Robbie Strazynski

Upon learning the news that the World Poker Tour’s parent company will be merged into a new company called Allied Esports Entertainment, it has caused many in the poker community to wonder how this would affect one of their beloved brands.

WPT CEO Adam Pliska joined me in an hour-long conversation to explain how esports would bring more new people into poker (and vice versa) and how the infusion of new resources would help grow the WPT brand even bigger. After over a decade and a half, the World Poker Tour continues to shine bright, and their future looks even brighter.

While 320 lucky poker players are in possession of Platinum Passes that will have them participating in the biggest $25K buy-in poker event in history, many people will still be heading to the Atlantis Casino Resort in the Bahamas to watch the PokerStars Players Championship from the sidelines. That said, there’s still PLENTY to be getting excited about at the PSPC beyond the event itself. In this article, I list the top[ five things that I’m personally looking forward to.

The poker industry and community love it when big time NBA players make a trip out to the casino or a big poker tournament festival. Attracting crowds of onlookers as well as plenty of extra TV coverage, it’s a no-brainer that having more NBA players at the felt is #goodforpoker.

Here, then is a list of the top 7 current NBA players I’d love to see starting to mix it up at the poker tables in the near future.

Speaking with beloved Poker Life podcast host Joey Ingram about his beautiful act of kindness as the “Oprah of Poker,” facilitating the delivery of Platinum Passes to Arlie Shaban and recreational poker player Jeremy Hilsercop while simultaneously snagging one for himself.

We discuss how the poker story of the year developed and played out over Christmas Day 2018, as well as Joey’s plans for the PokerStars Players’ Championship and content creation in 2019.

A video interview with poker legend Eli Elezra to mark the debut of the English-language version of his autobiography, entitled: Pulling The Trigger.

We discuss Eli’s early life in Israel, service in the IDF, time working in the Alaska fishing industry, the golden days of Bobby’s Room, life in Vegas, and, of course, the book itself.

An attitude of gratitude will take you far in life and enhance your every experience. There’s a group of 18 very special people in poker who have impacted my 2018 in exceptional ways, and for that I am supremely grateful.

This blog post is my way of expressing my thanks towards them, and for the good they’ve brought to this poker site and into my life in general this year.

Some holiday traditions are truly beautiful, none more so than glorious customs of giving. For the eighth straight year, Bernard Lee and his children have put together and distributed personalized gift packages to families in their local area of Boston affected by homelessness.

Reading about the efforts of this great poker player and generous-spirited human being will warm your hearts, and perhaps inspire you to spread some holiday cheer of your own to those less fortunate.

When you look back at what you’ve done over the course of the year, some highlights naturally stand out. It’s with that in mind that I decided to compile a list of my 10 most favorite articles to have produced and published for Cardplayer Lifestyle in 2018.

Be sure to let us know which of these selections was your favorite to read and share with your poker-loving friends this year.

Home games are the epitome of grassroots love for the game. Good times, a fun environment, and right in your own backyard (or living room, basement, etc.) What better venue than a home poker game to invite women to in order to try and bring more ladies to the game?

There are plenty of great reasons to invite women to your next home poker game. Here’s a list of the top five we came up with.

When someone’s just getting into poker, they need appropriate articles and study materials. Here’s another article for poker beginners, with tips about dealing with emotions, the importance of maintaining stamina, and game selection at the tables.

After Israelis notched a slew of impressive performances at the 2018 WSOP Europe, the eyes of the poker world turned to the Holy Land, wondering what the secret is behind the success of Israeli poker players.

A major component in the overall skill increase in Israeli poker players can be attributed to the existence of the Israel Poker Academy (IPA). In this interview, we speak with the institution’s co-founder Stas Tishkevich. Stas fills us in on the details of his own poker career, how the IPA was founded, and how it has developed into a one-of-a-kind poker school over the last five years.

Over my time at the 2018 Malta Poker Festival, I took a number of pictures to help me remember the great times I had there. I’ve curated them through multiple Tweets and pictures, highlighting what was so special, to help capture what the entire experience was like.

I hope you enjoy experiencing the trip “through my eyes” and that it’ll perhaps convince you to head on over to Malta for a visit at some point, in particular for the next Malta Poker Festival. I know I’ll be going back some day!