fbpx

Chosen Links by Boaz – Ep 15 Poker Pros: A Dialogue on Israel, Antisemitism and the Game They Love

Boaz Hepner speaks to a group of 13 incredible poker pros.
[additional-authors]
February 4, 2026
Top row: Boaz Hepner (host), Amnon “Gutz” Filippi, Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu, Ronnie Bardah
2nd row: Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, Andy Bloch, Eric “E-Wee” Mizrachi
3rd row: Ari Engel, Melanie Weisner, Albert Destrade, Robert “Whosbad” Mizrachi
Bottom row: Robbie Strazynski, Jeff Gross

(EDITOR NOTE – This episode was filmed on 07/30/25)
Boaz Hepner had the BEST time speaking to a group of 13 incredible poker pros, including the most recent winner of the World Series of Poker! Watch these 13 pros as they laugh, love & discuss. The first half is all about the world of poker. The second half covers their thoughts on Israel and antisemitism.

If I told you this was a fun episode to watch, it would be an understatement.

Joining Boaz on the show:
Ronnie Bardah – Poker Pro, Survivor First Boot
Andy Bloch – Poker Pro, MIT Engineer, Harvard Lawyer
Albert Destrade – Dating Coach, Entrepeneur, Survivor Loser
Ari Engel – Nomadic Poker Pro
Amnon “Gutz” Filippi – Poker Pro
Jeff Gross – GG Million$ Host, JeffGrossPodcast
Mike “The Mouth” Matusow – Poker Pro
Eric “E-Wee” Mizrachi – Poker Pro
Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi – Hall of Fame Poker Pro
Robert ‘Whosbad” Mizrachi – Poker Pro
Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu – Hall of Fame Poker Pro
Robbie Strazynski – Cardplayer Lifestyle Founder
Melanie Weisner – Poker Pro, Coach

Editor Nathan Horowitz 

Technical Director Seth Shapiro

Please watch the episode, and follow Chosen Links by Boaz directly on his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@boazhepner

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Post-Passover Pasta and Pizza

What carbs do you miss the most during Passover? Do you go for the sweet stuff, like cookies and cakes, or heartier items like breads and pasta?

Freedom, This Year

There is something deeply cyclical about Judaism and our holidays. We return to the same story—the same words, the same questions—but we are not the same people telling it. And that changes everything.

A Diary Amidst Division and the Fight for Freedom

Emma’s diary represents testimony of an America, and an American Jewish community, torn asunder during America’s strenuous effort to manifest its founding ideal of the equality of all people who were created in the image of God.

More than Names

On Yom HaShoah, we speak of six million who were murdered. But I also remember the nine million who lived. Nine million Jews who got up every morning, took their children to school, and strove every day to survive, because they believed in life.

Gratitude

Gratitude is greatly emphasized in much of Jewish observance, from blessings before and after meals, the celebration of holidays such as Passover, a festival that celebrates liberation from slavery, and in the psalms.

Freedom’s Unfinished Journey

The seder table itself is a model of radical welcome: we are told explicitly to invite the stranger, to make room for those who ask questions and for those who do not yet know how to ask.

Thoughts on Security

For students at Jewish schools, armed guards, security gates, and ID checks are now woven into the rhythm of daily life.

Can Playgrounds Defeat Antisemitism?

The playground in Jerusalem didn’t stop antisemitism, and renovating playgrounds in New York City is not likely to stop it there, either — because antisemitism in America today is not rooted in a lack of slides or swings.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.