The GRID podcast returns to our regular programming by welcoming a very special guest: International Memory Grandmaster, Yanjaa Wintersoul. Yanjaa, the first woman to become a Memory World Champion, talks about how memory tricks  apply to poker, chess and trivia. The conversation is anchored by Yanjaa’s first poker tournament, the 2022 World Series of Poker Ladies Event, where she found herself in a befuddling blind vs blind spot. 

Yanjaa and Jennifer move on to a general discussion of creative memory, spaced repetition and pattern recognition. They also explain why they won’t be appearing on Lex Fridman’s podcast anytime soon. 

Find out more about Yanjaa on her website, https://www.wintersoul.org/ and @Yanjaa https://www.instagram.com/yanjaa/

For more GRIDs and Grandmasters, Jennifer just appeared on Jeopardy! Masters, to host a category, Chess, Masters. Watch it here. 

Find host Jennifer @jenshahade and get her books here. 

The GRID is sponsored by PokerStars. Logo art photo by Kyle Cassidy, intro music “Gotta Switch it On” by Grace Mesa.

As we approach the PokerStars Players Championship, we welcome our Platinum Poker Hand winner, Matt Glassman. Matt kicks off the episode with a riveting reading of his award winning essay, “Jack-Three Offsuit and the Monster Ballads Poker Game.”

Then Jen and Matt move on to discuss what makes a great home game, how to teach game theory to children, and which politicians would be best at poker. They also touch on how Matt is preparing for the upcoming PokerStars Players Championship.

In addition to being a fantastic writer and home game philosopher, Matt is also a senior fellow at the Georgetown University Government Affairs Institute. He blogs about politics, political science and game theory on his substack, Five Points.  You can also follow Matt at https://twitter.com/MattGlassman312 (politics feed) and https://twitter.com/mattg312cards (card tweets) and find him on a previous appearance on the Thinking Poker Podcast.

You can follow Jennifer @jenshahade and find her books here.

The GRID is sponsored by PokerStars. Logo art photo by Kyle Cassidy, intro music “Gotta Switch it On” by Grace Mesa.

Welcome to a very special episode of the GRID, where the winner of the Platinum Poker Hand competition is unveiled. Over 70 entrants from all over the United States and Canada, competed for the delicious prize, a 30K package to play in the PokerStars Players Championships, set for the Bahamas in January 2023.

After narrowing over 70 entrants to six fantastic finalists, a dream team of judges helped pick the winner.

Maria Ho, Award winning broadcaster with over four million dollars in poker earnings.   

Alex O’Brien, poker player, science writer and author of the upcoming book, The Truth Detective.

Sam Grafton, PokerStars Ambassador with over 12 million dollars in earnings, with a master’s degree in literary theory.  

Keith “Accidental Grenade” Becker- PokerStars ambassador and streamer, and former GRID guest.

Mark “Naigo1” Foresta- PokerStars Ambassador and streamer at https://www.twitch.tv/naigo1

Brad Willis- former PokerStars blog editor, current poker.org editor, and host/producer of the renowned true crime podcast, Murder Etc.  

The podcast itself reveals the winner. If you’d like to play along and pick your favorite, enjoy reading and watching all six finalists before listening to the final three minutes.

Listed in the same random order that they appeared on the pod:

1.       James Tedrow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09vHR0o9AfA

2.       Davis Harari: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DnqsnFilg8PFe-KByNpVTaz9KecCmi4R/edit

3.       Nicole Pamela Cervenka: https://vimeo.com/780795467/78200df845

4.       Matt Glassman: https://mattglassman.substack.com/p/j-3-offsuit-and-the-monster-ballads

5.       Dan Schill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Rx4T8wYy0

6.       Lisa Gjaltema: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AvAD6EqTk-4yF1QEJ0ny29KuQiSMF8M3HQP07E7FB1o/edit

Thank you again to the entrants, judges and to everyone at Stars who made this prize possible. Find out more about the PSPC here: https://www.pokerstarslive.com/pspc/

Good luck to everyone playing, especially Platinum Poker Hand finalist revealed in this episode: See YOU in the Bahamas!!

The GRID is sponsored by PokerStars. Logo art photo by Kyle Cassidy, intro music “Gotta Switch it On” by Grace Mesa. This special episode was produced by Daniel Meirom and edited/mixed by Quinn Waters.

