Poker pro and vlogger Brad Owen took to Twitter/X and wrote a long post talking about his six-figure downswing and poker burnout.
The California native said he was down $400,000 since the start of the 2024 World Series of Poker. The post offered some insight into the world of high-stakes poker and the losses that go with it.
“I’ve only had one complete losing year (last year), but I’m down $100k this year already and I feel like I’m losing my identity and a failure if I don’t turn things around soon, especially if I’m not as open about it as I can be about the tough times,” Owen said.
Mixed Games Are The Downswing’s Source
Owen said the large majority of the losses came in mixed games tournament. At this point in his career, he feels the need to push himself to win a “major title.”
Insert high-stakes mixed games. Since the small fields offered a better chance at winning a title, he began competing against some of the best players in the world. The foray even included an entry into the $50,000 Poker Players Championship at the 2025 WSOP.
On a broader note, Owen said he hasn’t had as much fun playing in recent years. He didn’t know “how much time I have left in this space before I get too burnt out.” He added that his health has deteriorated and he can’t keep up the pace of the last few years.
“I can always just quit and go back to cash where wins are consistent and easier, but it’s enjoyable for me to push myself and I don’t want to give up just yet even though it would certainly be better for my mental well-being,” he wrote.
“I put an insane amount of pressure on myself to try to be the best dad, significant other, poker player, content creator, ambassador, etc. that I can be. It’s tough to ever escape or take a break because I fear that if I turn off the machine, even for a short time, I might not be able to turn it on again.”
Despite the downswing, Owen said he is still up about $1 million over the last two decades. Unfortunately, that only equates to about $50,000 annually. However, it doesn’t include revenue from social media channels or sponsorship deals.
Fellow vlogger Ethan “Rampage” Yau expressed his own struggles at the table in 2025, with a downswing of almost $358,000 in the first half of the year.
Owen Professed Broader Poker Industry Concerns
Since the inception of Owen’s YouTube channel, he amassed a nearly 800,000-subscriber fan base. As part of the success, he became an ambassador for the World Poker Tour. But in the post, he claimed that he doesn’t always feel like he deserves what he earned.
“None of what I do is that hard or that important and if I started making vlogs in the current climate, I’d likely get lost in the shuffle and wouldn’t be nearly as successful,” he said.
Then, he pivoted to some criticisms of the content creator space and the poker industry as a whole. First, he criticized the WPT for parting ways with longtime friend and pioneer of the poker vlog, Andrew Neeme.
Second, he expressed his hatred of three trends in poker content – YouTube Shorts and AI voiceover. He didn’t provide a detailed explanation for his dismay. But the two trends appear to be shortcuts in production and growing a following.
The third? The apparent necessity for everyone to create content. Owen said it’s not good to see top pros like Jeremy Ausmus, Seth Davies, and Stephen Chidwick producing poker content. It showcases the limited pathways for players to earn sponsorship dollars.
“Vlogs used to be something that most top guys shit all over and now we’re seeing them with stands and cameras at the table because the major poker companies don’t give the best players ambassador roles anymore.,” he said. “I just miss how things were back in the heyday and I’d like to see more opportunities for the guys I look up to in the industry – the guys who have actually accomplished a lot on the felt.”
That could be a reference to programs like the WSOP plan to benefit content creators announced in September.
Poker Tours And His Own Livestream Weren’t Spared From Criticism
Owen, who is a co-owner of the Lodge poker clubs in Texas, even expressed reservations about Kalshi’s recent sponsorship of the club’s live streams.
Additional criticism was geared toward the WPT and WSOP. Owen said he was proud of turning down an offer to promote side gambling games on ClubWPT Gold. He framed the point as a positive for himself, rather than a negative on the industry. But the implication is that he doesn’t believe WPT should offer these games to its customers.
Lastly, he left some critiques for the WSOP. First, he thinks the brand should cut back on the number of online bracelet events.
Secondly, he believes executives should push the December WSOP Paradise series in the Bahamas back to January. The series currently overlaps with the WPT World Championship in Las Vegas.
