Can Poker Get Its Own “Drive To Survive” Moment?

Dustin Ianotti, a seasoned poker industry professional, recently made waves with a tweet that’s gained over 400k views with a clear message - poker is missing the mark on storytelling.

And he’s not wrong.

Background: Ianotti has always specialized in telling stories - starting out at Poker Royalty agency where he worked closely with Daniel Negreanu or Full Tilt Poker where he marketed the poker talent (Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen, Viktor Blom) after the PokerStars acquisition.

These days, he runs Artisans On Fire, a content agency that works within the poker industry with one of their most prominent clients being Alan Keating and his new YouTube channel that’s been blowing up. 

Story-based: Everyone remembers the Moneymaker boom. Not for the technically sound play, but for the underdog tale: an accountant vs a mobster lookalike playing for millions on poker’s biggest stage. ESPN leaned into that era with dramatic backstories that made the WSOP Main Event feel like a movie.

Over the last few years, poker content has become way more accessible. But let’s be honest, it’s also gotten a bit… stale. The production quality is still there, especially in legacy poker shows, but what’s missing is the post-production storytelling that keeps casual viewers hooked.

Instead, we get 8-hour streams and endless vlogs, leaving it up to the community to piece together the narrative and highlight the wildest hands. Ianotti thinks it’s time for a new approach.

Netflix Moment: Ianotti points to massive growth in other sports fueled by documentary-style storytelling, good examples of that being Drive to Survive for F1 and Full Swing for golf. He argues poker needs its own “Drive to Survive” moment. And he might just be the one to make it happen.

How: In a recent Poker.org interview, Ianotti revealed that his team filmed a docuseries with 12 top players, including Negreanu, Kristen Foxen, and Phil Hellmuth, during last year’s WSOP Paradise. It’s dropping this summer.

To add to the intrigue, he teased “something bigger” in the works. If that turns out to be a Netflix-level docuseries... buckle up.

We’ll be rooting for it to happen.

In The News

• $3M. Aria Poker Classic is set to return with $15M in guarantees across the summer and the $3,500 BetMGM Championship $3M guarantee as the headliner. 

• Irish. An Irishman has taken the crown of the Irish Open Main Event - Simon Wilson was victorious in the record breaking 4,562 player field, taking home €600,000 for his first place finish.

• Vegas. Planet Hollywood will reopen their cardroom with 23 tables dedicated to poker, 12 of which will be reserved for cash game players. 

Juan Pardo’s Formula for Moving Up Stakes

What does it take to climb out of the low and mid stakes? According to Juan Pardo, a Spanish high-stakes crusher with over $15M in live tournament cashes, it boils down to a step-by-step study approach and a mindset shift. 

Who: Pardo is a seasoned high-stakes tournament regular who’s known online as “malakastyle”. He’s also a regular on the Triton circuit and has amassed $15M in live tournament cashes. So you can trust his opinion on poker. 

Why: On a recent GTO Lab podcast episode, Pardo dropped a few gems for aspiring mid to high-stakes players.

For his own routine, Pardo models everything - pre-session prep, post-session review, even lifestyle habits - on one North Star question: “What would the best player in the world do?”

That has led to Pardo’s daily routine including five hours of study, long sessions, and meticulous post-game reviews.

How to get better: When asked the question on how low and mid-stakes players could get better at the game and reach higher stakes, Pardo replied with a few actionable points:

• Surround yourself with better players;

• Hire a coach and get a GTO-based tool;

• Absorb study content and look to join study groups. 

Pardo says one of the most underrated ways to improve is by avoiding unnecessary complexity. If two plays have similar EV, pick the one that creates fewer headaches. For example, in tricky flop spots, he’ll opt for a check-call over a check-raise to keep the game manageable.

As your skills level up, you can add more complexity. But first? Master the basics and stop making life harder than it needs to be.

Free Webinar With Phil Galfond

This Friday, we’re hosting a free webinar together with Phil Galfond on How To Win More Pots At Live Cash Games. If you want to reserve your spot, register here. See you there!