TJ Reid discussed his passion for traveling and playing poker, and how his current role as a live reporter allows him to do both without financial stress. He also talked about the shift in poker reporting towards storytelling and finding interesting content to share with the world. Chris Jones and TJ discussed the success of new approaches to reporting in poker media, including initiatives like First-Hand Hands and Inside the Rail content.

TJ provided valuable advice for recreational poker players, highlighting common mistakes and stressing the importance of situational awareness and having a long-term plan for every decision. He provides some good examples and counter-examples of various spots you might encounter in NLHE tournaments, and also shared the experience of blowing off steam in Las Vegas during the World Series of Poker by singing karaoke with friends. Plus we gave 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!

Follow TJ on his socials:

Twitter: @tjreidpoker

https://t.co/1w0TUSBVVw

https://t.co/m6sEGmv1bH

And check out Poker.Org https://t.co/V2bRqAPEd9

We also go over this week’s home game results and discuss these topics:
How to help us out – https://rec.poker/support/
Home Games – https://rec.poker/homegame/
Go Premium! – https://rec.poker/premium/

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity

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RecPoker is a vibrant and encouraging poker learning community. We are committed to learning the game, but our priority is building healthy relationships where we can not only grow in the game, but grow in our enjoyment of life. The free membership website at rec.poker is awesome, but it’s just a tool to help us build that community. You can join for FREE, giving you access to the groups, forums, and other member benefits. If you want to enjoy the premium content, or become part of the RECing Crew, those options are available, and you can get $10 off your first payment using the code RECPOKER. Music by Peter Troolin, [email protected].

Time Stamps

Our featured subject, Ivan Potocki, wrote his first article for this website way back in May 2015. Only now, over seven-and-a-half years later, have I finally had the privilege of meeting Ivan in person. He came to provide in person coverage of Mixed Game Festival III here in Malta, and he’s done a delightful job.

It’s been a true joy to finally meet the man I’ve been corresponding with for all these years, and who has been responsible for writing dozens upon dozens of the articles published on these webpages.

What better time than now to shine the spotlight on this wonderful individual, with whom I’m quite literally about to go and have what’s sure to be a delightful lunch.

How did you first get into the poker industry and for how long have you been doing it?

I discovered poker, or more specifically Texas Hold’em, during my first year studying English language and literature. It didn’t take long to fall in love with the game, and over the next few years, I was able to learn a lot and was actually making some money at the tables.

After I got my BA, I started thinking that there had to be a way to somehow merge my passions for poker and writing, and so I started looking for poker writing gigs. The first real industry job I landed was writing some 50 short biographies of famous poker players some seven or eight years ago.

What poker outlets have you been involved with and which has been your favorite (one-time or ongoing) gig over the years?

I’ve had opportunity to write for so many different sites over the years. More recently, I’ve been involved with Mypokercoaching and Pokerfuse, and, of course, Cardplayer Lifestyle – that one has been going strong for a few good years now.

Before that, I wrote for PokerTube and PokerVIP, had a few opportunities to write some side content for PokerNews, etc. I also want to mention my involvement with BeatTheFish, a cool poker blog that I’m no longer involved with, but I see is still going strong, and I’m really happy about it. The time I spent working with Josh was really important for my professional development.

It’s hard to pick favorites. In general, I always enjoy more “free style” writing, where you can add more of your own thoughts and insights, but that’s not always an option.

What is it that you love about poker that keeps you so interested in the game?

I can honestly say that my passion for the game is as strong as ever, and I think that’s a big part of being good at this job. There is a lot I love about poker and I’ve been through different phases over the years, but what attracts me to it more than anything these days is the fact that it’s the game of people.

That’s why I’ve turned much more towards live poker lately. While online can be amazing, it’s missing that human element that, to me at least, is exactly what makes the game so great. I know everyone is about GTO and numbers these days, but when you look across the table and are able to tell that someone is ready to just give their stack away, there is no real substitute for that.

I’ll admit that it may not be the most profitable way to approach poker, but luckily, I’m not a professional player, so I don’t have to worry about it that much. And, my approach has been working just fine for me, as I’m not losing money and I’m having loads of fun every time I play.

What sort of job(s) – if any – did you have before getting into poker?

Before my life as a writer, I did all sorts of jobs. I worked at a radio station as an audio technician, spent some time working in a small printing shop, and always had some translation gigs on the side. Of those things, translation was what I always enjoyed the most, and I still do an occasional simultaneous translation gig every now and again – something I enjoy very much.

How often do you play poker? Home games mostly or in poker rooms? Cash or tourneys?

I haven’t been playing that much lately, so my recent trip to Malta was a real pleasure and I properly enjoyed every moment of it (the fact I ran pretty well at the tables certainly helped with that!).

There are no official poker games where I live in Bosnia anymore. We used to have some tournaments, but the pandemic put a stop to that, and they are not coming back; that much is clear.

So, when I do get to play, it is mostly home games, and primarily cash. I mostly prefer cash games anyways, as there is so much more play to be had. I mean, I love tournaments, too, but it’s hard to be creative when you’re working with a stack of 15 – 30 big blinds, plus, when you bust, you’re out, and that’s that for the night. If I reserve an evening for poker, I want to get every possible hour out of it.

What’s the poker scene like (if there even is one) in Bosnia? Are you allowed to play online? Are there local poker rooms you can play at or do you have to travel internationally?

There are no clear laws regulating online poker here. Some rooms are happy to accept players from Bosnia, others prefer to steer clear. We have a fair number of options available, although deposits and withdrawals can be a bit tricky.

As for local poker rooms, like I explained earlier, we don’t have those anymore. There were two before, spreading primarily tournaments with some occasional cash game action, but now it’s just home games.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about people who work in poker media?

I don’t know about general misconceptions, but it often feels like people don’t really believe that I actually do something like this for a living. Can’t say that I blame them, though, as these types of jobs aren’t that common here, and things have only started to improve a bit over the recent few years.

Do you do any other sort of work (side gig), writing or otherwise?

I don’t have much time for side gigs, and the little time I do have, if I’ll spend it working, it has to be something I really love. So, the only unrelated side gigs I take are the ones that involve simultaneous translation as I really want to learn more about it and love every opportunity that comes my way. It pays well, too, but in this particular instance, money is secondary.

What other hobbies do you have? Tell us about them.

I don’t think I really have any proper hobbies these days (beyond poker, obviously), and that’s something I keep telling myself I need to work on. My work / life balance is far from perfect, and as much as I enjoy what I do, I know I need some proper hobbies to get my mind off the things. I used to love to play pool, but haven’t really done that in a couple of years, either, so I guess I need to get me some hobbies.

What do you enjoy doing coverage about most in poker – lifestyle/feature pieces, op-eds, promotional stuff, product/room reviews, tourney recaps, live/online poker news, or live reporting?

That’s easy, op-eds. I like to try and analyze things and talk about how I see them. A good op-ed piece can be so satisfactory, even though there are some drawbacks. You have to put yourself out there a bit. Tourney recaps and standard news stuff are much “safer” – as long as you check your spelling and grammar and don’t make any big factual blunders, there is nothing to worry about.

I did some limited live reporting, too, and it’s a bit weird for me. While I love it for the most part, I always feel “left out,” as in everyone else there is having fun and playing poker, and you have to be on the sidelines.

You’ve written reviews of numerous courses from many of the best poker training sites over the years. I’m positive that’s helped you improve your poker game. But I’m wondering if it’s not a bit “confusing” learning so many different approaches and methods from different training sites rather than just the one site, like most serious players who put in study time?

Confusing, yeah, that’s one way to put it. After watching so many videos, it’s impossible for things not to mix up, and although I watch these courses, I don’t study them as carefully as serious players do.

So, I have all these different ideas in my head, and then I try to make something out of them. When it works, I’m happy and think to myself: there you go, you learned this. When it doesn’t, I’m never sure if it was just variance or if I am not quite doing it correctly. But one thing is certain: I do have a lot of interesting ideas bouncing in my head every time I play, and that makes it fun.

 What’s something you still haven’t yet done/accomplished in poker that’s on your bucket list?

The biggest and the most obvious one is to visit Las Vegas and play some poker there. I know that games aren’t nearly as good as in many different parts of the world, but it’s my bucket list item – to play poker in Las Vegas.

Another big one is to spend at least a year playing (live) poker semi full-time. While I am not looking to turn pro, I’d like to put more time into the grind and give it a proper go for a little while to challenge myself and see what happens.

Alright, the stage is yours – go ahead and let loose about something you just HAVE to get off your chest.

I always try to inspire more people to get into writing, so I’ll use this opportunity to do it as well. Whether it’s poker or something else you’re passionate about, with a bit of effort, you can turn it into a nice side gig or even a full time job.

It may seem crazy to invite “competition,” but I think there is plenty of room for everyone, and writing can be such a satisfying way to make some money and enjoy doing it. Plus, you don’t need any special equipment to start – just some heart and commitment!

Kara is active on Twitter as @KaraOTR

Find Kara’s podcast The Heart Of Poker here: https://karascott.podbean.com/

We also go over this week’s home game results and discuss these topics:
How to help us out – https://rec.poker/support/
Home Games – https://rec.poker/homegame/
Go Premium! – https://rec.poker/premium/

RecPoker is a vibrant and encouraging poker learning community. We are committed to learning the game, but our priority is building healthy relationships where we can not only grow in the game, but grow in our enjoyment of life. The membership website at rec. poker is awesome, but it’s just a tool to help us build that community. You can join for FREE, giving you access to the groups, forums, and other member benefits. If you want to enjoy the premium content, or become part of the RECing Crew, those options are available, and you can get $10 off your first payment using the code RECPOKER.

