The Bernard Lee Poker Show 11-12: 2018 HPT Champion, Josh Reichard

November 25, 2018

Bernard Lee Contributor

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In this episode of The Bernard Lee Poker Show on the PokerNews Podcast Network, Bernard Lee interviews Josh Reichard, the 2018 Heartland Poker Tour Championship Main Event winner.

The Wisconsin native is far from a one-hit wonder, as he has also previously captured a Mid-Stakes Poker Tour Main Event in 2013, along with ten World Series of Poker Circuit rings. This recent HPT victory was his largest score to date, earning him $221,417 and also bringing his career earnings over the $1 million mark.

Show Time Stamps

0:00	Welcome to The Bernard Lee Poker Show as the show’s guest this week will be the 2018 HPT Championship Main Event winner, Josh Reichard, who outlasted a field of 434 entries, earning $221,294.
1:14	Before beginning his interview with Josh Reichard, Bernard Lee discusses other news in the world of poker. Jerry Moore captured the RunGood Poker Series Main Event at the Hard Rock in Tulsa, Oklahoma in a three-way chop for $38,417.
2:20	Steffen Sontheimer captures the $250,000 Super High Roller Event for $3,685,000.
3:20	Filipe Oliveira win the $5,300 Caribbean Party Poker Main Event for $1.5 million. The event, held at the Baha Mar Resort in Nassua, Bahamas, attracted 1,815 entrants.
4:56	RunGood Gear Ad
5:39	Bernard welcomes Josh Reichard, who won the 2018 HPT Championship event for $221,417.
6:48	Josh Reichard joins the show.
7:18	Josh coincidentally was making the exact same drive to Potawatomi Casino the last time Bernard interviewed him for a previous show in February of 2017.
8:26	Josh explains how he has been improving his game over the last couple of years and also attributes some of his good fortune to “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” Run Good. “I’m always working on my game, always learning. That’s one thing I love about this game. No matter how much you know about the game, every time you sit down and play, you learn more.”
10:35	Josh shouts out to HPT Player of the year, Aaron Johnson who, is also leading the MSPT Player of the Year Race.
10:50	Josh credits discussing poker with his group of poker friends. “It has a ton to do with having a good group of poker minds to bounce hands off of. I think that’s super important.”
14:36	Josh recalls winning his 10th WSOP ring on the same day his roommate Mo Nuwwarah won his first at Horseshoe Hammond. Also, his roommates Bryon Ziebell (3rd place) and Chris Conrad (4th place) made the final table of Josh’s event so the rooming group was extremely well represented on that day.
17:03	Josh discusses how important it is to qualify and play in the 2017 WSOP Circuit Global Casino Championship.
19:03	Josh recalls making the final table of 2017 WSOP Circuit Global Casino Championship. “It was exciting (and) slightly nerve-racking. We are doing interviews with ESPN. We were going to be on national television. I had never done anything like that so it was pretty exciting.”
20:06	Josh stated he wasn’t nervous being under the camera and lights during the 2018 HPT Championship event, partially due to his previous experience with ESPN at the 2017 WSOP Circuit Global Casino Championship.
20:57	Josh cites his comfortability playing in the Chicago/Wisconsin area and his success in these areas over the years.
25:58	Share My Pair Ad
26:30	Cabot Cheese/Creamery Ad
27:02	Bernard continues his interview with Josh and asks him how special it is to win the HPT Championship event, considering he previously also won a MSPT event. “It means a lot to have success on multiple different mid-major poker tours because that’s what I play.”
29:30	Josh reflects on how his poker game has improved over the last five years since he won his MSPT Main Event. “To me looking back at my game back in 2013, it’s surprising to me that I was actually winning things… I feel like my game has come a long way since then.”
32:13	Josh credits his wife for her support in allowing him to play poker for a living.
33:45	Josh recalls how Day 1 and 2 went for him in the 2018 HPT Championship event.
36:12	Bernard asks Josh about the unique final table dynamics in the 2018 HPT Championship event due to the 2018 HPT Player of The Year implications for Aaron Johnson and Jim Kasputis. “That was a huge factor playing into it. Everyone knew about it. It was posted online. It was talked about at the table. Everyone knew it.”
45:01	Josh discusses his thought process when he got three-handed at 2018 HPT Championship Main Event.
47:31	Josh describes how special it is to win the 2018 HPT Championship Main Event, including a shout-out to runner-up Bobby Noel, who Josh played against earlier in the week during the HPT tag-team event. “It would be nice to win this one… I wanted to win big time once we got heads-up.”
49:23	Josh states that being level-headed is one of his best qualities in poker. “It’s just the personality I was born with. I’m just a laid-back person and I’m not going to get upset very easily. That has really helped my poker career.”
51:34	Josh discusses if becoming the all-time WSOP Circuit ring leader (Josh currently has 10 and the leader, Valentin Vornicu has 12) is one of his top priorities. “It’s not one of my biggest goals. I’m not going to start traveling to (WSOP) circuits more often because I’m close. I’m still going to play my same schedule. If it happens it happens. It’s not one of biggest priorities… But it would be nice, obviously (if it happens).”
53:29	Josh discusses the importance of winning a WSOP bracelet. “Ranking my goals in poker, winning a bracelet is pretty high up there. It’s far above taking the overall ring lead.”

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You can follow Josh Reichard on Twitter @jreichard45.

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