The Flow Show with Jeff Gross

In this episode, Brian Rast, professional poker player, scientist, cycler, and philosopher, talks about how he got into poker while attending Stanford College. Jeff and Brian discuss his biggest wins, favorite games, and how solvers have changed the landscape in poker. Listen in to hear Brian share his thoughts on bitcoin, Burning Man, and meeting his Brazilian wife – and listen in as he gives Jeff some pro tips.   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: 01:00 – Introducing Brian, a tournament and cash game pro, and his background 02:00 – He went to Stanford and started playing poker there; he was a math major but dropped out 03:15 – He played poker for 2 years in college and has played ever since for the last 15 years; he started as a cash game player and started tournaments 5-6 years ago 04:40 – His parents wanted him to finish school and graduate; his dad started learning poker and his mom was less accepting of poker at the beginning 07:00 – The most he played was when he dropped out of school; he was playing 80-100 hours a week 07:45 – He plays every day during the WSOP and less for the other 10 months out of the year; he has great endurance, his longest is about 50-52 hours 09:00 – Poker in Macau 09:30 – In the U.S. people gamble in passing, on their way to something else; in Macau people arrive at 10am with tea and hit it for 24 hours straight 10:02 – In Macau he would regularly play 24-40 hour sessions 10:30 – The bicycle ride; he has detailed information about the bike bets on his blog 11:55 – He had no cycling experience and had to complete the ride from Vegas to LA in 48 hours without drafting or a recumbent bike; he went into 25mph winds at one point 14:15 – Brian’s biggest wins; He’s made over $20 million in lifetime earnings and is number one all-time in California 14:35 – He’s won the Player’s Championship $50,000 twice; he probably won’t play many more tournaments where he can win as much as he has 16:00 – He’s been playing poker since 2003 and has traveled little for poker; he didn’t have many results until 2011 18:00 – Playing tournaments and cash games gave him a ton of experience; people’s ability to study solvers has changed the no-limit hold ‘em game at the top 20:00 -He’s used solvers off and on but isn’t putting in the same work as the other guys; he likes the mixed game and understands that everyone makes mistakes 22:00 – The games Brian loves 22:50 – He loves no-limit hold ‘em; he got into mixed games because he liked learning and wanted to be in on the action near home in Vegas 24:30 – He’s more of a cash player, he’s not a tournament player anymore; he’s never liked travelling for tournaments 26:38 – Tournaments are more exciting even if cash games profit more; he hasn’t burnt out on poker and still loves it 28:00 – He loves the pressure and competition in poker; it’s what keeps him coming back 31:50 – The best session he played was in Macau; he played with super-rich guys and heavy-hitters in the poker world and the pot winner would show their hand 34:24 – He played hot, bluffed a lot, and everything worked; he was known as the guy that got white people kicked out of Macau 37:30 – There are many cash players who are great and unknown because they don’t play tournaments 38:30 – Brian’s thoughts on crypto-currency 38:53 – He recommends listening to Murad Mahmudov’s interview on the Off the Chain Podcast titled The Ultimate Bitcoin Argument 39:40 – He believes bitcoin is about to become an official global money; you must invest your money or else it depreciates, bitcoin doesn’t inflate or depreciate 42:30 – It does gold better than gold; it’ll work as long as people believe in it as a money 43:50 – People like it in poker to transfer large sums quickly; bitcoin makes sense to Brian as a long-term investment with some disposable income 53:15 – Brian’s Burning Man experience 53:30 – He thinks Burning Man is an awesome, unique experience; you can find whatever you want there whether it’s music and partying or art and spirituality 54:45 – He loves techno music, art, and principles of Burning Man; Jeff met his wife at Burning Man 57:10 – Brian’s biggest motivators: His family and his wife 57:25 – He loves his wife and what she’s done to make it work; he’s learned to be a father to his step-son with his wife’s help 59:00 – Now his dream is to help his son realize his dreams; he never thought he’d be that way with another person 59:50 – His relationship has made him better and helps hold him accountable; self-improvement is a constant thing with focus, meditation, and learning 01:01:00 – Both Jeff and Brian are married to Brazilians and excited to have kids soon 01:09:35 – When people complain 01:10:00 – He can let whiney losers slide, but he hates whiney winners; he hates when people berate or put others down at the table 01:11:05 – The impact solvers has had 01:11:15 – Since he’s started using the Range Converter he’s felt more comfortable in certain spots in tournaments; it’s given him structure