Poker In The Ears

For their final episode of 2020, the boys interview actor Hank Azaria, best known for voicing several characters in ‘The Simpsons’, and for his roles in ‘The Birdcage’, ‘Heat’ and ‘Ray Donovan’. Hank talks about his (now legendary) Hollywood home game, provides a few details about a special celebrity tournament that poker fans will soon be able to watch, and discusses the prospect of Jim Brockmire becoming a poker commentator! James and Joe also preview the #BlowoutSeries, and their live streams (on Twitch and YouTube) covering the Big Blowouts and High Roller events. Plus, Paul Andrews from the UK tries to win a #SundayMillion ticket by demonstrating expert knowledge of the TV show ‘Person of Interest’ in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. You can also watch this podcast at psta.rs/YT or psta.rs/YTUK. #PokerInTheEars returns on 21st January 2021. In the meantime, please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe.

Following their 200th anniversary celebration, James and Joe present the after-party! And, having just spoken to the writer/director of ‘Molly’s Game’, they now get to interview one of the stars of the movie, Michael Cera, also known for his roles in ‘Scott Pilgrim vs the World’, ‘Superbad’ and ‘Arrested Development’. Michael is a huge poker fan, and reveals he relished the opportunity to portray Player X in Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Molly Bloom’s book. He’s also a regular in one of Joe’s home games, and, on that subject, Mr Stapleton shares some hand histories from a recent tournament (spoiler alert: one or more of them MAY be a thinly-veiled bad beat story). Meanwhile, Michael Hughes from Calgary competes for a #SundayMillion ticket and a #PokerInTheEars T-shirt in a ‘Heathers’-themed edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. You can also watch this podcast at psta.rs/YT or psta.rs/YTUK. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe.

James and Joe present the 200th episode of the podcast, available in audio AND video form (watch the show at psta.rs/YT or psta.rs/YTUK). In this special extended edition of #PokerInTheEars, the boys reflect on making it to the double century, and share some of their personal highlights from the previous 199 episodes. They’re joined by Jennifer Shahade and Benjamin ‘Spraggy’ Spragg to talk poker and pop culture, recapping the recent #SundayMillion live streams and reviewing the Netflix series ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ (Jen provides an expert view as a Woman Grandmaster). There’s also the chance for them to congratulate Spraggy on his engagement to Marle Cordeiro. Then, it’s time for James and Joe to welcome their first special guest, 15-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. Off the back of a marathon Omaha session – and no sleep! – Phil waxes lyrical about his recent results, discusses how he’s perceived by the high stakes community, and defends some of his notorious meltdowns and rants. The second special gues

James and Joe celebrate the success of the first ever virtual European Poker Tour festival, recapping the results of the major tournaments and re-living some of the highlights from their live streams. Plus, they talk to Timothy Adams, the Canadian high roller who finished second in the #EPTOnline Main Event. In ‘Superfan vs Stapes’, Maarten Rummens from Belgium competes for prizes, answering questions about the Netflix show ‘Mindhunter’. And the boys preview the next episode of #PokerInTheEars - their 200th anniversary special - revealing some big name guest star appearances! Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.

James and Joe have reached the end of their journey through the European Poker Tour archives. The last few #EPTRetro streams featured Ben Wilinofsky’s victory in Berlin in April 2011, and deep run in Madrid a few weeks later. As the post-script to their Retro series, the boys catch up with Ben and talk to him about the “glory days,” and how his life, and relationship with poker, have changed over the last nine years. Meanwhile, with the PokerStars Arena becoming the latest stop on the tour, there are new tournaments to talk about. James and Joe discuss the controversial conclusion to the #EPTOnline $10k High Roller, and preview their Main Event coverage (on Twitch and YouTube). Finally, Alex Gray from the UK answers questions about the British version of ‘The Office’, as he attempts to win a #SundayMillion ticket in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

James and Joe are back on Twitch and YouTube with more #EPTRetro streams, covering Season 7 of the European Poker Tour. They discuss some of the 10 year-old tournaments they’ve been revisiting, and look ahead to the first ever #EPTOnline series – which is also going to be streamed. This week’s guest is author and multi-award winning storyteller Matthew Dicks, who was commissioned by the PokerStars Blog to write an article about how to tell a GOOD bad beat story (https://www.pokerstarsblog.com/en/news/how-to-tell-a-good-bad-beat-story-by-a-master-story-teller/67209/). Joe is badly in need of help on this topic, so has plenty of questions for Matthew, who’s no slouch when it comes to Hold’em, having paid for his honeymoon with poker winnings! Finally, prepare to learn about Greek and Roman Mythology, as podcast listener Tom Quinlan competes for a #SundayMillion ticket and a T-shirt in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