Time Stamps

It always brings me joy to know that someone who got their start in the business via this platform has continued on to a full and proper career in the poker industry, and is still actively writing so many years later.

Jon’s been a fun colleague to see from time to time on the poker circuit, usually in Las Vegas, but our latest meet up happened at Choctaw Durant during the 2022 World Poker Tour Choctaw Main Event. Working alongside him once again made me realize that he’s been long overdue to feature in this miniseries.

Without any further ado, I invite you to get to know Jon Sofen a little better.

How did you first get into the poker industry and for how long have you been doing it?

I can’t recall the exact year but I believe it was 2014 and my first exposure to poker media was right here at Cardplayer Lifestyle. I’m one of the lengthy tree of poker writers who began their journey via this site. Don’t ask me to tell you what my first article I wrote for you was because I can barely remember what I wrote about yesterday, let alone eight years ago! Ed. note: Found it! 5 Qualities to Look for in an Online Poker Site.

What poker outlets have you been involved with and which has been your favorite (one-time or ongoing) gig over the years?

Like many in this industry, I’ve written for a number of poker sites, most notably CardsChat, Poker.org, and now PokerNews, where I’m their Senior Editor, U.S.

CardsChat was an enjoyable and learning experience because when I started back in 2014, I came from a professional writing background but had virtually no news writing experience. I cringe when I look back at some of the news articles I wrote back then. I think, “did I really write that garbage?”

Over the years, I sort of taught myself the gig and also had a great editor in Dan Michalski who is a grizzled veteran in poker media and journalism in general. He taught me a lot about how to write a lead and allowed me to expand my horizons into covering the more creative stories that poker fans want to read.

Read More: Interview with Pokerati Founder Dan Michalski

There’s just no beating PokerNews in this industry, and that isn’t an insult one bit to all of the other sites that do a great job of growing this game. In particular, when PokerNews offered me the job in August, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work alongside a past champion of the prestigious WSOP Casino Employees event in Chad Holloway.

What is it that you love about poker that keeps you so interested in the game?

As a player, I love the adrenaline rush that comes with going on a heater. I’m just kidding, I have absolutely no idea what it’s like to go on a heater. But it sure sounds like fun!

As a writer, I like that no two days are the same. One day, there isn’t much to cover so I just relax. And the next day Phil Hellmuth threatens to burn down the casino and a major cheating scandal breaks out. Either way, it’s a good day for me.

What sort of job(s) – if any – did you have before getting into poker?

I was a freelance writer before poker for about five or six years. You name a topic, I’ve probably written about it (gambling, sports, insurance, dating advice, etc.). But nothing was lamer than my first writing gig, which entailed writing funeral planning advice. There probably isn’t a topic I’m less interested in or less qualified to discuss but someone offered to pay me for it, and I can’t say no to money.

Tell us a bit about your personal life; where you live, family, etc.

I’m from Iowa (GO HAWKEYES!) but have lived in Las Vegas for the past 10 years. In 2012, I moved here just for the summer. It’s been a pretty long summer.

I don’t have any kids that I know about, nor have I ever made the mistake of getting married, but I do have a beautiful and loving girlfriend, Wendy, for the past eight-ish years. And two awesome and cute but poorly behaved little dogs named Sluggerrr and Halo, named after the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels mascots.

How often do you play poker? Home games mostly or in poker rooms? Cash or tourneys?

I don’t play poker much these days. Some months not at all, other months I’ll play a few times. Sometimes I miss the days of playing 40-50 hours a week, but those days are in the past. I still enjoy the game in moderation.

Although I’d love to win a big poker tournament one day, I don’t have the patience for tournaments, so I mostly just play some $2/$5 (or $5/$5) NLH cash games.

My favorite poker rooms are Aria, Bellagio, and Wynn in Las Vegas, and I also love the Hustler in Los Angeles.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about people who work in poker media?

This is a tough question to answer because I don’t really know what people think of those who work in poker media.

Do you do any other sort of work (side gig), writing or otherwise?

Outside of playing poker, I like to buy and sell sports cards. The PokerNews gig does just fine paying the bills, so I don’t have to spend time on other stuff.

What other hobbies do you have? Tell us about them.

My biggest hobby is being a sports fan. I’m a die-hard Iowa Hawkeyes and Kansas City Royals fan. Probably the most passionate fan of those two teams you’ll ever meet. I love poker with a burning passion, but there isn’t anything in this world better than the spending an afternoon watching baseball.

What do you enjoy doing coverage about most in poker – lifestyle/feature pieces, op-eds, promotional stuff, tourney recaps, live/online poker news, or live reporting?

The stories I most enjoy covering tend to involve drama and controversy, or just about anything related to the World Series of Poker. I enjoy those types of stories because they generate the most interest. Plus, they’re less cookie-cutter and give me an opportunity to show some creativity in my writing as opposed to tournament recaps and other less juicy topics.

What’s something you still haven’t yet done/accomplished in poker that’s on your bucket list?

I don’t really have a poker bucket list, so I’ll say my top general bucket list item is to catch a game in every Major League Baseball stadium and every MLB team in person. Somehow, I still have yet to see the New York Mets in person, and it’s the only team I still need to cross off the list. I wish they’d stop building new stadiums as it makes it tough for me to ever catch a game in every stadium.

Alright, the stage is yours – go ahead and let loose about something you just HAVE to get off your chest.

This is such a horrible idea to ask me this question because I have so many strong opinions on many issues, but since you asked, here we go!

I think I’ll stick with the sports theme here instead of poker. One thing that just irritates the heck out of me is the never-ending LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan debate. Not only is it pointless to argue something that can’t be proven, I find very few takes on social media related to this issue that are even remotely reasonable.

As a 1990s Bulls fan, I can admit that I’m a little biased and consider Jordan the greatest of all-time. But the issue I have with many basketball fans these days is they act like because, in their opinion, LeBron is inferior to MJ, that somehow means LeBron is trash. Or, at least, that’s the impression they give off with their ridiculous takes.

Folks, LeBron’s pretty much indisputably one of the top two players in history, and if he isn’t as great as Jordan, that doesn’t mean he sucks. His stats are unreal, and he carried a couple of truly horrendous Cavs teams to the Finals, and then carried the Cavs to a title in games 5 and 6 in 2016 against the supposed greatest team ever (Golden State), his third of four titles.

Sports fans these days have been brainwashed by mouth-breathing ESPN and Fox Sports commentators to believe that one player can carry a team all alone. Michael Jordan didn’t win jack squat until he had Scottie, and his final three titles were on a team that had two other future Hall of Famers (Pippen and Rodman) and some quality role-players (Harper, Kukoc, Kerr).

When Jordan was banned from the NBA for gambling — just kidding — retired for the first time in 1994, the team he left went on to make the playoffs without him. After LeBron bolted from Cleveland to Miami, the Cavs were embarrassingly bad, and then were once again after he left town to sign with the Lakers.

That doesn’t mean I think LeBron is superior to Jordan. In fact, if you asked me who the greatest of all-time is, I’d tell you MJ. But my point is that those who talk down on LeBron and try to discredit his greatness are out of their minds and probably shouldn’t be taken seriously on just about any sports topic.

There you go, end of rant!

It’s one of the most common questions an adult gets asked. People always get it when you respond with a concise, conventional answer like “doctor,” “lawyer,” or “accountant,” but nowadays there are infinitely more different types of careers than ever before, including numerous job titles that didn’t even exist a generation ago. You’d think that by now, more than 12 years after founding Cardplayerlifestyle.com, I’d have found a title that accurately captures my “job description” in just a few words.

The fact that I haven’t is one of the reasons I felt the need to write this article. When someone asks me what I do, it always takes at least a couple minutes to try and explain, and when I finish I never feel like I’ve done an adequate job. I suppose that’s because there are so many different types of things I do on a day-to-day basis, as well as over the course of a typical calendar year.

Writer

I’ll start off with writing because when I first embarked on this journey with Cardplayerlifestyle.com, that’s all I did. My friend Avi acted as the webmaster while I supplied the content. Over the years, I’ve come to better understand the audience I’m writing for and try my best to produce articles that you’ll enjoy. Back in the day, once I finished the writing, I emailed the Word documents to Avi and he took care of all the rest.

For a long time, I was pretty much the only one writing for this poker media website. Over the years, numerous other writers have joined the fold, some of whom have become regular contributors. Gradually, the amount of writing I’ve done for the site has slowly and steadily decreased to the point where I currently handle about a quarter of the writing.

Beyond Cardplayer Lifestyle, I’ve also written for many other websites during my professional career, most within the gaming industry, and some specifically within the poker niche.

Webmaster

When I wrote earlier that my friend Avi “did all the rest,” generally speaking that meant “all the technical stuff” that goes into maintaining and running a website. Over the 2.5 years we worked together, Avi was kind enough to give me basic instruction in the main building blocks of what goes into running this website, including (but not limited to):

• HTML
• WordPress CMS
• Google Analytics
• SEO

All of the above subjects were brand new to me back in 2009; I had been an English Linguistics major at university. While to this day I’ve never received any sort of formal training as a webmaster, I feel like I’ve never stopped learning how to do an increasingly better job of it.