In a special episode of the GRID, Jennifer invites high-roller regular Victoria Livschitz, for her very first podcast appearance. Victoria has had an extraordinarily successful career as a tech entrepreneur, and aptly for this pod, her biggest success was an early cloud computer leader called the GRID dynamics. She started touring the high roller circuit in the Fall 2021, and she’s had a stunning debut year to winning over 580K in tournaments as of Dec 2022, including outright victories at the Aria and the Venetian.

She tells Jennifer why she enjoys playing amongst the best players in the World, including the villain in this hand, Hall of Famer Erik Seidel. Victoria defended the big blind against Erik’s button open with Queen-Nine off with the nine of hearts. The hand checked through on the Jd 8h 5h flop and the six of hearts turn. When the queen of clubs landed on the river, Victoria feigned weakness with a bet of 10K into 45K, only to see Erik raise it up to 70K.   What would you do?

Jen and Victoria move on to discussing the development of women in poker, Victoria’s passion for the game and efficient study. She also speaks about how her experience managing large teams helps her decode poker tells.

Now that Victoria Livschitz has discussed queen-nine offsuit, there are 97 hands remaining on the GRID. Use our episode finder to browse them all. 

If you’re from the USA or Canada and listening to this promptly, there is still time to enter the GRID’s incredible contest to win a 30K Platinum Pass. The pass includes entry into the 25K PokerStars Players Championships, and a trip to the Bahamas in the dead of winter. Contest closes on Dec 14^th at Noon ET. Details here: https://pokerstarslearn.com/poker/learn/news/jennifer-shahade-announces-platinum-pass-competition-for-us-and-canada/

We interrupt our regular programming for a HUGE announcement. The GRID is giving away a Platinum Pass worth $30,000!! One lucky, and talented, listener from the US or Canada will be going to the Bahamas in January, to play the PokerStars Players Championships. 

To win, tell us your #PlatinumPokerHand, a memorable, funny or entertaining hand from live, online or even casual play. You can make a video, a sound file, or write a story. 

A star studded judging panel will help host Jennifer Shahade pick the winner. It will consist of top poker professionals Maria Ho and Sam Grafton, as well as author and science journalist Alex O Brien. PokerStars PA streamers Mark Foresta and Keith Becker will also be on the panel. Finally, Brad Willis, the long-time editor of the PokerStars Blog, and now the editor in chief of poker.org, will be an esteemed judge. 

Full contest details here: https://pokerstarslearn.com/poker/learn/news/jennifer-shahade-announces-platinum-pass-competition-for-us-and-canada/

Jennifer Shahade re-releases her 2019 episode with 3-time WSOP bracelet winner and star commentator Nick Schulman. Nick, consistently ahead of the curve, played a big pot with jack-four offsuit in a NYC underground cash game. 

She also touches on the current scandals that have shaken the chess and poker worlds. For more on Jennifer’s thoughts, check out her Financial Times article. 

For more episodes of the GRID, check out our Episode Finder. 

Support the GRID by subbing and rating on your favorite platform and check out host Jen Shahade’s new book, Chess Queens.

GRID sponsor, PokerStars  recently announced opportunities for US players to win Platinum Passes. 

The GRID is now proudly sponsored by PokerStars. 

Matt Matros, three-time WSOP bracelet winner and three-time author enters the GRID to discuss a fascinating hand with ace-nine offsuit, also featured in his new book, The Poker Brain: Improving Your Process Through Optimal and Exploitive Thinking.

Matt opened the hijack, deep in the money of an online bracelet event, and was called by poker pro Darren Rabbi in the big blind.

The flop was 852 rainbow and Matt, who was playing about 40 big blinds deep, elected to check back the flop, turning a 7, which completed the rainbow. At this point Darren led for full pot, and Matt’s poker brain went into full gear, as he contemplated folding, calling vs. raising.

This strategy rich episode delves into why particularly flop has such big bet energy, and the way that solvers and human intuition can contradict each other- or complement each other. They also talk about poker “trouble hands”, and why Jennifer wants to bring back hand nicknames, including “A Knock-off” for this particular combo. They also talk about Matt’s approach to poker coaching and writing.

The two wrap up with some comparisons between chess and poker mistakes.

