Generation Next -- Matt Stout

Matthew Stout practically came out of the womb palming a fistful of cards, shoving all in on a draw, and jamming with fold equity with air. At the age of 4, he learned five-card draw, swapping loose change back and forth with family and friends. As he grew up, card and board games continued to intrigue him, even though school and hockey championships took precedence.

By the time enrollment as a business and psychology major at the College of New Jersey rolled around, poker on campus was the rage. The Moneymaker Cinderella story had hit the airwaves. Stout discovered online poker, a respite from interning at Merrill Lynch and taking final exams. It was as though the waves had parted near his hometown of Bayonne, New Jersey, revealing the way to liberation from the nine-to-five grind - that is, until he drained some of his college funds.

"After I had lost about $1,500 of my student loan money and was forced to eat ramen noodles every day, I finally realized that I should become good at the game. I started to read some books and talk to friends who were better than me. It's like anything else that you study hard; you will improve."

Today, Stout is considered one of the best hybrid players in the game, having achieved success both online and live. He's cashed for more than $1,500,000 online and $550,000 live. Last fall, he made up for an abysmal track record in Sunday major events by cashing for more than $225,000 in a 45-day run. PokerStars was his golden goose, as he won the Sunday $530, $200 rebuy, and $200 second-chance events.

In February, Stout went to the Harrah's Tunica WSOP Circuit main-event final table as the chip leader. Card Player caught up with him the day after he banked $73,590 for his frustrating third-place finish in that $5,000 buy-in event.

Craig Tapscott: What kind of things did you learn from this experience?

Matthew Stout: I learned to adjust my game to Southern-style poker.

CT: What do you mean?

MS: They play too many hands, and they don't play well post-flop. They let you steal their blinds as it gets deeper in the tournament. And many of the players don't know how to adjust to awkward stack sizes like 25-30 big blinds. They will call too many raises and just check-fold flops. The biggest thing I learned was that I need to tailor my game to the region where the events are held.

CT: Really?

MS: Yeah. Players at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles will not let you run them over the same way. They are reckless with their money, and there are five-person showdowns, just absurd stuff. In the South, it's a much slower game and the players let you get away with a lot more than in Vegas or California.

CT: What other big mistakes have you come across during live play?

MS: A lot of people play too crazy early on when the blinds are really small. Recently, I played in the Borgata Casino's $3,000 no-limit hold'em event. I saw players spewing off 15,000-20,000 in chips at 25-50 blinds. It's mind-boggling.

CT: What mistakes do you still make?

MS: So many things. Well, I need better hand-reading abilities. And then it's a mix of what I do or don't want to say in Card Player, so I'm biting my tongue a little bit [laughing].

CT: Fair enough. So how can you become a better hand-reader?

MS: I need to pay attention more when I'm not in hands and learn a lot more about my opponents. A lot of my play has become too standard, and I don't focus enough on a particular player's patterns and lines. It's tough when you're multitabling online.

CT: Any clues to your recent successes in Sunday tournaments?

MS: Ahhh … I just run good [laughing]. No, I do play pretty solid. Sure, there are a bunch of psychotic players out there who may have won a ton of MTTs [multitable tournaments], but will you see them win year after year? Playing solid is one of my assets. I've been able to consistently beat some of the toughest tournaments online and live.

CT: I've read many of your posts online. I know that you have a great sense of humor and love the game.

MS: I do. Most people hate their jobs. Not many people get to do something for a living that most people see as recreation. It's a great profession.