Prior to becoming self-employed in March 2017, I worked for a number of companies that employed specialists in each of the aforementioned fields, while Cardplayer Lifestyle remained a “nights and weekends” side hustle. Through speaking and working with these people on a multitude of projects, over the years I have been able to amass tons of practical knowledge that has proven tremendously useful in running this website.

READ MORE: How I Grew My Poker Media Website from 0 to 20,000 Visitors Per Month

Editor

It took me until about the middle of 2015 to fully embrace the idea that for Cardplayer Lifestyle to truly start thriving and scaling up, I couldn’t limit content production to just myself. For all content other than my own, then, I wear the editor’s hat.

Beyond reviewing all contributed articles for style, layout, mechanics, typos, etc., being this site’s editor means coordinating the production of said articles. Fielding topic pitches and commissioning pieces from our contributing writers means crafting a weekly/monthly publishing schedule to ensure the “content beast” always gets fed and that we can keep on regularly releasing new articles for your reading pleasure.

Social Media Manager

Beyond self-fulfillment, what “good” is the production of content if nobody knows about it? Part of being a good publisher, in my opinion, is getting the word out about your product; i.e., your content. As anyone who follows me on Facebook or Twitter surely knows, I do my best to spread the word about all content we publish here.

Sometimes I think about doing giveaways… then I remember that I always give away ALL of my content for free.

If that makes you go “hmm, he’s got a point” and you like Cardplayer Lifestyle content, kindly consider an RT. https://t.co/uRzvbPnfWN#illstilldomoregiveaways

— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) July 24, 2019

Having a strong social media presence is essential in pretty much any industry these days, and specifically for the poker community, Twitter is the preferred platform. It’s also not just about sharing your own content and “hoping for the best.” You’ve got to be actively engaged, which is why I spend loads of time on Twitter as well as in numerous Facebook groups taking part in poker-related discussions. If there were more hours in the day, perhaps I’d also have a greater presence on YouTube and other social media platforms, but I digress…

Aside from social networks, since mid-2016 I’ve also produced a monthly newsletter that de facto acts as an information hub for:

• recapping Cardplayer Lifestyle’s monthly activity
• informing my audience of what else I’ve been up to poker-wise each month
• exclusive giveaways and promotions
• exclusive previews of what to expect in the near future from me

Interviewer/Presenter/Podcaster

While the written word might be the primary medium for my content production, I also produce a decent amount in the video sphere. Most of my work during the year I do from home, but I’ve also traveled to numerous marquee poker festivals around the world, where I’ve interviewed some of the game’s biggest names.

People might recognize the research and interview prep needed in advance, but they might not realize that aside from post-production video editing and interview transcription, I handle everything else on my own, from traveling with and setting up the hardware to managing the recording software to uploading, and more.

I’ve been consistently active in the poker podcasting space since 2014:

• From 2014-2020 I co-hosted Top Pair along with Bruce Briggs.
• For the first half of 2020, I hosted the Red Chip Poker Podcast.
• Since late 2020, I’ve been the host of the Cardschat Podcast.
• Since mid-2020, I’ve been the showrunner and host of The Orbit, poker’s first ever roundtable discussion show.

I’ve also spearheaded similar content creation initiatives in the past for notable brands in the industry and quite frankly there’s a lot of thought, scriptwriting, and storytelling that goes into getting audio and video media of that nature produced.

Businessman

As the sole proprietor of this website, I also have a business to run. While there’s nobody on payroll, all of the contributed content we publish doesn’t come free. Neither does retaining the occasional services of skilled professionals like transcriptionists, video editors, graphic designers, front-end developers, etc.

Invoices need to be processed and payments need to be sorted in a timely manner. By the same token, I’m by definition responsible for ensuring a steady flow of revenue, be it from advertisers, affiliation, or other means.

All of that is to say that there’s always a great deal of emailing and correspondence that goes on “behind the scenes” on a daily basis, the upshots of which are:

• the website you see before you
• the other content I produce and services I provide independent of what appears on this website
• hopefully making a living, when all is said and done

Consultant

As I’ve become further ensconced in the poker world over the last few years, I’ve naturally come to know many people from all walks of life. These include the players, both recreational and professional, industry leaders, live event staffers, vloggers, fellow poker media members, public relations specialists, equipment suppliers, and countless others.

I truly enjoy interacting with people who share my passion for poker, so all of the relationships I’ve developed in this industry are 100% genuine. Quite fortunately, on a number of occasions the networking I’ve done has led to some unexpected consulting opportunities.

While I can’t reveal any clients due to nondisclosure agreements, for the purposes of this article I can say that there’s certainly a time commitment involved not only in building, maintaining, and growing a network, but of course in carrying out the consultation work on a regular basis.

Freelance Poker Projects

From 2017-2019, each summer for a couple weeks I took a step back from my typical poker media grind to work with the Poker PROductions team in Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker Main Event. I’ve detailed my specific role with them in the past, but I’d be remiss to exclude mention of it in this article, as it was, for a time, a staple of my yearly calendar.

Beyond that, occasionally a special project comes along that I make the time to work on, outside of my regular day-to-day poker media pursuits. One such major project was the translation of poker legend Eli Elezra’s autobiography, Pulling the Trigger, from Hebrew into English. Beyond having produced the English-language manuscript, my ongoing role also includes marketing the book.

Conclusion

Part of the reason there are so many different components to my “job” is that I’m self-employed. A company will often hire you to do one specific type of job, perhaps involving another couple types of skills. When you’re going at it on your own, however, you need to have a wide array of skill sets.

The conventional advice usually given to those who are self-employed is to do as much as you possibly can on your own before hiring other people. I outsource the tasks I am unqualified to do on my own to freelance service providers, but on the whole I don’t just captain this ship, I also do everything from hoisting the sails to swabbing the decks.

So I suppose it takes approximately 1,700 words, but I think I’ve finally done an adequate job of describing what it is that I do for a living.

Any ideas for how to print all this on a business card?

Precisely that type of sentiment is what our ongoing Get to Know the Poker Media series aims to ameliorate.

We’ve profiled a couple poker photographers in the past as part of this series, and in a bid to be even more inclusive we’ve cast our eyes beyond American shores to find Danny Maxwell.

The jovial Irishman has always been one of the more amicable colleagues with whom I’ve had the privilege of interacting on my poker travels, whether seeing him at the annual World Series of Poker or at other tournament series around the world. Long admired for his tremendous work ethic, Danny’s talent has received “proper” industry acknowledgement with one of his images being nominated for a 2021 Global Poker Award.

It’s time to get to know Danny a little better, so we can more fully appreciate the man behind the lens.

How did you first get into the poker industry and for how long have you been doing it?

I’ve been around poker for 10+ years and sometimes I do forget that I’ve been around that long.

One of my friends used to run the poker society in his college. He taught me how to play poker so we could play home games with friends. That ultimately led me to play in his college society games. Those games, in turn, lead me to playing local pub games to then play more games in the licensed casinos in Dublin.

Poker was starting to consume me more and more and I got involved in the Dublin poker scene. Wanting to get better, I would hear players at the table talk about “poker forums.” So I joined up to irishpokerboards.com or IPB for short. It was a nice place for players from all over Ireland who got to know each other over a shared love of poker. There is a good community feel from the website.

I was just a member of IPB but a very active one at that, which ultimately led me to become a moderator. I was helping out around the site and doing the updates, and at one point the original founders made me a co-owner of IPB. We’ll never be millionaires from it but it’s a fun part of our lives.

Around the time that IPB was getting up and running (2010), the poker festival scene was pretty busy in Ireland. The Irish Open was such an iconic event so that was where some of the mods and members of the forum would rock up for some craic and to do some updates on fellow members. And, of course, we gathered for a few drinks to get to know other people from the forum.

I also remember that I was out of work at the time. So I had some free time to pop along to these tournaments and do some live updates for the site as a way of helping out and to gain some traction for IPB.

I have lots of fond memories of those times; getting to know people that were just a username then meeting them over a shared interest in the game of poker. Still, to this day, I call some of those people my friends.

Some people who were in the industry then are still in it today while others have gone on to be some of the biggest and most well known in their respective fields. I’ve got to single out Nick O’Hara, Luca Vivaldi, and Toby Stone; I feel a sense of pride and kinship with those gents. After all these years we are still in a world that we love, and that’s something truly special.

So I started out as a “player” who did some live updates in my free time. But at one point — and this is one of my most vivid memories — I had access to a camera at an event that we were covering. We didn’t get paid for this; it was more so for a bit of fun and to give the site some views. In return, some of the promoters would give us free accommodation, food, and entry into a side event as a way to say “thank you”.

So why did you specifically decide to further pursue professional poker photography?

I’ve always enjoyed being around poker. To be in this industry has been nothing short of fantastic.

I’ve always felt that my writing was okay, but I was never going to be a James Joyce. But with photography, it just felt right to me. Even before picking up a “professional” camera, I was that guy who, back in the day on nights out, would have the disposable camera and snap pictures of my friends.

What I’ve loved and really enjoyed about photography is that it has all been self-thought. Just trial and error, watching tutorials online, and reading and researching bits and then putting it into practice. That’s why I’ve always felt I’d be a better photographer than a writer, as my photography skills were constantly growing. Even so today.

