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Late Reg Podcast

Phenom Poker

Hosted by Brian Rast & Phil Laak, Late Reg is built on a longtime friendship and a shared history in poker.
Poker is our point of connection, not our boundary. We sit down with people we find interesting for open-ended conversations about poker, business, competition, life, and whatever else comes up.
No filters.
Just quality conversations, engrossing stories, and different perspectives.

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  • 20 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 1 hr 49 min
  • English
  • Tuesday · 3 hr 53 min

    Jared Bleznick: Poker Psychology, Unfiltered Commentary, and Business & Life Outside Poker | Ep. 20

    Dive into the reality of high-stakes poker, the transition from cash games to tournaments, sports cards, and why grinding cash games hits different when you’re doing it for fun versus making a living. Plus, Jared breaks down his unfiltered, no-holds-barred approach to poker commentary: calling games exactly as he sees them. 🎙️ LATE REG PODCAST — EPISODE 20 ♠️ Guest: Jared Bleznick 🎤 Brian Rast 🎤 Phil Laak Play on Phenom Poker with code: latereg 🔗 Join Phenom Poker: https://play.phenompoker.com/register?r=latereg __________________________________ 🔗 Follow the Late Reg Podcast: 📸 Instagram → / lateregpodcast 🐦 X (Twitter) → / lateregpodcast 📺 YouTube → / @lateregpodcast ⏱️ CHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome to Late Reg: Jared “Blez” Bleznick 1:25 How Blez Got Into Poker Commentary 5:42 Why He Commentates for Free 8:00 Tournament Poker vs. Cash Games 12:39 Loss Aversion, Focus & Poker Discipline 17:45 Mixed Games and Growing Poker Beyond Hold’em 22:25 Blez’s Poker Origin Story 24:22 Discovering Online Poker at Military School 29:13 Dropping Out & Becoming a Millionaire by 20 34:02 Falling in Love with PLO & Crushing Heads-Up 39:03 Black Friday: $4 Million Trapped Online 43:13 Zigmund, Tough Opponents & Heads-Up Poker 48:57 Poker’s Old-School Generation & TV Personalities 58:56 Shot Clocks, Slow Play & the Future of Poker 1:05:22 Blez’s Greatest Poker Moments 1:08:26 The $1 Million WSOP Fantasy Bet 1:14:17 WSOP Obsession, Sean Deeb & the Full-Schedule Grind 1:21:26 Tom Marchese & the Move Into Sports Cards 1:24:03 Buying the First Card Store 1:30:27 Leadership, Delegation & 250 Employees 1:32:51 Building Card Breaking Into Entertainment 1:38:34 Japan, Celebrities, eBay & Going Mainstream 1:40:29 From Childhood Collector to Million-Dollar Cards 1:53:08 The Hottest Card Markets & Investing for Profit 2:01:24 Fanatics, Growth & the Future of Sports Cards 2:04:35 Building a Tech Platform & Going Viral at the Poker Table 2:10:07 From Poker Player to Businessman 2:17:03 Why Blez Thinks Poker Commentary Is Broken 2:24:46 Why Poker on TV Is Boring 2:35:58 Nick Schulman, Acting & Blez’s Next Chapter 2:40:14 Poker vs. Sports Cards: Which Was More Fun? 2:53:36 Why Blez Never Took Investors & Hates Markup 3:00:59 Private Deals, Selling Action & Side Bets 3:07:17 How Phil Laak Met Antonio Esfandiari 3:10:30 How Phil Laak Met Jennifer Tilly 3:14:09 Relationships, Dating & Wanting a Family 3:21:58 Respect for Brian Rast, Phil Laak & Their Generation 3:27:11 Passion, Poker Study & the Old-School Approach 3:33:21 Solvers vs. Natural Poker Talent 3:41:33 The $100K PLO High Roller & Tournament Variance 3:44:11 Final Thoughts & Outro

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  • October 12 · 2 hr 25 min

