The History of OnTilt Radio
The History of OnTilt Radio: Poker, Politics, Personalities and the Fight for Poker Rights
A Note About This History
(Much of the information in this article was researched and compiled with the help of ChatGPT, using surviving online archives, podcast listings, news articles, and other historical sources. Because OnTilt Radio had many shows, hosts, guests, and interviews over the years, some names or events may be missing).
“If you were a host, guest, contributor, or part of the OnTilt Radio community and we missed your name—or you remember something we should add—please leave a comment. We’d love to make this history as complete and accurate as possible”.
From Black Friday and World Series of Poker champions to presidential candidates, poker legislation and a Colorado ballot initiative, OnTilt Radio became far more than an internet poker station.
There was a period in poker history when the game was changing almost overnight.
Online poker had exploded in popularity. The World Series of Poker had become mainstream entertainment. Internet poker rooms connected millions of players around the world.
Then came April 15, 2011 — poker’s Black Friday.
Against that backdrop, OnTilt Radio emerged with an idea that was considerably bigger than simply putting a poker show on the internet.
OnTilt described itself as a “poker radio social network.” Its archived podcast description promoted forums, blogs, photographs, videos, friend requests and live shows featuring poker personalities.
The concept was essentially:
Internet radio + podcasting + poker community + social networking.
And this was happening in 2011, long before today’s combination of podcasts, livestreams, Discord communities and social-media groups became commonplace.
What followed was several years of broadcasts involving World Series of Poker champions, professional players, authors, journalists, gaming executives, poker advocates, attorneys and even candidates for President of the United States.
This is the story of OnTilt Radio.
The Beginning: Poker’s Turbulent 2011
Timing played a major role in what OnTilt became.
When the federal government moved against several major online-poker operators on Black Friday, American poker players suddenly had enormous questions.
What was going to happen to online poker?
Would players get their money back?
Could Congress legalize it?
Would individual states regulate poker?
What was the Poker Players Alliance doing?
What rights did poker players have?
Those subjects eventually became an important part of OnTilt programming.
But OnTilt was never simply a political or advocacy station.
It was also supposed to be fun.
There were interviews with professional players, conversations about tournaments, poker stories, entertainment, comedy, music, strategy and plenty of personalities.
That combination ultimately became the station’s identity.
Robin and Pamela Jones: The Bickersons
At the center of OnTilt were Robin and Pamela Jones.
They weren’t simply operating the station behind the scenes. Both became on-air personalities themselves.
Their program was appropriately named:
The Bickersons
One of the earliest surviving recordings comes from November 4, 2011, when Robin and Pamela interviewed legendary British poker professional Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott.
Evan Abrams and Simon Holden also joined the conversation.
The roughly hour-long discussion went beyond poker strategy and included poker, sports and sports betting. The episode is important historically because it establishes Robin and Pamela as active interviewers very early in OnTilt’s history.
Then came one of those moments that illustrated the informal nature of live internet radio.
On December 16, 2011, Annie Duke unexpectedly joined The Bickersons.
Duke, who was then commissioner of the Epic Poker League, discussed its Main Event at the Palms and a controversial tournament bubble involving Vanessa Rousso. The surviving podcast directory still identifies it as Annie Duke & The Bickersons for a Friday Night Pop In.
That’s an important part of understanding early OnTilt.
You didn’t necessarily know who might suddenly appear on the show.
Pamela Jones’ Role Was Much Larger Than One Show
Pamela’s role wasn’t limited to The Bickersons.
Historical material identifies Pamela as an OnTilt co-owner and radio personality, and surviving recordings show her crossing between different OnTilt programs.
One of the best examples occurred in September 2013.
Pam joined Ted for an extraordinary long-form interview with 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Greg Merson.
It lasted approximately 78 minutes.
The surviving podcast description specifically says the interview was conducted by “Ted and Pam from the Taking it Down show at OnTilt Radio.”
Pamela also represented OnTilt outside the network and developed her own identity within the poker community.
Years later, Pamela remained connected to OnTilt. The present OnTilt platform contains poker articles under her name, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha and poker-history material.
Her place in the history of the network is therefore much larger than simply “Robin’s co-host.”
