Episode 4 Nick Walsh

In this episode of The Real Poker Girls of London, hosts Kerryjane Craigie and Lydia Cugudda welcome Nicholas Walsh—better known as Nick Walsh—PokerStars Team Pro ambassador, streamer, and commentator.

Nick shares his journey from grinding online poker to becoming one of the recognizable voices behind PokerStars broadcasts, working alongside industry icons like James Hardigan and Joe Stapleton. He talks about how streaming in 2019 changed everything, leading to his role as an ambassador and content creator.

We dive into his Spin & Go expertise, including his 5,000-game challenge, how the format has evolved, and what players need to understand about speed, variance, and adapting strategy in fast-paced formats. The conversation also explores the realities of poker commentary—balancing analysis with limited information and learning to “say what you see” in the moment.

Nick also opens up about the emotional side of his career, including a period where he had to step away from broadcasts, and why returning to the PokerStars stage meant so much to him.

From strategy and storytelling to behind-the-scenes moments on tour, this episode mixes insight with humor, giving a real look at life as a modern poker pro and commentator.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hello, hello, welcome to the long anticipated next instalment of the Real Poker Girls of London. It's been a while. Have you missed us? If you haven't, what uh of course you should have done. It's been a while since we've been on air, and we are delighted to be back. And in your loggos, it's me, I'm KJ, and I am here with her, Lydia. She got it right this week. And today we are welcoming. What's your name again?

SPEAKER_00 0:34

My name is Nicholas Walsh. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Uh, do you go by Nicholas?

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Uh sometimes. I think most people know me by Nick Walsh because my handles are at Nick Walsh TV, and that's how most people refer to me. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

I call you something very, very different.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

That's fine.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Um, but yes, it's Nicholas Walsh, and we're gonna be grilling him and asking him questions that he's probably never been asked before uh on any podcast or in any interview. And let's see if we can make him blush. No, well, maybe a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 1:03

I think I'm already blushing right now. I'm not sure. Sorry, my hands are above the table. I mean, I'm just keeping them up there.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

So let's start off as we always do. Tell us a little bit about you. Who are you?

SPEAKER_00 1:14

So um I'm Nick Walsh. I'm a Pokerstars ambassador, I'm a member of Team Pro, and most people will know me either from my streams, which I've been doing since like 2019. Um I'm kind of like the spinning go guy. If you guys enjoy spinning goes online, that's kind of my thing. But probably better known for my work with the European Poker Tour, James Hardigan, Joe Stapleton, the Poker Stars TV team, doing commentary for stuff like EPT, APPT, uh PokerStars Opens, um, all that kind of jazz. If it's poker stars related, I've probably talked about it before.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Fabulous. I'm gonna start there. How did poker stars happen?

SPEAKER_00 1:50

So poker stars happen, first of all, because I have been on poker stars forever and ever and ever, right? Um I've been playing poker, you know, since I was basically since I was 18. Um, and at some point uh I decided I wanted to take poker more seriously. Um and so I kind of decided to eventually take the leap into playing full-time. So I was playing full-time poker for a couple years when a friend suggested we should start streaming this. Streaming is a thing now, right? Like uh Twitch, YouTube, uh streaming was kind of booming at the time. And a friend said we should get on there and we should stream and we should make content. And wouldn't it be really cool if poker stars like was like, hey, we really like you guys. Do you want a job? And everyone thought we were crazy, and then we did it, and then we got a job. And so since 2019, I've been an ambassador for poker stars. Um, originally doing power-up poker. You'll remember power up. Yeah, it was a very weird game that stars kind of invented, which that we actually I think was probably very cool, just didn't land on the audience quite right. And then after that, I just carried on playing the games that I enjoyed, which were kind of spin and goes and fast formats of poker. And ever since then, yeah, I've been talking about poker, making contents, got to hang out with you a bunch now. Other you know, poker. I thought this was partial payment coming on here. Oh, yeah, no.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

It's a long bill. Oh, I'm lucky things in a way. Um, you spoke about spin and goes then. Um, last year you did your spin and go challenge.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Yes, I did, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Tell us a little bit about that and how it went.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

So last year, um, I wanted to do some sort of a spin and go quote unquote challenge where I set myself a volume target. I wanted to play a certain amount of poker. Um, and actually it coincided very nicely, uh, completely by accident, I should say, with the spin and go merge, where poker star is basically took their product spin and go flash and regular speed spinning goes, the really fast version and the super, super fast version, and they merged the two. And I sort of said this would be a good time to do a bit of an experiment. So let's play the new game, let's see what's possible, let's see like what the numbers look like. So I set myself a target of $50,000 to play volume. Um, and I played that at the $10 stake, so that was 5,000 games. Um, and I think I ended up making 1.5%, 2%, or something like that, which in spinning goes is very good, especially when you realize how much faster the games are now, like maybe three times as fast as they were before, or something like that. But um, yeah, I mean it was uh it was fun. I I do kind of cringe when I hear the word challenge though, because spin and go players of any caliber who take the game seriously. 5,000 spinning goes isn't very much.