There are so many techniques to master and then to refine when it comes to shooting and editing. Both will always be a constant to me. I do 99% of my editing in Adobe Lightroom but it was only last year during the pandemic that I took the time to take a course on Photoshop, just to learn more intricacies of photography and to broaden my skillset. Next up is video editing.

How did you first “properly” break into the poker industry?

It felt very serendipitous, as I had done a bunch of smaller jobs which led me to doing some bigger jobs and getting recognised more. Covering a Unibet Open in Dublin for IPB, I met Remko Rinkema for the first time. Cut to me covering a UKIPT in Cork for IPB and I got approached by PokerStars to cover my first EPT which was in London. It’s there once again where I bumped into Remko and he put my name out to Donnie Peters, who was working for PokerNews at the time. Donnie contacted me about working at the 2013 WSOP.

The 2013 WSOP is where I pretty much solidified myself in poker photography as a go to photographer for some of the biggest brands in poker.

What poker outlets have you been involved with and which has been your favorite (one-time or ongoing) gig over the years?

I’ve worked for numerous outlets over the years. From small independent operators in Ireland to then working for BoylePoker and Paddy Power Poker, to then working with some of the biggest and most prestigious brands in the industry like PokerStars, the WPT, partypoker, and PokerNews. I’d call PokerNews home, as it’s where I’ve spent the vast majority of my career photographing all over the world for them.

The Irish Open will always have a special place in my heart. It was the first big tournament I ever attended. I was just in awe of the whole thing. Seeing all the tables and so many people playing, the sound of the chip riffling in the room… It was such a buzz. It was one of the first places where I was doing live updates for fun to then become employed by Paddy Power Poker to officially work the event for a number of years.

I’ve been covering the European Poker Tour for a vast majority of my photography career. They’ve been some of the best jobs I’ve had the pleasure of covering as they bring together the top people in the business, which then brings together a group of poker players from all walks of life, be they pros or amateurs.

What most poker players and poker fans would consider the pinnacle, is, of course, the World Series of Poker. That is always one of the greatest events to work.

What made those gigs special to you over other “more standard” assignments?

The Irish Open was just “craic,” as we say in Ireland. It was a near requirement that at the end of each day you were at the bar enjoying a drink with the players, staff and colleagues. When the boss is ordering shots of vodka, it’s okay to have two or three…

Moving onto the World Series of Poker. It’s a roughly seven-week job which is a hefty undertaking. I could never have guessed that I’d have had the opportunity so early in my photography career to cover the WSOP. For this poker fan to be a part of something like that, was insane for me to comprehend at the time. I’ve had the opportunity to cover it a number of times already and hopefully I’ll be covering it in 2022 in its new home: Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. That will be a new and exciting challenge.

Usually at events, it’s just myself and a small live reporting team. But at the WSOP it’s such a big undertaking that it takes a lot of moving parts. You get to work in a much bigger team of photographers, live reporters, and a video team. Not to mention all the other reporting teams from around the world. And then you have production crews for the likes of ESPN or CBS. It’s massive and awesome to be a part of.

What is it that you love about poker that keeps you so interested in the game?

It’s an equal opportunity game in the sense that, if you have the money and the confidence, you can sit down beside some of the best poker players in the world and take your shot and win.

Even though it’s an individual game, it can be such a social game as well. You and your friends can sit around for an evening, have some food and beverages, and shoot the breeze over a game of cards. I tend to find there’s a good community in and around poker.

Certainly, I felt it at the 2021 WSOP. There was a good buzz in the rooms of the Rio as people got to play a game they enjoy and got to reconnect with friends and colleagues that they had not seen in a while.

As we’ve all got smartphones, cameras are ubiquitous nowadays; so much so that perhaps anyone feels they could take decent pictures. What does being a professional photographer mean to you?

Anybody can take a decent photo, which is what’s great about photography.

Whatever camera you have on you is the best camera. Be it a smartphone, a point and shoot, or a high-end DSLR.

I remember starting out years ago and using my mobile phone to take photos of players at the tables because that’s all I had. It took me a long time to feel comfortable calling myself a “professional” as I’m not classically trained. The vast majority of my learning has been through different mediums but it has ultimately led me to where I am today. I’m proud of who I am and what I can do.

People have asked me over the years why I use a Canon camera? Simple answer was at the time I was starting out I didn’t have lots of money to be buying lenses etc. but some of the lads I knew from poker were into photography and they had better lenses than me and knew I could ask them to lend them to me.

Where do you feel your skills shine best, and what are you looking to capture when you get behind the lens?

I take pride in the fact that when somebody contacts me for a job, they know that my work speaks for itself. They know that I’m hardworking and trustworthy and will always do my utmost to put my best foot forward.

I’ve been fortunate that I can work well on my own or can integrate within a team also. That leads to a harmonious work life; knowing that people look forward to working with me.

This article has allowed me to reflect on my photography over the years and to see how far I’ve come since starting out. Poker has made up 95% of my portfolio and you always try to refine and tweak how you work. I try to work on a quality over quantity approach. Sometimes, that’s not possible because you could be working three, four, or five events a day, so you don’t always have the luxury to get that “perfect” shot. But I tend to focus on what’s in front of me and try to capture a moment.

Good timing can also play a part in photography: being at the right place at the right time. That was true for me at the 2021 WSOP when I was able to capture a picture of Brandon Shack-Harris at the tables with an umbrella. In an unexpected but pleasant surprise, it was nominated for “BEST MEDIA CONTENT: PHOTO” at this year’s Global Poker Awards.

I asked Frank Op de Woerd if he would mind giving me a quote for this article as to why he would hire me. It was really nice to see his response to what I said myself above:

“For me, you’re one of the best in the business. You make stunning photos, crisp, clean, great composition, eye for detail, and you’re fast. But, on top of all that, you’re just so damn easy to work with. No complaining, no drama – you’re part of the group instantly, work long hours with great attitude.”

There are some truly excellent photographers in this industry with more coming up so for myself to continue to be recognized for what I do it’s always good to keep on top of your game.

During the pandemic, masks were an almost ubiquitous site at poker tables and might likely be for a while yet. It would seem that poker photography has become significantly more challenging as a result. What are your thoughts on this?

While poker was nearly non-existent in Europe, it was starting to come back in the US. So when I would see updates on PokerNews from events, there were plexiglass dividers coupled with masks. I thought it was going to be really difficult to photograph and it was certainly a challenge and something new. Ultimately though it went smooth.

You just work with the situations that you are presented with. While masks were not a requirement at tables during the 2021 WSOP, there were players who still opted to wear them. Sometimes people are just so recognisable even with a mask, that it was easy to figure out. There were some who would need a double take, and then there were some who were missed completely because of them.

What sort of job(s) – if any – did you have before getting into poker?

I completed school when I was 17 and had no interest in going to college, so I worked in a local supermarket for a number of years before leaving that. I floated around for a while doing odd jobs over the years, and then playing poker around Dublin.

In my mid 20s, I went to community college and studied computer networks and software systems. I finished that course and got my qualifications and a little while after that is when I started to get into poker. The rest, as they say, is history.

As a freelance photographer you have a certain idea from year to year what events you are likely to work on but when a global pandemic comes along and stops the majority of the world, travelling for events wasn’t happening. During lockdown I was out of work once again as no events were going ahead so that was tough at times but I eventually picked up some work locally delivering kitchens for a design company called Kitchen World.

It actually ended up being a pretty fun job as I was travelling all around Dublin and up and down the east coast or Ireland getting to see the countryside and some wonderful houses and got to work with some nice people. Doesn’t hurt delivering HEAVY kitchens leading up to your wedding to drop some extra weight.

Tell us a bit about your personal life; where you live, family, etc.

I live with my wife Laura and father Danny Sr. in Dublin, Ireland. People have the perception that it’s always raining here but when the sun is shining, there’s no other place I’d rather be.

Laura and I originally planned to get married in May 2020. Two weeks after the wedding, I would’ve been heading to Vegas for seven weeks to cover the WSOP. Unfortunately, we had to postpone the wedding twice but on the third date we were able to have the absolute BEST day of our lives. We chose 11/11/21, and it was a beautiful day!

I had a feeling that when the WSOP wasn’t going ahead during the summer of 2021, that it would fall during my wedding date. Quelle surprise: it did. I can’t really think of too many better reasons to cut a work trip short than to fly home to marry the woman you love.

On a side note, hopefully this article will give her some insight into my life in poker that we haven’t talked about already. She’s really understanding of the life that I’ve lived and continue to do so with travel. It’s tough leaving her to head away but it’s one of the best feelings knowing that there’s always a smiling face and the biggest hug waiting for me at the airport when I return home.

How often do you play poker?

Back in 2009 I had a decent little score in a tournament in Dublin and won €5,900, so I took that money and used it to visit my family in the US. My aunt lives in Los Angeles so I went and stayed with her for a week and then spent one week with my cousin and her husband in Las Vegas. The WSOP was going on at that time and I remember bumping into Scotty Nguyen in the Rio hallways and asking to get my photo taken with him and then only a couple short years later I was now taking his photo across the table was a goal come true for this poker fan-turned-photographer.

I do enjoy playing the media tournaments at EPTs and the WSOP, as they are a way to kick back with colleagues.

I very rarely get the chance or have the inclination to be playing poker much over the last number of years.