Robin and Pamela Jones built OnTilt together, and both became part of its on-air identity.
The Ryan Sayer Show
Another major early program was The Ryan Sayer Show, hosted by Ryan Sayer with Danielle Benham.
The show demonstrated another side of OnTilt.
Rather than concentrating exclusively on poker strategy, Ryan and Danielle conducted personality-driven interviews that could go considerably beyond the poker table.
On November 7, 2011, they interviewed professional poker personality Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh for approximately 67 minutes.
The conversation included her life outside poker, cooking, dating, her work as a poker spokesperson and her perspective on the poker world.
Only days later, the program interviewed author and Epic Poker League editor-in-chief Michael Craig.
Subjects included Epic Poker, Full Tilt Poker, Howard Lederer, the WSOP and poker television.
But one of the most unusual Ryan Sayer Show interviews came several months later.
Erik Audé Comes to The Ryan Sayer Show
On May 3, 2012, The Ryan Sayer Show with Co Host Danielle Adams Benham featured actor Erik Audé.
The surviving OnTilt catalog describes the episode as Danielle speaking with Audé shortly after the premiere of his Locked Up Abroad story and also mentions that Audé had a new song.
Audé wasn’t a typical poker-radio guest.
He had worked as an actor and stunt performer, but his extraordinary personal story became widely known after he was imprisoned in Pakistan in a drug-smuggling case. Audé maintained that he had unknowingly been used to transport drugs.
His experience was eventually featured on Locked Up Abroad.
What made Audé particularly interesting for OnTilt was that he also had a connection to poker.
That made the interview a fascinating crossover between Hollywood, poker and an extraordinary real-life story.
And it demonstrates something important about the Ryan Sayer Show and OnTilt generally:
The network wasn’t afraid to go outside the traditional boundaries of poker radio.
Later in 2012, Danielle and Rich Muny used the Ryan Sayer Show to discuss another completely different subject — PokerStars’ acquisition of Full Tilt and what it could mean for American players waiting to recover their money. The archived catalog dates that episode to August 1, 2012.
The archive also contains a later “Best of the Ryan Sayer Show” interview with Vanessa Rousso.
Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny
Of all the programs associated with OnTilt, perhaps none became more important to the political and legal side of poker than:
Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny
Rich Muny was deeply involved with the Poker Players Alliance, or PPA, which advocated for poker players and regulated online poker.
Muny announced his new program in November 2011 after appearing on OnTilt for an hour-long discussion about congressional poker hearings. His contemporary Two Plus Two posts document the program’s beginning.
The concept was different from ordinary poker radio.
Professional players could certainly appear.
But the larger mission was helping ordinary poker players understand what was happening politically and showing them how they could participate in the process.
Early documented guests included PPA Executive Director John Pappas, 2004 WSOP champion Greg Raymer, Mason Malmuth, Mat Sklansky, Tri Nguyen, California PPA State Director Steve Miller, attorney Patrick “Skallagrim” Fleming, Colorado PPA State Director Joe Michaels and gaming-tax expert Russ Fox.
By January 2012, the PPA was advertising Poker Advocacy as a regular Monday-night OnTilt program and specifically promoted episodes featuring Joe Michaels, John Pappas and Russ Fox.
Eventually the relationship became much larger.
The PPA was actively directing its membership toward OnTilt.
Poker Radio Meets Washington
This was the period when poker legislation was being debated at both the federal and state levels.
Poker Advocacy covered issues including federal internet-poker legislation, state legalization proposals, taxation, DOJ decisions, Full Tilt repayment, PokerStars, licensing and attempts to prohibit online gambling.
State PPA directors could come onto OnTilt and explain what was happening inside their own legislatures.
PPA Executive Director John Pappas appeared.
California State Director Steve Miller appeared.
Colorado representatives appeared.
Texas legislation was discussed.
California legislation was discussed.
By 2015, the PPA was still actively promoting the program, telling members that Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny aired Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on OnTilt and describing it as featuring guests and discussions about poker legislation.
OnTilt had effectively provided a national poker-advocacy organization with a regular broadcasting platform.
But OnTilt’s political involvement actually went beyond the PPA.
A Presidential Candidate Comes to OnTilt Radio
One of the most historically interesting OnTilt broadcasts happened extremely early.
