Chasing Poker Greatness

Josh Arieh has been in and around the game of poker his entire adult life and has racked up more than $8.1 million in lifetime MTT cashes.
I feel like I’m in danger of going full Troy McClure in this intro but you may remember Mr. Arieh from the time he got third in the 2004 WSOP ME (The year that past CPG guest Greg “Fossilman” Raymer went the distance), his two WSOP gold bracelet victories, or from the legendary bad beat he put on Bryce Yockey at the final table the $50k Poker Players Championship playing 2-7 triple draw.
It was a particularly brutal hand where he busted poor Mr. Yockey despite being a more than 99% underdog.
One thing that tends to get left out of that story, by the way, is the fact that Josh had a commanding chip lead 4-handed and doubling up Yockey would have only cost him about 15% of his stack.
Another fun little story about that event is that one of my closest friends (The man I have to give a hat tip to for introducing Josh and I in the first place) actually bought a rather large piece of Josh for that event.
What Bryce Yockey didn’t know he had going against him is that my friend runs absurdly hot backing players so spiking a 1%’er was honestly kind of expected.
But when it comes to having a rich, colorful, successful journey through the world of gambling and playing poker it’s hard to find a more compelling character than Josh Arieh.
He has undeniably lived a fulfilling life of high adventure on the green felt Chasing Poker Greatness.
And in today’s episode featuring the one and only Josh Arieh, you’re going to learn:
Josh’s origin story into the world of poker and playing cards.
What Josh was feeling, thinking, and experiencing at that legendary 2004 ME final table.
The project Josh is currently working on will very likely fire you up.
And much, MUCH more!
And now, without any further ado, I bring to you a fearless gambler who has stood the test of time... the one and only Josh Arieh.
To learn more about the Free Nuffle promotion, visit: https://chasingpokergreatness.com/free-nuffle-promotion
New CPG Cash Game Courses!
Preflop Bootcamp: https://bit.ly/Preflop-Bootcamp
Fish in a Barrel: http://bit.ly/fish-in-a-barrel
Neutralize Flop Leads: https://bit.ly/2OkN8Yt
Photo Credits: Katerina Lukina

Tactical Tuesday returns this week with a pair of hand breakdowns by Coach Brad and Jon.
Our heroes both face overbets and find themselves with tricky river decisions despite having very strong hands. Find out what our heroes ended up doing in-game and whether their decisions are CPG approved.
If you would like to have one of your hands analyzed on Tactical Tuesday, sign up for the VIP Newsletter and get your access to Greatness Village today (where both of these hands were originally posted) at https://chasingpokergreatness.com/VIP
Hand 1
Hero Hand: KdJc
Hero Position: Big Blind
Effective Stack: 115 BB
Action:
PREFLOP: CO raises to 2.48 BB, Hero calls 1.48 BB
FLOP (5.36 BB, 2 Players): Jh 8s 4d
Hero checks, CO bets 1.68 BB, Hero calls 1.68 BB
TURN (8.72 BB, 2 Players): Jh 8s 4d Ks
Hero checks, CO bets 12 BB, Hero calls 12 BB
RIVER (37.72 BB, 2 Players): Jh 8s 4d Ks Qd
Hero checks, CO checks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hand 2
Hero Hand: AdKh
Hero Position: Big Blind
Effective Stack: 305 BB
Action:
PREFLOP: MP raises to 3 BB, Hero calls 2BB
FLOP (6.5 BB, 2 Players): Ac Th 3c
Hero checks, MP bets 2.1 BB, Hero calls 2.1 BB
TURN (10.7 BB, 2 Players): Ac Th 3c Ts
Hero checks, MP bets 7.73 BB, Hero calls 7.72 BB
RIVER (26.15 BB, 2 Players): Ac Th 3c Ts 5h
Hero checks, MP bets 67.5 BB, Hero calls 67.5 BB
New CPG Cash Game Courses!
Preflop Bootcamp: https://bit.ly/Preflop-Bootcamp
Fish in a Barrel: http://bit.ly/fish-in-a-barrel
Neutralize Flop Leads: https://bit.ly/2OkN8Yt

