Robbie Strazynski created the now popular poker blog Cardplayer Lifestyle in 2009, and is now celebrating its 10-year anniversary. To commemorate this occasion for the Southern California native who now lives in Israel, I spoke with him to discuss the highs of lows of blogging, and to find out what he considers to be the best poker rooms in the world.
In the interview, Strazynski talks about starting a blog 10 years ago, and whether or not he ever thought it could become profitable (1:28), the risks of quitting your day job to pursue something full-time that’s really hard to explain (6:19), and the challenges of working in the poker industry while living in a country that doesn’t have legal poker (20:18).
We also get into more detail about the travails of building a blog, creating blog content, and the challenges of keeping kosher on the road (26:55) — and did you know Daniel Negreanu speaks Hebrew?
Can You Really Make Money Blogging About Poker?
Strazynski created Cardplayer Lifestyle in 2009, but it wasn’t until a couple years ago that he was able to quit his day job to pursue his poker blogging dreams full time.
If you read his blog, you’ll notice an upbeat tone to his posts. While he isn’t afraid to tackle a controversial issue, he typically refrains from engaging in Twitter flame wars or personal attacks on poker pros or others in the industry. In our discussion, however, he does explain why he couldn’t keep quiet about the Dan “Jungleman” Cates and his softcore poker-themed porn video (10:46).
Robbie’s blog is also where I got my start in poker media. Back in 2015, I wrote a few guest posts at Cardplayer Lifestyle, including this op-ed on the initial WSOP Colossus after I busted on Day Two.
So, it was cool to catch up with the person partially responsible for my finding a home in poker.
Living the Cardplayer Lifestyle
Strazynski’s fans and subscribers want to hear about his trips around the world, pick up some poker tips, and read interviews from interesting people in the poker industry. They don’t go to Cardplayer Lifestyle to read a gossip column or get into the higher-level math of GTO.
Strazynski is as passionate about the game of poker as anyone you’ll meet, which is obvious after listening to our interview. He told me during our discussion that even after all these years of working in this industry, “I’m still a fan of the game at heart.”
I don’t think anyone will ever question the sincerity behind that statement.
