To the best of my recollection, former pro Bryan Micon was the first “notable name” in the poker community to dip his toes into cryptocurrency, mainly via his now-closed bitcoin poker site Seals with Clubs. My understanding is that as one of the early adopters, he’s now sitting pretty.

Too kind. Love watching the butterfly effect of my early Bitcoin evangelism.

Seems like the poker players are over-represented in the space 10 years later.

It’s not all me of course, but I pumped those numbers. Also, poker skills transfer brilliantly to crypto.

Congrats fam!

— Bryan Micon (@BryanMicon) September 9, 2021

I remember “the crossover” starting a bit more in earnest a few years back with Global Poker Index head honcho Alex Dreyfus. Formerly all-in on sportifying poker, Alex has moved on in his personal pursuits to focus on his company’s Chiliz/Socios crypto token sports exchange venture. That said, Alex still fully supports the continued activity and success of the GPI/Hendon Mob part of his business, and he still has a soft spot in his heart for the poker world.

Still a foot in the poker space. Amazing team running brands we bought 7 years ago @gpi and @TheHendonMob. @EricDanisPoker pic.twitter.com/nkjYVEPyWd

— Alexandre Dreyfus (@alex_dreyfus) November 2, 2019

Who are the poker players that are involved in crypto, that could be interested to share a stage on a BIG blockchain event in Asia, powered by a leading exchange? Discussing about similarities between online poker & online trading. @GPI @TheHendonMob

— Alexandre Dreyfus (@alex_dreyfus) January 5, 2020

In the same way that Alex’s Twitter feed abruptly changed from poker to crypto, a noticeable shift has taken place on my social media feeds over the past while, as more and more prominent folks in the poker world have gotten interested and active in the crypto space, not to mention NFTs. I mean, who hasn’t heard of Tony G’s CoinPoker by now?

Really enjoying playing poker online again. So nice to play crypto poker with crypto people. Come watch me destroy then @ coinpoker pic.twitter.com/cFh235M0is

— Tony G (@TonyGuoga) January 8, 2022

While some folks have changed gears and entirely moved on from poker, others seem to be exhibiting more of a casual or passing interest in crypto-related topics with others still demonstrating sort of a dual focus. Quite frankly there are just way too many names to mention here as examples of the phenomenon, but one prominent person who merits some column space is Doug Polk.

At first, he seemed to fully pivot out of poker and towards crypto as far as his content output and focus. He even recently became an ambassador for the CoinFLEX cryptocurrency exchange. Yet, his interest and devotion to poker still remains, as evidenced by his just-announced partial ownership purchase of The Lodge poker club in Austin, Texas.

The disparity between poker and crypto communities is pretty hilarious when it comes to returns on investing money.

Crypto: 300-500% APY? Seems interesting, let me learn more about this.

Poker: 10-20% APY? Must be another ponzi scheme.

— Nice Doug Polk (@DougPolkVids) December 8, 2021

Beyond individuals, whole properties are getting in on the act as well, with Resorts World – home to the newest poker room in Las Vegas – notably being the first to fully integrate cryptocurrency into their cash flow. How this will directly affect poker remains to be seen, but the crossover is genuine and comprehensive. It’s not outlandish to predict that additional properties with poker rooms will eventually jump on board the crypto train in a similar manner.

The fact of the matter is that there’s an undeniable connection between poker and crypto. Heck, just today CNN reported that one of the world’s wealthiest billionaires Changpeng “CZ” Zhao (CEO of the Binance crypto exchange) first heard about bitcoin during a game of poker a little over eight years ago!

Further evidence of crypto’s growing importance in the poker world is reflected by the generally realized consensus that so long as a variety of different cryptocurrencies are performing well, the poker industry can expect a high(er) number of entrants at marquee tournament series and events (and lower attendance when “the coins” are slumping).

The latest bit of “overlapping news” in this realm has come from content juggernaut PokerGO, which has announced StormX as their exclusive cryptocurrency partner. It seems like this partnership makes a lot of sense on paper: a platform allowing you to earn crypto rewards through online shopping and staking just seems like a natural fit for poker.

Excited to announce our newest partner @PokerGO!

StormX will be showcased across Pokergo’s games with other partnership integrations.

We will also launch our crypto version of the World Series of Poker tournament with the top executives in crypto, poker pros, and celebrities. https://t.co/hKfWQQ11xq

— Simon Yu (@SimonYuSEA) January 11, 2022

This is no fly-by-night sponsorship deal either. The multi-year deal ensures that we’ll be hearing a lot about StormX via one of the industry’s largest platforms, with joint sweepstakes, giveaways, and plenty of other opportunities in the pipeline.

What’s the Upshot?

So, after that crypto-poker timeline, history lesson, and news brief, what do I have to actually say about all of it? This is an op-ed after all.

Honestly, just two things:

• I’m still personally indifferent to all things crypto
• My personal opinions notwithstanding, it seems safe to say that “crypto is good for poker”

I’ll always remain a poker purist. When I get approached to give coverage to crypto-related matters here on Cardplayer Lifestyle, my gut reaction is always hesitation. I have zero interest in pivoting or exploring outside the poker realm. If I’d provide coverage of these matters just for the sake of providing coverage, my lack of enthusiasm and interest would be plain for all to see. The only fungible items I truly give a damn about are poker chips; please keep all that non-fungible stuff at a safe distance.

Yet, I understand that there’s money in crypto. A LOT of money. And I also understand that money is the lifeblood of the poker ecosystem. We need money pouring into poker to sustain our game. And – caveat emptor re: all things crypto notwithstanding – if it’s good for poker, I can get on board with and accept it.

Polk has dabbled in cryptos for the past few years, and even started a YouTube channel dedicated to this topic, which has over 160K followers. However, it seems that the retired poker pro is now ready to take his involvement with the cryptocurrency world to a whole new level.

