The countdown to the 2025 WSOP is on. 100 bracelets. All the poker players. And PokerOrg will be on the floor from start to finish.
Nikki Limo is one of the poker industry's most creative and popular content creators. She loves cash games, her husband, and two cats, and she's now a ClubWPT Gold ambassador.
What are you looking forward to at the WSOP this summer?
I hope I win something. That would be sick. Winning a bracelet would be at the top of my list. But WPT is running some cool promos during the summer as well, with details coming out later this week. I'm excited.
What if we can't wait?
Okay. ClubWPT Gold has rented out the Ole Red restaurant outside the Horseshoe. Every Thursday there'll be ambassadors there — I'll be there every Thursday — and there are going to be games and giveaways. So this year, on your dinner break, you can head there and you'll get 50% off the entire menu just by signing up with ClubWPT Gold. They have good food there, actual meals, and it's probably cheaper than a banana at the WSOP.
Good food, finally! Are you doing anything to prepare for the grind?
The WSOP always catches me off guard, no matter what. As someone who started as a cash player, I like playing poker at night. Tournaments with their early start times always throw me off.
I feel like I don't get to do my whole morning routine. In the past I always thought I had a plan, but it never worked. This year, I've tightened up my morning routine to be ready to go. I've also started doing some private coaching again to prep for the series specifically, to get a refresher, plug up some leaks, and do all that stuff.
Does producing content while playing mess with your focus?
For the past two years, I've been doing content alongside playing. It certainly can. I feel like my bandwidth was stretched thin, and I think I could do it all, but I can't do it all. I'm very conscious of that going into this year. My primary focus is going to be on content and working with WPT. The events that I play are going to be for fun. I'm just going to play my game.
I know you play cash and tourneys at the WSOP. How do you adjust your mindset when going back and forth?
It is a struggle for sure, especially if it's on the same day. I'm more comfortable with cash games. It's something I can just get into after a tournament; tournaments are very high anxiety for me because there's just so much going on. I get to unclench my butthole and relax when I go play a cash game.
It is a completely different strategy, almost opposite in my brain. It takes a second to adjust. But I usually feel like I win my buy-ins back if I play a cash game after busting a tournament. So, that’s kind of a relief.
The WSOP has said they won't allow devices on the last three tables of a tournament. What do you make of that?
I'm sure you'll be on camera anyway if you make it that deep. It's a good problem to have.
Will you be creating any content while you’re playing this year?
I bought these nifty Ray-Ban Meta glasses to record stuff with. I'm not good at recording my hands at the table. That's why I've never been a hand history vlogger, but these glasses make it a lot easier to film everything without having a clunky phone or camera involved. If the WSOP allows them, I’ll use them.
'I would change the ridiculous prices at the WSOP Cafe'
Can you talk about your new sponsorship with ClubWPT Gold?
One thing I like about the WPT is they give me a lot of creative freedom. I've gotten to explore different formats that I like creatively. The past couple of videos that I've put out have been entirely different from one another. One was a whole written sketch; another was a sitcom theme.
I've been experimenting. I would get bored if I just did one type of format over and over again. I'm having a lot of fun just playing around.
YouTube has been coming at poker content recently. What are your thoughts on that?
If you get wrongly flagged on YouTube, no matter your niche, it's very hard to talk to an actual human to review your claim. I've had a lot of frustrations with YouTube over the years.
It's going to be an uphill battle for these content creators. If you want to go into content creation, you have to love the content that you're making. You need to understand that you're cultivating a community rather than looking at the short-term monetization of it.
You post a lot of pics with your cats on your IG. Do they help you chill out after a rough poker day?
I think that cats are very intuitive. They seem to know when I've had a bad session and will come up and start purring immediately. They seem to sense it and cheer me up when I am feeling bad. They have no concept of what I just went through, where I came from, or what cards hit the river. It's very therapeutic to unwind and be in the present moment with them.
What's your favorite WSOP event?
I final tabled the $600 deep stack event the very first time I played at the WSOP and finished fourth. That one holds a special place in my heart. If I were to pick any event, the Main Event has the best structure. As a cash player, having that deep stack on the first day is awesome. I don't play a lot of $10Ks and this is a very special $10K.
Who would you swap 5% with this summer?
Krissy [Foxen] of course. I would love to swap with Krissy because she plays more events than I do.
What would you like to see the WSOP change this summer?
I would change the ridiculous prices at the WSOP Cafe. There are many things where they don't keep the players' best interests in mind. They could do a better job at that.
I feel a little bad complaining about the dealers. I know that many dealers get shipped in from other games. I don't think they have enough time to train them. I think the players are good at helping the dealers, but they should give the dealers enough time to train and learn. The players are paying a lot of rake; they don't deserve a bad experience at the tables either.
Is Phil Hellmuth going to play the Main Event?
He has a point but tournaments in general are about stamina. As a cash player, I hated that aspect of them. I want to go to the bathroom when I want and go home when I want. Unfortunately, they do benefit the young and agile, but you don't have to play. I can't see Phil not playing. What will the WSOP Main be without a Phil Hellmuth interruption? I think he means it, but when the time comes, I’d bet he plays. I wouldn't want any changes made to the Main Event.
Follow Nikki's summer grind on X and Instagram. Get 50% off your food at Ole Red when you sign up for free with ClubWPT Gold.
