Third Man Walking: Recent Episodes
Third Man Walking
Your correspondent reflects on a recent personal incident that made him think about the role of poker in his life. Also, he reviews a 20/40 NLHE session.
The transition of Third Man Walking to Crush Live Poker will happen next episode, which will be released Wednesday, April 6.
0:18 Win rates and what stakes to play 4:15 High-stakes poker feels weird 7:17 Why I need high-stakes poker to feel weird
14:26 Why playing bigger games is hard 18:20 10/20 NLHE TT 5bet all-in preflop 20:36 20/40 NLHE AKo (no heart) on AQ6r2hh7hhh 22:27 AxKh on 822hhx4x 23:20 QQ on 662r9hh 25:18 AA on AK8r88 28:35 AxKh on J97hhhQxTx 29:56 KK on T75hxh5x6x 31:23 AQhh on Q87xdd
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Your correspondent reflects on his recent tournament frustrations and upon the difficulty of assessing his level of ability.
0:48 An announcement 2:21 Tournament session review: $1100 LAPC event 6:24 800 bb KQdd on K96xxdJdd 15:17 Bullet no. 2 15:56 600 bb KThh on Q97hhxTxKx 18:57 800 bb AKdd vs AQcc all-in preflop 20:18 $1100 satellite review 20:29 1500 bb J8o on QT5hxxAhh 23:58 General tournament thoughts and anxieties
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Your correspondent reviews a 5/10 session that includes plenty of tricky multi-way pots.
1:31 AdKx on AT9xdd 3:00 KK on KJ77A 5:08 KQo (no club) on K32xcc 7:23 KJo on 544rKdd2x 9:05 AK facing big blind 3bet and small blind 5bet jam 11:17 AKcc on Q55ddx3ddd 13:07 99 on 433ccxJhh5hhh 15:09 KQo (no diamond) Q62r7ddTddd
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Your correspondent reexamines the live poker economy, then reviews a swingy 5/10 session.
1:17 The effects of rake 3:42 Hypothetical hand: AA on A74ddx4ddd 5:13 The effects of tighter games 6:25 Live poker vs. online poker 8:48 The effects of poker vlogs 10:57 The effects of pros, especially international pros 12:47 The emergence of live poker markets throughout the US
14:23 5/10 NLHE session 16:23 KcKx on Q84ccxThh6ccc 19:37 AA no clubs on K94xcc 22:10 AsKx on K52xss7x6sss 23:24 AQo no diamonds on A83xdd7cc9x 25:16 ATo on QTXT 27:57 QQ on A33TJ 29:11 KxJc on QT9xccTx6ccc 31:18 JTss on K96sss7xTx
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Your correspondent reviews an ill-fated recent 10/20 session.
0:56 5/10 vs 10/20 4:50 AKo on AKTddx7x 8:43 NLH double-board bomb pots 12:47 Double-board bomb pot: KK on KQ7r and 763 two-tone 15:03 AdKx on K32xdd8x9ddd 17:29 KdKs on T62ddxJss9x 19:58 (at 5/10) AA on 653xss3x
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Your correspondent lists 12 tips for poker players who'd like to play the game for living.
1:54 Consider other options 3:15 Be realistic 4:13 Understand how you think about money 5:14 Ask yourself if you're a gambling addict 5:29 Focus on cash games unless you have good reasons not to 6:32 Learn from other pros, but don't compare yourself to them too much 9:29 Don't be ego-driven 10:48 Work hard 12:16 Learn about money 14:09 Create a lifestyle that's sustainable for you 15:46 Be open to side revenue streams 16:33 Keep your eye on the exit
17:10 5/10 NLH session 17:33 KJhh on 864hhx5dd 21:44 K7hh on K75r6hhQx 25:34 KK on 654r3ss 28:09 QTss on J94ssx8sss
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Your correspondent reflects on an annoying recent experience, then reviews a recent 5/10 session where he tried to induce bluffs, and did some bluffing of his own.
