Doug Polk’s YouTube Career Takes a Comical Turn

From poker to comedy, Doug Polk is now trying to achieve success in another field with the launch of a new YouTube channel.

Doug Polk is turning his hand to comedy in a bid to create another successful YouTube channel. (Image: Facebook/Doug Polk)

The high stakes player has long been known for his outspoken attitude and now it seems his putting his witty retorts into a new venture.

“Starting a new YouTube channel for more mainstream news/comedy. Gonna kick it off doing news and go from there,” Polk tweeted on June 18.

Polk Taking a Sideways Look at Current Events

The first YouTube post covered a range of current events, including the rise of Fortnite, the World Cup and IHOP’s recent PR blunder. Of course, for those that follow Polk, vlogging is nothing new.

As well as poker videos, the American pro started covering the cryptocurrency world at the end of 2017. For now, those channels are being put on ice as he tries to establish a following as an online news reporter and comedian.

Although the transition from covering poker events to current events is a natural one, the move into serious comedy could be tougher. Despite telling funny jokes being notoriously difficult, Polk has thrown himself at the deep-end and performed a set live on stage.

While his peers were getting ready for the WSOP, Polk was in Las Vegas trying to make a small but seemingly enthusiastic crowd laugh. Although his routine lasted less than six minutes (see video below), he did manage to get a few titters, something which he wants to build on for his YouTube channel.

“Obviously I am quite bad, this is my first ever attempt. I’m sure there will be a bunch of trolls and whatnot, but I want to put it out there because I would like some constructive criticism so I can be better down the road,” Polk posted on Facebook after releasing the standup footage.

Looking at Life Beyond Poker

Taking a leap of faith and branching out into something outside of the poker realm is has become something of a trend among high stakes players in recent years. Two of the first online players to use their success in poker to fund a new venture in the restaurant world were the Dang brothers Hac and Di.

Following the Dang duo, Vanessa Selbst joined a Wall Street hedge fund, while Tony G has moved into politics and Alex Jacob turned his hand to currency trading and the gameshow Jeopardy. Polk’s interests might have taken him in a slightly different direction but it’s clear that he, like other big winners, is looking towards a life beyond poker.