Postflop Poker Podcast: Recent Episodes
Postflop Poker
Join us as we delve into the complex universe that is postflop poker and offer up practical and useful insights that can be taken by anyone and applied at the tables. Learn how to improve your game, change the way you think about hands and increase your confidence in your postflop decision making. Join Ben 'Gamb64' Hayles and co-hosts Mike 'Kickstart Poker' Turner and Merv Harvey on the first poker podcast dedicated to the subject of postflop poker strategy.
The final edition of the Postflop Poker Podcast features the return of former co-host Mike, a real PPP fan's favourite. In keeping with the final chapter of Ben's book Poker and Everything, this extra long show focuses on the future firstly of poker itself and secondly on everything else. Topics include nanobots, quantum computing, AI, genetic engineering, space travel, oh and poker as well! We wish our loyal listeners a hearty farewell and continued good luck at the tables. Bye for now!
Merv comes equipped with a Mancunian phrasebook to help Ben feel at home following his repatriation to his homeland. This episode features a discussion on the role of artificial intelligence within the poker world, as well as a strat-chat hand (34:29) from our old friend Pluribus, which you can view on BBZ's video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KwygVOPUyk.
From the origins of poker to the future of the game, Ben and Merv journey through the past, present and future, musing on chapter 9 of Ben's book Poker and Everything. Wherever you are, whenever you are, you should check out the stratchat hand Merv played recently (26:26) featuring one of those devilishly wet flops 345 of hearts. Ben dislikes Merv's play, but is he right? How would you have played it?
Long-time patron of the show, lawyer and social democrat Armin Voss joins us from Germany for an interesting and entertaining discussion about poker and politics, inspired by chapter 8 of the free ebook Poker and Everything. He also brings a strat-chat hand (44:29) from a 5K tournament he played in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic, after winning a seat through a Party Poker satellite. Our hero Armin is faced by the imposing villain Chris Hunichen.
A male-dominated crew discuss the male-dominated world of poker and search for the causes and solutions. There are two strat-chat hands (31:44) taken from the final table of Vanessa Kade's recent win in the Pokerstars 15th Anniversary of the Sunday Millions.
A recent lack of travel options seems to have sent our trusty duo into a dream-like state, as plans are formed for a 2025 PPP Poker Party Bus Tour. Merv celebrates another live win and after a discussion on chapter 6 of the free ebook Poker and Everything, the strat-chat hand (29:28) comes from the exotic location of Paradise Island, the Bahamas.
Merv returns after a 6-day trip reporting for pokernews.comon the 2021 Poker Palace Summer Championships. Thankfully, he's back in his rightful seat with fresh stories to tell. We talk about chapter 5 from Ben's ebook Poker and Everything, which handles the subject of mental health. The strat-chat hand (32:29) is a real cracker and it comes from the main event that Merv recently reported on. https://uk.pokernews.com/tours/poker-palace-summer-championships/2021-poker-palace-summer-championships/main-event/chips.304934.htm
Triton Poker Tables are announced as our latest sponsors (please check out their website tritonpokertables.com) and we dive into chapter 4 of the ebook Poker and Everything, which is all about emotional control. The stratchat (25:43) features Phil Ivey, who is left seething with anger at the conclusion of the hand.
Chapter 3 from the free ebook Poker and Everything is all about the transferable skills you can develop as a poker player or in working life. Ben even wears a shirt for the occasion. The dynamic duo discuss the new game format Flip & Gos and tackle a hand (37:49) from Postflop Volume 1 featuring a pair of unnamed queens on an Ace Ten Ten flop.
Merv and Ben return for a new year and announce the release of the audiobook version of Poker and Everything, available for free download at postfloppoker.com. We discuss a few themes from the second chapter, transferable skills developed at the poker table, which also help in everyday life. The stratchat hand (34:01) features a river decision, where amazingly the hero chooses not to raise with his straight flush! Was he right?
We begin an 11 episode journey through the 11 chapters of Poker and Everything starting with chapter 1, Poker and Me. Merv asks Ben questions about his poker journey and Ben expands upon the content from that opening chapter. The strat-chat (42:06) features a hand from Postflop Vol 2 Chpater 10, as Ben compares his evidence-based advice with modern GTO theory.