0:18 Don't be this pro 4:38 5/10 NLHE 4:52 AhAx on 765hxh6x2x 7:45 Brief reflection on the AA hand, two days later 9:16 QTcc on 642xccThh2hhh 12:00 87dd on 976hhh9x6x 15:25 AThh on T88ssh9xJx
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thirdwalking thirdmanwalkingpodcast@gmail.com
Your correspondent discusses why it's important to approach poker with a coherent strategy.
Dan Zack's tweet: https://twitter.com/Dan__Zack/status/1391133363067670530 Q9cc call-in to Bart Hanson's show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7WAEQF2TsE
1:33 Why pros can win despite not necessarily being smarter than their opponents 5:22 QQ as a limp-call preflop and the expanding-brain meme 8:09 Humility and making the obvious play
9:24 5/10/20 session 10:00 QJo on button in $50 bomb pot on QJ7ccx 11:32 AA on button on J97rAdd 15:03 AKo UTG on KQ4r 17:49 AKo in hijack on AKJr 18:46 AKo in cutoff on 983r48 20:17 AKhh on 852hxhThhhJx
24:25 The consequences of "second-tier thinking" 30:11 GTO vs. exploitative
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thirdwalking Email: thirdmanwalkingpodcast@gmail.com
Your correspondent reviews a recent 5/10 session that shows how tricky Los Angeles opponents can be.
1:20 TcTx on J86ccxJxJx 6:15 6s6x on A73ssx 9:30 T7hh on T76cxx2cc5x 11:30 QQ first blind vs. second blind 13:19 $50 bomb pot with QJo on T92cxcAx
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Yale Greenfield rejoins Third Man Walking to discuss the aftereffects of COVID on the poker economy; traveling to play poker in the Southwest; playing at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas; and his new vlog, LiveKingPoker.
Check out Yale's vlog: LiveKingPoker.com https://twitter.com/LiveKingPoker
0:52 Yale "LiveKingPoker" Greenfield 1:28 Traveling for poker 2:17 Did quarantine make you a better poker player? 5:25 Poker in Arizona, Las Vegas and LA 10:20 Post-COVID live poker games and how they're changing 17:20 Tournaments at the World Series of Poker 19:50 LiveKingPoker
24:11 5/10/20 NLHE cash session 25:04 ATcc in lojack on 966ddxTx 26:33 AJo in straddle on JT7hhxAx 28:03 65hh on button on QJThxx3hh 31:17 ATcc (again) in straddle on KJ9cxc8x 35:33 KK in cutoff on Q75r3ss 37:17 AKo (no hearts, no spades) in big blind on AT4hhs6ss 41:27 AKo (again) in straddle on JT5r
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Your correspondent reviews a brief trip to play in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and discusses why he probably won't be going back anytime soon.
0:37 Why I used to like tournaments 2:48 QQ (no club) on JJTcxx8cc 5:55 JJ all-in preflop 7:30 I don't like Las Vegas! 10:10 Waiting in line and playing 5/10 12:15 The experience of playing the Millionaire Maker 14:50 Why play tournaments? 16:20 Tourmanent FOMO
Twitter: @thirdwalking Email: thirdmanwalkingpodcast@gmail.com
Your correspondent prepares to return to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
0:19 Tournament poker as a psychedelic art exhibit 5:35 $1100 tournament at Commerce Casino 7:00 Frustrating aspects of tournament culture 8:33 QsQc on T73hxh5xJhhh 10:06 A2cc in lojack on AJ5hxhAdd5ddd 11:32 KsKx in cutoff on QJTr5ssJx 14:05 Are tournaments worth my time?
14:58 5/10/20 session 15:12 97hh in cutoff on J93r9cc7x 18:51 KJcc in straddle on T88rQdd 23:19 TT in sb on KT8xdd6x4x
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thirdwalking thirdmanwalkingpodcast@gmail.com
In the first mid-month session review episode, your correspondent looks back at a juicy 10/20/40 NLHE session.
5/10 0:38 AQss on J43sxs5x
10/20/40 3:32 JJ on J65AT 5:22 QJhh on K55ddxTx 7:19 JJ on 852dsdJss 10:00 85o in bomb pot on 764r8hh2x (There's 1295 in the pot on the turn, not 1195, and 2495 in the pot on the river.) 12:02 A8ss on A98rJssKx
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Your correspondent reviews the biggest session of his life, a 25/25/50/50/100 stream on Live at the Bike.