Namely, Polk has officially become a brand ambassador for CoinFLEX, a popular cryptocurrency exchange platform, dedicated to creating solutions that bring together crypto markets and investors. The goal is to offer is a safe environment where users can both trade crypto and earn money via investing.

Image credit: Doug Polk, Upswing Poker

Why Doug Polk of All People?

The company has picked Polk for the ambassador role for several reasons. The main goal that CoinFLEX strives to achieve through this deal is reach the mainstream audience, but also get closer to specific demographics that are inherently closer to crypto.

Joining forces with Polk achieves both of these goals. Doug’s audience consists primarily of poker players, traders, and investors. These are people who are more willing to take risks and understand and appreciate the higher risk / higher reward setup.

With CoinFLEX aiming to become the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, this is exactly the kind of audience they need to attract.

“As CoinFLEX continues to grow we are excited to partner with Doug Polk, one of the top poker players in the world and an amazing community builder and educator. His reputation precedes him in the poker and crypto worlds and we are looking forward to reaching his audience and expanding the CoinFLEX community with Doug on the team,” said Mark Lamb, the company CEO.

What to Expect in the Future?

It is no secret that Doug Polk has retired from actively playing poker as he continues to pursue other (lucrative) interests in life. After moving to Texas and recently getting married, the American poker phenom is now ready for new challenges and opportunities, and the world of cryptocurrencies certainly presents plenty of both.

Just a couple days ago Polk appeared on his YouTube channel for the first time in a while to discuss what’s been happening in his life over the last few weeks, as well as some of his plans for the future.

In that vein, the partnership with CoinFLEX doesn’t come as too big of a surprise. Polk’s high profile and big following on the social media have probably opened many potential doors, but this was the one he deiced to go through.

“I am excited to announce that I have come on board as the lead ambassador of CoinFLEX. I first met the CoinFLEX team a few months ago, and right out of the gate I was impressed. Their current products and future plans are interesting, unique, and useful. More importantly, they are all about providing value to their customers. I am thrilled to work with such great people, and have very high hopes for what we will accomplish together,” said Polk about taking on this new role.

The company clearly has big plans for the future, and having Doug Polk on board will almost certainly help them achieve these goals. It’s also worth noting that Doug isn’t one of those guys who’ll endorse just any old product or idea out there, so if he’s decided to accept this role, it can only be because he truly shares the CoinFLEX vision.

He has also engaged in other endeavors, perhaps most notably that being his YouTube poker channel, Doug Polk Poker, which features a variety of topical and themed videos ranging from parodies to strategy topics to interviews and much more.

In one of his recent strategy and hand analysis videos, Doug discussed bluffing, sharing several tips and skills for bluffing on the river. “Bluffing is the most fun part of poker for some people. For others, it’s the most terrifying part,” he began. It’s always fun when you win; but the size of the pot – especially on the river – “is scary for most people.”

While Doug is right, in my view he seems to have forgotten low/middle limit players. Let me explain.

Recreational players vs. pros

There are two types of poker players (well, technically three if you include folks who play live dealer poker, but we’ll focus on the poker you play against other players rather than against the casino). The majority of us are recreational players. We enjoy the mental challenge and the social interaction, as well as the thrill of winning. Most of us play low/middle-limit games. (Nowadays, $4-$8-limit Texas hold’em is very popular.) On the other hand, the pros – with whom Polk seems to be aligned – tend to play at the no-limit or pot-limit tables with high table stakes. That’s where they can make big scores, well exceeding the cost-to-play (the casino rake, the drop for room promotions and bonuses, and dealer tips that can add up to $150-$200 in a typical session).

Those big bets in no-limit games are enough to scare out many opponents. That’s a big edge for the no-limit and high-stakes player. That’s why bluffing is so popular among the pros. Just raise high enough and his opponents fold, leaving the pot to him. The limits in low and middle limit games are so much smaller. The $8 raise on the river will not chase out many opponents. As a result, bluffs are much more difficult to pull off and frequently lose in those games.

Overcoming the small raise

Low/middle limit players need to find a substitute for the no-limit players’ opportunity to make a huge raise to force out their competitors. How can we make up for it? Answer: Use the Esther Bluff. Some recreational players are already doing so – and the chips pile up for them. In brief, it is simply a way to convince your opponent that you have a big hand – one he cannot beat. The Esther Bluff is a tactic to help your bluffs succeed. It is named after my granddaughter who – without realizing it – conceived and demonstrated the concept while I taught her the game years ago. (Reference: The Art of Bluffing; see ad below.) After peeking at your hole cards and scanning the board, sit up in your seat, displaying a smile of confidence and lean forward (a reverse tell). Slight shaking of your hand is okay but don’t overdo it. (Who wouldn’t be a bit nervous and excited when raising with the best hand?)

I strongly advocate using the Esther Bluff for low-limit recreational players. It works well for me. I estimate the break-even for bluffing at 30 percent of my total bluffs; using the Esther Bluff, I enjoy winning about 60 percent of them – often the difference between going home a winner or a loser.

Negreanu’s previous challenge against Doug Polk seemed to ignite a new wave of interest in hyped-up heads-up matches. We know of at least two more challenges expected to happen before the end of the year, one of which sets billionaire recreational player Bill Perkins against 21-year-old poker prodigy Landon Tice.

The Galfond Challenge promises Phil Galfond against Dan “Jungleman” Cates at some point as well. These upcoming matches just scratch the surface of what’s possible in poker’s hottest form of content at the moment.

Image credit: capitalbay.news

What other heads-up matches could set the poker world ablaze? Let’s take a look at five heads-up challenges the poker world needs to see:

Fedor Holz vs. Chris Moneymaker

I’d pay money to watch poker icon Chris Moneymaker take on the semi-retired 27-year-old Fedor Holz. What’s not to like about this matchup, pitting the man who started the poker boom against a player who embodies everything about how the poker dream evolved into the 2010s and beyond?

