Interview With NiceAndSunny Vlogger Christin Maschmann - Part 1

(Photo: Facebook.com)

When poker vlogger Christin Maschmann first came to my attention, it was the video’s title which had me stumped – ‘Nice and Sunny’, about a trip to play poker in Glasgow? My own birthplace where sunshine tends to make front page news?! This needs investigating!

It transpires that the German-born pokerista - who has since been adopted by the Irish poker scene as one of their own - has a Gothic bent to her, and she explains the thoughts behind her vlog and its neon alleyway Nice and Sunny signature:

“I am always wearing black, tattooed, a bit of a Goth girl, but super happy and positive and cheerful most of the time. It's quite a contrast that people don't expect. When I was living in England in 2005 and heard this term for the first time I was fascinated by it...’nice and tidy’, ‘nice and sunny’… I try to inspire, so I am hoping that the ‘Nice and Sunny’ theme keeps people upbeat and motivated to go out and do stuff themselves."

And what about the ‘Nice and Sunny’ day in Glasgow? Was the orange ball in the sky photo-shopped in by a master of production? See for yourself…

Christin’s own interest in poker is a decade-long love affair which started with a friendly introduction by friends in New York, followed by consuming and absorbing as much literature and playing of the game as possible - her career as an ‘audio-visual media producer’ in Germany already in the past.

Producing music videos for a living was Christin’s dream, but with that industry hitting rock-bottom just about the time poker was booming like never before, it was a serendipitous change of direction for the young Christin. A job in the poker industry? Here’s how Christin got there…

Now, Christin is a talented woman no doubt about it, and you can see from her vlogs that she puts her ‘producer’s education’ to good use in the slick video-editing, but what about her skills at the table? Is ‘professional player’ a possibility for her resume?

Dreaming and dreams

With a 2009 online cash of almost $12k and a best live win was at a €330 side event at EPT Berlin 2012, “where we chopped 3-handed for €6500 each” she tells me, it’s not too far-fetched to imagine her dreaming of being on the road grinding out a living travelling from event to event. 

“Dream... sure,” Christin tells me. “In 2009 I managed to make a nice side-income every month. That was a great feeling. But as I have been self-employed before… and failed… I am now very scared of not knowing where my money comes from every month. I need a steady income to not go crazy. So, being a pure poker pro is not really a dream as I think it wouldn't be good for my mental health!” 

“A dream nowadays is more having a steady income and being able to travel the world playing poker while from time to time winning something. And that's what I am actually already doing and vlogging about,” and as a poker writer and now very part-time player himself, your scribe understands completely, especially when she states that “tournaments” are what she enjoys: 

“I like to know exactly what I am investing when sitting down at the table.”