Here's the Live at the Bike stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DIOM13h7wk
1:16 Why poker is humbling 2:22 5/5/50/50 86dd on AA9xdd5x4ddd 5:58 Big hand, big pot rule
7:20 Session review: 25/25/50/50/100 on Live at the Bike 8:55 A6o in bomb pot on A64r42 10:37 K9hh straight flush on A7658xhhhh 14:39 K4o in bomb pot on KQ4hxhThhh2x 16:27 Ax7d in bomb pot on A32xddAdddTdddd 18:22 33 on 753hhh8x 19:13 K4o in bomb pot on KT2ccx2x4x 20:51 T4o in bomb pot on TT3rQhh
23:36 Tim Duncan poker 26:01 5/10 JJ on 443xhhKccAhhh
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thirdwalking
Your correspondent discusses a high-variance month of LA poker, then rants about why it's okay to call the clock. Finally, he reviews a swingy 5/10/20 session.
0:23 LA variance 0:59 AcAh on button on Q87xss4x9sss 4:24 QJdd on button on T64hddQhh7hhh 8:35 Unpleasantness at the table 10:14 Normalize calling the clock 19:17 5/10/20 No-limit hold-em session 19:58 88 in cutoff 998xhh7hhh2x 23:12 AA in cutoff on KQ227 25:15 A2o (no clubs) in middle position in bomb pot on 422xxx9cc5x 28:59 AA in hijack 30:15 86o (no spades) in hijack in bomb pot on 973ssxTx2x
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Your correspondent recaps a week of poker in Dallas. Along the way, he discusses double-board PLO bomb pots, the perils of facing unknown opponents, and the differences between typical games and games that are streamed.
1:00 The best aspects of Texas poker 2:07 Double-board PLO bomb pots 3:05 Double-board PLO bomb pot hand history
$5000 effective, $15 bomb pot My hand: 7543xxss
Flop $120: First board: Q98ssx Second board: 763ssx Checks to middle position, who bets $60. I call in position. Small blind calls
Turn $300: First turn: 5s (Q98ssx5sss) Second turn: 2x (763ssx2x) Check. Middle position bets $180. I call. Small blind calls.
River $840: First river: Qx (Q98ssx5sssQx) Second River: Jx (763ssx2xJx) Check. Middle position bets $650. I raise pot, which I believe is $2790, like a dum-dum. Small blind folds. Middle position goes all in. I call.
9:36 No-limit hold-em 10:14 AQo (no diamond) in big blind vs. button on K94ddx2x 12:28 77 in small blind vs. big blind on KJ7ssxQxJx 15:20 AKo (no club) in utg1 vs. small blind on 843ccxJcccAcccc 18:17 Why streamed games aren't typical
DOJ statement: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdar/pr/doj-announces-coordinated-law-enforcement-action-combat-health-care-fraud-related-covid
Dennis Blieden: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2021/06/wpt-champ-dennis-blieden-sentenced-to-6-5-years-in-prison-39312.htm
Your correspondent discusses bankroll issues, then reviews a massive $5/$5/$50/$50 cash game session.
Note: This episode does not address the question of when to go pro, which lingers in the background of many questions about bankroll. I may address that topic in a future episode.
0:25 What bankroll do you need? 6:50 Shot-taking 9:30 Why getting better is the best way to address bankroll concerns 13:11 Live session review: $5/$5/$50/$50 15:48 AA in cutoff on Q7395 17:29 AA in hijack vs limp-3bettor 19:53 QQ in small blind vs. button 3bettor on K96ddx 21:47 AdKx in blinds vs. middle position and hijack on JT2ddxKx7x 24:36 T8hh in big blind vs. small blind and straddle on 865xxhTx8x
A series of stories about poker players underreacting to seemingly noteworthy events.
Your correspondent will play 5/5/50 NLH on Live at the Bike on Tuesday at 4:00 PST: youtube.com/liveatthebike
Twitter: twitter.com/thirdwalking Email: thirdmanwalkingpodcast@gmail.com
Recent WPT champion Ilyas Muradi joins Third Man Walking to discuss his improbable path to poker glory.
