Nick Schulman's new poker talk show went live on the SiriusXM radio waves over the weekend.
It was the first episode in a six-week trial run that sees the Poker Hall of Famer and eight-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner take the helm in hosting a free-form, poker-heavy talk show – the first of its kind on national radio.
If all goes well, the higher-ups at SiriusXM could put in an order for more. Thus far, through the first episode, it's going very well.
If you missed out on the live launch of Poker Weekly with Nick Schulman, fear not – there's still a way to tune in.
The SiriusXM web-player offers access to recorded versions of shows hosted on its platform, and that's where you'll find Schulman's radio debut. If you sign up for a free three-month trial account, you'll also have access to the first episode and each of the remaining episodes as they release across the next five Saturdays.
The Nick Schulman origin story
It didn't take long for Schulman to establish his radio voice.
If you've listened to his commentary on the WSOP Main Event livestreams or on High Stakes Poker, you know Schulman is something of a natural storyteller – and that quality translates perfectly to radio. Within minutes, you know you're in good hands as Schulman launches into a telling of his poker origin story.
"It started, for me, in the pool room when I was about 11," he explained. "That was my first foray into gambling."
In the pool halls of the greater northeast United States, Schulman honed his skills with a cue and became "obsessed with the game." Later, at 15, he won a single-table, $20 buy-in poker tournament in the back of a pool room in Scranton, Pennsylvania and his obsessive nature found a new avenue of fixation.
"It just felt amazing," he recalled. "I can't put into words how much I loved every element of playing live poker."
After that, he threw himself into the online poker world and, later, the live cash game scene in New York City. These arenas were the proving grounds for what would become a 20-something year career at the poker tables. Schulman also shared some anecdotes about this time, including one about his experience playing in a cash game hosted by Molly Bloom – whose exploits in the private game domain were put to the silver screen in Aaron Sorkin's film Molly's Game (2017).
"I did play Molly's game. I remember they told me to tip Molly," he shared. "I gave her, I think, $30,000 as a tip – I'm not trying to throw these insane numbers around, this was just my life – and I never got a seat again, but it's all good."
Wright and von Kriegenbergh guest spots
After establishing his bona fides within the poker community, Schulman is joined by the show's first guests: Nick Wright and Taylor von Kriegenbergh.
Wright, the host of FS1's First Things First and PokerGO's No Gamble, No Future, is a massive poker enthusiast and no slouch on the felt.
As for von Kriegenbergh, he's one of Schulman's oldest friends and a regular in some of the largest cash games in the world.
Together, Wright and von Kriegenbergh recount a hand that the former played in a recent session – one that really didn't go as planned.
We'll keep the spoilers to a minimum and, instead, simply recommend that you head on over to the Sirius XM web-player and roll the tape.
It's well worth it.
Poker Weekly with Nick Schulman airs Saturday nights at 8:00pm ET on SiriusXM Radio Channel 82.
