The Heart of Poker Podcast

It’s hard to keep track of all the ways Lupe Soto has contributed to the poker industry. Not only did she found the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2008, she’s been instrumental in launching the Ladies International Poker Series, Senior Poker Tour & Women’s Poker Association to name a few. Soto’s roots in poker run deep. She recalls how when she started playing at her local casino, 5 card stud...

If there’s anyone championing women in poker, it’s Erin Lydon. The Poker Power president has an incredible passion for not only the game, but also the lessons we can learn from it and apply to everyday life. From working on Wall Street to speaking at Tedx events, Lydon has had an incredibly decorated professional career(including being the Vice President of JP Morgan for 6.5 years). However, she’s...

On this month’s episode of The Heart Of Poker Podcast, Kara Scott speaks with poker player, writer and fellow podcast host David Lappin. Not one to mince words, Lappin is known for calling it as he sees it when it comes to his writing. However, as this podcast unfolds, we learn that he’s far from motivated by clickbait titles or attention seeking behaviour. Interestingly, both Kara and David found...

If you’ve ever found yourself at a RunGood poker tournament or sporting one of their signature t-shirts, then you have Tana Karn to thank. The mastermind behind the apparel and live event brand sits down with Kara Scott for a candid exchange on his humble beginnings. As a first-generation American born to Thai parents, he talks about his upbringing in his parents' restaurant and how that experienc...

If you’re familiar with Brazilian poker players, then you will certainly have heard of Felipe Ramos. Playing professionally for 16 years now, Ramos currently sits at 4th in the Brazil all-time money list and has racked up a whopping $3.6 million in live earnings alone. Kara and Felipe actually worked together over 10 years prior, so the two have a level of comfort that lets them get deep right off...

Alex O’Brien is a fascinating person - poker player, science writer and author. She first captured the poker industry’s attention when she won a tournament which should have resulted in a high profile heads-up match with Dan Bilzerian. However, when the match fell through, it ignited a conversation around women in poker and the role of ambassadors in our game.  Her new book ‘The Truth Detective’ w...

You may already know quite a bit about Johnnie Moreno AKA ‘Johnnie Vibes’ from his popular vlogs and videos, but in this episode of The Heart of Poker podcast, he dives even deeper into life’s big questions with host Kara Scott. The two walk back through Johnnie's personal history with the game of poker and how his incredibly tight knit family group has been such a huge source of joy and support f...

Nemo Qiyu Zhou (also known online as AkaNemsko) is a gamer, esports star and content creator with an impressive following. After learning chess at the age of 3, she found incredible success in the game, earning herself title after title. A women’s Chess grandmaster, Nemo gave up professional chess to focus on her life, and although you can still find her streaming chess, other games including poke...

With over $60 million in live tournament earnings, Justin Bonomo sits squarely at the top of the all-time money leaderboard for poker. No stranger to controversy or strong opinions, Justin opens up to The Heart of Poker’s Kara Scott about topics ranging from Burning Man, what he wishes people knew about him, his greatest fears and his idea of an absolutely perfect day.  Justin reveals to Kara what...

Angela Jordison was named 2022 GPA Breakout Player of the Year after narrowly missing out on two GPI POY awards. Not only a fierce competitor, and a real joy to watch on the felt, she’s a fan favourite and for good reason.  During their interview, Angela and Kara discuss how important it is to have a positive impact on the poker community.  Not one for empty words, Angela recently put her money wh...

With his recorded winnings closing in on the $20 million mark, it would be easy to think Italian high roller Mustapha Kanit’s greatest skills are on the felt. However according to Kanit, it’s his natural willingness to embrace making mistakes and his drive to confront his fears that are his real super powers.  In this candid and personal interview, Mustapha tells the story of his early entry into...

With 4 WSOP final tables under her belt already, Brazilian poker pro and streamer Vivian Saliba is a force to be reckoned with at the PLO and NLHE tables.  The 888poker Ambassador’s drive to succeed in poker was actually born out of necessity. At just 18 years old, while her family was contending with financial difficulties, a young Vivian played poker to put herself through college and pay her bi...

For this episode of the Heart of Poker podcast, Kara digs into the history of one of the most prolific and recognizable voices in poker commentary, David Tuchman. With extensive credits, going all the way back to the early 2000s for Live at the Bike, David Tuchman is easily recognizable as one of the OG player/broadcasters of the poker industry.  Kara and David start off discussing how they became...