After a short discussion on one of Merv's favourite themes, prime numbers, Ben provides some information about his new book Poker and Everything, which is due for release in early December. Two strat-chat hands follow: one tournament (18:39) and one cash (41:00). We wrap things up with a minor rant from Ben on the 2020 WSOP Main Event hybrid format.
Double strat-chat awaits! First, NIck Oakley from the Fish to Final Table Podcast sends in a colourful hand (11:48) and then we feature a hand from listener Jorden Dobson (43:57). Find out where they sit on the fishiness scale!
Host of the fantastic "Chasing Poker Greatness" podcast and cash game specialist Brad Wilson joins us for an entertaining and informative 76 minutes. He tells us about his future plans working with Jonathan Little and also the development of his website chasingpokergreatness.com. We discuss the current Covid-induced trend towards 6-max and both poser and stratchat are centred around 6-max cash. Enjoy.
Don't miss this fascinating interview with James, a smart young software developer and founder of the exploitative solver, Algoholdem. We discuss the product as well as AI in poker generally, then we launch into a poser, which asks about what recommendations AlgoHoldem has for lower stakes players! Finally, the strat-chat hands (36:32) come from some high stakes online cash games in September.
In this episode we discuss the twelve to twenty big blind zone, touching on some of the things we should be considering at this stack depth. There's a strat-chat hand (26:52) featuring two time WSOP bracelet winner Fedor Holz, which highlights how it is still possible to play some postflop poker even at short stack depths.
To satisfy Merv's preoccupation with numbers, the legend Tommy joins us for a third time, having previously been on the show in episodes 36 and 72. And yes, he's pencilled in for E144! We talk about Tommy's past and future youtube projects, Pokersimple and Poker Words respectively. Watch this space. There are two stratchat hands (12:50 and 40:50) where Tommy provides bountiful nuggets of golden advice, one of which he calls LMIP, but you'll have to listen in to find out what that means! Merv gave him a coveted Merv's medal. I guess I have to work harder if I want awards...
Merv and Ben return with another double down episode featuring two posers and two stratchat hands. Would you call a 4-bet shove with AK suited for your tournament life at 35 big blinds? What are reverse implied odds? The two hands are at 40:48 and 58:57 and both were sent in by listeners.
There's two of everything in this episode, as Merv and Ben tackle two posers from listeners. The first concerns how to construct a preflop 3-betting range and the second features our good friend Ace King. We follow this up with two stratchat hands (24:52 / 48:00) one from one of Merv's post-lockdown live tournaments in Sydney and the other from PPP listener Jorden in Perth.
How often do you stop to consider which games you should be playing? In an increasingly changing world, poker games are evolving rapidly. In this episode we tackle the subject of game selection and how to go about it. To round things off there's a strat-chat hand (26:00) from a home game where our hero flops the nuts, but fails to fold after one of the worst possible run outs.
There has been demand for more hand analysis, so in this episode we celebrated the SCOOP with a hand bonanza. All four hands were taken from the final table of Event 15M, the Sunday Millions (10:43), (23:58, (32:55), (44:10).
Guest Steve Fredlund of Rec Poker joins us for a loquacious lockdown lecture as we all come to terms with the current covid conditions and a lack of live poker. Our topical poser comes from listener John Kent who asks for advice on handling micro cash games with many multiway pots. The strat-chat (46:15) hand features just such a hand when a set is much weaker than it might at first appear.
As casinos close and more and more people worldwide are isolating, online poker enjoys a resurgence. We devote most of this episode to Ben's new project, which involves an extensive study of GTO poker. Find out what he's up to and how it might help your game. There's a strat-chat hand, which features no hole cards and GTO range versus range analysis. In other news poor Merv, struggling to find any poker games, tells us how his business has been thrown into turmoil, forcing him into 16 moves in 6 weeks.
Giving us up to date news from Las Vegas with 10 weeks to go before the start of the WSOP season, Seth Palansky answers questions on some of the possible scenarios for the WSOP this year, following the impact of the global measures to tackle the coronavirus. Then we bring you a strat-chat hand from the WSOP Main Event last year featuring Ensan and Su, 2 huge stacks clashing in an ICM intense spot.
