The Rec Poker Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep 660 - Forums: Last Hand From the WPT (Jim) Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

This week, Jim Reid leads the RecPoker RECing Crew through the last interesting hand he played in the World Poker Tour’s recent series at the Wynn, where he completed the Big Blind with ten-five suited and flops top pair against an aggressive opponent. While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses seat positions (for, like, WAY too long) stack sizes, player types, opening ranges, small stack play, postflop raise sizing, and more!

Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today and you can post a question of your own in the forum or our discord channel for the panel to review!

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity
Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Help us out: https://rec.poker/support

Find more info on our sponsors at:
https://RunAces.com

Explore our socials and more: https://linktr.ee/therecpokercommunity

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

Ep 659 - Chats: Paul O’Reilly Turns Up The FUN! Jan 24, 2025

Show notes

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Paul O’Reilly from the Irish Poker Open! Paul shares some stories about the early days of the Open, what it was like operating it in various phases of it’s recent history, why it’s so different from other poker series, how to make poker FUN on and off the felt, helping out those who need it, how he determines what counts as success for JP and him, and we even break some news live in the show about the streaming schedule for the series!

We also feature a new segment with LoriAnn about her experiences living in Las Vegas, we play Stake/Study Stack with Steve O’Dwyer, David Docherty and JP McCann, and we Close The Action with our speed round! 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!

Find out more about the Irish Poker Open: https://irishpokeropen.com/

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:

14:39 Paul describes his role in the poker world

16:08 Paul shares how his beginning in poker

25:09 Circumstances on why selling the company

28:26 People are selling their seats at the lobby

31:36 The magic behind the poker tournaments

39:32 Irish Poker Open: people’s tournament

45:42 Managing competent professional staff

50:22 Over the years: How Paul measures success

56:19 Paul on streaming the ladies event this year

01:00:07 Paul talks about supporting RecPoker at the event

01:11:41 One thing to change in poker

01:29:17 Home Game updates

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity

Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Find more info on our sponsors at:

https://RunAces.com

Explore our socials and more: https://linktr.ee/therecpokercommunity

Ep 658 - Forums: The Hand I Played the Worst at the WPT (Jim) Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

This week, Jim Reid and Taylor Maas are joined by Premium member Eric Anderson to discuss a hand Jim butchered in the World Poker Tour’s Championship event last December in Las Vegas! While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, they discuss the virtues of check-raising that you get to enjoy on future streets, how to choose which hands to take aggressive lines with, bluff targeting, stack depth, bet and raise sizing, player pool dynamics, and more!

Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today and you can post a question of your own in the forum or our discord channel for the panel to review!

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity

Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Help us out: https://rec.poker/support

Find more info on our sponsors at:

https://RunAces.com

Explore our socials and more: https://linktr.ee/therecpokercommunity

Ep 657 - Chats: David Docherty Knows How to Pronounce ‘Toronto’ Jan 17, 2025

Show notes

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview Scottish pro David Docherty! David shares his stories from winning the 2023 Irish Poker Open and becoming the UKIPT Player of the Year, what its like to have 6-figure scores almost every year for the last several, how to manage your own expectations for success, what he has learned from his years on the felt, his favorite places to travel for poker, why and how how he studies to improve his game, common mistakes he sees recreational players make, and a lot more!

We also play Stake/Study Stack with Niall Farrell, Anette Obrestad and Jack Highcastle, and we Close The Action with our speed round! 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!

Follow David on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/daviddoc87.bsky.social or Instagram: @‌daviddoc87

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:

10:06 David tries to describe his role in the poker world

13:20 David on nailing the year 2023

17:14 What is successful and not

21:25 Chat: How much of the IPO that you have to give away?

22:42 David talks about his first 10K Cash Hendon Mob

29:27 Common mistakes less-experienced players make

35:07 David’s aha! moments in his poker journey

43:15 Playing experience in Scotland

46:19 David’s favorite places to play

49:07 Playing tournaments in the US vs. in Europe

01:01:38 Studying and improving the game over the years

01:18:22 Home Game Result updates

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity

Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Find more info on our sponsors at:

https://RunAces.com

Explore our socials and more: https://linktr.ee/therecpokercommunity

Ep 656 - Forums: No Limit 2-7 Single Draw Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

This week, Jim Reid and John Somsky are joined by some exciting guests to kick off a year of Mixed Games podcast episodes, featuring the “Mixed Game of the Month” in our free home game club! This month, we are practicing No Limit 2-7 Single Draw - and the first practice game is tomorrow night! John and Jim start with a basic explainer about the mechanics of the game, and then we are joined by several mixed game enthusiasts and experts to give our audience some advice and tips on how to get the most out of each game we feature.

If you are curious about how to play No Limit 2-7 Single Draw, then this is the episode for you! And if you are more of a hold'em player and don't really get into mixed games, we heartily recommend that you give them a try - maybe you’ll feel more comfortable about dipping a toe in once you’ve heard from our panel about how to avoid some beginner’s mistakes.

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity

Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Help us out: https://rec.poker/support

Find more info on our sponsors at:

https://RunAces.com

Explore our socials and more: https://linktr.ee/therecpokercommunity

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 $10 off your first payment using the code RECPOKER. Music by Peter Troolin, ptroolin@gmail.com

Ep 655 - Chats: Blaise Bourgeois Unlaces with the Crew Jan 10, 2025

Show notes

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew interview traveling pro, writer and editor Blaise Bourgeois! They talk about Blaise’s life traveling the world to play poker, what he looks for in a poker destination, adjusting to international players and cultures, and what he hates about travelling. They also talk about how to exploit unknown opponents with little information, Blaise’s love of soccer, his writing career leading to poker reporting, meeting his girlfriend on the felt, and a lot more!