    Jeremy Ausmus: From a $6.7K Bankroll to $30M in Wins - EP 19

    Jeremy opens up about moving to Las Vegas in 2005 with only $6,700 to his name, capitalizing on Full Tilt’s cap games, making his iconic 2012 Main Event Final Table run during a high-risk and how a wild miss-click accidentally saved his tournament and netted him $1.8M. 🎙️ LATE REG PODCAST — EPISODE 19 ♠️ Guest: Jeremy Ausmus 🎤 Brian Rast 🎤 Phil Laak Play on Phenom Poker with code: latereg 🔗 Join Phenom Poker: https://play.phenompoker.com/register?r=latereg __________________________________ 🔗 Follow the Late Reg Podcast: 📸 Instagram → / lateregpodcast 🐦 X (Twitter) → / lateregpodcast 📺 YouTube → / @lateregpodcast ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 - Podcast Intro & Guest Accomplishments 02:58 - Discovering Poker in Colorado & College Years 07:39 - Detailed Record Keeping & Poker Mindset 16:03 - Arriving in Vegas with $6,700 21:49 - Building the Bankroll: Live Cash to Doyle's Room 35:25 - Dominating Full Tilt Cap Games 41:03 - Black Friday Impact & Recovering Balances 43:20 - 2012 WSOP Main Event Deep Run (5th Place) 57:03 - Memorable Cash Game Opponents & High Stakes Era 01:02:43 - Launching the Poker Vlog & Authentic Content 01:09:23 - Personal Life: Music, Guitar, & Piano 01:21:18 - Raising Kids & Attention Spans in the Digital Age 01:31:16 - Using Solvers & Studying Strategy 01:40:00 - $1.8M Triton Win & The Famous Missed-Click Hand 01:50:50 - Tough Poker Losses & Final Table Heartbreaks 02:14:00 - Career Longevity & Staying Motivated Today 02:25:58 - Outro

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  • October 6 · 2 hr 37 min

    Jennifer Tilly: Wild First Dates, WSOP Bracelets & High-Stakes Macau Poker - EP 18

    Jennifer opens up about some of her wildest first dates, her journey into poker, winning a WSOP bracelet. She also shares stories from her Hollywood career, her friendships and experiences with some of the biggest names in poker, and some of the unforgettable moments she’s experienced along the way. 🎙️ LATE REG PODCAST — EPISODE 18 ♠️ Guest: Jennifer Tilly 🎤 Brian Rast 🎤 Phil Laak Play on Phenom Poker with code: latereg 🔗 Join Phenom Poker: https://play.phenompoker.com/ __________________________________ 🔗 Follow the Late Reg Podcast: 📸 Instagram → / lateregpodcast 🐦 X (Twitter) → https://x.com/lateregpodcast 📺 YouTube → / @lateregpodcast CLIPS CHANNEL → / @lateregpodclips ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Episode Preview 1:46 Welcome to Late Reg with Jennifer Tilly 4:33 How Jennifer Tilly & Phil Laak Met 9:28 The “Unabomber” Reveal & Exchanging Numbers 18:08 Their First Date 25:01 Poker Lessons, Falling in Love & Moving In 34:24 Jennifer’s Poker Career Takes Off 45:00 Winning a WSOP Bracelet 56:43 The Wild Macau High-Stakes Years 1:06:26 Brian Rast, Staking & Big-Money Poker 1:10:12 Why Jennifer Tilly Loves Poker 1:17:05 Acting, Hollywood & Meg Tilly 1:23:37 Bullets Over Broadway & Woody Allen 1:34:53 Macau Cash, Casino Winnings & Civil Forfeiture 1:38:53 When Acting Roles Follow You Home 1:49:42 Returning to Acting: Chucky, School Spirits & Theater 1:51:04 Bound, The Wachowskis & The Matrix 1:58:19 Keanu Reeves, The Matrix & Private Poker 2:02:28 Inside The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills 2:09:51 Phil Laak Joins RHOBH & Poker with the Housewives 2:15:13 How Reality TV Is Manufactured 2:20:11 Reality TV Fandom & Performing for the Cameras 2:26:57 Jennifer Tilly’s Best One-Liners: “Jenniferisms” 2:29:34 Telepathy, Psychic Moments & Intuition 2:34:22 Poker Intuition, Empathy & Psychic Reads 2:37:47 Closing Thoughts 2:38:24 Jennifer Tilly Signs Off

