In this episode, Joey Ingram, author, content creator, poker player and host of the award-winning poker podcast Poker Life Podcast, talks about where poker is headed and why he’s so passionate about it. Jeff and Joey discuss his book, Chasing the Poker Dream, his podcast, and his viral MMA investigation video. Listen in to hear Joey share his thoughts on legalized poker, surrounding yourself with positivity, and how studying still determines your effectiveness in the game.

Visit Jeff Gross - The Flow Show or find us on iTunes to subscribe, visit previous episodes, and learn more about your host, Jeff Gross.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

02:30 – Introducing Joey and his journey

• 02:40 – He was born outside of Chicago and moved to Chicago when he was 21; he had no money and lived with roommates
• 03:45 – His family isn’t involved in his poker journey
• 04:14 – He started playing poker at 19-20 years old; he lost money online and at the casino repeatedly
• 05:02 – He found Two Plus Two and started learning; he began to build up his bank roll, started playing on Poker Stars, and quit his job
• 06:02 – He has had ridiculous swings and is comfortable not having a lot of money
• 07:20 – He switched to PLO and has done 24-table no-limit hold ‘em

08:35 – Joey’s book Chasing the Poker Dream

• 09:00 – The book goes into the qualities of a successful poker player and what separates them from the rest
• 10:44 – He dedicates his life now to producing content and he’s happy with that

13:45 – Joey’s view on player, company, and media marketing improvements

• 14:11 – Joey believes poker player are marketed poorly on all outlets; outlets feud with each other and there isn’t much promotion and support
• 18:15 – He believes poker isn’t going to have a comeback; he thinks companies don’t care about it and doubts higher-ups even play
• 19:50 – He’s disappointed by the lack of policing and bots on sites and believes they have no way of policing and protecting their cash games
• 20:54 – He believes bots are rampant on sit-and-gos; he believes you can’t win cash games and can win tournaments because there are still bad players there
• 22:14 – He doesn’t support ACR for cash games and says the best place to play might be PP poker clubs; Global Poker may be a good option

24:25 – He plays online but has refocused on marketing poker; he’s doubtful of the future of American poker

• 27:15 – He’s stepped outside of poker and witnessed how much better the media and marketing is in poker
• 28:00 - He’s inspired to create content that excites people and players again while still being real and honest
• 32:15 – He understands the negativity in tournaments because players live tournament-by-tournament, game-by-game, paycheck-to-paycheck
• 32:50 – There are great things about the game, but the other side is not always positive

34:00 – Joey’s thoughts on short-deck: it’s a niche game and probably won’t catch on

35:00 – He loves Poker Central and Poker Stars and understands why Doug left poker

42:15 – Response to a comment calling Joey a “dick”

• 42:21 – He believes it was because of his ACR comment; he spent so much time on ACR and the investigation
• 44:42 – He believes Jeff gets the best side of these big companies and sites; he’s still extremely concerned about the bots operating on the sites right now
• 46:55 – He believes no one is taking a stance against the corruption on poker sites

47:45 – Joey’s stance on prop-bets

• 49:15 – He lost most of his bets this year
• 50:00 – His won many prop-bets over the course of his career

53:15 – He doesn’t talk about what he studies, learns or cares about; he cares about the qualities needed to become successful at life

54:00 – When he started the podcast 4-5 years ago, he didn’t have a YouTube channel; he wanted something with high-level discussion

55:15 – He did PLO and WSOP events because it’d be good for business and validating

• 56:54 – People use numbers and metrics to validate others in poker; Joey doesn’t operate that way but understands that it’s hard to track anything else

58:25 – Joey talks about Jamie Staples; Jeff heard that Jamie felt attacked by Joey when he signed on to Stars

• 59:00 – Joey clarified that he doesn’t determine what someone does or doesn’t deserve; he admires Jamie’s work ethic and success
• 01:00:18 – He doesn’t care who gets sponsored and doesn’t waste time talking about others behind their back

01:06:51 – On PLO

• 01:07:00 – He believes it’s growing but will never pass hold ‘em

01:07:15 – How he responds to people who believe poker is a “zero sum game”

• 01:07:50 – He recently received a message from someone who said Joey brightens his life; he’s gotten millions of views and listens and gives knowledge to improve lives
• 01:09:16 – There are many ways to impact people; Joey believes he is doing his part
• 01:11:42 – People must create the opportunity for themselves to make a difference and impact others.

01:14:30 – On Joey’s podcast

• 01:14:52 – There are many things he knows he could do to improve his podcast
• 01:15:30 – He loves the conversations he has on the podcast and has learned so much from his guests
• 01:17:12 – He believes his podcast work hurts him overall; if a podcast doesn’t do well it affects the algorithm
• 01:18:35 – He’s made many connections in poker but could build up a brand around the podcast

01:19:32 – On his MMA investigation viral video

• 01:20:23 – It gave him confidence in the content he can produce across any field; he feels committed to being a voice in poker

01:22:15 – Thoughts on The Thirst Lounge

• 01:22:45 – He admires Bill Perkins and considers the conversation they had life-changing
• 01:24:50 – He’s surprised Bill’s Bahamas trip wasn’t covered on sites and in the media

01:26:26 – Joey’s 5-10 year outlook

• 01:26:48 – He’d like to be in charge of the WSOP someday so he can control scams; he’d put the event in a great light
• 01:28:22 – He does everything himself and isn’t good at organization or planning

01:30:30 – Joey’s thoughts on club GTO

• 01:30:45 – He says it’s a way of life; he is always looking to improve and grow

01:32:01 – His most pivotal moment was when he stopped 24 tabling

• 01:32:22 – If you focus in, you’ll be more successful, present, and focused

01:33:21 – He’s trying to increase awareness of big poker events; he’s shifting his strategy when he speaks

• 01:34:32 – He’s studying up to figure out what he wants to do

01:35:48 – How PLO and hold ‘em has changed over the past 5 years

• 01:36:11 – Mid-stakes players are using strategies that high-stakes players used to deploy; resources for PLO have increased

01:40:22 – His thoughts on legalized poker

• 01:41:33 – Poker Stars is becoming a global dominant leader and their strategy is genius; they’ve taken the loudest voices in poker and signed them to be ambassadors
• 01:42:37 – The ambassadors build content and have trusted followers who listen

01:50:00 – Final takeaways: Surround yourself with positivity and study

3 Key Points

• There are great things about poker but it’s important to remember the balance and recognize both sides.
• Create a positive and inspiring environment for yourself.
• Find a way of life that works best for your personal success, presence, and focus. 

Contact/Resources

• Partner - Party Poker
• Website – Jeff Gross Poker
• Gaming and Strategy Site – Two Plus Two
• Joey’s Book – Chasing the Poker Dream
• Poker Central - Website
• Viral MMA investigation – YouTube Video