Former tennis pro and sit and go/MTT specialist Nick Rainey was our guest on Mediocre Poker Radio.  He is a true grinder with an amazing poker story.  Take a listen to the interview and check out his 2009 year in poker graph below.  SO SICK. For more info on Nick, check out rainmanpoker.net.

Yesterday, we interviewed poker pro and Cardrunners founder Taylor Caby.  Taylor made it to the final table of the Full Tilt Poker Million tournament and he is looking to give away 1% of his total winnings!  If you are interested in learning how you can win this cash, check out the interview in the PODCAST section of this site.   The interview with also air Sunday evening on 106.7FM The Fan in Washington, DC.  In addition to speaking with Taylor, we discussed the latest nosebleed poker action on FTP.  Check it out!!!

We taped Mediocre Poker Radio from The Borgata in Atlantic City over the weekend- site of the Junkies Poker Open where 600 of our listeners made the trip from Washington, DC to participate in the $300 buy-in tournament.  SICK, SICK, turnout!  Brad Booth was our guest and he was amazing, giving us a true sense of the ups and downs of a poker pro.  Nothing was off limits.  Check it out in the PODCAST section of this site.  As always, thanks for listening!

We’ve received a few emails/tweets asking where you can watch the final table which is now underway! The answer is nowhere. UGH. But you can listen to the audio broadcast HERE. Below is a twitpic of Phil Ivey as he was introduced to the crowd. Apparently the crowd went insane! I am in full Phil Ivey fanboy mode as is most of the poker world.

Hey guys- we finally tracked down former High Stakes Poker(GSN) commentator, AJ Benza, to find out exactly what happend and why he was let go from the show. AJ is an amazing interview so you are not going to want to miss this. Thanks for listening!!!

Hey guys, if you missed Sunday’s show on 106.7FM The Fan, it is now available as a podcast. Poker pro, author, and coach Tri Nguyen AKA slowhabit was our guest.  We did almost an hour with Tri, and his ability to teach the game really showed in this interview. Check it out!

Be sure to check out Tri’s new workbook pictured below.  It’s available at dailyvariance.com.

Mediocre Poker Radio now airs on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, DC (formerly 106.7 WJFK)!!!! This is a great fit for the show as poker and sports have always shared the same competitive nature and the thrill/agony of winning/losing. Podcasts of the show will still be available.

The Fan, DC’s newest FM sports station will still feature our morning show, The Sports Junkies, from 6am-10am daily.  Additions to the station include former Redskin Lavar Arrington, Washington Post sports clumnist Mike Wise, NFL play by play, and Washington Wizards basketball.

Read Eric’s thoughts on the station format change

I mean it is easy apparently for Phil G, the Dangs, Cole South, and others. But for the rest of us it’s a minefield of emotions and confidence swings. I’m a winner over 200K plus hands at 50 NL and I still wonder if I’m not the worst player in the world when I lose 2 days in a row or God forbid 3 days or more. How anybody plays this game for serious money on a regular basis is beyond me. You have to be almost devoid of emotion when you play this game. And frankly that’s not my personality. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I’m filled with insecurities. But I also have big dreams. Any my dreams get crushed when I don’t play well or meet my expectations. Why do I torture myself then? Because I see people like Dusty Schmidt, Matt Bolt even Brian Townsend come from the micros to become world class players through sheer determination.

I do believe that this game can be conquered to an extent. Poker can be an avenue to see the world in a different way and give you an opportunity to do amazing things for yourself and others. I’m just not good enough yet. Maybe I never will be, but I’ll die trying. Growing up I wanted to be a great athlete too. I dedicated years to excelling in sports. But it wasn’t in my DNA to do anything of note in that arena. Now sports are a passion and an outlet for me to this day. But most people will agree that genes play a huge factor in sports. You can’t make a world champion 100 meter sprinter. You have to be born with the correct ingredients. You can’t make yourself be Lebron James. You have to be 6′ 8″ 250 with a 40 inch vertical, lateral quickness, strength, touch, smarts, feel for the game and the fire and determination to match all of that.

However in poker you don’t need fast twitch muscle fibers. You don’t even necessarily have to be a math wiz. The general math concepts that are required of a succesful player can be learned. You don’t have to be an expert in Game Theory either. You need a solid understanding of the odds and probabilities inherent in poker. It helps to understand game flow, tilt control and other personality traits. But all of those things can be learned. I really believe this. We all don’t have to have Phil Galfonds mind or Brian Townsends electrical engineering background. An average person can be great in poker if they are willing to be great working at the game. Years of playing, studying, reading, and more playing, studying and reading can yield great results. Poker doesn’t discriminate. Mike Matusow doesn’t have more bad beats then you or me. In fact I’d argue he’s running pretty good in life and poker.

I’m determined to do something extraordinary in poker. Unfortunately I don’t know what exactly that is yet. And that’s ok. I don’t yearn to play the rail heaven games on Full Tilt. I don’t dream of winning the main event at the WSOP. But I do want to see the fruits of my labor. Never in my life have I felt like something so far away is also so within my reach if I just continue to work hard. In life you don’t always get what you deserve. But I think overall in poker if you put the time and effort in you actually can achieve your dreams. Whatever they may be.

If you didn’t catch the show last night on 106.7FM WJFK in Washington, DC you can now listen to it in the podcast section of this site.  Thx for listening and supporting the show!

Next Sunday’s (5/10) Guest:  Brian Townsend