A New Poker Podcast!

Big Time Phil and The Magician go bet-crazy! The Two Fish at the Table Podcast #74: I Bet You

This week we discuss the energetic, fast paced show “I Bet You” starring Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak. We talk about the laughs and cringes found within the 24 episode collection that can be viewed for free on YouTube; and how the show compares to some of our favorites reality shows like Kenny vs Spenny, Impractical Jokers, and Jackass.

Topics Discussed:
-Overall thoughts on I Bet You (starts at 1:08)
-Episode by episode breakdown (Starts at 11:05)
-Daniel Negreanu’s 2 million dollar hole and our thoughts on the convoluted structure of PokerGo Tour (Starts at 1:05:58)
-Teasing future podcast content (Starts at 1:08:13)
-Mind Sport Olympiad 2024 Preview (Starts at 1:08:35)

Share your thoughts on I Bet You in the comments, and let us know if you want to be a part of a future podcast episode!

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8296BCh...

Risking Everything or Nothing! The Two Fish at the Table Podcast #75: Gambling Movies

This episode we discuss two of the biggest movies about gambling in the history of Hollywood; 21 and Casino Royale. Besides the quality of the acting, writing and plot, we break down the realism of the blackjack and poker on display in each movie.

Topics Discussed:
-21: how not to impress in an interview for Harvard Medical School (Begins at 4:00)
-What few components of 21 managed to impress Ben?
-Casino Royale; Daniel Craig reinvents the character for the 21st century (Begins at 1:12:52)
-Who are Ben and Sam’s favorite James Bonds?
-What made Sam cringe, watching these movies?
Share your thoughts in the comments below and let us know if you want to join us for a future podcast episode!

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CryWerzA...

A 9 Dollar Finder’s Fee? Unlucky us! The Two Fish at the Table Podcast #76: More Poker Films

This week we discuss the first roster of events for the 2024 Mind Sport Olympiad; the ups and downs of 5-Card Draw, Razz, and Omaha. Afterwards, we discuss two poker films that were completely new to us prior to viewing; Finder’s Fee directed/written by Jeff Probst of Survivor fame, and Lucky You; a drama film containing the most realistic poker ever created by Hollywood.

Topics Discussed:
-Sam’s favorite intro yet (starts at 0:01)
-The First 4 events of the MSO; Ben and Sam each make a final table! (Starts at 0:36)
-Finder’s Fee: A surprise gem of a film from Survivor’s Jeff Probst; greatly aided by a fantastic performance by James Earl Jones (starts at 28:48)
-Lucky You: Turns out it is possible for a poker movie to have too much poker (Starts at 1:11:00)
-Previewing the rest of 2024 (Starts at 1:37:40)

As always share your thoughts in the comments and let us know if you want to be a contributor to a future episode!

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLmD5Q_m...

Live with the Live Poker Guide! The Two Fish at the Table Podcast #77: Andreas Wagner Interview

This special episode we had the privilege to talk with Andreas Wagner; writer of the London Poker Guide and creator of the Live Poker Guide channel. We discuss what it means to be a poker player, an author, and a content creator, as well as what tricks he has learned over decades of playing poker to be a successful live low stakes poker player.
Topics discussed:
-Andreas' run in 2019 WSOP Main Event
-The current state of live and online poker in London/Europe
-The origin of the Live Poker Guide YouTube Channel
-The power of meditation in poker
-Coaching poker
-And much much more!

You can see dozens of videos from the Live Poker Guide here: https://www.youtube.com/@LivePokerGuide
You can purchase the London Poker Guide here: https://www.amazon.com/London-Poker-Guid...

Comment below with your thoughts on Andreas' content and advice, and let us know if you want to a future guest on our podcast!

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNZ8jXue...

Poker has award shows? The Two Fish at the Table Podcast #78: 2024 Global Poker Awards

This episode we watch the 2024 Global Poker Awards to see if the poker community can provide a fresh take on the award ceremony scene. Additionally, we break down our performances in the latest Mind Sport Olympiad action.