SPEAKER_02 4:26

No, it was definitely challenge KJ. You're always you like your spin.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

You love a spin, yeah. You love a spin. But yeah, when I called it a challenge, I knew I was gonna be like, you know, in trouble with someone. Yeah, because because like you know, when I was playing spinning goes full time, I was playing like two or three hundred a day. So I would have nuked that challenge immediately if I was kind of in that zone, like when I was really in my in my peak grind status. Um, but yeah, this coming year I hope to have a bigger number and go for more numbers and see what we can do.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Nice. I do like a spin and go. Um, we're talking about poker style spin and goes, obviously, and uh yeah, it took a little while for me to adjust to the new format.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

It's hard, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

It is hard. Um and but when you get the multiples, then it puts you a little bit back into the cover zone because you've got the the the higher chip stackers that you don't play spin and goes, do you? Occasionally do you? I love I love a little spinning go.

SPEAKER_00 5:19

I think if I'm on a train and trying to kill some time and stuff like that, then actually what was funny about that, Carrie, you mentioned about the bigger multipliers being a slower structure, right? Because that's the idea. The merge was the the idea we're gonna play the lower multipliers faster, and then as soon as you get to some of the higher stuff, it's gonna be more like a normal, normal spin and go the way it was before. And I think one of the reasons why I succeeded in this challenge was because my performance in the the slower, deeper version, which is what I specialized in before, was like absurd, right? I was probably running really good, but I think I kept track of any multiplier that was a 10x multiplier or higher, and I won like 60% of them or something like that. So that definitely helped me to get that that bit over uh over expectation, I think.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Yeah, I would say that I am less successful on this format than I used to be.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

I I think everyone is to a certain degree. I mean, but that's that's not to say I I think it impacts on everyone because there's just fewer chips to win, first of all. And then and then one mistake or one bad flip, and you're you you need to come back a long way, right? Because you're very quickly at a super, super short stack depth. But if you're in a 10x multiplier, that's basically reg speed. Um, you know, you can make a mistake heads up and still kind of have chips to recover and so on and so forth. So learning how to adjust for the speed you play at is also really important in those two. So if the 2x multiplier is there, you can usually sort of go more push-fold than you would do because if you have a longer game, you can afford to same in tournaments, right? If you have a much longer structure, you can afford to be like, I think maybe limping is gonna outperform here. But if you limp and then two blind levels go away, then after that hand, you know, it might be a spot where you probably should have just gone for it.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

I always have you in my head, and I don't know where I picked this up from, and I think it may have been Barcelona where we were watching the spin and go live, or it may be somebody that we were watching online, and they were obviously three-handed, and I think somebody folded a king, etc. And you kind of we weren't talking about the spin and go, and you kind of went away from it. It's just like, whoa, you can't be just folding a king there. And like, so you're constantly in my head, you know, like, whoa, can't be folding a king there.

SPEAKER_00 7:27

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think as a commentator, I really struggle with this too, Carrie, because I do a lot of commentary on Cash Games here with you. I do a lot of commentary for EPTs and stuff, but I'm not known for my tournament prowess, right? So as a commentator, you're expected to talk about poker. You're supposed to comment, you're supposed to have bold things you say. And sometimes I hear what I say on like when I'm on stream and I go, I have no right to say that really.

SPEAKER_02 7:49

I'm getting some notes here for when we're doing our commentary. Bold things.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Bold, yeah, bold comments, be very rude. No, I always try and keep it respectful, but every once in a while I get a message from a stranger and they'll be like, I feel like you were really harsh there. And I'm just like, I was just like, mate, I would have done the same thing as you. I just was trying to like add some context.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

We had that conversation literally an hour ago because we are now running the women's final table from the Sunday on Poker Stars uh on our YouTube channel, and our little mugs are in the little boxes, and we we for shits and giggles talk about all sorts of things. We try to concentrate on the poker, but yeah, Lydia and I have the the attention span of you know a gnat. Squirrel, yeah. So if pocket deuces come up, we just stop talking. And now because she's got a thing about pocket fours, that's it, we just stop talking and we just intently watching what happens. But um, we've kind of gone into the mode of because we want to use it as a coaching because there's there's so everybody is learning poker or or studying. I don't have this as a tangible factual number. People believe that women study less than men. I don't buy into I don't buy that for one second, um, but there are less opportunities for um to see women play against women, and so that's why I've you know made a a a patch to to really concentrate on that. But we were saying we've kind of fallen into the element where we'll say I'm not sure I would have played that that way and explained why. Yeah, but sometimes I'm the same, we'll say something, and I'm like, Yeah, because you can't you we we uh we were talking about one last night, and it was very visible that somebody was playing against somebody because it was the player, and they came into the chat and said that because of what had happened on the tables earlier, but that was it visible, but in the moment you possibly don't recognize absolutely, yeah, and I that happens all the time, right?