These two players haven’t announced any such plan to engage in a heads-up battle for the ages. The announcement of the Joker’s Gambit charity chess event, which involves poker pros playing chess for charity, did give us this short exchange between the two:

Fuck that. No getting in labs. Play street chess like the rest of us

— Chris Moneymaker (@CMONEYMAKER) March 4, 2021

Moneymaker is ready to take it to the streets for Joker’s Gambit, while Holz is headed to the lab. A heads-up poker match between the two would likely feature that same approach to preparation.

Holz just came off a win in a heads-up match against Wiktor “Limitless” Malinowski. That challenge featured Holz and Malinowski trading needles over Zoom while they battled.

We need the same setup for Moneymaker vs. Holz.

Doug Polk vs. Wiktor “Limitless” Malinowski

Heads-up “supreme leader” Doug Polk isn’t ever shy about evaluating another player’s poker acumen. The Upswing Poker founder wasn’t impressed with Malinowski’s play against Holz, going so far as to say Malinowski played badly on purpose in an effort to get future HUNL action against other high stakes pros:

Is @Iimitless2 actually this bad or is he playing badly on purpose?

— Doug Polk (@DougPolkVids) March 5, 2021

Polk might not have a lot of poker playing left to do in 2021, as he’s indicated his return to the game to engage in the match against Negreanu marked a temporary return to poker.

The High Stakes Feud battle between Polk and Negreanu yielded delayed stream coverage on multiple poker media channels for every chapter of the match. That simultaneous coverage of the same match is something we’ve never really seen before in poker.

Anything Polk does at the table is must-see at this point, and a Polk-Malinowski match seems like a natural progression from each player’s previous heads-up challenge.

Phil Hellmuth vs. Johnnie Vibes

What kind of dynamic would unfold if modern-era cash game vlogger Johnnie “Vibes” Moreno took on 15-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth heads-up? The upcoming Hellmuth-Negreanu High Stakes Duel II match has the poker community talking, and that match is shaping up as perhaps the biggest poker story of 2021.

Moreno contends that the list of players that are willing to battle Hellmuth heads-up is “a mile long,” and includes Johnnie Vibes himself:

It’s tough cause I agree that PH is an all time icon in poker. But in the year 2021, I have my doubts that he works as hard as the professional field. There’s a list of people a mile long that would be willing to play him HU for 25K hands. I’d join that list.

— Johnnie VIBES (@JohnnieVibes) March 6, 2021

Moreno, a straight shooter and one of the more interesting creators in the poker content space these days, would be a fascinating counterpart to Hellmuth in a HUNL match. Let’s get the live Zoom feed going for this one as well.

Joey Ingram vs. The World

Joey Ingram’s hours of commentary on the Polk-Negreanu challenge seem to have inspired in him a newfound passion for heads-up no-limit hold’em. He’s succeeded in taking down a pair of live heads-up tournaments in Las Vegas since the end of High Stakes Feud.

Both the live appearances and the HUNL play are rare for Ingram, whose playing days were heavy on Pot-Limit Omaha before he settled into his current role as one of poker’s most influential content creators.

Ingram isn’t done with his new venture into HUNL:

I need to find some people to play HUNL sessions against at mid stakes to help me see how my game is coming along gotta test myself against someone else besides the bots

Also – looking for a platform to play games on

— Joey Ingram #passion (@Joeingram1) March 7, 2021

Ingram’s call for HUNL opponents prompted Matt Berkey, Benny Glaser, and David Tuchman to accept Ingram’s challenge.

Any of those matches would make for highly entertaining content. The list of potential other opponents for Ingram is amazing to contemplate; how about Ingram vs. Polk or Ingram vs. Hellmuth?

Tom Dwan vs. Gus Hansen

Season 8 of the newly rebooted High Stakes Poker from PokerGO has featured Tom Dwan in every episode, and Dwan has continued his long-running tradition of dominance on the show. Fresh off of that run, the poker world needs to see the inventor of a seminal heads-up match, the “Durrrr Challenge,” return to those heads-up roots.

If we’re thinking of opponents for Dwan in a “Durrr Challenge” revival, why not Gus Hansen? Seeing these two poker boom icons go at it in 2021 could potentially make for the most intriguing heads-up match on this list.

A mythical Dwan vs. Hansen match probably would be low on solver-approved play and high on entertainment value. Let’s get this high-stakes match going in a live format at the PokerGO Studio.

As a novice player with some understanding of the game, you do have many options available to you if you’re looking to improve. Among poker training sites, the Upswing Poker Lab definitely ranks quite high and it is certainly one of the best and most comprehensive courses geared specifically at those new to Texas Hold’em.

Doug Polk and the rest of the Upswing crew made sure to cover all angles, from online cash games to MTTs to live poker. Combining written lessons, educational videos, and 400+ very useful preflop charts, the Lab is divided into five main sections comprised of 70+ learning modules and offers everything you could possibly need to kick-start your poker career.

Upswing Poker Lab: Core Strategy, Explained

The first section of the Upswing Lab is called “Lab Core Strategy” and offers the kind of content you’d expect to find. It starts from the very foundations and builds, taking you through increasingly complex lessons one step at the time.

In the very first lessons, players are introduced to common terminology, which is extremely important to be able to keep up. Table positions and expressions such as 3-bet, c-bet, brick, etc., are used extensively throughout the course, so if you’re really just starting, the Lab’s got you covered.

The next several videos explain some of the most important strategic poker concepts, such as hand ranges, matrices, and hand categories, laying the foundation for all future lessons.

For example, the idea of RFI (Raise First In) is something that can be analyzed in-depth, broken down into ranges. Similarly, analyzing post-flop action with regard to whether it was a three-bet pot or a single-raised pot. Then analyzing that action where you were the pre-flop raiser, or the pre-flop caller. Then if that’s not enough, you move to the turn as the pre-flop raiser in a single-raised or three-bet pot. In one of the first Lab lessons, they show a decision tree for action on all three streets, and the subsequent lessons go some of the way to analyzing the potential play given the branch of the tree you choose to go down.

