Episode 77

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Published on:

5th Dec 2022

Think Like a Top 20 Poker Player | E77 Chris Sparks

Today’s episode is an exciting conversation with Chris Sparks, a retired professional poker player although I think he uses the term retired fairly loosely. I’ll settle somewhere in the middle and call him a well-paid hobbyist.

 

Chris has played over 2 million hands of poker across thousands of tournaments including main events tournaments like World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour, and the European, Asian-Pacific, and Latin American Poker Tour.

 

During his hay days, he had a fast and furious climb that eventually led him to being ranked in the top 20 online cash game players in the world.

 

In our conversation, Chris shares stories about his growth as a poker player. He’ll also teach us the meta-skills of high stakes poker that can be extrapolated and applied to our own life.

 

By listening to this episode, you’ll learn how to recognize a good bet, how to take action with incomplete information, and the benefits of focusing on the process versus being results-oriented.

 

If you’re a listener of the show and haven’t left us a rating and review, we’d really appreciate it if you did. And if you’re new, welcome, sit back, relax, and let’s learn something new.

 

I hope you enjoy my conversation with the man who started playing poker in college for fun but eventually used it to pay for his tuition…Chris Sparks.

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Why Chris tried standup comedy
  • How Chris uses retirement in order to reprioritize what he currently wants his life to look like
  • How you can turn bad luck into good fortune 
  • The “Poker House”
  • How to use a forcing function to accomplish your goal
  • How to take action without complete information
  • Emotions have to be a part of the decision-making process
  • Skill acquisition is a long game so be kind to yourself, have fun, and stay curious

 

Mentions:

Expected Value Calculator: www.forcingfunction.com/evc

Play to Win Article: https://www.forcingfunction.com/articles/play-to-win

Experiment Without Limits Workbook: https://www.forcingfunction.com/workbook

Performance Assessment: https://www.forcingfunction.com/assessment

Team Performance Training: https://www.forcingfunction.com/team-training

 

More of Chris:

www.forcingfunction.com

 

More of TSIR:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

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About the Podcast

FI Minded: Achieve Financial Independence & Have Fun Doing It
Achieve Financial Independence & Have Fun Doing It
Want to achieve financial independence without missing out on the fun?

FI Minded is for anyone who wants to achieve financial freedom, live life on their own terms, and, most importantly, enjoy the journey along the way!

Whether you’re just starting to think about financial independence or already deep into the process, FI Minded gives you the tools and inspiration to make FI a reality - without giving up the things you love.

Each episode, we’ll cover topics like:
*Financial Independence Strategies: Simple, actionable advice to reach FI faster (if that’s your goal).
*Work Optionality: Transitioning from the corporate grind (no more "one more year syndrome") to a life of freedom and flexibility.
*Lifestyle Design: How to build a life that aligns with your values, goals, and dreams.
*Stories from the FI Community: Real people sharing their journeys to FI and what they’ve learned.
*Fun with FI: How to save your future and enjoy your current life through CoastFI, mini-retirements, travel, or just making the most of your time.
*Fighting Burnout: Balancing saving for your future while staying mentally healthy.

Some of our past guests include:
Carl Jensen (1500 Days), Jeremy Schneider (Personal Finance Club), Nick Loper (Side Hustle Show), Andrew Giancola (The Personal Finance Podcast), Jordan Grumet (Earn & Invest), Jill Sirianni (Frugal Friends), Jacking Cummings-Koski (Catching Up to FI), Jesse Cramer (Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors), Diania Merriam (Optimal Finance Daily), Rachael Camp (Work Optional), Jillian Johnsrud (Retire Often), Sean Mullaney (FI Tax Guy), Joel Larsgaard (How to Money), Erin Lowry (Broke Millennial).
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