SPEAKER_00 9:57

So you'll go, Well, this is way out of the box, this is getting really out of line. But you're always talking from sort of like a I don't even want to use the word GTO here, but you're going, This is unconventional, even if you're not really gonna be strictly GTO here or something like that, right? And then you go talk to the person and they'll be like, that guy played 99% VPIP and you joined right as right at that one hand, and you saw that one hand, I'm like, Yeah, I know I get that, but yeah, you just have to you just have to work with what you got, and you know, at the end of the day, commentary is just a game of just you know, you it's a say what you see. That's that's what you gotta say. And if and if that's the way you see it, that's your perspective from the time.

SPEAKER_02 10:30

So yeah, but I think that's the point with GTO though, isn't it? It it's there as a foundation, right? And absolutely the whole the next bit is the test, especially with live poker, you know, what you don't see when you're is you don't have the especially as we're only doing the final table, which is a snippet, we haven't seen that history even online, but we haven't seen that build-up. We we don't have that information.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Whilst we have the information we can see all the cards, we don't have that information that the players have gleaned from maybe months making notes on players or if it's online as well, it could be years of data that they have on this person, you know, having played with them for like they might know the literal frequency of how often they bet the turn in three-bet pots and stuff like that, right? So you you you just have to say what you see and then cover your ass a little bit, you know. You have to sort of say, I've you know, like you said, I think this is something that I probably wouldn't do, but you know, maybe this person has some sort of history with them or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

Yeah, and I think that's what we've started to. I mean, occasionally what we'll go, whoa! Oh no. There's always a booth show.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

I mean, we we've been in the booth together and we've all like, what the hell is this person doing? This is completely mental.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

Huh?

SPEAKER_00 11:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

There you go. Talking of commentary, you mentioned early on that you are, you know, uh commentator regularly on the Pokerstar's live um experiences. Um stapes and Hartigan.

SPEAKER_03 11:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

I mean, I've sat next to them a couple of times and I become a bit mute. What's it like? I mean, I consider you as it's it's stapes, Hartigan, and Walsh.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

Yeah, well, that's very kind. Thank you for that. I'm and I would love to imagine that I'd be I'd be sort of considered in that in that fashion. Um, I don't know if I've earned that yet. Just being next to them, honestly, is huge, and they've taught me like everything I know about this game, and I've probably picked up on a lot of their tendencies. I find my pattern has changed when I'm with James, it changes when I'm with Joe, but also we've we've had so many experiences away from the away from the felt and away from commentary now. We actually have a lot of inside jokes. And same same goes for Griffin, same goes for Maria. Like, we've had a lot of wild experiences, like you know, when we're on tour and stuff, so we can always draw upon those as friends, which I think is super important. And being there in person, I think makes all the difference, you know, being right next to them. But I I've I only have good things to say about those two. They're really an inspiration, and you know, hopefully one day, you know, I'll I can reach that status. But thank you for that. That's very kind of fun.

SPEAKER_02 12:49

And I remember getting to sort of meet you and um James, and I think it sort of I've met you sort of around and about, but sort of spending a bit of time with you in um Vegas. And I remember we were sat there at my cow, and it was the most bizarre thing that I'd ever experienced. Because you've got like it was like the voice of poker stars in your ear, but actually live when it's like live commentary and a betto sours.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Yeah, yeah, and and actually that reminds me of Caitlin, Caitlin Kamasky doing her James Hartigan impression, which sounds nothing like James, but it's so Oh James Hartigan. Welcome to the poker stars. It's just like it just doesn't sound anything like him in the slightest, but you know where she's going now. I know where it is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

Oh, so good. So I'm still, I I was very much so, and I consider, and it's not about being a Pokerstars ambassador, it was obviously being involved in the Hippodrome, which is you know, a brand partner with with Poker Stars and being around them a little bit, but not as much as I have been in the last two years. I still consider myself a little bit as a fangirl. Were you a you know, were you in that zone before the first time you sat next to them?

SPEAKER_00 13:55

Completely, and actually I remember the the moment that I sat next to them for the first time as well. So the first time I ever did commentary was remotely for Monte Carlo. That was the year that um Manic Loyser won won first place, who's a who's a buddy of mine, he used to live in Brighton. Um, and they invited me after that helpful. I I think I stayed up all night because it went really long or something. They called me in last minute because they were like, you know, under under pressure, and then they invited me to do some commentary in Prague Live, and just sitting in that little room adjacent to these two voices that you've heard your entire life, who are like truly icons. And probably it's it's kind of cheap to just throw that around, but like as somebody who aspires to be a content creator and aspires to be a commentator in the future, they actually are my icons. They're not just the voice of poker stars you've always known, or like I really like EPTs, and I think I know James Hardigan's voice by now. Like, it was a big deal for me, yeah. And I really wanted to impress, so you kind of want to like be really bold, but if you're too bold, they're like, Who is this guy? Like, get the hell out of my business. Get him out! Is he trying to take my job? Get this guy out, you know. So, yeah, that was that was incredible. But over the years, like, you know, they're just really good friends now, I think, which is nice.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

So they make me giggle. Oh, they're they're so funny, they're just so funny, and they are who they are away from the they are exactly exactly the people they are on.

