It’s hard to keep track of all the ways Lupe Soto has contributed to the poker industry. Not only did she found the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2008, she’s been instrumental in launching the Ladies International Poker Series, Senior Poker Tour & Women’s Poker Association to name a few. Soto’s roots in poker run deep. She recalls how when she sta…

If there’s anyone championing women in poker, it’s Erin Lydon. The Poker Power president has an incredible passion for not only the game, but also the lessons we can learn from it and apply to everyday life. From working on Wall Street to speaking at Tedx events, Lydon has had an incredibly decorated professional career(including being the Vice Pre…

On this month’s episode of The Heart Of Poker Podcast, Kara Scott speaks with poker player, writer and fellow podcast host David Lappin. Not one to mince words, Lappin is known for calling it as he sees it when it comes to his writing. However, as this podcast unfolds, we learn that he’s far from motivated by clickbait titles or attention seeking b…

If you’ve ever found yourself at a RunGood poker tournament or sporting one of their signature t-shirts, then you have Tana Karn to thank. The mastermind behind the apparel and live event brand sits down with Kara Scott for a candid exchange on his humble beginnings. As a first-generation American born to Thai parents, he talks about his upbringing…

If you’re familiar with Brazilian poker players, then you will certainly have heard of Felipe Ramos. Playing professionally for 16 years now, Ramos currently sits at 4th in the Brazil all-time money list and has racked up a whopping $3.6 million in live earnings alone. Kara and Felipe actually worked together over 10 years prior, so the two have a …

Alex O’Brien is a fascinating person - poker player, science writer and author. She first captured the poker industry’s attention when she won a tournament which should have resulted in a high profile heads-up match with Dan Bilzerian. However, when the match fell through, it ignited a conversation around women in poker and the role of ambassadors …

You may already know quite a bit about Johnnie Moreno AKA ‘Johnnie Vibes’ from his popular vlogs and videos, but in this episode of The Heart of Poker podcast, he dives even deeper into life’s big questions with host Kara Scott. The two walk back through Johnnie's personal history with the game of poker and how his incredibly tight knit family grou…

Nemo Qiyu Zhou (also known online as AkaNemsko) is a gamer, esports star and content creator with an impressive following. After learning chess at the age of 3, she found incredible success in the game, earning herself title after title. A women’s Chess grandmaster, Nemo gave up professional chess to focus on her life, and although you can still fi…

With over $60 million in live tournament earnings, Justin Bonomo sits squarely at the top of the all-time money leaderboard for poker. No stranger to controversy or strong opinions, Justin opens up to The Heart of Poker’s Kara Scott about topics ranging from Burning Man, what he wishes people knew about him, his greatest fears and his idea of an ab…

Angela Jordison was named 2022 GPA Breakout Player of the Year after narrowly missing out on two GPI POY awards. Not only a fierce competitor, and a real joy to watch on the felt, she’s a fan favourite and for good reason. During their interview, Angela and Kara discuss how important it is to have a positive impact on the poker community. Not one f…

With his recorded winnings closing in on the $20 million mark, it would be easy to think Italian high roller Mustapha Kanit’s greatest skills are on the felt. However according to Kanit, it’s his natural willingness to embrace making mistakes and his drive to confront his fears that are his real super powers. In this candid and personal interview, …

With 4 WSOP final tables under her belt already, Brazilian poker pro and streamer Vivian Saliba is a force to be reckoned with at the PLO and NLHE tables. The 888poker Ambassador’s drive to succeed in poker was actually born out of necessity. At just 18 years old, while her family was contending with financial difficulties, a young Vivian played po…

For this episode of the Heart of Poker podcast, Kara digs into the history of one of the most prolific and recognizable voices in poker commentary, David Tuchman. With extensive credits, going all the way back to the early 2000s for Live at the Bike, David Tuchman is easily recognizable as one of the OG player/broadcasters of the poker industry. Ka…

With a wealth of experience in poker, British funnyman and commentator Nick Wealthall has an insight into the industry that rivals anyone. Currently one of the main voices of 888poker’s live and online events, Nick has had a long and storied past in the industry. In fact, it was nearly 20 years ago now that he and The Heart of Poker host Kara Scott…

Well known for his incredible work ethic, both as a poker pro and as the founder of his own training site Learn Pro Poker, Ryan Laplante believes that life and poker reflect the hard work we put into them. Laplante took down his first bracelet in a 2016 PLO event as one of the highlights of a live poker career that started the literal moment he tur…

If you follow poker vlogs, then you have no doubt come across The Drawing Dead vlog by Jaman Burton. Burton, who is one the most influential poker vloggers in the space, brings something completely unique to the table in the form of a poker vlog with graphic novel style illustrations woven in. And while it may be nice to gain some recognition withi…

One of the more notable names from the ESPN era of the World Series Of Poker is undoubtably Greg Merson. Merson, who took home $8,531,853 for winning the Main Event in 2012, instantly became a household name within the poker community. Having gotten sober a year prior, his story and accomplishment became an inspiration to many who battled addiction…

