About this episode
The More Rake Is Better Giveaway: https://table1.vegas/rake Play with us at Table 1: https://table1.vegas Imagine this: You’ve got $1,400 to your name. Twins on the way. You’re not a household name. And you’re trying to make it in the most brutal game on earth: tournament poker. Most people fold. Jesse Lonis didn’t. In this episode of the Table 1 Podcast, Jesse drops a heater of a story. It's got all the hits: 🧓 Poker tips from Grandma 🏀 Streetball mindset from the Bronx 💔 Getting kicked out of college 💰 Turning $1,400 into $250K when everything was on the line 🍼 Becoming a dad of twins and leveling up instantly Oh — and $21M in live earnings later, he’s still real, raw, and building his brand without faking a damn thing. This episode is grit + heart + humor in podcast form. You’ll walk away inspired, entertained, and probably Googling “Vanilla Gorilla Poker” just to see him in action. 👇 Hit play. You won’t regret it. Show Notes 0:00 – Poker Needs More Characters 5:00 – Upbringing: From Alaska to Upstate NY 10:00 – Basketball in the Bronx, Getting Jumped in College 15:00 – Turning Stone Poker Loop 20:00 – Limit Hold'em Rescue Mission 25:00 – First Tournament Spark 30:00 – $1,400 to $250K with Twins on the Way 35:00 – WSOP Breakout Year 40:00 – First High Roller, First Backer 45:00 – $1.6M Makeup, $5M Heater 50:00 – Crushing Live Poker with Intuition 55:00 – Social Media Strategy & Brand Building 1:00:00 – GPI POY, Travel, & Family Balance 1:05:00 – Managing Variance with a Backer 1:10:00 – WSOP High Roller Swings 1:15:00 – Dangerous at 25/50 PLO Online 1:20:00 – Building a Brand Without Being Fake 1:25:00 – Family Life, Future Plans & Closing Thoughts Jesse's Links: https://x.com/JesseLonis https://www.instagram.com/jesselonis https://www.youtube.com/@JesseLonis Table 1 Links: https://table1.vegas https://x.com/table1vegas https://instagram.com/table1vegas