June 2019 - The Poker Grid

The Grid 008 ft. Jake Abdalla – Eight-Deuce suited

June 26, 2019 Jennifer Shahade 38:12

High stakes heads-up player Jake “Jllama” Abdalla talks to Jennifer Shahade on the GRID about a shocking rendition of eight-deuce suited against Phil Ivey. The 2015 No Limit Hold Em hand was played as part of an eight-game mix on PokerStars, a typical battlefield for Abdalla and Ivey. Jake and Jen talk about how the “American Poker Dream” of playing Ivey heads-up matched up with reality, as well as their hefty cross book on the side. Jake also advises listeners on which mixed games they should study first, and tells us about some of the most important lessons he took away from his epic battles with Phil “Raise Once” Ivey.

On twitter, Jake now refers to himself as a “recreational professional poker player”, as he finds a new career as the director of “Mile High Labs.” In 2018, Jake created a course at the training site Upswing on “Mixed Game Mastery.” Follow him on twitter at jllama99.

The Grid 007 ft. Matt Matros – Jack-deuce suited

June 19, 2019 Jennifer Shahade 37:23

Three-time WSOP bracelet winner Matt Matros talks to Jennifer Shahade on the GRID about Jack-deuce suited, in a high stakes heads-up hand where preparation did not meet luck. The hand is set at the NBC Heads-Up Championship in 2013, where Matt faced four-time WSOP Champ Brian Hastings. Despite the shallow structure, Matt studied rigorously for the opportunity, locking himself in his hotel room for days to work with a heads-up specialist. He explains to listeners what he learned from both his work, and the outcome.

Matt and Jennifer talk about the philosophy behind Matt’s new book The Game Plan: How Casual Players Become Threats in NLHE tournaments. They also touch on his finalist entry into the PokerStars #MYChessPoker Game Challenge, and how poker compares to solving puzzles.

Matt is also a fiction writer and voracious reader. Matt tells Jen how he became a major character in a book by the great American writer, Colson Whitehead, who wrote the best-selling Underground Railroad as well as the Noble Hustle, a comic take on the world of poker and his foray into the WSOP.

Matt ends by estimating the odds Jen will finish the podcast, as they discuss another Quixotic project of hers, the ABC diet, a 26-day eating plan.

Follow Matt Matros on twitter, his official website and browse his prodigious collection of cashes on hendon mob. You can find his new book, The Game Plan, on amazon.

Now that Matt has discussed jack-deuce suited, 162 combos remain on the GRID.

The Grid 006 ft. Greg Shahade – Ace-Nine suited

June 13, 2019 Jennifer Shahade 32:05

Greg Shahade takes listeners on a trip down memory lane as he reviews a hand with his sister, GRID host Jennifer Shahade from a $200 Sit n Go from 2005. In the hand, he made a call with Ace-Nine suited that ignited a furious debate between math and feel players on the two plus two forum, where Greg wrote thousands of posts as “curtains.” Leading the charge against the call was “Gigabet”, while players such as “ZeeJustin” (Justin Bonomo) chimed in on Greg’s side.

Greg also relays the story of a $50,000 chess game he played against Tom Dwan at the World Series of Poker in 2007, the kind of legend that drew many chessplayers to poker.

Greg is an International Master of chess, and the founder of the PRO Chess League and the US Chess School. He played poker online professionally through the poker boom up until Black Friday, at which point he intensified his chess activities. Find out more on his gregshahade.com and find him @gregshahade on twitter and Instagram.

Now that ace-nine suited has been discussed, 163 hands remain on our GRID.

The Grid 005 ft. Ryan Laplante – King Queen Suited

June 5, 2019 Jennifer Shahade 33:57

World Series of Poker bracelet winner and 7-time WSOP final tablist Ryan Laplante enters the GRID with a tough spot with King-Queen suited, in one of his favorite events of the year, the 10K Bellagio Five Diamond event in Las Vegas. Ryan talks about how excitement to turn a flush on a paired board changed into suspicion after a river bet from sharp octogenarian Bob Mantin.

Ryan is a passionate poker coach for Chip Leader Coaching. He is also unveiling a new site, Learn PRO Poker, and he explains to Jennifer why a low price point is so vital to his vision.

Jen also asks Ryan about why he turns the expression “Fold and Tell No One” to a fresh mantra “Fold and Tell Everyone”, as they discuss his entertaining twitter poker hand history quizzes. Ryan also reveals the most under-rated hand on the GRID.

Follow Ryan @ProtenialMN and look for updates on his new training site at twitter.com/LearnProPoker

Now that King-Queen suited has been discussed on the Poker Grid, 164 combos remain.