Poker In The Ears

For their latest ‘Poker Movie Monday on a Wednesday’ (only this time, it’s recorded on a Thursday and released on a Friday), James and Joe take a deep dive into ‘Rounders’. Specifically, they review the version of the 1998 film with the commentary track featuring Chris Moneymaker, Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan and Chris Ferguson. Elsewhere, the boys look ahead to #SCOOP2020 and their cards up final table replays, accompanying their ongoing #EPTRetro streams (twitch.tv/pokerstars). Finally, it’s back to ‘Rounders’ for this week’s ‘Superfan vs Stapes’ as Alex Funnell from the UK tries to win T$ and a #PokerInTheEars T-shirt. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.

This week, James and Joe are joined by respected writer, teacher and poker reporter Martin Harris to talk about his award-winning book ‘Poker & Pop Culture’, specifically the sections on poker in the movies and poker on TV. Elsewhere, the boys have a brief #EPTRetro recap and celebrate being back on TV in the UK, as episodes of the #PSPC start to air on Channel 4 (every Thursday night for the next nine weeks). Plus, James has a ‘Hand History’ from a recent PokerStars Home Game, and Joe faces off against Ken Miller from Pennsylvania in a ‘Ghostbusters’-themed edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

James and Joe reflect on the #GalfondChallenge and look ahead to #SCOOP2020, #MicroMillions and #LexNotLive. As they’re continuing to revisit the early seasons of the European Poker Tour on #EPTRetro (streaming every Wednesday and Thursday on the PokerStars Twitch and YouTube channels), the boys catch up with Lee Jones, who was the tour’s Executive Host in the mid-2000s. Lee shares his memories from the “glory days,” including his favourite destinations, and talks about his role as table announcer and poker chip auditor! Finally, there’s a (tough) quiz about comedians of the 20th century, as Robin Vye from Hawaii competes against Joe in this week’s edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

James and Joe speak to Michael Kaplan, Senior Features Writer at The New York Post, about his recent article on the real ‘Molly’s Game’, suggesting Tobey Maguire and Houston Curtis were the real masterminds behind this infamous high stakes Hollywood poker game. Michael also talks about his other poker writing, including stories on Phil Ivey and an interview with the legendary Stu Ungar shortly before his death. Elsewhere, the boys celebrate a victory for ‘Sad Sushi Guy’ in the #BSOPOnline, recap some of the highlights from this week’s #EPTRetro streams and give David Bennett from the UK the chance to win T$ and a ‘Poker in the Ears’ T-shirt in a ‘Heat’-themed edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.

James and Joe look back at the historic #SundayMillionAnniversary, tease the upcoming #TurboSeries and recap the first few editions of #EPTRetro (streaming every Wednesday and Thursday on Twitch and YouTube). Joe also reveals he’s been playing in some (online) Hollywood Home Games – cue a ‘Hand History’ – with one of his comedy heroes: actor-writer-producer Michael Ian Black. Michael makes a guest appearance on the show and talks about his love affair with poker, from Baseball (a strange variant involving a LOT of wild cards) to Seven Card Stud to Hold’em. The boys unveil their plans to revisit the 1998 poker movie ‘Rounders’ in the next few episodes and appeal for a Superfan. Meanwhile, this week’s Superfan, Miles Miller from North Dakota, answers questions about ‘Blade Runner 2049’ as he competes for some #PokerInTheEars T-shirts. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.

A lot has happened/changed in the last seven days, and the boys are unable to ignore the impact of real world events, as they host this week’s podcast from their respective homes. They discuss the postponement of EPT Sochi and EPT Monte Carlo, and, in the absence of new live tournaments, their plans for a series of live streams taking a retrospective look at the early seasons of the European Poker Tour. Production has halted on poker movie ‘The Card Counter’, and Joe has a few anecdotes from the final few days of filming. He and James are then joined by comedy writer Danny Zuker, Executive Producer of the long-running sitcom ‘Modern Family’, who’s played high stakes Hold’em with Negreanu, Hellmuth and Esfandiari, and is on board with Joe’s plans for a series of (play money) PokerStars Home Games in the coming weeks. Finally, Ryan Abbott from the UK picks ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ as his specialist subject in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

This week’s episode focuses on the 2nd Annual Global Poker Awards, held in Las Vegas. The boys run through the winners in the major categories, and speak to Jonathan Little, who was named People’s Choice for Poker Personality of the Year. Plus, Joe tells more stories from the set of ‘The Card Counter’ and James rants about having to watch ‘Battlefield Earth’ for the Superfan quiz. But Joe has a surprise in store, as he invites J.D. Shapiro, one of the movie’s writers, to make a special guest appearance on the show! Finally, the aforementioned Superfan, Darrin Curtis, tries to win #PokerInTheEars merch by answering questions about one of the worst films ever made. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to the podcast.