Once these essential ideas are fully covered, the Upswing Lab moves on to concrete situations, teaching you about things such as:

• Raise First In (RFI)
• RFI vs. 3-bet
• Using charts & when to deviate from them
• Bet sizing
• Importance of position
• How to play in single-raised and 3-bet pots (as a caller and as a raiser)
• Playing flops and turns

Most of these lessons feature a video lecture and a short article accompanying them, so you can easily adopt and integrate the knowledge into your own repertoire. Of course, the Upswing Lab is very extensive, so don’t expect to go through the entire thing in just a couple of days. It’ll take time, but as you keep at the study and proceed through the training material, it will make you a much better player.

The final few lessons in this section address some general poker concepts that will help you in the long run. You’ll learn about the importance of things like:

• Proper game selection
• Bankroll management
• Dealing with tilt
• How to build a bankroll starting from micro stakes, and much more.

Even if this was the only section of the Upswing Lab, it feels like you’d already be getting a lot of value for your money. That said, the course definitely has much more to offer.

Upswing Poker Lab: Building Upon Your Foundations

The second large section of the Upswing Lab is called “Beyond Core Strategy,” and it looks to expand your newly-acquired knowledge. This is where things get pretty serious and where the Lab becomes quite valuable even for the players who have been playing for a while.

While the first section was mostly presented by Polk, the second one sees a number of other professional poker playing instructors tackle topics they are experts on. Some of the coaches featured in the videos inside this section include Ryan Fee, David Yan, Jason McConnon, and Matthew Janda.

READ MORE: 15 Upswing Poker Coaches and the Skills They’ll Help You Master

As for the topics covered, you’ll find many fairly advanced concepts addressed and explained in detail, giving you a chance to really take your poker game to the next level. These include:

• Understanding and utilizing blockers
• Playing in multiway pots
• Understanding GTO
• Advanced c-betting concepts
• How to play deep stack poker
• Heads up basics
• Utilizing overbets, etc.

This section can feel like a lot to take in – and it is! There is so much information here that you might feel overwhelmed at times (I know I certainly did). That said, the good thing is you’re in no rush. The knowledge is there for the taking, and you can organize your learning schedule in any way you prefer.

Lessons are broken up into logical units so that’s probably the best way to go about it. You don’t necessarily need to go through them in the order they’re presented in the section as every unit pretty much stands on its own, and you should have no problems keeping up if you watched the entire first section.

Upswing Lab Deep Dive: Tournaments and Cash Games

Choosing the right game format is very important for your poker success. While some strategic concepts are universal, every format has its own, unique deviations. The third and fourth sections of the Upswing Lab thus cover MTT and live cash play.

The MTT part of the Upswing Lab will teach you all about specifics of playing multi-table tournaments. You’ll learn about ranges in MTTs, ICM, how to navigate a short stack, important strategy adjustments with regards to the ICM impact, and more. Combined with the knowledge from previous sections, this should really give you a roadmap to significantly improving your tournament results.

The live play section is an important component of the overall course, too. While most newcomers start at online tables, there are always those interested in live games, and it is a different ballgame altogether.

Through the combination of hand reviews, strategy talk, and some general chat about live games and expectations in these games, the Upswing Lab highlights some important aspects of live poker and how it differs from online games.

Upswing Lab Provides Ready-Made Charts for Your Convenience

As mentioned, membership in the Upswing Lab will also grant you access to several ready-made charts that you can use to study and even have handy while playing. There are well over 400 very handy preflop charts available that will help make your decisions easier at the felt, teaching you what hands to play and not to play depending on your position at the table, effective stacks, etc.

• Online and live cash ranges
• MTT ranges
• Advanced tournament ranges

Upswing Lab Pricing and Recommendation

The contents of the Upswing Poker Lab are regularly updated, with over 5 new hours of training materials added each month, so you can expect to find new videos and lessons added to the mix all the time. The amount of information available is both impressive and, admittedly, a bit intimidating.

The membership price tag of $99/month may seem a little steep, but if you look at it as an investment into your poker career rather than a “cost,” it’s really not that much money in the grand scheme of things. You get access to some of the best players’ thoughts, ideas, and strategies, which should help make you a lot of money at the tables no matter what format you decide to roll with.

Moreover, you can SAVE BIG if you commit to the training site in advance for six or 12 months. A half-year Upswing Lab membership will cost $399, while you get the most value out of a yearly membership for $699.

Of course, to make most out of it, you’ll have to set aside a fair bit of time for studying. As you progress, things get more difficult to keep up with, so you won’t always be progressing at the same pace either; it’s challenging! But there is no doubt that the Upswing Lab can make you a very good poker player in a very reasonable period of time so long as you put in the hours of study.

Bottom Line: If you think your basics are in need of a brush-up, or perhaps you’re curious about new, creative ways to improve your poker game, by all means check out this training course. Even if you’re a grizzled and season veteran, in order to prevent yourself from feeling like you’re treading water in a sea of poker training content, we suggest that you give the Lab a look to see what it can offer you in terms of some more specific/specialized materials.

Upswing Poker has LOTS more poker training material available beyond just the Lab, including:

• Advanced Heads Up Mastery | Read our review
• Advanced PLO Mastery | Read our review
• Mixed Game Mastery, | Read our review
• Winning Poker Tournaments | Read our review
• Master Short Deck Hold’em | Read our review
• PLO Launch Pad | Read our review

Chad Holloway, Robbie Strazynski & Matt Waxman

In this episode of The Bernard Lee Poker Show on the Cardplayer Lifestyle Podcast Family, Bernard Lee is joined by PokerNews’ Chad Holloway and Cardplayer Lifestyle’s Robbie Strazynski, as they conclude their year in review for the challenging 2020. This week, they discuss 2020 Poker Hall of Fame, heads-up battles, players who passed away and takeaways from 2020.

During the second half of the show, Bernard speaks with Matt Waxman, founder and creator of Pokerithm. Waxman describes the new show which airs on Twitch every Tuesday at 4pm EST.