The big one has arrived! Fans favourite Mike makes a guest appearance for a magic trip down memory lane as we reminisce on the podcast's journey. There's a poser on suited aces, a stratchat hand sent in from one of our patrons (34:35) and as a bonus, a double banger (57:20). For our milestone episode we also have some giveaways - tune in to find out more..
The penultimate episode before the big one is all about pot control. Merv is live at the Aussie Millions in Melbourne, whilst Ben is back at his base camp in Bangkok after a break in South Africa. There's a strat-chat hand from Ila, the man behind the apps Preflop+ and the new Postflop+. Download them now from your app store. To support Lynn Gilmartin's fundraising efforts for the poor Australian wildlife, visit her page here.
Merv and Ben exit the Delorean to deliver the first episode of 2020, as the worldwide anticipation of the special 100th episode intensifies. They tackle a poser on when leading the betting with a surprising, interrupting bet on the turn could be a good thing, before looking at a stratchat hand (29:25) from a recent live event, which features an example of an effective turn donk-bet. Happy New Year everyone from the PPP team!
Our Christmas Episode features a challenging poser on when to turn a marginal hand into a bluff. Merv "Bubble Boy" Hervey discusses a recent live tournament hand in which he did just that versus one of the "unstudied", a politically correct term for "fish". The stratchat hand (31:58) is from the late stages of the EPT Main Event in Barcelona a few weeks ago and features an unusual river moment where a winning hand is turned into a bluff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uRLwg7SRqU (follow the action at 03:00)
Inspired by a poser from long-term patron Grant Thomas, we tackle the theme of thin value betting, particularly on the river. It's a difficult and important skill and comes down to your ability to put opponents on ranges and anticipate accurately their future behaviour. There's a strat-chat hand (28:24) from the final table of the recent WPT event in Montreal that features a potential spot for thin value betting on the river.
This episode is scheduled for release just as the Poker Thought Processes video series goes live on November 22nd. Don't forget to join the Postflop Poker email list, so you can get an exclusive discount off that series. We also have more Preflop+ the app giveaways, so listen in to find out how you can get your free copy. Our poser questions how much time should be spent on headsup play and the stratchat hand (25:22) features two big name players doing battle headsup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF8hS1q0UnE
Episode 94 of your favourite poker podcast is devoted to the subject of postflop bet sizing. After news of another 1st place for Merv, Ben offers some practical advice on bet sizing in the poser section. For the stratchat hand (25:11) we bring to the table another hand played by Pluribus, "whose" create postflop bet sizing makes for interesting and challenging analysis.
Jordan Drummond aka BigBluffZinc joins us for a fascinating discussion on game theory optimal poker and the recently unleashed AI bot known as Pluribus. The poser is all about GTO solvers and the stratchat hand is one played by Pluribus, where it makes a hero call on the river. If you're afraid of diving in to the world of GTO poker, listen in and build your confidence. Next year Ben will be working on a video series to make GTO play easier to understand.
Alec Torelli of Conscious Poker joins us for an episode devoted to the tricky subject of hand reading. He also tells us some stories from Macau where some of the highest stakes cash games in the world take place, including the famous Big Game. We ask Alec for some tips on hand reading and information about the Hand Reading System he uses. The stratchat hand comes from one of Alec's high stakes cash games and features some advanced hand reading.
Ben returns from his trip to Western Australia and his meeting with Captain Quayle, but is definitely a bit rusty when asked to explain ICM. Thankfully Merv is on hand to rescue him. Both hosts struggle without their trusty runsheet, which was deleted by Mike "The Eraser". There's a strat-chat hand (38:21) from long-term patron Grant Thomas, who focuses on survival in an ICM intense spot, when he'd have been better off showing more aggression.
As we enter the nervous nineties, Merv & Ben discuss an email from Carl Richards regarding Pluribus, the recent AI bot that seems capable of beating top 6-max opponents. Read about it here. By request we also talk about multiway pots and follow that up with a strat-chat (25:11) hand which fittingly enough, goes multiway.
