Poker Stories

Ali Nejad is one of poker's most experienced television personalities, having lent his talents to productions such as the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, The Poker Parlor, The Ultimate Poker Challenge, The Pro-Am Equalizer, and Poker After Dark. He has also done commentary for a majority of the major poker tours, including the World Poker Tour, European Poker Tour, World Series of Poker, and most recently, the Triton Millions. The 41-year-old has also done his fair share of work outside of poker, having worked on Road Trip and UNite for ESPN, and The Daily Share for CNN. While attending UC Berkeley, he was tapped to host Total Request Live on MTV before tragedy changed the course of his career. Before stepping in front of poker cameras, the San Francisco native worked as a prop and dealer in local cardrooms, eventually working his way up the cash game ranks. These days you can find Nejad on PokerGo, including coverage of the upcoming British Poker Open and Super High Roller Bowl in London. Highlights from this interview include being confused for the pantyhose rapist, confidence vs. arrogance, landing a TV gig in high school, First Cut, consuming condiment cocktails at Cal, entering the teepee kingdom, getting hired to host TRL on MTV, and why Carson Daly took the job instead, dealing with tragedy, self-destructive escapism into the poker world, befriending Prahlad Friedman and Erick Lindgren, propping his way up to the high-stakes games, a lifeline from SuChin Pak, playing soccer in a literal dump in Guatemala, a game of backgammon with the Ice Princess, a chance meeting with Mori Eskandani on the PartyPoker Million Cruise, subbing in for Daniel Negreanu, NY to Bristol and back, landing a dream gig with ESPN, an infamous call for Justin Bonomo, a death match with Maria Ho, playing football with Kevin Durant, why Don Cheadle gets great service, a crooked 11-handed poker game, a low-limit $800-$1,600 game at Bellagio with Joanna Krupa, and the perspective of a 59-cent taco.

2 Sep 20191h 34min

Joao Vieira is only 29 years old and missed the entirety of the poker boom, but that hasn't stopped him from climbing to the top of Portugal's all-time money list both live and online. The Madeira-native is one of the top five online tournament winners ever, with more than $13 million in cashes. He also has $3.4 million in live tournament earnings, and most recently won his first career World Series of Poker bracelet, pocketing $758,000 in the $5,000 six-max no-limit hold'em event. But poker is only the second "sport" that Vieira has gone pro in. The Winamax Team Pro spent much of his teens and early twenties playing professional basketball in Portugal, and as a junior, he competed on the national team and even had two 50-point games before he got burned out and transitioned to poker. Highlights from this interview include being bad at days off, growing up on an island, an early knack for basketball, turning pro at age 15, playing like he was 7 feet tall, Iverson vs. Stockton, being a late starter online, how an injury led to better poker, going from $10 to $300 sit-n-go's in a month, developing habits, being top five all-time on the online money list, a goal to crush the super high rollers, using a live read to earn a WSOP bracelet, a nice swap with Super Dario, keeping kids alive at summer camp, living in his headphones, and what Europe thinks of American fast food.

19 Aug 201953min

Jackie Glazier grew up playing cards with her grandparents, but didn't find poker until well after fellow Australian Joe Hachem had won the World Series of Poker main event. The Melbourne-native grew up with a passion for sports and earned her degree in education, but ultimately felt lost as to what she wanted to do for a career. While searching for the answer, she stumbled on poker, and found herself grinding small-stakes at the casino. One good month turned into three good months, and she decided to give poker a shot. The decision paid off quickly, with Glazier finishing second in the opening event of the Melbourne Championship Series in 2012, before winning the main event. She took her newfound bankroll and confidence to Las Vegas, where she finished runner up in a $3,000 no-limit hold'em event for $458,996. The next year, she was the last woman standing in the main event, cashing for $229,281 in 31st place. Glazier earned her WSOP bracelet in the WSOP Europe ladies event. Last year, she competed on Australian Survivor, spending a month in Fiji for the televised reality game show. Highlights from this interview include flashing her accent to attract American men, not using her degree, crashing the guy's poker game, being on the good side of variance early on, learning the ropes with Joe Hachem, a mandatory win in Melbourne, refusing a big chop, crying for three days over a half-million dollar score, being the last woman standing in the WSOP main event, learning to practice gratitude, binking her first ladies event, where she keeps her bracelet, the online poker situation in Australia, playing poker on the London Eye, being married to a golf whisperer, calling the snake catcher, competing on Survivor in Fiji, pretending to be a Rubix cube expert, folding kings preflop and being right, a nice swap with Heidi May, cleaning the sausage roll vats, and the joy of driving in silence.