On this episode of The Heart of Poker, Kara goes deep with poker player, social media maven and tv personality Tiffany Michelle. Michelle, who many would recognize on and off the felt, first made a splash in the poker world at the 2008 World Series of Poker, when she finished 17th out of 6844 players, making her the last woman standing. In fact, it…

On this episode of the Heart of Poker, Kara is joined by prolific businesswoman and poker powerhouse, Katie Lindsay. Lindsay, who has racked up nearly 2.5 million dollars in live and online cashes combined, has been a been a mainstay in the poker community for many years dating back to pre-Black Friday. After getting hooked on poker by the fascinat…

In this episode of the Heart of Poker Podcast, Kara Scott speaks with long-time friend and colleague Lon McEachern. An absolute poker legend, known as the "Voice of Poker", Lon McEachern has been one half of the commentary team that started providing commentary for the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2003. And for many years Kara has been right…

On this episode of The Heart of Poker, Kara sits down with a true online poker OG, Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet. Van Fleet, who regularly crushed the biggest online MTT’s in the mid 2000’s, continues to grind to this day and currently sits at #3 for all-time online poker winnings with over $20,300,000 in online cashes. But his journey to this accompli…

Outside of big-name players, few people have had such an impact on the growth of poker globally as World Poker Tour President & CEO Adam Pliska. Pliska, who has now been part of the iconic WPT brand since 2003, is credited as being the driving factor behind the company's expansion into numerous foreign markets around the world and exposing new play…

In a time where No-Limit Holdem still dominates the poker landscape, it’s rare to come across a young pro so proficient in mixed games as Benny Glaser. This is perhaps best demonstrated by Glaser’s most recent WSOP results, where he cashed in 5 events (including winning his 4th bracelet in the $10k Razz Championship and placing 2nd in the $25k H.O.…

Fresh off the heels of her 2021 GPI Player of the Year award, Nadya Magnus gives Kara a glimpse into the sacrifice and dedication it took for her to achieve this prestigious title. Magnus, whose first Hendon Mob cash dates back to 2008, has been steadily grinding the tournament circuit for well over a decade en route to the top of the GPI index. He…

In this month’s episode, Kara asks poker pro Brandon Shack-Harris why it’s so important to bring the fun, the silly and the unexpected to the poker table. Shack-Harris is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner with $3.5 million lifetime tournament earnings. Top-level poker skill notwithstanding, he’s probably better known for his personality and antics at…

In case you haven’t noticed after 26 episodes, Heart of Poker is about a lot more than just poker. We’ve had incredible guests from the top of the game share insights into their lives off the felt, including some of their most personal and intimate moments and struggles they’ve overcome. Enter Xuan Liu. Over a star studded career in poker Xuan has …

Patrick Leonard is an online superstar. He has collected ​​$13 million in online tournament cashes so far, regularly just crushing online MTT fields. He’s no slouch on the felt either, with more than $2.5 million in live tournament cashes. That’s a huge amount of money in anyone’s book - even if money is ultimately irrelevant and we’re all just liv…

Quite simply, Fedor Holz is one of the best poker players of all time and one of the most emblematic players of poker’s modern era. At just 28 years old, Fedor has more than $32,000,000 in live cashes alone. What makes all of this even more remarkable, is that poker is just one string to Fedor’s bow. As Kara says in this episode, he’s a true modern…

Ebony Kenney is so much more than just a poker pro. She’s a model and a content creator. She’s an entrepreneur, a women's advocate and a life coach. And this week she’s joining Kara on Heart of Poker. Heart of Poker is all about stripping back the layers and getting to, well, the heart of each guest - and Ebony couldn’t be more open to the experien…

This week’s guest on Heart of Poker is one of the biggest and warmest personalities in the extended world of poker. Kristy Arnett is a poker player and former poker journalist, but she is still very much in the world of media and content creation. As she mentions in the episode, Heart of Poker is right up Kristy’s street. Over her career presenting…

It’s an exciting time to be Vanessa Kade. Fresh off by far her biggest win after taking down $1.5 million dollars at the Sunday Million, Vanessa sits down with Kara to discuss how she got to this point in her poker career. It’s been quite a journey - from moving to New Zealand alone at 16, to travelling around South East Asia and even a near death …

Heart of Poker is a podcast built around guests opening up and letting Kara into their personal lives - but this episode is something else. Right from the off, Kara and Ali dive into some of the biggest questions of all, from spirituality to dealing with loved ones passing away. For the first time ever in public, Ali talks with grace and clarity ab…

With the 888poker WPTDeepstakes events beginning just around the corner on April 15th, Kara is talking to yet another of the most recognizable voices from the World Poker Tour. It feels like Vince Van Patten has already lived a couple of lifetimes’ worth of experiences. He’s been a professional tennis player, a Hollywood actor and screenwriter, and…