Filmed lived on Sundays at 12PM Pacific Time, full episodes can be found at www.twitch.tv/hustlerhunny for a month after the stream date, and highlights can be found at www.youtube.com/hustlerhunny

Below, you can watch the latest show’s highlights (from November 8, 2020), which is followed by a recap of the full episode.

We were honoured this week to be joined by American expat Michael Kim, aka Poker Triad. Michael was Maureen’s contact in South East Asia when she visited Cambodia last year for the WPT at Naga World. Michael continues to blog about his poker adventures in Cambodia and has great advice for both poker game selection and enjoying Cambodia, especially Phnom Penh. https://www.pokerappcentral.com/blog

Question 1: Why Cambodia?

Before 2015 Michael had been living and playing in poker in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and had never in his adult life, ventured outside of the USA. In 2015 he was looking to relocate to South East Asia. He found that Cambodia checked off a lot of the points he desired and had both live and online poker. The visa was attainable and the cost of living, much more affordable than America, so without any knowledge of the language or any connections, Triad took a leap of faith and moved to Cambodia.

Question 2: How common are female players in the Cambodian poker games?

Very few females play poker in Cambodia. Michael mentioned he can go weeks without seeing a female player. If he does encounter a female player, she’s most likely a tourist.

Question 3: What is insurance in Asian Poker games?

Some poker games in Cambodia often offer insurance in heads-up, all in pots. (We see this sometimes online for cash games, but never in a live setting like in Cambodia offers.) The player who is ahead can opt to insure their hand against their opponent drawing out. The insurance rate depends on the number of outs left in the deck.

Gambling players like insurance and it’s so heavily marketed towards gambling players, that the river card is dealt like a baccarat squeeze. The dealer deals the river card face down to the purchaser, who is able to squeeze the card himself before tabling it.

Question 4: Which types of  online poker are  available in Cambodia?

Although the big providers like PokerStars and GGPoker (through the Natural 8 skin) are available in Cambodia, the rise of play money apps, converted to real money app, via agents, has created a mini poker boom in Asia.

Michael runs multiple clubs and has 135 players in his agency.

Online apps like PokerBros and PPPoker, although not regulated offer more variety of poker games than the majority of the big sites. They also are appealing to players because of the agent model, when an individual actively recruits them and is their personal contact for everything from buy-ins, cashouts, and rake-back.

I personally worry about the integrity of the game, and likelihood of being cheated when using play money apps to play for real money.

Michael did say to never get involved with an agent you don’t know personally or one that cannot be vouched for by someone you trust. He also mentioned he has been indirectly involved in a few collusion and bot ring investigation, and players do get banned. There are GPS and IP precautions built into the apps, just like any regulated online site.

Ultimately it comes down to how pro-active and aware your agent is. If you think you’re being cheated, will your agent look into it for you?

Question 5: What were the reactions to the Polk/Negreanu Grudge Match?

Michael enjoyed watching the live televised match, with hole cards shown. Maureen and I were a little disappointed by the lack of grudgery in this match. It seemed no different than any other televised heads-up game, each player displaying sportsmanship and acting like a gentleman. This caught me off guard, and I felt like Doug Polk’s Twitter personality is fake, as his live demeanour was frankly boring.

The poker was good and Doug played extremely well despite losing over $100K.

While the average player will look at the match and see Doug so far in the red as him being “owned,” most critical thinking players saw leaks in Negreanu’s play, which will cost him dearly in the online version if he doesn’t correct.

The online matches saw Doug shine, but are tough on the viewers as Negreanu stipulated he didn’t want hole cards displayed. I personally am a huge fan of the commentators on the Upswing Poker stream, because they are extremely knowledgeable about heads-up poker.

Tweet of the Week

The civil nature of the grudge match gave way to so many great tweets, so we couldn’t pick just one this week.

WTF is going on here?

These two are both acting like they are on a first date.

— David Lappin (@dklappin) November 5, 2020

I heard they are getting a suite together in the Aria tonight.

— GoogleNoAgenda (@GoogleNoAgenda) November 5, 2020

This was not the product they sold us.

— Melissa Burr (@burrrrrberry) November 5, 2020

Trivia

As the Twitch stream likes to be challenged, we have a Trivia Question each week. This week we piggybacked on the WSOP Main Event theme from last week.

Maureen tells us that Phil Hellmuth loves to make entrances at the WSOP Main Event…

She asks, what was the theme of his entrance in 2018 and which character was vetoed by his team?

Bonus: Who sponsored the entrance?

Most viewers remembered something resembling Roman soldiers but indeed, the theme was not Rome but Marvel Characters, more specifically Thor.

Gandalf was vetoed but he promised it as a future WSOP entrance, DBet was the sponsor and featured on the costumes as well as his entourage of women holding DBet shields.

If you missed it in 2018, here is the clip:

Question 5: Las Vegas is seeing poker rooms close down. Is this good for poker?

This week MGM Resorts closed poker rooms for good at Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, and The Mirage.

Michael mentioned that The Mirage was once home to the big game in Vegas. Having played at all three rooms, this is sad news for Michael and the end of an era.

Personally, I won’t be shedding any tears. I’ve possibly visited one of the closing rooms, but do not see it as a blow to poker, in fact I see it more as a positive. If I had my way, there would be only one or two locations for poker, but with hundreds of poker tables. This would centralize the games, and gather all interested players in one epi-center. Having players in just one location increases the chances of getting higher stakes games going, and also running more poker variants.

That concludes this week’s episode of Poker Headlines.

We had a bunch of tech issues again this week. I do apologize for this, but I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Poker Triad, and I can’t wait for COVID-19 to be a thing of the past so Maureen and I can make the trip to Cambodia to grind some live cash and sing the night away at KTV. We look forward to interacting live with chat again on Sunday, noon Pacific Time.