Keen cat Dean Blatt joins us for a thrilling episode as we debate subjects such as the Nick Marchington staking fiasco. Dean was the guy who made a video of the now infamous shoegate incident at the WSOP Main Event last month. Tune in for some inside information and check out the video here. Our poser today (22:15) is whether to make a hero call in a hand Dean plays where a villain with a wide bluffing range bets big at a river. The strat-chat hand (53:45) from patron Brannen Hough has us squirming on a river, wondering whether a hero fold might indeed be the right way to go. Minor audio quality issues were experienced during the opening 12 minutes only.
Join us for a later than planned episode 88 as Merv pays tribute to his late father, who loved to say “Bye For Now”. There's a poser from Merv on the use of GTO strategy and a strat chat hand (30:47) where the hero tries to play AK very slowly against a LAG villain.
Recorded on day 4 of the WSOP Main Event, this episode features a poser on bomb pots. If you're a live cash game player, you need to know what they are and how to play them, so tune in and get prepared. Our stratchat hand today comes from a hand played on day 1c of the Main Event (26:10). You can follow along on Jeff Gross' vllog on youtube here (16:14)
Merv & Ben are back with a mid WSOP episode and despite Ian from Canberra winning a trifecta of prizes, there are still more to be won. Tune in to find out how. Our poser is concerned with the importance of the effective stack size including how to think about it in multiway pots. The stratchat hand (23:56) features a river bluff that goes wrong, but that doesn't mean it was a bad bluff...
Zach @TimeTraveler524 Gensler joins us to discuss his upcoming world record attempt to play 120 hours straight hours of poker. You can read more about it here, in an interview with Chris Wallace. As the WSOP warms up, we have more giveaways as well as competition results. The poser concerns the differences between cash and tournament play, whilst the strat chat hand (37:12) features a spot from a $1/2 game where just possibly we might lay down a set.
Everyone's favourite poker nerd Kevmath joins us for an episode that tackles the subject of trapping. The stratchat hand (30:26) is from the recent Triton Montenegro High-Roller series 110K Euro Main Event. We have multiple giveaways including a second chance to win the #villaindependent T-shirt and the "phrase that pays". Tune in to find out more. The interval music you may recognize from the youtube series "Stump the Kevmath". Merv also launches a new career as a bingo mindset coach.
Tune in to find out how you could win a new PPP inspired T-shirt from www.fullrangepoker.com. After a memorable tease from Merv, we answer a poser about when to bluff at boards which look likely to be the strongest hand. The stratchat hand (18:48) features headsup action from the final stages of the EPT in Prague in 2016 as Crazy Dutchman Jasper Meijer pulls off a successful river bluff.
WSOP bracelet winner and global poker star Scott Davies joins us from a chilled out retreat in Panama, where he's getting in some study and practice time prior to this year's WSOP. And what better way to test his skills than tackling a PPP poser and strat-chat hand? Scott explains how to handle two contrasting villains at the same time before dissecting one of Merv's hands...literally? Have a hot cross bun Merv...
Merv is selling some of his action in an upcoming Sydney tournament and we wanted to see whether anyone was crazy enough to buy a piece of him. Deathly silence...and then the show really started to pull some punches as Ben proudly posed a poser for himself on knockout tournament strategy. These popular and lucrative games require certain adjustments and there's some groundbreaking new strategy advice buried in this episode. More will be revealed in Ben's Red Chip Poker group coaching session on April 30th and also at pokernerve.com later in the year. The stratchat hand (25:27) comes from a PKO tournament and our new strategy advice is put into practice.
Award-winning pokernews presenter Sarah (Grant) Herring aka AuntyChardonnay adds some zing to episode 80, as she tells us stories from her global exploits. Merv posed her a couple of provocative posers, which set the imaginations alight and culminated in a pet-friendly couples fairytale charity final table event in Sydney next year. There was of course strat-chat (46:04) from a tournament hand featuring a hero defending from the cutoff with KJo versus a UTG+1 raiser.
It's a while since we covered this topic on episode 37, but a recent hand from patron Brannen Hough prompted us to revisit the theme. There's a poser from Your Poker Mastermind Vol 3 and the stratchat hand follows on at 25:53.
Merv is back in Sydney after an exciting time with his press pass representing Postfloppoker at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, so this special episode features a few of his stories and interview clips with the stars and finalists. We have multiple answers to our poser of the week and there's also a hand sent in from a player in action at the end of Day 1c of the Main Event (18:18).