SPEAKER_00 15:10

Like, people think they're putting it on. No, uh James James is exactly the same, Joe is exactly the same.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

I mean, maybe a bit ruder off off stream, but well, and unless he's on my stream, and then and then I I kind of push a little bit and encourage him to leave his wild scene.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

You don't need to do much on that.

SPEAKER_01 15:26

No, yeah, no, I've got so many stories from the from the cupboard here, but but we'll move on. Um that I'm not being funny, but I found myself really smiling while you were talking then. I just imagined the whole journey, and it must be just an incredible.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

It makes me quite emotional, actually. Just like like just thinking about it. There was there was a there was a time right in the middle of my career where I had to step away from poker stars for personal reasons. It was completely outside of my control, and it wasn't to do with um my relationship with stars at all. But um, I had to sort of have this con uh this call with Francine, um who's uh super senior boss uh producer, poker stars, uh, award-winning, by the way.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Um and super, super lovely.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

Yeah, and lovely as well.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

And the best dressed person.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

She really does dress very well. She really does. Anyway, I had to get on a call and basically excuse myself from a bunch of broadcasts I promised that I would do, and it wasn't my fault. And I I I cried, I couldn't, I couldn't stand it. Yeah, it was it was because there was there was a real there was a real sense of disconnection. Like, this is what I what I want to do, this is what I've like been working towards for so long. So it was really, really challenging for me, but um gratefully got past that chapter and uh and yeah, continued after that. It was great.

SPEAKER_01 16:36

Well, I'm glad you did because you know I like to hear you in my ears.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

Thanks.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

You're welcome.

unknown 16:42

Big bill.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

Big bill promotional budget on this is through the roof.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

So this is it's not £2.50. Standard, and a packet of biscuits. Talking of biscuits, talking of biscuits. What's your favorite biscuit?

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Okay, we do this every single time. Okay, can I tell you the story that I was gonna tell you, but then I was I said save it for stream? Yeah, so this morning I woke up kind of early. Thank you very much. That's all we got time for now. This morning, this morning I woke up uh in Brighton and I was very excited to come down and I wanted to get here early and play cash and all that stuff. So I got to Brighton Station and I had about 15 minutes before my train, and I went, I really want to buy Carrie a present for this so I can bring her something. And I was trying to think of what I would buy you. So I was in MS um in Brighton Station, and I went, I should buy her biscuits. We always talk about biscuits on stream. And then I couldn't remember, I have this memory of you going, I always talk about biscuits on stream, but I don't eat them. So then I was like, Should I should I bring her a pack of Bourbons? And I went, Am I gonna show up? She's gonna go, you know, I don't eat these things. So I didn't buy them in the end, but I really wanted to bring you something like that, but I it's a thought that counts. I couldn't remember, I couldn't remember which which biscuit was your favourite, and I feel like it was always Bourbons or something. Was that the one?

SPEAKER_01 17:52

Do you eat biscuits? I don't know. She doesn't really eat biscuits. I like a white chocolate chunk cookie. Oh, that was an option. And the thing is, I thought you were going down the route with Percy Pigs, and I was getting super excited. Oh I am an absolute Percy Pig thing. Or uh, what are they called? Harry Hippo. They don't know they're not the same as Percy Pigs.

SPEAKER_00 18:15

Isn't Colin Caterpillar a cake?

SPEAKER_01 18:17

These are cake. No, they do. Colin Jones. No, but they're not the same. Percy Pigs. I I got a little bit of a couple. Oh yes. Where is the pig?

SPEAKER_02 18:26

So the pig I asked the same question. Um pork crackling? Oh no. Oh no.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

What happened?

SPEAKER_02 18:37

Oh. What happened? So apparently um a pig got kicked. But it's in rehab. And it will be coming back. But it is in rehab.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

Oh my.

SPEAKER_00 18:52

I don't know about the pig yet.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

So Lydia, as you know, is a pig farmer.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

Of course.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Yeah. And um that's it. No, the the original story comes from the real poker girls in Las Vegas. So uh they have a pig on when they do their um their stream and when they do their podcast, and it's always there. And the story goes, and you have to keep me honest here, they were playing in a tournament at a Vegas uh casino, and they were awarded a well somebody won, and they were awarded a trophy. Yeah. And then once the photos were taken, they took the trophy off and said, Oh no, it was just for photos only. Oh brutal. Brutal. And because you know it's not about the money, it's not about the win, it's about the door stopper. Oh, sorry, yes, the trophy. And um so then they introduced a pig, as in they awarded themselves a pig, and the pig is also in the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

I love that. It was like a porcelain pig or like uh I think I don't think it's a lot China pig.

