Thinking Poker

Michelle Farmer and Natascha Carpenter founded Royal Queens Poker in Atlanta in 2024 after seeing the lack of diversity in other leagues, a journey they shared with Andrew, Carlos, and Gloria Jackson on Episode 459. Now they’re back to discuss the joys and challenges of their rapid growth plus some thoughts on the 2025 World Series of Poker.Thanks to Caitlyn Arnwine for connecting us with them!Follow Royal Queens Poker on Social Media:InstagramFacebookTiktokYou can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.  Michelle Farmer & Natascha Carpenter Michelle Farmer and Natascha Carpenter have over 15 years of poker experience. Royal Queens Poker hosts ladies-only tournaments and offers classes to encourage female participation. Additionally, Royal Queens Poker provides free poker events at local restaurants and bars, where players have the chance to win prizes. Link

Craig Savage is an educator by trade, but he’s been a competitive poker player and a student of Carlos’s for many years. Hot on the heels of his bracelet victory in the $500 NLHE Freezeout, he speaks with Andrew and Carlos about the experience and how he stays on top of the game despite family and professional obligations.In the strategy segment, Andrew discusse what exactly “targeting” means and why so many people get it wrong.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.  CRAIG SAVAGE Craig is an educator with 31 years of experience, specializing in psychology, the psychology and ethics of leadership, and advanced biology. A former collegiate athlete, he turned to poker in 2003 as a new competitive outlet. He has a gold WSOP bracelet from the 2025 $500 NLHE Freezeout and is part of the Chase the Dream docuseries. Twitter Link

Ian Chan is a Silicon Valley software engineer and a triple draw enthusiast who built his own badugi solver. He talks game theory, artificial intelligence, mixed games, and the underappreciated role of tactile poker experiences.We’ve also got a little in memoriam for Jane Hitchcock, who was our guest on Episode 330.All our interviews with the University of Alberta Computer Poker Research Group are here.The Counterfactual Regret Minimization paper we discuss is here.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.   IAN CHAN Ian Chan is the VP of Engineering at Postscript. He’s also an avid poker player who enjoys applying his knowledge of game theory and computer science to triple draw games. Twitter Link

Former Thinking Poker Podcast host Nate Meyvis joins the show to talk about AI, spaced repetition, and his new flashcard site ZippyFlash.com. Meanwhile Carlos drops in with occasional updates while playing the $1500 Shootout at the WSOP.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.  NATE MEYVIS Nate Meyvis is a software engineer and a former professional poker player and original co-host of the Thinking Poker Podcast. Twitter Link

This week, we’re bringing you an episode of Risky Business, a podcast about better decision making from our friends Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova. You can find more Risky Business at https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/risky-business-with-nate-silver-maria-konnikova.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.  NATE SILVER Nate Silver is the founder of FiveThirtyEight and a former professional poker player. He is the author of On the Edge, The Signal and the Noise, and the Silver Bulletin substack, and he co-hosts the Risky Business podcast with Maria Konnikova, whom we interviewed on Episode 247. Nate first appeared on Episode 318. Twitter Link MARIA KONNIKOVA Maria Konnikova is a poker player, a contributing writer for the New Yorker, and the author of The Confidence Game, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, and the new The Biggest Bluff. Twitter Link

Nosebleed MTT crusher Sam Greenwood is one of the most successful poker players of all time. But how did he get started, how did he rise to the top, and why is he now giving away his secrets in a daily newsletter? Carlos and Andrew get to the bottom of it all in this fantastic interview.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.  SAM GREENWOOD Sam Greenwood is one of the most successful tournament players of all time, with nearly $40 million in live winnings. He is an instructor at Run It Once and the author of the Punt of the Day newsletter on Substack. Twitter Link

Chris “DeathDonkey” Vitch joins Carlos and Andrew for a lively discussion of poker in all its forms, including why he prefers non-hold ’em games, what hold ’em players get wrong about mixed games, and he approaches mixed game tournaments differently than cash games.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.  CHRIS VITCH Chris Vitch is a long-time professional poker player, coach, and instructor focusing on mixed games. He has three WSOP bracelets. Twitter

Tom “Tombos21” Boshoff returns to the show to discuss new developments in poker strategy and technology since his last appearance.Alex Sutherland is the source of the “think of a solver as a tool for conducting experiments” idea.We first discussed the idea of AI “intuition” with Michael Bowling of the University of Alberta Computer Poker Research Group.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.  Tom Boshoff Tom Boshoff is the Head Coach at GTO Wizard. He previously appeared on Episode 393. Link

Jason Su, an author and coach known for his work on poker performance and emotional presence, returns to discuss the joy of poker. He shares insights from his new book, emphasizing that many players motivate themselves in unsustainable ways. Jason explains the importance of managing emotions at the table and how true success combines achievement with enjoyment. He also delves into the use of intuition versus analytical thinking in gameplay, advocating for emotional mastery to enhance both performance and satisfaction.

Andres Korn grew up playing poker with his friends, but it wasn’t until he saw it on TV that he decided to take it seriously. He bought straight in to the WSOP Main Event and never looked back. Now he’s one of the most successful players in Argentina (and the world!), with an emphasis on mixed games but enough hold ’em proficiency to hold a bracelet in the prestigious $5K six-max event.You can join Andrew and Carlos on ClubWPT Gold by signing up at https://clubwptgold.com/?promo=THINK. Receive 10% off your GTO Wizard subscription when you use this link to sign up to GTO Wizard today and run deeper in your MTTs with GTO Wizard AI!You can now get two FREE episodes per week of Thinking Poker Daily.  Andres Korn Andres Korn is one of the most successful poker players in Argentina, with nearly $4M in live cashes and a WSOP bracelet from the prestigious $5K six-max event.