Content
There is a comfort in the kind of poker content that doesn’t try too hard to impress you, when a sharp mind talks cards without the need for faux-inspired monologues, or a when a good interviewer creates a safety net for their subject to go deeper and lay themselves bare, or when a skilled short-form story-teller with a lightness of touch pulls comedy from the mundane.
Personally, I love a good long-form strategy breakdown, when a top player wanders off-piste, out of the game tree, and into the exploitative wilderness. Good content of this type never hides the missteps. It highlights them and finds strength in vulnerability.
when “I did something” is replaced by “I felt something”
As a podcaster, I also do everything that I can to promote that format in the poker space. The best interviews are the ones when the subject drops their guard early, when “I did something” is replaced by “I felt something,” and when the strategy talk is peppered with digestible heuristics. It takes research and preparation to make an audience feel like they are listening to something free-flowing and spontaneous when it actually has a pre-determined beginning, middle, and end.
Then there are the storytellers – the satirists and raconteurs, the meme-makers and gonzo trip-reporters, the scam-historians and opinion piece scriveners. They all weave narratives that remind us that poker is a theater of flawed characters, framing those imperfections as the heartbeat of the game, reminding us that despite all the HUDs, solvers, and AI, we play a game that is distinctly human.
“Go forth,” I told my eclectic panel.
“Isn’t a fourth article stretching the audience’s tolerance for what is clearly a series of pre-written articles, which lets you take time off over the holiday season?” they replied.
“Shush now,” I countered, “and tell me about your favorite content of 2025.”
Content favorites
David Lappin: What was your favorite piece of poker content this year (video, stream, book, podcast, hand breakdown) and why did it resonate with you?
David Docherty:
I’ll give a few mentions here: Winamax’s “Inside the Mind of a Pro” is such an interesting format for content. It’s almost like Gus Hansen’s Every Hand Revealed book, which was fantastic in its time, but in the medium of video. I especially loved the episode with Adrian Mateos and while I’m sure he kept a few things up his sleeve, I found it eye-opening how often his decisions boiled down to one or two simple details.
I’d also like to give Liam Hind (BigLiPoker) a shout-out for the reels he’s been making this year. “The River Department” was one of the funniest things that I’ve seen in my poker career.
Finally, I was lucky enough to do some commentary on the Irish Open final table this year and it was an absolute joy. The usual great production quality from PokerStars was elevated by getting to watch some excellent and charismatic players, and it culminated in Simon Wilson winning with an incredible rail behind him. It was my favorite stint that I’ve done in the booth to date.
Ray Wheatley:
I am a big fan of those “Inside the Mind of a Pro” documentaries by Winamax on YouTube. Following the top pros gives amazing insight. I also enjoy the Triton stuff, watching guys like Ponakovs or Foxen is always educational and eye-opening. I don’t watch vlogs or the TV series type stuff like “Game of Gold.” I prefer the more educational offerings or “The Chip Race” and “Thinking Poker”.
Nate Silver:
I would like to give a general shoutout to Mark Goone/Hungry Horse Poker for focusing more on exploitative play in live cash games. The advice is sometimes great and sometimes can open you up to counter-exploits, but it’s differentiated content versus the solver kids. Also, I read the Sam Greenwood newsletter.
Barry Carter:
Well, poker content is creatively bankrupt, so it’s all bad, right? Seriously, though, I think Nikki Limo is the person to beat in terms of fun poker content, amongst a lot of talented creators. I think BigLiPoker is the best newcomer to the space! They are both hilarious.
Kyna England:
I think that I consume too much poker content to actually like anything anymore (ha!), but I do enjoy Doug Polk’s take on events in the industry. I am glad he brought those back. His videos are fun and informative.
Andreas Mavromoustakis:
I really liked the Stephen Chidwick interview on “The Chip Race”, an episode with which I also had the chance to be involved. He spoke about the mental struggles of people who are involved in poker, and I think that this is a very important and serious topic that most of the time we ignore. I really feel like people could benefit by listening to it and that it will show a new perspective for a lot of players.
Ian Simpson:
Phemo at GTOWizard made an outstanding strategy piece about turn probes in single raised pots. The heuristic was new to me, and I adore the strategy behind our game.