On August 5, 2011, OnTilt interviewed former New Mexico Governor and presidential candidate Gary Johnson.
This wasn’t a five-minute campaign soundbite.
Johnson spent approximately an hour with OnTilt.
The surviving episode description says the conversation covered Johnson’s views on personal freedoms, government spending, internet gaming, government budget cuts and tax policy, including his support for the FairTax.
Poker personalities Scott Matusow and Mike Caro also participated in the conversation.
Think about the timing.
It was August 2011.
Black Friday had happened only months earlier.
Online poker and federal government policy were enormous issues within the poker community.
And an independent poker-radio network was sitting down for approximately an hour with a candidate for President of the United States.
Robin Jones and the Gary Johnson Presidential Campaign
The story becomes even more interesting five days later.
On August 10, 2011, Gary Johnson’s presidential campaign conducted a media conference call concerning Johnson’s economic policies.
A surviving transcript lists representatives of numerous media outlets and blogs.
Among them:
Robin Jones — OnTilt Radio.
When the moderator called on Robin, he asked Johnson about Colorado HB 10-1193, Amazon affiliates and state taxation of internet commerce.
The transcript records the exchange and explicitly identifies:
“ROBIN JONES, ONTILT RADIO.”
That’s an important distinction.
OnTilt wasn’t merely putting a presidential candidate on its own program.
A presidential campaign was treating OnTilt as a media organization and taking a policy question from it during a campaign media call.
For a relatively small independent internet-radio operation based in Colorado, that was significant access.
Presidential Politics Returned to OnTilt
Gary Johnson wasn’t the end of OnTilt’s presidential coverage.
Historical records also identify an April 2015 OnTilt interview with Christopher V. Hill, who was seeking the Republican presidential nomination.
Then came another presidential candidate through Poker Advocacy.
In 2016, Austin Petersen, who was seeking the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination, appeared with Rich Muny.
The discussion included Petersen’s campaign as well as civil asset forfeiture, online-poker lobbying and political issues surrounding casino owner Sheldon Adelson.
This created an unusual political archive inside what had started as a poker-radio network.
OnTilt was never primarily a political station.
But politics became impossible to separate from poker when government policy could determine whether Americans were permitted to play online.
SCBig and the Poker Round Table
OnTilt’s growth wasn’t confined to the Bickersons, Ryan Sayer or Rich Muny.
Another branch of the network developed around SCBig and the Poker Round Table.
Surviving recordings document conversations with people including:
Greg Raymer
Patrick Fleming
Linda Johnson
Robert Turner
Thomas Gallagher
and members of Blue Shark Optics.
One archived episode has SCBig and Gunner talking with Robert Turner specifically about Omaha, while another records a conversation with professional poker, blackjack and craps instructor Thomas Gallagher.
The significance isn’t simply the guest list.
It shows that OnTilt was becoming a network of independent personalities and programs rather than one centralized show.
Check Raise Cafe
On March 23, 2012, another program debuted:
Check Raise Cafe
The program was hosted by Nathan.
The premiere included Lisa Parsons and Carl Pantowski and covered Las Vegas and casino advantage play.
The archived description even references a story involving blackjack players reportedly being barred from the Palms.
Again, OnTilt was broadening the definition of what “poker radio” could cover.
Taking It Down
Another important OnTilt program was:
Taking It Down
Surviving directories describe the program as airing on OnTilt with hosts Ted Leahy and Robert Kelly.
Leahy was the owner of Lucky Leahy’s Poker Tables and associated with Blue Shark Optics, while Kelly was identified as a contributor to OTR Post and Examiner.com.
The show’s guest archive became impressive.
Guests included:
Greg Merson — 2012 WSOP Main Event Champion
Jerry Yang — 2007 WSOP Main Event Champion
Josh Brikis
Chad Holloway
Ebony Kenney
Chris “Fox” Wallace
Bernard Lee
Phil Nagy
Benton Blount
and numerous others.
The Greg Merson interview with Ted and Pam alone lasted approximately 78 minutes.
That’s another characteristic of OnTilt worth remembering.
These weren’t always quick promotional interviews.
Guests could actually sit down and talk.