We also play Stake/Study Stack with T.J. Reid, Faraz Jaka and Peggy Crawford https://x.com/pocketpeg_ and we Close The Action with our speed round! 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!

Blaise on Instagram: @‌pokerblaise

Blaise on Twitter: @‌blaisebourgeois

Blaise on StakeKings: https://stakekings.com/

Follow Peggy “Pocket Peg” on Instagram @‌pocket.peg and YouTube @‌pocketpeg

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:

07:00 Blaise describes his own role in the poker world

09:21 How Blaise chooses places to go and play

16:18 Some culture shock from other places

19:57 Brazil is a really interesting place to play poker

27:20 Blaise talks about regional playing style

38:31 Frustration as a professional athlete

41:5 Blaise on transitioning into writing

49:10 From writing about soccer into writing about poker

53:32 Blaise talks about his involvement with Jaka Coaching

54:40 Lifestyle of a poker-playing couple

59:54 Blaise’s success and goal in poker

01:15:56 Home Game Result updates

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity

Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Find more info on our sponsors at:

https://RunAces.com

Explore our socials and more: https://linktr.ee/therecpokercommunity

Ep 654 - Forums: Busting the WPT with 63 Suited (Jim) Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

This week, Jim Reid and Taylor Maas discuss two hands Jim played in Las Vegas this December during the World Poker Tour series at the Wynn. While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, they discuss how to select hands to check-raise with, bluff-targeting, draw equity and fold equity, check-raising variables, the importance of your bottom chip, and more!

Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today and you can post a question of your own in the forum or our discord channel for the panel to review!

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity

Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Help us out: https://rec.poker/support

Find more info on our sponsors at:

https://RunAces.com

Explore our socials and more: https://linktr.ee/therecpokercommunity

Ep 653 - Chats: Rob Perelman is BACK Jan 03, 2025

Show notes

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew welcome Rob Perelman back to the show to talk big hands and big stories from his time behind the scenes in the poker industry! Rob goes over several iconic poker moments he was part of the production team for, a few hands you might remember, some fun stories from hanging out with Phil Laak, a few strategy tips for playing live cash games in Texas, and a lot more!

We also play Stake/Study Stack with Robert Mizrachi, Robert Varkonyi and Rob Campbell and 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!

Rob is active on Twitter as https://x.com/veeRob

Rob’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OopsAllBombPots

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:

08:11 Rob Perelman defines his own role in the poker world

09:41 Bringing humor and positive energy

11:45 The craziest hands Rob has witnessed

17:09 The importance of warming up the table

27:58 Rob talks about Phil Laak’s goofy character

30:20 What does success mean for Rob?

31:47 What makes a person walk away from poker?

33:57 Rob on conventional rake

01:00:44 Rob plays Stake, Study, Stack

01:12:44 Home Game Result update

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity

Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Find more info on our sponsors at:

https://RunAces.com

Explore our socials and more: https://linktr.ee/therecpokercommunity

Ep 652 - Forums: Flopped a Flush! Now What?!? (Chris) Dec 31, 2024

Show notes

Happy New Years, RecPoker Peeps!

This week, Jim Reid leads the RECing Crew through a discord post by Chris Jones about flopping a flush and then facing the worst possible river card. While battling it out against each other in the nightly home game, the panel discusses stack sizes, 3-betting vs. calling, monotone flops, player tendencies, finding bluff combos, changing variables, value targeting, and more!

Come sign up for a free account at https://rec.poker/ today to see all the great comments and replies – and you can post a question of your own in the forum or our discord channel for the panel to review!

Link: https://discord.com/channels/608505737454288896/1312906909954740254

Find our free videos at: http://youtube.com/c/RecPokerCommunity

Join the Discord group here: https://discord.gg/9aYSMCCfpv

Help us out: https://rec.poker/support

Find more info on our sponsors at:

https://RunAces.com

Explore our socials and more: https://linktr.ee/therecpokercommunity

Ep 651 - Chats: Sky Matshuhashi: Facing 3-bets and Making SMART Goals Dec 27, 2024

Show notes

This week Jim Reid and the RecPoker RECing Crew welcome back Sky Matsuhashi to talk about goal-setting for 2025, reviewing our goals from last year, how to play against 3-bets, and a lot more! They discuss what qualities a good goal has that a bad goal does not, and how we can use our time best to achieve our dreams. Sky also offers some really helpful tips on how to play optimally when facing a 3-bet, and what kinds of hands you want to continue with.

We also play Stake/Study Stack with Alex Fitzgerald, Nathan Williams, and Barry Carter, 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!

Sky is active on Twitter as https://x.com/smartpokerstudy

Here’s his site with more great stuff and his newsletter signup: https://smartpokerstudy.com/

You MUST check out the Smart Poker Study YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SmartPokerStudy

Try The Poker Forge and see what all the buzz is about: https://rec.poker/go/pokerforge/

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:

06:51 Sky shares about his success over the years

07:53 Smart goal: one of the most effective ways to achieve dreams

10:40 Helpful structure to get most out of time