Although they don’t spend all their time making the highest cash bets or gambling on the high roller circuit, Andrew Neeme and Brad Owen still climb to the top of the poker mountain in their own way, dominating the world of poker vlogs.
The two Las Vegas-based mills have built a large following on their respective YouTube channels, documenting the ups and downs as they search for work and try to avoid the ups and downs.
A pioneer in the poker vlogging format, Neeme started his channel back in 2016 with an unheard of focus on low-stakes games. Although many may continue to follow in his footsteps and even copy his style, the Detroit native remains one of the most watched poker creators on YouTube with nearly 200,000 subscribers.
In terms of numbers, only Daniel Negreanu can rival Owen, who has amassed 650,000 subscribers in the past five years. The California native even won the Poker Personality of the Year award at the 2019 World Booker Awards and added the award for Vlogger of the Year.
As it turns out, a lot of those viewers were looking for the chance to play Nim and Owen. Thus, the encounter game (glass) Boy. The duo began traveling the country, setting up games in the many casinos and card rooms while going from table to table making sure everyone had a chance to win their block. MUG Groups has continued to grow over the years and is now partnered with World Poker Tourwas able to reach an international audience.
In December, Nim and Owen will host their biggest party glass After the start of the end of season festivities WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
Neeme and Owen can also be found in Texas at their poker room. The two became minority owners at The Lodge Card Club House near Austin alongside fellow poker pro and YouTuber Doug Polk earlier this year.
card player They talk to both of them about their time with him WPT So far and what we can expect at Wynn Las Vegas.
Can you talk about your relationship with WPT?
Andrew Neem: Partnership with WPT A great start, as we had hoped when I spoke with Dan Mawer about some of the trip and company goals. I’m not sure any brand has more experience producing live poker events, but there are a few things Dan thinks we can contribute in order to give players a more personal connection to the stops. From a ground-level perspective via YouTube vlogs, to throwing MUGs, to taking part in extra adventures around the poker tournaments themselves, there’s more of a 360-degree view of the round they wanted to share, and taking advantage of additional content creation is a great way to do that.
Brad Owen: From top to bottom the whole team is doing a great job trying to figure out ways to improve the events and help me grow as a player and content creator. WPT He goes to many amazing estates and cities around the world; Sometimes it still seems unrealistic to me that my job is to host poker events at all of these awesome sites. Since I first started playing poker, this has been what I figured would be dream enough to be sponsored by a major and well-respected company in the industry. I’m as proud as I can be to wear the patch and be a brand ambassador.
Is there a distinction or two apart from your time as a file WPT ambassadors?
AN: The World Poker Tour It lives up to its name, spot on. My second event as ambassador was in Cambodia. To be able to host a glass In Phnom Penh, running multiple tables and playing a “stand-up game” on the other side of the world with some eager vlog-watchers was quite an experience. Shortly thereafter the second international leg was in Gold Coast, Australia. The people there are great, the poker is fun, and the skydiving was awesome.
BO: There were so many special moments for me this year, it’s hard to narrow them down. I played a high stakes cash game session with Doyle Bronson that will be televised early next year. In a separate streaming match, I played Phil Ivey to my left and had the biggest win of my career. I’ve watched Phil and Doyle play for two decades, so getting the chance to sit with them was unforgettable.
Beyond that, I’ve had deep runs in tournaments and won many satellite packages to WPT World Championship in December. It was a difficult year for my family as my father passed away in July, but I was able to give one seat I won to my brother, Matt, who, along with my father, helped me teach me how to play poker when I was a teenager.
You are obviously a veteran of MUGs. How has it evolved over the years from your first partnership with Now WPT? (Steve Aoki crashed another glass in Bellagio!)
AN: The MUG’s fundamentals haven’t changed from the start. We just wanted to have a fun poker night with people who like to watch poker blogs, have a few drinks, and catch the less professional side of poker. The social aspect of poker is what most people in the world are very close to.
Partnership with WPT It helps us in two ways. As mentioned, we’re bringing these events to destinations we otherwise wouldn’t have reached. Second, there are extra hands on deck, whether it’s sorting out a cocktail hour hosted at a nearby casino bar, or bringing in extra friendly faces like Steve Aoki. I’ve already started upgrading the MUGs, but they still keep the same simple look as before.
BO: When Andrew and I first started MUGs in 2017, we were filling only a few tables at some of the casinos here in Las Vegas. Over time, we’ve grown the events to the point where they now have several hundred players in attendance. with WPT Help, we are able to do a lot for those who attend. At nearly every stop, we award seats to major events ranging from $3,500 to $10,000+ entry fee.
