Brian Rast - $21,562,431 in Live Earnings - a podcast by Jeff Gross

In this episode, Brian Rast, professional poker player, scientist, cycler, and philosopher, talks about how he got into poker while attending Stanford College. Jeff and Brian discuss his biggest wins, favorite games, and how solvers have changed the landscape in poker. Listen in to hear Brian share his thoughts on bitcoin, Burning Man, and meeting his Brazilian wife – and listen in as he gives Jeff some pro tips.  

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Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 01:00 – Introducing Brian, a tournament and cash game pro, and his background


• 02:00 – He went to Stanford and started playing poker there; he was a math major but dropped out


• 03:15 – He played poker for 2 years in college and has played ever since for the last 15 years; he started as a cash game player and started tournaments 5-6 years ago


• 04:40 – His parents wanted him to finish school and graduate; his dad started learning poker and his mom was less accepting of poker at the beginning


• 07:00 – The most he played was when he dropped out of school; he was playing 80-100 hours a week


• 07:45 – He plays every day during the WSOP and less for the other 10 months out of the year; he has great endurance, his longest is about 50-52 hours


• 09:00 – Poker in Macau


• 09:30 – In the U.S. people gamble in passing, on their way to something else; in Macau people arrive at 10am with tea and hit it for 24 hours straight


• 10:02 – In Macau he would regularly play 24-40 hour sessions


• 10:30 – The bicycle ride; he has detailed information about the bike bets on his blog


• 11:55 – He had no cycling experience and had to complete the ride from Vegas to LA in 48 hours without drafting or a recumbent bike; he went into 25mph winds at one point


• 14:15 – Brian’s biggest wins; He’s made over $20 million in lifetime earnings and is number one all-time in California


• 14:35 – He’s won the Player’s Championship $50,000 twice; he probably won’t play many more tournaments where he can win as much as he has


• 16:00 – He’s been playing poker since 2003 and has traveled little for poker; he didn’t have many results until 2011


• 18:00 – Playing tournaments and cash games gave him a ton of experience; people’s ability to study solvers has changed the no-limit hold ‘em game at the top


• 20:00 -He’s used solvers off and on but isn’t putting in the same work as the other guys; he likes the mixed game and understands that everyone makes mistakes


• 22:00 – The games Brian loves


• 22:50 – He loves no-limit hold ‘em; he got into mixed games because he liked learning and wanted to be in on the action near home in Vegas


• 24:30 – He’s more of a cash player, he’s not a tournament player anymore; he’s never liked travelling for tournaments


• 26:38 – Tournaments are more exciting even if cash games profit more; he hasn’t burnt out on poker and still loves it


• 28:00 – He loves the pressure and competition in poker; it’s what keeps him coming back


• 31:50 – The best session he played was in Macau; he played with super-rich guys and heavy-hitters in the poker world and the pot winner would show their hand


• 34:24 – He played hot, bluffed a lot, and everything worked; he was known as the guy that got white people kicked out of Macau


• 37:30 – There are many cash players who are great and unknown because they don’t play tournaments


• 38:30 – Brian’s thoughts on crypto-currency


• 38:53 – He recommends listening to Murad Mahmudov’s interview on the Off the Chain Podcast titled The Ultimate Bitcoin Argument


• 39:40 – He believes bitcoin is about to become an official global money; you must invest your money or else it depreciates, bitcoin doesn’t inflate or depreciate


• 42:30 – It does gold better than gold; it’ll work as long as people believe in it as a money


• 43:50 – People like it in poker to transfer large sums quickly; bitcoin makes sense to Brian as a long-term investment with some disposable income


• 53:15 – Brian’s Burning Man experience


• 53:30 – He thinks Burning Man is an awesome, unique experience; you can find whatever you want there whether it’s music and partying or art and spirituality


• 54:45 – He loves techno music, art, and principles of Burning Man; Jeff met his wife at Burning Man


• 57:10 – Brian’s biggest motivators: His family and his wife


• 57:25 – He loves his wife and what she’s done to make it work; he’s learned to be a father to his step-son with his wife’s help


