Seeking Balance

Uri Peleg, professional poker player, coach, and theory educator, explores why poker demands more than solver memorization. They discuss hidden information, exploitative strategy, decision fatigue, flexible preflop ranges, ICM in multiway pots, unusual solver raises, and testing off-tree plays. The conversation also covers reading face-up ranges, pressuring weak checks, and putting elite players in unfamiliar spots.

This week on Seeking Balance, High-stakes crusher Sam Greenwood joins the show to discuss stepping away from playing poker, navigating fatherhood, and re-evaluating the true cost of the grind. Sam and Jared get into a dense strategy discussion, exposing why treating solvers like textbook answer keys holds players back and why the poker world needs to stop viewing top pros as mistake-free robots, and more! Check Out The Seeking Balance App!https://jaredalderman.com/appPunt Of The Day Discount - 33% Off One Year!https://www.puntoftheday.com/balanceSam's Run It Once Videos!https://www.runitonce.com/elite-poker-training/Learn More About The Coaching Group:https://www.jaredalderman.com👉 If you found this episode valuable, don't forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.jaredalderman.com/ for more deep dives into poker, performance, and personal growth!🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:42 - Why Sam Stepped Away From Poker09:30 - Finding Intense Competition as an Adult14:45 - The Myth of Multitasking16:15 - How Becoming a Father Changed the Poker Equation21:55 - De-Roboting High-Stakes Pros: Why Everyone Makes Mistakes29:20 - The Solver Illusion Hindering Most Players33:30 - The Gap Between Theory Knowledge & Live Execution35:30 - Micro vs. Macro Details in Poker Strategy42:50 - Does Aggression Truly Show Agency?47:00 - When Doing Nothing Is the Strongest Play53:45 - How Sam Evaluates Mistakes & Punt of the Day Hands57:45 - Deep-Stack Hand Breakdown: Turn Leads & River Jams01:09:00 - Internet Culture, Tribalism & Calling People NPCs01:16:00 - Punt of the Day: Honor or Insult?Contact Sam:🌐 Website: https://www.puntoftheday.com/subscribe🐦X: @SamGreenwoodRIOHost: Jared AldermanPerformance Coach🌐 Website: https://www.jaredalderman.com/📸 Instagram: @jared.alderman🐦 X: @the_jaldermann

In this episode of Seeking Balance, high-stakes regular Nick unpacks the turbulent reality of climbing the poker ranks. From grinding micro-stakes to facing massive downswings at $40KNL, Nick explains why surviving at the top demands a psychological resilience most people simply don't possess. We also dive deep into high-level strategy, covering the dangers of misusing HUD stats, how to exploit live private games, and a fascinating debate on whether players should prioritize perfect frequency stats or precise combo selection when making critical river decisions.Check Out The Seeking Balance App!https://jaredalderman.com/appLearn More About The Coaching Group:https://www.jaredalderman.com👉 If you found this episode valuable, don't forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.jaredalderman.com/ for more deep dives into poker, performance, and personal growth!🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.Timestamps:00:00 — Intro00:55 — Nick’s Poker Origins05:41 — Building a Bankroll & Sky Stakes Variance09:37 — The Grind: Burnout & Volume14:09 — Work Ethic and Emotional Toughness in Poker22:31 — Solvers, Exploits, and Fact-Checking Plays27:50 — The Danger of Misusing HUD Stats29:59 — Live Hand Breakdown: Ace-Eight Suited36:57 — Live Poker Reads vs. Theory: Why Pot Odds Matter46:00 — Exploiting Live Pools & Cultural Poker Trends54:11 — Targeting the Top vs. Bottom of Ranges56:48 — Common Study Mistakes & Database Reviews01:07:52 — The Dichotomy of Stats vs. Combo Selection01:16:20 — Advanced Solver Mechanics & MDF01:19:43 — OutroContact Nick:🐦X: @slumdiggitydudeHost: Jared AldermanPerformance Coach🌐 Website: https://www.jaredalderman.com/📸 Instagram: @jared.alderman🐦 X: @the_jaldermann

