Interview: Josh Arieh on Poker Past and Future

In 2024, the WSOP Main Event welcomed over 10,000 players to the felt as Jonathan Tamayo became world champion and took home $10 million. Two decades on from Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 victory which kicked off a ‘poker boom’, Daniel Weinman won $12.1m to become the world champion – but are we really in the middle of Poker Boom 2.0 now?

A Man for All Poker Seasons

“I wasn’t ready to have big money – I made a lot of mistakes.” ~ Josh Arieh

To find out, we spoke to Josh Arieh, who in 2004 came third behind David Williams and the eventual winner of the Main Event, Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer. Now, 21 years older and wiser, the six-time WSOP bracelet winner Arieh, whose biggest cash remains that $2.5 million he received for coming close in 2004, spoke to us about where poker has come from… and – more importantly – where it is heading.

“I wouldn’t really call it a poker boom,” says Arieh. “During COVID there wasn’t much of anything to do. More people got involved with poker during COVID and realized what a great game poker actually is. Poker is an amazing social game and a great way to let your competitive juices flow.”

In 2004, Arieh finished third in the Main Event for $2.5m – a huge amount now but a vast, life-changing prize in the early years of the new millennium. How much of that prize did he take home, however, and how different is his personal life today?

“In 2004 I was staked by Erick Lindgren, so I ended up with a little more than half of the $2.5m,” Arieh admits. “I was a cocky 29-year-old that never had any kind of real money back then. I wasn’t ready to have big money, so I obviously made a lot of mistakes that I wouldn’t make today.  Fortunately, I learned from my mistakes and they have molded me into the person I am now.”

Back in 2004 at that Main Event final table, Arieh’s elimination at the hands of the eventual champion Raymer led to him whispering to David Williams: “Bust this m****f***a” when losing in third place. Williams didn’t bust Fossilman, either… but how has Arieh’s relationship with each man gone since that day?

“Ha! David and I have become close friends through the years, and we’ve followed each other’s careers closely,” Arieh laughs. “Since the days of both of us representing Bodog Poker together, I’ve been a big fan of David personally and professionally! I have really enjoyed watching David evolve as a person and also as a great competitor on the felt.  Raymer? Um… he still has my bracelet from 2004!”

The Future of Poker

“Keep your damn charts out of the poker room!” ~ Josh Arieh

Poker has been through huge change in the past 21 years, and Arieh is now one of the elder statesmen of the game rather than a young up-and-comer. Just like players such as Negreanu and Ivey, he’s seen the first big online era, and is now in the heart of the ‘GTO’. As the six-time WSOP bracelet winner sees it, there are still changes to be made.

“⁠I think that game security is the most important thing right now,” he says. “Players that are new to poker will have a hard enough time winning as it is.  The last thing we need are new players taken advantage of by the few bad actors in our community.”

Arieh was definitively ‘not a fan’ of the recent controversy surrounding Jonathan Tamayo’s Main Event win and the ensuing ‘Laptopgate’. Poker is seen by many outside it as solo sport, but coaching, study groups, experienced rails and more have changed the reality of the game inside the bubble.

“Poker has always been somewhat of a team sport, whether it’s absorbing info from my friends, asking opinions on situations or taking advice on future gameplay,” Arieh says. “That will never change. I think that once we are in the money, players aren’t able to get advice or coaching from anyone during play. Breaks are fair play. Do what you gotta do on breaks, just keep your damn charts out of the poker room!”

Team Lucky, which comprises of Arieh, Shaun Deeb, Daniel Weinman and Matt Glantz has a reputation for being fortunate at the felt but so much hard work goes on ‘in the lab’ outside of the final tables we get to see as fans. The amount of work needed to succeed in 2024 is different to 2004.

“Poker is always evolving. For guys like us, I take pride in our ability to evolve and adapt to the current state of poker. Being at the top of any industry is hard and involves constant improvement. The great thing about me and my boys is that we’re not content.  We want more! We know what we have to do and are ready for that work.”

The Next 20 Years

Poker and Arieh have both moved on so much from the days of 2004 and the initial poker boom. What can we expect from the next 20 years for the man who turns 50 in September this year?

“The two things that motivate me the most are being inducted in the Poker Hall of Fame one day and providing my family with a life that I never dreamed possible. I was a guy that barely graduated high school, never attended college, and was just a lost soul with no direction in my late teens and early 20’s. Poker gave me new-found dreams and goals. It gave me a chance to go places I never dreamed and provide in ways I never thought were possible.”

In 2044, poker – and life itself – may look very different. If we caught up with 70-year-old Josh Arieh in 20 years’ time, what would he like that guy to have achieved?

“First, I hope I’m still healthy and getting to watch grandkids! I hope there’s a banner or two more hanging at the WSOP.  Mainly, I hope I’m on a beach somewhere getting my feet rubbed and someone serving me margaritas and steak tacos!”

Here’s a reminder of Arieh in action during the 2023 WSOP on his way to multiple bracelets and cheering his friend Daniel Weinman to the World Championship.