Third Man Walking

Your correspondent discusses the potential ban on sweepstakes casinos in California, then reviews a $5/$5/$10 session in which he wonders how frequently he's getting bluffed. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:19 Thoughts on (more) law changes affecting poker players in California and elsewhere 6:06 $5/$5/$10 no-limit hold-em session 6:24 88 preflop 8:47 AQo on QJ3r 11:17 76hh on QJ2hxh4hhh7x 13:11 Ad...

Your correspondent watches the 2013 poker-adjacent film “Runner Runner,” then gets put in some tough spots at $5/$5/$10, making (at least) one big mistake along the way. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:15 Making adjustments to online poker with big antes 3:48 Watching “Runner Runner” 7:35 $5/$5/$10 session 7:56 AThh on Q54hxx9cc 10:21 AJo on J42ccxJhhKhhh 16:51 KK (no club) on Q98ccx 18:08 Quads al...

Your correspondent reflects on how private games cycle through players, and how public games in LA can compete with those of the private-game world, which offer newer side games. He also muses on a recent experiment that seems to point toward privatization even in tournaments in casinos. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:15 Scattered thoughts on private games and the way poker is changing 0:37 Derek...

Your correspondent plays a $5/$5/$10 session in which he wonders what to do facing a string bet, then navigates a long card-dead stretch. He also muses about the possibility of playing on stream. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:15 $5/$5/$10 session (with digressions) 1:26 Limit hold-em vs. no-limit hold-em 4:07 Weird string-bet spot: AJo (no clubs) on A95xccJxTccc 10:19 KsQx on JT2sssAxKx 13:00 Str...

Your correspondent reviews his recent trip to Las Vegas. Then, he discusses two new developments that are bad for poker: Will Kassouf's performance in the Main Event, and changes to US tax law. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:15 Being a tourist in Las Vegas 10:50 Will Kassouf in the Main Event 23:59 Big changes to the way poker players are taxed http://twitter.com/thirdwalking http://crushlivepoker...

Your correspondent offers his take on the controversy at the end of the Millionaire Maker last week, then reflects on the worst year of poker he’s ever endured, a year that he thinks (and hopes) is now over. FORUM DISCUSSION : CLICK HERE 0:58 The Millionaire Maker / Club WPT Gold controversy 11:16 Reflections on the past year http://twitter.com/thirdwalking http://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent starts with a commonly asked question within the poker community (“How do we make poker more popular?”) and argues the more important question is slightly different: “SHOULD poker be more popular?” Then, he reviews a $5/$5/$10 session in an unfamiliar locale. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:19 On (not) growing the game 11:00 $5/$5/$10 session 12:01 AJss on A54r4cc2ccc 13:27 88 on...

Your correspondent reviews a boom-era poker film that did not stand the test of time, then gets annoyed with himself after playing badly against an opponent at $5/$5/$10. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:19 “The Grand” 15:16 $5/$5/$10 NLHE session 15:40 A5ss on J85ssx 16:48 QJss on 974ssx8cc3x 19:10 QThh on A54ddxJx4x 22:39 J8hh on J43sxs3cc6ccc 26:01 A7ss on K63xccJss7x 30:46 55 on T95ddxJx9x http:...

Your correspondent looks ahead to the World Series of Poker, then watches the excellent but occasionally abrasive Winamax YouTube series "Inside the Mind of a Pro." He then reviews a $5/$5/$10 no-limit hold-em session that ends with a wild double-board PLO bomb pot. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:15 Tournament season! 6:49 The YouTube series "Inside the Mind of a Pro" 16:35 $5/$5/$10 session 16:46...

Your correspondent looks back at the 2021 film "The Card Counter," about a gambler struggling with his past as a soldier. He then plays a $5/$10 session in which he tries to shake off the rust of an extended break. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:15 "The Card Counter" 11:15 $5/$5 and $5/$10 NLHE session 13:29 $5/$5: AKss all-in preflop 14:47 KsKc on 642hhx5ss3hhh 17:19 $5/$10: AdJx on 875rJdd3x 22:...

Your correspondent compares live no-limit hold-em to online to illustrate why live poker creates a unique kind of confusion that can be hard to resolve. He then reviews a $5/$10 session that featured a tantalizing bluff spot he didn't take. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:19 Why live poker is destined to confuse us 7:31 What I've been up to 8:30 Playing online PLO 11:16 $5/$5 and $5/$10 no-limit ho...

Your correspondent revisits the possibility of diversifying by learning different game types, then plays a wild $5/$10 session in which he reflects on an increasingly rare opportunity to play with a huge action player. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:16 Introduction and adjusting to declining game quality 4:38 $5/$10 NLHE session 5:57 On getting to play with very fun players 10:13 Ad4x on J52ddx3x...

Today, fellow podcaster David Chen and your correspondent discuss the recent documentary "Matusow," which is available to rent on Amazon Prime. The movie follows poker boom-era star Mike Matusow’s recent attempts to pay off debts, stay relevant, and fight for his legacy. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE You can follow David's work at decodingeverything.com. He also writes about poker at davechenpoker....

