AGE: 41
DESCRIPTION: Plays cash games and tournaments,
including the World Series of Poker and
World Poker Tour, both locally and internationally.
Poels spends most of his time playing at
Casino Arizona. He also travels to the Bellagio in
Las Vegas several times a year.
TIME ON THE JOB: Four years as a pro; 16 years
total playing poker.
TRAINING: A large part of the job is research,
reading books on poker and online forums. “I
was lucky. I met someone who was a pro player,
and he turned me on to a couple books to read,
and I noticed when I started to read them I lost
less often.”
PREPARATION: “The best thing you can do is
keep yourself on an even keel. You never know
when the time is going to come where you have
to fold a very big hand, make a big bluff or make
a big call with a substandard hand. If you’re not
in the moment mentally you might make a mistake
and get busted in the tournament.”
HOURS: Poels spends approximately 2,000 hours
a year playing poker. At Casino Arizona, where he
works as a casino host, he is required to play a |
minimum of 32 hours per week. “The games are
generally better at night. I try to strike a balance.
If there are things going on with the family at
night I’ll work during the day.”
JOB PERKS: “I have done a lot of traveling in
poker. I went to Aruba last year and played in a
tournament there. It was eleven fantastic days of
just being on the beach.” DRAWBACKS: At times having an uncertain
stream of income has caused Poels to consider
tossing in the cards. “It’s easier, I think, knowing
you’re going to have a steady paycheck coming
in from wherever you work than being in a situation
where you are short on money at times and
basically have to do well. It’s a difficult thing to
deal with.”
BEST PART: A competitive person by nature,
Poels says he enjoys the constant action every
hand brings, but he says the best part is the flexibility
in his schedule and being able to spend
time with his family.
SALARY: Poels’ tournament winnings to date
exceed $900,000.
Table provided by
www.ryeparkgaming.com
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