Alan Keating — Get to Know the Most Interesting Man in Poker

I don't necessarily look for reasons to fold.

I'm trying to think of some dream way that I win the hand and call and see if it's true. Right.

I like putting people into spots that maybe they're not enjoying. Right. And test them a little bit. I'm enjoying each hand. I'm in each hand.

Yes.

So, you know, I get my own benefit out of that side, too. 15 hour one was my favorite because I like that. Last three, four hours of just delirious brawling. Yeah, yeah. That's what I'm most interested in.

You and Mickey had some epic battles. Just like neither of you has anything that was just pure entertainment.

And when he re raised me with

king Queen and king Jack, he just made this massive pot of just. I think it was king high at the time.

Yeah. Oh, he had me spinning for sure.

We've both been in the game a long time, and you get fulfillment by giving back in different ways. Like you being here right now, this is unpaid. You're doing it for the fans, you organizing these incredible games. And like you said, you're a chat pro. Like, you're in there.

I love it.

Yeah.

It's like engaging with people is super fun. Like, you realize that's, you know, the value in life is, you know, how you're impacting people. Right, right. How you're interacting with them. So I'm pretty passionate about that. But, you know, you're saying giving back to the game, like, you know, I really can't think of anything else. Where you sit in coordinated seats where everyone can hear each other and you're essentially hanging out for hours and hours and hours. Like, I don't know where the LSAT exists. So, you know, poker for me is, you know, derived a lot of friendships and that have led to, like, a lot of amazing experiences. So, like, that's, that's the priority. To me,

These guys love playing with you, man. I encourage everyone to go back and watch you interview these guys. It's people who genuinely care about each other. But also, let's battle. Let's talk shit. Shamat Sing. You're a horrible player, but you can see he loves you, man. Like, I just. Yeah, I really enjoyed that.

I'm glad you observed that. They are very genuine relationships. Like, if, you know, I were to lose any of these friendships, I'd be shocked because there's nothing I'm going to do that would jeopardize it.

And I heard you were trying to sell it. Mark down.

Yeah, I was a little late on it. Like an hour.

He's late. The Steak Kings fellow said that we've already agreed to this par price. So, like, if we change it, you

know, two people would add different prices.

Right.

But yeah, I don't know how far down you have to market to be fair. But yeah, I did, you know, I want to put a little bit out there.

They said that it sold out pretty quick. So I guess, you know, people that didn't, that wanted some weren't able to get it. So, yeah, you know, if the intention is to, you know, engage with people and get on the same side, like, I think that's really fun. So I'll probably try to be more conscious of whatever people want.

Do you tilt

a must, you know, not a robot, you know.

Yeah, but do you tilt from. From losing or do you tilt from it? If people aren't like acting great in the game?

If people aren't acting great in the game, that doesn't really happen much, you know, like pretty tight groups of friends. Right.

Well cultivated.

But I guess what tilts me is if maybe I go home and I feel like I didn't have a good time. And that's relative, not necessarily to my outcome because, like after the streamer game, I was just like laughing to myself

about how ridiculous I am, you know, for participating in this and getting that outcome. You have to, like, you have to

find the humor in it, at least from like a third person perspective.

But I guess if I'm home and

I feel like, hey, I played in a game and I didn't have a shot right then I'm telling, you know, if someone went up a bunch of money and then they, they lock it up or they're not like contributing back, you know, I'm a little bit tilted

if they're grinding too hard.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, everyone's their own individual. I'm not going to tell people necessarily what to do, but the experience I'm trying to have, you know, I want other people to, you know, want to have it too.

Yeah. I mean, it seems like you're happy to take the worst of it pre flop, and you just want people, if they're up a bunch, to keep gambling and give you a shot at it. And that seems beyond fair. You mentioned the Streamer game with MrBeast, Ludwig, Botez, Ninja and others. You did a lot for poker that night. I know you lost over a million dollars and you can go back and watch that one too. It's an incredible game. But you say you weren't tilted at all because it was just such an amazing experience. There was no one sniping in that lineup.

No one.

Maybe, Maybe, maybe, maybe one person.

No one. Are you sure?

But Mr.

Beast, certainly there were a couple people that were playing, you know, pretty, you

know, great poker or, you know, thoughtful poker. But, you know, even that I'm not thrilled about. Yeah. You know, like, in that sense, like, each of those players, like, I knew I had more experience than all of them except for Phil and Tom Delan.

Right.

And I just felt like it wasn't right to sit back and play tight and do that, you know, just to seem like the right thing to do. And so, you know, I saw the pace that they were gambling at and looked like fun.

Yeah. You and MrBeast were really going at it with flips.

You and I should not. Like, we gotta stop being friends.

No, I think the opposite influence on each other. Like, it's very dangerous. We're gonna be.

Yeah, I think the opposite. I mean, from the viewer's perspective, it was just incredible. And Botez had the night of her life.

Yeah, I was thrilled about that. Like, that was fun to even be around. Like, she wins a big pot, she's like, oh, my gosh. You know, she's realizing what it means. And, you know, I think that was like, a treat for all of us to just, like, be there for that, for her.

Why is he buying him for 300k?

I think he explained that he just was short in another game. Then he made a public announcement, and, you know, Phil's gonna follow through on the things he says, so that's what he did.

Yeah, I felt like that took him from a big favorite in the game to just, you know, maybe a small favorite, because he's not. He's clearly not comfortable playing super deep. Very few people are. And we saw that on Monday, and then the next day, it really cost him. And he just ended his week. I predict he comes back and plays his own game, which I kind of feel like a legend of the game could do. I think he could just play however he wants to play. He's going to bring the views, and I think that might have been a little bit of a mistake trying to accommodate people who want to see him buy. Indeed.

Yeah. I think he prioritizes his integrity relative to what you said more than his own outcome in that by making that decision.

Right.

But, you know, as his friends, you know, everyone at the table would have been fine with him buying in for 20. But if you say he goes from, like, a huge favorite to a small favorite. Like, personally, I don't want anyone to

be a huge favorite.

Right. So if he's moved back to a small favorite, then I think that's good for everyone. I put a lot of thought into basically, like, who do I want to be? You know, have you ever been at the table where someone gets stacked and they're all angry and they tell the other guy, like, you know, you played it wrong, whatever. You know, when you're doing stuff like that, you're taking away that person's opportunity to feel, like, the joy and excitement in that moment. And I think that's like, baseline disrespectful and like a lower way to go through life. So I just try to emphasize that, you know, whatever is going on for me, I can handle on my own, and I want to be excited for other people when they do well.

Really appreciate it anytime you make time for us, including this pre game show. This was amazing, and thank you.

Yeah. And the same comments back to you. I have a lot of respect for you and what you've done. I've said it before, I'm saying it again, so keep doing what you're doing.

Cool, man. Very much appreciate all of it. And anything else, or should we just tell them goodbye?

Goodbye.

Until next time.