The Galfond Challenge

On November 19, 2019 Phil Galfond issued a high stakes poker heads up challenge to  promote Run It Once Poker. Bill Perkins, Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, and Chance Kornuth are some of the big names that accepted the challenge, but it would be the first match against Venividi1993 that highlighted the roller coaster ride of emotions playing 25K hands of €100/€200 PLO. The match began on January 22 with Venividi taking a nearly €400k commanding lead over Phil within two weeks. On February 11, Phil took to Twitter and provided his thoughts regarding the challenge. He announced that his downswing had grown to €900k, contemplated waving the white flag, and would take some time off from the challenge to determine if he would be ready to continue in March.

On February 26 Phil announced his decision on the Run It Once news page, concise and bold: “I’m gonna keep playing”. The rejuvenated Galfond got back into rhythm and progressively erased €400k of the lead by March 14. Phil and Venividi continued to battle hard every session with Phil getting closer to breaking even. With fewer than 100 hands remaining in the challenge, Phil won the pivotal €21.5k hand comfortably sat out and sealed the victory. Congratulations Phil and Venividi for creating some of the best heads up PLO action I have ever witnessed and good luck on your current match against Chance Kornuth!

The Ooka Luka

In early May, Norman Chad began posting short videos on YouTube titled The Ooka Luka is Here. He created a song and dance during a period of loneliness as a result of being apart from his wife, Toni, for an extended period of time, and the passing of his dog, Daisy. Jesse Fullen, of PokerNews, was hosting a WSOP stream on Twitch and informed the viewers of the Ooka Luka Challenge, a contest requiring the individual to film the Ooka Luka with the top 3 winning prizes.

I decided to throw my hat in the ring and filmed myself performing the Ooka Luka. I was excited when Norman announced that I placed third because I had taken a different approach and I had fun filming it. His movement of spreading positivity and message of treating others with respect has resonated with me.

There is still time to submit your Ooka Luka! Here is my submission @NormanChad @PokerNews #OokaLuka pic.twitter.com/6i5UFUUKHE

— Dano Arluison (@ManAllusion) August 18, 2020

After the challenge ended at the end of August, Norman launched the Ooka Luka Charity Challenge. He ‘challenged’ Tony Dunst and Ebony Kenney to create an Ooka Luka video, donate $50 to ‘Keep the Lights On’ and to challenge two others to do the Ooka Luka. Currently, there are over 100 videos of Norman performing the Ooka Luka. Be sure to watch one or two, it will brighten your day. If you’re slightly more daring, then perhaps you can show off the Ooka Luka to your friends and family!

The WSOP Online Summer Series

The annual excitement of a six week-long live poker series with thousands of players flocking to the Rio in Las Vegas, yearning for a shot to win a bracelet, heaps of cash, and competing live on the biggest stage would have to wait. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 World Series of Poker scheduled to start on May 27, was called off. Pivoting, the WSOP announced an Online Summer Series from July 1 to September 6 featuring 85 bracelet events split between WSOP.com (31) and GGPoker (54).

Notable pros winning their first bracelet included: Roberto Romanello, Daniel Dvoress, Eoghan O’Dea, and Connor Drinan. Four women won bracelets including Nahrain Tamero, Thi Truong, Melika Razavi, and partypoker ambassador Kristen Bicknell (her third). Other players who added to their career bracelet totals included: Michael Gathy, Joe McKeehen, Fedor Holz, Anson Tsang, David Peters, Alek Stasiak, Yuri Dzivielevski, Juha Helppi, Nick Binger, Tony Dunst, Kevin Gerhart, and Nathan Gamble. And of course we can’t forget to mention Stoyan Madanzhiev, who took down the Main Event for almost $4 million in the biggest single tournament online poker win in history.

Some other highlights from this year’s first fully-online WSOP included: Ryan Depaulo winning a bracelet while playing in a Whole Foods parking lot in New Jersey, Connor Drinan securing a $100k bracelet bet from Daniel Negreanu after winning the $10k Super Million$ event, and a Guinness World Record for ‘Largest Prize Pool for an Online Poker Tournament” for Event #46 $5K Main Event on GGPoker.

The Passing of Mike Sexton

The poker world was deeply saddened to hear the news of Mike Sexton’s battle against prostate cancer and eventual passing on September 6. Mike is regarded as the greatest ambassador of poker. His involvement with partypoker and the World Poker Tour have been immeasurable to the growth of the game.

The only silver lining was that , albeit for just a brief window, the entire poker community had the opportunity to pay tribute after tribute to Mike while he was still alive and could see just how universally beloved he was.

The World Poker Tour pays tribute to Mike Sexton. #ThankYouMikehttps://t.co/RkLnRN7ux2

— World Poker Tour (@WPT) September 8, 2020

I met Mike at the World Cup of Cards series held at the Playground Poker Club in Montreal in 2016. I had hoped that I would have played at the same table as him at some point throughout the tournament, but that opportunity did not come. I remember vividly the moment I introduced myself and shook his hand, I felt a great warmth and happiness simply to be in the presence of a true gentleman. You will not be forgotten Mike. Your stories on and off the felt will continue to be shared for years to come.

Negreanu vs. Polk Grudge Match

Doug Polk came out of retirement to issue a heads-up challenge that Daniel Negreanu felt compelled to accept. The history between these two poker greats has been a rocky one. Throughout recent years there have been quick jabs directed at each other either on Twitter or during live high roller tournaments. To me, this match is reminiscent of the Mayweather vs. McGregor with Doug listed as the heavy favourite, having been regarded as one of the best heads up no limit players. Daniel may be out of his element, but his perseverance and 20+ years experience in poker should not be overlooked.