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  • September 29 · 1 hr 45 min

    Dean Radin: Quantum Consciousness, Remote Viewing & Top-Secret Research - EP 17

    From Bell Labs to the government's top-secret Stargate program at SRI, Dr. Dean Radin breaks down the science of remote viewing, presentiment, and how human intuition shapes high-stakes performance in poker and casino gaming. 🎙️ LATE REG PODCAST — EPISODE 17 ♠️ Guest: Dean Radin & Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger 🎤 Brian Rast 🎤 Phil Laak Play on Phenom Poker with code: latereg 🔗 Join Phenom Poker: https://play.phenompoker.com/ __________________________________ 🔗 Follow the Late Reg Podcast: 📸 Instagram → / lateregpodcast 🐦 X (Twitter) → https://x.com/lateregpodcast 📺 YouTube → / @lateregpodcast CLIPS CHANNEL → / @lateregpodclips ⏱️ CHAPTERS : 00:00 Dean Radin & the Science of Psi 03:52 Project Stargate & Remote Viewing 10:40 Can Your Body Sense the Future? 18:06 Is Psychic Ability Genetic? 22:02 Genetic Engineering & the Brain 29:38 Casinos, the Moon & Geomagnetic Fields 38:29 Telepathy, Clairvoyance & Psi 42:04 Consciousness & the Nature of Reality 43:47 Quantum Physics & Entangled Minds 53:40 Poker, Intuition & Game Theory 57:29 Luck, Manifestation & Probability 1:01:21 Coherence, Synchronicity & Poker 1:03:21 Mystics, Saints & Psychic Abilities 1:09:37 Can Consciousness Affect Spacetime? 1:14:14 The Spacetime Experiment 1:21:30 Time Paradoxes & Quantum Nonlocality 1:25:20 Can the Future Influence the Past? 1:28:31 Flow State, Meditation & Poker 1:33:54 Measuring Poker Players with EEG 1:38:58 Final Thoughts & Future Experiments

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  • September 22 · 1 hr 21 min

    Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger: Intuition, Flow State & Exploitative Strategy - EP 16

    High-stakes strategy meets spiritual philosophy and total accountability. Poker legend and entrepreneur Andrew “Lucky Chewie” Lichtenberger. Andrew opens up about his journey from losing millions in early investments to rebuilding his bankroll, embracing GTO solvers, and co-founding Octopi Poker. 🎙️ LATE REG PODCAST — EPISODE 16 ♠️ Guest: Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger 🎤 Brian Rast 🎤 Phil Laak Play on Phenom Poker with code: latereg 🔗 Join Phenom Poker: https://play.phenompoker.com/ __________________________________ 🔗 Follow the Late Reg Podcast: 📸 Instagram → / lateregpodcast 🐦 X (Twitter) → https://x.com/lateregpodcast 📺 YouTube → / @lateregpodcast CLIPS CHANNEL → / @lateregpodclips ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Intro & The $100k Buy-in Story 00:01:08 Welcome to Late Reg Podcast 00:04:12 Discovering the Non-Physical Reality 00:05:31 Intuition and Flow State in Poker 00:10:39 Hermetic Philosophy & One Consciousness 00:17:30 The Limits of Science and Human Knowledge 00:21:00 Blending Science with Spirituality 00:26:50 Bankroll Management & High-Stakes Tournaments 00:30:40 Recovering from Bad Investments 00:35:32 The Secret to Unconditional Positivity 00:40:13 Radical Self-Responsibility & Growth 00:51:06 Why You Should Always Document Bets 00:54:23 Upcoming Poker Plans & Tournaments 00:58:48 Lucky Chewy's New Book: The Holistic Poker Codex 01:04:20 Poker as a Mind Sport vs. Casino Gambling 01:11:35 Heart-Mind Coherence and Beating Roulette 01:16:49 Full Moon Effects & Dean Raden's Background 01:18:21 Telepathy vs. Clairvoyance 01:20:16 Presentiment & Body Reactions 01:20:50 Dr. Dean Raden Joins the Show 01:21:14 Retrocausality: Can You Influence the Past?

