Good are the months that one can look back on and feel a sense of accomplishment.
January was a good month.
Being in the Bahamas to cover the PokerStars Players Championship gave me the opportunity to produce written, audio, and video content for you ranging from celebrity interviews to podcasts to op-ed pieces and more. It was a lot of work, and a lot of fun!
For the most part, during the second half of this month I exchanged my writing/interviewer hat for my editor's hat, as our contributing writers put together a number of interesting posts of their own including book reviews, op-eds, and strategy pieces. I hope you've enjoyed them.
PODCAST NEWS
In last month's newsletter, I shared with you the news that I've been tapped as the new host of the weekly Red Chip Poker Podcast.
Five episodes have been released in the interim, in which I speak with: Lee Davy, Rich Muny, Doug Hull, Johnny Kampis, and Travis Moss.
Go on and have a listen!
Bruce Briggs and I continued chugging along with the biweekly Top Pair Home Game Poker Podcast as well. In the couple of episodes we released this past month, we heard some great, entertaining home game stories from Norm Macdonald, Joe Stapleton, Chad Holloway, and Frank Kassela. We also riffed on a number of "records and achievements" from our combined decades of experience at the home game felt.
Be sure to check 'em out!
WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE RUNNING? IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!
I ended off 2018 on a tremendous "runner's high," having completed 1,000 km and having raised -- with the help of over 40 individual and corporate donors -- over $10,000 for Save a Child's Heart.
Some longtime fans/followers might have noticed that for the first time since 2014, I haven't (yet?) put together and publicized a list of official goals for the year. An unfortunate consequence of that has been that my running has completely fallen by the wayside.
Quite frankly, I'm still just not sure what my next Running Well fundraising goal should be. I feel like I need some help, so.... IT'S TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY!
The newsletter subscriber who submits the best new Running Well charity fundraising idea (i.e., the one I pick to aim for, for the duration of 2019) will win a FREE lifetime membership to Zach Elwood's Reading Poker Tells video library ($144 value).
So, have a good think and please email me by February 10th to let me know what my 2019 Running Well Challenge should be. The winner will be notified by email by February 11th.
I look forward to lacing up my running shoes once more and announcing the new challenge in next month's newsletter.
SO... WHEN'S THE NEXT POKER TRIP?
Just to be 100% clear, none of the following is meant to come off as "boastful" in the slightest. Rather, I just feel the need to share with you all what's on my mind and in my heart. So here goes:
My life has looked quite different ever since leaving my job to become self-employed working in poker media almost two years ago. In the 20 years since I moved to Israel from Los Angeles, I had never traveled so much as I did in 2018. As the year progressed, it was strange to start getting asked by friends upon coming home: "so, when's the next trip?" Impossibly, I actually had a legitimate answer to that question throughout the year, having taken six trips abroad.
To be sure, balancing out all of that "jet setting," I now work out of my home and spend more time with my wife and children than ever before. It's a blessed life for which I'm supremely grateful. I feel that I'm living my dream life and I am very genuinely working night and day to try and ensure I get to keep following my passion for poker and doing what I love.
2019 started off flying high and at the moment I'm unsure of when I'll next be heading to Ben Gurion Airport for another adventure. It's wonderful to have special poker trips to help "break up the monotony," but for now I'm quite happy to enjoy the rolling hills from my patio as I continue to crank out the content you're hopefully enjoying.
As always, your feedback, constructive or otherwise, is most welcome.
- Robbie
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Over my time at the 2019 PSPC in the Bahamas, I took a number of pictures to help me remember the great times I had there. I’ve curated them through multiple Tweets and pictures and have also published a video highlight clip to help capture what the entire experience was like.
I hope you enjoy experiencing the trip “through my eyes” and that it’ll perhaps convince you that making your way to the Bahamas next January is a worthwhile proposition.
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Upon learning the news that the World Poker Tour’s parent company will be merged into a new company called Allied Esports Entertainment, it has caused many in the poker community to wonder how this would affect one of their beloved brands.
WPT CEO Adam Pliska joined me in an hour-long conversation to explain how esports would bring more new people into poker (and vice versa) and how the infusion of new resources would help grow the WPT brand even bigger. After over a decade and a half, the World Poker Tour continues to shine bright, and their future looks even brighter.
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Sometimes life hands you lemons and it’s your challenge to make lemonade.
This article relates the story of how I ended up interviewing former NBA champion Paul Pierce twice at the PokerStars Players Championship in the Bahamas.
Included is a short 2-minute clip, but there’s a special reason as to why it’s so brief. The STORY behind this interview is what this blog post is really all about.
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Our Senior contributor, nonagenarian George Epstein, takes a look at the connection between poker and Alzheimer’s.
In particular, he examines the research indicating how increased mental activity – the kind of which can be stimulated by poker – can help prevent the disease and keep our brains healthy and functioning well.
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Want to keep track of your live poker sessions?
Use the Poker Notes Live app to:
- Tag and classify your opponents
- Record your wins and losses
- Improve your overall performance at the poker table
Get it now on Google Play and the App Store.
Don't ante up without it!
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An interview with legendary stand-up comedian Norm Macdonald, which took place at the Atlantis Hotel and Resort in the Bahamas in January 2019.
We spoke about the Canadian funnyman’s decades-long love for poker, his reflections on his status as a celebrity and his career as a stand-up comedian, and what it means to have such vast influence and what it ought to be used for.
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All Mike Patrick wanted to do was head out to play some poker. A series of events leading up to the beginning of his session induced tilt before he even sat down to play a hand.
This is the (hilariously heartbreaking) story of what went down before and during that poker session, as well as the lessons other players can learn with regard to how to potentially avoid making stupid mistakes.
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Cardplayer Lifestyle is happy to introduce this first in a series of recurring articles by Christina Bradfield entitled “What the Flop?” a poker column about the absurdities, humor, and just “random stuff” that goes along with playing poker.
In this first installment, Christina regales us with a tale of an important lesson she learned about boundaries at the poker table, namely “Don’t Sweat My Rail”.
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