5 Aug 20191h 8min

Steffen Sontheimer recorded his first cash in the summer of 2015, and it wasn't until a year later that he started competing regularly in the high roller events. But despite his limited time on the felt, the 28-year-old already has more than $13.5 million in live tournament earnings, which is currently good enough for no. 44 on the all-time money list, and no. 6 in Germany. Sontheimer's run really started in 2017 when Fedor Holz went on Twitter on told that world that 'Go0se' was about to start crushing. Holz's prediction came true, and Sontheimer began making regular final table appearances. In September, he made four final tables and won two events at the Poker Masters to earn the purple jacket as overall champion. He also final tabled the six-figure buy-in High Roller For One Drop at the WSOP Europe. He finished the year with $6.8 million in cashes, 16 final tables, three titles, and a ninth-place finish in the Player of the Year race. Just last November, he won the $250,000 buy-in super high roller at the Caribbean Poker Party for $3.685 million. Highlights from this interview include growing up in the Black Forest, treating poker like a video game, making friends the Fedor Holz way, learning how to beat "the people," the spots where live tells actually matter, the Foxen stare, feeling relieved rather than happy after a big win, a buddy calls his shot, the sun run at the Poker Masters, where he keeps his Purple Jacket, getting a shout out from Daniel Negreanu, a $2 million summer downswing, never meeting your backers, the ties between staking and bitcoin, how winner's photos reveal who has the action, why the Germans are slightly overrated, cheering on the new WSOP champ, the integrity of the high roller community, betting against Jason Mercier during the wrong summer, a kindergarden connection, getting rid of baseball "matches," and winning a $400k pot on the last hand of the night.

22 Juli 20191h 17min

Scott Blumstein had a magical run through the 2017 World Series of Poker main event, topping a field of 7,221 to earn his first gold bracelet and the $8.15 million first-place prize. The win, however, came just a year after the Morristown, New Jersey native considered quitting the game entirely. While the 2016 WSOP main event was playing out in Las Vegas, Blumstein was back home in New Jersey, considering his options. After a conversation with his dad, he ultimately decided to give it one last shot at the Borgata Summer Poker Open. Blumstein won the opening event for just shy of $200,000, and that score kept him in the game. By the time the next summer rolled around, Blumstein was ready for the $10,000 main event. After building up his stack during the bubble, Blumstein rode his chip lead to the final table, which included players such as Ben Lamb, Jack Sinclair, Bryan Piccioli, Antoine Saout, Benjamin Pollak, and the headline-grabbing Englishman John Hesp. Now 27, and two years removed from his life-changing win, Blumstein remains relatively active in the poker world, and has lent his support to various charity causes and events. Highlights from this interview include the quality over quantity strategy, being better in pass protection, TurningStone Casino: an 18-year-old's Disneyland, accounting regret, the New Jersey cheat code, getting knocked out by Darvin Moon, why the story gets good at Borgata, a tough conversation with dad, learning the lesson of taxes, finding a backer, streaming on Twitch to 18 people, punishing the money bubble, hiring a mental coach, turning down a world-class player for final table help, helpful tips from Ryan Riess, having the freedom to not know what he wants to do, not relying on poker for happiness, lessons from an actuary, a scandal at Dick's Sporting Goods, the sharp side of Utah St., a love for rotisserie chicken, and a message from Mac Miller.

