In this episode, Gene, Ben, and Bill sat down with John Cressend, a Nola native and a regular on the Gulf Coast tournament scene for over twenty years. John told us about how he got into poker, balancing tourneys with his day job as a certified public accountant, the tax implications of the Big Beautiful Bill, and the next time we might see his alter ego—the Butler—immaculately dressed and stacking chips.

1:00: Interview

• for more on the tax implications of the BBB: https://www.thinkingpoker.net/2026/01/episode-492-russ-fox/

In this in-person interview, Ben and Bill sit down with the Beau Rivage's cardroom manager Adam Nash to discuss how the first weekend of the Heater went—as you might have guessed, the Gulf South's biggest tournament series got off to a blazing start—and what to expect heading into the second weekend.

1:00: Interview

• Adam's Tebow speech: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/175M9PwCcM/

Having covered major Los Angeles sports for over 30 years, Eric Geller brings a wealth of experience—and plenty of stories—to the poker world. He currently reports for Gulf Coast Poker and covers tournaments across the Southern U.S. In this episode, Bill, Ben, and Gene have a wide-ranging conversation about Eric's background in both poker and the wide world of sports.

1:00 interview

As the Poker/Sportsbook Manager at Horseshoe Tunica, Dan Higginbotham has over thirty years of experience in the casino industry, working in both commercial and tribal casinos across different jurisdictions. He's seen and done a lot, in other words, and in this episode Dan sits down with Gene, Ben, and Bill to discuss how running tournaments and cardrooms has changed over the years, and what to expect in the future.

1:00: Interview

With just over a week until the WSOP Main Event gets going, we invited Will "Monkey" Souther, the founder of the staking group Monkey's Minions, for a preview of his summer crew and how you can support them. John "Cakes" Auville, co-host of the longrunning radio show The Sports Junkies and a first-time Minion, also joined the conversation. Enjoy the episode, and best of luck to anyone heading out to Vegas!

1:00: Interview

• Monkey's first appearance on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/dk/podcast/3-will-the-poker-monkey-souther/id1674014548?i=1000601300035
• The Sports Junkies: https://www.audacy.com/thefandc/authors/the-sports-junkies

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone with more intimate knowledge of the Gulf Coast poker scene than Darrell Guillory. A dealer for over thirty years—not to mention a tough tournament player in his own right—Darrell's currently wrapping up his career at Caesar's New Orleans, where he plans to retire at the end of this year. He's also working as a supervisor at this summer's World Series of Poker. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Darrell and our preview of the 56th WSOP.

1: 00: Roundtable

• GCP's revamped website: https://gulfcoastpoker.net/
• https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025/05/electronic-devices-dodging-the-blinds-and-more-6-wsop-rule-c-48524.htm

34:00: Interview

We're pulling out a throwback episode with Tom "Dr. Dialtone" Darce, a regular on the Gulf Coast Poker scene for many years. When Tom passed away in March at the age of 58, the community lost an avid poker player and a dear friend. We hope that you enjoy this conversation with him.

1: 00: Roundtable

• July 10-20th: GCP Event at the Horshoe Tunica
• https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025/05/ali-imsirovic-kicked-out-of-florida-poker-tournament-48500.htm
• https://www.pokernews.com/podcast/pokernews-podcast/pokernews-podcast-episode-889-denise-pratt-maurice-hawkins-48494.htm
• https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/30147-poker-community-concerned-following-cryptic-posts-from-tom-durrrr-dwan

31:00: Interview

Joel Doney is a familiar face on the Gulf Coast poker scene. He got started in New Orleans before moving with his wife to Austin, where he's currently a regular at both the Lodge Card Club and Texas Card House. In this conversation, Joel talks about how he got into poker, how he splits his time between tournaments and cash, two recent big scores—for $90K and $300K, respectively—and last but not least, his big bushy beard.

1:30: Interview

42:00: Roundtable

• Million Dollar Heater: https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/29718-rookie-william-oertling-wins-2025-beau-rivage-heater-main-event
• Cheating on the Gulf Coast? https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29/news-views-gossip/cheating-gulf-coast-1844520/
• Milly in Philly returns March 19-31