This week on Seeking Balance, Jared is joined by entrepreneur and founder of StockX Josh Luber! They get into Josh's passion for poker and how the space is unique, business, entrepreneurship, and what Josh's new company Alligator Blood is all about.Check Out The Seeking Balance App!https://jaredalderman.com/appLearn More About The Coaching Group:https://www.jaredalderman.comJoin Alligator Blood!https://alligatorblood.com/👉 If you found this episode valuable, don't forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.jaredalderman.com/ for more deep dives into poker, performance, and personal growth!🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.Contact Josh📸 Instagram: @joshluber🐦 X: @joshluberHost: Jared AldermanPerformance Coach🌐 Website: https://www.jaredalderman.com/📸 Instagram: @jared.alderman🐦 X: @the_jaldermann

Check Out The Seeking Balance App!https://jaredalderman.com/appLearn More About The Coaching Group:https://www.jaredalderman.comCheck Out Dylan's PLO MTT Course!https://upswingpoker.com/crushing-plo-tournaments/👉 If you found this episode valuable, don't forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.jaredalderman.com/ for more deep dives into poker, performance, and personal growth!🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.Contact Dylan🌐 Website: https://www.dylanweisman.com/📸 Instagram: @dr.gto🐦 X: @Dweisman13Host: Jared AldermanPerformance Coach🌐 Website: https://www.jaredalderman.com/📸 Instagram: @jared.alderman🐦 X: @the_jaldermann

This week on Seeking Balance, Jared sits down with 2026 WSOP Main Event Champion Lucas Jumalon fresh off his historic $10,000,000 victory! In this episode, Lucas opens up about the brutal downswing leading up to the series, the pivotal phone call with his dad that kept him in the tournament, and the "if we die, we die" mindset that carried him through a field of thousands. They also break down his 11-day final table prep with Patrick "Pads" Leonard, the psychology behind his "job's not finished" approach, and what he hopes to achieve in poker.Check Out The Seeking Balance App!https://jaredalderman.com/appLearn More About The Coaching Group:https://www.jaredalderman.com👉 If you found this episode valuable, don't forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.jaredalderman.com/ for more deep dives into poker, performance, and personal growth!🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:04 - Welcoming WSOP Champion Lucas03:50 - Grinding from Age 12 to College07:07 - Overcoming Heartbreak: "If We Die, We Die"08:14 - Rock Bottom in Austin & The Pivotal Call with His Dad12:30 - Manifestation, Mindset & Day 114:12 - The Day 3 Cold 4-Bet: "This Is My Tournament"21:01 - Psychological Priming & Finding the Zone22:11 - Day 7 Crisis & The 2-Hour Reset28:44 - Sudden Fame & Handling Life-Changing Money32:20 - Why His Dad Is His Rock36:47 - 11 Days with Patrick Leonard: Solving the Final Table39:54 - "Job’s Not Finished": The Kobe Mindset43:14 - Proving It Wasn't a Fluke: Bigger Tournaments & Future Goals46:17 - Becoming the Next Poker Ambassador53:50 - Lightning Round QuestionsFind Lucas:📸Instagram: lucasss.jumalone🐦 X: @LukeJu22HostJared AldermanPerformance Coach🌐 Website: https://www.jaredalderman.com/📸 Instagram: @jared.alderman🐦 X: @jaredalderman

Check Out The Seeking Balance App!https://jaredalderman.com/appLearn More About The Coaching Group:https://www.jaredalderman.comCoaching with Brock & More:https://pokercoaching.com/👉 If you found this episode valuable, don't forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.jaredalderman.com/ for more deep dives into poker, performance, and personal growth!🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.Find Brock:📸Instagram: @brockwilson44🐦 X: @BWilson9999Host: Jared AldermanPerformance Coach🌐 Website: https://www.jaredalderman.com/📸 Instagram: @jared.alderman🐦 X: @jaredalderman

Check Out The Seeking Balance App!https://jaredalderman.com/appLearn More About The Coaching Group:https://www.jaredalderman.comJoin Our Discord Server!https://discord.gg/mDZuCxcgzv👉 If you found this episode valuable, don't forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.jaredalderman.com/ for more deep dives into poker, performance, and personal growth!🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.Find Abby:📸Instagram: @abbypoker🐦 X: @abbypoker_▶️YouTube: @AbbyPoker Find Corey:🐦 X: @coreyeyring▶️YouTube: @corey_eyring Host: Jared AldermanPerformance Coach🌐 Website: https://www.jaredalderman.com/📸 Instagram: @jared.alderman🐦 X: @jaredalderman

