Poker Through The Eyes of A Champion

Eight years ago, in one of his many World Series of Poker blowups, the Poker Brat Phil Hellmuth delivered a famous poker quote that the real grinders remember pretty well. Steaming because Romanian player Cristian Dragomir called with Ten-Four suited, Hellmuth went out of line and started berating his foe. Infamous poker pro Chino Rheem tried to calm him and that’s when Hellmuth said to the famous quote to the whole world:

That’s one way to approach the game but going forward to this day, how are the latest WSOP gold bracelet winners look at the game they love most? Is playing poker for a living a full-time grind or a lifetime vacation?

Paul Volpe: With Me, Poker Is Mostly About The Money

Paul Volpe for example sees poker and the WSOP as a grind and just another regular day at the office rather than a game to have fun at. Volpe won his second gold bracelet in Event #15: $1.500 Eight Game Mix Six Handed just a couple of days ago plus a hefty prize of $149,943. After his win, he was willing to share his view on the game of poker. He told WSOP.com:

The player from Pennsylvania wasn’t as thrilled as the first time he won a gold bracelet - two years ago, in the 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship, heads-up against Daniel Negreanu - but nevertheless, he still enjoyed battling and conquering all major poker formats. And of course, he also enjoyed adding even more cash to his lifetime stack. So far, he has won almost $1.5 million only at WSOP and is very close to hit the $5 million mark career-wise, according to HendonMob DB. Besides the Eight Game Mix win, Volpe was also close to take down the $1,500 Dealer’s Choice Six-Handed event. He finished fourth in that particular poker tournament and cashed in $33,393 for his efforts.

But those are just plain numbers. For him, the ROI is what matters most and not the fame or the gold bracelets. Those are just bonuses.

Rep Porter: I Play Poker Because It Gives Me Lots Of Personal Freedom

For another WSOP bracelet winner though, things are quite different when the game of poker is involved. Just days ago, Rep Porter managed to win his third WSOP bracelet in Event #13: $1,500 Seven Card Razz. It was his second bracelet won in a Razz event, a game he considers a skill-game and not at all a stone luck format. The victory was even sweeter as he had quite a tough final table with Daniel Negreanu and Shaun Deeb involved in many pots. But in the end, Porter prevailed and won the top prize of $142,624. Overall, in his career, he won more than $3 million from live poker tournaments and was very close to participate in a WSOP Main Event final table back in 2013 - he finished in 12th place.

Yet it’s not all about the money for Porter. He admitted poker has been good to him and thanks to the game, he can do things that otherwise couldn’t do it: he can take a break whenever he likes and he can spend lots of time with his family. That’s what is really important.

Porter said after his latest WSOP success:

In other words, playing poker is a joy and not necessarily a tedious grind as it offers lots of other opportunities one can take advantage of. And time can be seen as our most important asset in today’s society. Don’t you agree?

What side are you on? What does poker mean to you? Is it a grind or a vacation? Please share your thoughts with the rest of us in the comment section below.