Topics Discussed:
-Aftermath of our interview with Andreas Wagner (Starts at 1:20)
-Our opinions on award shows overall (Starts at 2:12)
-Watching the 2024 Global Poker Awards presented by PokerGo (starts at 10:08)
-Can we win the "Best Podcast" award? ( starts at32:22)
-Final thoughts on the ceremony (starts at 1:01:05)
-2024 Mind Sport Olympiad Events 5-11 discussed: Final tables and a medal won! (Starts at 1:05:18)

Let us know in the comments your thoughts on the winners for each category, if you felt the same about the quality of the program, or if you want to join us for a future podcast episode as our special guest!

watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w45ki_ZN...

We can't believe this happened! The Two Fish at the Table Podcast #79: Encore, Science, Hustler, MSO

In our most unbelievable episode yet, we discuss recent poker news, a scientific analysis of poker, the conclusion of the 2024 Mind Sport Olympiad, and the aftermath of our last episode; including the chain of events that dragged out of our recording studio to the middle of some wild poker action across the country!

Topics discussed:
-Cotton Snuffer’s poker resurgence (Starts at 1:00)
-The passing of Lou Gossett Jr (starts at 1:25)
-Reviewing “Inside of the Mind of the Poker Player”; a french poker documentary using MRIs to study poker brains (starts at 2:40)
-The final 2 events of the 2024 MSO discussed; and our concluding thoughts on the series (starts at 14:06)
-Birthday celebration that allowed us to meet April; play at Boston Encore, and win some money (Starts at 28:02)
-How our last episode earned Ben a spot on a Hustler Poker Live table; fooling Nik Airball at the table! (starts at 44:19)
-Several days of Sam gaining important poker contacts for future projects! (starts at 53:10)

As always, share your thoughts in the comments and let us know if you want to be a guest in a future episode!

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgHtcPPR...

The Worst Written Scene in Breaking Bad History! Two Fish at the Table Podcast #80: TV poker scenes

This episode we break out various poker scenes in many different television programs; including cash games, tournaments, poker nights. Sometimes the poker depicted is fairly accurate, other times it serves as a narrative tool to move plots along, get a laugh or two, or sometimes done for drama. Afterwards, we discuss future podcast ideas as well as look ahead to the approaching 2024 WSOP.

Topics discussed:
-The Office "Casino Night": 4 scenes that use poker to give us great character moments (start at 1:45)
-House "All In"": Soul poker reads through the cell phone (starts at 13:25)
-House "House vs God": A faith healer and 7 card stud (starts at 27:52)
-Futurama "Into the Wild Green Yonder": 5 minute sequence that is a great parody of poker action (starts at 34:25)
-Curb Your Enthusiasm: The C word and suicide lead to an angry end to poker night (starts at 46:20)
-Breaking Bad "Crazy Handful of Nothin": Not clickbait, its literally the worst written scene in the story's history (starts at 54:20)
-Better Call Saul "50% Off" How Crazy 8 got his groove back (starts at 59:00)
-Previewing 2024 WSOP and future podcast plans (starts at 1:02:30)

As always, comment with your thoughts below, let us know if you enjoyed these scenes and the shows we discussed. Or if you want to be our special guest on a future podcast!

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLfpVuTp...

Hey look! We're on TV! The Two Fish at the Table Podcast #81: Loose Ends

This week, we clear up the loose ends of episodes past as we relive the 2023 WSOP Main Event; particularly all the livestreams of the early day action that we appeared in, from the spectator areas. We also discuss various poker media and stories that relate to previous podcast episodes.

Topics Discussed:

-Appearing in Day 1C live feed, talking to Daniel Negreanu and getting his autograph! (begins at 3:22, the conversation is at 32:22)

-Sam discusses a big poker scene in Ozark?! (begins at 15:55)

-The thumbnail moment at 18:52

-Day 2d stream; Ben appears and witnesses the Hellmuth bust (Begins at 36:29)

-Day 3 Stream: Watching Doug Polk on the main TV table as the bubble looms (Begins at 47:00)

-Ben talks about the final act of Lucky You (51:35)

-Previewing the 2024 summer; The Big Game season 3, 2024 WSOP expectations, future podcast ideas/episodes. ( Begins at 1:03:20)

Let us know your thoughts in the comments, share what you want to let us cover next, and if you want to be a special guest in a future episode.

All PokerGo footage shown/discussed, belongs to PokerGo, we simply wanted to discuss the content that we physically appeared in.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkCRyalg...