It really did consume a lot of my life back in the day and I would just constantly talk about it to friends. I’m sure it got to a stage where they would just tune out. Soaking up so much poker, I’d watch all the televised shows about it. There was a period a number of years ago when I was very busy and just travelled a lot. So when I had some free time at home, I wanted to be away from it all and just enjoy hanging out with family and friends and spend time relaxing.

I have a very modest Hendon Mob and have never really played too many big tournaments. At one point, though, I was in the top 10 most searched people on the Hendon Mob, which did give me a chuckle.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about people who work in poker media?

I suppose people tend to see it as very “glamorous”, travelling to such locations as The Bahamas, Macau, Las Vegas or Monte Carlo, but sometimes the work schedules are gruelling. To try and take it all in can be tough to find the work/life balance.

Don’t get me wrong though, I’ve loved the travelling aspect of my work and it’s always good when you do get the opportunity to take in the sights and culture these places have to offer. I’ve had some really awesome trips with colleagues when the events are over and you’re able to spend an extra couple days. I’m a pretty self-effacing person so the glitzy life of Monte Carlo and €8 cans of Coke and €15 bananas in the Bahamas are way over my head.

Do you do any other sort of work, or have a side gig?

I don’t at the moment, but I’ve recently been reaching out to some people and companies about possibly doing something on the side in relation to graphics. The lockdown gave me the time to broaden my photography skills and I ended up taking a course on Adobe Photoshop which I passed, so I’m now certified. I’m also looking to learn how to shoot and edit video to be able to put my hand to a multitude of creative endeavours. For anybody reading this who has any collaboration ideas, please do reach out.

What other hobbies do you have? Tell us about them.

I like to shoot long exposure photography, be it cityscapes or landscape photos in my personal time and travelling for poker has given me the chance to photograph some wonderful sights. One of my assignments for my Adobe Photoshop course was making a book or magazine cover so I decided to make a “fake” poker magazine which I should probably continue on with for some fun adding new people for each addition.

I’m an avid movie fan so I like going to the cinema in my down time. I’m fascinated with documentaries and love getting engrossed in all manner of subjects.

In anticipation of our marriage, Laura and I got back into a health buzz and I was out walking and also in the gym. Walking was a good way for me to clear my mind and get some fresh air, and it also gave me time to listen to podcasts while out and about. I aimed to do a minimum of 10,000 steps every day. I was ticking along with that and then we went into lockdown. It was a scary time for a lot of people and it would’ve been very easy to just fall by the wayside and let things slip. But I persevered on and kept the steps up. We were in a strict lockdown and you couldn’t travel more than 2 kilometres from your home. So another factor in walking was to try and keep my mind busy and to force myself to get out and about and not sit around watching all the Netflix.

I managed to make it 21 months of minimum 10,000 steps a day and was absolutely chuffed to be able to keep a streak going so long. Three days after the wedding, my streak came to an end.

What’s something you still haven’t yet done/accomplished in poker that’s on your bucket list?

I’ve worked the WSOP 3 times but I’ve never had the opportunity to shoot a main event winner pic.

Plus, I’d love to play a WSOP event one day. Qualifying to play the Main Event would be amazing.

I’ve never been to South America. I know the poker scene is supposed to be incredible there, so hopefully one day I’ll get to work at the BSOP or something similar.

Have you got some special memories or stories that you’d like to share from your years in the poker industry?

Getting to spend time in Wisconsin with Chad Holloway and meeting his family and friends, and not forgetting his dogs. Having the opportunity to attend Frank Op de Woerd’s wedding in the Netherlands. Seeing a Broadway show and off-Broadway show in New York with Josh Cahlik.

Working a Triton Poker event in Montenegro and it was one of the first trips my wife got to attend. We were enjoying a drink on the terrace with poker player Alan Sass. It turned out he knows Tom Dwan pretty well and lo and behold, Tom walked out onto the terrace not too long after and he joined us for a drink. He’s originally from New Jersey and my wife Laura lived in New York for a number of years so they were chatting all sorts. It was very surreal to have “durrrr” just shooting the breeze with us.

Working an event in Montreal and getting asked by PokerNews to cover the 2017 Poker Masters in Vegas. It worked out well as my sister-in-law and brother-in-law were also in Vegas for his 30th birthday. It was fun hanging out with them and drinking some Fat Tuesday’s while walking around the strip like proper tourists.

I was in Sydney and walked into the sports bar after the event finished, only to see that the 2018 WSOP Main Event was being shown on the screens. I saw Joe Cada exit in fifth place and I remember it because I was shooting that final table. Wouldn’t you know it, up on the screen I could just see myself in the background! Good timing as I’d never seen it before. That was kind of cool to see.

You’ve shot tens of thousands of photos, so I imagine it might be tough to pick, but have you got any favorites?

Ian Simpson winning the Irish Open in 2013 to then drop down on one knee and propose to his now wife Emma.

Photographing the 2018 WSOP $1,000,000 The Big One for One Drop and a woman on the rail is looking out for players and spots Phil Ivey and she let out an audible gasp. Stuff like that, I remember as one of the reasons why I love poker.

Covering the UKIPT in the Isle of Man and taking photos at the player party and get a phone call to say “Isai Scheinberg is heads up in the High Roller and probably going to win, we need you back here for the winner photo” packing up my bag and jumping into a taxi straight back to the venue. When he won, there was a big round of applause for the man who founded PokerStars. Some of the staff and players joining in his winner photo was something special.

Kevin Killeen winning UKIPT Dublin and being hoisted up onto his friends shoulders was a pretty great picture to capture.

Some of the venues I’ve been to over the years have been incredible. One that always stands out in my mind was the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. That was an absolutely stunning room to play poker in.

I love seeing my work out there and especially printed that people love it enough to hang it up on their walls. Frank Op de Woerd has some of my Las Vegas long exposures hung up on his office walls but recently he went one step further and got one of the images made up into wallpaper and now it takes up one whole wall in his office. It’s absolutely incredible.

Adrián Mateos‘ winner photo from the 2015 EPT Grand Final is pretty spectacular and I used it as the landing page on my personal website.

Having one of my photos be the lead image on Daniel Negreanu’s Netflix documentary KidPoker was a personal highlight for me.

My very first EPT I was covering the £10k High Roller and I was still so new and trying to put my best foot forward. Somebody was heckling me from the rail saying I was in their way. Feeling so embarrassed and sheepish I side stepped only for JC Alvarado to step in on my behalf and say: “he’s just doing his job”. That was greatly appreciated. He posted a tweet in 2019 announcing his retirement from playing poker professionally so I thought I’d send him a message about my story and he remembered it.

Getting the opportunity to photograph Phil Ivey’s NFT launch at a swanky mansion in Las Vegas was pretty cool, too.

Any final thoughts you’d like to share?

The poker world has given me more than I will ever be able to repay it. It’s given me a career, a passion for photography, friends, and life experiences I would’ve never had without it. Travel was a huge thing as I’d never really done so before, and now I’ve travelled all over the world. I’ve worked with some of the best people in the business and got to know so many people from such varied walks of life. That has opened up my heart and mind to what life can offer.

I’ve had some really awesome experiences from being in the poker world and feel fortunate to do what I do and long may it continue. Working on this interview has been a really fun experience, looking back at my time in the poker world.

To contact Danny and see more of his work:

Website: dannymaxwellphotography.com

Twitter: @MannyDaxwell

Instagram: instagram.com/dannymaxwellphotography

Lead image courtesy of René Velli, wedding photos by David Frain, Danny working by Carlos Monti

First up among them is Jesse Fullen. Having become a beloved fixture on the U.S. poker scene over the last few years, Jesse is currently the Head of Social Media at PokerNews. In this conversation, we’ll learn what Jesse used to do before diving head-first into the poker world, about his hobbies away from the felt, his passion for the game, and much more.

How did you first get into the poker industry and for how long have you been doing It?

After attending the first two run it up events in Reno back in 2014, I became friends with Jason Somerville. That friendship and others I made in the Run It Up community led to me pursuing a job in Vegas. We made the move in January 2015 but my job was a youth pastor (had been in that line for 12 years at the time). When the WSOP came that summer, I heard about Jason’s first RIU booth in the hallway and learned that our mutual friend would work it 7 days a week. I thought that was crazy and offered one of my two days off (Fridays) to work the booth so he could get stuff done.  I worked part-time in that booth 2015 and 2016.

In 2016 I also started working part-time with their RIU live events. In 2017 when RIU opened a Vegas office, I took an “Office Manager” role and jumped a few months later when I was offered the opportunity to step into a social media management position. I was with RIU until the pandemic struck in March 2020.

Somewhere along that ride, I befriended people at PokerNews and took a part-time position in 2019 and 2020. I started full-time with PokerNews late in 2020 and here we are headed into 2022….so I’ve been in the industry for nearly 8 years if you fudge the numbers somewhere.

What poker outlets have you been involved with and which has been your favorite (one-time or ongoing) gig over the years?

I’ve just been with Run It Up and PokerNews. Both of my roles have been so radically different and amazing.  At Run It Up, my goal was to cover the casual/recreational player in a $100-$500 tournament. Our goal was to help build a community and give the max bang for your poker budget. We had a welcome party, karaoke night, board game night, plus high quality photographer and live reporter on site. I loved working with Jason and bringing that experience to life. Working at PokerNews, I try to bring that same energy while working with Norman Chad, Chris Moneymaker, Phil Hellmuth and other amazing pros.

