Noy Nadav

Noy Nadav, also known as Nadav Itzkowitz, first started playing poker in middle school but described his early skills as "absolutely terrible." During the COVID-19 pandemic, he began playing more frequently with friends and joining private clubs, improving to "still pretty bad but we win sometimes now." He spent nine years working in comedy podcast production, including as a longtime producer and on-air personality for popular shows like Your Mom’s House with Tom Segura and Christina P, as well as the YMH Studios network.

Seeing existing poker content as "a lot more boring than it needed to be," Nadav saw an opportunity to make relatable poker content. He thought, "there was a show I wanted to see that wasn’t being made, so I made it." The concept took less than a year from ideation to execution. He chose the Lodge Card Club in Austin, Texas as the setting, calling it "the best" with "the best stream room ever built" and praising their support for bringing his vision to life.

'The Fold' is a $1/$1 No Limit Hold'em cash game with buy-ins ranging from $100 to $300 and unlimited rebuys. Each episode features a table of up-and-coming comedians, creating a hybrid of comedy, chaos, and cards. A special twist is a bounty on Nadav himself. The show focuses on table talk as much as gameplay, aiming to recreate the fun of a home game. Nadav explained, "Poker night with the homies is fun, but not on mute. Bringing comedians into the fold elevates banter to the next level." Season 1 consisted of five episodes, with a finale featuring poker pro Doug Polk, a co-owner of the Lodge.

Nadav admits to having "a terrible poker face," which he is actively working to improve as he competes in his own show. He describes himself as a "gambling influencer" and emphasizes that the show is about fun poker rather than high-level strategy. He aims to showcase Austin’s comedy scene, noting that the city is filled with comedians who "absolutely murder on stage" but are not yet widely known.

The first season of 'The Fold' received positive feedback, and Nadav is securing sponsors for a second season, which he anticipated airing within a month or two after the first season concluded. Sponsors include Sheath, which provided a seven-day supply of underwear as a prize for players who bust Nadav. Through his show, Nadav hopes to get people excited about poker and comedy, bridging the two communities.