Generation Next -- Matt Vengrin

Most online players fire up 10 to 30 tournaments daily, hoping for one deep finish and one big cash. The ability to multitable online events reduces variance considerably. But an unhealthy diet, cold decks, and long hours can lead to a vampire-like lifestyle, devoid of sunshine. Matt “Plattsburgh” Vengrin used to be one of the many online drones chasing an elusive win. For Vengrin, things had to change when his stress levels skyrocketed and profits decreased, and his once fit, athletic physique turned to mush.

“I had an epiphany a few years back because I felt so burnt out,” said Vengrin. “I decided to play online just on Sundays. Since then, I’ve had consistent winning months and years. Now, poker isn’t something that I have to do, but something that I want to do.”

Vengrin found poker while playing basketball for SUNY Plattsburgh University in New York and majoring in psychology. He traveled to his first World Series of Poker on a whim in 2006, and returned empty-handed. The second time around was different. In 2007, he took ninth place in a $1,500 no-limit hold’em event, for $43,378. The following summer, his biggest cash would come not at the WSOP, but in a Full Tilt Online Poker Series $300 no-limit hold’em event, for $209,792. Life was good as Vengrin sought to expand his entrepreneurial horizons by seeking opportunities within the poker industry.

This year, Vengrin, 24, became a partner in the innovative poker player tracking website playergps.com. He also signed on to promote the online poker sites Absolute Poker and UltimateBet. While in Costa Rica to meet his new sponsors, he made one of his biggest online scores, $61,000, in the Full Tilt Poker $200 no-limit hold’em Sunday Mulligan, even though the Internet crashed during the battle at the final table.

Craig Tapscott: Didn’t you freak out when you lost your Internet connection in Costa Rica?

Matt Vengrin: A little. A lot. Yeah (laughing). The last time it crashed, it went out for a week. I lost connection with six people left. I had no idea what to do. Luckily, it came back on after seven minutes, and it was during a break, so I missed only about four minutes of blinds.

CT: I love your story of winning the event while feeling the ocean breeze on your face.

MV: I was right on the beach; it was like paradise, just ocean and trees.

CT: You were really able to relax and be at your sharpest mentally in that setting.

MV: Yes. The mental side of poker is very, very important. But the bottom line is, you need to be in good physical shape to be able to really tap into all of your mental abilities. Let’s use the World Series as an example, where there are long days and nights. You have to withstand that schedule and be in great physical shape, because your mind will go so much quicker if your body is not fit. I’ve been back in the gym the last few months and am looking forward to the WSOP this year.

CT: OK. What’s holding most players back from making bigger scores?

MV: People don’t go for the win enough. They just sit back and try to climb the money ladder. I did that in the beginning, too. It got me nowhere. Now, I shoot for the top three, always. That’s where the real payouts start. So, try to win every event you’re in. Poker is a game, and the goal of tournament poker is to win.

CT: I knew that, but you’re holding back on me. What don’t most players know that they need to know to become winners in the game?

MV: (Laughing) I don’t know if I want to give you the exact answer to that.

CT: I knew it.

MV: OK. This is it. I can’t really put it into words, but I’ll try. In my opinion, everything in life is a big circle, and everything comes full circle. Fashion is a good example. What once was in is now out, and back around. Visualize one red line going around life’s circle; that’s most everyone following each other, and it’s tough for one person to break out from the red line, from the pack. You want to be a green line and stay a little bit ahead of the curve. That can make you a great player. An example is when a very aggressive friend of mine started three-betting about two years ago with any two cards, and now everyone is doing it. But he was doing it back when no one was doing it. And he won so many tournaments because of that. My answer, then, is to stay ahead of the curve and figure it out on your own. It’s all from experience. I can’t stress that enough, because it can’t really be taught.