Zack Koerper

Few days ago Zack Koerper put a video up on Youtube of 50 tabling – CLICK HERE. As he claims, first time anyone has ever done something like that for Youtube. I interviewed Zack about it as well as asked some other questions.

Charles Hawk: how it felt, and what was the results?

Zack Koerper: oh well the results weren't good i don't want to focus on that as I spent an entire year 30-45 tabling and often over 50 so I do have results 50+ tabling. But that particular session went bad.

Zack Koerper: I just want to do a cool video for Youtube as my channel there is small so wanted to do something unique that would interest people.

Charles Hawk: tell me more about 30-45 tabling. How is it even possible?!

Zack Koerper: that was the EV the first time I ever experimented 50 tabling lol. 185 games in 2.6 hours and they weren't hyper turbos.

Zack Koerper: Well that was the point of the video in some regards, people always asked how was it possible so it was to show them how it was possible. It's much harder for me nowadays as I haven't practiced true mass tabling in 3-4 years, highest i get nowadays is like 35. But generally hang in the 20-30 range.

Zack Koerper: it's possible with programs such as tabletamer, table of interest, stack and tile, table optimizer etc. that put all your games in a stack and then when you have action bring the games out into a tile. Then you only see spots that matter and have time to focus on whatever you need to focus on. Not to mention you can isolate any game you want into a tile if you want to pay attention to a bubble or big buy-in.

Interview

Charles Hawk: First off, your story – which you shared in 2p2 post - how you become a poker pro is phenomenal! What are the feelings when you remember your first days when earning first significant money from poker?

Zack Koerper: I felt like I think a lot of young people would. I felt like i was the king of the castle, invincible, invulnerable and that I had found my calling in life. I always loved competition and winning but the euphoria of getting paid to compete was something else.

Charles Hawk: You are veteran of online poker, playing it since 2005 if im right? How are you feeling energy-wise and motivation-wise? Are you grinding at the same pace as usually all those years? Do you have any lifestyle tricks that help you?

Zack Koerper: Yes you are correct, I am an old dog in this game. To be frank energy as well as motivation come and go. Having a family to provide for keeps me grounded in reality that I have to keep on regardless of my motivation. As far as lifestyle tips I would tell people to dig deep and realize even if they don't have the same responsibilities that they can greatly help secure their future now. The earlier in life you can earn money to build up a financial portfolio the better off you will be later in life. The hard hours now will make for easy hours later.

Charles Hawk: What new have you learned this year as a poker pro? What new have you learned off-tables?

Zack Koerper: I have been busy learning new trades such as [url] twitch streaming [/url] and being an affiliate. Improving communication and networking skills in particular have been huge for both of those platforms. I would to so far to say those are two of the best life skills one could have and are underrated by poker player, you never know what potential opportunities could await you.

Charles Hawk: What is the current situation with live and online poker in US? Any rumours or signs of US players entering/coming back worldwide market?

Zack Koerper: I am very grim about the prospects of US players entering ROW markets. I think the single worst thing that happened to those chances is when legislation started on the state level. Once states have power it's something they do not want to give up. Even if some states figure out a way to legally join ROW pools they could be beholden to the federal level shooting it down not to mention that it wouldn't be an entirety of the US.

Charles Hawk: Are you happy with current mtt action in US market online?

Zack Koerper: I am happy with the current online market in the US. Guarantees are continuing to grow and it feels as though more people are returning to US facing sites.

Charles Hawk: How often do you play live mtts? Ankush Mandavia said to me about a year ago, that US live mtt tournaments after Black Friday is a goldmine, bc players don't have enough tools to improve. Do you agree?

Zack Koerper: I honestly believe players have the tools to improve. Nothing stops them from using the tools that are online, I just feel they don't want to invest the time and energy. A decent percent of live players moved to live because they didn't want to work harder for ever decreasing edges. That's not hating on their choice, a poker player's success is ultimately based on how much money they make not if they can beat the hardest of hard games.

Charles Hawk: Tell me more about living in Las vegas. How different is the city during WSOP and all remaining year? What is the 'must-see' places or experiences when visiting it?

Zack Koerper: Las Vegas is my favorite place in the world. Living there for me was amazing. Having a 24 hour city where you can have high quality dining, partying, drinking, gambling and poker at all hours is perfect. Poker players often have different woken hours than the general population and I am no different.

As far as must-sees a personal favorite is the bellagio fountains, there is something relaxing about them while being enthralling at the same time. Freemont street in downtown is also a great time, being able to drink walking around in an open air plaza with live music playing is great.

Charles Hawk: Tell me about your hobbies and off-tables activities?

Zack Koerper: For me I love gaming and sports. I enjoy pretty much every genre of game and most sports. My favorites to watch are hockey and american football. When I was younger I played soccer/football and volleyball at a high level.

Charles Hawk: You are profiting from streaming your grind on twitch. Tell me more about it: how you decided to do it, what was your marketing strategy to attract subscribers (and how many do you have atm), is it more like low-paying hobby, or is it the source of healthy income? What are your future plans?

Zack Koerper: Streaming a grind on twitch I would say hurts my playing EV. That being said it is something enjoyable and a nice change of pace. I grew my stream in an organic way, mostly by word of mouth but if I was to start all over again I would put more emphasis on growing on multiple social media platforms to attract a wider audience from the get go. Twitch it is a huge time dump at the outset where your income from it is negligible but grows as you go. Right now I'd say the income is decent for a side project but the sky is the limit. I am currently only streaming 1-2 days a week which stunts my growth but hopefully soon I will find more time for it.

Charles Hawk: You won player of the series back to back in WPN series 'OSS cubed'. Quite an achievemnt, I would say! Tell me more about those runs.

Zack Koerper: Yes I won back to back OSSCub3d player of the series and have 2 silver bracelets to show for it! OSSCub3d is WPN's flagship MTT series. It differs from series other sites offer in that it is a 3 pronged series hence "cub3d". It starts with a micro stakes series where buyins range from $.05 to $82, goes into a midstakes normal series where buyins range from $1-$540 to a highstakes series where buyins range from $55 to a $2100 main event! So to give yourself the best shot of winning player of the series you have to be able to stomach playing a $.05 buyin aswell as a $2100! It offered some interesting GTO spots such as punting in buyins to buy a stack in the smallest buyins. There were 141 events and I won 4 in this most recent series but no actual big scores to show. The previous series I believe I won 2 or 3 events including a $320 for $18k! They are an exhausting grind but they came with a trip to the Punta Cana poker classic where i'll be able to relax.