On Monday, Alan Keating joined Doug Polk for a conversation centered around the former's foray into the poker YouTube streets and the eye-watering $911,000 pot he won on High Stakes Poker. You can spool through the entirety of their chat in the video above and, later, tune in to see Polk continue his Code Doug $100K Challenge.
Keating's YouTube venture
Keating recently launched a YouTube channel – aptly named WhoisAlanKeating – and quickly found his target audience. In the span of roughly three weeks, Keating has accrued over 35,000 subscribers and many more hundreds of thousands of views. It's a new venture for Keating, but he seems to have a knack for understanding his own image — both on the felt and off — as well as crafting narratives from his daily life.
For many years, Keating has been an enigma within the poker world – the type of player around whom mystery, rumor, and intrigue swirl unabated. Now, the man behind the curtain has stepped into his own self-generated spotlight to give audiences a glimpse into his mindset at the poker table, as well as his broader life outside of the game.
Polk, on the other hand, has been a mainstay in the poker YouTube space for nearly a decade and has a deep understanding of how to attract an audience while also producing good content. In the early goings of the conversation, Polk asks Keating about his goals for the channel and offers advice on how to maneuver within the space successfully while attracting an audience of loyal fans.
While Polk's advice is invaluable, Keating — and the production team behind him — has already managed to carve out a niche within the space. There aren't many poker players living the life Keating does and, for that unique point of view alone, the views attached make sense. Even Polk was impressed with the numbers – telling Keating, "Your numbers out of the gate on these first two videos are nuts. You're just smashing it."
From there, the two dive into a breakdown of Keating's wild hand against Peter Wang on High Stakes Poker and other memorable pots in poker's storied history. Keating provides insight into his thought process during the hand against Wang, but if you want the full breakdown, check out his video.
With the hand analysis covered thoroughly, Polk and Keating begin to swap stories and opinions back and forth — with topics ranging from start-up investments to Keating's million-dollar loss in the Hustler Casino Live Creator Game to the infamous jack-four hand between Robbi Jade Lew and Garrett Adelstein to how to make a good poker movie. If you're interested in hearing more about either's takes on any of the above, it's time to tune in.
Oh, and if you've already caught the Mr. Keating YouTube bug and now find yourself eagerly awaiting his next video, rest assured with the knowledge that he has seven episodes in the editing bay as of now.