SPEAKER_01 19:54

Ours is porcelain. Well, ours is it's not it's not ours.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

Oh, is it theirs? No.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

It's her husband's, and he doesn't know that we had it.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

It was it's or had it. It's Dom's pig. It's Dom's pig.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

It's Dom's pig. And that's not a euphemism.

SPEAKER_00 20:14

Dom, I'm not involved with this, buddy. Don't look at me.

SPEAKER_01 20:17

Um, so um But it is coming back.

SPEAKER_02 20:20

Okay, it just needs a bit of a side. It's gone to rehab, okay. It just needs a bit of time and it will be back.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

I don't even know how it could go. Wasn't it in a drawer? I don't know. Well, I I mean, we made a little stye and put some hay and you know, and a little trough.

SPEAKER_02 20:38

But the best bit is that when said pig kicker came clean, that they were really worried that it was like an expensive pig, and I was like, No, it's a Percy Pig piggy bank. You probably get one on vintage.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

Oh, I would have said it is vintage, it's a one of a kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 20:55

Well, it might because it has got the crown on it, so I do have a it might be a limited edition. It I think it might be a limited edition.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

Crown, it had a crown. Yes, I know, and you can have a crown on the side of it.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

Carrie always plays with a crown.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:07

Slate queen.

SPEAKER_01 21:08

Does that mean that I'm um queen pig again?

SPEAKER_00 21:13

I think it's uh I'm trying to think of pig pig pig aside, pig uh swine-aside.

SPEAKER_01 21:22

Oh, yes, instead of homicide. Well, I've got that bit. Sometimes I just don't know. I look at her, this is a blank. I'm just like, do I need to explain this one? You do sometimes. Sometimes. So now we're gonna do a little quick fire. Yeah. Um, we ask everybody this line of questions.

SPEAKER_00 21:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:44

They're not too much. However, sometimes I go off piste. Sometimes. And because I consider you as a friend.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

Yeah. Which you should. I I can I consider as friends.

SPEAKER_01 21:53

I actually do, see, I go off piece. I do actually consider you as one of my Close circle of friends. You consider yourself as one of my close circle of friends.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

Well, I I I wouldn't like to assume that part, but I would consider you a part of my one of this close circle of friends. Yeah, you you you can never assume the former. No, the latter you can you can I'm allowed to say because that's my decision.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

Oh, okay. Well I'll be the judge of them.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

Okay. No, no, no, no. You can't be the judge of my close circle of friends until you are.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

Do you know who I am?

SPEAKER_00 22:26

Yeah, exactly. Slate queen.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

No, because we've had this conversation, and I actually said for the first time in forever, and I mean decades, I actually feel like I have a circle of friends that are friends. Not people that you go, oh yeah, I know that person, or that's a friend, but you just, you know, I have a and they're all poker.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

Do you think the reason for the time before that was because of your work literally in the industry? You know, do you because I I I used to work in a casino and that was for a relatively short amount of time, but it was quite isolating at times because your friends were people that you worked with, but again, maybe just colleagues and not friend friends, and then everyone else you didn't see because you were always working nights all the time and you just didn't get a chance to actually hang out with them much.

SPEAKER_01 23:12

No, I think it's because everyone thinks I'm a bitch.

SPEAKER_00 23:16

No comments.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Right, but once you get to know me, I mean I'll call it as it is. I just you know. I mean, I'm really lovely. I buy homeless people soup all the time.

SPEAKER_02 23:31

Well.

SPEAKER_01 23:31

I do. Do they want soup?

SPEAKER_02 23:33

I'm really fine that the guy down at Embankment wants a slice of Greg's pepperoni pizza.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

Oh, okay. And there are other pepperoni pizzas out there if you're if you're wondering. I mean, I buy them, I buy blankets in the winter. I don't I mean, I don't do it for thanks. I do it because I have a we're going way off piece. Uh I you know, I have a look at I have a little sense of I don't know, like uh entitlement or or guilt, and I just want to make sure that everybody's okay.

SPEAKER_00 24:00

That's well, I think that's a nice thing to do.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

See? You do look after people.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

Yeah, I think.

SPEAKER_01 24:08

Oh, so I was giving away some tickets to uh a poker competition that's coming up a live one. And while I was sticking, and it was like a drawer, so everyone had to put their names in, and then I was, you know, you on you do the random name thing on the phone. And as I was putting all the names in, my fat fingers set the wheel off, and I hadn't finished putting the names in. Oh and somebody's name came up, but it was at 11 55, and the draw wasn't until after midday. So I took that aside and then finished putting the names in, and then did the draw and the two names that came up, and then I just had this sense of maybe I ruined their juju and they couldn't win because they came up beforehand. Yeah, so you gave them a ticket anyway? I gave them a ticket anyway.

