FIVE THINGS is a column, written by PocketFives President and Editor in Chief, Lance Bradley that covers pressing topics and current events in the poker world today. This is the final edition. It appeared periodically at PocketFives.com.

As you might have heard on this week’s episode of The Fives or read on Twitter, I am leaving PocketFives after a six-year run as President and Editor in Chief. One of the things I was challenged with when I was first hired was to improve the quality of the content on the site and I’d like to believe that I accomplished that with the help of some of the amazing writers that worked for me during that span. In my final edition of Five Things, I wanted to share some of the stories that I wrote over the last six years that I’m most proud of.

#5 – The World Series of Poker Christmas Gift

On Christmas Day 2017, Jeremy Hilsercop was given a World Series of Poker entry as a Christmas gift by his wife, Randi. The video she posted of the unboxing went all kinds of viral. Talking to the Hilsercop’s after the video was shared around the world and everything that happened after that was definitely a fun way to spend the day after Christmas.

Read: Lifelong Poker Fan Goes Viral on Christmas Day, Now Headed to PSPC

#4 – A Profile of Strength in Action

A number of poker players have been kind enough to open up and share very personal stories with me. Probably none moreso than Sheddy Siddiqui. A Florida grinder, Siddiqui suffered an unimaginable loss when his wife, Cathy died suddenly at 39 years old thrusting Sheddy into the intersection of life as a single father to two young boys and a professional poker while still dealing with his own grief.

Read: Resilience Defined: Sheddy Siddiqui Raising His Two Boys #ForCathy

#3 – The WSOP Goldmine

Covering the WSOP every year provides plenty of opportunities to find good stories. I’ve been fortunate over the years to tell the stories of people that might not have tracked otherwise. They range from a kindergarten teacher playing for life-changing money, a blind man and his friend, a father-son story from the Main Event, and a Main Event final tablist surrounding himself with good people on his way to the final table.

Read: WSOP: The Kindergarten Teacher Who Might Become a Millionaire (2016)
Read: WSOP: Legally Blind, Steven Iglesias Tests Himself in $10K Six Max (2017)
Read: WSOP: Bryan Piccioli Thriving Through Tragedy with Main Event Run (2017)
Read: WSOP: Tony Miles Had a Feeling, So He Called in Reinforcements (2018)

#2 – An Amazing Display of Friendship on Poker’s Biggest Stage

The 2016 World Series of Poker had 6,737 entrants, but the one story that stood out the most for me was about just two of them. Bob Brundige and Charlie Weis were friends and co-workers, and when Bob was diagnosed with a cancer that could end his life, Charlie went to work making sure his friend got to cross one big item off of his bucket list – playing the WSOP Main Event. This piece is one of the most read articles in PocketFives history and won the 2016 American Poker Awards for Media Content of the Year.

Read: Bob, Charlie and Life-Changing WSOP Main Event Journey

#1 – The Exclusive Interview with Isai Scheinberg

Starting in 2009, I began asking PokerStars for the opportunity to interview co-founder, Isai Scheinberg. Every time I asked I was politely told the man didn’t do interviews. Then Black Friday happened and the opportunity to speak with one of the most influential people in the history of the game was most likely gone. Still, I kept asking and in late 2020, Scheinberg agreed to grant me an exclusive interview – his first and only interview to date. The article took me nearly four months to write and was published on April 15, 2021, the 10-year anniversary of Black Friday.

Read: Isai Scheinberg: His Company, His Legacy, and How Black Friday Impacted Both

If you have enjoyed any of the content on PocketFives over the last six years, I can’t thank you enough for being a reader or a listener. My time at PocketFives has been so enjoyable because of you.