James is in London, being petulant with Russian visa agents, while Joe is in Biloxi, advising the cast and crew of ‘The Card Counter’ on poker lingo. Joe is finding his new job quite stressful, so is hoping to pick up some useful tips and advice from this week’s podcast, which has been themed/branded ‘Health & Fitness II: Mind Over Muscle’. The boys are joined by performance coach Elliot Roe, who’s used hypnotherapy to help some of the biggest names in poker. Finally, Ian Taylor from Vancouver tries to win an #EPTMonteCarlo satellite ticket in a ‘Snatch’-themed edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

With six months to go until the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship in Barcelona, James and Joe take a look at the ‘State of the Platinum Union’, discussing how many #PlatinumPass packages have been awarded so far, how many are still up for grabs, and some of the ways they can be won. The boys also speak to a couple of recent #PSPC2020 qualifiers: Rick Bleakley from Northern Ireland and Greg Armand from France/USA. Joe talks about his new gig as a poker consultant on a major motion picture, and reveals the name of the movie star he’s been coaching. Plus, James gets angry with a loyal listener (for the second week in a row!), as Greg Kaufman from Canada decides ‘Hudson Hawk’ is a good choice of specialist subject for ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

James and Joe take a look at recent events in the poker world with the help of Will Shillibier, Chief Editor of PokerNews. There’s a tribute to former EPT presenter Caroline Flack, a recap of last month’s Aussie Millions and a summary of some of the nominees (and controversies) at this year’s Global Poker Awards. Plus, the boys discuss #PlatinumMadness, look ahead to the #SundayMillion 14th Anniversary and force Will to play Joe’s worst/best game yet. Finally, Daniel Lawrence from Las Vegas annoys James by picking a terrible AND hard-to-find movie 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 episode is pretty much dedicated to movies and TV, as the boys talk about everything they’ve watched in the last couple of months. They deliver judgment on the first season of ‘The Mandalorian’ and are joined by the poker world’s resident film expert Jessica Welman to review ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ and the HBO series ‘Watchmen’. Other movies/shows discussed on this week’s podcast include ‘1917’, ‘Parasite’, ‘The Witcher’ and ‘Don’t F**k with Cats’, plus there’s a summary of Sunday’s Oscars. And, after initially cancelling on James and Joe, George Zdravevski from Romania dials into the show at the last minute to compete for #EPTSochi satellite tickets in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. His specialist subject: ‘The Hunger Games’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

James and Joe are back with the first #PokerInTheEars of 2020. It’s been more than two months since they last recorded a podcast, and a LOT has happened since then. The boys recap their trip to Vegas, where James made two final tables (sort of), their unexpected live stream from #EPTPrague, their Christmas/New Year holidays, and Joe’s various losing sessions in Hollywood home games. They’re joined by the host of one of those games: Grammy and Emmy-winning filmmaker Joseph Kahn. Joseph has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry. He talks to James and Joe about his work as a director, his passion for poker (which resulted in him getting a gig on a PokerStars commercial) and his interest in battle rap (which led to him making the movie ‘Bodied’). Finally, Alex Sadler from London competes for #EPTSochi satellite tickets and brand new podcast merch (!) in an ‘Interstellar’-themed edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe.

The boys present their season finale: the last #PokerInTheEars podcast of 2019. Joe’s had a busy week, with stand-up shows and poker commentary gigs in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. One of those assignments was hosting a ‘Live at the Bike’s esports special alongside Adam ‘Roothlus’ Levy. Adam is this week’s guest, and talks about transitioning away from professional poker to run his own business, and whether he’ll be best-remembered for calling Phil Hellmuth’s raise with queen-ten or dropping a poker chip in a glass of water at the PCA! James and Joe read a few of your reviews and comments (please keep ‘em coming), and Jodieann Winter from the UK flies the flag for PokerStars VR, as she tries to win an #EPTPrague satellite ticket in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’.

