What was your first job as a journalist?
Opinion editor of the student newspaper at UNO.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Don't think so.
How is social media changing news?
Probably moving demand more toward analysis/reaction than rote news.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Can't really think of any.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Provide information of value to the readers.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Are hashtags funny?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Talking to regular people and then getting the idea myself.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Poker solvers for strategy pieces.
What's your favorite social network?
Does Discord count? I hate social media.
Who do you wish followed you?
Not really a social media guy.
Why did you become a journalist?
Wanted to write about sports. Didn't really work out the way I planned.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Nah, took high school journalism though.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My favorite story I've ever written was the Oral History of ChipTic for PokerNews
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't get into this biz for the dough.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Always listening.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Enjoyed writing the downfall of LA poker article for PokerScout.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Any of these AI-written "personalized" ones in my email.
What's your favorite drink?
Knob Creek old fashioned
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Poker table, gym, parked on my buddy's couch watching sports.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I wouldn't say I have one. Favorite writers are sharp sports people like John Hollinger and the FanGraphs team.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I'm not sure there are many. Don't think a lot of people know a lot about poker and gambling, generally speaking.
