The Heart of Poker Podcast

Lupe Soto on Being A Survivor, Giving Back & Making Poker More Accessible | Ep:52

It’s hard to keep track of all the ways Lupe Soto has contributed to the poker industry. Not only did she found the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2008, she’s been instrumental in launching the Ladies International Poker Series, Senior Poker Tour & Women’s Poker Association to name a few.

Soto’s roots in poker run deep. She recalls how when she started playing at her local casino, 5 card stud was the only form of poker on offer. Throughout all the changes the industry has gone through, it’s clear her passion for poker is just as strong today as when she first learned the game.

Lupe shares how a complicated family life left her on her own at the age of 12. She recalls how life could've been very different for her, but her drive and the goodwill from others helped her overcome the adversities in her life and go on to achieve great things. In fact, the generosity she received from others is largely what has driven her to “pay it forward” and help so many people. 

Other topics covered in the conversation include her most treasured memories, giving women a voice & and making poker more accessible for new players.

Check out our interviews with earlier guests from The Heart of Poker, including David Lappin, Erin Lydon, Tana Karn, Johnnie Vibes & more!

Erin Lydon on Empowering Women, Being A Workaholic & Embracing Failure | Ep: 51

If there’s anyone championing women in poker, it’s Erin Lydon. The Poker Power president has an incredible passion for not only the game, but also the lessons we can learn from it and apply to everyday life.

From working on Wall Street to speaking at Tedx events, Lydon has had an incredibly decorated professional career(including being the Vice President of JP Morgan for 6.5 years). However, she’s spent the last 4 years in leadership positions at Poker Power, where they teach women+ about the game and how to apply its teachings to their professional lives as well.

During the podcast, Erin and Kara discuss her upbringing and how she’s tried to do things differently raising her own children. Other topics the two discuss include work-life balance, saying “yes” to more things and what lies ahead in her personal and professional life.

Check out our interviews with earlier guests from The Heart of Poker, including David Lappin, Maria Ho, Tana Karn, Justin Bonomo & more!

David Lappin on Underground Card Rooms, Aging & Misconceptions About His Writing | Ep: 50

On this month’s episode of The Heart Of Poker Podcast, Kara Scott speaks with poker player, writer and fellow podcast host David Lappin. Not one to mince words, Lappin is known for calling it as he sees it when it comes to his writing. However, as this podcast unfolds, we learn that he’s far from motivated by clickbait titles or attention seeking behaviour.

Interestingly, both Kara and David found poker through TV. Lappin reveals that a writing gig, where one of his characters was a poker player, was the impetus for him to pursue a deeper understanding of the game. As luck would have it, the writing gig dried up and he turned to his newfound poker skills to keep “to keep the wolf from the door” as he describes it.

The conversation evolves from poker to relationships and Lappin shares what qualities he’s always sought out in his friendships. The two go on to discuss other topics such as underground online card rooms, aging & his family.

Check out our interviews with earlier guests from The Heart of Poker, including Tana Karn, Justin Bonomo, Alex O’Brien, and Maria Ho.

Tana Karn on Superstitions, Winning Awards & His Humble Beginnings | Ep: 49

If you’ve ever found yourself at a RunGood poker tournament or sporting one of their signature t-shirts, then you have Tana Karn to thank. The mastermind behind the apparel and live event brand sits down with Kara Scott for a candid exchange on his humble beginnings.

As a first-generation American born to Thai parents, he talks about his upbringing in his parents' restaurant and how that experience formed the foundation of his hospitality skills. His father’s advice of “build things to last” clearly stuck with Karn, as he launched RunGood when he was only 23. Though it wasn’t the powerhouse it is today, he shares how success early on meant “someone buying a t-shirt.”

Even though RunGood has become a three-time Global Poker Awards Best Mid-Major Tour winner, Karn still speaks of his superstitions and how he doesn’t like to show up for the beginning of a Day 1A “in case no one shows up.” Although it's hard to believe that would ever be the case, it's become clear that Karn is a man of the people and his infectious energy is what continues to bring people into the RunGood world.

Check out our interviews with earlier guests from The Heart of Poker, including Johnnie Vibes, Justin Bonomo, Mustapha Kanit, and Maria Ho.

Felipe Ramos on Changing Callings, Growing Up In A Rough Neighbourhood & Being A Good Parent | Ep: 48

If you’re familiar with Brazilian poker players, then you will certainly have heard of Felipe Ramos. Playing professionally for 16 years now, Ramos currently sits at 4th in the Brazil all-time money list and has racked up a whopping $3.6 million in live earnings alone.

Kara and Felipe actually worked together over 10 years prior, so the two have a level of comfort that lets them get deep right off the bat. Ramos opens up about how he left a 6-year career in finance to pursue poker and the disappointment and worry it caused in his family. He shares how despite this unfavourable reception, he trusted the vision he had for himself and stuck to the goals he set out for himself.

The conversation then moves to his upbringing, and when asked what he would change about his childhood, he shares his thoughts on lying to children(and how that affects his parenting today). Other topics the two cover include conserving Brazilian national parks, growing up in a rough neighbourhood and being very emotional.

Check out our interviews with earlier guests from The Heart of Poker, including Johnnie Vibes, Justin Bonomo, Mustapha Kanit and Maria Ho.

