The Grid is a 169 episode poker hand scavenger hunt hosted by chess champion and PokerStars pro Jennifer Shahade. Jen interviews poker players about dramatic hands they’ve played, aiming to fill out all 169 possible starting poker hands, from the worst, seven-deuce offsuit to the best, pocket aces.
The Grid 036 ft. Chris Moneymaker – Five-Three Suited
May 11, 2020
Show notes
For the GRID’s first anniversary episode, Chris Moneymaker tells a hand he played soon after his WSOP Main Event victory, against movie star Ben Affleck. The 25/50 No Limit Hold Em Cash game was hosted in 2003 at the Palms Casino, back when the hotel had a poker room. Ben was opening, calling or raising every single hand, and started the action in this one too, opening for 200. He got four callers including Vince Van Patton and Moneymaker, who was in position with three-five of spades. The flop came king of spades, ten of space and six of the clubs, giving Moneymaker a baby flush draw. Everyone checked to an offsuit four turn. Ben bet 1100, Vince called, and Chris raised to 4K. The river was the 4 of spades, completing Chris’s flush. Ben and Vince checked and Chris bet 6K, only to get raised to 17K by Affleck. Vince tank folded. The pot had swelled to over 100K and Chris now had a crucial decision whether to jam or call.
After unraveling the full details of the epic hand history, Chris talks about how to get invited to good games and why he fights for every last chip even when only play money is at stake.
Chris Moneymaker has been a member of Team PokerStars Pro since his historic 2003 World Series of Poker victory against Sammy Farha, a win that incited a poker boom. In 2019 Chris was inducted into the World Poker Hall of Fame, the same year that he hosted, the “Moneymaker Tour,”, which awarded Platinum Passes worth $30K all over the World.
We ask Moneymaker how many times he’s been asked “Is that your real name?”, why he doesn’t really drink anymore, and the doomed chop negotiations with Sammy Farha at the 2003 WSOP.
Now that three-five suited has been clicked off thepokergrid.com, there are 133 combos remaining. Thanks to our guests and listeners for a year worth of podcasts- look for a special GRID inspired anniversary show at host Jen Shahade’s twitch channel on Friday May 15th.
The Grid 035 ft. Kara Scott – Seven-Six Offsuit
Apr 26, 2020
Show notes
ESPN Anchor Kara Scott steps into the GRID to talk about a dramatic three-bet hand from the 2009 Irish Open, where she held seven-six offsuit. Kara ended up winning over $400,000 at the event a life-changing amount of money which relieved her of her debts and took her in a new direction. Kara, now an ambassador for 888, also talks about how struggles with memory caused her to rethink her approach to the game, and make a brave decision at a crucial career crossroads.
Kara also talks about how she developed her iconic voice, which is a hallmark of the World Series of Poker. She reveals the inspiration for her new podcast, “The Heart of Poker”, which uses a set of questions developed by psychologists to show us a more intimate side of great poker players.
The Grid 034 ft. Matt Hunt – Ten-Six Offsuit
Apr 15, 2020
Show notes
Professional Poker Player and coach Matt Hunt found himself heads-up for a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2017, in one of the earliest “big blind” ante events in the WSOP. He enters the Poker GRID with a dramatic hand with ten-six offsuit, featuring critical decisions on all streets.
Matt limps the button with Tc6s with just over 20 big blinds. The big blind, Spanish professional Mario Prats Garcia, checked his option. The flop was 7d 5s 4c, giving Matt an opened ended straight draw. The turn brings the 9d for a possible backdoor diamond flush draw—and is checked through to an eight of diamonds river, where the action becomes particularly explosive.
Matt and Jen uncover both the strategic and psychological implications of Matt’s decisions in the hand and dive into strategic takeaways for anyone trying to improve.
Matt also explains how language and math intersect, or fail to intersect, and how this plays into the “Poker out Loud” format, a televised cash game in which players listen to noise-cancelling music, while describing decisions on all streets. Jen and Matt both bemoan the punishing nature of poker language, pondering why there are so few words to describe strategic brilliance. Matt also opens up about his struggles with depression, and his wake-up call that he needed professional help.