With a wealth of experience in poker, British funnyman and commentator Nick Wealthall has an insight into the industry that rivals anyone. Currently one of the main voices of 888poker’s live and online events, Nick has had a long and storied past in the industry. In fact, it was nearly 20 years ago now that he and The Heart of Poker host Kara Scott were doing commentary on a tiny, middle of the ni...

Well known for his incredible work ethic, both as a poker pro and as the founder of his own training site Learn Pro Poker, Ryan Laplante believes that life and poker reflect the hard work we put into them.  Laplante took down his first bracelet in a 2016 PLO event as one of the highlights of a live poker career that started the literal moment he turned 21. When Black Friday shut down online poker,...

If you follow poker vlogs, then you have no doubt come across The Drawing Dead vlog by Jaman Burton.  Burton, who is one the most influential poker vloggers in the space, brings something completely unique to the table in the form of a poker vlog with graphic novel style illustrations woven in.  And while it may be nice to gain some recognition within the poker community, Burton shares with Kara t...

One of the more notable names from the ESPN era of the World Series Of Poker is undoubtably Greg Merson.  Merson, who took home $8,531,853 for winning the Main Event in 2012, instantly became a household name within the poker community. Having gotten sober a year prior, his story and accomplishment became an inspiration to many who battled addiction.  But where do you go after winning the Main Eve...

On this episode of The Heart of Poker, Kara goes deep with poker player, social media maven and tv personality Tiffany Michelle.  Michelle, who many would recognize on and off the felt, first made a splash in the poker world at the 2008 World Series of Poker, when she finished 17th out of 6844 players, making her the last woman standing.  In fact, it was that huge accomplishment that Michelle cred...

On this episode of the Heart of Poker, Kara is joined by prolific businesswoman and poker powerhouse, Katie Lindsay.  Lindsay, who has racked up nearly 2.5 million dollars in live and online cashes combined, has been a been a mainstay in the poker community for many years dating back to pre-Black Friday.  After getting hooked on poker by the fascinating story of Chris Moneymaker, she got a foot in...

In this episode of the Heart of Poker Podcast, Kara Scott speaks with long-time friend and colleague Lon McEachern. An absolute poker legend, known as the "Voice of Poker", Lon McEachern has been one half of the commentary team that started providing commentary for the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2003. And for many years Kara has been right there with him as part of the WSOP broadcast team...

On this episode of The Heart of Poker, Kara sits down with a true online poker OG, Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet.  Van Fleet, who regularly crushed the biggest online MTT’s in the mid 2000’s, continues to grind to this day and currently sits at #3 for all-time online poker winnings with over $20,300,000 in online cashes.  But his journey to this accomplishment hasn’t been without its share of challeng...

Outside of big-name players, few people have had such an impact on the growth of poker globally as World Poker Tour President & CEO Adam Pliska.  Pliska, who has now been part of the iconic WPT brand since 2003, is credited as being the driving factor behind the company's expansion into numerous foreign markets around the world and exposing new players to the game through their big-budget, final t...

In a time where No-Limit Holdem still dominates the poker landscape, it’s rare to come across a young pro so proficient in mixed games as Benny Glaser.   This is perhaps best demonstrated by Glaser’s most recent WSOP results, where he cashed in 5 events (including winning his 4th bracelet in the $10k Razz Championship and placing 2nd in the $25k H.O.R.S.E. event) for a total of $784,243.  But don’...

Fresh off the heels of her 2021 GPI Player of the Year award, Nadya Magnus gives Kara a glimpse into the sacrifice and dedication it took for her to achieve this prestigious title. Magnus, whose first Hendon Mob cash dates back to 2008, has been steadily grinding the tournament circuit for well over a decade en route to the top of the GPI index. Her consistency paid off last year with her taking h...

In this month’s episode, Kara asks poker pro Brandon Shack-Harris why it’s so important to bring the fun, the silly and the unexpected to the poker table. Shack-Harris is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner with $3.5 million lifetime tournament earnings. Top-level poker skill notwithstanding, he’s probably better known for his personality and antics at the poker table. Shack-Harris also made news when...