Alex O’Brien on Science, Seeking Truth & Protecting Her Daughter | Ep: 47

Alex O’Brien is a fascinating person - poker player, science writer and author. She first captured the poker industry’s attention when she won a tournament which should have resulted in a high profile heads-up match with Dan Bilzerian. However, when the match fell through, it ignited a conversation around women in poker and the role of ambassadors in our game. 

Her new book ‘The Truth Detective’ will be published later this year and it uses the game of poker as a blueprint for how to discover truth in our current ‘post-truth’ world. The ability to sniff out truth in a poker game is crucial to a player’s bottom line, but the stakes are even higher in politics, public life and our personal lives. Using the skills that poker teaches us, we can create a roster of techniques to employ when trying to separate the truth from the lies. 

As friends, Alex and the Heart of Poker host Kara Scott dive into how truth affects us each on a deeply personal level, how it impacts our friendships and relationships, while  discussing those things that truly motivate us. 

Check out our interviews with earlier guests from The Heart of Poker, including Jaman Burton, Angela Jordison, Mustapha Kanit and Maria Ho.

Johnnie Vibes on Family, Poker Media & His North Star | Ep: 46

You may already know quite a bit about Johnnie Moreno AKA ‘Johnnie Vibes’ from his popular vlogs and videos, but in this episode of The Heart of Poker podcast, he dives even deeper into life’s big questions with host Kara Scott.

The two walk back through Johnnie's personal history with the game of poker and how his incredibly tight knit family group has been such a huge source of joy and support for him throughout his career. He has a deep curiosity about life and loves to throw himself into new things, to push his own boundaries and learn new skills.

As one of the big content creators in the poker space, Johnnie is well positioned for a discussion with Kara on how the poker media is changing right now, and not always for the good. They discuss how living and working in such a public way is both a privilege and a responsibility and they evaluate how to find balance, including figuring out what is his ‘north star’ in life.

Check out previous episodes with Nemo, Greg Merson, Ebony Kenney, Justin Bonomo, David Williams and more!

Nemo on Professional Chess, Content Creation & Dropping Out Of School | Ep: 45

Nemo Qiyu Zhou (also known online as AkaNemsko) is a gamer, esports star and content creator with an impressive following. After learning chess at the age of 3, she found incredible success in the game, earning herself title after title. A women’s Chess grandmaster, Nemo gave up professional chess to focus on her life, and although you can still find her streaming chess, other games including poker, round out her interests now.

In an interview recorded in November 2022, Kara and Nemo get into some of the crossovers they see between broadcasting and content creation, including the anxiety that can come with both. Nemo speaks candidly about the toll that kind of pressure can take on a person, especially at such a young age.

Nemo and Kara go on to discuss the ‘sliding doors’ moment where she stepped away from her studies and how futile it can be to focus on past choices, even the wins. As someone who has achieved so much, so young, her focus now is to continue building a sense of ‘home’ – wherever that might take her.

Don’t forget to check out our previous episodes with Ryan Laplante, Jaman Burton, Adam Pliska, Mori Eskandani, Barny Boatman, Nadya Magnus and many more of poker’s most fascinating personalities.

Justin Bonomo on Artificial Intelligence, Acro Yoga & Toxic Masculinity | Ep: 44

With over $60 million in live tournament earnings, Justin Bonomo sits squarely at the top of the all-time money leaderboard for poker. No stranger to controversy or strong opinions, Justin opens up to The Heart of Poker’s Kara Scott about topics ranging from Burning Man, what he wishes people knew about him, his greatest fears and his idea of an absolutely perfect day. 

Justin reveals to Kara what he’d love his life to look like in the future and the importance of connection, love and friendships. They pull at the threads of misperception around the term ‘toxic masculinity’ and dive into how important it is for men and boys to be able to talk comfortably about their feelings and the actual strength that shows. 

Content warning: While talking about his early struggles with depression Justin and Kara touch on the difficult subject of dealing with suicidal ideation and what it can be like to face that and come through it. If anyone listening is feeling a similar darkness please reach out for help or call a suicide hotline in your area. 

Don’t forget to check out our previous episodes with such fantastic guests as Mustapha Kanit, David Tuchman, Tiffany Michelle, Jon Van Fleet and Benny Glaser.

Angela Jordison on Helping Veterans, Imposter Syndrome & Being Named Breakout Player of the Year | Ep: 43

Angela Jordison was named 2022 GPA Breakout Player of the Year after narrowly missing out on two GPI POY awards. Not only a fierce competitor, and a real joy to watch on the felt, she’s a fan favourite and for good reason. 

During their interview, Angela and Kara discuss how important it is to have a positive impact on the poker community.  Not one for empty words, Angela recently put her money where her mouth is. She tells the story of what prompted her to spearhead an initiative along with her friend and fellow poker player Jackie Burkhart to send multiple US veterans to play in the WSOP Salute to Warriors tournament. 

Speaking about her sometimes surreal journey through 2022, she opened up on how tough it was to give herself proper credit at the time. She talks about her fantastic support system full of people who pushed her to own her success and examines the perils of wrestling with imposter syndrome, even while being held up as ‘one to watch’. 

Through their conversation Angela gives valuable insights into what it takes to play your best. They dive into what concrete things made the difference THAT year in particular and how having the freedom to finally focus solely on poker gave her exactly what she needed. 

Don’t forget to check out our previous episodes with Mustapha Kanit, Xuan Liu, Patrick Leonard, Farah Galfond, Fedor Holz and Greg Merson.