The Grid 033 ft. Bill Chen – Queen-Jack Offsuit
Apr 04, 2020
Show notes
Two-time WSOP Champion Bill Chen enters the GRID to talk about a hand he played against the legendary Phil Ivey back at the 2010 World Series of Poker. They were heads-up in a 3K horse event, and the game was Limit Hold Em.
The hand started when Bill raised his button, and Phil Ivey defended. Ivey then led on a flop of Ace Ten Deuce with two hearts.
The hand only got more interesting on the offsuit nine turn. Phil bet again, and Bill Chen raised. Phil called and they saw a seven of hearts on the river.
Now Ivey checked, Bill bet, and Ivey got in a vicious check raise. Bill folded.
Years later, when Jen Shahade asked Bill to be on the GRID, Bill had forgotten any details of the decade old hand. Luckily Bill’s friend and fellow WSOP champion Matt Hawrilenko stepped in and revealed Bill’s holding: Queen Jack Offsuit. Hawrilenko also reveals Phil Ivey’s holding in the episode. If you want to guess along before listening, check out former GRID guest Matt Matros’s blog speculating on both holdings.
After the hand, Bill and Jen move on to how such an intelligent person can lose his car keys so often, or forget such a memorable hand with Phil Ivey. They also discuss when Bill Chen realized he was good at math, what people get wrong about exponential growth, and what he misses most about his poker days.
Bill is currently the head of Sports Analytics at SIG and he ends the podcast episode by inviting listeners to reach out to him if they’re interested in hearing more about employment opportunities. You can also follow Bill on twitter.
Thanks to all our listeners, guests and subscribers, the GRID received the Global Poker award for “Podcast of the Year.” Jen wrote up some thoughts on what she’s learned from hosting both the GRID and Ladies Knight over the past year and a half.
Now that Bill has covered queen-jack offsuit, there are 136 hands left on thepokergrid.com.
The Grid 032 ft. Terrence Chan – Three-Deuce Offsuit
Mar 24, 2020
Show notes
Terrence Chan steps into the GRID, not the octagon, to discuss a funny hand he played with three-deuce offsuit against Erick Lindgren, way back at the 2006 World Series of Poker. Eric posted his blind when he was actually under the gun, leading to a leveling war that escalated quickly.
Chan speaks to how much poker has changed since then, and how lucky he was to be surrounded by brilliant people during the poker boom, from PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg to members of the “Math House” such as Bill Chen and Matt Hawrilenko.
Terrence also talks about his disciplined approach to MMA, which allowed him to become a competitive fighter even while starting in his 30s. He describes how he’s moved on from orthorexia to a balance between eating right and flexibility.
This episode was recorded at the Global Poker Awards in the first week of March. Our last night out for a long time was a happy one, as the GRID received the award for “Podcast of the Year.” Jen wrote up some thoughts on what she’s learned from hosting both the GRID and Ladies Knight over the past year and a half.
Now that Terrence has covered three-deuce off, there are 137 hands left on thepokergrid.com.
The Grid 031 ft. Darren Elias – Ace-Eight Suited
Mar 05, 2020
Show notes
Four-time World Poker Tour Champion Darren Elias steps into the GRID to talk about a fascinating hand he played with ace-eight suited. In a first for the show, Darren’s opponent was an AI, Pluribus, as developed by Carnegie Mellon and Facebook to beat six max No-Limit Hold Em. The AI made an aggressive but low frequency play on the flop, which led to tough decision points for Darren on all streets. Through their hand analysis, Jen and Darren unravel his experience of playing thousands of hands against Pluribus over the summer of 2019.
The Grid 030 ft. Sam Greenwood – King-Ten suited
Feb 22, 2020
Show notes
Poker coach and high roller tournament champion Sam Greenwood enters the GRID to discuss a high stakes hand with king-ten suited, held at the Triton Millions in July 2019. Sam was facing the tricky and outspoken Martin Kabrhel of the Czech Republic in a 3-bet pot, and as the board ran out, a hand that was decent on the flop started to look like a prime candidate for bluffing.
Sam talks about how even the top players in the World have trouble executing solver strategies extrapolating that the fear of “robotic” play is overblown. He gives tips for newcomers to shot clocks and reveals his most under-rated and over-rated study techniques.