I officially challenge Dnegs to a HUNL battle. I am hoping to leave with both his money, and my teeth still in my mouth. https://t.co/yE4ibc8Ydl

— Doug “Truck Driver” Polk (@DougPolkVids) July 28, 2020

The conditions of this match are as follows: 25K hands of $200/$400 No Limit Hold’em with an option to wave the white flag after 12.5k hands. On November 4, the first 200 hands were played live at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. It was refreshing to see no animosity between Doug and Daniel during the match. Action started right away in Hand #1 with Doug attempting a river bluff only for Negreanu to call with top pair. Two key hands involved both players making a river shove in position but it would be Daniel “Old Man Speeding” Negreanu securing a $117K win in round 1.

On November 6, Round 2 began on WSOP.com with the remaining hands to be played out exclusively online on two tables simultaneously. Now on Polk’s turf, the momentum has certainly shifted in his favor. The first online session saw several $100k pots all-in preflop fall in Polk’s favour. Doug ended the session winning $218K with fewer than 500 hands having been played. Expect to see more big pots and perhaps the return of some trash talk between these two as the grudge match continues.

The Return of High Stakes Poker

Poker fans should be thrilled that High Stakes Poker will be returning for an eighth season. If Twitter is anything to go by, the excitement for the show’s return is at fever pitch. Important questions that some might be thinking are: who will be in the lineup? Will Gabe Kaplan and AJ Benza return as hosts? Be sure to watch High Stakes Poker, exclusively on PokerGO starting December 16.

ICYMI: High Stakes Poker is BACK!!!! New episodes premiering December 16, only on #PokerGO!

Use code HSP2020 for $10 off a subscription: https://t.co/vNIqJCNLne pic.twitter.com/KH7kyjgaNg

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) October 31, 2020

Filmed lived on Sundays at 12PM Pacific Time, full episodes can be found at www.twitch.tv/hustlerhunny for a month after the stream date, and highlights can be found at www.youtube.com/hustlerhunny

Below, you can watch the latest show’s highlights (from November 1, 2020), which is followed by a recap of the full episode.

Question 1: What’s new with the Negreanu/Polk Grudge Match?

The Negreanu vs Polk Grudge Match process has been anything but smooth. Each week we learn new and different information, as the player change positions and agree and disagree with different rules.

This week. the date of the match was delayed from November 1 to November 4.

What was originally proposed as an online match, playing two tables simultaneously, will now have its first phase played live, with real chips and cards, with 200 hands being contested in the PokerGO studio.

Luckily for the public, Doug’s condition of broadcasting via PokerGO, was that the match be broadcast free, and not require a PokerGO subscription.

(Ed. note: The nearly 4-hour live stream can be viewed below.)

The other extremely surprising revolution was that charts and notes are now allowed.

Daniel had originally agreed to using some charts within certain parameters, but then tweeted out that neither he nor Doug would be allowed to use charts. Now Daniel has done a total 180 degree flip, agreeing once again to the use of charts.

Question 2: Will Duhamel be considered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to have been conducting a gambling business when he won the 2010 WSOP Main Event?

It has been revealed that the CRA will take to court to battle Jonathan Duhamel for $1.5 million in back taxes for the time period of 2010-2012, which is when Duhamel won the WSOP Main Event.

For poker winnings to be taxed, the CRA must prove that Duhamel was  professional player at that time and that he was carrying out a gambling business. For a person to be in the business of gambling, it must be proven that they expect to receive a recurring income.

CRA has gone after poker player before, and always lost. The most likely problem Duhamel faces is the fact that he was given a PokerStars contract after his Main Event win, which potentially proves he was receiving recurring income. He may also be considered in the business of gambling if it’s believed his ability to sell action makes him able to accept recurring income.

Since Duhamel has already paid US taxes on his WSOP Main Event win, I do expect a foreign tax credit to be issued if the courts do not rule against his favour.

Trivia Question

We added a new category on Poker Headlines and will ask poker Trivia Questions during the Twitch stream. This week’s trivia question was about the WSOP Main Event:

In 2010 when Jonathan Duhamel won the main event. He outlasted 7,318 players.

Question: How many entrants did Phil Hellmuth outlast to win the 1989 WSOP Main Event?

Answer: Phil Hellmuth had to outlast only 177 players to win the 1989 WSOP Main Event.

Tweet of the Week

Our tweet of the week was awarded to regular Twitch follower Zefram who showed up to help Doug Polk with his upcoming match, by giving away the secret to poker success. 1. Make a pair 2. Bet.

I’m here to help. pic.twitter.com/wxNGEAhKGy

— Zefram Phan (@Zefram_) October 30, 2020

Question 3: High Stakes Poker is returning to PokerGO. Will it have the winning format of the original series?

Tom Dwan posted on a video on Twitter this week from the PokerGO studio showing the live action of the new season of High Stakes Poker, which is set to air on PokerGO starting December 16, 2020.

The original High Stakes Poker program was my absolute favourite poker show, thanks to the legendary characters, like Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey and Sammy Farha, so I was extremely excited to see a glimpse of the new setup and witness two of my favourites, Ivey and Dwan at the game.

Maureen, who has only seen YouTube reruns of the original program, wonders if the novelty of nosebleed stakes action will have worn off, given the amount of big-buyin poker we now have access to.

The table banter at the High Stakes poker added to the enjoyment as did Gabe Kaplan the original host. For the new series to be a success, the announcer has to be great, but also able to just sit back and let us listen to the players’ table talk.

Question 4: Will the updates to 888poker and GG Poker bring new players to the game?   

888poker updated their mobile app this week, introducing a vertical play option to the app, with the ability to play up to four tables simultaneously. They also added throwables, the option to “throw” icons at you opponents.

GG Poker launched a Splash Dance Feature of Daniel Negreanu.

I am skeptical that either of these features will bring new players to poker. The new 888poker app seems like just another way to steal players from the poker tables and get them into the online casinos. As for dancing Daniel, I have no idea who that appeals to.

That concludes this week’s episode of Poker Headlines.

We had a bunch of tech issues this week, and honestly not a whole lot went on this week in poker, but it was great to have my regular cohost Maureen Bloechlinger back. We look forward to interacting live with chat again on Sunday, noon Pacific time.

