We sit within the Imperial Ballroom of the Atlantis Resort where three people from two final tables will win greater than one million dollars later tonight. That is the peak, the very pinnacle of what any poker player can possibly wish for, and anyone here can congratulate themselves on belonging within the top percentile in their profession or recreational pursuit.
But it will be important to not get too over excited. Poker is a game that involves money -- a large number of it -- and it involves emotion, human emotion. There's a lifestyle befitting a film star for its most successful exponents, but there are many pitfalls that need to be navigated along the way.
The Team PokerStars Pro Ville Wahlbeck is likely one of the elite players in world poker, both online and stale. He plays the very highest games on PokerStars (I'm talking the $1,000-2,000 draw games, when they're running) and just about everything below that. He has run very, very popular -- have a look at Wahlbeck's results on the 2009 World Series of Poker -- and he has endured massive downswings. He knows the highs and the lows but, unusually, doesn't mind talking about them.
We caught up with Wahlbeck for one of the crucial candid interviews you're going to get from a top-level professional player. It started as a talk about his work/life balance, about how he manages to prepare his life to deal with both poker and non-poker pursuits. But right from the first actual moment, when he said, "I'LL BE terrible at this. I'VE no work/life balance," it was clear this was entering into another direction.
PokerStars Blog: What's an ordinary week for you in poker?Ville Wahlbeck: A TYPICAL week? There is not any such concept for me. Some weeks I DO NOT play in any respect and a few weeks I play 60 or 70 hours. But that is the extreme. On average I MIGHT say between 10 and 20.
Do you have got a routine?I would truly like to. I HAVE BEEN looking to do this for years nevertheless it appears to be impossible for me. I WANT to stand up really early, for the reason that games are still going when it's really early, do a little exercise, eat an even breakfast after which play maybe three hours after which have the remainder of the day without work. But unfortunately it's never worked out.
What finally ends up happening is that I decide, "OK, I'll play a little". After which I'm still there within the next morning after 15 hours or so. After which I crash down, I HAVE NEVER eaten properly, haven't slept properly, haven't drunk enough water or done any exercise or anything. After which it just takes me a couple of days to recover from that...and then it happens sooner or later a couple of days again.
What would have to change so that you can get things straight?I have no idea. To be more organised about it. To be more clear concerning the goals and the way to do it. I DO NOT know why it's usually been an issue for me. Even supposing I start off saying I'll play two hours, I then just say I'll play another hour. Then that hour goes by after which I DO NOT even placed on a limit anymore. So in general, my life must be more organised.
Did you ever have a standard job?Yes and no. I did some freelance journalism for a golf magazine. And that i was teaching kids in elementary school, as an alternative teacher. I worked pretty long periods they usually asked me to be a regular, in order that was an enormous compliment after they asked me if I'D do it more often. But that each one changed after I started winning enough money that, money-wise, it wasn't worthwhile to do anything besides play poker. So that's just about the instant I MADE UP MY MIND to show pro.
What a couple of bad period? Would that modify your attitude?Well, yes, they're the moments whilst you do think like that you just. never think it when you are on an upswing and winning so much. That is the moment whilst you don't need to modify a specific thing. Since the rush or the high of winning is best than anything. When you hit the downswing and also you do not feel comfortable to your life in general, you begin thinking that perhaps you ought to start making some changes in your schedule. But yeah, periodically I do get the sensation I should do something positive about it.
Are you married, with kids?I'm not married, but I do have two kids. I never play when I'm with them. I'VE my office space and whenever I'LL play, I'M GOING there to play. Being with kids it's just impossible, I COULD NOT focus properly. I MUST be in private and mostly alone to play.
Would you recommend poker on your kids?No. Never. A minimum of not with the methods I'm doing it. It's too exhausting. The way in which I THINK is that it is a really nice hobby. It's super fun together with your friends or as a recreational thing. But once you're doing it full time, it's mentally very exhausting. When the losing periods are going on, it's stressful, demanding. And ultimately I also think that there are way, way, way, far more professions which can be more fulfilling intellectually and mentally for people, besides playing poker full time.
I've been playing over a decade, almost 12 years, and there don't seem to be very many new things happening. You do not push forward. You do not create much. I still enjoy it. I still like playing but not up to I did after I started off. For my kids, I'm definitely going to show them easy methods to play and hopefully we are going to have some fun moments together. But as a profession, I'D rather see them do something else.
In an office job, you possibly can expect an annual promotion and a salary increase. Nevertheless it doesn't work like that during poker.Yes. It's actually the contrary. Sometimes you're actually going to be demoted. You might want to be playing much higher after which within the next year it's essential be crushed so badly you'll want to move to a lower level. There don't seem to be too many professions within the world, besides maybe some investor or day trader, where you'll be able to work your ass off for a year and still finally end up being a loser. That is not a pleasant aspect of the profession.
Do you ever end up thinking, "Right, I WANT a holiday, two weeks off"?I don't put a time period, but I definitely do have these feelings where I CANNOT even open the computer, or a minimum of the poker software, as it makes me already so exhausted, I'm almost physically sick. Those tend to be after very long sessions, when I HAVE BEEN playing for a couple of days. I HAVE NOT slept much, and i have been losing numerous money, and that i need some days off. Without that, you may just crash down or something.
