As we look back on 2014 in this fifth installment of our Cardplayer Lifestyle Retrospective series (here are the first four, from 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013), it’s clear that this was a landmark year filled with meaningful developments, both on a personal level and for the site as a whole. The year was marked by exciting firsts, valuable lessons, and memorable experiences that helped shape the direction of this media site as well as my own journey in the poker world. Plainly put, it was a time of transition and momentum; we shifted into a higher gear.
In that vein, 2014 saw Cardplayer Lifestyle begin to evolve from what was purely a one-man poker blog into a more collaborative, multifaceted poker media outlet that welcomed new voices while continuing to explore the many dimensions of the game. Yet even as the site took on a more serious tone and broader reach, we never lost sight of the fun and playfulness that had always been (and remains) part of our DNA. From in-depth research pieces to lighthearted and festive features, this was a year that set the tone for what our full gamut of poker storytelling, reporting, and writing could capture.
More Tales of Robbie’s Bankroll
In The Big Poker Mistake That Took Me Two Years to Correct, I opened up about one of the more frustrating stretches of my poker journey. After putting together a decent-sized bankroll in my regular weekly home games, I fell victim to losing it all (and then some) very quickly in the higher stakes games offered in Las Vegas. What followed was a slow, steady rebuilding of my bankroll over the next two years. It was a painful experience that taught me invaluable lessons about bankroll management, ego, and the importance of playing within my limits; lessons I’ll carry with me for the rest of my poker life.
The follow-up piece was more of a victory lap. In Finally, a Monster Poker Session One Year in the Making, I shared the joy of breaking through after a year of break-even sessions and modest results. It was the kind of night every poker player dreams about. Everything clicked, I stayed patient, made solid reads, and won a record-setting amount of money in my low-stakes home game.
We Published an Interview with Phil Ivey
In my interview with Phil Ivey, I had the rare and incredible opportunity to pepper one of poker’s most iconic and legendary players with a bunch of questions. He’s somewhat more accessible to poker media these days, but back in 2014 the man was essentially a ghost. When I got contacted with the opportunity, I did my best to make the most of it. Sadly, I didn’t get to speak with or meet Phil in person (that happened much later). The entire interview was coordinated and conducted through an intermediary (thank you John Jainschigg; I’ll never forget you), but it was nonetheless a very cool and poignant moment. I still remember the incredible feeling of watching the 7-second clip below for the first time.
Landing an interview with Phil Ivey was a pretty big deal back then. So much so that I felt compelled to pen a companion piece, What It’s Like to Interview Phil Ivey – Behind the Scenes, where I shared the personal side of what went into making that interview happen. I had spent hours researching, crafting thoughtful questions. The entire experience remains a highlight of my career in poker media.
A Magnum Opus on Women in Poker
More than 11 years later, the article Why Don’t More Women Play Poker? Leading Poker Ladies Unite for Change remains the piece that I put the most aggregate hours of work into. In examining the underrepresentation of women playing live poker, I spoke with trailblazers like Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson, who faced significant challenges in earlier decades and has advocated fiercely for a more inclusive poker community. The article also features insights from Vanessa Selbst, Kara Scott, and Danielle Moon-Andersen, who discuss their experiences and call for a shift towards greater inclusivity and respect for women in poker.
Upon publication, the article was quite well received, even getting referenced by ESPN.com (this was back when they had a poker section on the site; thanks, Andrew Feldman)! Over a decade later, we’re of course still quite a long way from “parity,” but thankfully a LOT of progress has been made and LOTS more women play live poker now in 2025 than back in 2014.
A Year of Some Big Poker Firsts
When you live in Israel, the “poker world” is by definition far away from you, even if digitally it might be at your fingertips. As such, 2014 was a milestone year full of firsts for me. For instance, it marked the first time I met a professional poker player (Matt Glantz). I was on family vacation in the New York area and took a trip out to the Parx Poker Room in Pennsylvania to play a bit. I remember being ultra-starstruck meeting Matt. That poker world that I had only begun becoming a part of digitally finally “came to life”! It was also the year I dipped my toes into podcasting, joining Bruce Briggs as the co-host of the Top Pair Poker Podcast.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege of meeting thousands of poker players across the globe and have gotten to spend a decade immersed in the podcasting side of the industry. From Top Pair to the Red Chip Poker Podcast, The Orbit, and the CardsChat Podcast, each show gave me a platform to spotlight fascinating personalities and contribute to the broader poker conversation. In essence, what began with a couple of key moments in 2014 grew into a deeply fulfilling chapter of my poker journey.
That year also marked the beginning of Cardplayer Lifestyle’s evolution from showcasing just my own writing to that of multiple poker authors. We had had the occasional one-off contributor in years prior, but the very first to become a regular was Jon Sofen (his articles are here). Here’s a screenshot of his first email to me:
Since then, Jon has gone on to establish himself as one of the industry’s most respected veteran writers and he now works full-time with PokerNews. I’m proud to say that we’ve now had the privilege of featuring the work of more than 120 different contributing writers, each of whom has helped to shape and grow the voice of Cardplayer Lifestyle.
Poker and Politics Take Center Stage (Not for the Last Time)
In 2014, I sparked a spirited and widely discussed debate within the poker world with my op-ed titled There’s No Room for Politics in Poker. The piece drew considerable attention and prompted a direct response from one of the game’s most respected voices, Nolan Dalla, who published a rebuttal titled Political Censorship Has No Place in Poker. Our back-and-forth continued in a follow-up pieces and videos we published. The entire discourse garnered significant attention across the poker community, led to greater visibility and recognition for me and Cardplayer Lifestyle, and demonstrated the power of constructive dialogue around complex topics in the poker world.
This debate hit close to home, as the specific political issue in question was the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Living in Israel I have a front row seat, after all, as I opened up about in The Bubble that Wasn’t Supposed to Burst.
Still Bringing the Smiles
Nearly five years into Cardplayer Lifestyle’s journey, even as the site began to gain traction as a more serious and respected voice in the poker world, we never lost our sense of humor or appreciation for the lighter side of the game. Articles like The 10 Best Beards in Poker celebrated the facial hair choices of some of poker’s most recognizable faces, while 21 Poker Personalities and the 12 Xmas Presents They’d Love imagined what “gifts” might bring joy to well-known players and industry figures during the holiday season.
