Chump to Champ in Nine Months
Adam Korotki is living proof that practice makes perfect, and can even
earn you a living doing something that is fun. The 59 year old Ocean
View resident and developer whose projects in The Reserves, did not know
how to play poker a mere two years ago. His interest was piqued when he
was watching ESPN one night and a poker tournament was being shown.
Lying in bed, Korotki began to think that he could do better at the game
than the players on his screen. He commenced learning his new hobby, and
quickly realized that like most professional games, the players on the
screen made it look a lot easier than it was, simply because they were
so good.
Korotki devoted a considerable amount of time to learning the game, over
the doubts of his wife Saleena. She told him that he simply was not a
poker player, to which Korotki replied to her that he would prove he
was. Proving it turned out to be a difficult journey, though. Korotki
entered his first tournament in June of 2005, and after playing only one
hand, he was out of the game. Korotki was not discouraged altogether,
however. He says that he kept playing, as he wanted to watch other
people, how they played the game, and also to learn from his own
mistakes. He would watch the good players play and query them as to
their strategies when folding, betting, or bluffing.
In that atmosphere, Korotki proved an able student. Korotki continued to
practice, implementing the tips and tricks he had picked up. On February
14, Korotki entered another tournament. This one was destined to turn
out differently than his inaugural game.
The tournament took place at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City,
and it was a championship event. Korotki played four days straight of
poker, sometimes for fifteen hours a day in the $10,000 buy-in tourney.
On the final day, Korotki was named champion of the tournament and
received a $433,008 payout, a gold and diamond championship ring and a
seat at a table with all expenses paid to the 36th annual World Series
of Poker Tournament at the Rio Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The pot for the event is expected to be over $10 million, and though
Korotki does not claim to doubt his abilities, he is clearly not banking
on the big win. He likens his tournament win to lightning striking, but
he nevertheless is excited for the event which is scheduled for June
28th. He says he certainly hopes that lightning will strike twice.
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