What is it that you love about poker that keeps you so interested in the game?

I love that people from all walks of life can meet at a poker table and be equal to a certain degree. Doctors, lawyers, high school dropouts, etc. For me poker is about the wins, but also about the stories you can hear or create.

As far as working in the industry, I want to make poker as fun as I can for the people I touch with my content or words. When I was a youth pastor, my goal was to create a fun safe place for kids. In poker, I try to do the same thing. Make a fun safe place where people can connect and grow.

“Does anybody have @MikeCaro‘s book of tells on them? What does it say in there if somebody blows a unicorn piñata butt at you after they bet? I think thats page 36.”

Watch our Chat Plays Poker episode with @goldsteinE @jessefullen and @VanessaKade here:https://t.co/62Qa3w9oJ5 pic.twitter.com/SyocrQF2uw

— Run It Up (@runitup) November 22, 2019

What sort of job(s) – if any – did you have before getting into poker?

As mentioned, I was a youth pastor for 12 years. I sold used cars for about a year. I was a barista/coffee shop manager for four years. Executive Assistant at a Petro Chemical Company.  I was a hand model/actor for a Halloween party company (I had to hide under a table and perform as “Thing” from The Addams Family) and yeah I drove a karaoke Uber (karaoke system and black lights) in Vegas for almost two years. (I’ve left out about 20 more odd jobs…)

Tell us a bit about your personal life; where you live, family, etc.

I live in Las Vegas, NV. Married to Becca for 14 years and we have 2 daughters. Lucy is 12 and Harper is 10.

Happy Thanksgiving from The Fullens! pic.twitter.com/lqpLY5JzYa

— Jesse Fullen (@jessefullen) November 26, 2021

How often do you play poker? Home games mostly or in poker rooms? Cash or tourneys? 

The answer to this question has changed many times over the years. Currently i just play on vacation, during the series, or at events I make it out to. I will hit up an occasional cash game or daily tournament when friends come to town but its definitely not the normal weekly few games I used to play.

Jesse at the 2021 WSOP Employees event (finished 42nd)

What’s the biggest misconception people have about people who work in poker media?

I feel like people expect me to know a lot more than I do. “Who is this?” How would I know?! Ohhh, I’m probably supposed to or you at least expect a professional person to know that. My best talent is having a great group of friends around me who I can ask. If I don’t know the answer, I can at least find it for you as fast as possible.

Do you do any other sort of work or have a side gig?

Does tutoring my daughter in math count?  It doesn’t pay well. I occasionally do some video editing gigs or drone photography things here and there. I’ve helped out with a charity tournament or two with bits and pieces.

What other hobbies do you have? Tell us about them.

Karaoke is more than a hobby to me. Karaoke is life. In a previous life, my passions were singing (choir for 8+ years) and theater. My adult life doesn’t give me a ton of time to access those so a quick karaoke performance of Toxic by Britney Spears gets that energy out.

Jesse, singing and dancing to Britney Spears’ Toxic during a Run It Up karaoke night

You’ve been exceptionally creative in your social media role with PokerNews. Sometimes that creativity knocks it out of the park and your innovation draws big numbers, while other times the analytics indicate that things fell flat. Do your emotions swing depending on the numbers, or do you feel like success ought to be measured in different ways?

I’ve learned the hard way that something I can put hours into can get 12 likes while something I spent maybe 10 seconds on can blow up and go viral. I always want to give me best to a creative piece I work on. I know it can fall flat and when it does, I step over its carcass and move on to the next one. You can’t get emotional about the misses.

I do get pretty excited when something takes off though.  I doubt my bosses will agree but I sometimes feel like success should be measured in the positive comments… the positive quote tweets… the shares, etc.  I love hearing someone talk about a piece of content I worked on days, weeks, months later.

During the series, someone asked me about why Chris Moneymaker still goes by Moneymaker when my April (1st) article revealed his real last name was “Smith.” It’s been seven months and someone is still thinking about the April Fools joke I pulled. That’s one that really filled my creative gas tank.

2003 WSOP champ Chris Moneymaker changed the course of poker history today with a shocking admission about a lie he’s told for nearly two decades — he’s not the man you think he is. Story here. https://t.co/4pS8HXGNwE

— PokerNews (@PokerNews) April 1, 2021

Beyond manning the social channels for PokerNews, you’ve dabbled in podcast co-hosting, Twitch streaming, video production, and more. It seems like you need a pretty diverse skillset to handle everything thrown your way (hats off to you!). What advice would you give to someone wanting to break into the poker business and have this type of role?

Do not pigeonhole yourself. You are never too old to learn something new and add a new tool to your toolbelt. If you are good at one thing, there will always be someone someday who might be better at that one thing. Do what you can to always keep learning and picking up new things to help you grow and become more valuable to your employer or your future one.

What’s something you still haven’t yet done/accomplished in poker that’s on your bucket list?

I have to say play in the Main Event. I will turn 40 this coming summer during one of the starting days and that has always been a goal of mine. I lost my dad several years ago, but we really reconnected after many rough years… at the poker table. My dad and I would play every week in a free bar league. We played in some underground games in Houston and we even traveled to Louisiana to play in some bigger buy-in ($200) weekend tournaments back in the day. Our goal was to make it to the WSOP and play together, etc. Sadly my dad died before we could make those trips happen. So, yeah, if I ever get the opportunity to jump in, I know I’ll have my dad with me.

Beyond that dream everyone in poker has, I want to help keep the history of the game alive. One thing I love about my co-worker, Chad Holloway, is his love of the history of poker and the history of the WSOP with Binion’s Horseshoe and everything. I hope to interview more legends of the game and help share their memories.

My #lfgpodcast interview with @ChadAHolloway just came out! Skip to 1 hour 3 min 30 secs and hear about my new pals @BrianReinert1 and @SeanAllison218. Listen to how i angled @RealKidPoker into gifting me a $250 rebuy and this selfie. @TheCSOP was fun.https://t.co/63RqapYDje pic.twitter.com/doRtTB5CYQ

— Jesse Fullen (@jessefullen) March 7, 2019

Alright, the stage is yours – go ahead and let loose about something you just HAVE to get off your chest.

Poker is a game. Next time you head out to a cash session or register a tournament, go into it with the mindset that this is a game and sometimes games can be fun. Talk to someone at the table if you can. Hear their story about how they got into poker. Play your game and try to win of course, but try to remember that poker can be fun and friendly, too. In addition to walking away with a trophy, try to walk away with a new friend or two as well. Then, bring them to the next Run It Up series and join me for karaoke night with 250 other slightly inebriated poker players.

One last thing… I would not be where I am today without certain people.  Thank you Jason Somerville, Chad Holloway, Yori Epskamp, Kristalina Houston, Chris Moneymaker, Norman Chad, Kevin Mathers, Mike Nelson, Pablo Ortiz, Andy Camou, Will Butcher and countless others. These amazing people have helped me grow, learn, and get to where I am.

Anyhow who has encountered Hayley at a RunGood Poker Series stop, elsewhere on the poker circuit, at the tables, or even just follows her on social media knows just how passionate she is about poker and how much she loves being a part of this industry.

Perhaps primarily known for her photography, there’s SO much more to Hayley’s work than her pictures and picture-taking encompasses. And there’s so much more to Hayley than just her work! All of that is exactly what we’re eager to learn more about.

I am so glad to be sharing this interview with you all, so that we can take a few minutes to properly recognize and appreciate not only Hayley’s work, but also to learn more about her, how her career in the poker industry got started, and what fuels her passion for poker.

Hayley Hochstetler

How did you first get into the poker industry and for how long have you been part of it? 

The way I got into the poker industry is just a bunch of being in the right place at the right time. I dropped out of college after one semester at Iowa State University in 2013, where I was studying journalism. I really wanted to be a sports photographer for an NFL or MLB team and while I was in college I worked for the newspaper staff covering Big 12 sporting events. I had some problems with my mental health and ended up moving back home to work as a cocktail waitress at Horseshoe Council Bluffs. I wasn’t too thrilled to be in this position, feeling like I took a huge downgrade from where I was previously in my career at the newspaper, but eventually started to enjoy the job a lot more and befriended some of the regulars, most of which played poker.

I started playing poker on the free WSOP app and then when I turned 21, finally started playing a little live cash. Right after I turned 21 is when I met the RunGood Poker Series crew, and I basically told Tana Karn (the President of RunGood) that I could take photography for the tour to the next level. He gave me a chance and I’ve been with the team ever since, though my job is pretty random and not just limited to photography now. So in short, I’ve been in the casino industry for almost eight years, and poker for almost five.

What poker outlets and companies have you been involved with and which has been your favorite (one-time or ongoing) gig over the years?

I’ve always been with RunGood, but I have done some freelance work for Heartland Poker Tour, WSOP circuit, and recently Above the Felt. I’m sure I missed a few there, but my favorite ongoing gig pre-pandemic was HPT stops because they went to different cities than RunGood did. I got to go to Chicago a lot, St. Louis, and Black Hawk, Colorado, and it was a nice change of scenery.

What is it that you love about poker that keeps you so interested in the game?

There are a lot of things that I love about poker but the biggest thing that I love stems from being a former competitive athlete. I was basically groomed to be a college softball player as a teenager but ultimately gave that up when I dropped out to move home, and poker has given me that competition and drive to get better that I craved so badly after losing softball. It’s also not something you can perfect, you always have to work to get better and I love that about the game.

