He Lost Everything Gambling…But Poker Bailed Him Out.

About this episode

John Borenstein shares his wild journey from a troubled youth to a successful poker player.

John Borenstein wasn’t supposed to make it in poker. He got kicked out of three high schools. Finished with a GED. And spent his teenage years running around New Jersey doing things that definitely weren’t part of any career plan. Then one night… he ended up in a stolen van. And that’s not even the craziest part. Before he ever played a real tournament, he satellited into a $22 online event… Overslept… Woke up late… And won it for $27,000. In his parents’ basement. From there? He didn’t go pro the normal way. He opened an underground poker club. At 18. We’re talking: Armed robberies Methhead regulars Partners stealing rent money Getting held at gunpoint …and somehow… that turned into a six-figure tournament career. In this episode of The Table 1 Podcast, John joins Art Parmann and Justin Young to tell one of the wildest poker stories you’ll hear. Getting expelled from multiple high schools The stolen van story that got him kicked out Winning $27K as a teenager by accident Running underground poker games at 18 Getting robbed at gunpoint in a home game Losing everything… then winning it back in 24 hours The Colossus run with 22,000 players Why he hates modern poker This one is…

People in this episode

Hosts: Art Parmann, Justin Young

Guest: John Borenstein

Topics covered

• poker
• gambling
• personal story
• success
• chaos
• comedy

Keywords

• poker
• gambling
• success story
• underground poker
• online tournament
• armed robbery
• Colossus

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Table 1 Podcast

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