• 59:00 – Now his dream is to help his son realize his dreams; he never thought he’d be that way with another person


• 59:50 – His relationship has made him better and helps hold him accountable; self-improvement is a constant thing with focus, meditation, and learning


• 01:01:00 – Both Jeff and Brian are married to Brazilians and excited to have kids soon


• 01:09:35 – When people complain


• 01:10:00 – He can let whiney losers slide, but he hates whiney winners; he hates when people berate or put others down at the table


• 01:11:05 – The impact solvers has had


• 01:11:15 – Since he’s started using the Range Converter he’s felt more comfortable in certain spots in tournaments; it’s given him structure and it makes sense to play that way


• 01:12:00 – It helps you improve your game and make adjustments; it’s important to feel confident and learn principles


• 01:15:50 – A tip for a new poker player


• 01:16:05 – Approach poker from a strong decision-making position hand-by-hand; don’t let emotions or gambling get in the way and don’t quit everything and start


• 01:20:07 – On having JG as a friend; JG thinks, plans for his friends, is generous, fun, interesting, genuine, and conscientious


• 01:21:50 – How he met his wife


• 01:22:02 – He went to Brazil with a friend 9 years ago and met her while they were out; they communicated in Spanish and it was love at first sight


• 01:23:03 – They wouldn’t allow her to visit the U.S. so he started visiting her and Skyping her; he learned Portuguese to communicate better with her


• 01:24:50 – Seeing people limp in tournaments


• 01:25:10 – People are starting to learn solvers and try out new things; you’ve got to work on your game


• 01:25:30 – The hamburger thing; he ate a Burger Lounge burger while streaming and played well


• 01:26:55 – He doesn’t care what people say, he doesn’t regret his food choice; there aren’t that many food options in casinos


• 01:32:30 – Thoughts on poker’s future


• 01:32:52 – He likes poker, but it’s slowly starting to become more solved; he wonders what the long-term future of online poker is


• 01:35:30 – Poker needs to be human vs. human; there shouldn’t be computer assistance


• 01:41:25 – He doesn’t have weaknesses anymore; he used to be bad at some games but is now better at all of them


• 01:42:10 – Poker as a zero sum game


• 01:42:30 – He never claimed to be a big service to society and believes there are many jobs out there that don’t serve society, either


• 01:43:05 – Poker isn’t unique, there are tons of jobs and industries that aren’t a service and are even a detriment to society; he’s devoting more time to other endeavors


• 01:44:20 – They sponsor a few young athletes; his work and money helps others through his wife


• 01:45:15 – He has an idea of being a citizen of earth; his wife is turning it into a concept and NGO


• 01:46:45 – He recognizes that poker is his selfish pursuit, but he can support his family and give back to society from it


• 01:49:40 – On what area Brian thinks Jeff should improve in his game


• 01:50:20 – In the past, Jeff played scared and tight; he needed to open up his game and take advantage of opportunities


• 01:51:04 – It’s a mental thing more than a technique thing; Jeff is working on that with Elliot Roe


• 01:51:45 – Jeff has had some issues with focus and flow; when they went to Cabo to play online, he’d stream and have to play and entertain


• 01:53:03 – Learning other games could be beneficial


• 01:56:10 – On prioritizing exercise and sleep to play better for longer


• 01:56:45 – He wants good results so he lines everything else around that, not the other way around


• 02:02:55 – More on bitcoin; he thinks it’s going to be worth a lot but suggests everyone do their research 

3 Key Points

• Solvers have had a huge impact on poker over the past 15 years.


• Prioritize your health to play better for longer.


• A strong mindset is critical for success.

Contact/Resources

• Partner - Party Poker


• Jeff’s Website – Jeff Gross Poker


• Brian’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Website


• Brian’s Blog


• Murad Mahmudov’s interview - Here


• Burning Man - Website


• Range Converter - Website


• Elliot Roe’s - Website

Further episodes of Jeff Gross - The Flow Show

Further podcasts by Jeff Gross

Website of Jeff Gross