Follow Matt Matros on twitter and buy his books, including the new “Poker Brain” on his amazon page.

Now that Matt has covered Ace-Nine Offsuit, there are 101 combos left on the GRID. Use our episode finder to browse them all. You can also find Matt’s previous GRID contribution,  jack-deuce suited.

Support the GRID by subbing and rating on your favorite platform and check out host Jen Shahade’s new book, Chess Queens.

GRID sponsor, PokerStars  recently announced opportunities for US players to win Platinum Passes. 

The GRID is now proudly sponsored by PokerStars. 

Logo art photo by Kyle Cassidy, intro music “Gotta Switch it On” by Grace Mesa.

.

Yosha Iglesias, a poker player, chess master and coach, enters the GRID to talk about a long-awaited hand to be clicked off the GRID: Ace-King offsuit. She throws us back to the boom days of poker in France, where she found herself as a chipleader in an MTT at her college bar. In  a dramatic three-bet pot with a crush, her talent for poker intersected with romance, giving us some unique insight into the term “sapiosexual.”

Yosha was also a guest on Jennifer’s award-winning podcast, Ladies Knight. On that show, she spoke about her work as a chess composer as well as her journey to coming out as a transgender woman. We include a brief, but very moving excerpt on the GRID. Yosha also shared some great news since the recording of the US Chess Women podcast: The French Chess Federation change its policies, and Yosha, along with two other transgender women are now eligible for French women’s events.

Now that Yosha has covered Ace-King Offsuit, there are 102 combos left on the GRID.

Find out more about Yosha on her website, and follow her on twitter and Youtube.  

Poker coach, player, and renowned author on mindset and strategy Tommy Angelo enters the GRID to talk about a thrilling—and then not so thrilling—hand with ace-three suited. This hand throws back all the way to 1995, to a riverboat game on the Mississippi in Saint Louis, where Tommy found himself in a multi-way hand with ace-three of diamonds. The board ran out Queen of Spades, Four of Diamonds, and Two of Diamonds. After the flop checked around, the turn was the beautiful five of diamonds. Tommy started doing cartwheels and backflips in his head. He hit the stone cold nuts, a straight flush, a holding that we mostly dream about. Then the river came.

After unraveling the most memorable, and most painful hand of his multi-decade career, Tommy talks about common mindset missteps, his process in poker and in writing, and how to practice gratitude, even when you’re frustrated and card-dead. As he says: “Your flops are numbered. Love Them All.”

All of Tommy’s books, including the widely acclaimed  Elements of Poker, and Painless Poker, can be found on multiple platforms, including e-book, audio book and hardcopy. You can find links to his articles and videos and learn about his coaching on https://www.tommyangelo.com/. Follow him for daily poker wisdom on @thetommyangelo.

Now that Tommy has covered ace-three suited, there are 103 combos left on the GRID. Check out previous episodes using our Episode Finder. 

Be sure to rate/review the GRID on your favorite podcast platform and check out host Jen Shahade’s new book, Chess Queens.

The GRID is now proudly sponsored by PokerStars. Logo art photo by Kyle Cassidy, intro music “Gotta Switch it On” by Grace Mesa.

The multi-faceted Philly poker pro, Mike Shaw enters the GRID. The rock star, restaurant manager and mixed game proponent brings a hand from the very first live poker tournament he played, in 2004. He held King-Seven offsuit in a pivotal moment heads-up at the Binion’s Casino in Las Vegas. Though it wasn’t the World Series of Poker, it was the last year that the event was held there. While Mike didn’t win a bracelet, he still has the T-shirt that proves “I won a tournament at Binion’s.”

Mike Shaw explains to Jennifer Shahade about how he got the unique opportunity to fly out to Vegas that year, and how it changed the trajectory of his career. He also talks about how he worked on his anger in poker, which had previously led to many smashed laptops.

In addition to being a poker pro, he’s a singer and former rock star (of the band This Day Forward), a PACOOP champion and new cat dad. Mike also hosts the podcast  “The Kinder Things”, which brings in special guests to show how kindness is not just an attribute, but also a practice. He brought Jen onto the pod last year. You can also find Mike on twitter at @ShawMike.  