Sam has over 21 million dollars in live earnings and won a WSOP bracelet in No Limit Hold Em in 2015. Other big tournament wins include his January 2019 PCA 100K Super High Roller victory, and a 2013 SCOOP win. You can find Sam on twitter and on his coaching videos on Run it Once.
Now that King-ten suited is covered, there are 139 combos left on thepokergrid.com.
The Grid 029 ft. Femi Fashakin – King-Nine Offsuit
Feb 10, 2020
Show notes
Orlando based poker player and tech entrepreneur Femi Fashakin steps into the GRID to discuss a crucial hand from the largest poker tournament of all time, the WSOP Big Fifty. Femi won over a million dollars for topping the 28,000 player field, becoming the first Nigerian-born poker player ever to take home a gold bracelet.
With the final table looming, Femi faced a double check raise, and was put to a decision for all his chips with king-nine offsuit.
Femi and Jen talk about whether his story proves the vitality of the “American Poker Dream” and his tips for poker players coming up the ranks.
In exploring the double check raise, Jen describes working with Philly-based creative director Evan Young on a deck of GRID challenge cards, where specific missions allowed players to win bounties from each player, much like the seven-deuce game. One of those cards was the “Double Check Raise” mission, a challenge she found surprisingly difficult to fulfill in a friendly homegame. Jen and Femi talk about the power of rare lines and the importance of thinking them through in advance.
Femi wraps up with tips for aspiring entrepreneurs and explains why it’s a perfect fit for poker players to pursue multiple income streams.
The Grid 028 ft. Georgina “GJReggie” James – Ace-Six Off
Jan 31, 2020
Show notes
Georgina “GJReggie” James steps into the GRID to tackle the raggiest of aces, ace-six off and a tough spot in her biggest moment at the time as both a poker player and as a streamer. Georgina talks about how she found herself three-handed in a massive field event of the PokerStars Micromillions with thousands of runners. She held ace-six offsuit in the big blind and faced huge bets on both flop and turn as a thousand concurrent viewers watched- her largest ever stream audience by far at the time.
Jen and Georgina also talk about how she’s preparing for the PokerStars Players Championship in August 2020, which features 100x the buyin of her previous biggest live entry. She also gives some insight into the poker community on twitch (“the best ever” in her words), and explains how she worked with fellow PokerStars streamer PyeFace, to award two Platinum Passes via the “Dare to Stream Challenge.”
They also touch on Georgina’s blog, where she digs deep into the emotional complexity of reaching a career goal concurrent with a difficult time in her personal life.
The Grid 027 ft. Ben Johnson – Pocket-Sevens
Jan 22, 2020
Show notes
Former poker pro and Perpetual Podcast host Ben Johnson enters the GRID to throw us back to the European Poker Tour in Baden, Austria, in 2006 where he was heads-up for the EPT title. He held pocket sevens and as the pot bloated, Ben found himself in a pressure cooker as an overcard flopped and his opponent showed massive strength. 15 years later, Ben reveals that he was unhappy with how he played the hand, but happy with how he played the tournament, as he unravels some of the reasons for both his mistakes, as well as his rapid ascent in the poker world.
Ben talks about his brief foray into day-trading after Black Friday. Though he did not find success in the field, learning about efficient markets helped prepare him for a Eureka Moment: Chess needed a weekly podcast featuring top players and personalities from all over the World. While poker has dozens ofgreat podcasts, Ben found a legitimate gap in the market, which has since also populated by the US Chess suite of podcasts, including Jennifer’s monthly chess pod, Ladies Knight. Ben gives aspiring content creators advice, and explains how becoming a dad helped him reach out through his introversion.
James Hartigan and Lee Jones called the final table, at a high production and energy level of contemporary poker events. Jennifer and Ben contrast that with the way chess events were covered 15 years ago and compare other overlaps and differences between chess and poker.
Ben is also a National chess Master and many time member of National Championship chess team, Masterman, where he was Jennifer’s team-mate. He’s also a practicing chess coach and proud dad. Find out more about Ben on his podcast page, Apple and twitter account.
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