2 new coaches at the SNG-team at BestPokerCoaching
Now it is official: Bencb789 has 2 brand new coaches in his team, “Mariano5” aka Michael and “Toruk Macto” aka Tomy. Both are really new to being a coach themselves, as they started off as students in our SNG program at BPC.
Today I want to introduce you to Michael – student and coach in BPC.
How did you actually start playing poker?
I started playing poker around 10 years ago. At first just with friends, but then I discovered Pokerstars shortly thereafter.
Why did you decide to join our team at BPC?
I decided to join the program because I had come to a point where I wanted to take my game to a new level and find a path to the elite areas of the game. I had been playing for a living for a number of years before joining, but I wasn’t taking it seriously enough to have good success with it. I basically came to a point in my life where I decided to get serious and seek out a way to rise through the ranks of the poker world. I know the journey is very long and hard but I am in it for the long haul, and I am confident I will make it happen.
How has this improved your game so far and your results?
My game has improved vastly already since joining the program. Having access to Ben’s strategies is priceless. That is the main reason why I joined was to be able to get the strategies of an elite player.
Poker is a very hard discipline to be successful at if you try to do it on your own. Especially these days.
How did you become a coach for the SNG team?
I started doing a bit of coaching when Ben was playing the SCOOP in Costa Rica in May. Since then he decided it would be good if Tomy and I could start coaching some of the students full time.
How do you like it and how is it? What can you get out of this experience?
It has been fun so far. I enjoy it very much. I will also benefit greatly from this, as it allows me to constantly be reviewing hands.
You are from Canada, right? What is the place called and how is it to live there?
I live in a small town near Vancouver called Roberts Creek. I grew up here and moved back around 4 years ago. It’s a very nice town on the Pacific ocean, with mountains right behind it.
What is your motivation for the daily hours you are putting in? Any advice for others?
My motivation for putting in the daily hours is trying to always stay focused on my long-term goals. The variance in SNGs is very sick, so I am still learning on how to deal with and maintain motivation through long downswings.
I’m learning that if you want to become a successful SNG player you will need to be incredibly mentally strong. You need to stay focused and just try to play as well as you can.
If you really want to make it happen then you can with a lot of hard work, but if you expect it to be quick and easy then you will be in for a rude awakening.
Poker is like many things in life in that the rewards can be very nice, but people often underestimate how hard it can be and so they end quitting too early. You need to be in it for the long haul.
Do you have a favorite hand or poker moment to share with the community?
I don’t really have any favorite memorable hands. My favorite hand, in general, is AJs though.