Now that Mike has covered King-Seven Offsuit, there are 105 combos left on the GRID.  Check out previous episodes using our Episode Finder. Be sure to rate/review the GRID on your favorite podcast platform and check out host Jen Shahade’s new book, Chess Queens.

The GRID is now proudly sponsored by PokerStars. Our new logo art features a photo by Kyle Cassidy. The GRID intro music is “Gotta Switch it On” by Grace Mesa.https://jennifershahade.com/Tweets @jenshahade  Podcast at the GRID
Get Chess Queens: The True Story of a Champion and the Greatest Female Players of All Time. 

Jennifer Shahade welcomes fellow PokerStars Ambassador Keith “Accidental Grenade” Becker to the GRID. Keith, who also goes by whoopsboom brings a hand from the PokerStars PA Winter Series, where he captured an event win in the final stretch.

In his GRID moment, Keith had king-ten offsuit, with no heart. In an iconic spot about 45 big blinds deep, Keith three bet a button open from the small blind. He explains his thought process on the board, which ran out 3h 6d Jh 7h 6h.

Keith and Jen use the hand as a portal to discuss how key it is for people with limited study time to focus on spots that recur frequently. Keith also reveals some of the challenges he faces in playing his best while streaming, and talks about his dual Thursday night streams with fellow PokerStars PA streamer, Naigo.  He also imparts how important it is for him to make a difference in his content, from creating a friendlier community to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.

Follow Keith on his twitter and twitch channels. Follow GRID host Jennifer on twitter, and pre-order her book, Chess Queens here.

Now that Keith has covered king-ten-offsuit, there are 107 combos left on the GRID. Check out previous episodes using our Episode Finder.

We are happy to announce that the GRID is now sponsored by PokerStars. Look for more exciting news about this partnership in the coming months.

This bonus episode of the GRID offers a fascinating discussion between Jen Shahade and quant sports trader & US Chess expert Ella Papanek. A recent graduate of Harvard University, Ella works at the Susquehana International Group (SIG), a global quantitative trading firm in the Philly area. Her interests span from chess to poker to sports, and of course- statistics, her major at Harvard. 

Jen and Ella’s wide-ranging discussion touches on why it’s hard for children to think probabilistically, rating variability and gender and how to evaluate chess positions from a human perspective. They also talk about Ella’s specialty: sports analytics, and how it can be used not only to both predict outcomes but also to restructure rules to make the game better. As an example Ella points to chess tiebreak rules, as well as to Daryl Morey, President of the Philadelphia Sixers and chess enthusiast. Daryl co-founded the MIT Sports Analytics Conference, and famously suggested shaking up NBA rules by adding a four point line—or making three-pointers worth 2.5 points. 

This episode is an expanded version of the January 2022 episode of Ladies Knight. Find our traditional GRID Episodes using our Episode Finder. 

Discussed in the episode:

Susquehanna International Group 

Angela Saini’s book, Inferior

Jennifer Shahade’s upcoming book, Chess Queens, now available at US Chess Sales

Daryl Morey and Jessica Gelman’s MIT Sports Analytics Conference

MIT Sports Analytics panel “Beyond the Gambit: Chess’ Big Move”

NFL Big Data Bowl: https://operations.nfl.com/gameday/analytics/big-data-bowl/

Jen’s podcast episode with chess enthusiast Bill Chen, who also works at SIG

North American Corporate Chess League

Jennifer welcomes Amanda Botfeld, author of “A Girls Guide to Poker” to the GRID. Amanda discusses a hand from the tag team event at the World Series of Poker, where she paired up with the man who taught her poker 15 years earlier: her dad. The heart-warming duo came in third place, cashing for 50K total. Amanda emphasized the wholesome elements of poker in a viral tweet from one of their early poker lessons “Love you dad, and couldn’t have done it without you.”

Amanda brings to the GRID the very first hand she was dealt on the final table: king jack offsuit. She elected to play aggressively against the chip leader, three-betting the button vs a hijack open. As the hand progressed, she had to decide whether to commit most of her chips…or play it safe.

Amanda talks about her passion for getting more women into poker as an author, and as an instructor and the curriculum coordinator for Poker Power, a rapidly growing organization that aims to bring over one million women into poker. Jennifer has recently joined the Poker Power advisory board.

You can find Amanda on twitter, instagram and giving lessons at Poker Power. And check out her book A Girl’s Guide to Poker.

