Mikey Stotz

Simon Draper got his start in poker primarily as an offshoot of his interest and passion in sports. His competitive nature flipped the switch and he was knee deep in playing and learning just a few months after being introduced to the game. While success eluded him early on for a variety of reasons, he found his stride while furloughed during covid and managed to go from $10NL to $100NL.

By the time he was scheduled to head back to work, he had found enough success at the tables and decided to give it a go full time and hasn't looked back since. He's now a fixture in the $500NL games online and plans to continue climbing the ladder.

His first video offers an introduction before diving into the hands and illustrating his thought process and what to expect from future videos.

Welcome aboard Simon!

Rapha Nogueira's journey into the world of strategic thinking began in college, where he honed his mind with a degree in economics. His quest for knowledge continued with a master's in mathematical economics, where he delved even deeper into theory.

His rise through the stakes wasn't without challenges. Health issues caused some setbacks, but his unwavering dedication and performance-driven mindset propelled him back up the ladder. Today, he skillfully navigates mid-stakes and high-stakes games, showcasing his versatility across various formats.

Rapha's passion for sharing his knowledge extends beyond the poker table. Since 2015, he's transformed into a successful coach, guiding students across diverse formats, including MTTs, Omaha High Low and PLO(4, 5, 6).

Away from the felt, Rapha embraces life as a well-rounded individual. A true foodie, he delights in exploring culinary creations. Fitness is another pillar of his life, keeping him sharp and energized. But perhaps his most unique passion lies in the world of art. Inspired by his grandmother, who blossomed into a painter after retirement, Rapha travels the globe to personally experience his favorite artworks.

His first video takes a deep dive on PLO8 and explores the importance of scooping.

Sam Forde spent the past decade in the world of counselling, initially working in high school and then primarily with adults in private practice. In recent years he added lecturing into the mix, leaning into his passion for ideas and communicating these to counsellors-in-training.

No Limit Hold’em Cash has been his passion for several years, but it wasn’t until he began studying HUNL in late 2019, with a group of guys who quickly became friends, that he switched gears with poker. This led to him playing HUNL part-time during Covid — in the chaos of working from home with 5 children under the age of 10 — and then grinding full-time from late 2022 with his main volume being played at 500NL.

As someone who does need some variety in his work, he continues providing on and off input in counsellor education and is now stoked to be able to integrate poker and counselling in producing videos for RIO.

Outside of poker, counselling, and family life, Sam is passionate about Crossfit, craft beer and cuban cigars.

Sam's unique background in counselling provides a completely new angle at dealing with the everyday challenges of competing at the poker tables. His debut video 'Violence at the Poker Tables' gives a look into the type of content you can expect from Sam.

If you can't get enough of Sam, make sure to check out his 4-part seminar series 'Finding New Possibilities' hosted on Run It Once earlier this year. In the series, you'll lean into the counterintuitive, play around with possibilities, and disrupt some of the commonsense approaches we are told to take in the face of adversity.

Welcome aboard Sam!

Callum Ross is a mixed discipline player who's risen from 25NL to playing mostly 500NL and 1KNL, and up to 5KNL live, over the past 3 years.
He recently left his job as a data engineer to dedicate himself fully to poker, and will be moving to Macau for the next few months to play live poker.

Callum has previously made play and explains on youtube on his channel 'Kal2c' and has experience as a 1 on 1 coach.

In his first video he introduces himself and goes over this year's results, before getting into some 1KNL action on Pokerstars.

Welcome aboard Callum!

Alexandra Fagaras got her start in poker during her first year in college where it was primarily the easiest way for her and a friend to obtain free drinks at her local casino. It didn't take long for her to learn the game and realize that there was potential for much more than a casual place to hang out. When he plans for a Masters degree fell through she started playing online and worked hard to climb from the micros to $500NL which serves as her current home.

Her theoretical approach mixed with her passion for psychology have benefited her tremendously and are on full display in her first video which covers 4 bet pots.

Outside of poler she tries to spend as much time away from the PC and enjoys hiking, yoga, and any activity that involves the outdoors.

Welcome aboard Alexandra!

Matt Stout began his poker career at the age of four when his sister taught him 5-card draw. He took a brief hiatus between that first foray and 2004 when he dove in during the Moneymaker boom. Unlike many of his colleagues, Matt started early on as an MTT specialist and remained focused on that variant for the first 12 years of his pro career. During that time he amassed over $4M online and another $4M in live cashes including several WPT and WSOP final tables.

Matt's first video features a look at a deep run in a $215 ACR event and breaks down the nuance of a number of atypical situations that he encountered throughout.

Outside of poker, he enjoys ice hockey, camping, skiing, and being a dad.

Welcome aboard Matt!

Frankie Carson got his start like so many others in home games with friends during his middle and high school days. They went as far as to create their own WSOP with paper bracelets of which he was unable to win any. When he eventually took his game to the virtual streets he found his niche at $200NL and takes pride in being able to take full advantage of population tendencies in whatever game he's in.

His first video explores an extreme exploit that can be used in virtually every session.

Welcome aboard Frankie!

Lachezar Petkov got started in poker all the way back in 2007 after watching the movie "Lucky You." He found himself playing for pocket change amongst friends during high school and when he departed for college in the UK he attempted to cover his expenses with poker earnings. He moved from HU SNG's, to hypers, to spins before ultimately finding his home in MTT's. In 2016 he took a shot during the Merit Poker live series in Cyprus and won the $10k high roller event for $168k and hasn't looked back since.

His first video offers a brief introduction, some highlights from his poker career, and hands from a recent deep run.

Welcome aboard Lachezar!

Dhruv Bhargava got his start playing in the micros while still in college all the way back in 2007. Unlike many who were bit by the bug immediately, poker remained a side interest for him for the next 12 years. It wasn't until 2019 that he decided to take on the game full-time and transitioned from a NL cash player to PLO and hasn't been dealt two cards since. Outside of poker he enjoys motorcycles and cooking.

His first video features a brief bio followed by some quick and easy fixes that can be implemented for immediate results to your bottom line.

Welcome aboard Dhruv!

Freenachos had a long and windy road on his way to becoming a poker pro and his story is one that is likely to resonate with members more than the boy-genius stories of players depositing $50 and quickly ascending to high stakes. Though the dream of playing poker professionally was present early on, the results at the table didn't match the enthusiasm for the game and he decided to head back to school where he achieved a degree as a language teacher. He rededicated himself to the game during some down time and found the success he'd been seeking earlier in his life.

His first video offers a brief background on his life and touches on some general keys to his approach in poker along with what to expect from future content. The background as a teacher combined with his simplistic, data-driven approach to poker make for unique videos that are likely to benefit players at all levels.

Welcome aboard Freenachos!

Giovanni Giurdanella has had a wild poker journey that began nearly seven years ago at the low stakes NL tables. He found his stride relatively quickly and was able to climb the stakes eventually reaching the $1k and $2k NL games. He made the fateful decision to transition to crypto and he did not experience the same level of success there as he did in poker to say the least! He found his way back to the felt and is back on the grind. His aggressive style which occasionally leans on the spewie side allows him to gain an edge in some of the lower stakes environments running nowadays. He relies heavily on his creativity to find lines and exploits that others may not and this is on full display in his first video.

Outside of poker he enjoys working out, cooking, and soccer.

Welcome aboard Gio!