Today’s guest is mediocre poker coach Carlos Welch who is back for a Round 2.
Carlos and I’s first conversation was recorded right before the pandemic went nuclear and I had been wondering to myself how a man who lives out of his car would fare in these strange times. I mean, I can’t even drive my kids one hour away without catastrophe striking: One of them has to go to the bathroom.
So how do you find a place that will let you inside to use the bathroom on a regular basis? How do you shower if your gym is shut down?
Also, let’s be honest, I really just wanted an excuse to talk to Carlos again because he’s such an amazing human being which, if you have not yet been convinced, you will experience for yourself in just a few moments.
In today’s episode you’ll learn:
- How trusting your teacher relates directly to their impact.
- Why Mike Caro may be the most under-appreciated all-time poker coaches.
- Why Carlos doesn’t like interacting with strangers.
- And MUCH more!
Without any further ado I bring to you the nomad and “anything but mediocre poker coach” Carlos Welch.
New CPG Cash Game Courses!
Preflop Bootcamp: https://bit.ly/Preflop-Bootcamp
Fish in a Barrel: http://bit.ly/fish-in-a-barrel
Neutralize Flop Leads: https://bit.ly/2OkN8Yt

Today’s guest on the Chasing Poker Greatness podcast has won a major MTT on every US friendly poker site and is one of the most popular coaches in the game today, Jarred “godsbigtoe” Gabin.
Toe has been in and around the game of poker since the early 2000’s and has been playing off of the same bankroll that began with him with a $5 PokerStars freeroll.
And even though he’s managed to spin hay into gold over the last couple of decades, what he’s most beloved for is giving back to the poker community through his regular coaching and Twitch study streams with former Chasing Poker Greatness guest Shaundle Pruitt.
When it comes to teachers in the world of poker, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more dedicated and passionate guide than godsbigtoe.
One of the regular questions I ask on this show is “What does greatness mean to you?” and I just want to say that I personally believe making an impact on the folks you interact with, helping guide the folks you see an earlier version of yourself in along their path, and being patience and generous with the wisdom you have gained are a MASSIVE part of what makes someone GREAT in this world.
And Jarred has all of these traits in spades.
In today’s episode, you’ll learn:
- How Jarred spun up his roll from the aforementioned $5.
- Why poker has been such a consistent part of Jarred’s life over the past couple of decades.
- How Jarred still feels when meeting and interacting with the folks who have made an impact in his poker career.
- And much, MUCH more.
So, without any further ado, I bring to you the one and only godsbigtoe ... assuming I guess that god only has one big toe ... Jarred Gabin.
New CPG Cash Game Courses!
Preflop Bootcamp: https://bit.ly/Preflop-Bootcamp
Fish in a Barrel: http://bit.ly/fish-in-a-barrel
Neutralize Flop Leads: https://bit.ly/2OkN8Yt

Today I’m speaking with Robbie Strazynski, founder of CardplayerLifestyle.com.
Robbie has made immeasurable contributions to the beautiful game of poker through his own blog as well as other poker media since he got started around 2009. He’s a well-respected member of the community who is admired by both the players and the fans.
Robbie knows and is known by many people in the poker world. He’s interviewed greats in the game like Daniel Negreanu, Phil Helmuth, and Phil Ivey.
Cardplayer Lifestyle is considered to be one of the top poker entertainment websites on the Internet. Robbie himself is the main writer and also acts as editor for all of the contributed content that he also publishes. The site delivers in-depth interviews with some of the most well-known industry faces, exciting news about happenings and invents, must-read strategy articles, and, of course, all kinds of articles about living the poker lifestyle.
In today’s episode you’ll get Robbie’s insights on what it means to reach the the level of high achievement—at poker or anything else, the players he considers to be truly great, and why.
He speaks on the benefits of keeping your brain active by playing poker as well as other ways that the game can benefit you when you’re away from the table.
He explains how he learned to stop thinking about the money and just play the game as he tells an amazing comeback story that starts with him losing all of the money he took with him to the WSOP.
Robbie also relates two quite personal stories, one about Daniel Negreanu and another about Phil Hellmuth, that will show you exactly why you shouldn’t always believe everything you see on TV.
I don’t want to give too much away here, so go ahead subscribe + download the show and dive into my conversation with Robbie Strazynski.
New CPG Cash Game Courses!
Preflop Bootcamp: https://bit.ly/Preflop-Bootcamp
Fish in a Barrel: http://bit.ly/fish-in-a-barrel
Neutralize Flop Leads: https://bit.ly/2OkN8Yt