I learned about Muradi's story from the following articles:
Sean Chaffin: "WPT champion's journey: Ilyas Muradi transitions from detention to domination" https://www.worldpokertour.com/news/wpt-champions-journey-ilyas-muradi-transitions-from-detention-to-domination/
Charles Rabin: "From immigration 'cage' to newest poker champ at Hard Rock. An Afghan refugee's luck returns" https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article248830954.html
Spencer Woodman: "'Solitary Voices' detainee wins big, but remains in immigration limbo" https://www.icij.org/inside-icij/2021/02/solitary-voices-detainee-wins-big-but-remains-in-immigration-limbo/
Rapper, YouTuber, Live at the Bike commentator and high-stakes crusher Marc Goone joins your correspondent to talk about what he likes and dislikes about big no-limit games.
0:18 Introduction 2:25 Marc Goone 3:50 "Seeing people as bags of money" 7:10 High-stakes politics 14:25 Competition and variance 20:55 Does poker have a low ceiling? 26:38 $5/$10 NL KTdd 40:20 Outdoor poker in LA 42:05 Session recap: $5/$10 NL
Check out Marc's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/marcgoone
Here's the video we're talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpct2yR3-ac
Marc's Twitter: https://twitter.com/marcgoone
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThirdWalking
A rant about live private home games, and a comparison of poker with the show Survivor that leads into a discussion of whether poker requires us to lie.
0:23 Live private games and COVID 7:45 What your correspondent has been up to 10:05 Poker and Survivor
Here's the Reddit comment mentioned at around 16:00.
https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/comments/1a9kz6/the_best_survivor_strategy_an_economics_major/
Professional cash-game player Claudiu Marinescu discusses his travels from his native Romania to play poker in the United States and Macau.
Your correspondent shares some details of the life he led before becoming a professional poker player, then recaps two big cash game sessions, $10/$20/$40 NLHE and $5/$10/$20 NLHE.
0:20 Introduction 1:57 A big hand from 2011: J4hh in a limped pot 7:37 $10/$20/$40 NLHE 8:57 Black KK vs. fun player 9:50 QQ vs a tight 3bettor 12:15 Big bluff with QdJx vs. fun player 15:28 A set of sixes vs. fun player 17:57 77 vs. another tight 3bettor 21:43 Crazy fold in a bizarre spot vs. unidentified opponent in $5/$10/$20
Peter Alson joins me to discuss his new novel about poker, The Only Way to Play It.
0:21 Introduction 1:12 Peter Alson 26:05 Session review: $5/$5 No-Limit Hold-Em in San Diego County 37:04 Session review II: More $5/5 No-Limit Hold-Em in the San Diego area
You can follow Peter Alson on Twitter @PeterAlson. More information about The Only Way to Play It is here: https://peteralson.com/the-only-way-to-play-it/
Follow me on Twitter @ThirdWalking.
Your correspondent discusses one of poker's best-known players and the training site he helped found.
0:23 Introduction 4:10 Matt Berkey (T7dd) vs. Jack Laskey (AKo) 12:08 Berkey (KxQh) vs. Chris Konvalinka (J9hh) 18:07 Berkey and "Dead Money" 25:01 Solve for Why's podcast 28:39 Solve for Why's training videos 32:17 Berkey (K9cc) vs. Andrew Lichtenberger (QJo) 37:31 Berkey (QdTx) vs. Christian Soto (JxTd) and Piosolver (warning: a little bit technical!) 47:51 Conclusion
Live poker is shrouded in uncertainty. It often isn't clear what's happening in a given hand, or even who's winning. Your correspondent examines the implications of this uncertainty for two player types that are common in live poker.
0:00 Introduction 1:35 How much we don't know 8:23 The dreamer 11:37 The pied piper (questionable poker coach) 16:28 Live cash game review: A bad day at 5/10/20 23:24 The pied piper, part 2
Twitter: @thirdwalking thirdmanwalkingpodcast@gmail.com
Your correspondent describes his own experiences playing poker during quarantine.