Ben is joined by Merv and Dara who are at the Aussie Millions in Melbourne. Dara talks about his upcoming book release Poker Satellite Strategy which will be available very soon for pre-order at Amazon. We tackle a poser on satellite strategy before delving in to a hand (38:08) from the 6-max Aussie Millions game played a few days ago with Dara as the hero. Find out more about Dara's news at his blog here.
Merv & Ben are recovered from New Year celebrations in Sydney and present an episode about hero calling. They discuss this hand briefly in the preamble, before the traditional poser and strat-chat hand (21:05), which comes from a Belgium listener Kristoff, who wrote: "Hello, G'day and welcome to my email...". After that piece of comedy, we simply had to feature the hand.
In our second episode on AceKing Alex "Assassinato" Fitzgerald joins us. We are drawn into a variety of fascinating poker discussions including the subject of 3-betting more preflop. Patron Brannen Hough provides the poser regarding the adjustments we need to make when playing really deep-stacked and he also provides us with an interesting AK hand, that sees us contemplating top pair top kicker in a multiway pot.
In the first of two episodes featuring AK, comedian, poker pro and new host of the TPE podcast Clayton Fletcher joins us. The poser hones in on double-barreling AK out of position and the strat-chat hand (29:55) features a turn fold, which was just far too nitty for our liking.
The team confirm an historic PPP Party will take place in Sydney this Christmas as Ben travels to meet up with mighty Merv. This episode features a poser about getting the most out of your HUD followed by a cash hand (26:05) from a familiar felon, er, fellow. We're running short on listener hands, so get your hands in and perhaps have them featured on the show!
After the success of episode 36 in which Tommy enlightened us on the subject of tiltlessness, we decided to make him our first repeat guest. In this episode he discusses his recent article Waiting for Straighters which you can read for free in web format or purchase the short ebook or audio book. We then tackle a poser on polarized vs merged 3-bet ranges and a cash hand from a listener (41:07), which features a daring turn bluff that needs some careful analysis.
Merv and Ben are joined by professional tournament player Kel, who boasts an impressive MTT record, owns the website www.pokernerve.com and has created one of the best training courses out there: The Road to Success (25% discount by using code "postfloppoker"). This week's poser is all about what makes a good bluff and we follow that up with a stratchat hand from one of Ben's students (38:32) where we pick apart an interesting river bluff. We also welcome a new sponsor PioSolver
Our first Mikeless production was supposed to be shorter episode, but two interesting posers sent us into overtime. First, we talked about taking marginal flips early in tournaments using an example from patron David B. Then, we discussed the concept of elasticity and how this might impact our decision-making. The stratchat hand features a river bluff, which may or may not have been a good idea. What do you think? Next episode, we welcome an additional sponsor, as Ben delves into the GTO world courtesy of PIO Solver.
We throw a party for Mike's final episode, tackling a poser on how to handle going card dead. This poser is also featured in Volume 7 of Your Poker Mastermind available at Amazon. At 25:23 the stratchat hand is from an MTT where we wind up getting to the river with J6s. We close out the episode with some audio clips from listeners, wishing Mike all the best for his future endeavours. Bye bye Mike.
Meanwhile the search for the new Mike continues...
In his penultimate episode, MIke reveals that nothing goes over his head - his reflexes are too fast. Our stratchat hand featuring a flopped set (07:03) is missing a turn card, but we tackle it regardless. Then, in a controversial restructuring of the show, we discuss two separate posers on slowplaying and on describing poker hands. Whatever you do, don't miss episode 69, which is sure to be a party...
Poker author and blogger Eileen Sutton joins us for a fascinating discussion covering a variety of topics from phallic towers to Big Apple underground poker raids. She provides inspiration to aspiring female players, using female intuition and creativity to succeed in live cash games. We tackle a poser on whether to use varied preflop raise sizes and the stratchat hand sent in by patron Armin Voss (46:47) is from an online MTT final table. He asks us to build a range for shoving, calling and folding after his flop C-bet gets raised. Oh, and there's the screecher...
