"PokerGO cost me way more than I ever planned..." - Cary Katz

I sat down with Cary Katz, the man who quietly built the modern stage of poker. He’s the founder of PokerGO, the one who brought us the Super High Roller Bowl, Poker Masters, US Poker Open, and yes, even the Big Blind Ante. What fascinates me isn’t just his $40M+ in tournament winnings, but his mindset: the shift from frustration to gratitude, from creating a prison with losses to celebrating them. Cary opens up about business risks, how passion projects cost more than you expect, and why he thinks integrity is the only real strategy in life.

We also got into health, longevity, and some personal truths: how it took him 55 years to quit sugar, why lifting weights is a cheat code against the “four horsemen,” and how he views the next 30 years of his life as a freeroll. From billion-dollar loans to billions of minutes of poker watched, Cary’s story isn’t just about poker, it’s about building, adapting, and finding perspective through the swings. He also finally lays out who he thinks are poker's true icons... You're not going to want to miss this stunning conversation!

CHAPTERS

00:00 Cary Katz on being a “copycat” in poker & business

00:37 Dan introduces Cary Katz’s impact on poker

01:02 Building PokerGO, Super High Roller Bowl & majors

02:05 Why Cary prefers tournaments over cash games

02:34 Staking, friendships, and instincts in high rollers

04:14 Copying great ideas to grow poker brands

06:03 Making poker a true spectator sport

07:07 Challenges with live broadcasting & delays

07:33 Transition from Poker Central → PokerGO

08:48 Expanding PokerGO globally (Brazil, Japan, Spanish markets)

09:41 Cary’s mindset shift: embracing losses & positivity

12:16 Winning his first bracelet with a new mindset

13:30 Dan & Cary on gratitude, history, and perspective

19:00 Health & lifestyle: fasting, quitting sugar, longevity

22:17 Fitness, weightlifting, yoga, and cryotherapy

27:01 Fitness vs. business focus – finding balance

27:25 Cary’s sales background and path to building College Loan Corp

29:04 Scaling from $20M to $3B in student loans

33:26 Starting PokerGO as a passion project

34:53 The cost of poker productions & why paywalls exist

40:17 Online poker challenges vs. live poker instincts

43:22 Why Cary supports poker: passion & competition

45:16 The invention of the Big Blind Ante

48:18 Difficulties of the media business & PokerGO growth

50:59 Life balance, gratitude, and slowing down time

55:00 Business lessons: revenue, hiring, and integrity

58:51 Poker players transitioning into business

01:03:40 Cary’s goals: family, longevity, and staying present

01:04:09 What’s next for Cary Katz and PokerGO

01:04:45 Titles, bracelets, and long-term poker goals

01:05:22 Embracing swings & “the wave” in poker and life

01:06:12 Closing banter: Negreanu’s influence & poker icons

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