8 Juli 201949min

Adam Friedman got his start in poker with a deep run in the 2005 World Series of Poker main event. Just 23 at the time, he has since put together a remarkably consistent career playing both cash games and tournaments. In 2006, he won the Midwest Regional Poker Championships main event. Incredibly, after skipping the tournament in 2007, he won the very same event again in both 2008 and 2009. This would not be the last time that Friedman was able to successfully defend a tournament title. The Gahanna, Ohio native scored his first WSOP bracelet back in 2012, topping a tough final table in the $5,000 stud eight-or-better event that included the likes of Todd Brunson, John Monnette, Bryn Kenney, and Phil Ivey. In 2013, he won the HPT main event in Indiana, and in 2014, he final tabled the L.A. Poker Classic. In 2018, he won his second career bracelet, earning $293,275 in the $10,000 dealer's choice event. Amazingly, he returned to Las Vegas this summer and won the very same event again, this time banking a $312,417 payday. In total, the 37-year-old mixed-games specialist has $2.9 million in career live tournament earnings. Highlights from this interview include summer series accommodations, becoming a Hoosier, sleeping through the final four, a love for sports but not sports betting, being too emotional at the table, demanding the safe at the Tropicana, the 2005 WSOP main event, why his dad took away $100k, Ohio living, making sure he booked a win at Commerce, a slow peel vs. Phil Hellmuth, a compliment from Doyle Brunson, the emotional turmoil of downswings, taking ego out of the game, why you need a plan for your money, betting on The Voice with Gavin Smith, back-to-back bracelets, drowning his sorrows in room service, and why we're drawing dead on another 1,000 years.

24 Juni 20191h 37min

Darren Elias is just 32 years old, but he's already established himself as the end boss of the World Poker Tour. The New Jersey resident not only holds the tour record with four titles, but he's also the tour leader in cashes with 35, and final tables with 13. His first WPT title came at the 2014 Borgata Poker Open, where he won $843k. His second title came immediately after that at the WPT Carribbean stop. Elias' third win came in Canada at the 2017 Fallsview Poker Classic, and his latest victory was at Aria in the 2018 Bobby Baldwin Classic. This year, Elias has already won a $25,000 high roller at the Gardens Poker Championship, and he nearly won his fifth WPT title, the LA Poker Classic, ultimately falling just short in third place for just under half a million dollars. In total, Elias has cashed for more than $7.1 million dollars during his live career, along with another $4 million won online. Highlights from this interview include off days in Vegas, living all over with a football coach dad, a love for watersports, winning big in college, the dorm room fan club, the growing pains of live poker, unintentional intimidation, the one time he lost his cool at the table, $200-$400 2-7 games with Billy Baxter, running at expectation, his attitude towards the high rollers, being the top-ranked dad, revisiting a decade-old blog post, a healthy fear of mediocrity, using his internal solver, a scary situation at home, bluffing in six-figure pots, Nick Petrangelo's beer tips, online poker on the highway, the only other job he's ever had, a whiskey shot prop bet, big picture science, and the grinding ability of David Peters.

10 Juni 20191h 3min

Jennifer Tilly is an Academy Award-nominated actress who has starred in films such as Bullets Over Broadway, Bound, Liar Liar, Monsters Inc., St. Ralph, The Fabulous Baker Boys, and the Chucky series. But she also happens to be an avid poker player, and a World Series of Poker bracelet winner. Tilly, who is in a relationship with poker pro Phil Laak, won the ladies event at the 2005 WSOP, picking up the title and the $158,625 first-place prize. She also has a win a the 2010 Bellagio Cup, taking down a $5,000 no-limit hold'em event for $124,455. Poker fans will recognize Tilly from her many appearances on shows such as the Celebrity Poker Showdown, Poker Royale, Poker Night In America, The National Heads Up Poker Championship, The Poker Superstars Invitational, High Stakes Poker, and Poker After Dark. Highlights from this interview include the brilliant mumblings of Norm MacDonald, what Wikipedia got wrong, Lou Diamond Phillip's Monday night poker game, intruding on guy's night, playing the teamsters for their per diem, Tilly chili, trying to friend zone Phil Laak, bad driving on a bad first date, Joan Allen's bedroom hair, taking $20k to a $1-$2 home game with Ben Affleck, getting 'passed a check,' being a D-JEN, virtual bracelets and real bracelets, her father's hidden poker life, seeing ghosts, using her voice to get rid of telemarketers, comedy math with Dave Foley, winning a $260k home game pot, passing on a piece of Antonio, the poker problems with Molly's Game, James Bond's terrible betting style, and a joke from Charles Durning.

27 Maj 20191h 21min