Burning River and the Expanding OnTilt Lineup
By 2014–2015, the surviving catalog shows an increasingly diverse network.
Programs included Burning River, associated with Alarmy and Rocko, as well as additional programming involving Kymmers, PNP, Tom/Alarmy and the Poker Round Table with SCBig and Gunner.
Guests included Benton Blount and a representative from Blackjack Apprenticeship.
The complete list of OnTilt programs we’ve identified so far includes:
- The Bickersons — Pamela and Robin Jones
- The Ryan Sayer Show — Ryan Sayer and Danielle Benham
- Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny
- Taking It Down — Ted Leahy and Robert Kelly
- Poker Round Table / SCBig
- Check Raise Cafe — Nathan
- Burning River — Alarmy and Rocko
- Blue Shark Optics programming
- OnTilt Radio News Special Report
- Tiltathon
- On Til Dawn
And there may still be shows missing from the surviving archives.
More Shows From the OnTilt Radio Network
The June 2012 OnTilt Radio programming list reveals just how diverse the network had become. Alongside its better-known poker interview and advocacy programs were shows devoted to Las Vegas, horse racing, women in poker, entertainment and the social side of the game.
The Kenna James Hour
One of OnTilt Radio’s original programs was The Kenna James Hour, hosted by professional poker player, commentator and coach Kenna James.
Unlike a traditional poker show focused only on tournament results or strategy, The Kenna James Hour mixed poker education, interviews, live tournament reports and discussions about the realities of life as a professional poker player.
In a February 2012 interview with PokerNews, James personally confirmed that The Kenna James Hour aired Mondays at 7 p.m. Eastern on OnTiltRadio.com.
The show also took OnTilt listeners beyond the studio. James reported live from the Aussie Millions in Australia, bringing OnTilt coverage from one of the major international poker tournament series.
The program featured interviews with personalities from the poker world as well. James specifically identified Annie Duke among his interview guests.
Another side of the program focused on introducing new players to poker. Contemporary coverage from Pokerfuse identifies Christina Sayer as Kenna’s co-host and describes episodes using a teacher/student format in which James taught poker fundamentals including hand rankings, terminology and the basic rules of the game.
But The Kenna James Hour wasn’t exclusively about how to play a hand.
James explained that some programs explored the challenges of living the poker life—including the financial and emotional ups and downs players experience—and were intended to help listeners improve their game both at the table and “off the felt.”
That combination made The Kenna James Hour another example of the variety OnTilt Radio was developing by 2012: part poker school, part interview program, part tournament report and part conversation about the lifestyle behind professional poker.
Carl Hosts Vegas
Carl Hosts Vegas was listed as one of OnTilt Radio’s original programs in 2012.
The title itself reflected an important part of OnTilt’s coverage: poker wasn’t isolated from the larger Las Vegas casino and entertainment world. Vegas was the center of much of the poker industry, particularly during the World Series of Poker, and OnTilt’s programming regularly crossed between poker, casinos, personalities and life surrounding the game.
Carl also appears elsewhere in OnTilt’s surviving history. The March 2012 debut of Check Raise Cafe, for example, included Carl Pantowski as a guest discussing happenings in Las Vegas.
Inside Horse Racing
Inside Horse Racing demonstrates particularly well that OnTilt was expanding beyond poker.
The program was hosted by Steven Weisman and was promoted as part of the OnTilt Radio Sports lineup. Surviving podcast records show episodes throughout 2012, including programs from June, July, August, September and October.
Some episodes ran close to or beyond an hour, suggesting this wasn’t merely a short racing update but another full program within the network.
Its existence also supports something OnTilt said about itself in 2012: although poker and gaming were at the heart of the operation, the network intended to produce programming across different genres and lifestyles.
Women’s Poker Hour
The Women’s Poker Hour was listed by OnTilt in 2012 as part of its partner programming.
The program belongs to an important period when women in poker were developing their own shows, organizations, tournament communities and media presence.
One contemporary source identifies poker professional, author and chess champion Jennifer Shahade as a co-host of Women’s Poker Hour, while also noting her work promoting women in poker.
Its presence in OnTilt’s partner lineup is another example of the network working with outside programming rather than relying exclusively on shows produced internally.
