YWolff19: I wrote a big trip report about it already, so I won't go into too much detail here. It was a huge, fast, and tough tournament. I was happy to be the last PSO member standing and had a great learning experience but I would have liked to make some of that $300,000!

NewJane: Tell us some interesting facts about your life, such as place of employment, family matters, hobbies, or educational background.

YWolff19: I am a photographer and I just finished photo school in Santa Barbara a few months ago. I took a spontaneous trip to Ecuador to visit a friend of mine and have been working as a photographer and assistant ever since I returned. Before that I graduated from UCSD with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. I find the psychology of poker to be much more interesting than the math side although basic odds etc are a must for any player. I have a girlfriend of 1.5 years who has recently joined me in the LA area, and I started a bi-weekly poker league here with some of my friends called HPT (Homie Poker Tour) with rankings and recaps and everything =) They were skeptical at first ("Fool, you're just trying to con us into giving you all of our money!") but now everyone loves it.

NewJane: Give us a little glimpse into your poker background. How long have you played? Do you prefer online play or live? Where is your favorite place to play live? Do you like tournaments or ring games? What is your game of choice?

YWolff19: I can honestly give 100% credit to PSO, the mentors, and the players here for my poker knowledge and any skill (or lack of) I have learned in this game. I came here knowing absolutely nothing and spent my first month hovering around the 50% range. I read some lessons (along w/ some poker books) and practiced my new techniques against the friendly players here. Then I was picked for a Team Tourney by Mlinds and got to join DrPutt, GameFace, and KathyinCali on a team, which was an amazing experience. In my no limit team tourney I sat between TheHazyOne and Hitman and it was the first time I had ever been in a shark tank. Watching the sharks swim around me and eventually devour me (on a suckout no less) I decided I wanted to try and be one of them.

I joined Hitman's mentor class after ladder climbing my way to a first PSO banner and learned a whole other side to poker that I never knew existed. I just joined Hazy's mentor session and can't wait to see the results in my end game. Both come highly recommended. Having experienced the benefits of a personal and private forum in Hitman's class I was lucky enough to join the Ocrew and surround myself w/ some of the most talented poker players I know! My top poker moment besides winning 2 live tourneys was getting the PSO player of the month award in December. That month everything just clicked and it was so much fun.

I prefer online poker only because I am so used to it. I have played thousands of online tournaments and probably around 10 live. NL holdem is my favorite tourney game, and Omaha 8 (limit or PL) is my favorite ring game.

NewJane: How long have you been a member of PSO?

YWolff19: 1.5 years?

NewJane: What do you think was your greatest strength in the tourney? Your biggest weakness?

YWolff19: My strength was patience and discipline, as well as a couple good reads on opponents. My weakness was being distracted by all the chatter and sounds and noises and people and missing some betting patterns I should have noticed. My other weakness was knowing the right play to make every once in a while but not having the comfort level or "huevos" in a huge live event to pull it off.

NewJane: Do you remember any key hands you want to tell us about? Positive or Negative outcomes.

YWolff19: UTG limps for 100 chips, folded around to me, I raise to 400 w/ QQ, called by one player, UTG raises all in for 900 more, I call and he flips over rockets. Warning bells should have gone off the second he limped from UTG since he almost always came in for a raise but I called and lost 1/2 of my stack.

NewJane: What are some of the differences you notice in online play as opposed to live play?

YWolff19: Live there is less bluffing, at least early in the big tourneys. There are a lot more distractions (and smells). =) The thing I like about online cash games is that you can play 3-4 at a time to help with long streaks of unplayable cards (in your boxers while listening to music and relaxing in a comfy chair). Playing one slowly dealt cash game at a casino can be torture!

NewJane: If you could have dinner with any current poker tourney pro, who would it be and what would be the question you would ask first?

YWolff19: Well it'd have to be Doyle Brunson, since he's the first poker player I read a book by and since he seems like such a wonderful all around guy (not to mention a great player in his day).

NewJane: What poker books have helped your game?

YWolff19: The two Harrington books are by far the best.

NewJane: What new poker games are you interested in learning?

YWolff19: I feel that I can hold my own in all the HORSE games except Stud Hi. I always, always, always lose so I have to figure out how to play that game. Other than that, Badugi.

NewJane: Here is your chance to address anything I neglected to ask that you are dying to share.

YWolff19: I can't wait to finally meet all of you kids at the Convention!

NewJane: Thanks for taking time for this interview, Colin. Best of luck to you at the Live Tour Grand Finale!

PSO Live Tour
Schedule 2006 | Schedule/Results 2005 | Results 2004	About | Live Tour Rules | Interviews
About PokerSchool Online	Join PokerSchool Online
What Students are Learning Now	Download the Free Software