It’s been a wild couple of weeks of tournament poker for me. I was in London playing in the 3rd annual World Series of Poker Europe and now I’m in the Caribbean, soaking up the sun and surf and competing in the Aruba Classic sponsored by UltimateBet.
This week’s column is a departure from the norm in that I’m featuring an excerpt from my just-released book, Deal Me In, a collection of twenty inspiring biographies from the world’s top poker players who share their stories about how they turned pro.
Here’s an excerpt from Phil Ivey’s story, one of the game’s best players and a finalist in this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event:
My grandfather first introduced me to poker; I was eight years old at the time. He pulled out a deck of cards and patiently taught me to play Five-Card Stud. He never wanted me to be involved with poker for anything more than fun. My mother didn’t want me to play poker for a living either. In fact, I’m not sure she likes it, or that she supports my decision to be a pro even now.
Even in middle school, when friends, family, or even teachers asked me what I planned to be, I told them, “ I’m going to be a professional poker player,’an answer that was met with mixed reactions.
Although I was good around my home games, I certainly didn’t win in Atlantic City right away. At first, I lost more than I won. When I’d lose, I’d go back to my telemarketing job to earn enough of a bankroll to go back to Atlantic City. Eventually, I didn’t have to go back to work at all!
Even though I’d lose at times, there was never a point where I was not certain I was better than everyone I faced. What these players had on me was experience and discipline. I watched the better players carefully and learned through trial and error.
One of the things I learned early on was the value of managing my money. I was never afraid or too proud to move down in stakes if the situation called for it. If I had $30,000 to my name, I’d take $15,000 and go play $75-$150. If I’d lose, I’d move down and play $30-$60 with $10,000 until I’d built the bankroll back up. If I lost that and had to move to even lower stakes, I’d do that too.
Some of the younger players today don’t understand this, and I think it may hurt them in the long run. They make a name for themselves and then get staked. If they go broke, they beg for money from friends rather than go get a job and build up their bankroll the hard way.
I never did that. I never borrowed money. Even if I wanted to, I didn’t know anyone well enough to do it. When I needed money, I just went back to work.
Years later (after I’d won several WSOP championship titles), I decided to make another move. I met Larry Flynt, and I knew that he had his own high-stakes poker game in Los Angeles, a $1,500-$3,000 limit Seven-Card Stud game. I decided to move west and give it a shot. I never played in a game with stakes like that. I brought nearly $600,000 to the table — my entire bankroll — and lost almost all of it in the first weekend!
People ask me whether I’d approve of my kids playing poker professionally. I’d rather they do not.
Poker is a great hobby, but being a professional is a very different story. But how can I stop them if that’s what they want to do?
Get Paid To Learn From Gus Hunsen