There’s a lot of value to people who get out, and now Andrew and I have the chance to travel with the tour to places we didn’t necessarily have a chance to go previously, like our last location glass in Australia. It’s great to be able to connect with viewers from different continents in their home stadiums.
What do you expect from the future glass in where?
AN: Wynn is easily one of the best poker operations in the world. In my opinion, their biggest strength has always been bringing professionalism along with personality. expect that from glass In their place, mixed in with a couple of guys who have somehow managed to make a career out of picking up poker on their cell phones. We like to play NO LIMIT 2-5 MUGs in most of our MUGs because this stake is the best combination of being friendly but also interesting for vloggers at home. Everyone is welcome.
BO: I expect it to be one of the largest and perhaps most exciting events we have ever hosted. Wynn is such a beautiful property, it’s the perfect setting for it WPT Championship Series Premiere. We’ll get everyone on board to start the game in glass. In addition to Andrew and I there, Doyle, Phil Ivey, Lynn Gilmartin, Tony Dunst, Vince Van Patten, and likely many other notable names are playing and interacting with those in the glass.
Have you had to make any modifications to your games due to your bad reputation?
AN: People generally play more aggressively against me, especially in MUGs. On the surface, that means I’m doing more agitation, but it’s hard when someone is playing aggressively versus passively. You never know what someone is going to do at the moment. Combine that with my unwillingness to let it go in MUGs, and it can be an explosive recipe.
BO: People definitely have different motives when playing at the same table as I do these days. Sometimes gamers go out of their way to join a vlog if I’m shooting, and sometimes gamers try to avoid being put in rough spots. Even before the YouTube channel, I’ve always tried to do my best to identify the reasons behind people making the plays they do, and then develop a counter strategy for them.
Both of you have traditionally focused on cash games on your channels. What do viewers like about the tournaments so far?
AN: I think there is a lot to offer the poker spectator interested in poker but not a professional from the cash arena. When it comes to tournaments, their nature doesn’t make them hard to grab (the best players still only get cash for a minority of the time) but they’re not my strong suit. However, if you play enough tournaments, you will run deep here and there. And the deep rounds are always exciting… maybe more than just the outcome of a big cash game. So, regardless of the format’s technical shortcomings, people will tune in to the first-person view of Deep Tour.
BO: Now that I’m playing more tournaments, getting better, working in depth and getting close to some really big payouts, it looks like viewers have been enjoying the ride. I’m having by far the best year of my life in poker, and a lot of that is due to the many big tournament results. Feedback on the content generated around these processes has been really positive. It’s been fun for me to dive into a different format and create vlogs with a heightened sense of urgency, excitement, and weight in each hand. I still love playing cash games, and will continue to post a lot of vlogs about those moving forward.
Do you both have friendly competition as far as your scores go? You both did deep rides at Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic, and you have known each other recently. Brad was in a bit of a rage, cashing in Las Vegas, Australia, and Tampa.
AN: There is no point in trying to beat Brad at anything because he is the Chosen One. In fact, he will be president one day.
BO: He and I work together on many projects including The Lodge, MUGs and our role as ambassadors for it WPT. Success for one of us usually ends up benefiting the other in some way, but even if it isn’t, I will always be there for it.
We’ve been ahead in tournaments against each other twice and it’s 1-1 in those cases. It’s so cool when this kind of thing happens, especially when we’re both into the money. We don’t focus so much on who wins, because we try to respect the pain that comes with getting second place.
Any chance we may see WPT Happened at The Lodge someday?
AN: I would like to see a WPT It happened at the lodge. Combining forces and bringing more events to more markets and more people should be a goal for both teams. The WPT I’ve traditionally partnered with casino companies, but over time, the guys at The Lodge and I have been working to see the membership club model thrive. It is a model that puts poker first in an industry where poker can often be an afterthought and compete for square footage with slot machines. There are endless interesting stories to be told from the world of poker and I think both teams are keen to provide the backdrop for more poker stories.
BO: We’ve certainly had discussions about it. With Texas still the Wild West when it comes to regulation, it’s hard for the Main Event Tour to stop there, but there are very likely ways. WPT and The Lodge may work together in the future. I’m not sure how much exactly but I’m excited when the day comes.
Check out both Andrew Neeme and Brad Owen on their YouTube channel and follow them on Twitter @andrewneeme and @TheBradOwen.
* Lead photos by Antonio Abrego. All other images from the World Poker Tour / Joe Giron.
