Joey Ingram Player Profile, Biography, and Net Worth

PokerOrg
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Posted on: May 19, 2021 5:44 pm EDT

“What’s up, Papi?” Joey Ingram, aka “ChicagoJoey,” aka “BigPapi,” is one of the most entertaining and colorful figures in poker. And he’s also one of the most passionate promoters of pot-limit Omaha. Or, as he likes to refer to it, “the great game of pot-limit Omaha.” Ingram is a YouTube personality, online poker pro, and a strong believer in game theory optimal (GTO) strategy.

Who is Joey Ingram?

Joey Ingram is a Chicago native who had success in his 20’s playing PLO online, and then transitioned into a YouTube poker sensation. His YouTube channel, which has over 130,000 subscribers, is full of entertaining videos. He lands the biggest interviews in the game because his connections run deep, and he knows how to hold an interesting conversation.

Legendary players such as Daniel Negreanu, Dan “Jungleman” Cates, Doug Polk, Antonio Esfandiari, and Barry Greenstein have made appearances on Ingram’s show, which he dubs the “Poker Life Podcast.” Polk, one of Ingram’s close friends, has been a regular on the “Poker Life Podcast” for nearly a decade.

Joey Ingram biography

“Papi” is one of the most passionate poker players in the world. He won’t go down as an all-time great pro, and rarely plays tournaments. He isn’t much of a fan of Texas hold’em, which he often refers to as “two-card PLO.” But he’s one of the most important members of the poker community because of how hard he works to promote the game.

Ingram was raised in Chicago, Illinois, and fell in love with the game of poker in his early 20s. He made a small online poker deposit and spun it up quickly, so much so that he earned a nice living playing cards. Shortly after becoming a known, respected online PLO pro, Ingram started a YouTube channel using the same screen name he plays online poker under — “joeingram1.” He moved from his Midwest roots to Las Vegas in his late 20’s and lives in a luxurious high-rise condo on the Las Vegas Strip.

The YouTube channel quickly gained notoriety within the poker community due to Ingram’s colorful, down-to-earth personality. And because he brought on some of the biggest names in the game. The poker industry had long lacked great interviewers and conversationalists who knew how to engage an audience while promoting the game. Although his YouTube channel has grown in popularity significantly over the years, Ingram doesn’t put much effort into monetizing his channel. He’s genuinely focused on promoting poker to as many people as possible, and less focused on making money on YouTube.

Mike Postle investigation

In 2019, “PapiGTO” became “InvestigativePapi.” The PLO lover became a hero within the poker community for extensively investigating and exposing accused poker cheater Mike Postle. Within days after Veronica Brill brought forth allegations that Postle cheated during numerous Stones Live live-stream episodes, Ingram turned his YouTube channel into a full-on Postlgate investigation channel.

He aired countless hours of past Stones Live streams, showing hundreds of hands Postle played on the show, many of which were highly suspicious. Postle was accused of somehow having access to his opponent’s hole cards. He allegedly won over $200,000 over an 18-month period on Stones Live, and Brill, among others, believe he did so because he could see what his opponents were holding.

How Postle gained access to his hole cards, if he did, is unknown. Many, including Ingram, have speculated that he used some sort of electronic device with the help of a Stones Gambling Hall employee. That hasn’t been proven, and neither has it been proven that Postle cheated. But as we all saw on the numerous investigative videos on Ingram’s YouTube channel, the chances that he was actually winning so much legitimately are very slim.

Without Ingram’s videos, the poker community may have had a different opinion on Postle. He provided a plethora of damning evidence over more than a dozen videos that make it difficult for most to believe Postle wasn’t cheating.

Due to Ingram’s persistence in exposing Postle as a cheater, he was sued by the accused poker cheat as part of a $300 million defamation lawsuit. That case lasted only a few months, however, and never gained any traction. The case never even made it to trial and was thrown out when Postle dropped the suit in April 2021.

Joey Ingram poker accomplishments

Ingram is a talented online poker player with hundreds of thousands in profits, and probably more than that (his exact winnings are unknown). But his biggest accomplishments within the poker industry span far beyond the felt.

Ingram is one of the most valuable assets in the game because he attracts casual fans to poker. He is a rare breed in that he’s GTO-minded but also popular with the recreational players. You don’t see that often as many of the GTO poker pros are seen as boring to the casual audience.

The Chicago native has won multiple Global Poker Awards for hosting the top podcast in poker. He’s also helped many poker players improve their game by teaching them game theory optimal strategy and encouraging players to learn GTO. As of 2021, Ingram was still only in his mid-30’s, so he still has many years left to leave his mark on the game of poker. When he turns 40, he just might make it into the Poker Hall of Fame for all the things he’s done for this industry.

What is Joey Ingram’s net worth?

Joey Ingram certainly isn’t one of the wealthiest poker players in the world. But he’s made a nice, comfortable living playing and promoting the game. His net worth is unknown as he’s a private individual who doesn’t flaunt his money around. His total official career poker earnings top out at just $43,000, but he lives in a seven-figure condo on the Las Vegas Strip, so he’s doing a lot better than that figure suggests.