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  • September 15 · 2 hr 6 min

    Matt Valeo: Building Phenom Poker, High Stakes Realities, Player Ownership & Crypto Assets - EP 15

    Matt Valeo, founder of Phenom Poker. We dive deep into his transition from professional poker player to tech entrepreneur, the structural issues with high rake in modern online poker, the true utility of Web3 crypto assets, battling high-stakes downswings and how decentralized technology is reshaping game integrity and player ownership for the future of online gaming. 🎙️ LATE REG PODCAST — EPISODE 15 ♠️ Guest: Matt Valeo 🎤 Brian Rast 🎤 Phil Laak Play on Phenom Poker with code: latereg 🔗 Join Phenom Poker: https://play.phenompoker.com/ __________________________________ 🔗 Follow the Late Reg Podcast: 📸 Instagram → / lateregpodcast 🐦 X (Twitter) → https://x.com/lateregpodcast 📺 YouTube → / @lateregpodcast CLIPS CHANNEL → / @lateregpodclips ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Introduction to Late Reg Podcast 00:02:16 – Travel Stories & Lessons Learned Traveling with a Baby 00:08:42 – Dual Citizenship, Visas, and Language Immersion 00:21:26 – Wild Poker Travel Stories: Monsoons & Casino Blackouts 00:25:27 – The Vision Behind Phenom Poker & What Reality Taught Them 00:28:57 – Crypto, Tokenization of Equity, and Accessing Walled-Off Assets 00:40:00 – Phenom Poker's Pivot to Token Staking & Dividend Model 00:49:19 – Breakdown of Rake Models: Phenom vs. Competitors 01:01:10 – Is High Rake Turning Poker into a Casino Game? 01:05:15 – Anti-Competitive Practices & The Future of Online/Live Poker 01:07:37 – Expanding Game Offerings: Taiwanese Poker & Niche Variants 01:11:43 – WSOP Deep Runs, Heads-Up Battles, & Mixed Game Strategy 01:21:46 – Historic Poker Hands: Facing Phil Hellmuth 01:27:51 – Transitioning from No-Limit to Mixed Games for the Love of the Game 02:07:49 – Final Thoughts / Episode Wrap-Up

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  • September 8 · 2 hr 27 min

    Scott Seiver: High Stakes Mixed Games, Bobby’s Room, & The Hall of Fame - EP 14

    Scott gets real about his recent Poker Hall of Fame snub, why he thinks GTO theory is killing the aesthetic of the game, and how getting undervalued directly fueled his insane three-bracelet summer run. We also take a detour away from the felt to talk about his time solving the insane MIT Mystery Hunt, and a legendary Lehman Brothers story that you just have to hear to believe. If you love deep-dive table psychology, wild side-stories, and unfiltered high-stakes talk, you're going to love this one. 🎙️ LATE REG PODCAST — EPISODE 14 ♠️ Guest: Scott Seiver 🎤 Brian Rast 🎤 Phil Laak Play on Phenom Poker with code: latereg 🔗 Join Phenom Poker: https://play.phenompoker.com/ __________________________________ 🔗 Follow the Late Reg Podcast: 📸 Instagram → / lateregpodcast 🐦 X (Twitter) → https://x.com/lateregpodcast 📺 YouTube → / @lateregpodcast CLIPS CHANNEL → / @lateregpodclips ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 – Introduction & Career Parallels: Why Scott and Brian’s poker trajectories mirror each other. 04:36 – The $100 Hand Prop Bet: Exploiting opponents who show their cards for cheap information. 07:09 – The 3 Types of Poker Games: Scott’s breakdown of studs, pot-odds, and equity-heavy games. 12:09 – The Lone Wolf Mentality: Why collaboration works in mystery hunts, but not always in poker. 17:40 – The Death of Poker Aesthetics: Moving away from GTO chess theory back to "Wild West" play. 22:22 – Hall of Fame Snub: Scott’s honest reflection on why he cared about not getting in. 33:08 – Fixing the HOF Voting System: Why the NFL’s reporter-nomination system could fix poker. 41:23 – Pure Motivation: How being undervalued triggered a 3-bracelet summer. 49:21 – Inside the MIT Mystery Hunt: Solving 130+ impossible puzzles over a single weekend. 1:01:17 – Video Games as Art: Outer Wilds, Disco Elysium, and lowering the barrier to empathy. 1:13:08 – The Ultimate Lehman Brothers Story: Working an internship during the World Cup and quitting early. 1:16:35 – Psychopaths in Bobby’s Room: What mental toughness actually means at the highest stakes. 1:23:30 – Live Reads vs. Invented Stories: How to stop telling yourself what you want to happen in a hand. 1:32:00 – Table Persona & Multitasking: Using conversation as a tool to destabilize opponents. 1:32:40 – Table Persona & Parallel Processing: Using fast-paced conversation as a tactical tool to overwhelm opponents' bandwidth while tracking action. 1:36:10 – Navigating Ego at the Highest Stakes: Managing tilt, acknowledging mistakes, and keeping pride from dictating hand selection in high-stakes lineups. 1:42:05 – The Evolution of High-Stakes Mixed Games: How mixed game dynamics, game selection, and player pools have shifted over the last decade. 1:48:30 – Poker vs. Life Beyond the Felt: Balancing the intensity of professional poker with outside passions, relationships, and personal growth. 1:54:15 – Rapid-Fire Questions & Final Thoughts: Scott answers quick-hit questions, shares final pieces of advice for aspiring mixed-game players, and wraps up the interview.