The Poker Dish
The Poker Dish was another OnTilt partner program—and this one has a substantial surviving history.
The program was hosted by Robin McCarty and Lauren Failla, co-founders of Empire Industries and the High Heels Poker Tour. Pokerfuse described the show as following the women along the poker tournament trail while discussing news from throughout the poker world.
By 2013, the show aired live Thursdays at 11 a.m. Eastern, and its archives reportedly stretched back to October 2011.
The format wasn’t simply poker strategy. The Poker Dish deliberately mixed poker with personalities, lifestyle topics, entertainment and humor. A 2014 description summarized the concept as recipes mixed with poker, celebrity gossip and reality, with poker-mindset contributor Donna Blevins also participating.
Rosie & Mina’s GNO
Another original program documented in OnTilt’s June 2012 lineup was Rosie & Mina’s GNO.
Check Raise Cafe
The program debuted on OnTilt Radio on March 23, 2012, with Nathan as host.
The surviving episode description says Lisa Parsons and Carl Pantowski joined the debut to talk about what was happening in Las Vegas. The discussion included the story of players reportedly being barred from the Palms Casino for playing blackjack, with Parsons discussing her experience.
That episode provides another example of OnTilt’s programming stretching beyond tournament results and poker hands.
Check Raise Cafe incorporated Vegas stories, casino culture, gambling and personalities, giving listeners another side of the gaming world.
Boomers Book League, Good Bad and the Ugly with Beeman and Kartracer, above EV with Chris Drake, Kartoons with Kartracer, Bottoms Up with Gellin and Kymmers
World Series of Poker Champions Behind the OnTilt Microphone
The guest list OnTilt accumulated becomes particularly impressive when looking at World Series of Poker history.
Chris Moneymaker
On January 21, 2015, OnTilt published an interview with 2003 WSOP Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker, conducted by Tom “Alarmy.”
Moneymaker’s 2003 victory is one of the defining events of modern poker history.
Greg Raymer
2004 Main Event champion Greg Raymer appeared repeatedly in OnTilt’s orbit, including Poker Advocacy and other programming.
Jerry Yang
2007 Main Event champion Jerry Yang appeared on Taking It Down.
Greg Merson
2012 Main Event champion Greg Merson sat down with Ted and Pam for the lengthy interview preserved in the original podcast feed.
Jeremy Ausmus
OnTilt interviewed Jeremy Ausmus on October 26, 2012, shortly before the 2012 WSOP Main Event final table.
And those names represent only part of the archive.
From Mike Caro to “The Grinder”
Other documented OnTilt interviews and appearances include:
Mike Caro
Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi
Cyndy Violette
Linda Johnson
Vanessa Rousso
Annie Duke
Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott
Jennifer Leigh
Phil Nagy
Chris “Fox” Wallace
Chad Holloway
Bernard Lee
Joshua Beckley
Steve Blay
and many more.
There were champions.
There were poker theorists.
There were authors.
There were journalists.
There were gaming executives.
There were attorneys.
There were political advocates.
There were presidential candidates.
That’s an unusually broad guest list for an independent internet radio network.
Tiltathon: Using the Microphone for Charity
OnTilt also experimented with special-event broadcasting.
The surviving archive contains references to the:
2013 Tiltathon — Supporting Breast Cancer
Poker writer Lynne Bennett participated in the event.
The remaining Tiltathon material still needs to be reconstructed, but its existence demonstrates another side of the network: using internet broadcasting for charity and special events rather than only scheduled programming.
OnTilt Goes Live in Colorado
OnTilt wasn’t confined to broadcasting from behind a computer.
On March 8, 2014, the network broadcast the Tri-Lakes Chamber Charity Poker Classic live.
Contemporary Colorado reporting says nearly 90 players from the Denver, Colorado Springs and Tri-Lakes areas participated.
Celebrity participants included Air Force Academy athletic director Hans Mueh and local radio personalities.
The report described the station as:
“OnTilt Radio, a poker radio social network run by Robin Jones.”
Proceeds were shared by the Chamber and The Homeless Foundation.
This gives us independent local documentation of OnTilt operating as a live-event broadcaster.
Robin Jones Moves From Interviewer to Interview Guest
As OnTilt became increasingly connected with poker advocacy, Robin’s role changed.
