Episodes

Poker player and writer Aleeyah Jadavji talks on the GRID about something many poker players aspire to: a triple check raise in serious competition. She talks to Jen about unlocking the rare play with ace-jack suited, and why it’s important to incorporate new lines to invigorate your game. Aleeyah is on the Pokernews editorial team and the WSOP media coordinator. Her passion for poker has grown since she was awarded a Platinum Pass to play in the 2019 PokerStars Players Championship. Aleeyah a...

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 s...

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 wor...

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 ...

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 explain...

Award winning author, psychology PhD, New Yorker writer and PokerStars Pro Maria Konnikova talks about the most notorious poker hand, seven-deuce offsuit. The author of the Confidence Game, Mastermind and the highly anticipated upcoming book, The Biggest Bluff talks about a hand from a 2018 World Series of Poker side event that gave her a new perspective on bluffing. Maria dove into poker in 2017, starting out with small buy-in events under the tutelage of eight-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik S...

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 gamech...

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 ...

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 t...