SPEAKER_00 24:51

Good on you, that's nice. I was like, My fat fingers. I reckon that's if I don't know about bad juju for them, but it's good juju for you to do that.

SPEAKER_01 24:58

I'm all about the karma. Um, but I actually wrote my fat fingers did this, or I didn't want to ruin your juju. Didn't want to have the guilt of you know the juju. And she said, I love your fat fingers. When you when you win this game, though, that will be your oh, yeah. That'd be nice. That'd be nice. I don't mind not winning, and I mean that. I must be the only poker person that and I I always say that poker is the only game you play, you win lots of money, and if you don't win, you'll still walk away feeling sad. Um, if I make FT and I've got money, I'm I'm really quite happy.

SPEAKER_00 25:32

I feel like that's more of an MTT grinder's mentality. I feel like I feel like cash grinders don't feel that way as often because like there's you're going, I was a pop it was a profitable session. It could have been better, but it wasn't, and that's it. I think MTTs, MTTs are just that specific kind of sadness where you go, I've come third like four times now and I can't finish it. It's so frustrating. Tournament poker makes me very sad.

SPEAKER_02 25:55

I just want a spade. I I don't know how close I've been like last year to a spade.

SPEAKER_00 26:01

I I I was I came sixteenth.

SPEAKER_02 26:03

I know, that's why that's why you don't care.

SPEAKER_00 26:05

I came 16th in the Sunday Million Anniversary in first place was a million dollars, and that was that was a real close call. I know. One million can be.

SPEAKER_02 26:18

I saw the post followers. Oh, really? Yeah. They did a big post about it. Breaking news. One million. There you go. Are you gonna do your quick fire?

SPEAKER_01 26:27

Yes, I hear. Top chomp poker. Here we go.

SPEAKER_00 26:30

No off piste.

SPEAKER_01 26:31

Here we go. Who have you asked in the poker world to have a photo with?

SPEAKER_00 26:36

Uh Daniel, can I tell the story as well?

SPEAKER_01 26:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:39

Uh Daniel Cates, aka Jungle Man. And uh at the time I was I actually had some sort of official name badge going on because I was allowed to film inside that room, and WSOP are really strict about that. So he saw my badge and he said he looked at me and we took the picture. And then afterwards he went, okay, who is this for? As in like what publication is this meant to be for? And then I found out afterwards he like does not do photos with people like fans or anything like that. Um, and it it was he when you go back and look at the picture, I couldn't even post it because he was looking at me like, who the hell is this guy?

SPEAKER_02 27:10

Did you admit it was for you?

SPEAKER_00 27:12

Uh you know, I I told him afterwards, and then the look of disgust on his face, like, oh, I've just broken my rule because I thought you I thought you were with like poker poker news or something.

SPEAKER_01 27:21

Oh wowsers.

SPEAKER_00 27:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:22

Oh, I'll be posting that all over the place.

SPEAKER_00 27:24

Love that.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

Uh, who haven't you asked for a photo with?

SPEAKER_00 27:31

Good question.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

What who I who I would like to, or like No, let's say that you've been and you must be in Arena with some names, and this is gonna make you feel really awkward now.

SPEAKER_00 27:42

I'll tell you what, I'll tell you what.

SPEAKER_01 27:43

The opportunity, but you'd like na?

SPEAKER_00 27:45

So when I when I went on my first ever poker stars trip in 2019, which was the same year that I signed up, it that was basically just like me joining the team. So I went to the Bahamas, um, that was the PSPC, I believe. And at the time, Daniel Granny was walking around. Daniel Grani was still with poker stars at the time, and I I kind of wish I had asked him, because I think that was the last time I saw him face to face. Um, and that would have been a nice thing to do. But also, in my mind, I was like, I'll catch him another time. It's cool. I've we're team pro now, so like, sure, we'll just we'll get another opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 28:14

Fair point. Yeah, you've got time. Vegas in the summer?

SPEAKER_00 28:19

Yeah, potentially, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:21

Uh who is the person that you are most proud to have won a pot from?

SPEAKER_00 28:26

Oh my gosh. That is a great question.

SPEAKER_01 28:30

That's his staller. He does that on stream. If somebody asks him a question, he'll come back.

SPEAKER_00 28:35

That is a great question.

SPEAKER_01 28:37

He goes, that's a great question. And it's it's giving him time to think of the answer.

SPEAKER_00 28:41

So uh he certainly won't remember this, but we did a an online charity event for poker stars. I think it was called Reach for the Stars or something like that. And we got a bunch of celebrities to play online poker to raise money for uh for a charity. And I think I want to pot off Brian Cranston online, which is pretty cool, and then he proceeded to stack me like five minutes later. So I if if there's a question about who are you proud to be stacked by, he can be the same one if you want. There's not. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 29:09

Who have you loved bluffing?