He wasn’t always the person asking the questions anymore.
He became someone being interviewed about poker policy.
On April 8, 2013, Rich Muny interviewed Robin, identifying him as:
PPA Colorado State Director & OnTilt Radio CEO.
The Poker Players Alliance says the conversation covered poker activism in Colorado and across the country.
Following Robin’s interview, Muny hosted an expert panel with Marco Valerio, Steve “Chops” Preiss and 2004 WSOP champion Greg Raymer.
Robin subsequently returned to Poker Advocacy.
On July 21, 2015, he discussed Sheldon Adelson’s anti-online-poker efforts, OnTilt’s operations, poker activism and Colorado issues.
Additional appearances followed in 2016 and 2017.
That created an interesting reversal.
The person who helped build the network had become one of the advocacy figures being interviewed on it.
From Talking About Poker Laws to Trying to Change One
Eventually, the OnTilt story moved beyond reporting and discussing legislation.
In 2016, Robin and Pamela Jones became the official proponents of Colorado proposed Initiative #90.
The proposal sought to change Colorado’s charitable-gaming framework by adding poker to definitions involving charitable gaming and games of chance.
The original proposal specifically contemplated poker games including Texas Hold’em, Omaha and seven-card stud.
The basic idea was to create a legal path for poker to be used for charitable fundraising.
That connected directly with something OnTilt had already experienced firsthand: charity poker.
Poker for Colorado and Initiative #90
The campaign used Poker for Colorado as a public-facing identity.
Colorado Legislative Council reviewed the proposal and identified several legal and drafting questions, particularly because poker already fell under Colorado’s constitutional limited-gaming provisions.
There were also questions involving the different age requirements for charitable gaming and limited gaming and whether constitutional changes would be necessary.
By summer 2016, Ante Up Poker Magazine reported that petitions were being circulated for Initiative #90.
Ultimately, the measure did not appear on the November 2016 ballot.
Colorado’s initiative record lists its status as “Title Expired.”
That’s an important distinction.
It wasn’t a ballot measure Colorado voters rejected.
It was a proposed citizen initiative that did not ultimately reach the statewide ballot.
But historically, it represents an extraordinary extension of the OnTilt story.
Robin and Pamela went from broadcasting conversations about poker legislation to formally entering Colorado’s citizen-initiative process themselves.
The Lost OnTilt Radio Audio Archive
Perhaps the most intriguing part of researching OnTilt today is discovering how much audio once existed.
The small surviving Apple feed tells only a fraction of the story.
Pokerfuse preserved a much larger catalog containing episode titles, descriptions, dates and, importantly, some of the original OnTilt MP3 filenames.
Examples include:
alarmy_pam_colo_moneymaker.mp3
Interview With Mike Caro Oct 18 2015.mp3
Interview with Jeremy Ausmus.mp3
SCBig Poker Round Table with guest Linda Johnson.mp3
The original server links no longer appear to function normally, but those filenames are valuable clues.
They provide a roadmap for searching old computers, backup drives, web archives, RSS mirrors and forgotten server backups.
And that raises an intriguing possibility:
A significant portion of the original OnTilt Radio audio archive may still exist somewhere.
We still have all podcasts on file.
OnTilt Lasted Longer Than the Old Podcast Feed Suggests
Someone discovering OnTilt through Apple Podcasts today might assume it was a short-lived 2011–2013 project.
It wasn’t.
The historical record we’ve reconstructed documents activity across a considerably longer period:
2011: OnTilt operating as a poker radio/social network; Gary Johnson presidential interview; Bickersons and Ryan Sayer programming.
2012: Expanding show lineup; Poker Advocacy; SCBig; Check Raise Cafe; Erik Audé; Jeremy Ausmus and numerous other interviews.
2013: Taking It Down, Greg Merson, Poker Advocacy and a growing connection with national poker activism.
2014: Live Colorado charity-poker broadcasting.
2015: Chris Moneymaker, Mike Caro, Michael Mizrachi, Poker Advocacy and multiple OnTilt programs.
2016: Presidential-politics coverage, continued Poker Advocacy and the Colorado charitable-poker initiative.
2017: Robin Jones and OnTilt operations were still being discussed through Poker Advocacy.
