Nadya Magnus Talks Philanthropy, GPI POY and Staying True to Herself | Ep: 29

The Heart of Poker Podcast

Fresh off the heels of her 2021 GPI Player of the Year award, Nadya Magnus gives Kara a glimpse into the sacrifice and dedication it took for her to achieve this prestigious title.

Magnus, whose first Hendon Mob cash dates back to 2008, has been steadily grinding the tournament circuit for well over a decade en route to the top of the GPI index. Her consistency paid off last year with her taking home $426,161 of her $1,287,596 total career earnings.

But there’s more to the story. Magnus was in position to earn the GPI title in 2020, when on December 3rd, it was announced the 2020 title would be canceled due to the pandemic’s effect on travel and live events. She goes on to detail the emotional and physical toll it took to replicate her results two years in a row, especially while falling victim to the bad side of variance in the final two months of the year.

Kara and Nadya then dive deeper and discuss her unwillingness to compromise her beliefs, her upbringing in the Soviet Union and what it means to see more women at the poker table. This includes her recent philanthropic efforts where she gifted three $5,000 buy-ins to women poker players at the Wynn Winter Classic.

Don’t forget to check out our previous episodes with Ebony Kenney, Phil Galfond, Mori Eskandani, Jason Koon, Dominik Nitsche, Vanessa Selbst, Maria Ho and many more of poker's most fascinating personalities.