SPEAKER_00 29:12

Who have I loved bluffing? Um. I'm not sure. I don't even, I'm not sure if I have I'm not sure if I've ever successfully bluffed anyone now. You say that out loud.

SPEAKER_01 29:26

I call that bluff.

SPEAKER_02 29:28

Um you must have done.

SPEAKER_00 29:30

No, I I hate it.

SPEAKER_02 29:32

I don't think.

SPEAKER_00 29:33

I I I you know, I'm I'm I'm trying to think of something funny to say in lieu of having a good answer.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

Um I'll make if I had to drop the mic.

SPEAKER_00 29:42

There's there's there's there's a chance that I that I bluffed another member of Team Pro, but now now I think about it, I'm not sure if I've ever successfully done that. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 29:51

We'll get it out of him and we'll post it in the comments.

SPEAKER_00 29:53

As the worst poker player on Team Pro, that's probably true.

SPEAKER_01 29:58

You gave me a piece of advice. Way, way, way back. We were at Red Bull uh in their headquarters, playing in this most amazing arena with all of their championship cars, and it was an invitational. I don't know if it was content creators or influencers. It was all sorts, yeah. It was all sorts, and we it was the best night, and there were 12 tables, and there was a bounty on each table. There was myself, there was yourself, Tonka was there, Lex was there, um uh GJ was there. We were all there was lots of us, and uh, I kept trying to lose. I had a bounty on my head. This was before I was involved uh as much as I am now, and I had a bounty on my head, and I literally kept trying to lose, and I would play like nine deuces off, and it would come down nine nine deuces. Anyway, we had a little bit of a break, and I was like, Oh, I'm trying to trying to lose, and uh and I got told that the final table already had five people on it, and they were all the poker stars pros. And I'm like, okay, well now I'm gonna have to go and try and play. Anyway, I did make it and I won my table. Sat down at the table, and you were to my left, and I said to you, so this is when we lose now, because of course somebody invitational needs to win. And Nick's response to me was why would you ever play a poker tournament where you intend to lose? Go for the win.

SPEAKER_00 31:23

I was I was still very young in my poker stars career at that time.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

He was also a little inebriated, but that doesn't sound like me at all. I think that's fair. I think that's fair. So I went on and won it. That's a red red spade. It's a red spade, and it's and I don't know if I really, really naffed people off by doing it, but no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 31:43

I I I think you know, there there are certain events where where you participate and probably you know you splash around a lot, just have fun with it. But I think that was that was that was a fair shot. Actually, going that back to that, there's a chance I might have bluffedige on that final table.

SPEAKER_01 31:55

Oh, I was gonna say hubby one new uh heads up with my hubby.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

Yeah, so there's a chance I might have got one past him if you want to go back to the previous question, but I it didn't spring to mind, so I'm not sure if I can say super proud.

SPEAKER_01 32:06

My second funniest, well, I've got three from that. My second funniest story from that is that I didn't sit down until most people had sat down, and I moved over to the table and teed my other half, was very, very inebriated. And then went, ah, this is the final table. And I just looked at him and went, Yes, I know. And I sat down, and then he's just like, oh duh. And then so we ended up being heads up. And um and literally the first hand, he just didn't believe me. And I had Jackson here, King Queen, and it went all in, and you know, and he still sits there, and I've the red spade is in our lounge on a windowsill, right opposite where he sits to watch TV. It is like literally next to the TV. It cooked brilliant. It'd be so funny. Anyway, we get back to it, and then the so best poker experience.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

My best poker experience. Um I I I use this one a lot, but this is actually true. So, Barcelona 2022, I believe it was. Um, Giuliano, Bendinelli, aka, flex and Ellie. Uh, if you guys haven't seen the story, it's great. Um, he went on to win it that year. But that the commentary that we did that year was so special because again, I really felt like we were kind of back in business to a certain degree, back on the live scene. Um, the the the light, the the building itself got struck by lightning and we lost power, and then the production team still managed to piece it together like flawlessly. And when I say the power went out, I mean the entire building went black. Three players were all in on the final table, and they were filming it with smartphones. They were illuminating the table with smartphones. Anyway, the the poker, the dynamics between the players, the comebacks, the hero calls, uh uh Bendinelli basically doing the whole my family's worth 30 million, I'm not gonna do a deal with you, and all this stuff. That's how we got the name Flexinelli. For me, that was like everything about it. It was kind of like all the best bits of my poker career so far. Like working with people that I really respect. Um, incredible poker, just really, really like shocking. I think uh Giuliano came back from one big blind to win that event for like 1.2 million or whatever it was, or two, or I can't remember what the size was, but that was probably my my favorite poker moment.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

That's a good one. That's a really good one. Side question now, and then we'll come to the last one.

