With a sharp eye, quick wit, and fearless game, Jaman Burton has become one of poker’s most compelling storytellers.
In this edition of Inside the Poker Circles, drawn from the upcoming book Between the Blinds: Interviewing Poker Professionals by Sara O’Connor (arriving this fall), we spotlight the vlogger who’s turned everyday sessions into cinematic journeys—and in the process, brought fans closer to the real heart of the game.
Burton’s content blends humor, insight, and raw honesty, capturing the full emotional arc of the grind—from the gut-punches to the glory. At the table, he brings that same energy, combining strategy with instinct in a style all his own.
In this interview, Jaman reflects on his path from creator to competitor, the lessons learned along the way, and why, no matter the swings, the game keeps calling him back. This is Inside the Poker Circles.
Do you remember your first time playing? If so, what was it like?
My first time playing online, I don’t remember. I remember depositing about $20 on PokerStars and losing it and doing it again… and losing it. I then started playing a local home game and won at that consistently. It was very small stakes.
I vividly remember my first time playing at a casino though. It was at Harrah’s St. Louis, and the limits were $1/$2. It must’ve been around 2006-ish. I was scared to death (laughs).
I don’t remember if I won that session. I just remember not knowing how anything worked. How do you get chips? What do you tip? Do the drinks cost money, etc.?
Can you tell me about your poker career? How long have you been playing and when did you feel ready to call yourself a professional?
I don’t really have a “poker career” like a lot of other folks. I started playing, but not seriously, after seeing Moneymaker win on ESPN. I was just fooling around and losing money online. I did that and the home game for a few years, sporadically.
When I started playing “live,” I started taking it more seriously, mostly because the dollar amounts were bigger. This was 2006-07. I might play twice a week; I would read any poker book I could get my hands on.
The entire time, and still to this day, I have a full-time job as a computer scientist for Bayer (known at that time as Monsanto).
When I happened to bump into a guy named “Trooper” in my local room, I was turned onto “poker vlogging.” I decided to try it for myself and quickly amassed a following.
This was 2018. Vlogging in poker became “a thing” around 2019, so I was ahead of the curve along with friends I had made in vlogging, such as Andrew Neeme, Brad Owen, and Johnnie Vibes.
COVID hit in 2020, and remote work became possible, so I moved to Vegas. I still work remotely, but I play poker a lot more. I take it a lot more seriously, study a lot more, and have moved up in stakes considerably!
What’s it like excelling in both cash games and tournaments? Which is your favorite and why?
Cash games are king for sure. They have more flexibility, bigger ROI, and less luck involved. You have to really be on the right side of variance when deep in tournaments, as that’s where all the money is located.
What levels have you played; which is your favorite, and why?
I normally play $5/$10+ around Vegas. I’ll play $10/$20 No Limit Texas Hold’em anytime it runs, that is, assuming I can get in it since a lot of the bigger games are private.
Where is your favorite place to play and why?
Currently, I play almost exclusively at the Bellagio and the Wynn/Encore. They are really the only two casinos that spread No-Limit games bigger than $2/$5, unfortunately.
What’s your personality like on the felt?
I’m pretty silly. I graduated as “class clown” for a reason. I’m highly disciplined, though, so I really focus on getting things accomplished whether that’s the next vlog, my next workout, shutting the phone off for quiet time, etc.
How do you not let past success affect your current play?
Good question; I really don’t let wins or losses stick with me too long. I tell this to Lily, my girlfriend, all the time:
You have to have the mind of an NFL defensive back; sometimes you get burned for a touchdown. So what? You line up and play the next down. You just have to forget all that stuff.
What’s something you wish you were told when you started playing?
The amount of study involved to be a winner is DAUNTING. You can’t just play, play, play and expect to win long-term. You HAVE TO study; it’s not optional.
What’s one thing you wish people knew about playing Texas Hold‘em cash games?
I wish the veil was pulled back on the stream games. I wish people knew that a lot of the dollar amounts that you see people winning and/or losing on stream aren’t the real dollar amounts they won or lost.
I don’t think most people understand “backing deals” or “staking”. They don’t realize (and actually could never easily know) how much of a person’s own money is in play at any time.
For instance, you see someone sit down with 100k in a game, but they might only have invested 10k of their own money, 80k was staked for them and maybe some guy at the other end of the table loaned them another 10k. It’s a lot of smoke and mirrors.
I played on one livestream that was advertised as $5/$10 No-Limit Hold’em, but really everyone bought in for $500 as if we were playing $2/$5 no-limit. We were gifted another $500 so it appeared as if we all bought in for 1k.
Weird, huh?
Have you noticed any common mistakes or misconceptions that new players have about poker?
The most common is probably that they overestimate their skill or they have ZERO concept of how variance works. They don’t realize that they can lose continuously for years and that can be normal for a winning player.
Can you describe the changes in player dynamics and table atmosphere at different stakes?
Lower stakes tend to be more about players having fun. With mid-stakes, things get more serious. At the higher stakes it’s serious, but more fun appears again. Higher stakes also get more “gambly” as different games, for example, the stand-up game, the small blind game, and more, are added into the mix.
Do you have any pre- or post-game rituals you practice?
I listen to the same song, “Victory” by Puff Daddy and The Family, before each session, normally on my way to the table.
Was there a moment, hand, or day when it hit you that you’re going to make a lot of money playing this game? Please describe that moment.
Yes, maybe about two to three years ago when I really started studying poker a lot and realized how many mistakes players are making even at the $10/$20 no-limit level.
Expanding on what I mean by that would require a whole book (laughs). Just a lot of technical stuff, bet sizing errors, illogical starting ranges, not check-raising enough, and more.
How, if at all, does having such a big social media following affect your play?
It doesn’t really, besides the fact that sometimes I HAVE to play a session in order to get content when I’m out of things to edit. Other than that, everything else is about the same. I get interrupted sometimes to take a picture or talk about the vlog.
If you have plans on creating content in order to be “famous,” even “poker famous” … Don’t! You really have to love the “content creation” process just as much, if not more, than playing poker.
Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?
Retired from my regular 9-5, and at that point I guess I’ll be playing poker and vlogging as my only income. However, it “shouldn’t” be a necessity.
I’m scratching at the door of $25/$50 No-Limit; that’s really where I want to be.