Amidst a couple weeks mostly away from poker, your correspondent plays two unusually low-stakes sessions, thinking along the way about the impact of policy upon poker options at public casinos. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:16 What I've been up to 3:14 What is low-stakes poker like in 2025? 7:44 How poker in casinos is affected by changes in laws 11:01 $1/$3 session in Seattle 14:13 AsAx on J87xs...

Your correspondent revisits the 2009 poker reality show "2 Months 2 Million," then reviews a day of poker that spanned two casinos and over 10 hours. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:15 2 Months 2 Million 12:47 Recap of a long Friday session and a hand review: 55 on T85rJdd4x http://twitter.com/thirdwalking http://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent looks back at the 2015 gambling movie "Mississippi Grind," then reviews a $5/$10 session in which he played several all-in pots. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:15 "Mississippi Grind" 10:43 $5/$10 session 10:55 87dd on AT2ddd2xJx 14:52 AA no diamond on KQ2dxd3ddd 16:50 99 all-in preflop 20:15 76cc on T98ssx 21:14 AKo all-in preflop 22:21 66 on J65rTss6x 25:37 AKcc all-in preflop...

Your correspondent revisits the 2007 poker film “Lucky You,” then discusses a $5/$5/$10 session that left him shrugging to himself about the quality of his play. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:20 Brief life/wildfire update 1:45 "Lucky You" 14:05 $5/$5/$10 session 14:13 On the types of "action" players currently playing in public mid-stakes games 18:27 TT on KT6sxs2sss 20:34 Double-board PLO bomb p...

Your correspondent reviews a recent $5/$5/$10 session in which he ran several big bluffs. He also relates a story about a nitty opponent. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:27 $5/$5/$10 session 0:43 QTss on KT5xxsJss6x 6:20 Double board PLO bomb pot: JT22xddx. Top board: AKQr8dd4x. Bottom board: Q93r2ss4x 8:45 JJ on A54r4ddTddd 10:34 JTss on 322ccx4xKx 12:59 KQcc on T84hhh2x3hhhh 15:09 T9dd on KQJxssQ...

Your correspondent wins some big pots at $5/$5/$10 but leaves the casino a bit frustrated. Then, he thinks about how poker players think about money. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:19 $5/$5 and $5/$5/$10 session 0:36 AQo all-in preflop 1:46 K7o on 752rQss8sss 3:09 QQ on 853rQccJccc 6:31 AhKx on K95hhxTxTx 10:22 QJdd on AJ5dxdKx4ddd 13:34 AA (no heart) on J96rKhh8hhh 14:50 I return to $5/$5 17:36 P...

Your correspondent discusses how private games have created an imbalance in live cash-game poker, and what to do about it. Then, he discusses a $5/$5/$10 session in which he made several very strong hands. 0:15 On the migration of private games from high-stakes live poker to mid- and low-stakes poker, and the problems that has created 20:00 $5/$5 and $5/$5/$10 NLHE session 21:15 AA on 664r9r2 24:4...

Your correspondent briefly muses on the difficulty of finding ways to improve when poker continually finds new ways to challenge and mislead you. He then reviews a $5/$10 session that featured some wild street-poker hands, including two in which he made huge folds. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:15 On hunting for ways to get better 6:48 $5/$10 NLHE session 7:29 JJ on J65ddxThh 9:03 AJcc on A75xddK...

Your correspondent reads the anthropologist David M. Hayano's "Poker Faces," a book that, 42 years since it was published, has much to say about modern poker culture. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:30 "Poker Faces" 18:21 Anatomy of a Downswing, Part 1,000,000, featuring some weird digressions on nearly getting run over by a truck and of being in a mall in suburban Cleveland needing to buy a shirt...

Your correspondent struggles with his proximity to the recent Nick Vertucci scandal and wonders how long he should stay in the poker world. Then, he plays a $5/$5/$10 session. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:16 On the Nick Vertucci scandal 12:17 $5/$5/$10 NLHE session 13:03 4c4x on T32ccxQxTx 16:06 QTss on TT3rA6 18:25 QQ on T75r4Q 20:31 JJ on 332xddKx6x 22:01 66 on 652ccxKcccQx 24:57 AKo all-in pr...

Your correspondent waits -- and waits -- for good opportunities at the table. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:22 On waiting for my turn 6:17 $5/$5/$10 hand history: AA preflop 10:20 $5/$5/$10(/$20/$40) hand history: A4hh on Q22ccx4xJx 15:51 $5/$10(/$20) session 16:41 7c7x on J95ccx8x3x (playing against an unusual opponent type) 21:00 AKo on AK3r4ss 22:50 QQ (no spade) on K96xss5x7sss 24:44 JJ prefl...

Your correspondent defends "mandatory" under-the-gun straddles against recent criticism. Then, he plays a brief but fruitful $5/$10 session. FORUM DISCUSSION : CLICK HERE 0:16 Some not-so-obvious reasons why straddles are good for games 10:10 $5/$10 NLHE session 10:52 K4ss on JJ6rAssTsss 13:04 88 on K42ssxJx6x 14:28 KQo on QT9cxc7hh 16:54 AQo on AQ9sssAxQx 19:19 A4dd on A53ssx 23:08 JJ on 854xssAx...