Nick Walsh:
My favorite events that I worked on were the Irish Open 2025 (Simon Wilson and his rowdy rail) and EPT Malta (Tomasz Brzezinski’s god run continues). My favorite educational poker content that I watched was “Alex Theologis’ Knockout Tournament Mastery” and “Carrot Corner Full Scholarship Cash Course”.
Turlough McHugh:
Sam Greenwood’s hand breakdowns are good. Any video that GTOWizard puts out is gold. Of course, I also tune into “The Chip Race.”
Tobias Leknes:
Having sort of fallen into the streets of PLO more and more this year, and having my eyes opened for what a great strategic game it is, I must say that I have enjoyed watching any content from Kakitee covering the game. He keeps it entertaining, has just the right amount of banter, and gives insights that I usually find logical and well presented.
Sid Sudunagunta:
The $100K Super High Roller Bowl mixed games event in March was brilliant and it was great to see top level mixed games players on PokerGO. Chris Vitch and Alex Livingston were excellent on commentary, providing high-quality strategic insights.
BigLi Poker’s “River Department” video was the funniest piece of content of the year
I was disappointed that the WSOP mixed games coverage a few months later was pretty sparse compared with previous years. Also, BigLi Poker’s “River Department” video was the funniest piece of content of the year, and something that I’m sure resonated with everyone.
Jaime Staples:
“The Chip Race” podcast. Barry Carter’s Twitter. Matt Staples’ Twitch Stream. Poker dot pro’s live reporting at events. My favorite shorter-style clip was a thing called “This or That,” where people could choose between two poker pros as their favorite. It’s light and fun, but I always want to watch until the end as people cycle through 20 different names. I think you can learn a lot about what that specific person is like through that game.
Nikki Limo:
This is a tough one because there’s so much content out there right now. My favorite was probably BigLi’s video about controlling the river! 😂
Aaron Barone:
The first thing that popped into my head was Big Li’s content. I think his first video was the “River Department,” but all of the stuff I’ve seen from him is fantastic. Not only is it really funny, but it has the potential to reach people outside of poker, which is obviously something we need.
Kenny Hallaert:
The GTO Lab podcasts showcased interesting high level poker players who I got to know a lot more and gained a better understanding of all things considered on the high stakes circuit.
Rania Nasreddine:
Sam Greenwood is doing some epic things in his hand breakdowns.
Jim Reid:
I’m biased, but being one of the subjects of the “Chase The Dream” docuseries on YouTube was EXTREMELY cool and impactful for me! I learned a lot from the other participants and their journeys, and loved being able to help spread the word about all the fun we have at RecPoker.
Lukas Robinson:
Probably the “Penny to a Rolex Challenge” as I am raising money for a good cause in Samaritans, which is something that I have always wanted to do once I built up a bit of a following.
Jen Shahade:
There’s so much great poker content these days that it’s hard to choose. I sure wish the Global Poker Awards were still on so we could properly recognize all of it, though doesn’t this mean “The Chip Race” is the reigning champ indefinitely? (LAPPIN’S REPLY: Yes, it does.) We’ll never hear the end of it! If that’s not an industry-wide call to find a new awards sponsor, I don’t know what is. As for specific pieces, I can think of two that really influenced me:
The “Risky Business” podcast episode with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova featuring Leo Margets. I loved the way Leo prioritized her happiness and was able to stay present and calm on the way to her historic result at the WSOP. The other was the GTO Lab podcast conversation between Jonathan Jaffe and João “Naza” Vieira. It was almost three hours long, and I had no idea that I’d be so gripped for all of it.
One moment that really stuck with me was when João talked about getting into the heads of his opponents. His interest was just so genuine, and it reminded me of my friend Yanjaa Wintersoul, a memory world champion. Of course, she has a lot of intricate tips, but so much of the core message is very simple: if you want to remember everyone’s name, be interested in everyone. If you want to play better live poker, be interested in your opponents.
Padraig O’Neill:
“The Chip Race” of course, or anything by David Lappin or Dara O’Kearney. (Lappin’s Note: I swear that I didn’t “do an Iannotti” here and use artificial intelligence to make any of these guys say this!)