SPEAKER_03 34:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:18

Uh do you study the players in terms of names and and like on-screen names and you know remembering their results and their achievements?

SPEAKER_00 34:29

Yeah, so I I would love to say yes, but basically, and that's but that's not out of disrespect. I would love to do more of that. But I am in a situation where I work with James Hardigan, who is the font of all memory and knowledge in poker. So if there was ever a moment for me to shine, he would beat me to it every single time. And therefore, you know, you know, like when you're uh when you're given too many things in life and you get a bit lazy, you know what I mean? Like it's that that's like me. I'm always I've always just had James to go, that was 2023. And I go, he won something. It was it was it was October of 2020, 2022. And you're like, great, okay, cool. Well, I I I remembered that. I don't remember that because I've just been spoiled for so long. But on top of that, as well, our productions uh team, we arrive. Hey Nick, how you doing? Here, here's your paperwork, and I've got so much amazing information, personal, um, you know, like historical analysis, all that kind of stuff. Do you not get that?

SPEAKER_01 35:20

I've never been given a piece of paper. I just have to make shit up. I'm just sitting there. That's a nice move.

SPEAKER_00 35:29

But you the there, yeah, the production team makes us look really good. Um, but but uh over the years I try and remember more, but my memory is not as good. And it's like I said, if I was gonna challenge myself, James just always beats me to it anyway. So it's there's not any reason for me to retain the information for long enough.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

Well, you come across as if you know it all.

SPEAKER_02 35:45

Who wins in the Harry Potter quiz knowledge?

SPEAKER_00 35:48

Oh, oh, I I cook in that for sure. There you go. I I'm I'm I I do this with uh uh with with a member of our PR team, Lizzie. She's a big Harry Potter fan, and we we like we like have Harry Potter offs, and yeah, absolutely we win.

SPEAKER_01 36:02

So what house am I?

SPEAKER_00 36:04

Uh you were Ravenclaw.

SPEAKER_01 36:06

Oh, you remembered. Of course. Do you know what house you are?

SPEAKER_02 36:11

Well, I've done those little quiz things that you can do.

SPEAKER_01 36:14

That was one of those blank face moments.

SPEAKER_02 36:17

By his by those random like quizzes that come up on Gryffindor.

SPEAKER_01 36:21

See, I was so what are your Gryffindor, aren't you?

SPEAKER_00 36:23

I was Ravenclaw.

SPEAKER_01 36:24

You were Ravenclaw as well. Oh no, I don't mind being part of Ravenclaw.

SPEAKER_00 36:27

Ravenclaw's cool, as long as you're not Hufflepuff, you're safe. It's cool.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

Why am Hufflepuff?

SPEAKER_00 36:32

Come on. We all know about Hufflepuff chat. Come on.

SPEAKER_01 36:35

Okay. Alright. Oh, I don't feel so bad about being Remember. I went to Harry Potter World last month, no, in December. Yeah. I loved it. But I was very mindful that the Ravenclaw merch wasn't as, you know, prominent as it was.

SPEAKER_02 36:49

No, I think it's Gryffindoral Slytherin, isn't it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:52

Yeah, I like, but then everyone who's in Slytherin, they all think they're kind of bad boy, you know, they all think they're kind of like edgy.

SPEAKER_01 36:58

They smell mostly boys. And my last top chomp one for you is who would you avoid in a poker room?

SPEAKER_00 37:08

Oh wow. Um very few people, I have to say. I I've been super lucky. Uh for somebody that's put themselves out into the world so much and made so much content and made a fool of myself loads and made loads of mistakes. I have very, very few like really nasty stories about people being mean to me. Um who would I avoid in a poker room? I I don't I don't know. I like everyone. I don't really have any enemies. I legitimately don't. Like, um, there's just probably some like crumpy old codger who was rude to me once who I probably wouldn't want to sit and play poker with, but like I wouldn't go out. If anything, I'd want to be on their table more so I could like fucking roast them, you know.

SPEAKER_01 37:50

Yeah, okay, we can take that. Cool beans. Wow, Mr. Nicholas Walsh. Yes, friend of mine.

SPEAKER_00 37:58

Close friend.

SPEAKER_01 37:59

Well, depends if you better pay your bill on time, that is what it is. It's been a delight, and that time has whizzed past. Um keep doing what you do. Please keep coming on uh stream with me when I do the commentary, because again, time just whizzes by and we have a giggle. And may 2026 be your best year today.

SPEAKER_00 38:23

Thank you so much. I hope the same for you two guys. Good luck.

SPEAKER_01 38:26

Thank you very much. And from this one here. Latest, that's a new one. Thank you for joining us on the Real Poker Girls of London. It's nice to be back. We promise that we'll stay a little bit more current and try and get more out for you in 2026. And I'll try and keep my voice for the next one. Anyway, we'll see you soon. Take care and run good.