What sort of job(s) – if any – did you have before getting into poker?

My very first job was at a movie theater. I cleaned theaters, sold tickets, popped popcorn. I worked at the Buckle, a clothing store, for a short time and hated it. In college I worked at Texas Roadhouse as a host as well as the Iowa State Daily newspaper as a photojournalist. After college I worked at Horseshoe Iowa for four-and-a-half years, which led me into my current job at RunGood.

Tell us a bit about your personal life; where you live, family, etc.

I grew up a military child. My dad was a Battalion Sergeant Major in the US Army and did 21 years of service. We moved around a lot which is maybe why I made better friends with sports than people.. My elementary school years we lived in Heidelberg, Germany, followed by Fayetteville, North Carolina through middle school years and ultimately ended up in Council Bluffs, Iowa from the time I was 12 until high school.

I would consider Council Bluffs to be my “real” hometown if you were to ask me where I was from, though. I have one younger brother, Tanner, who is 23. He is also in the industry as a poker dealer. I currently live in Tulsa, Oklahoma which is just a convenience thing pertaining to proximity to the RunGood stops and HQ.

How often do you play poker? Home games mostly or in poker rooms? Cash or tourneys?

Pre-pandemic I was playing live cash maybe two or three times a week, but if we were at a RunGood stop I might play five nights a week. During COVID lockdown I took up online poker and put in a couple thousand tournaments from March until July. I worked with a coach and had a decent amount of tournament success, but ultimately prefer to play live cash. My goal is to be able to play on a high stakes game on Poker After Dark!

Had a 9-1 deficit heads up but… new high score!!!!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/zpYQFAZns8 pic.twitter.com/mibCHW5Z50

— Hayley Hochstetler (@hayleyocho) October 12, 2020

What’s the biggest misconception people have about people who work in the poker industry, and poker photographers in particular?

This is a tough question. I think something that people don’t realize with poker photographers is that this is our job and we don’t work for free. The number of times I’ve seen people screenshot my work from PokerNews with the watermark cut halfway off, without a credit anywhere or paying for the image is kind of frustrating.

The industry as a whole though, I think is vastly unappreciated. Some people believe that live reporting is easy, but keeping up with action on multiple tables, typing up hand histories in a timely manner all while making it flow in an enjoyable way for the reader is a lot harder than people think. So, shoutout to my industry friends.

You are officially the Vice President of Media at RunGoodGear.com. Within that role it seems like you do LOTS of different types of work, jobs, and tasks well beyond just photography. Can you share a list of your responsibilities and what your day-to-day job is like?

Haha, well my job is pretty random these days. During tour season I will lay out marketing maps for all three social media channels with imagery and text. I will gather our ambassadors and figure out who can go to what stop and gather hotel booking info. I do clothing and promo orders for each of our stops. I make the schedule of tournaments and events for each stop. I fold, shelf, and organize incoming orders that are not related to the tour. I make sure invoices come in and go out. I’m basically the organization half of Tana’s brain and try to do whatever I can to make his life easier.

A day at the @RunGoodGear warehouse https://t.co/A5PNvLP5sH

— Hayley Hochstetler (@hayleyocho) May 14, 2021

What are your workdays like in the run up to and during live events?

The week before our events, I’ll do a marketing post each day. During actual stop weeks, I take photos of each event, make a stockpile of photos to be used for future marketing purposes. I live tweet our bigger events, and am in charge of all of the social media channels, which during the event itself can be a lot to handle. I generally have to set an alarm on my phone for every hour on the hour to remind myself to send out tweets and Facebook posts. Lastly, I upload Main Event photos to PokerNews. Usually, tour weeks are whirlwinds.

If your social media timelines are anything to go by, you devote a good amount of time to playing poker both live and online, but you also have SUCH a busy and involved job and workload! How exactly do you balance your work time and free time?

Ever since I entered the casino and gaming industry I’ve had the mentality of: the environment around me is meant to be people having fun. Casinos are supposed to be fun, which is why it’s the “entertainment” industry, so I never feel like I’m working when I’m surrounded by an industry that is built around entertainment. I don’t ever feel busy or overwhelmed, life is only as overwhelming as you allow it to be. I’ve built my work around something I love!

My “me” time usually comes between the hours of 11pm and 4am, and you’ll usually find me organizing something at my house because I can’t sit still for more than 10 minutes.

What other hobbies do you have? Tell us about them.

I’m really into cars. I’m 25 and have owned 8 cars in my lifetime. I love to longboard and rollerblade. I’m also into sports cards, which is something that developed over the past 6 months. I could probably name almost every single NFL and NBA rookie in the 2020 draft class along with the team they were drafted to. I also love to collect art. My house is a collection of candles and paintings.

How did you get the nickname “Ocho”?

So my softball number growing up was 8. My dad always called me “eight” or “number eight” to the point where if he called me by my actual name, I was probably in trouble. When I created my Instagram account in high school, for some reason I chose the name “hayleyocho,” and somewhere in between softball and poker I became “Ocho” and it just stuck. I’m more likely to respond to Ocho before my actual name these days.

What’s something you still haven’t yet done/accomplished in poker that’s on your bucket list?

Have a six figure score. Play on Poker After Dark. Buy my mom a BMW.

I want to be able to change the lives of those who shaped or changed mine growing up. I feel like there’s a few people that I owe the world to.

A large percentage of the folks involved in the poker community around the world, players, media members, and industry personalities alike, are products of the “Moneymaker boom”, male, and between the ages of 35-45. You, a woman in her 20s, certainly “break that mold”. What would you like to say to other women in your age bracket that they’re missing out on by not being involved in the poker world that you so enjoy being a part of?

It’s not as scary or as intimidating as it might seem on the surface. You do have to have somewhat of a thick skin but women have always been viewed as kind of inferior or an underdog regardless of what aspect. Whether it be sports, work, politics, strength, etc. Might as well embrace and use it to your advantage. My goal outside of just working in the poker industry is to be a positive influence and role model for women in the game. If I can make at least one woman feel more comfortable at the table, then I’ve done my job.

Alright, the stage is yours – go ahead and let loose about something you just HAVE to get off your chest.

Pineapple goes on pizza, peanut butter goes on hamburgers, ranch is only meant to be a salad dressing, and avocados are gross!

Haha, kidding. There’s been something that I haven’t been able to announce for over a year now because of COVID, but this year for the WSOP I’m actually stepping into the role as the head of the photography team for WSOP and PokerNews. I can’t wait for the live WSOP to be back and doing what I love so much once again.

How it started how it’s going pic.twitter.com/yCExul1d8U

— Hayley Hochstetler (@hayleyocho) October 7, 2020

One of the main features of the site since 2009 has been live coverage of the WSOP Main Event from Las Vegas. But, of course, COVID-19 caused the suspension of those proceedings for the first time in 50 years. Casinos all over the world shut down and live tournaments in most venues were suspended indefinitely.

With this unprecedented situation to adjust to, Argentina-based Pokerlogia.com focused on providing their readers quality content and entertainment during the country’s long quarantine period. The first step was to change the design of their web, offering images and videos with higher quality.

The second step was to create original content to “fill the space” that would have been taken by the results of the live tournaments. Some of the articles published included:

• Poker scenes in the most popular TV shows
• Latin American records from the WSOP
• The best poker podcasts
• Records from the LAPT circuit
• TV shows with poker and gambling to watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
• The best poker books from 2020
• Players with the most titles in Casino Buenos Aires
• The best female players in the world
• All poker books divided by categories

Another action the site took on was the creation of the first ever “Poker Book Championship” in conjunction with Brad Wilson of the Chasing Poker Greatness Podcast. The contest had thousands of votes cast on Twitter and the winner was María Konnikova with her excellent book “The Biggest Bluff”. In second place was “Excelling At No Limit Hold’em” by Jonathan Little and other authors, while finishing in third place was the classic “Elements of Poker” by Tommy Angelo.

Welcome to the 2020 #PokerGOAT BOOK challenge!

Thanks to @pokerlogia for putting together an awesome list of 64 amazing poker book challengers.

The seedings and brackets were randomized and the round of 64 matches will begin tomorrow at 12:00 pm EST. pic.twitter.com/BhJvex2RF5

— Chasing Poker Greatness (@CPGPodcast) August 20, 2020

At the beginning of 2021 Damián Salas was crowned the first world poker champion from Argentina, winning the online/live hybrid WSOP Main Event and Pokerlogia.com conducted an exclusive interview with him before he traveled to Las Vegas to play the heads-up championship in which he defeated U.S. champion Joseph Hebert.

During 2021 the Pokerlogia.com staff created a private library where poker book authors from the world can promote their work. Inside the library readers will find a review as well as a link to buy each book. There are also interviews with all the authors.

The final major initiative from the site was connecting with their audience via the creation of an Amateur League that featured tournaments and freerolls each week. The League has a leaderboard with prizes awarded to the best performing players each month.

Today Pokerlogia.com remains one of the most popular sites in Latin America, and their persistence and successful content initiatives over the past 14 months has certainly helped them maintain that popularity. Like all of us, they’re eagerly awaiting the opportunity to return to Las Vegas to cover the WSOP Main Event in November at the Rio Hotel & Casino.

For more information, you can visit: https://pokerlogia.com/

Affectionately known as “Papi” in the poker community, Joey recently celebrated his 35th birthday. As he’s always someone who prefers to shine the spotlight on others, I felt that Joey’s milestone perhaps offered the opportunity for him to reflect on his years of work and open up a bit about what might lie ahead for the self-styled media man.

