Is poker for everyone?

Many players aspire to live the poker players’ life. Some would dedicate years of their lives just so one day they could become a champion.

Live the fast life, play all day, and party all night. Travel around the globe.

but is it for everyone?

Adrick Aznar came to the scene young and wanting. Achieve some of those goals. but a kid coming into the scene and the pandemic has changed his perspective in life.

Maybe he would quit poker and maybe he will pursue it. but instead of getting ahead. let start with how he started.

Coffee cups and questions

How did you start playing poker?

I started playing in high school with my friends from the condo. 1/2 peso blinds just for fun. We all got hooked to the game and started playing almost every night at the rooftop. And it went on until I was old enough to visit Metrowalk.

What were you doing during the pandemic?

The pandemic wasn’t the worst for me since I was able to focus on my craft more. I already worked from home so it wasn’t a drastic change. But the going out with friends was now limited. I was able to study harder and get my mindset right. It was during the pandemic that I won my first main event in the APL and had a couple of other good runs.

who is your poker idol and why?

I’d have to go with the classic Phil Ivey. Fearless, very intuitive and has a Kobe-like death stare. I just admired his composure and table aura just as much as his skillset. He wasn’t a math wiz or a mind reader. It just felt like he knew exactly what to do in any circumstance.

You were one of the few Filipinos that run deep in the USOP, how was the experience like?

Yeah, fortunately made it to day 2. The structure is decent. Longer than most online tourneys nowadays but makes you miss live tournaments. The gameplay here is different than in other platforms so you have to adapt accordingly.

Now that the world is opening what is your future plans?

Well my priorities now are a bit different since I had my first daughter last October. Still stay on the grind but everything comes second to my family. It’s good that there are a lot of online tourneys that can keep my life balanced.

The deep end of the pool

What is the most important skill poker players should carry?

Well for me, to start you don’t really need anything. As most poker related skill can be learned through experience. But I think a compelling trait to have would be a good mindset. It helps you focus, have patience, and not let emotions get in your way. All crucial to becoming a decent poker player.

Which do you think is the key to be a champion, Natural talent, or study hard?

I think to be able to get good at poker you would need talent first. To enjoy winning against recreational players. Then if you want to get serious about it, you have to study. So it’s more of a combination nowadays. Like in the UFC, before you only needed jiujitsu to win. Now you need a mixture of everything from grappling to striking. So talent and studying actually come hand in hand when it comes to poker. You really need both to be a good player. Game theory optimal and exploitative approach

How did the pandemic change you?

So last year during the pandemic, I made a goal to score at least 100k in a single tourney. Then I found out my wife was pregnant so I set a 5 month ultimatum to achieve this goal. If i didn’t, I would quit poker. I pulled it off in 4 months. After attaining that, I set a much higher goal and thankfully got it the month after. With the baby on the way I put all my energy into this. I’ve been pretty active in poker yes but also planning to start an online business soon. In the meantime, poker muna to hopefully have more capital. Sometimes no matter how much you love the game, you have to consider taking a step back and branch out as well.

Any message to our readers?

Poker, as known to many as a form of gambling, is actually an intelligent man’s game. Something that requires stuff much more than just skill. So if you’re not willing to put everything into it, don’t go through this path. As with anything you want to be great at, make it your passion and don’t second guess yourself.