Matt Stout learned to count with five-card draw.
Not math class.
Not flash cards.
Poker.
His older sister taught him when he was four years old.
Which feels either very wholesome…
or deeply irresponsible.
Depends how you look at it.
Either way—it worked.
Click to watch on YouTube
By high school, Matt wasn’t exactly on the “straight and narrow.”
He was playing hockey.
Selling weed.
And doing just enough in school to not get kicked off the team.
Then college hit.
And like a lot of stories from that era…
so did poker.
Here’s where it turns.
Matt gets busted with a quarter pound.
Quits hockey.
And starts taking poker seriously.
Not as a hobby.
As a way out.
Then comes the moment every great story needs:
The thing that forces the decision.
A paperwork mistake.
Not a bad beat.
Not a losing session.
Paperwork.
He gets knocked out of classes.
Suddenly has a choice:
Go back…or go all in.
He takes the bankroll he has left…
Heads to Atlantic City…
And in a few months…
Turns ~$4K into ~$50K.
Now things are moving fast.
He’s getting staked by Sheets & Bax.
Jumping into 5Ks, 10Ks, 25Ks.
Battling the best players in the world.
The kid who learned poker at 4…is suddenly sitting at the big table.
That could’ve been the whole story.
And honestly—it would’ve been a good one.
But this is where it gets weird.
Because somewhere along the way…Matt stops chasing the next score.
And starts building something else.
It begins with a $10 college fundraiser.
Nothing special.
Just trying to raise a little money for charity.
But like most things in poker…it scales.
Fast forward:
That $10 fundraiser becomes the Charity Series of Poker.
A machine that’s raised millions.
Working with:
St. Jude
The Vegas Golden Knights
Major nonprofits across the country
And somehow…Matt becomes the guy people call when they want to do it right.
Same brain.
Same competitiveness.
Different game.
And yes…
We also get into how he met Katie Morgan.
Because of course we do.
If you’re new around here:
Every week we pull someone out of the game…
Sit them down…
And ask them how it all actually happened.
Not the highlight reel.
The real version.
Before you click play:
If you want to battle some fellow degenerates online…
Phenom Poker is running daily MTTs, and first-time depositors can get up to 200% on $2,000 when you sign up with our link:
(And if you’re in Vegas… come play with us at Table 1)
Matt’s story is a reminder of something simple:
The plan rarely works.
But if you stay in motion…something else usually does.
🎧 Listen / Watch
YouTube: https://youtu.be/0oZ7xUslFXU
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0zvfCF9tGASisrphQachFg?si=hxVPcughS923KBX570XNuQ
See you next week!
— Art & Justin
🃏 @artparmann & @justinyoung07
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Come play with us at Table 1.