This episode features special music from Austin based musician and friend of the GRID, Jenny Parrot. Check out her new album, the Fire I Saw, on bandcamp, spotify and YouTube.

Now that Amanda has covered king-jack-offsuit, there are 108 combos left on the GRID.  Check out previous episodes using our  Support the GRID by pre-ordering Jennifer’s book, Chess Queens on Bookshop, B&N or amazon. 

In a bonus holiday episode of the GRID, Jennifer introduces listeners to International Master Rusudan Goletiani. Goletiani is a three-time World Youth Champion, a two-time Olympic medalist and a former US Women’s Champion- she took Jennifer’s title in 2005.   

In 1992, Rusa fled her region of Georgia, Abkhazia, due to war. She explains the dramatic story to Jennifer in the podcast, revealing the most terrifying moments of her life during her escape, as well as the most relieving. 

Rusa and Jen also discuss the legendary Georgian champions that inspired her as a youngster, including Nona Gaprindashvili, Maia Chiburdanidze, Nana Ioseliani and Nana Alexandria. All four were featured in the documentary “Glory to the Queen.” They wrap up with a discussion on the importance of confidence and girls and chess. They also discuss how it extends beyond the game, to fields like finance, business and poker.  

Beyond her chess accomplishments, Rusudan is a mom of three, a Columbia University business grad, and currently works in finance. This episode originally appeared in Jennifer’s other podcast, Ladies Knight.

Discussed in this episode: 
Glory to the Queen documentary: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8682060/

Jen’s upcoming book, “Chess Queens”, which includes Rusa: https://jennifershahade.com/books 

K-12 Nationals girls club room:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CXMWrGTuiiN/

US Chess Women: https://new.uschess.org/give/women-chess-initiative

Girls to Grandmasters: https://www.g2gm.org/

Poker Power: https://pokerpower.com/

Jennifer welcomes a very special guest to the GRID, a prolific podcast host who captures the voice of a peripatetic cash game pro: DGAF. DGAF, as he calls himself, is the creator of epic “Sessions” podcast, with over 700 episodes, and the founder of Poker Rags.

DGAF brings the hand that hooked him on No Limit Hold Em almost 20 years ago, in 2003, right after Chris Moneymaker sparked the poker boom. After showing enormous discipline by folding three hands, DGAF got in the mix with nine-seven offsuit, flatting in the cutoff against an under the gun open from an older gentleman in suspenders. The flop came eight-six-deuce rainbow, giving DGAF an open-ender. He called in position against bets on the flop and the turn, which brought a three. When the river, a six, is checked to him- he finds the words that draw so many into the No Limit game: All in.

DGAF explains to Jennifer why this hand unlocked his poker career: he understood that he could now win in two ways in No Limit Hold Em, allowing him to control his destiny.

The conversation then veers to other topics, including his recent cash in the only tournament of his year, the World Series of Poker Main Event. Inspired by Jennifer, DGAF gave a portion of his winnings to three charities, including an abortion fund selected by Jennifer: The Lillith Fund. They also talk about creating content around poker, and when DGAF realized he may have an iconic voice to capture the highs and lows of the poker road.

Find DGAF Poker on twitter and patreon and listen to Sessions on your favorite pod platform, including Apple.

Now that DGAF Poker has covered nine-seven offsuit, there are 109 spots left on the GRID. You can now find previous episodes using our Episode Finder. 

Support the GRID by pre-ordering Jennifer’s book, Chess Queens on Bookshop, B&N or amazon. 

The GRID is back just in time for the Main Event bubble, and an appropriately timed interview with Dara O’Kearney, professional poker player and three-time author, most recently of Endgame Poker Strategy: The ICM Book. 

Dara tells Jennifer about a hand from a decade ago at a tournament in Dublin which was modeled after the WSOP Main. The villain was David Lappin, who is now Dara’s co-host on the popular Chip Race podcast. The critical hand came early in the event when Lappin opened in early position, and Dara three-bet the button with K6s. The flop came Ace-Jack-Ten rainbow with the ace of diamonds. Lappin check called a c-bet to see the turn, a 7 of diamonds. Dara bet again on the turn, and when the river bricked, he emptied the clip. Lappin faced a tough decision with a very strong hand, and if you’re a loyal GRID listener, you may have a guess as to how it turned out. 