And the OnTilt website itself remains online today.
More Than Poker Radio
Looking back, the easiest mistake would be describing OnTilt as simply another poker podcast.
It wasn’t.
At various times, it functioned as:
An internet radio station.
A podcast network.
A poker social network.
A community forum.
An interview platform.
A live-event broadcaster.
A home for poker advocacy.
A place where presidential candidates could discuss government policy with poker players.
And a place where professional poker players could sit down for an hour and simply talk.
The People Made OnTilt
Technology provided the platform.
But the personalities made it work.
Robin and Pamela Jones.
Ryan Sayer.
Danielle Benham.
Rich Muny.
Ted Leahy.
Robert Kelly.
SCBig.
Gunner.
Nathan.
Alarmy.
Rocko.
And the many other personalities who appeared behind OnTilt microphones.
Each brought something different.
Some focused on poker.
Some focused on entertainment.
Some focused on politics.
Some focused on legislation.
Some simply wanted to have a good conversation.
Together, they created something that is increasingly interesting to look back on more than a decade later.
The Guest List Tells the Story
Just consider the people documented in the surviving OnTilt material:
Gary Johnson.
Austin Petersen.
Greg Raymer.
Chris Moneymaker.
Greg Merson.
Jerry Yang.
Jeremy Ausmus.
Michael Mizrachi.
Mike Caro.
Linda Johnson.
Annie Duke.
Vanessa Rousso.
Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott.
Cyndy Violette.
Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh.
Erik Audé.
Michael Craig.
John Pappas.
Rich Muny.
Patrick Fleming.
Phil Nagy.
Chris Wallace.
Chad Holloway.
Josh Brikis.
Ebony Kenney.
Bernard Lee.
Benton Blount.
And others whose appearances still need to be reconstructed.
Preserving the History of OnTilt Radio
There is still more history to recover.
Some original recordings are missing.
Some survive only as podcast-directory descriptions.
Others may be sitting on forgotten hard drives.
Old photographs may still exist.
Show graphics may be buried in old folders.
Emails may contain guest bookings and program schedules.
Former hosts and guests may still have copies of their interviews.
And some of the original OnTilt MP3s may eventually be recoverable.
That’s why documenting the history now matters.
The internet has a way of making something look permanent right up until the day it disappears.
OnTilt existed during an unusual period in American poker history — from the aftermath of Black Friday through the battles over state and federal online-poker legislation and into the gradual return of regulated internet poker in parts of the United States.
Its microphones captured some of the people living through that period.
Poker champions.
Industry leaders.
Advocates.
Broadcasters.
Presidential candidates.
And ordinary poker players.
The Legacy of OnTilt Radio
OnTilt Radio began with poker, but its story became considerably larger.
It connected players.
It entertained listeners.
It interviewed champions.
It covered an industry in turmoil.
It provided a platform for poker-rights advocates.
It participated in presidential campaign media.
It broadcast live from Colorado poker events.
And eventually, its owners became directly involved in an effort to change Colorado’s charitable-poker laws.
For an independent internet-radio network operating outside the traditional broadcasting establishment, that’s a substantial history.
Today, much of that story exists in scattered podcast listings, old Poker Players Alliance newsletters, archived MP3 filenames, government records, poker publications and memories.
Putting those pieces back together reveals what OnTilt really was.
It wasn’t simply a poker radio station.
It was a community.
It was a platform.
It was part entertainment and part advocacy.
And during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American poker, it gave players, champions, advocates and political figures a microphone.
OnTilt Radio wasn’t simply covering poker history.
For a period of time, it was part of it.
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Help Us Preserve the History of OnTilt Radio
The history of OnTilt Radio is still being reconstructed, and we know there are shows, guests, hosts, interviews, events and great stories that we may have missed.
If you were part of OnTilt Radio, appeared on one of our shows, worked behind the scenes, or simply have a story or memory from the OnTilt days, we’d love to hear from you.
If we missed your name or your appearance on a show, please let us know so we can add it to the historical record.
Email Pamela at pamela@ontiltradio.com with your stories, memories, photos, recordings, show information or corrections.
Help us preserve the history of OnTilt Radio and recognize the people who helped make it happen.
Pamela and Robin