As a follow-up to their ‘Bad Poker Movies’ special from three years ago, James and Joe lift the lid on two more “classic” films from the height of the poker boom (2003). They start with ‘Shade’, starring Stuart Townsend, Thandie Newton, Gabriel Byrne, Jamie Foxx and Sylvester Stallone, before moving onto ‘Stuey’ (also known as ‘High Roller: The Stu Unger Story’), a biopic of the three-time WSOP Main Event winner starring Michael Imperioli from ‘The Sopranos’. Joe is watching both movies for the first time, while James is revisiting them and wondering if they’re actually as terrible as he remembers. ‘Stuey’ is also the subject of this week’s quiz, as Dave Slusher competes for #PokerInTheEars merchandise in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.

For this week’s episode, James and Joe are joined by UK-based Belgian pro Bert ‘girafganger7’ Stevens. Bert talks about the origin of his online handle, his journey towards becoming a high stakes player, his ever-growing menagerie (!), his social media crusades, and why he likes hanging out in Twitch chat. Also appearing on this week’s show: Chris Searles from Vancouver, who competes for a #SundayMillion ticket and a #PokerInTheEars T-shirt in a ‘Life of Brian’-themed edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Plus, there’s (yet another) bad beat story from Joe, and a homework assignment for listeners willing to endure bad poker movies. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.

While James was off sick, Joe turned 48 and moved house. He also failed to keep his promise to take a break from Hold’em, and has continued to run horribly. (He seems intent on sharing his pain, telling bad beat stories to anyone who’ll listen!) Fortunately, he did find time to read ‘The Only Way To Play It’, a new poker-themed novel by Peter Alson. Peter is the guest on this week’s show, talking about his career as a writer and poker player, his latest book, and his previous works, including ‘Take Me to the River’ (about the 2005 WSOP) and ‘One of a Kind’ (a biography of Stu Unger, co-authored by Nolan Dalla). Finally, Cameron Kight from the USA competes for #PokerInTheEars merch in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’, answering questions about music of the 2010s. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.

James and Joe are still in recovery mode after #WCOOP2020. Joe’s been trying to unwind by playing online poker, but it hasn’t really worked out! This week, the boys take a detailed look at Grand Tour, the cycling-themed game that arrived on PokerStars in the spring. They’re joined by Nick Walsh from Team Pro Online who’s been streaming Grand Tour for the last few months, and has pretty much mastered it. Nick explains the concept and format and talks basic strategy. Plus, Christopher Preston from Scotland picks ‘The Sopranos’ as his specialist subject as he attempts to win a #SundayMillion ticket in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

The World Championship of Online Poker is over! James and Joe are a tad exhausted after completing their run of 21 live streams, but are able to draw a line under #WCOOP2020 with a recap of the final week of the series. They also replay a few of the interviews from their final broadcast, including their conversation with Andre ‘PTFisherman23’ Marques, who took down the $5k Main Event for more than $1.1m. Also featured, two of the four Player of the Series winners: overall champ Rinat ‘Zapahzamazki’ Lyapin and Medium buy-in hero Jussi ‘calvin7v’ Nevanlinna. Finally, Mark Levenson from California competes for a couple of #PokerInTheEars T-shirts in a ‘Blade Runner’-themed edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.

It’s a #WCOOP2020 special, as James and Joe discuss some of the big stories from the series so far, and replay some of the interviews from their ongoing World Championship of Online Poker live streams (twitch.tv/pokerstars and youtube.com/pokerstars). Full list of players featured in this show: Benjamin ‘Spraggy’ Spragg, Dimitar ‘KuuL’ Danchev, Matas ‘NoTilit’ Cikinas, Andras ‘probirs’ Nemeth, Mike ‘SirWatts’ Watson, Yuri ‘theNERDguy’ Martins. Plus, Michael Doyle from Canada chooses ‘The Lighthouse’ as his specialist subject in this week’s edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

This show focuses on #WCOOP2020, which is now underway. And who better to talk to about the World Championship of Online Poker than Shaun Deeb, a player with eight WCOOP titles? Plus, Joe reveals he’s seen a rough cut of Paul Schrader’s ‘The Card Counter’ (the movie he worked on as a poker consultant), and Sam Williams from the UK competes for a #SundayMillion ticket and #PokerInTheEars T-shirt in a ‘Good Will Hunting’-themed edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. As James and Joe are currently streaming every day (twitch.tv/pokerstars and youtube.com/pokerstars), they won’t be recording the next episode of the podcast until 16th September. In the meantime, please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe.