In honor of the first ever WPTDeepstacks and 888poker online collaboration (April 18-26th on 888poker), Kara speaks to professional poker player and WPT commentator Tony Dunst. If you’ve ever tuned into a WPT broadcast, Tony’s voice is going to be instantly familiar. Only this time, instead of analyzing bet sizing and ranges, he’s answering Kara’s …

We are thrilled that Episode 18 of Heart of Poker is our first ever family sequel! Last week we had Phil Galfond answer Kara’s set of specially designed psychological questions, and this week it’s the turn of his wife Farah Fath Galfond. Farah is lucky (and talented) enough to have made it in two separate careers: acting and high stakes poker. She …

Phil Galfond is one of the most thoughtful and interesting people in poker, and his wide ranging personality is plain to see in the latest episode of Heart of Poker. Phil is an OG in online poker and his PLO Galfond Challenge matches against some of the best players in the game have become legendary over the last few years. He’s also got 3 WSOP bra…

Few people have seen more of the poker world than Mori Eskandani, albeit Mori has done most of it from behind the camera. Known as "Uncle Mori" to players and crew, Eskandani is the visionary behind many of poker's most iconic television broadcasts. A poker player himself, Mori is also a long-time friend and mentor of Kara Scott. In this episode of…

Televised poker was a phenomenon and it drove the game's growth for years. Poker on YouTube is no less a force and in this episode of Heart of Poker, we talk to one of its pioneers. Andrew Neeme has been vlogging about poker for almost a decade and he puts it all out there on his channel. Even so, he told Kara Scott that this was the most personal …

Poker Hall of Famer Jennifer Harman has seen it all. As one of the few women to battle her way into the high-stakes Las Vegas poker scene, she knows firsthand how exciting and challenging the poker world can be. We're so excited to have her on the Heart of Poker and even more excited to dig into her life away from the felt. Harman is an organ-trans…

We are SO excited to have Vicky Coren on the podcast. An accomplished writer, television personality and a massively successful live poker tournament player, Coren is one of the most intriguing guests we've had the chance to speak with so far. In this far-ranging and intimate interview, Coren is famous in the poker world for being one of the only p…

Next up on the Heart of Poker Podcast by 888poker is the one and only Jennifer Shahade. Competitive chess player, poker pro and podcast host, Jennifer is one of the most interesting and engaging characters in the poker world today. In this episode, Kara and Jennifer have a far-ranging conversation that touches on tons of interesting topics. How wil…

On the latest episode of the Heart of Poker Podcast, Kara speaks with ultra high-stakes poker pro Jason Koon. Known best for his huge high roller wins and his ability to compete and win against the best poker players on the planet, Jason is also an extremely thoughtful and down-to-earth human. Don't judge a book by its cover. Jason Koon might look …

Poker pro, podcaster, broadcaster ... political activist? Jamie Kerstetter is all over the poker scene. In this episode of Heart of Poker, Kara Scott goes in-depth with the woman who won Twitter personality of the year at the Global Poker Awards. Kara and Jamie are long-time friends and their bond makes for an intimate and fascinating conversation …

We're so excited to welcome American poker pro and entrepreneur Faraz Jaka to the Heart of Poker. Faraz is an outstanding candidate for this podcast. He's intelligent, thoughtful and has more interesting experiences every year than a lot of people capture in a decade. If you've listened to the show before, you know it's not your average poker inter…

British poker legend Barny Boatman doesn't always open up in interviews, which is why this episode of The Heart of Poker is so special. To put it mildly, Boatman has seen a thing or two during his decades as a poker pro. It turns out that his personal life was just as varied and compelling. According to Wikipedia, Boatman has worked as a bartender,…

You might think you know poker pro Danielle Andersen. After all, her life was explored in-depth in the documentary Bet, Raise, Fold. We love that documentary but with all due respect (and humility), this podcast episode is 1,000 times better. Kara and Danielle have been friends for a long time and their familiarity with and trust in each other is o…

Dominik Nitsche and Kara Scott have known each other for a long time which is probably why this episode of the Heart of Poker is instantly one of the most candid so far. The high-stakes tournament pro has a lot to say and for once, not much of it is directly about poker. Dominik opens up on a long list of topics, some of which he's never talked abo…

Kara Scott's next guest on the Heart of Poker Podcast is David Williams. If you've followed his career, you'll know that Williams is anything but boring. He was runner-up in the 2004 WSOP Main Event and a finalist on Season 7 of Masterchef. In this interview we learned that he's also very comfortable participating in deep conversations. Kara and Da…

In the fourth episode of The Heart of Poker Podcast, Kara Scott interviews poker VLogger extraordinaire Brad Owen. Brad's poker YouTube channel has almost 200,000 subscribers and his videos get millions of views so he's no stranger to opening up to the audience. Nevertheless, this is far and away Brad's most personal and revealing interview ever. K…

If you're a fan of Vanessa Selbst, this is a must-listen interview. It runs the gamut from fun topics like how Vanessa would fare in a zombie apocalypse (horribly) to much more personal revelations about being a first-time mom with a second baby on the way, mortality, life goals and much more. Selbst is one of the most interesting players in poker,…