After contemplating the hand, Dara and Jen speak more generally about suited kings, and how they tie in to some of his books and thoughts on ICM pressure.  Jennifer puts Dara on the spot about a controversial part in his book related to Phil Ivey. Jen quotes third World Champion Jose Raul Capablanca: “In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else” as they dive deeper into the most common misconceptions about ICM as well as what amateurs often get right about ICM and bubbles. 

At the start of this episode Jennifer reveals a new edition of her book, “Chess Queens” is now available for pre-order, tying into her conversation with Dara on his books, Endgame Poker Strategy, Poker Satellite and PKO Poker Strategy.  Dara breaks down promotional strategies from pre-orders to effective titling to SEO with Barry Carter, his co-author on all three books. 

Find out more about Dara on his blog, twitter and books page. You can listen to the Chip Race on soundcloud, and find his co-host’s GRID episode here. 

Support the GRID by pre-ordering Jennifer’s new book on Bookshop, B&N or amazon. 

Now that Dara O Kearney has clicked off K6s, there are 110 spots left on the GRID. You can now find previous episodes using our new Episode Finder. 

Jennifer Shahade welcomes Qiyu “Nemo” Zhou to the GRID. Nemo is a former World Youth Chess Champion, a streamer at twitch.tv/akanemsko and a professional e-sports player at Counter Logic Gaming. Since turning 21 in January, she has been sprinkling more and more poker into her main menu of chess and league of legends.  She even won a poker tournament soon after this pod was recorded.

The hand she brings to the GRID is King-Ten suited from her first live cash game, a high stakes (25/50) “Ladies Night” game sponsored by the World Poker Tour. Other players included poker champions and previous GRID guests Jamie Kerstetter and Kelly Minkin as well as streaming superstar and chess master Alexandra Botez. Nemo’s opponent in this hand was Maria Konnikova, the best-selling author the “Biggest Bluff” and the fitting holder of the 7-2 off spot on our GRID.  

In the critical hand, Ashley Sleeth opened in early position, and Nemo called on the button with King-Ten suited. Maria Konnikova three-bet from the small blind. Ashley and Nemo both called to see a flop of 983 rainbow with no hearts. The action checked around to a queen turn, when things start to get very interesting.

After dissecting the hand, Nemo and Jen discuss mental game and psychology, and how Nemo’s performance coach helped her win a Bullet Chess Championship on chess.com. They also talk about Josh Waitzkin’s book, The Art of Learning, favorite chess openings and why poker champion Xuan Liu reminded Nemo of Magnus Carlsen.  

Jennifer, who recently joined Poker Power’s advisory board asks Nemo about her advice on how to grow poker to more young women, as Poker Power moves toward their goal to teach one million women poker. They also discuss how to avoid the jealousy that can accompany high performance goals, and to embrace community and cooperation.

Follow Nemo on twitch, twitter and Instagram.  This is an historic episode of the GRID: our very first TWIN episode. Eagle eyed GRID fans may have remembered that Sam Greenwood also discussed King-Ten suited. And so just like last episode, we still have 111 hands left to cover on the GRID, which means, a little more show for you. Support the pod by retweeting/sharing episodes and subbing as well as rating and reviewing us on Apple/your favorite podcast feeds: it really helps and keeps us motivated!  

The GRID welcomes best-selling author, mathematician and professor Jordan Ellenberg, author of the new book, Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy and Everything Else. He is also the best-selling author of How Not to Be Wrong, a Math Olympian and a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Though Jordan is not a serious poker or chess player, his books dive into so many areas that are of great interest to gamers from the math behind Deep Mind and Artificial Intelligence, game trees from checkers to GO and how to improve your odds in the lottery.

The interview began with a lucky start with a game, as Jordan clicked off the five-deuce offsuit cell on the GRID and explained to us how he randomized to select it. Now that he’s clicked off 52o, there are 111 spots left on the GRID.

Mentioned on the episode:

Jordan’s twitter

Coupon Collector’s Problem

Interview with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Interview with Bill Chen

Shape, the book

How Not to Be Wrong, the book

Fischer 960

Game Changer by Natasha Regan and Matthew Sadler 

In a special bonus episode of The Grid, we welcome one of our most extraordinary guests ever: Holocaust Survivor, author and 1956 French Women’s Chess champion, Isabelle Choko.

