The Well: Shaniac, 2.27.07

[shaniac]

Ok, great. Happy to be here.

To briefly describe the progression in my 20s that brought me to poker: I went to a high-end private school in New York, but rebelled against going to college, thinking instead I'd somehow make it as a writer or some other way in New York City. I had published a handful of articles in the NYPress, which was (at the time) like a competitor the Village Voice, and I was considered to be young and talented, but I had no discipline and didn't know what it took to succeed. So I spent much of my 20s drifting from dead-end jobs to crappy jobs and never really launching a writing career.

My oldest friend introduced me to gambling when I was 21, teaching me blackjack at Sandia Casino, in New Mexico. When I returned to NM the next summer, my pal was playing $4/$8 Hold 'Em. This was in the era right after Rounders...I sat in 1-5 Stud and Stud8 games at Sandia, and throughout various casinos on the West Coast (we took a road trip that summer), and lost consistently. I probably lost $1200-$1500 playing $1-5 Stud that summer, chasing every draw and having no clue that poker is more than just another gambling game.

My interest in poker didn't gel, though, until a few years later, in 2002, when I met someone at the Central Park Tennis Center who was also associated with the NYC poker scene. That Spring, I went to the Grand Opening of the Playstation, which was probably the most active NYC poker club in the post-Mayfair era, and began playing $40+30 rebuy tournaments, which they ran on Friday and Sunday, and 10/20 limit holdem. I sucked at limit holdem, and didn't really understand things like EV or "odds." Still, on July 4th, 2002, I won my first tournament, a $60 buyin with two additional $50 rebuys, that had about 18 players.

I continued to do sporadically well in rebuys at the Playstation, though mostly based on my naturally aggressive tendencies as opposed to a deep understanding of the game. In 2003, I was working in a call-center, and I found 2+2. I learned more about the game, especially from Fossilman's posts, and continued to hone my skills through the twice-weekly Playstation rebuys. It still took awhile before I had any confidence or realized that playing poker for a living was sustainable.

I quit the call-center, began working at a restaurant, still mostly directionless. I started playing online on Stars and cashed a few tournaments and starting talking with some good, winning players who were making their living as poker pros. It opened my eyes, and I worked my last shift at the restaurant on Xmas Eve of 2004. Ever since then, as most of you know, I've been mostly struggling by on poker tour and doing OK in online tournaments. I still feel I have a lot to learn.

So I'm stuck in this well, and I'll be around for the next several hours to answer questions...
Sorry for the long-winded intro, but I figured it wouldn't be so bad to lend this some structure.

[iMsoLucky0]

What makes you special?

[PsYcOsNiPeR]

when did you know that it was time to quit your job and become a poker player? what gave you the inspiration (specifically) to do what you are doing?

[shaniac]

[ QUOTE ]
What makes you special?

[/ QUOTE ]

A keen awareness that I'm not actually special, plus having a superstar young punk like yourself to be my roommate on tour.

[shaniac]

[ QUOTE ]
when did you know that it was time to quit your job and become a poker player? what gave you the inspiration (specifically) to do what you are doing?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's hard to say 'specifically' what it was--just one night, working as a waiter, I realized that there was tons of poker being played out there, and that I was possibly good enough to make it; that even if I didn't make it, I'd be happier trying and failing than staying stuck in the service industry.

I borrowed $500 from a busboy friend of mine to play a Playstation tournament and haven't looked back since. I would say I was working "without a net" to some degree, though, when I started. I didn't really "know."

[registrar]

Why drop Bob Dylan from the avatar? [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[shaniac]

[ QUOTE ]
Why drop Bob Dylan from the avatar? [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

I love Bob Dylan, but I also love Funkadelic. Free Yo Mind and Yo' Ass Will Follow is the album cover that is my current avatar.

[yurk]

What was the biggest challenge in making a living at poker? Also, in your opinion, is it even possible to be a "online-pro" in this day and age of poker in the U.S.?

[shaniac]

[ QUOTE ]
What was the biggest challenge in making a living at poker? Also, in your opinion, is it even possible to be a "online-pro" in this day and age of poker in the U.S.?

[/ QUOTE ]

Biggest challenge, for me, is bankroll management and focus during tournaments. I've made things more "challenging" for myself by going broke many times and not becoming a cash game grinder.

I'm sure it will always be possible to be "online pro" but it probably will become more difficult.

[dfbuzzbeater]

when did you first "hit it". it seems everyone has that moment - shaun's b2b $10r wins, gobbo's double win (i think it was the super and $11r) - what was your first big score that made you say, "damn, this be sum muhhfuggin chedda."