As Ben prepares the launch of Vol 4 of Your Poker Mastermind, a book answering questions on software and statistics, we tackle a poser on how to use Flopzilla. More accurately, we fend this question off and point you in the direction of Splitzilla's tutorial video here. In the first ever PPP double poser episode, we then all offer an avalanche of advice to anyone wanting to play a live event for the first time. The stratchat hand is from a Live MTT and follows at 26:15. We also reveal one of the biggest gaffs in PPP history!
WIth discussion ranging from the World Cup in Russia to the World Series in Vegas, the team are back with another timely episode. Tackling a poser on timed tournaments, we discovered that time is relative and that Einstein failed to take into account ICM implications. The stratchat hand (28:26) highlights the issues of playing suited connectors in low SPR pots. In other news, Ben has released Vol 3 of Your Poker Mastermind, available at Amazon.
To show or not to show? - that is the bluff. That is our featured poser for Episode 63 and the stratchat hand (15:55) has us trying to negotiate a monotone flop with top pair top kicker. Ben seems quite baffled on how to play it! Your Poker Mastermind Vol 2 - Planning & Bankroll is released today 29th June. Get your free copy on request by emailing Ben (benssun2@hotmail.com or ben@postfloppoker.com) or purchase a copy at the website.
Ben launches his new book Your Poker Mastermind Vol 1: General FAQs, Merv gets some prime time and Mike likes bikes. Patron Grant Thomas poses one of the most demanding posers to date, then the stratchat hand is one featured in Vol 9 of Your Poker Mastermind, which will be available in the weeks to come. For a free copy of the book, email Ben either via the contact page or at benssun2@hotmail.com
Ben Reason is our special guest as we answer a poser question on open limping. Then, with arguably our most synergized thematic continuation to date, we discuss an open limped strat chat hand (33:25) from our first gold patron. Brannen receives no special treatment though, as the team get tough with Hough, or if we run with last episode's pronunciation, we certainly do "hassle the Hoff".
From Disneyland to Dutch tongue-twisters, the team are back with a fun-packed episode focused on fold equity. Check out the Fold Equity Calculator from Red Chip Poker here. New patron Brannen Hough becomes our first gold patron scooping all sorts of goodies. The live strat-chat hand this week is sent in by patron Grant Thomas and features an interesting river bluff.
We welcome hypnotherapist Elliot Roe to the show for a fascinating discussion on some of the mental aspects of the game. The poser tackles how to control emotions at the table and the stratchat hand 43:14 features Phil Hellmuth having one of his meltdowns. Who's he talking to?
In episode 58 we tackle a frequently asked question regarding how to play against many limpers at a table. Our hand of the week (21:59) is from Season 4 of Poker Night in America featuring Samantha Abernathy and Michael Laake. We observe how important the effect of the straddle is.
The team tackle a poser on the fear of busting and desire for stack preservation, followed by Andy Howie's tournament hand featuring a nut flush draw that he might have played more aggressively.
Episode 56 is dedicated to our patreons. The team tackle a poser from Armin Voss regarding which hands belong in a 20% range and then a hand from Grant Thomas (22:36) in which the hero ends up calling down through all the streets. We also discuss the new CORE video course at Red Chip Poker - get it here
Following the orange theme of Carroters in E54, Merv promises some red colour in the near future, but what could he mean? The team tackle a poser on facing a donk bet, specifically when holding two overcards. Then there's a cash hand where the hero negotiates top pair top kicker..."not all top pairs are the same".
Scottish 6-max cash coach Peter "Carroters" Clarke joins us following the launch of his new book "100 hands". You can use the exclusive discount code that we mention on the show. The team tackle a poser about stealing and a 6-max cash hand from a listener.
Live from the Crown Casino in Melbourne for the Aussie Millions, Merv is joined by Landon Blackhall of Deaf Poker Australia. The team discuss a poser about loss aversion bias and an interesting hand from a listener.
Merv joins us from the Crown Casino in Melbourne ahead of the Aussie Millions and we challenge him to a photo contest #meetMerv #Mervsmaidens. Meanwhile Mike is in some mystery pain around his Netherlands, but battles through to tackle a PPP Poser and another Aussie Millions hand from 2016 (27:08).
We kick of 2018 by welcoming to the show tournament director of the upcoming Aussie Millions, Joel Williams. Appropriately we chose a poser this week for live players. We discuss the modern issue of calling the clock and get the fresh perspective of the casino staff, who play a vital role in protecting all of the players. At 29:16 our strat chat hand features a huge river bet from the one and only Phil Ivey.