3 Broke Girls? The Two Fish at the Table Podcast #82: Modern Cash Game TV and the 2024 WSOP 1st Half

Our special 3rd anniversary episode of the podcast brings us to discuss the latest iterations of 4 poker cash-game television programs. We discuss how they differ from one another, how they have (or haven’t) changed from their original runs, and whether or not they are truly entertaining.

Additionally, we discuss the various happenings in the poker world; controversies, rule changes, and the first half of the 2024 WSOP bracelet events from this summer.

Topics Discussed:
-Cash Games on tv; comparing to tournament poker. (starts at 1:00)
-Poker After Dark: Poker players swapping money over and over, kinda boring….especially on a chopped pot (starts at 3:25)
-High Stakes Poker: The Rise of Robl (starts at 12:55)
-No Gamble No Future: How to not broadcast a playing of the “Stand Up Game” (starts at 25:23)
-The Big Game On Tour: A fun, but flawed return to a familiar structure. Balancing poker and interviews is apparently tricky? (starts at 37:15)
-WSOP the Top 100: Can this list really ever be “correct”? (starts at 1:05:00)
-2024 WSOP headlines and current events discussed (starts at 1:20:32)
-A farewell to a old friend (starts at 1:34:40)

As always share your thoughts below, do you agree with your opinion on poker cash game television? And let us know if you want to be a guest on a future episode!

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rxkNi3p...

Mistaken Identities and the Biggest Bubble Ever! The Two Fish at the Table Podcast #83: 2024 Main Event Check In

We are halfway through the biggest Main Event ever, so we wanted to discuss days 1-4 of some wild, but poorly presented action. We discuss who's still left as of Day 5, some crazy viral hands, and an oopsie by Ben as he was following the updates.

Topics Discussed:
-General thoughts of the Main Event so far (Begins at 1:00)
-Our reactions to some of the wild hands (Begins at 10:44)
-The wrong Andreas Wagner story (Begins at 24:48)
-Going over the remaining players; who we are rooting for (Begins at 26:30)

Let us know your thoughts in the comments; who you're hoping wins, your experience with this Main Event so far, or if you want to be a guest of ours on a future episode!

All footage from the Main Event belongs to PokerGo, and is used for entertainment purposes only under fair use.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WX-wTEu...

"Mike Matusow is the Terrell Owens of poker": Two Fish at the Table #84: 2024 WSOP conclusion

This episode we discuss the conclusion of the 2024 WSOP Main Event, our thoughts on the blow ups of the best poker players that were left in the tournament, as well as the other concurrent stories from the past week including the Poker Hall of Fame and WSOP Player of the Year race.

Topics Discussed:
-2024 WSOP Main Event Days 5-10 review
-Tamayo using simulations controversies
-2024 WSOP Player of the Year Race
-Comparing 2024 to recent years
-Mike Matusow's 2024 poker vlogs
-Future podcast plans, including the 2025 WSOP?!
-Poker Hall of Fame opinions; will Matusow ever get in?

As always, comment with your thoughts on the recent poker action, if you agree with our takes, and let us know if you want to join us for a future episode!

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM7ZPPT9...

"The most glum poker we've ever seen": Two Fish at the Table #85: The Big Game On Tour pt. 2 & more

This episode, we cover the 2nd batch of episodes from The Big Game on Tour; spotlighting the latest Loose Cannon; Lily Newhouse. Additionally we discuss the most recent content from Pokergo; and the upcoming poker content for 2024.

Topics Discussed:
-Recap of part 1 from The Big Game on Tour and our expectations going into episode 6 (begins at 0:30)
-Is Lily Newhouse really a “Loose Cannon”? (Begins at 2:20)
-Dave Krosky; good or bad for poker entertainment? (Begins at 28:45)
-Overall thoughts on episodes 6-10 (begins at 38:15)
-The sad state of the Super High Roller Bowl; and other big buy in events in general. (Begins at 42:35)
-Why “Celebrities” and poker don’t mix (Begins at 46:50)
-Future poker podcast plans; or lack thereof! (Begins at 50:10)

As always, share your thoughts in the comments, and let us know if you want to be a guest in a future episode!

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOCjTjY3...