Filmed lived on Sundays at 12PM Pacific Time, full episodes can be found at www.twitch.tv/hustlerhunny for a month after the stream date, and highlights can be found at www.youtube.com/hustlerhunny

On this week’s show October 18, 2020, I had Paul Smith as guest co-host to discuss the Hot topics. Paul Smith is lawyer turned professional poker player. Below, you can watch the show highlights, which is followed by a recap of the full episode.

Question 1: In the Negreanu vs Polk grudge match do they each respectively have 100% of themselves?

This truly is a grudge match, six years in the making. The players disdain for each other is ugly and yet addictive to watch. Both players egos are on full display so it came as no surprise to us that Daniel Negreanu announced he had 100% of himself and Doug Polk said he’s unwilling to sell action because “… not going to be able to pass up that sweet value.”

Question 2: Was Doug Polk’s Twitter Rampage Expert Marketing?

Doug Polk lashed out on Twitter this week, sending out a series of tweets, trolling Johnnie Vibes, Alec Torelli, Charlie Carrel, Luke Schwartz, Matt Berkey, Chrisitan Soto and Daniel Negreanu. The CEO of Upswing Poker is the most watched Poker Youtuber and has entertained audiences for years with his no-holds-barred attacks against many of the most popular poker players. But Doug has all but retired from Youtube content creation, making us question the purpose of his most recent attacks.

Polk is an expert marketer and troller.

The Grudge Match is happening because Doug has been pursuing it since Daniel Negreanu made a comment implying he could beat 25/50NL online back in 2014.

Yet it’s hard to believe Doug’s endgame is a heads-up match against the above victims, many of whom have never competed at Doug’s stakes.

Question 3: Who is winning the pregame in the Grudge Match?

Although we credit Doug for landing the Negreanu Grudge match. Daniel has won the pregame warfare.

Many of us, myself included never believe this match would come to fruition. “Negreanu has nothing to gain from this!” I exclaimed on multiple occasions. But Daniel was able to turn that around, to him having everything to gain and nothing but cash to loose.

Daniel has agreed to play Doug’s preferred format on Doug’s preferred medium, leaving him to proclaim he’s the underdog. This has set him up in a nothing to lose but money scenario.

Polk on the other hand, started with a huge player base rooting for him, but after his latest Twitter behaviour from whining about not being allowed to use charts, to calling out a 2-5NL grinder, many of that base has flipped to now be rooting against him.

If Doug does lose the match, it’ll be hard for him to live this down after making himself out to be such a huge favourite.

Tweet of the Week

Our tweet of the week was awarded to Barry Carter whose tweet referenced the Polk, Negreanu Chart saga from last week. Barry said “Next year when the WSOP is back, I plan on going and railing all my favourite poker players with this new t-shirt on, it’s gonna be lit” posting a picture of a t-shirt with a push-shove chart on it.

Next year when the WSOP is back I plan on going and railing all my favourite poker players with this new t-shirt on, it’s gonna be lit pic.twitter.com/V4QDk9UDSv

— Barry Carter (@Barry_Carter) October 12, 2020

Question 4: Which platform possesses more of a chance of being cheated, online or live?

Two legends of the game, Barry Greenstein and Phil Ivey sat down on Poker King Youtube channel to discuss all things poker.

Paul and I were surprised to hear both players state online poker is safer than live poker, it’s easier to get cheated live.

Playing online on an unregulated site, as most American players are forced to do, is not safer. There are many ways to be cheated and the unregulated sites are not as incentivized to prevent cheating as regulated sites are.

The same goes for home games versus casino-ran games. Phil Ivey specifically mentioned being robbed at gunpoint at a game, which we are assuming was not inside a casino, where we feel we are paying the casino to protect us and the integrity of the game.

Question 5: Are casinos responsible for preventing cheating in their poker games?

Both Paul and I were previously under the impression that we pay rake for the privilege of playing in a safe, and fair game. So the verdict in the Postle-Stones case, was extremely upsetting to us as poker players.

The California law states it does not allow courts to settle gambling disputes.

There is legal gambling in the state of California, so how is there no way to enforce disputes that arise from gambling?

The Brill vs Postle & Stones case was not dismissed because the defendants were innocent. It was settled due to the inability to sue for gambling losses. This also mean Stones and every other California casino cannot be held responsible for any cheating in their poker games and therefore every poker player in California should care about this. It’s a blow for poker and for all players who are wanting to play in a safe legal environment.

Question 6: Is Online Poker over in Germany?

Germany moves towards fully legal online poker in 2021. Currently, online gambling including poker is a grey area.

To protect its citizens, Germany has implemented some rules for online poker sites that went into effect October 15th. The new rules included:

• 4 Tables Max
• No seat or table selection
• €1,000 MAX deposit per rolling 30 days

A lot of the poker heroes we’ve come to think of as German don’t actually live or play in Germany due to the already high taxes. The four-table max rule would normally not affect high stakes cash players very much, but given that there isn’t a lot of high stakes action in Germany anyways, it seems that most serious players will be affected by the new law, and likely even not very serious tournament players.

Another problem discovered from the four table max rules, is that you cannot have more than four tables open, even if you are only viewing and not playing! Poker live reporter Christian Zetzsche quickly discovered this and claimed that he will be forced to relocate outside of Germany to continue doing his reporter duties.

The no seat or table selection rule, I am all for. We’ve discussed in the past that a big problem with online poker is bumhunting and this is a method of greatly reducing players only playing against certain weaker fish.

The €1,000 MAX deposit per month rule is the nail in the coffin for pro players. The players will not be allowed to maintain a large balance on the site, so reloading would need to occur by playing decent stakes. I believe online poker as a profession in Germany will no longer be possible due to this rule.

I always enjoy hearing other opinions and discussing poker with brilliant people so it was a pleasure having Paul Smith on the show.

Next week I expect my regular co-host, Maureen Bloechlinger, to return and I look forward to debating whether VPNs should or should not be allowed to access geoblocked poker sites.