David Lappin Shares What's in Store for Season 7 of The Chip Race
Many blogs, vlogs, Twitch streams and podcasts fall through the cracks and struggle to find an audience with the plethora of poker content available these days. This hasn't been the case for The Chip Race, which just launched its seventh season. The popular poker podcast is hosted by Irish poker players Dara O'Kearney and David Lappin and is sponsored by Unibet Poker.
The Chip Race has grown into one of the largest poker podcasts in the world, with strong audience figures in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Canada, Australia and of course, in Ireland where it all began. Last week, PokerNews chatted with Lappin, the show’s producer and cohost.
“I’m always looking for interesting poker stories and they don't always come from the obvious places.”
“I’m obsessed with story,” said Lappin.
He and co-host O’Kearney are a natural double-act — excellent interviewers who always seem to get their guests to go a bit further and reveal more. Some of the biggest names in poker have opened up to them on a whole host of subjects prompted by a carefully worded question or a probing follow-up.
“It’s an amazing feeling when you know you’re getting something raw and honest from a guest,” said Lappin, “particularly a big name who the audience probably have an opinion about already.”
What to Expect from The Chip Race Podcast
Such big names in previous seasons have included Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak, Jake Cody, Maria Ho, Griffin Benger, Charlie Carrell, George Danzer, Chris Moorman, Kara Scott, Andrew Neeme, William Kassouf, and many more.
The duo also likes to shine a spotlight on the darker corners of the poker world. According to Lappin, the secondary interview each week often proves to be the most interesting when they bring on an industry professional, media person or less well-known player with a story to tell.
“I’m always looking for interesting poker stories and they don't always come from the obvious places,” said Lappin.
Lappin also added that the show’s weekly strategy segment is of the highest caliber. On this, Lappin gives O'Kearney all the credit.
“Dara has been the best player in Ireland over the last decade. Nobody else has booked a six-figure year every year and nobody who has worked harder than him. So it’s a privilege to get to pick his brain each week and share that with the listeners,” said Lappin.
Season 7 Underway
“The Chip Race” is in its seventh season and in just two shows so far, the guest list has been star-studded with the likes of Antonio Esfandiari, Niall Farrell, Mori Eskandani, Maria Konnikova, Jono Crute, Daiva Byrne, and Nick Newport as guests.
The third episode of the season will be released on Monday, Sept. 10 and will feature reigning WCOOP Main Event Champion Steven van Zadelhoff and online beast turned Wall Street Trader Adam Sherman.
On the following Monday, Sept. 17, the show will feature Scottish pro Ludovic Geilich and Spanish poker player, firefighter, and lawyer Pablo Rojas Martinez Del Marmol. Lappin didn’t want to give too much else away about what lies ahead for the season, but he did allude to the possibility of an interview with two-time EPT champion and TV presenter Vicky Coren.
You can listen to The Chip Race for free on SoundCloud and iTunes. You can also listen to all previous episodes and check out some clips and highlights on The Chip Race YouTube channel.
