Show notes
This week on episode 677 of the RecPoker Podcast Jim Reid and the RECing Crew interview new team addition Matt Matros! Matt talks about winning three bracelets in three formats, what he’s learned about the game as a writer and coach, common mistakes he sees from less-experienced players, how he approaches coaching a variety of student types, some details about the world pf poker staking, what makes the WSOP Main Event different from any other tournament, how he’s going to coach Jim up for this year’s main event, and a lot more!
We also Open The Action with our speed round, and we play Stake/Study Stack with Andrew Brokos, Dara O’Kearney and Alex Fitzgerald! Plus of course we raffle away a free prize at the end for folks in the YouTube chat, to help support a local food bank. Join us LIVE on YouTube next Monday at 7:30 ET for free to ask our guests questions in real time, and you can win too!
Matt has been in the poker business as player, writer, and coach for more than two decades. After first breaking onto the scene with a third-place finish in the 2004 World Poker Tour championship, Matt eventually went on to win bracelets in three consecutive World Series of Poker from 2010 and 2012.
Focusing more on writing and coaching these days, Matt has published two short books, one medium-length book, and one long book on poker strategy in recent years. The Poker Brain (the long one) continues to receive strong reviews and win fans (including Steve O'Dwyer and Isaac Haxton) three years after its release. His most recent book, Twenty-four No Limit Tournament Hands from 2024 (a short one), maintains a five-star rating on Amazon.
As a coach, Matt offers private instruction for groups and individuals, and is known for tailoring his teaching methods to whatever works best for the student. Some people like memorizing charts, some people like reviewing hands, some people like to hear complex ideas broken down into simple, understandable points. Most students get a little bit of all that stuff, but in the proportions that make the most sense for their level and their learning style.
This year, Matt is offering Jim a series of lessons leading up to the 2025 Main Event. Join in and ask questions! And to reach out to Matt for lessons of your own, contact him at jacksup@mattmatros.com, or find him on X (@matt_matros ) or BlueSky (@mattmatros .bsky.social).
We also go over this week's home game results and discuss these topics:
How to help us out - https://rec.poker/support/
Home Games - https://rec.poker/homegame/
Go Premium! - https://rec.poker/premium/
Timestamps:
3:21 Matt Matros on his role in poker
19:08 Matt’s favorite poker variant
23:52 Lessons from writing his books
26:52 How Matt’s book helps recreational players
32:59 Common mistakes rec players make
36:08 Opportunity costs beyond poker
39:51 How rec players should approach shot-taking
43:56 What makes the Main Event special
47:31 Coaching Jim for the Main Event
55:25 How Matt would structure his game
1:01:49 Matt’s poker schedule this year
1:03:56 Making staking more attractive
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RecPoker is a vibrant and encouraging poker learning community. We are committed to learning the game, but our priority is building healthy relationships where we can not only grow in the game, but grow in our enjoyment of life. The free membership website at rec.poker is awesome, but it's just a tool to help us build that community. You can join for FREE, giving you access to the groups, forums, and other member benefits. If you want to enjoy the premium content, or become part of the RECing Crew, those options are available and you can get your first month for only $5 using the code RECPOKER. Music by Peter Troolin, ptroolin@gmail.com
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