Most poker fans are well familiar with the name of Ryan Feldman. He’s best known as the co-owner and co-producer of the Hustler Casino Live show, probably the most popular poker live stream in existence. Dave Tuchman, the man behind the 888poker Ride wheel, is also one of the regular commentators on that show, so it was about time for this trip to happen.
During the 40-minute ride, Ryan talked about his ambitions as a youth, how he stumbled upon poker, and the events that led to the birth of the Hustler Casino Live show.
Of course, the experienced 888poker Ride host that he is, Tuchman didn’t miss the opportunity to ask about Robbie Jade Lew, the infamous J-4 hand, and how it all affected his relationship with Garrett Adelstein.
Dreams of NBA & Early Poker Career
Ryan and Dave don’t just work together; they’re friends, and that friendship really came through in the interview as the conversation flowed naturally.
After briefly talking about the current state of affairs with Hustler Casino Live and Tuchman’s ongoing engagement with the show, the interview shifts to Feldman’s school days and his unrealistic but persistent dreams of becoming an NBA star. While that plan did not come together, the love for sports had an important role in his professional development.
Since he couldn’t be a professional athlete, Feldman first tried his hand as a sports broadcaster, a job that he enjoyed quite a bit, eventually branching out into sports research. After interning with CBS Sports, he managed to land a job with ESPN.
As for his poker story, at least during early days, it’s not much different from the stories of many players from that period. He fell in love with the game, played a lot, and gradually became better at it, primarily by becoming a friend with good players and absorbing knowledge from them.
For a while, he balanced his passion for poker and the full-time job as a researcher, but eventually, the poker lifestyle won him over.
Live at the Bike & Hustler Casino Live
Feldman left his job and decided to give poker a chance, doing it full time and living with a few good poker players who helped him learn and get better. Yet, it wasn’t all smooth sailing, as he got off to a rough start.
And then, the lucky streak finally came, but off the tables. Live at the Bike was looking for a new producer, and with the experience he accumulated working for CBS and ESPN, and with his great passion for the game, this was a job that he felt had his name written all over it.
As someone who was very close to the poker scene, Feldman had many ideas on how to improve the show and make it more interesting. He was given a couple of opportunities to try these ideas, and these trials went great.
Eventually, he got the offer and became the full-time producer for the show, taking things to a whole new level, introducing a YouTube channel, adding new streams, and bringing some big-name players to the table to attract eyeballs.
However, Ryan shared with Tuchman that after a few years, he grew frustrated and started to feel underappreciated. By that point, he knew his worth, and he had confidence in his abilities, and as things did not get better, it was time to move on.
Working together with Nick Vertucci, he was able to eventually set things up at Hustler Casino, and the first Hustler Casino Live stream was broadcast in August of 2021.
Feldman shared that he and Nick started with a vision, but they had a lot to prove. Soon, however, things started to go much better than they expected, as they got some huge names to appear on the show, including Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, and Mr. Beast, and that start set them up for success.
The Controversy
Almost everyone in the poker community knows about the biggest controversy in the Hustler Casino Live history, the infamous J-4 hand that Robbie Jade Lew played against the star of the show, Garrett Adelstein.
The next few months saw Feldman and the team navigating some stormy waters. After everything that had happened, Ryan says that his relationship with Garrett was permanently damaged and it seems that he won’t be coming back to Hustler.
Feldman also shared some of his thoughts on how his perspective has changed over time with regard to Garrett and their relationship even before the J-4 incident, so it was, in some ways, the straw that broke the camel’s back.
888poker and Dave Tuchman always come up with interesting guests for the Ride segment, but the Feldman interview is quite interesting as, despite his role in the poker world, he’s not as much in the center of the media attention as some of the big name players who rode shotgun with Tuchman. So, grab a cup of coffee and check out the full interview, as you’ll enjoy it!