Generation Next -- Dylan Hortin

Dylan Hortin lives life on his own terms. High-school graduation happened in three years, not four, for the aspiring entrepreneur. Why waste any time? Scholarship offers came next. He chose the University of Arizona, and enrolled in business school. With eight months to kill before college began, he thought it would be a golden opportunity to make some money playing poker. It was a game that he became enthralled with from watching episodes of ESPN’s World Series of Poker.

Watching the game’s elite battle on television was Hortin’s poker training ground. He approached poker like an encrypted code to decipher, never resorting to books, training videos, or online forums. As a totally self-taught player, Hortin went through many phases with his game, from super-tight to super-maniac, fluctuating everywhere in between. Today, he considers his game a hybrid of all of the above, and applies whatever style it takes to accumulate chips.

The skill that has contributed most to the growth of Hortin’s game has been the patience to nurture his bankroll. “I think bankroll management is one of the most underrated skills in poker,” said Hortin. “A lot of really good players have made huge mistakes by taking shots above their roll. I’ve rarely played a tournament that was for more than a hundredth of my bankroll. Sure, I’ve taken a few shots at higher buy-ins, but for the most part, they didn’t work out, and I’ve regretted it.”

Hortin has no regrets about putting college on hold after his freshman year. He will return, but only when he’s motivated and ready. Presently, he has his sights set on competing next year at the WSOP after he turns 21. The bigger buy-in events will be played on his own terms, when his bankroll and live-tournament game are ready for them.

Craig Tapscott: Just a few years ago, you were playing the $1 and $2 tournaments. What does it take to make a profit in those low-limit events against thousands of players?

Dylan Hortin: Well, I played very tight. I was super “nitty,” like Phil Hellmuth (laughing). Then, I started to learn the math of the game and pay more attention to bet-sizing and timing tells to help me see how weak or strong an opponent was. Then, I started to open up my game.

CT: So, you consider yourself a more loose-aggressive player now?

DH: Well, early on, being too loose was my biggest problem. I still am, somewhat, but I’ve learned to adjust better. The best aggressive players can adjust and play really tight when they need to, and they’re good at mixing up their game and throwing people off.

CT: What do you do to combat a very aggressive player at your table?

DH: The best thing you can do is play straightforward, tight poker. Just relax and play really good hands, hopefully in position. That’s a huge advantage against an aggressive player. It enables you to call with mediocre hands at times in position, and then they’re the ones who are going to have to fire bullets with no hand. And when I’m out of position, I really tighten up my hand selection against a super-maniac player.

CT: You’ve been playing online for the last four years with great success. What is currently the biggest trend online?

DH: The biggest change I’ve seen over the last few years has been the blind-versus-blind shoving ranges and calling ranges. A few years ago, you could shove really wide in late position and people were folding weak aces and small pairs. But now, even small-stakes bad players know to call with a weak ace and sometimes even king high.

CT: What determines the range of hands with which you’re willing to call shoves from late-position raisers or the small blind?

DH: I tend to determine that by the amount of the buy-in for the event and how knowledgeable my opponents are. When you get deep in those smaller events, players play really tight. So, it’s profitable to shove wider and call tighter. But when you get up to the $200 and $500 buy-in events, people are going to push every edge they can find. They will be shoving really wide from late position, and I’ll call down really light. If I recognize their names, I’m probably calling them lighter.

CT: What are you working on to improve your game at the moment?

DH: Deep-stack play. I tend to play too loose, especially post-flop. I need to stop calling people so much. But I always tend to think that people are pushing me around (laughing). So, I’ve been working on tightening up. I need to look for higher-percentage plays, where the edges are more in my favor.

CT: Thanks for your time, Dylan.