Heading into the summer of 2017, I was happily looking forward to the first three weeks of June, during which I’d be attending my second World Series of Poker. I had no plans to attend the Main Event and I certainly had no idea what was in store for me just a few weeks hence: the opportunity to work for Poker PROductions.

I hope you enjoy reading the story of how it all happened; it’s a fun one!

It’s perhaps the dream of each and every poker fan out there to make the trip to Las Vegas and be at the WSOP. It practically behooves everyone working in the poker world to have made the pilgrimage to poker’s Mecca in Las Vegas at least once. That’s not always so easy though, even if you’re a poker writer.

Living half a world away but having poker pumping through your veins can create some serious WSOP FOMO. That’s what Bradley Chalupski writes about in this very personal essay.

Linda Weissler gets to live out the ultimate poker fan’s dream: she’s won front-row seats to attend the World Series of Poker Main Event final table.

Read about how she won her tickets, who she’s taking, and what it feels like to have the ultimate opportunity in poker fandom.

Think back to the most fun you ever had playing poker. Nice, eh?

Well, I recently had an experience that fits that description, playing in $4/$8 Dealer’s Choice mixed games with a group of like-minded poker lovers in the heart of Las Vegas.

I tried to capture the experience in words (and pictures), but to truly understand the joy we had, you have to experience it yourself firsthand. Hopefully, reading this account will encourage you to do just that.

Anyone who has ever been to the WSOP knows the sounds and sights of the Rio’s hallways. Along with the throngs of poker players bustling about, there are numerous salespeople hawking items to passersby. It turns out that many of them are Israeli.

These people are more than just vendors though. They’re hardworking people, each with their own stories. Being American-Israeli myself, I decided to get to know them better and bring their stories to light. Perhaps you’ll look at them a bit differently after reading this article.

James Taylor is the man responsible for producing Daniel Negreanu’s daily vlogs at the 2017 WSOP. He was kind enough to grant us an interview during which we got an exclusive behind-the-scenes picture and description of the work involved in putting together the final product we see each day.

We hope you enjoy listening + a transcript is provided for your convenience.