The British star is known as the quiet man of top-tier poker and, although he has more than his fair share of fans, we really don’t know an awful lot about him as a man.
Now, though, he has invited us to take part in an AMA — Ask Me Anything — on an X thread.
Hello X.
Many of you will know me as a top poker player who doesn’t say very much, and for a long time, I guess I didn’t really think I had much of value to say.
I’ve kept a low profile for most of my life. I’ve built my career with a quiet determination and focus on the…
— Stephen Chidwick (@ChidwickStephen) July 21, 2025
Stephen Chidwick Opens Up on X
Typically of a quiet man. Chidwick opens his first social media post by telling that he didn’t think he had much of value to say.
That speaks volumes about a person who is not only one of the greatest poker players of all time, but only a few years ago he was thought by the majority of his peers to be the best in the world right now.
Although he does think staying away from the hornet’s nest that poker social media can be was the right decision then, his reasoning was a bit off, he writes.
“What I didn’t admit so explicitly was my fear: fear of criticism, of vulnerability, and of my inability to control my own obsessive nature.”
And he really was obsessive — as the majority of top players are these days — relaying personal tales of his struggles during his years climbing the stakes.
But the success came in waves, eventually, and Chidwick got the recognition he deserved. But, of course, this comes with its own downside — it’s simply a different kind of pressure.
“Now that I was painted as “the best”, there was no margin for error. Despite everything I had accomplished, I was no less fragile. Every misstep felt like a threat to the whole narrative.“
It took a dedicated effort of inner work to work through all of his demons that stood in his way of becoming a legendary poker player, but the benefits for both his professional and personal life were immeasurable.
“And so here I am—the kid inside the robot costume. Just another human being in pursuit of love, of connection, of belonging. Tired of running from my shadow and ready to stop and turn around (I hope).”
Stephen Chidwick Explains his Secrets for Reaching the Top
When we hear about people working on themselves, exactly what that entails is rarely clear. Stephen Chidwick looks to have undergone a complicated period of introspection to really dig through the weeds about what makes him tick.
He explains that the part of his inner work that had the biggest impact consisted of restructuring his thought patterns. Basically this came down to asking himself if the internal dialogue was accurate or helpful.
There will be a lot of uncomfortable moments for you posting here, but the positive can outweigh the negative. I even believe I’ve grown (slightly!) thicker skin due to creating content the past few years.
This post alone will help a lot of people. ♥️
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) July 22, 2025
Phil Galfond, ever the realist, joined the thread with a warning that social media is guaranteed to “create a lot of uncomfortable moments, “ adding that the positive will outweigh the negative and thicker skin is likely to be another outcome.
Wow I couldn’t have imagined a better reception. Thank you all so much for the love and kind words, you rock ❤️
Lots of people asking for more but I’m not sure how often I’ll feel compelled to announce something to thousands of people so how about whoever has a question can AMA…
— Stephen Chidwick (@ChidwickStephen) July 23, 2025
And then there were the questions directed at poker; help on how to improve but we also see some characters bringing up Chidwick’s online poker career.
Back in the day, he was playing monster volume on the Sit & Go tables and Ben Rolle was an old rival who wanted to know if he missed those days.
I wouldn’t say I miss it but the sng grind was a fun one for sure. I was never very good at the hypers but they were good for desensitizing you to allin runouts lol
— Stephen Chidwick (@ChidwickStephen) July 24, 2025
As for studying tips, Chidwick says that 25-30% of his work has been done in a group setting.
Alex Duvall wrote: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
And, of course there was the guaranteed request to see a graph, which was duly provided, although the buy-ins were normalised, hiding the true profit/loss figures.
It looks a lot less pretty without normalized buyins 🫠 pic.twitter.com/5CAWYjNWV6
— Stephen Chidwick (@ChidwickStephen) July 25, 2025
We look forward to seeing what Stephen Chidwick has to add in this space. He’s a popular player who has spent much of his career away from the frontline of poker media and we hope to hear more from him soon.