and it makes sense to play that way 01:12:00 – It helps you improve your game and make adjustments; it’s important to feel confident and learn principles 01:15:50 – A tip for a new poker player 01:16:05 – Approach poker from a strong decision-making position hand-by-hand; don’t let emotions or gambling get in the way and don’t quit everything and start 01:20:07 – On having JG as a friend; JG thinks, plans for his friends, is generous, fun, interesting, genuine, and conscientious 01:21:50 – How he met his wife 01:22:02 – He went to Brazil with a friend 9 years ago and met her while they were out; they communicated in Spanish and it was love at first sight 01:23:03 – They wouldn’t allow her to visit the U.S. so he started visiting her and Skyping her; he learned Portuguese to communicate better with her 01:24:50 – Seeing people limp in tournaments 01:25:10 – People are starting to learn solvers and try out new things; you’ve got to work on your game 01:25:30 – The hamburger thing; he ate a Burger Lounge burger while streaming and played well 01:26:55 – He doesn’t care what people say, he doesn’t regret his food choice; there aren’t that many food options in casinos 01:32:30 – Thoughts on poker’s future 01:32:52 – He likes poker, but it’s slowly starting to become more solved; he wonders what the long-term future of online poker is 01:35:30 – Poker needs to be human vs. human; there shouldn’t be computer assistance 01:41:25 – He doesn’t have weaknesses anymore; he used to be bad at some games but is now better at all of them 01:42:10 – Poker as a zero sum game 01:42:30 – He never claimed to be a big service to society and believes there are many jobs out there that don’t serve society, either 01:43:05 – Poker isn’t unique, there are tons of jobs and industries that aren’t a service and are even a detriment to society; he’s devoting more time to other endeavors 01:44:20 – They sponsor a few young athletes; his work and money helps others through his wife 01:45:15 – He has an idea of being a citizen of earth; his wife is turning it into a concept and NGO 01:46:45 – He recognizes that poker is his selfish pursuit, but he can support his family and give back to society from it 01:49:40 – On what area Brian thinks Jeff should improve in his game 01:50:20 – In the past, Jeff played scared and tight; he needed to open up his game and take advantage of opportunities 01:51:04 – It’s a mental thing more than a technique thing; Jeff is working on that with Elliot Roe 01:51:45 – Jeff has had some issues with focus and flow; when they went to Cabo to play online, he’d stream and have to play and entertain 01:53:03 – Learning other games could be beneficial 01:56:10 – On prioritizing exercise and sleep to play better for longer 01:56:45 – He wants good results so he lines everything else around that, not the other way around 02:02:55 – More on bitcoin; he thinks it’s going to be worth a lot but suggests everyone do their research  3 Key Points Solvers have had a huge impact on poker over the past 15 years. Prioritize your health to play better for longer. A strong mindset is critical for success. Contact/Resources Partner - Party Poker Jeff’s Website – Jeff Gross Poker Brian’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Website Brian’s Blog Murad Mahmudov’s interview - Here Burning Man - Website Range Converter - Website Elliot Roe’s - Website

In this episode, Andrew Neeme, a professional poker player and popular vlogger, talks about how he started vlogging and shares the valuable lessons he learned along the way. Jeff and Andrew discuss how to balance time between marriage, vlogging, studying, and playing, and they speculate on developments in poker legislation. Listen in to hear Andrew share tips to follow when sharing your own content – and get some insight on what he wishes he would’ve done from the get-go. 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: 01:00 – Introducing Andrew and his journey 01:30 – He went to Michigan State University and did an internship with a music production company in London and moved back to LA 02:50 – 2004-2008 he dabbled in online poker; around 2008 he started playing full-time poker 04:20 – He moved to Las Vegas almost 10 years ago 04:50 – Andrew’s popular Vlog 05:15 – He understood and enjoyed the video medium for poker; he liked that he could connect directly to the audience and do creative storytelling 07:00 – He started Vlogging in October of 2016 08:24 – Advice for vloggers 08:40 – You can film from your cell phone, and the hard part is the editing; he had no idea how long it would take at first 10:20 – He suggests hiring someone to do the editing from the get-go; personality goes into the editing, which is hard for him to let go of now 12:45 – How Andrew manages his time 13:25 – He films and edits all his videos; he doesn’t have a science behind his social media strategy and just posts when he wants to 17:25 – Social media apps can easily take time away from productivity 19:15 – Developments in online poker legislation 