The podcast is back from its two-month summer hiatus. But James and Joe haven’t had a break. They’ve been hard at work on the #StadiumSeries live streams and preparing for another three weeks inside the PokerStars Arena hosting cards-up coverage of #WCOOP2020. Both are discussed on this week’s show, in the company of Griffin Benger, a core member of the commentary team for both productions. Of course, the boys have had a LITTLE bit of downtime, so talk about some of the movies and TV shows they’ve recently watched. And Kyle Stanley from Toronto returns to #PokerInTheEars to answer questions about ‘South Park’ in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. (This time, you’ll actually get to hear Kyle, because the recording didn’t corrupt!) Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.

For their season finale, James and Joe look ahead to the #StadiumSeries (starting Sunday 5th July) and the 23 consecutive days of live coverage they’ll be providing at Twitch.tv/PokerStars (Monday 13th July – Tuesday 4th August). The boys are joined by British pro Sam Grafton, who recently won the #SummerSeries Main Event for $200k, and will be part of the commentary team for the #StadiumSeries streams. Elsewhere, Joe provides an update on ‘The Card Counter’ – and receives a huge ego boost from the film’s writer-director – and Collin Capone from Canada answers questions about the sci-fi movie ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. #PokerInTheEars is now on summer break, returning Thursday 27th August. During the next eight weeks, please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.

James and Joe talk prop bets, and look at some of the more interesting wagers happening in the poker world right now (what Joe is describing as ‘The Prop Bets of Quarantine’). They have updates on the challenges Max Silver and Mike McDonald are undertaking, and chat to high stakes regular Melissa Burr about her recent prop bet involving the consumption of a ridiculous number of chicken nuggets! Elsewhere, the boys discuss the conclusion of their 13-week #EPTRetro run (listen out for a special EPT-related bonus at the end of this week’s podcast) and Chris Stringer from the UK angers Joe by picking the ‘Black Mirror’ interactive special ‘Bandersnatch’ as his specialist subject on ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

Time for more film reviews on the podcast, as James and Joe bring you a ‘Poker Movie Monday (on a Wednesday, recorded on a Thursday and released on a Friday)’ double bill. They take a look at two poker-themed motion pictures: ‘A Big Hand for the Little Lady’ (1966) and ‘Runner Runner’ (2013). The latter is the subject of this week’s quiz, as Crt Lipovesk from Slovenia competes for prizes in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

After recapping the final, FINAL stats from #SCOOP2020, and discussing the latest developments in the Mike Postle case, James and Joe are joined on the podcast by psychologist and author Maria Konnikova, ahead of the publication of her new book ‘The Biggest Bluff’. Maria spent nearly three years on the professional poker circuit, and this book details her journey from novice to accomplished (and sponsored) player, under the guidance of Erik Seidel. Sadly, there is no ‘Superfan vs Stapes’ this week, with apologies to Kyle Stanley from Canada. Our fault, not his. We can confirm that Kyle will still receive his prizes! Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

There may still be a few days to go until #SCOOP2020 is in the books, but that’s not going to stop James and Joe from recapping the series right now! They take a deep dive into this year’s Spring Championship of Online Poker with their SCOOP Correspondent Benjamin ‘Spraggy’ Spragg. The trio talk about Connor Drinan’s record-breaking haul, Lex Veldhuis’s record-breaking stream, and Spraggy’s record…collection? They also give a loyal listener the chance to win some prizes, as Ervin Cruz from Australia answers questions about the 2016 movie ‘Nerve’ in this week’s edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

After a two-week break from podcasting – while they focussed on streaming #EPTRetro and #SCOOP2020 – James and Joe are back to recap the Stars CALL For Action Celebrity Charity Tournament and talk to the winner of the event: David Costabile, the New York-based actor best known for playing Wags in ‘Billions’ and Gale in ‘Breaking Bad’. In addition, the boys touch on a few headlines from SCOOP, have “breaking news” about the next #PSPC, and give Enrique Gomez from Texas the chance to win four #PokerInTheEars T-shirts in a ‘Watchmen’-themed edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.