You Tweeted something very reflective at about 1:30am after your birthday ended. This “older version of you” seems like he’s going to be an interesting guy. What do you mean by “gotta stay focused”? On what? What makes you feel that you hadn’t “been focused” until now?

I feel like I have to stay focused on the life goals I’ve set for myself instead of letting myself get distracted with all the temptation the world has to offer. The entire world is out to grab your attention and they are very good at doing it if you aren’t focused on something that overwhelms your thought process.

I’ve been focused on seeing what life has to offer outside obsessing over work 24/7 during these past two years. I’ve always been hyper-obsessed with whatever my main goals were in life.

Great birthday – very peaceful.

Younger version of me needed to be out doing something rambunctious w/ a big group of people.

Older version of me is happy to spend time with the person I enjoy being around the most.

Gotta stay focused

— Joey Ingram #passion (@Joeingram1) June 25, 2020

In what way do you want 35-year-old Joey to be different from the “younger version of you”?

Ideally, the older version of me will be more mindful of building relationships and spending more time with those people. Living with integrity to myself and to others – taking care of my mind, my body and my finances. I want to be more selfless and less selfish.

When I was in my 20s I thought that the only way I could succeed in my life and in poker was to be very selfish with my focus in that my entire life was built around poker. Poker was all I thought about doing because I felt it was what would make me successful. In retrospect, I think I could have been smarter with my approach and achieved better results. I need to improve my organization and planning.

When we spoke privately I asked if this piece could be a written interview rather than recorded and transcribed conversation. You said “sure, we could do that; I’m trying to get better at writing.” Why? What makes you want to be a better writer?

I’ve always enjoyed writing my thoughts out because It feels like I’m having a conversation with myself and I’m able to unlock subconscious thoughts once I hit flow that I’m only able to hit with few very people during spoken conversations.

I discovered this when I wrote my book and would spend 4-5 consecutive hours writing. My head would hurt after I was finished because of all the mental energy I was using unlocking these thoughts I’m rarely able to explore. My attention goes all over the place 24/7.

Your contributions to the poker industry have been very impactful over the past few years. That’s given you quite a bit of clout and influence, on social media in particular. What sort of responsibility do you feel it carries to be a big influencer in our industry?

I’m trying to figure out what type of responsibility that carries now. I think you have the power to decide how much you want to care and what you want to care about in your world.

For instance, I had an image of what I thought a great poker ambassador was; namely someone who looked out for professional players who had no voice. I feel that a poker ambassador is by definition someone who cares about improving the world that they are a part of.

As you start to spread out focus and are able to generate income away from the tables I can understand why someone would stop caring as much about that professional player community they once considered themselves to be  part of.

Your investigative work on the Mike Postle scandal garnered an incredible amount of attention, even beyond the confines of the poker world. So many people in the poker world want to return to the days when our game got lots of mainstream attention. Your work achieved that, but for better or worse the attention was to a scandalous incident rather than something highlighting the beauty and more positive moments our game produces. What are your thoughts on that?

My thoughts are that this type of thought process is why many of the big issues related to security don’t get addressed. Everyone wants to focus on the positive side of the game and ignore the negatives until they become so noticeable that they can’t be ignored any longer.

I’m trying to better understand a smart way to go upon handling this. I can go on and on about the negatives taking place or the positives taking place or a mixture of both.

You were recognized with two Global Poker Awards –Journalist of the Year and Media Content of the Year: Video – for the aforementioned investigative work. By conventional standards of journalism, I think it could be said that your technique for carrying out that investigation was somewhat unorthodox.  In the same vein, your long-running Poker Life Podcast was (to the best of my knowledge) the first in our industry to incorporate a video element to it in the first place. Why do you think the video medium carries so much power compared to just the spoken or written word?

I think the video medium carries power because it gives you both audio and a visual instantly; that’s just what many people have come to prefer. I think podcasts and audio series are changing this habit for consumers all around the world. It’s a very interesting platform to have thought experiments about what type of formats you could create.

The investigation was very unorthodox – I had no context of what a “normal” investigation should entail. I thought i was losing my mind seeing what I was seeing on the video and wanted to have others watch it with me. I never expected that to turn into what it was, but the poker play itself was very entertaining to watch and I was determined to get to the bottom of whatever the hell was going on with it. I do think audio-only has infinite potential.

Joey Ingram wins Journalist of the Year & Content of the Year – Video Awards at #GlobalPokerAwards @Joeingram1 pic.twitter.com/qJlx2rTj7H

— Global Poker Index (@gpi) March 7, 2020

People who want to get better at poker spend a lot of time studying in the lab, often on poker training sites. By contrast, these days you seem to be spending a lot of time these days in the lab studying content and marketing strategies. What other industries are you looking at for content production ideas and inspiration, and why are you looking at those industries in particular?

I’ve been spending a lot of time in all types of research labs over the past two years. Content and marketing is one of those focuses but probably not very high on my list. I’ve been on a mission to find the “truths” about how the world operates as a system overall. I’m not sure why I find that so intriguing.

Understanding marketing is important to understanding how our world’s system operates. Finance, world history, American history, geopolitics, mass media, world governments – I spend a lot of time going deep down those rabbit holes. The system of content then becomes very easy to understand and you’re able to see the world through that content lens. One main objective of this is the ability to re-frame the world in various perspectives. I try to understand the world from different perspectives when I’m brainstorming an idea or thought.

Let’s take a poker site for example. How does the owner view their site? How do the different members of the team view the poker site? How do the professionals, the amateurs, the whales, the media, and so on view the site? Understanding the answers to these questions takes a lot of research and the ability to connect dots from that research.

More poker content is being produced these days than ever before, but this is true in pretty much every area of our lives. Content producers in poker aren’t just competing against one another for attention, but also against Netflix, YouTube, Twitch, social media, etc. In your opinion, what should poker content producers be doing to stand out and gain the upper hand in this battle for attention? Are there any specific techniques you would recommend?

I’ve never actively tried to get better at content prior to this year. I’ve always just done my podcast, made some random videos that I was interested in making, and didn’t worry about much else outside of that.

I’ve “improved” in the way I am able to express my emotions on camera. I’m a pretty high energy crazy guy so I have to tone that down pretty hard in real life. Doing videos allows my high energy to come out, and people seem to really enjoy that.

On numerous occasions you’ve publicly taken issue with the marketing efforts (or perceived lack thereof) of some of the biggest live and online poker operators. Many players complain about this, and any individual is of course entitled to his/her opinions. Often, however, some of the most important changes in organizational policy come from within rather than from public feedback. Would you be in favor of poker players making more of an effort to become employed by live and online poker operators and trying to change things from “inside the system”?

Yes – I am exploring this idea right now. I think I might be one of the best people in the industry right now at understanding digital content over various platforms and marketing in general on these platforms. I could have a stronger theoretical understanding of marketing as a system in place but I am gaining that very rapidly right now.

I believe that poker can be one of the biggest games on the internet as a whole. If I have to work together with the operators for this process, I am willing to do it because they could use some assistance. The operators will determine the success of our industry overall.

Is working within the industry “behind the scenes” something you yourself would ever consider if given the right opportunity, or do you always see yourself being independent in a similar role to what you’re doing now?

Yes I can 100% see myself working more behind the scenes in some capacity, and I’m trying to figure out what my approach will be for that moving forward. To execute the vision that i have for my content, for poker events, for creating magical moments that poker players can enjoy – I think I will have to partner with other brands at some level. There are many possibilities for who or what those could be. I am currently experimenting with that.

Enough financial compensation aside, what would it take for you to agree to be a brand ambassador for an online poker operator?

I don’t know if I would ever be a brand ambassador for one solo online poker operator because I like to report on what is happening in the industry overall. I want to support the companies and brands that I think are doing great for the poker world. There are a lot of very exciting things happening at every level of the poker business world. I’m exploring all those options, and truthfully this is the first time I’ve ever thought deeply about how to best approach this.

High profile women in the poker community always get asked the “women in poker” question: how do we bring more women into the game and make the game more appealing for women in the first place? Do you think that men have the right to express opinions on this issue, or should we exclusively be listening to and implementing women’s suggestions?

It would seem to me that the best way to get more women in poker is to promote and establish more female poker player ambassadors in general. I think someone like Kristen Bicknell is doing that right now and other women are beginning to establish themselves through the content world. I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t be able to express their opinions on the issue – I think people with the right knowledge and perspective can offer great ideas for anything.

In what ways would you like to see the poker industry grow over the next five years, and how – if at all – do you see yourself contributing to that growth?

I would like to see the poker industry grow so that it offers opportunities for people to become professionals at various levels of the game. Specifically, I want recreational players to be able to enjoy themselves and also be able to win. There needs to be a situation in which players who aspire to be professionals can still have the chance to do so.

I also want there to be a healthy high stakes ecosystem that offers some type of way for fans to see matches, and for poker content to be booming across all platforms. It would be great to have more mainstream attention on the game in America. I see myself contributing greatly to this growth for the positive.

Finally, if you had a magic wand and could instantly change one thing about the poker world right now, what would it be and why is that your top choice?

Great question! I would either want to improve security-related issues across all poker operators or have a better, more transparent structure on identifying and understanding who the best poker players are.