Check Out The Seeking Balance App!https://jaredalderman.com/appLearn More About The Coaching Group:https://www.jaredalderman.comJoin Our Discord Server!https://discord.gg/mDZuCxcgzv👉 If you found this episode valuable, don't forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.jaredalderman.com/ for more deep dives into poker, performance, and personal growth!🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.Timestamps:00:00:00 — Intro00:00:50 — WSOP Prep: Stevie's Triton Cool Down & Footage Review00:08:29 — The Mythos of Elite Players00:17:50 — Playing Against an Image: The Adamo Story00:23:32 — Confidence, Self-Belief & Delusional Self-Trust00:27:33 — Should Profitability Even Matter? Fixed Views & the Razz Hypothetical00:33:59 — EV as a Useful Convention, Not a Truth00:41:07 — Day-to-Day Variance & Trusting the Path00:44:20 — A Game / B Game / C Game: Why Labeling Hurts You00:48:44 — Was It Even a Mistake?00:55:30 — The Buddha on Speaking Truth00:58:00 — Truth vs. Utility: The David Deutsch Argument01:05:09 — The Performance Coach Story: What's Useful vs. What's True01:12:17 — Fixed Views & Buddhist Relative vs. Ultimate Truth01:18:52 — Attention, Memory & How We Evaluate Decisions01:27:43 — Agency, Free Will & Tendency vs. Choice01:35:39 — Relative Truth, Ultimate Truth & the Two Questions01:38:16 — OutroFind Stephen:🐦 X: @ChidwickStephenFind LuckyChewy:🐦 X: @luckychewy🌐 Website: https://www.luckychewy.com/Host: Jared AldermanPerformance Coach🌐 Website: https://www.jaredalderman.com/📸 Instagram: @jared.alderman🐦 X: @jaredalderman

This week on Seeking Balance, Jared sits down at the WSOP with Kevin Rabichow and Owen "PR0DIGY" Messere fresh off their matches in the $25K Heads Up Championship. The conversation dives deep into what makes heads up poker uniquely mentally demanding — from how you build an exploitative strategy on a tiny sample, to knowing when a read is real and when you're fooling yourself.Owen breaks down why playing against type is one of the most underrated skills in poker, Kevin shares how an hour of "nothing working" turned out to be his most productive stretch of the match, and Jared crystallizes why the pressure to act on information every hand might be the most common mistake live cash players make.Check Out The Seeking Balance App, Lifetime Access 50% Off!https://jaredalderman.com/appCheck Out Kevin's Course, The Heads Up Edge!https://www.kevinrabichow.com/headsupCheck Out Owen's Coaching With Guerilla Poker!https://guerrilla-poker.com/Join Our Discord Server!https://discord.gg/mDZuCxcgzv👉 If you found this episode valuable, don't forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.jaredalderman.com/ for more deep dives into poker, performance, and personal growth!🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.Timestamps:00:00 – Intro01:12 – Kevin's $25K heads up match08:11 – The meta of heads up tournaments: building an exploitative strategy on limited info14:55 – When to trust a read vs. when it's just variance28:11 – Is gathering information worth the EV cost?31:41 – Owen joins36:11 – Aggression as a data-gathering tool40:28 – Kevin's plan falls apart in the first 20 hands41:36 – Playing the WSOP Main: Exploits in Tournaments49:11 – When to accept a risk vs. protecting your edge55:00 – Playing against type: how switching it up raises your EV floor56:44 – Balance, patience, and the politics analogy01:02:48 – The pressure to act on reads (and why patience is the real skill)01:03:11 – How Owen accidentally turned his students into rabid dogs01:05:48 – Owen on coaching: raising ceilings vs. floors, and Guerilla Poker01:11:11 – What it's like playing against someone who has you in their head01:22:11 – Decision fatigue and repetition in heads up poker01:24:30 – OutroFind Owen:🐦X: @OwenMessereFind Kevin:🌐: https://www.kevinrabichow.com/headsup📸Instagram: @krabichow🐦X: @KRabichowHost: Jared AldermanPerformance Coach🌐Website: https://www.jaredalderman.com/📸Instagram: @jared.alderman🐦X: @jaredalderman