 Born on September 18, 1928 in Lodz, Poland, Isabelle Choko was two weeks away from her 11^th birthday when Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Isabelle and her loving parents were among 160,000 sent to the Lodz ghetto. Her father died there, while she and her mother were sent to Auschwitz in 1944. They later were sent to another notorious death camp, Bergen-Belsen, where her beloved mother died.

Isabelle was just 55 pounds when the camp was liberated by British soldiers in April 1945. Isabelle Choko later moved to France, where she discovered chess from her uncle. Also urged on by Grandmaster Savielly Tartokower, Isabelle became the French women’s Chess Champion in 1956, and went on to represent France in the first women’s Olympiad, in 1957 in the Netherlands. She went on to become a successful entrepreneur and artist. She’s also the author of The Young Blue-Eyed Girl and co-author of Stolen Youth: Five Women’s Survival in the Holocaust.  

Madame Choko talks to us about the Queen’s Gambit, her most vivid memories of childhood survival and her message of peace and love for future generations.

This episode is co-hosted with Benjamin Portheault, who reached out to Isabelle Choko for this interview after his popular twitter thread reviewing a 2019 Europe Echecs story about Madame Choko. Benjamin also conducted the in-interview translation and visited Isabelle Choko in person to capture many of the photos in the gallery.

Many thanks to this episode’s executive producer Daniel Meirom, voice-over artist and translator Nathalie Boyer, editor Quinn Waters, . This episode is a joint production with the GRID. Subscribe to future episodes of The Grid on Apple Podcast or your favorite platform.

Jennifer brings longtime friend, a master of many games, Jonathan Corbblah on to the GRID. He talks about a dramatic hand with nine-five suited in a private game at the Hamptons, where his new opponent confused him to the very last moments of the hand. 

Jonathan speaks about how his psychological approach helps him in every game, from crushing private poker games to beating grandmasters in blitz to becoming a Jeopardy champion.  He details how he closed in on a million dollars on TV, and challenges Jennifer and the audience to do better. (Spoiler alert- Jennifer doesn’t!)

Corbblah also mentions how Jennifer’s brother, Greg Shahade, made him a better Scrabble player, and how it all traced back to the matriarchs of both families (Greg’s blog, as mentioned on the pod, can be found here.). Corbblah is a host of the trivia show, Masterminds, and has appeared on over 13 game shows from Cash Cab to Wheel of Fortune.  You can also find him on a mock TV show that Jennifer and GRID producer Daniel Meirom produced a decade ago, America’s Next Chess Star. 

For more of Corbblah’s dazzling personality, follow him on twitch and twitter @Corbblah.  Now that nine-five suited is clicked off the GRID there are 112 hands left on thepokergrid.com. Listen to previous episodes using our new Episode Finder. 

In a special bonus GRID, Jennifer Shahade shares an episode of her chess podcast, Ladies Knight, featuring author, psychology PHD and poker champion Maria Konnikova. In researching Konnikova, Jennifer realized that all of her books have natural overlap with games, starting with Konnikova’s premiere book, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. Mastermind shows how anyone can use Sherlock Holmes’ ways of catching culprits to improve their own cognitive ability from organizing your “memory attic” to  deduction techniques.   

Maria’s most recent book, The Biggest Lie, is about her journey from poker newbie to champion in just a year. Jennifer and Maria talk about how such a quest would differ if undertaken in chess. They also compare the deep focus required in chess and poker, and how her mentor Erik Siedel, allowed her to better understand the power of attention.   

Konnikova also reveals her short, but dramatic chess career as a fifth grader and flirts with the idea of giving it another go. It’s never too late to learn, Jennifer assures her. 

They also touch on Maria’s book, “The Confidence Game”, and what con artists can teach us about people who cheat in games like chess and poker. Spoiler alert: It’s not just about the money and rating points.

Maria Konnikova has previously appeared on the GRID to discuss a dramatic hand with seven-deuce offsuit.  

If you are or know a woman looking to dig deeper into chess, check out the Madwoman’s Book Club Jennifer co-hosts with US Chess Women, which will feature Maria Konnikova’s Mastermind on Dec 18^th.