Our gold Christmas edition features a mystery guest, making his first appearance in over a year. We tackle a poser from new patron Damian, who seeks advice on how to progress postflop having 3-bet light preflop. The stratchat (27:12) delves into a micro stakes cash hand sent in by Damian.
Ben, Mike & Merv are joined this week by prolific micro stakes grinder Nathan "blackrain79" Williams, who boasts more all-time profit at the micros than anyone else on the planet. Hear his phenomenal story and all our answers to the PPP Poser about moving up in stakes. The strat-chat (43:20) features one of Merv's hands from a live MTT.
Check out Nathan's website here: http://www.blackrain79.com/
Special guest Andrew Brokos from the Thinking Poker Podcast joins Mike and Merv for an interesting discussion, whilst Ben promises to be back next time. Andrew discusses his poker journey, before they tackle the Poser, which asks what is really meant in practical terms by "building a range". Finally, the strat-chat hand (28:30) is a hand sent in to Ben. You too could have your hand featured on the show - get in touch! For more on range building, check out the free video by signing up to my website.
Merv gets a Dutch lesson, Ben is quarantined and Mike recalls a painful moment from his past: "You broke my will, but what a thrill, Goodness gracious great balls of fire! " For the PPP Poser, the team offer advice to a listener on how to cope playing in a large event having qualified through a satellite. Then the stratchat (17:02) features a micro stakes cash game hand from a listener.
In our special Halloween episode, the team announce our new Patreon page. Check out what's on offer there, as we welcome you to become a patron of the podcast. For the poser this week, we discuss time management for those with busy lives (apparently there's more to life than poker?) At 30:08 the stratchat starts and we tackle an Aussie Millions hand featuring some Haunted Aces.
After the recent star-studded episodes, the trusty trio return for a fun installment featuring Mike's speed-dating blind poker tournament with doggy action under the table. We also cover a PPP Poser about profiling opponents with fewer than 50 hands of data. Finally we tackle not one, but two hands this week in an extra-long episode (22:50 and 46:30).
The team welcome Aussie star Jesse "OntheMac" McKenzie to the show and discuss a PPP Poser from Jonathan Breslin on on how to deal with being card dead. Jesse then brings a headsup hand from a Pokerstars Sunday Millions win (32:17), which features a sensational bit of river action that you simply must listen out for. Mike and Ben were deliberately kept in the dark and run through the hand blind. Jesse found out the villain's hole cards a few days after his win by watching the replay online and we'll reveal those cards (50:25) only by listening.
James "Splitsuit" Sweeney enjoys one of Merv's most memorable introductions and provides expert cash game commentary on a hand from his live workbook (33:05). Before that, the team are divided on the interesting poser: "Which preflop ranges are wider, cash or tourney?" After co-authoring the final tables workbook with James, Ben announces he is joining the Red Chip Poker Team.
Episode 41 is a barrel of laughs, as the trusty trio tackle a prickly PPP Poser. Mike plays the role of villain...literally...admitting to aiding and a"betting" in a phone felony and a senior citizen scooter scandal. The strat-chat (23:21) features a low stakes cash game in which Mike is caught red-handed.
Merv has touched down in Sydney, jet-lagged, sleep-deprived and hungover from the WSOP parties, yet Episode 40 must be hosted and Captain Harvey does not disappoint. The theme is live tells and who better to join us than the top tycoon of teaching tells, Zachary Elwood. Together, we take on a triple-barrel poser and reveal a tell from the Main Event champion himself, Scott Blumstein, in a final table hand.
Less than 24 hours after finishing 3rd in the final event at the WSOP, highroller Matt Berkey joins Merv, Mike and Ben for episode 39. The PPP Poser this week is centred on bet sizing and the featured hand comes from Ben's forthcoming workbook (42:09). There's plenty of banter on the WSOP main event and I'm sure many of you will be following the action from the final table just after the release of this episode.
Dara O'Kearney is our esteemed guest in an episode devoted to hand reading. The team talk to Dara about his decade as a pro player before tackling the PPP Poser. The stratchat (39:55) features a hand from last year's WSOP Main Event and is easily the longest hand discussion in PPP history. The episode was also memorable for Merv's didgeridoo.
