Jonathan Little: From Magic the Gathering to Two-Time WPT Champion

Life Outside Poker is a podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level. In the 22nd episode, Connor speaks with poker coach Jonathan Little about the early days of online poker, Magic the Gathering, dealing with downswings, winning the 2007 WPT Mirage Poker Showdown and 2008 WPT Mashantucket Championship, recent victories in the PokerGO Studio and balancing poker and family. Little also talked about running PokerCoaching.com, the qualities of a good poker coach and mentoring high-stakes pro Justin Saliba. This interview was filmed at the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) festival at Resorts World Las Vegas. The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Jonathan Little by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel. Be sure to follow Jonathan Little and Connor Richards on X. Learn More About Life Outside Poker! Timestamps TIME TOPIC 0:00 Intro 1:05 Getting into poker 4:45 Playing online w/ Shannon Shorr 7:14 Building a bankroll & early downswings 10:50 07-08 WPT run 15:33 Poker coaching 19:23 Other poker coaches 20:25 Mentoring Justin Saliba 25:44 NAPT Las Vegas 28:55 Balancing poker and family 30:30 Poker Hall of Fame 31:41 Book recommendation 33:32 Advice for younger self 35:05 Favorite life lesson from poker

Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level. In the 21st episode, Connor speaks with Survivor legend Boston Rob, aka Rob Mariano, about growing up near Fenway Park, learning poker at the age of 6, studying psychology at Boston University, applying for Survivor and winning Season 22, his recent appearance on Deal or No Deal Island and filming an upcoming season of The Traitors. Boston Rob also revealed a story about Costa Rican authorities raiding a mansion known to host high-stakes poker games during a 2006 filming that included Daniel Negreanu, Josh Arieh, David Williams, Michael Mizrachi and actress Cheryl Hines. "Calvin had a big party at the house, and they came in guns drawn," he said. "And we were fine, but we all had to stay at the party until they checked our passports and everything. I think it was a little bit of a shakedown. But we had a good weekend." This interview was filmed at the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) festival at Resorts World Las Vegas. The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Boston Rob by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel. Be sure to follow Boston Rob and Connor Richards on X. Learn More About Life Outside Poker! Time Stamps TIME TOPIC 0:00 Intro 0:49 Growing up in Boston 2:12 Studying psychology at Boston University 5:25 Learning poker at age 6 7:18 Poker game raided by Costa Rican Federales 8:54 Balancing skill & luck 10:34 Playing poker with celebrities 13:34 RunGood Poker Series 15:51 Boston Rob cook book 19:07 Survivor & reality TV 25:34 Other poker players on Survivor 26:12 Deal of No Deal Island 30:26 Traitors 33:50 NAPT Las Vegas 34:49 Book recommendation 36:08 Advice for younger self 36:54 Favorite life lesson from poker

Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level. In the 20th episode, Connor speaks with PokerNews Podcast co-host and Game of Gold contestant Kyna England about the Chicago poker scene, going to the same high school as director John Hughes, winning 2021 MSPT Player of the Year, going to Korea for Game of Gold, podcasting, and being a part of Team Hot Dog with Jamie Kerstetter. England also talked about her victory in the 2023 NAPT Women's Event and going to London for the upcoming PokerStars Women's Winter Festival. This interview was filmed at the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) festival at Resorts World Las Vegas. The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Kyna England by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel. Be sure to follow Kyna England and Connor Richards on X. Learn More About Life Outside Poker! Time Stamps TIME TOPIC 0:00 Intro 0:45 Chicago poker 3:15 Same high school as John Hughes 5:56 Chicago poker vs Vegas poker 10:20 Winning 2021 MSPT POY 12:25 Playing Venetian $5k 16:37 Best MSPT grinders 19:09 Team Hot Dog 20:10 Women in Poker Hall of Fame nominees 22:05 Kristen Foxen Main bust out hand 23:34 Game of Gold 28:14 Yoh Viral Game of Gold story 30:52 PokerNews Podcast 34:01 NAPT Las Vegas 34:48 Winning 2023 NAPT Women's Event 37:08 Women's Winter Festival in London 39:22 Book recommendations 41:02 Advice for younger self 41:32 Favorite life lesson from poker

Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level. In the 19th episode, Connor speaks with former poker pro Eugene Katchalov, one of Ukraine's all-time money leaders who fled the country in 2022 after Russia's invasion and has since returned with his family to the war-torn region. Katchalov, a former PokerStars ambassador, talked about growing up in New York City, his poker glory days and 2007 Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic victory for $2.5 million, returning to Ukraine and misconceptions about the longstanding conflict with Russia. He also discussed his venture into esports and new plans to get back into poker with a project aimed at leveling the playing field between pros and recreationals. The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Eugene Katchalov by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel. Be sure to follow Eugene Katchalov and Connor Richards on X. Learn More About Life Outside Poker! Time Stamps TIME TOPIC 0:00 Intro 1:08 Returning to Ukraine 5:30 Breakdown of Ukraine-Russia conflict 10:09 Growing up in Brooklyn 12:03 How poker has changed 16:20 Black Friday 17:28 E-Sports 21:32 Return to poker? 23:24 Problems with poker today 27:24 Online poker 32:08 Book recommendation 34:24 Advice for younger self 33:16 Favorite life lesson from poker 37:15 What makes you hopeful?

Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level. In the 18th episode, Connor speaks with author and psychologist Maria Konnikova about her family leaving Russia to come to the US, writing her first story in kindergarten, being mentored by Steven Pinker at Harvard, meeting Erik Seidel for the first time and her 2020 bestseller The Biggest Bluff that explored her poker journey. Konnikova, a PokerStars ambassador, also talked about her research for an upcoming book into cheating in poker and other games, as well as game integrity rule changes implemented at EPT Barcelona that Konnikova said needed to go even further. "I think what PokerStars has done is amazing. I think you need to go a step further and not have any electronics anywhere on the table. Like, I think phones need to be on the floor, in your bag." "I would actually also ban sunglasses because ... there's so much technology that (that can enable cheating)." This interview was filmed in Spain during the 2024 PokerStars EPT Barcelona festival at Casino Barcelona. The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Maria Konnikova by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel. Be sure to follow Maria Konnikova and Connor Richards on X. Learn More About Life Outside Poker!   Time Stamps TIME TOPIC 0:00 Intro 1:09 EPT Barcelona 20th anniversary 2:35 Parents leaving Russia 6:25 Writing 10:27 First story 14:36 Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes 18:44 Being mentored by Steven Pinker 25:37 The Biggest Bluff 27:34 First time meeting Erik Seidel 31:55 New cheating methods in poker 36:22 Should sunglasses be banned? 39:46 Upcoming book on cheating in games 40:57 Being a PokerStars ambassador 44:53 Women in poker 47:16 Risky Business podcast w/ Nate Silver 52:07 Book recommendation 52:37 What makes you hopeful? 54:49 Advice for younger self 56:05 Favorite life lesson from poker

Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level. In the 17th episode, Connor speaks with Scottish poker pro and Triple Crown winner Niall Farrell about studying law, winning the Triple Crown in less than three years, "Firaldo After Dark" streams during lockdown and a new BBC documentary The Four Rules of the Poker Kings that follows Farrell's poker journey. "Firaldo" also breaks down an iconic hand he played in the 2017 WSOP Europe Main Event that resulted in him getting Maria Ho to fold a set. This interview was filmed in Barcelona during the 2024 PokerStars EPT Barcelona festival at Casino Barcelona. The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Niall Farrell by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel. Be sure to follow Niall Farrell and Connor Richards on X. Learn More About Life Outside Poker! Time Stamps TIME TOPIC 0:00 Intro 0:48 Getting into poker 2:07 Law degree 6:45 First live cash 8:06 Achieving Triple Crown in under three years 12:56 Getting Maria Ho to fold top set 24:06 Ambassadorships 25:29 "After dark" streams during lockdown 27:30 Sports betting 29:44 The Four Rules of the Poker Kings BBC documentary 35:26 Mainstream press for documentary 39:18 Book recommendations 40:12 What makes you hopeful? 41:09 Advice for younger self 42:02 Favorite life lesson from poker

Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level. In the 16th episode, Connor speaks with Hustler Casino Live co-founder Ryan Feldman about sports journalism, interviewing star athletes, leaving ESPN to start a poker stream, founding HCL and putting together some of the most entertaining lineups in poker history. Feldman also shared a story about being kicked out on Day 3 of the 2016 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event despite being one of the biggest stacks of the tournament. This interview was filmed in July at the 2024 WSOP inside Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Ryan Feldman by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel. Be sure to follow Ryan Feldman and Connor Richards on X. Learn More About Life Outside Poker! Time Stamps TIME TOPIC 0:00 Intro 0:45 Sports journalism 5:57 Starting NBA website 8:28 Interviewing NBA players 17:15 Working for ESPN 23:46 Moving to LA & getting into poker 29:00 Leaving ESPN for poker 31:34 Kicked out on Day 3 of 2016 WSOP Main Event 40:17 Poker production & lineup building 43:51 Live at the Bike 45:32 Starting Hustler Casino Live 46:22 Million Dollar Game 47:32 Mr. Beast game 51:01 Can poker streams continue growing? 53:51 Dream HCL guests 55:59 J4, Garrett & Robbi 1:04:28 Alan Keating & Cody Daniels story 1:10:53 Advice for younger self 1:13:46 Life lesson from poker

Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level. In the 15th episode, Connor speaks with statistician Nate Silver about his new book On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything, election forecasting, founding and leaving FiveThirtyEight, his bad beats at feature tables, and co-hosting the Risky Business podcast with Maria Konnikova. Silver also discusses the upcoming US presidential election, sports analytics, Limit Hold'em, his Silver Bulletin newsletter and why no one should be a nit in life. This interview was filmed on June 8 at the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) inside Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Nate Silver by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel. Be sure to follow Nate Silver and Connor Richards on X. Learn More About Life Outside Poker! Time Stamps TIME TOPIC 0:00 Intro 00:52 Interest in numbers 5:18 Politics 9:55 2024 election 11:40 2016 election 15:29 High school debate 17:38 Don't be a nit 22:53 On the Edge 27:48 Sam Bankman-Fried 32:46 Book interviews 42:21 How poker has changed 46:07 Televized bad beats at WSOP 53:55 Substack & podcast 56:41 Maria Konnikova 59:33 What makes you hopeful? 1:00:30 Advice for younger self 1:04:14 Life lesson from poker

Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level. In the 14th episode, Connor speaks with Brazilian poker vlogger Romulo Dorea, aka "Poker Profit," who talked about coming to the US to play college soccer, studying economics, discovering poker and making content in both English and Portuguese. Romulo also shared his six principles for success in poker and talked about his life-changing trip on the WPT Voyage. This interview was filmed at the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) inside Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Romulo Dorea by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel. Be sure to follow Romulo Dorea and Connor Richards on X. Time Stamps TIME TOPIC 0:00 Intro 0:56 Growing up in Brazil 2:17 Soccer in Brazil 3:56 Strengths in poker 8:19 Vlogging in two languages 16:09 Going to college in the US 19:13 Six principles for success in poker 20:51 Looking up to other poker players 26:11 Influences 30:53 WPT Voyage 32:49 Book recommendations 34:18 Advice for younger self 35:17 Life lesson from poker *Thumbnail image courtesy World Poker Tour (WPT)

Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level. In the 13th episode, Connor speaks with 888poker ambassador and Twitch streamer Ian Simpson, who talked about first learning poker as a kid, getting a degree in biotechnology and becoming a biology teacher, poker streaming and his breakout year of live poker in 2013 that saw him winning the Irish Poker Open for $339,604. Simpson also discussed the importance of being a responsible poker ambassador and how science can change the world for the better. This interview was filmed at the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) inside Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Ian Simpson by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel. Be sure to follow Ian Simpson and Connor Richards on X. Learn More About Life Outside Poker! Time Stamps TIME TOPIC 0:00 Intro 1:48 Playing poker as a kid 3:44 Going into teaching 8:03 Online poker 10:18 Unibet 13:04 Streaming 17:19 Inspirational content creators 20:14 Breakout year in 2013 24:48 Being a responsible ambassador 26:48 Main Event strategy 36:36 Family 39:41 Book recommendations 41:07 How science can change the world 45:12 Advice for younger self 46:01 Life lesson from poker