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PokerStars Launches The Tough Call Podcast With James Hartigan and Maria Konnikova

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Mrinal Gujare 1 hour ago

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PokerStars' The Tough Call podcast explores decision-making and risk with diverse guests.
Hosted by James Hartigan and Maria Konnikova, the first episode features Jason Koon.
Episodes release weekly until the season finale on 29 December 2026.

PokerStars launched The Tough Call on October 27, 2026, hosted by James Hartigan and Maria Konnikova. The 10-episode podcast explores decision-making, risk and performance under pressure, featuring Jason Koon and guests from poker, business, journalism and other professional fields.

PokerStars launched The Tough Call, a new podcast hosted by James Hartigan and Maria Konnikova, on October 27, 2026. The 10-episode first season explores decision-making, risk assessment and performance under pressure, with guests from poker and other professional fields.

The debut episode, titled Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions, features American professional poker player Jason Koon. The discussion examines how experience, emotions and strategic thinking influence decisions, including the challenges of evaluating risk and performing under pressure.

Koon, a PokerStars ambassador and Poker Hall of Famer, has won two World Series of Poker bracelets and 12 Triton Poker titles. According to PokerStars, his live tournament earnings exceed $75 million.

New episodes are released weekly on Tuesdays, with the season finale scheduled for December 29, 2026. The announced guest schedule is:

November 3: Jon Ralston
November 10: Anna Holmes
November 17: David Epstein
November 24: Bill Perkins
December 1: Elliot Roe
December 8: Mark Goffman
December 15: Samm Hunter
December 22: Ron West
December 29: Liv Boeree

Across the season, guests bring experience in journalism, writing, investing, television production, performance coaching and science communication. Episodes are available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Konnikova Discusses Future Plans and AI

In a pre-launch interview published by PokerOrg on October 14, Konnikova explained that The Tough Call differs from Risky Business, her previous podcast co-hosted with Nate Silver. The new series focuses more heavily on guest interviews and decisions encountered in everyday life.

Konnikova also discussed the possibility of inviting listeners to submit difficult personal decisions for future episodes. However, this remains a potential feature rather than a confirmed part of the first season.

She also cautioned against excessive reliance on artificial intelligence for decision-making, emphasising the importance of continuing to develop critical-thinking abilities.

With its 10-episode format, The Tough Call examines decision-making across poker and other professional fields, with new episodes scheduled through December 29, 2026.

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