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  • September 4 · 2 hr 23 min

    Chris Vitch: WSOP Pressure & High-Stakes Poker - EP 13

    Mixed-games master Chris "DeathDonkey" Vitch joins the Late Reg Podcast! In this episode, Chris breaks down how mastering StarCraft fueled his poker career, why he approaches high-stakes games like "leveling up" a character, and the exact mindsets required to win WSOP bracelets. 🎙️ LATE REG PODCAST — EPISODE 13 ♠️ Guest: Christopher Vitch 🎤 Brian Rast 🎤 Phil Laak Play on Phenom Poker with code: latereg 🔗 Join Phenom Poker: https://play.phenompoker.com/ Subscribe for new episodes every week.

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E11
    August 17 · 2 hr 34 min

    Late Reg - Ep 11 - On Air with Phil Sternheimer

    Late Reg Podcast Episode 11 welcomes Phil Sternheimer for a deep dive into poker, high-stakes competition, and the stories that come with spending years around the game. Phil joins Brian Rast and Phil Laak for a wide-ranging conversation about his journey through poker, the people and experiences that shaped him, the evolution of the game, and plenty of stories you probably haven't heard before.

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  • S1 · E8
    June 24 · 32 min

    Late Reg - Summer Camp - EP8

    Late Reg Podcast Hosted by Brian Rast & Phil Laak Poker. Strategy. Stories. High stakes minds. Unfiltered conversations. From the biggest games to the wildest moments We break it all down New episodes weekly 🎙️

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  • S1 · E5
    June 1 · 1 hr 36 min

    Late Reg - Jason Somerville - Ep5

    Jason Somerville on Poker, Twitch, Sports Betting & Losing Millions | Late Reg Podcast #5

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  • S1 · E3
    May 18 · 39 min

    Late Reg - Reminiscing the WSOP - Ep3

    Late Reg Podcast - Episode 3 Hosted by Brian Rast & Phil Laak Poker. Strategy. Stories. High stakes minds. Unfiltered conversations. From the biggest games to the wildest moments We break it all down New episodes weekly 🎙️ Watch Live on Youtube!

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  • S1 · E2
    May 11 · 1 hr 39 min

    Late Reg - Jonathan Hirsch - Ep2

    Late Reg Podcast - Episode 2 Featuring : Jonathan Hirsch Hosted by Brian Rast & Phil Laak Poker. Strategy. Stories. High stakes minds. Unfiltered conversations. From the biggest games to the wildest moments We break it all down New episodes weekly 🎙️

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  • S1 · E1
    May 2 · 2 hr 10 min

    Late Reg Podcast - Eric Wasserson - Ep1

    Late Reg Podcast - Episode 1 Featuring : Eric Wasserson Hosted by Brian Rast & Phil Laak Poker. Strategy. Stories. High stakes minds. Unfiltered conversations. From the biggest games to the wildest moments We break it all down New episodes weekly 🎙️

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