Experience the WSOP vicariously via Merv "The Verve" in Vegas. Our regular feature, the PPP Poser (12:32) is centred around the theme of huge (or as Mike says, "yuge") laydowns. The strat-chat (28:49) involves a hand from the 2016 WSOP Main Event showcasing James Obst making a tremendous laydown. No takers so far to buy a piece of Merv's action for this year's event - for any bargain-hunters (cough, splutter) he's going as low as 0.8 (and you can probably talk him down to 0.75 - wow, that might actually be worth it!)
Special guest Tommy Angelo, author of the fascinating new poker novel Painless Poker, joins the crew for a delightful discourse, featuring topics such as meditation and top tips for avoiding tilt. We dive into one of the hands from the book, as Tommy's fictional hand is subjected to our usual strat-chat. Listen carefully for how you can claim a free copy of Tommy's book.
Carlos Welch is our special guest for Episode 35 of the No Limit Nitty Nerdcast as the team tackle the terrifying theme of triple-barreling.
A new dawn. Join the crew for a new style show, featuring the PPP Poser, provided to us this week by guest Steven Bell from Australia/Singapore. The theme is value betting. The team welcome feedback at all times, but we'd particularly like to know how you feel about the new show and hear any questions you'd like answered in the PPP Poser segment.
The triumphant trio return to discuss the final chapter of the book - weak draws. Although it's a flop you're often going to give up on pretty fast, the stratchat covers a couple of examples of situations, where you might choose to progress to the turn and river. Merv is on hand to announce the competition winners, but neglects to hand out a medal to the industrious, deserving, but ultimately empty-handed Mike and Ben.
une in to an episode dedicated to the penultimate chapter of Ben's book Postflop spoiler alert freebies on offer, celebrating 50,000 downloads in over 100 countries. Listen in for details of this and news of a new segment in the show. Tardy Turner and the Postflop Poser offer their tips for playing medium strength draws, steered capably by Merv, whose tweets are both visible on twitter and audible from his menagerie...
Captain Merv leads us from his menagerie through an episode dedicated to the theme of strong draws. The team cover off 3 hands of stratchat and Mike warns us all of the dangers of canine lingerie larceny.
Weeks ago Shurane Vijayaram took down the Aussie Millions for a cool 1.6m AUD. In a very special Episode 30, Shurane takes us through his remarkable poker journey from a $130 satellite to the spectacular and much discussed final hand of the tournament. Extremely likeable, refreshingly open, humble, flawed, yet brilliant, Shurane offers raw insights into playing big events. The stratchat consists of 2 final table hands that will blow your mind...
Captain Harvey hands out his first Merv Medal, as the new triumvirate discuss the weakest of all flops. As usual, they traverse plenty of terrain, from phallic snow sculptures to the UK venues for the infamous "Battyman Challenge". 3 hands are discussed, including a live hand between Raul Mestre and Vicky Coren and Merv lays down plans for a special Episode 30 next month.
Australian Captain Harvey is aboard the ship as a new triumvirate is formed. Tune in to find out whether he's able to tame the 2 authors, who did not make it easy for "Big Merv" with an early cry of "sack the captain". There's a discussion over the future of poker in Australia, 3 hands of stratchat and just a smithering of cricket (that's an insect, yes, Mike).
Join us for the final skipperless episode as the duo prepare for a future under the command of a new Captain, Merv. This episode features a hand in which Mike takes great pleasure in taking some of Ben's chips in a classic pre-podcast homegame hand. There's also analysis from a famous Ivey/Jackson hand
Seasons greetings from the PPP team. The 2 authors join forces again to discuss another missed flop type. After a slightly wayward episode, we're back on form! Mike reverts to his natural accent and apart from being outkicked by a scorpion, Ben managed to keep everything nicely under control. Merry Christmas everyone, have xwdzjiqy
Splash! Mutiny! Tune in for more of Turner & Hayles, as the skipperless duo deliver one of the most ridiculous shows in PPP history. These two are showing signs of getting out of control with no-one steering the ship...but is unshackling them a good thing? Decide for yourself...