0:00 Introduction / live poker vs. online poker 4:28 Private online games 13:22 Playing on apps 17:30 Cash games and meritocracies 22:27 A no-limit hold-em fish tries to learn PLO
Your correspondent's initial thoughts on Maria Konnikova's excellent new book "The Biggest Bluff," in which she learns how to play, and succeeds in, live tournament poker.
0:00 Introduction/COVID/podcast plans 3:20 "The Biggest Bluff"
Yale Greenfield joins Third Man Walking to discuss how the coronavirus has affected the poker economy. We discuss online cash games, tournaments, public vs. private games, how games have changed as the quarantine has progressed, and how poker creates FOMO.
With the coronavirus upon us, a special episode about the classic poker movie Rounders, which you can watch again today, alone, at home.
Your correspondent plays the Main Event of the World Series of Poker for the first time.
0:00 Introduction 0:57 Why does everyone think they run bad in tournaments? 3:30 WSOP update 8:36 The Main Event 9:57 Day 2 11:45 Day 3 14:19 Hand review: Casino Royale
Casino Royale hand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2x6AvNOoZc&t=44s
Bearthoven: http://www.bearthoven.com
Your correspondent discusses cash games vs. tournaments, whether cash-game players really are better than tournament players, and the allure of winning life-changing money as he heads to Las Vegas to compete in the World Series of Poker.
0:37 Introduction 1:12 Aspirations in poker 2:46 Why the World Series of Poker presents opportunities for mid-level pros 6:10 Cash-game pros vs. tournament pros 11:27 Session review: Four days of tournaments in Las Vegas 22:33 Ugh, the Rio
Live At the Bike: https://www.youtube.com/user/LiveattheBikecom
Why does poker keep getting harder? Are our opponents improving as quickly as they used to? And what factors will determine whether live poker remains beatable in the years to come? Also included in this episode of Third Man Walking: a review of a no-limit session in which your correspondent plays two big hands with pocket tens at two very different stakes.
0:00 Introduction 2:56 The Pareto Principle 8:33 The threat of an economic downturn
9:49 Session review: $5/$10/$20 NLHE and $5/$5 NLHE
18:37 Why very young people no longer dominate poker 22:05 Online poker 23:33 Impact of laws and rules
26:23 Plans for Third Man Walking
Your correspondent outlines his path to becoming a professional poker player and describes the challenges of playing for a living. He also looks back on a wild -- and complicated -- session of $5/$5 NLHE.
0:00 Introduction 0:22 What top pros are (or might be) like 2:35 My start in cash-game poker 7:22 Moving up in stakes 8:54 Struggling and recovering 13:30 Difficulties of playing for a living
15:50 Session review: $5/$5 No-Limit Hold-Em
32:25 What does the pro do?
Variance in poker, and especially in poker tournaments, can be maddening. This episode investigates the effects of variance in tournaments (where variance is insane) and cash games (where it can be milder). Your correspondent also reviews a recent $5/$10/$20 No-Limit Hold-Em cash game session.
0:00 Introduction 0:40 Jonathan Duhamel vs. Matt Affleck 7:53 Variance in tournaments 9:50 Tournament economics 13:30 Markup 16:55 Tournament delusion 20:34 Session review: $5/$10/$20 NLH 32:10 Variance in cash games
Episode 2 of Third Man Walking explores the dark, anarchic underbelly of the poker world, including the alleged poker cheating scam involving Mike Postle and Stones Gambling Hall.
0:00 Introduction 0:33 Is poker good for us? 2:57 Degenning 7:30 Misogyny
10:40 Session review: 5/10 NLHE
21:47 Poker outside casinos 22:30 Scamming and stealing 26:16 Cheating / Mike Postle 31:13 Problem gambling 33:20 What's good about poker
In the first episode of Third Man Walking, we discuss how it feels to play poker for a living, and why professional poker players are best described not as sharks, but as cockroaches. We also review a $5/$10 cash game session in which our correspondent wins over $7000.
0:00 Introduction 1:36 Frustrating session review 5:15 Waiting for our chance 8:41 Rules and basic strategy 14:30 Winning session review 30:02 Conclusion
The trailer for the first season of Third Man Walking, a new podcast about a poker pro's journey through mid-stakes cash games and tournaments.