Find out more about Maria and her books on mariakonnikova.com and subscribe to the Ladies Knight for more chess-inspired conversations hosted by Jennifer. 

High stakes tournament player Dan Smith comes on the GRID to talk to Jennifer Shahade about a pivotal hand against Reiner Kempe with pocket sixes at the 2016 Super High Roller Bowl, a $300,000 poker tournament with a 5 million dollar first prize. Dan, who has won more than 27 million in live poker tournaments, including a WPT title and a runner-up finish in the 2016 WSOP One Drop, talks about how he handles high pressure situations and disappointments like bubbling.

Dan also talks about some of the typical mistakes he sees from less successful poker pros, and reveals how difficult he still finds some aspects of the game.  Jen and Dan discuss his charity projects that culminate each year in the “Double up-Drive” and why the “Strong Minds” organization is so personally meaningful to him.

Dan Smith and Jennifer also know each other from the world of chess. Dan Smith is a member of the PRO Chess League team, the Montclair Sopranos. This year, Dan scored a shocking upset against four-time US Champion Alexander Shabalov, and he explained how that victory stacked up against his many poker tournament successes.

Follow Dan on twitter @dansmithholla, his website https://dansmithholla.com/ and doubleupdrive.com.

Now that sixes have been covered, there are 157 hands remaining on thepokergrid.com. 

Notes: The GRID welcomes Matt Berkey, the founder of Solve for Why and a frequent player in some of the highest stakes cash games in the World. He comes on the GRID to talk to Jen Shahade about the largest pot we’ve covered yet, against Dan “Jungleman” Cates on Poker After Dark. Berkey held queen-five offsuit on a queen- seven- nine rainbow flop, and gives listeners some insight into the difficulty of and focus required to play a weak top pair in a multi-way pot against elite competition.

Matt also has over 4 million dollars in live tournament winnings. You can follow him on twitter https://twitter.com/berkey11, and find out more about his training academies and online training site at solve For Why https://solveforwhyacademy.com/, as well as their Instagram and twitter accounts.Now that queen-five offsuit has been discussed on the GRID, 158 hands remain on the poker grid.

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. 

Poker pro, commentator and everyone’s favorite twitter follow, Jamie Kerstetter talks to Jennifer Shahade about the most coveted poker hand, aces.  Jamie tells a dramatic story from a decade ago, where she bamboozled an opponent with aces in a large pot. The aftermath ended in a true “walk of shame” for the villain in the hand. Jamie & Jen discuss how getting aces is such an adrenaline rush, it often draws people to poker- but it’s not always easy: how much you make with this hand can be a gamechanger in your win rate.

Jamie also talks about the worst nickname for aces, what makes a poker tweet funny and her first go at stand-up comedy at Run it Up Reno, which you can watch here.

Now that Jamie has discussed aces, 166 hands remain on our poker grid.

Kevin “Barewire” Rabichow, high-stakes online player, coach and heads-up specialist, talks to Jennifer Shahade about Ten-Five offsuit; a riveting heads-up hand from 2013. Kevin talks about “King of the Hill” dynamics, and how the hand may be played differently today. He also talks about a few common pitfalls that snare some tournament players when playing some of the worst hands. Jen and Kevin wrap it up ruminating on best coaching practices from poker to chess to Ultimate Frisbee. 

Rabichow is a popular coach at RunItOnce, where he made a series on the history of Heads-Up poker. He can also be found @KRabichow on twitter. 

Now that Ten-Five offsuit has been discussed on “The Grid” 167 interviews remain. 

In the premiere episode of The Grid, Jennifer Shahade interviews Lex Veldhuis, poker professional, twitch.tv streamer and PokerStars Ambassador. Lex kicks off The Grid with a hand from 2007, where he held king-four offsuit. Lex and Jen talk about why the hand stands out in his memory as a turning point in his mental game. They also touch on how streaming can keep poker players honest with themselves, as well as tackling fears of embarrassment. Jen and Lex also discuss how game theory is making the game more fascinating and aggressive. They wrap up the interview with a story from the 2007 Barcelona EPT, where the live poker scene was very different, and how Lex plans to inject some of that back into the tournament culture with his “Lex Live” series.

Now that King-four offsuit has been discussed on “The Poker Grid”, 168 interviews remain.