19:45 – Everything happens slowly but he feels there is still hope and possibility; people can gamble online easily if they want to whether it’s regulated or not 22:21 – He’d love to road trip around Michigan and livestream 23:05 – Andrew’s position on team Run It Up 25:28 – They help with management, messaging, and branding 28:00 – The Vlogger in Paradise Challenge and the Andrew’s biggest tournament 28:30 – They got submissions from around the world; the quality of the videos and personalities were amazing 31:13 – It’s the biggest tournament he’s ever played; there are giveaway winners and professionals playing side by side 33:41 – Tournaments always have variance; the key is not to get too carried away, it’s 2.5 times bigger than the biggest buy-in he had ever played 40:20 – Andrew’s relationship with his wife, Busi; they met at a friend’s gathering in Las Vegas and the rest is history 45:00 – Stake Kings is like crowdfunding for poker players; Andrew is there 47:50 – The other games Andrew plays 48:00 – He loves PLO, 1-2-5, and 2-5-10 game in Vegas; he also likes the short-deck he played at Run It Up Reno 50:00 – He hasn’t gotten into mixed games 52:40 – What Andrew does to decompress and what content he consumes 52:50 – Most videos are long format; he follows a few vloggers and doesn’t watch TV 55:50 – His main goal this year is to focus on being more present; when you make videos you’re always looking ahead 57:20 – At the time of the recording, he has 150 vlogs 58:30 – Andrew’s meet-up games and Twitch streams 58:40 – They aren’t planned in advance and it’s an approachable game for most people; they’re every man’s stakes and it’s more of a social game 01:00:45 – They had their first meet up game tournament in Austin; it’s nice to get face-to-face with people 01:02:05 – He’s done about 10 livestreams and can do it simultaneously through YouTube and Twitch; Twitch is more lenient about background music 01:05:15 – Andrew’s future plans 01:05:30 – He started the videos over a year ago; he says it’s hard to say how he’ll be making a living years from now but maybe the content will change 01:07:50 – He doesn’t know what the future of poker holds; he said it’ll be hard to replicate the boom of years ago but regulations would be great for poker 01:10:20 - People recognize Andrew in the poker scene and sometimes outside of the poker room; the work he’s done is like his resume and can be done in any industry 01:14:50 – Advice for new vloggers 15:00:00 – Uploading earlier in the week at a reasonable hour is better than uploading on the weekend; as far as length, he takes as long as needed to tell the story 01:21:05 – An unpleasant experience at the table 01:21:30 – He’s never seen any fistfights; Jeff saw someone take $2,500 worth of chips 01:22:40 – Poker seems to be pretty chill overall 01:23:00 – Poker or content creation? 01:23:30 – Vlogging is more exciting, but poker is the income source; the YouTube revenue is helpful and pays some bills and he tries to balance all channels 01:24:15 – It would be daunting to create content about another subject that he doesn’t know as well as poker 01:25:10 – Kids and doppelgangers 01:25:20 – Yes, someday, and yes, he knows he looks like Aaron Rodgers and the Verizon guy 01:29:30 – Income streams through social media and weed 01:30:00 – Merchandise, YouTube income, and partnerships provide for income streams; he smokes weed very rarely 01:31:25 – Impacts to Andrew’s relationship due to his celebrity 01:31:40 – The biggest downside is that everything takes a lot of time; he has to balance his relationship with everything else 01:32:25 – He and his wife started a podcast called the Tells Podcast; they talk about life, poker, YouTube, pop culture, and relationships 01:35:58 – His family likes to see what he’s up to on YouTube; he recommends people show their family the professionalism and passion they have for the industry 01:37:40 – Busi plays the markets and poker is similar, so they understood each other from the get-go 01:38:45 – Andrew’s thoughts on staking 01:38:57 – He sees it as a natural part of the poker experience and helps people move up in poker stakes; just like in other businesses, people get outside investors 01:39:39 – You can sell a piece of yourself to friends, colleagues, or other poker players while you get used to new poker stakes; he doesn’t have a lot of experience in that 01:40:24 – Ask each other as many questions as possible and sign a document hashing out all scenarios 01:41:50 – Money management 01:42:19 – When he first moved to Vegas he spent too much, now he manages his money better and isn’t into material possessions 01:46:10 – Poker as a zero sum game 01:46:20 – He looks at poker like a sport like golf; there’s tours, sponsorships, and it’s a spectator sport 01:46:55 – If you’re doing something that makes you happy, you’ll share that happiness with the world 3 Key Points If you want to be a vlogger, hire an editor early on, refine as you go, and just do it! There are so many ways to make a living now; there’s no telling what could be possible just a few years from now. Staking is like a business seeking outside investors; it’s great as long as there’s good communication between the investor and the investee. Contact/Resources Partner - Party Poker Jeff’s Website – Jeff Gross Poker Andrew’s Vlog - YouTube Run It Up - Website Stake Kings - Website Andrew’s Website Andrew’s Twitch Andrew and Busi’s Podcast

