenberg on Skydiving, Work vs Play, and Winning a Bracelet!

This week our own Ben Enslow is stepping into the hosting chair and we are throwing back to another great interview in Kim Kilroy's Poker Empowerment series - featuring WSOP bracelet-winner Lara Eisenberg! Recorded a while ago, Lara shares some memories about her recent run at the WSOP, what led to her success at the tables, what its like balancing poker with a rich, full professional life, and some experiences she’s faced as a woman player in a game dominated by men. Plus of course we give away...

Sep 08, 202353 min

Ep 514 - Forums: Early Tournament Stages (Chris)

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through a discussion of Chris Jones’s Theme of the month for SEPTEMBER - Early Stage Tournament play. The panel discusses stack sizes, opening hand ranges, ICM pressure, stack-to-pot ratios, late registration, deep-stack mistakes, and more! Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today to see all the great comments and replies – and you can post a question of your own in the forum for the panel to review! Find our free videos at: h...

Sep 05, 202327 min

Ep 513 - Chats: Jesse Fullen on Exploring the Poker World

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Jesse Fullen! Jesse has been all over the poker scene, as a reporter for Poker News, selling T-shirts for Run It Up, running social media accounts and managing communities - and now he’s on a new adventure with Poker Royalty! He shares some fun stories about his time on and around the felt, offers some advice for folks looking to get into the poker industry, and lets us all know how he REALLY feels about Ace-King! Plus of course we give a...

Sep 01, 20231 hr 8 min

Ep 512 - Forums: Blind vs Blind with Only One Five (Chris)

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through a hand Chris Jones played recently where a blind vs blind battle developed some unexpected action! While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses opening versus limping the small blind, stack sizes, raise sizes, ICM pressure, player types, the importance of position and of being the aggressor, pot odds, and more! Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today to see all the great comme...

Aug 29, 202343 min

Ep 511 - Chats: Zak Zimbile on Taxes for Poker Players

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Zak Zimbile on Taxes for Poker Players. Even as a recreational player, YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE - Zak shares a TON of interesting factors about how you can take the best possible care of your bankroll, and remain in compliance with the tax requirements of various jurisdictions. Everyone on the panel learned a thing or two about the importance of keeping good records, of tracking your wins and losses, about knowing what kinds of e...

Aug 25, 20231 hr 9 min

Ep 510 - Forums: Final Table Chop (Phil)

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through a spot from premium member Phil’s recent big score where he chopped a final table after late registering a live tournament. While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses the pros and cons of registering early or late, why you might treat some tournaments differently in this regard, the difference between live and online tourneys, player types, deal-making, important factors to consider when choppi...

Aug 22, 202342 min

Ep 509 - Chats: Maureen Bloechlinger on Globetrotting Poker Ladies!

This week we are throwing back to another of Kim Kilroy’s interviews from her Poker Empowerment sessions! In this session we welcome Maureen Blöechlinger, poker player, former poker dealer, poker promoter and RecPoker member based in Zurich Switzerland. We discuss her journey in poker and her work as an advocate for women in poker as well as her Facebook group, Globetrotting Poker Ladies. And after the interview it gets REALLY weird when Jim’s Mom takes some liberties in the YouTube chat… Plus o...

Aug 18, 20231 hr 4 min

Ep 508 - Forums: Slowplay? (Ben)

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through a forum post by Ben Enslow (Bejamin96) about slowplaying aces preflop - and what comes next! While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses GTO vs exploitative play, player types, stack sizes, postflop betting lines, board textures, and more! Plus Jim screws up some math, right on the air. There’s something for everyone! Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today to see all the gre...

Aug 15, 202342 min

Ep 507 - Chats: TJ Reid on Reporting, Playing, and Loving Poker

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interviewed TJ Reid from Poker.Org! TJ shared some stories about his journey into the world of poker; from working retail and service jobs to playing full-time, and how he treated it like a small business by tracking his results and hourly rates. They also discussed the importance of not depending solely on poker for income and the definition of a recreational player. TJ Reid discussed his passion for traveling and playing poker, and how his curren...

Aug 11, 20231 hr 21 min

Ep 506 - Forums: GTO Practice (OutFocusMetal)

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through a forum post by OutFocusMetal about playing GTO. While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses GTO vs exploitative playing styles, player pool tendencies, the importance of GTO as a strategic starting point, how to deviate from it to exploit the mistakes the players in our fields are playing, the difference between learning GTO vs playing GTO, and more! Come sign up for a free account at https://r...

Aug 08, 202326 min
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