Is the best poker tour...in Ireland?!

David Lappin on Selling Yourself in Poker (and Media)

Author

Art Parmann
January 10, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

Poker wasn’t the plan.
It was research.

This week’s episode is with David Lappin, and his path into the game might be the most accidental we’ve heard.

David didn’t come up grinding forums or dreaming of bracelets. He learned poker because he was writing a TV script…and wanted to understand the character better.

That script never got picked up.
Poker stuck.

What follows is a conversation about creativity, rejection, and why so many poker players eventually feel the need to build something outside the game. Writing. Podcasting. Teaching. Commentating. Anything that gives meaning beyond buy-ins and cashouts.

We talk about:

  • Why poker and writing break you in the same ways

  • How The Chip Race became one of the most respected poker podcasts in the world

  • What most poker content gets wrong about its audience

  • Why the Irish Poker Open feels different than almost any festival you’ve played

  • And how Black Friday quietly reshaped European poker forever

It’s funny. It’s thoughtful. And it’s one of those episodes where you finish it feeling like poker isn’t just a game—it’s a strange detour a lot of creative people end up taking.

If you’ve ever:

  • Wondered why poker players keep starting side projects

  • Felt burned out by results but still love the game

  • Or cared more about why people play than how they play hands

This one’s worth your time.

Before you dive in…

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See you next week!
— Art & Justin
🃏 @artparmann & @justinyoung07

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