In this episode, Eric Damier, founder and CEO of EarthPix and TravelSmarter, talks about his inspiration for starting EarthPix and how they’ve kept a loyal following. Jeff and Eric discuss why he started TravelSmarter and how he built a platform to pass wholesale travel savings to the customer. Listen in to hear Eric share his thoughts on advertising through social media, his community of photographers, and why when his audience talks, he listens. 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: 01:00 – Introducing Eric, his journey, and the beginnings of EarthPix 01:30 – He grew up in L.A. and got into sales and real estate at a very young age; he started playing poker after the market crash of 2008 02:15 – He learned a lot about YouTube technology and built his own YouTube network in 2011-2012; he learned about the power of social media and influence 03:00 – He also learned about Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and helped brands use influencers as distribution channels 03:30 – He and some others built EarthPix as a way to aggregate the beautiful photos others had taken around the world; they went from 0 to over 500,000 in 2 months 05:07 – He’s in the digital space now and is passionate about growing audiences and engaging people; he’s grown EarthPix for the last 6 years 06:30 – He loves Anthony Bourdain and was inspired by his time in India when he started a call center there 08:15 – 2.5 years ago he began travelling more and learned how to take photos and pilot a drone 10:15 – At first they were criticized for sharing content without credit; as they grew they learned to credited appropriately and photographers started wanting to be featured 11:15 – Eric is friends with Tom Anderson of Myspace who loves to travel and became a great photographer 13:30 – What makes EarthPix stand out from the rest 13:45 – They’re always the first to find beautiful and engaging content and get the first rights to a photo; they have a viral affect 14:50 – They have a team behind the social media strategy of the account; they have a network of photographers that send them excellent content 15:39 – They don’t post ads which keeps them respected by followers; they aren’t focused on monetizing their audience, rather, they provide value 17:15 – The underwater hotel room in the Maldives and the experience he had at the Conrad Resort 18:20 – The Conrad had worked with other accounts for exposure; when he approached them, he asked them about their goals and what they need 19:00 – They wanted to be the most followed resort in the Maldives and Eric made it happen; they told him about a secret project 19:30 – The underwater villa was the project and a stay at the villa is now at least $250,000 20:11 – The trip he and his team took to do this for The Conrad was valued at about $350,000; it was gorgeous 23:00 – Information about TravelSmarter 23:20 – Eric has engaged with his audience now more than ever before; they are passionate about travel but many say they don’t have the money 24:40 – He discovered a way to build a platform so that travel savings could be passed on to the customer/member/follower 26:05 – In the first two weeks after launch, they had over 5-6 bookings and one customer saved $3,500 in a one-week stay 26:45 – TravelSmarter clients are flexible and budget-conscious; by booking in advance, you have more options 29:00 – People are very happy with their bookings through TravelSmarter; the site is clean and clutter-free 30:48 – Airlines are different; their margins are thinner so savings aren’t as much 33:00 – On the site, you can compare their price to the public prices found on retail sites; flexible dates and places make for higher savings 37:20 – Pricing was based on case studies and community outreach; you can test it out for 30 days free 37:57 – After 30 days, it’s a 12-month membership for $9.97 a month; it’s great for domestic and international travel 41:20 – TravelSmarter will have a podcast soon where professional travelers will share travel tips and advice 3 Key Points Providing value to an audience, rather than simply trying to monetize them, is the secret to a large, loyal following. Eric listened to what his audience wanted and created a platform to provide it. Eric’s passion for travel fueled his desire to help others realize their own travel dreams. Contact/Resources Partner - Party Poker Jeff’s Website – Jeff Gross Poker EarthPix – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter TravelSmarter – Instagram, Facebook, Website Eric’s Social Media Accounts – Instagram, Twitter Conrad Maldives Rangali Island - Website