Thinking Poker

Erik Seidel has been one of the greatest poker players in the world for over four decades. We are proud and honored to celebrate this milestone episode with such a legend of the game. Erik discusses with Carlos and Andrew his early days as a backgammon player at the Mayfair Club, his second-place finish to Johnny Chan at his first WSOP, and how he’s navigated so many dramatic changes in the poker landscape without losing his edge.Thanks to Sam Greenwood for helping us connect with Erik.Our fun new Throwback Hand History Review is now available in The Nitcast Store.For more information or to sign up for coaching with Andrew, email andrew (at) thinkingpoker (dot) net or DM on Twitter or BlueSky.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. Erik Seidel Erik Seidel is a professional poker player with 10 WSOP bracelets and a second-place finish in the Main Event. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2010. Twitter

Sam Greenwood returns to the show to talk poker, punting, gigablocks, hip hop, and how he’s more of an “intuitive player” than we made him out to be in our recent interview with Andrew Lichtenberger. Sign up for Sam’s newsletter at puntoftheday.com/thinking for 20% off a 1-year subscription.Sam first appeared on Episode 476.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. SAM GREENWOOD Sam Greenwood is one of the most successful tournament players of all time, with nearly $40 million in live winnings. He is an instructor at Run It Once and the author of the Punt of the Day newsletter on Substack. Twitter Link

Organizer, advocate, and poker pro Caityln Arnwine (and her infant daughter Imani) speaks with Carlos and Andrew about parenthood, poker plans, Black History Month, and her forthcoming children’s book.Caitlyn Arnwine first appeared on Episode 397 as Caitlyn Cobb. She also appeared on our earlier episode on women’s events, on Episode 431 with LoriAnn Persinger, on Episode 451 with Justin and Barbara Arnwine, and on Episode 463. We interviewed her husband, Justin Arnwine, on Episodes 398 and 399.You can join Andrew and Carlos in the ClubWPT Gold beta by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. Support the PodcastYou can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold (now in Canada!) by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. Caitlyn Arnwine Caitlyn Arnwine describes herself as a force that makes change. Caitlyn is the former Coordinator of Public Education for @NationalHomeles and Social Media Director of @TJC_DC. Twitter Link

Fresh off a $2 million win in the WPT World Championship, poker pro Soheb Porbandarwala shares his story with Carlos and Andrew: winning five figures as a high school student, explaining poker to his Muslim parents, why it pays to be the worst player in your group chat, and more!Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. Mystery Bounty Poker Strategy by Dara O’KearneyBounty Buster Calculator by Dr Kamikaze SOHEB PORBANDARWALA Soheb Porbandarwala is a professional poker player with 12 WSOP Circuit rings and a gold bracelet. He recently took second in the WPT World Championship for nearly $2 million! Twitter

Russ Fox joins the show after a thirteen-year hiatus to discuss the Big Beautiful Bill’s disastrous change to how gambling losses are taxed. And what you can do about it!Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. RUSS FOX Russ Fox is an Enrolled Agent and author of the Taxable Talk blog, which often addresses issues related to poker and gambling. With Scott Harker, Russ is the author of Why You Lose at Poker and Mastering No-Limit Hold ‘Em, and with Nick Christenson, of Winning Strategies for No-Limit Hold ‘Em. He is also the author of Tax Strategies for the Small Business Owner. Twitter Link

Andrew and Carlos look back on a year’s worth of conversations to choose their favorites and recommend some hidden gems.Join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.

It’s an epic meeting of the minds as former Thinking Poker host Nate Meyvis meets guest extraordinaire Joel Porter-Dias to discuss the NBA/poker cheating scandal, AI poker coaching, poetry, trivia, and more! You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. NATE MEYVIS Nate Meyvis is a software engineer and a former professional poker player and original co-host of the Thinking Poker Podcast. Twitter Link Joel Porter-Dias Joel Porter-Dias is a poet who has earned a living from gambling for over thirty years. He has also been a DJ, a computer programmer, and probably a few other things we didn’t even get to ask him about. His book Ideas of Improvisation is available from Thread Makes Blanket Press. Twitter Link

Rene “TheWakko” Kuhlman is one of the best no-limit cash game players in the world, and he’s an even better teacher! With Andrew and Carlos, he discusses his rocky journey to the top and the lessons he learned along the way about bankroll management, mindset, and success.More from Rene:The Mechanics of Poker coaching programThe Mechanics of Poker PodcastSupport the Podcast:You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold (now in Canada!) by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. RENE KUHLMAN Rene “TheWakko” Kuhlman is a professional poker player specializing in high stakes online cash games. He is a coach for The Mechanics of Poker and GTO Wizard and co-host of The Mechanics of Poker Podcast. Link

Joel Porter-Dias, who first appeared on Episode 409, returns to discuss advantage slot play and some legendary gamblers who recently passed. Joel is a fascinating and multi-faceted guy, which is why this is only Part 1 of a very long interview!Joel’s blogOld Man JamesDJ Renegade on SoundcloudJoel’s book Ideas of ImprovisationYou can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. Joel Porter-Dias Joel Porter-Dias is a poet who has earned a living from gambling for over thirty years. He has also been a DJ, a computer programmer, and probably a few other things we didn’t even get to ask him about. His book Ideas of Improvisation is available from Thread Makes Blanket Press. Twitter Link

Software engineer and avid mixed games player Ian Gavlick is bringing games like triple draw into the modern era of poker strategy with Stud Flop Draw. He shares his passion for mixed game strategy and software with Andrew and Carlos and offers some predictions for how AI will shape the future of poker.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. Ian Gavlick Ian Gavlick is a poker playing Software Engineer, who spent 15 years working at companies like Twitter & Microsoft before starting Stud Flop Draw to build modern study tools for mixed games. Twitter Link

Michelle Farmer and Natascha Carpenter founded Royal Queens Poker in Atlanta in 2024 after seeing the lack of diversity in other leagues, a journey they shared with Andrew, Carlos, and Gloria Jackson on Episode 459. Now they’re back to discuss the joys and challenges of their rapid growth plus some thoughts on the 2025 World Series of Poker.Thanks to Caitlyn Arnwine for connecting us with them!Follow Royal Queens Poker on Social Media:InstagramFacebookTiktokYou can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. Michelle Farmer & Natascha Carpenter Michelle Farmer and Natascha Carpenter have over 15 years of poker experience. Royal Queens Poker hosts ladies-only tournaments and offers classes to encourage female participation. Additionally, Royal Queens Poker provides free poker events at local restaurants and bars, where players have the chance to win prizes. Link

Ian Chan is a Silicon Valley software engineer and a triple draw enthusiast who built his own badugi solver. He talks game theory, artificial intelligence, mixed games, and the underappreciated role of tactile poker experiences.We’ve also got a little in memoriam for Jane Hitchcock, who was our guest on Episode 330.All our interviews with the University of Alberta Computer Poker Research Group are here.The Counterfactual Regret Minimization paper we discuss is here.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily. IAN CHAN Ian Chan is the VP of Engineering at Postscript. He’s also an avid poker player who enjoys applying his knowledge of game theory and computer science to triple draw games. Twitter Link