The boys are joined by bodybuilder, fitness model and poker fan Zac Aynsley (aka: ‘Mr Biceps’), who recently came 25th in Moneymaker’s ‘Road to PSPC’ in Newcastle. As Zac is the guest on this week’s podcast, Joe has branded it the ‘Health & Fitness’ episode. The theme is basically an excuse for him to talk about his road trip with Norm Macdonald and tell the story of the former EPT crew member who desecrated Joe’s hotel room and abused his toothbrush after an intense gym session! It also gives James the opportunity to be smug about surviving for five days on a plant-based diet. Elsewhere, there’s some ‘Star Wars’ chat (‘The Mandalorian’, ‘Jedi: Fallen Order’ AND ‘Maclunkey-gate’), a tribute to the late John Gale, and Sam Pye from London answers questions about ‘Fleabag’ in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please rate, review and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

In the last few days, Joe has found himself watching boxing, and James has spent too much money on a video game he can’t/doesn’t want to play. But this week’s episode mainly focuses on the poker controversy “du jour,” as Daniel Negreanu is named World Series Player of the Year, only to discover a couple of days later that a clerical error has been made and he’s not actually the winner. In the latest in a series of appearances on poker podcasts (!), Daniel gives his take on the whole mess and defends himself against accusations of impropriety. There’s also a recap of the #PokerStarsTV live stream from Moneymaker’s ‘Road to PSPC’ at Aspers in London, and, with an #EPTPrague satellite ticket up for grabs, Filip Ferm from Sweden chooses ‘Office Space’ as his specialist subject in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please rate, review and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

In the words of Joe Stapleton, there are “Platinum Passes for your asses,” as the boys run a status check on the 2020 PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship. Crucially, they detail how many #PlatinumPasses have been awarded so far and how/where they can be won. They talk Mystery Chests and Mega Paths, and chat to a couple of recent #PSPC qualifiers: online pro Mike McGee from Scotland and student and streamer Tom Parsons from Northern Ireland. Tom also competes in this week’s edition of ‘Superfan vs Stapes’, answering questions about the Tarantino classic ‘Reservoir Dogs’. Please rate, review and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

Lots to get through in this week’s podcast: a bit of movie and TV talk, including James and Joe’s initial thoughts on ‘Watchmen’ and the new ‘Star Wars’ trailer; a summary of the best weekend of Joe’s life; a recap of James’s brief appearance in the ‘Road to PSPC’ tournament hosted by The Hippodrome in London; an interview with Chris Moneymaker about taking his #PlatinumPass tour international, and the woes of travelling from Sochi to Reno via 17 different cities; Joe’s ‘Adventures in Online Poker’, specifically his deep run in the PokerStars #VRPT High Roller event; and an opportunity for ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse’ aficionado Jason Warnholtz to win an #EPTPrague satellite ticket in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please rate, review and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

It’s a special episode of the podcast, as James and Joe conduct retrospective reviews of two classic films with tenuous poker connections. Yes, following a brief celebration of Mr Stapleton’s score in a tournament at Run It Up Reno, it’s a ‘Poker Movie Monday (on a Wednesday)’ double bill, with analysis of ‘Cool Hand Luke’ (1967) and David Mamet’s ‘House of Games’ (1987). The latter film is the subject of this week’s quiz, as Anton Zykin from London tries to win an #EPTPrague satellite ticket in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please rate, review and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

Joe is in Nevada for his third Run It Up Reno in 12 months! He talks about what’s happened so far, on and off the tables, including some heavy poker losses and not insignificant video poker winnings. He also explains the rules of Pickleball to James. The boys are then joined by Tyson Apostol, the American reality TV star who’s appeared in multiple seasons of ‘Survivor’, competed in the #PSPC earlier this year, and is now playing poker and Pickleball in Reno. Finally, Josh Brown from Australia competes for some PokerStars merch in this week’s ‘Superfan vs Stapes’, answering questions about Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Departed’. Please rate, review and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.

As advertised on ITV’s ‘The Chase’! James has been incredibly poorly, so was unable to spend last weekend at #LexLive (hence the absence of a full event recap). He also missed out on a screening of ‘Joker’, but Joe’s hot take is that the movie is not worth watching. The boys highlight a couple of #PlatinumPass winners at Aspers, and discuss the other main poker stories of the last seven days: the proposed Stars Group/Flutter merger and the allegations surrounding Mike Postle. This week’s guest is poker player, commentator and podcast host Jamie Kerstetter. She talks to James and Joe about her journey from law to poker, writing one-liners for Doug Polk and her ongoing mission to convince her family that she actually has a job. Finally, Natasha Kendall from the UK aims to win prizes by answering questions about the Patrick Swayze movie ‘Road House’ in ‘Superfan vs Stapes’. Please rate, review and subscribe to #PokerInTheEars.