Who wouldn’t want to earn €60,000 in profits? BPC student Tomas “Maestro” did just that. He completed the NLHU Soldier Coaching program and earned €60,000 in one year, six months and 16 days. Maestro is a great example of how a player can grow in both skill and in the drive to succeed.
LIFE BEFORE BPC
Maestro has always been interested in games. An avid video game player from the Czech Republic, that interest actually led him to poker. He played Call of Duty 4 as part of a large Czech group. That group played a PokerStars tournament once a month for a $50 prize pool.
After playing in three tournaments in 2009, he won $1.47. He was hooked and began playing small stakes.
“I started reading articles about poker and was really fascinated by the game and the fact you can make money just by playing cards,” he says. “I never deposited my own money.”
He eventually was making €1,500 to €3,000 per month in a country with an average salary about €1,000 – not bad for a 21-year-old. Then he hit a bad streak at the table and in life. In May 2014, he accidentally broke his computer and also had to pay car repairs.
At the same time, Maestro started losing big at the tables and had to move down in stakes. His girlfriend also broke up with him and he owed his mother money.
“During those few months I had debt, no money, and no girlfriend,” he wrote in his first blog. “I played poker to get out of it, but wasn’t getting anywhere. I was super frustrated. I was thinking about quitting and starting some business, but even after reading lots of books on the subject, I didn’t have any idea what to start.”
BPC seemed like a lifeline. Maestro reached out to Gordon and was soon in the program – hoping to turn that bad streak around.
PROGRAM & PROGRESS
It was a climb with some ups and downs for the first half of his run in the program. There was some volatility, but halfway through Maestro’s results rocketed up. After about eight months, he reached the €20,000 mark and that continued to grow.
It wasn’t always easy, however, and in April 2015 he detailed a few of his frustrations including some with himself.
“It wasn’t all good days,” he wrote. “I had some losing days and also wasn’t in the right mode to play. I had to push myself to do something. Laziness is a terrible thing and it is probably my lifelong goal to be more productive and less lazy.”
As an economics student in college, Maestro didn’t always have as much time to devote to poker. After some reflection, he was determined to set a better routine. He also began an exercise routine to better his mind and body.
“I have my goals written and I look at them every morning,” he says. “I remind myself every morning what is important.”
By December 2015, Maestro was on a roll and named Player of the Month after winning a hefty €11,000. He finally reached his goal and finished the program in August 2016.
“Today I just want to thank everybody who read my blog, and to my coaches who teach me the important stuff and push me when results weren’t very good,” he said. “Also thanks to my students because you learn most by teaching others.”
THE FINISH LINE
There may have been ups and downs, but Maestro learned plenty of life lessons along the way. How did BPC help improve his game?
“BPC definitely helped me with strategy,” he says. “However, my biggest problems were with discipline and motivation. I had lots of difficulties. Mainly it was my work ethic because before I had a huge problem with working long hours. Even before when I played like five hours, it was like, ‘Wow, I worked so much today.’”
After some nice profitable days, Maestro soon realized he had to reassess that thinking if he wanted to get where he needed to be. The BPC coaches and community helped shape his game and new outlook. His biggest inspiration from the BPC community came from “Illidek.”
“When I first found his blog, I was totally broke and loved his lifestyle,” he says. “A year and half later, I live the same way as he does.”
Along with having goals, Maestro made use of an interesting technique to stay motivated. He calls it “negative motivation.”
“I write down my goals on hours that I want to play that month, and If I don’t make it I will pay money to somebody,” he says. “That way I have no choice. Learn new stuff every day, that way you cultivate your passion and poker won´t become just your job but the thing you love to do.”
Along with making profits, playing more and finding a routine in life changed him as a person.
“Growing is what will keep your passion going,” he says. “Before BPC I stopped learning new stuff because I thought I knew everything I needed to know. If you stop growing you start dying. Growing is one of the main keys to happiness. People who constantly challenge themselves are much happier than people who are just passive.
JOINING THE COACHING RANKS
Now with his program completed, Maestro has joined the BPC coaching pool. The Coaching for Profits program helped his game, and he hopes to share what he’s learned with others.
“Before CFP my motivation was swingy,” he says. “One day I played a lot and the next two days I didn’t play at all. I had big dreams, but I didn’t put enough work into making them reality. I always wanted to be a productive person and I didn’t understand why my productivity is so swingy.”
Now he helps others focus on the important things and understand motivation as well as strategy, hands, and understanding different situations.
BPC has helped Maestro live his dreams – and that includes experiencing different parts of the world. He’s now lived in Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia, still playing poker and coaching students along the way.
After so many struggles with motivation and work ethic, he hopes to serve as an example for his fellow grinders on what can be achieved. He offers one last word of advice.
“Have an exact vision of your future written somewhere and look at it every day,” he says. “Otherwise, it is easy to slip out and become comfortable. Also, be around people who have goals, dreams, vision and are willing to work for it. I think this is a big strength of the BPC community of people who have all these things and support each other.”
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So what about your own game? Have you also had trouble with motivation? Are your profits not where you hoped they’d be?
BPC may be your answer. The program can help you learn how to crush at the tables. BPC is more than just training and coaching, it’s a community where players motivate each other, learn from each other, and become friends through amazing events like the upcoming Poker Camp in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Like Maestro says, when you’re part of BPC things that didn’t seem possible become a reality. What are you waiting for? Get on board and start winning and raking in profits.
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications such as PokerNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.