You don't travel up to you used to.Especially since I'VE kids now. I used to travel, I MIGHT say one third of the year. Nowadays maybe one fifth. It's quite exhausting if you end up changing time zones and spending time in airports and within the aeroplane and eating restaurant food and such things as that. So overall, the steadiness and regularity of life is in a fuzz all of the time.
What do you are saying to those that are envious of you, who do not know concerning the exhaustion?It's tough. You should be pretty just about a poker professional to peer how rough it will probably actually be. I AM NOT doing it the best way. There are tons and a whole lot smarter guys than me, who're more organised of their life and professional and may be able to keep it separate. They simply play some hours and do not think poker otherwise. But for me it started off as something that I loved and has always been my passion, so whenever I play it's in my head. It's oftentimes in my head even if I DO NOT play. So the organisation, to divide things between the poker life and life typically can be brilliant.
Do you are worried about burn-out or actually having a breakdown?I'm hoping that i am smart enough to move for breaks before I AM GETTING to that time. But I WILL BE ABLE TO definitely feel the indications. There were repeatedly where I've felt that if I had still kept playing I'LL easily have had a breakdown. Fortunately I'VE BEEN in a position to take breaks before that happened. I HAVE BEEN very exhausted, but you have to have a break before you crash down.
How do you retain your money safe?You must have some money management. There is a saying, no less than in Finland, that your bankroll is like your toolbox in case you are a carpenter. Without the bankroll, you're as useless as a lumberjack without an axe. You must deal with that. But it's a lot more easily said than done. For me, like most poker players, probably the most difficult things is, you probably have lost enough, to head down in limits. In case you are used to playing something higher, or much higher, it is not really easy to begin fiddling with smaller amounts, mentally. You feel, 'Why am I playing for these peanuts, when a month ago I USED TO BE playing five times or ten times higher.' It's tough, mentally.
I play pretty big and the variance is high on those short-handed games. There is a lot of action, a large number of movement. It may be stressful sometimes. The issue with the high games is that the gaps are so big oftentimes. There's really big games and the following biggest game is ten times smaller. At lower limits there are more options, you'll be able to play 50c-$1 no limit or $1-$2. But while you get higher, there are fewer and less players, so there isn't that much option.
Do you continue to get the thrill out of playing poker?Not up to I used to. I MIGHT be lying if I said I USED TO BE as passionate as I USED TO BE once I was younger. I still adore it. I still like an excellent session and that i still like putting the hassle there. After I start playing, I'm 100 per cent focused always. It isn't about that. But overall it has been a protracted decade poker wise. Mostly I'm just glad that it is not as intensive because it was.
When I BEGAN playing it was the absolute neatest thing that I MAY possibly imagine. My first thoughts about poker typically was that I MIGHT hope that I'LL even break even, so I'LL just keep playing and playing. It wasn't even concerning the money, it was about playing poker. Whenever I could, I just desired to play more poker. The unhappy feeling was that if I lost it, I COULD NOT play any longer. So I'D has been happy simply to break even, simply to keep playing whenever. Also one in every of my first goals in poker was the concept that if I'LL earn $50 per hour, that might be worthwhile. Then I WOULD NOT want to do anything else.
Do you pay yourself a salary?No. I ATTEMPT TO invest the winnings once I have them so I HAVEN'T GOT all of them online or cashable. I TAKE ADVANTAGE OF them within the sense that perhaps the investments earn me a bit money in themselves. Once they're out, put somewhere else, it is not really easy to simply cash them out and begin putting them back into the games. It gives the money security, in a way that I CANNOT lose an excessive amount of too fast.
What do you do clear of poker?I attempt to read up to possible and to do a little sports, play golf and stuff like that. However the sad thing is that I've actually always been a gaming addict. When I AM NOT playing poker, I play something else like iPad games or PC games or whatever. It must be something. I LOCATE it very relaxing playing. I've just bought Knights of the Old Republic, it's an old Star Wars game on iPad. It's an old game but they simply converted it to iPad. Once I start considered one of them, I just need to get it finished and that i just can't put it down before it's finished. But I also find it, sort of, relaxing. It fulfils the gaming or gambling addiction.
Does this mentality assist in poker?Yes it does. With that mentality it is so easy to focus, when the action is there you're so into it, like all computer game. I play computer games with the similar roughly attitude: focused and in there, just playing it. I played PC games and golf before poker. But it's simply so time consuming playing these RPG games that take 100 hours to complete.
How old were you whilst you first discovered poker?I played slightly once I was seven, eight or nine with my brother. My father played a bit five card stud together with his friends, so we picked up the sport there. Mostly I USED TO BE playing after I was 16 or 17 in Highschool. We had these game nights once a month or so. But if internet poker started, then you definitely could play every day, 24 hours a day, there has been constantly a game available. That's once I feel that I really, really started. The fundamentals were there already, but while you start playing online, the games are so fast and there is such a lot material and such a lot of opponents, so that you can learn much faster than live. Ever since then, I've played such a lot that it's ridiculous.
Will you ever give it up?Professionally, yes. Sooner or later when I'm older. Recreationally, I'M HOPING I keep playing until I die. I'm 37 so hopefully it's still many years away.
Here's the way you follow all of the PCA action at PokerStars Blog. The principle Event is at the Main Event page, where there's hand-by-hand coverage and latest chip counts within the panel on the top, and have pieces below. We'll be reporting with a one-hour delay because the action may be being screened on PCA Live.
The High Roller is at the High Roller page and that's happening in real time. There is no live stream, but there'll be some good words and a few better pictures.
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