Generation Next - Chris Hunichen Finds Balance the Hard Way

Nobody in Chris Hunichen’s life wanted him to pursue poker as a profession. It’s not hard to see why. He had graduated from East Carolina University and had recently completed a master’s degree in business management. The next logical step would be forging ahead with a solid career in the corporate world. Other options were to perhaps start a business and follow in the footsteps of his entrepreneurial parents. Yet, none of these life paths made Hunichen’s heart beat faster, at least in the way that tournament poker had during those late nights in the college dorm.

“My whole family wanted me to go into the business world,” said Hunichen. “Nobody wanted me to play poker. Even my girlfriend’s parents hated poker with a passion. At the end of my time at college, I was playing 100 hours a week. I was doing it because I felt like I was running out of time. My idea was that I had to accomplish something with poker, right then and there. And if I didn’t do well, poker would be over and done.”

Not long after receiving his master’s degree, Hunichen went with his heart and chose poker. The collateral damage was a permanent rift with his fiancé and a serious bout with depression. Eventually, he pulled himself out of a disorienting downward spiral by learning how to balance poker with the rest of his life. Hunichen’s story is not an uncommon one in the online-poker world, as many players can identify with his plight. And some may even be envious of his success in winning more than $2.1 million in tournaments. Yet, all players can learn from his mistakes and take heed in not letting poker consume their lives, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You have a life to live, so live it.

Craig Tapscott: What’s the most important lesson you learned while going through what you did after finishing college?

Chris Hunichen: That poker is just poker. I lost the most important thing in my life, my fiancé, so it really made me step it up and balance my life. I knew that if I didn’t, I would be miserable.

CT: Can you share some more of what you were going through at the time?

CH: Well, when you play every single day, you are going to have more losing days than winning days. That’s tough. And it was tough on my relationship with my girlfriend. And the truth is, you’re going to be thinking about poker, dreaming about poker, all the time. I used to have dreams, and would wake up running hands through my head. That’s the worst. So, you’re just not going to be totally present with people.

CT: Share with our readers some of the ways that you approached balancing your life and poker?

CH: You need to have friends outside of the game. That helped me a lot. Now, I get out a few times a week, play video games, or go out on the town and have a beer. Get out of your house. You are playing 12 hours a day and getting only a five-minute break every hour, and that goes by fast. Sometimes I didn’t see daylight for three days. So, learn to spend time with your friends and family.

CT: That’s great advice. How did your business background from college feed your poker?

CH: I learned about making strategic decisions and finding the best route for going about a task to maximize profits. It’s like that in poker. It’s a strategic game, and you’re trying to find the best strategy for beating other players. And sometimes you have to change and adjust that strategy, depending on the type of players you’re up against. Are they too tight, or crazy aggressive, and should I attack now or be patient for the moment? You learn how to do that in business school. Whether or not you succeed has a lot to do with the decisions you make from day to day, and in poker, from hand to hand.

CT: What advice would you give a player who is considering turning pro after graduating from college?

CH: Make sure that you have a year of living expenses outside of your bankroll before you even consider turning pro. That’s essential. Also, make sure that you have the proper bankroll for the stakes that you’re playing. There is a lot of variance, and it can be easy to go busto. And I really think that everyone should have a mentor or a good coach. When you went to school, you didn’t learn math by yourself, someone taught you. I had to learn that the hard way, but eventually, what I learned turned me into a winning player. ♠