Norman Chad – From Newsrooms to WSOP Fame

Life Outside Poker w/ Connor Richards

Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level.

In the seventh episode, Connor speaks with World Series of Poker (WSOP) commentator Norman Chad, one of the most recognizable voices in poker who has provided color commentary on poker's biggest stage for over 20 years.

Chad talks about getting his start as a sports writer in college, his decades-long syndicated sports humor column for the Washington Post and being asked to commentate on the 2003 WSOP Main Event that sparked the Poker Boom.

Chad also discusses the state of poker broadcasting today, the need for more color commentary in the booth, and the need for more interesting characters on the felt.

The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Norman Chad by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel.

Be sure to follow Norman Chad and Connor Richards on X.

Learn More About Life Outside Poker!

Time Stamps TIME TOPIC 0:00 Intro 1:00 Working at the college newspaper 2:07 Working for the Washington Post 6:11 Stand-up comedy stint 8:31 Introduction to poker 9:05 Mixed games 13:02 Sports columnist 22:03 Journalism as a public service 24:44:00 2003 World Series of Poker 31:08:00 Wanted Farha to beat Moneymaker 34:24:00 Commentating through the poker boom 41:39:00 Favorite broadcasting moments 46:26:00 Impact of WSOP leaving ESPN 48:40:00 Why live poker is booming 52:06:00 Men the Master controversy 54:55:00 Flipping coins for NFL picks column 56:37:00 What makes Chad hopeful 59:34:00 Advice for younger self 1:00:00 Favorite life lesson from poker