Head Games: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Traveling the Live Poker Tournament Circuit With Ben Wilinofsky, Maria Ho, and Joe Serock

Craig Tapscott: What are a few of the main challenges you face when traveling from city to city worldwide, playing some of the big buy-in events on the poker circuit?

Ben Wilinofsky: I think the greatest challenge I faced on the road was loneliness. There are always people around, and there are even some good people you can form close bonds with. And it’s not like sex is in short supply, whether hired or not. But I don’t think I ever developed what I would call intimacy with anyone while I was travelling the circuit. I think a lot of people underestimate how important that is. As young, mostly male kids, we chase sex, and feel validated when we get it, but it wasn’t until I had a really intimate relationship that I realized what I had been missing all that time, why I had been drinking so much, and why I had felt so alone. It really is brutal being in hotel rooms in six different cities in two months, having friends around, but never having someone you can really trust at your barest.

I think taking care of yourself can be really tough too. In my more compulsive days, I would run around town with Anton Wigg looking for a gym with large enough weights for us to get a proper workout in. Also, not having time to prepare your own food or really look around for good, healthy options means you are often at the mercy of room service, poker room food, and whatever is close at hand, that, combined with the social drinking, jet lag, and long days, can really take a toll on you physically and mentally.

Maria Ho: Although I feel incredibly grateful and lucky to travel the world, traveling itself is an exhausting process. Keeping track of the constant stream of flights, times, and airports is quite a beast. Then, checking into flights, going through security, constantly changing time zones, and living out of a suitcase is physically and mentally exhausting. It gets pretty monotonous.

I often miss little family events or a friend’s birthday back home when I’m out on the road. Traveling is definitely a luxury, but it’s an unstable, ever-changing kind of lifestyle. As humans, I think we mentally crave stability and the life of a traveling poker player doesn’t exactly accommodate for that. And, when traveling, I don’t usually have the chance to get out and see the local culture when I’m in some amazing location for a poker tournament because I’m focused on the game. I’m there for work and hopefully I am spending 24/7 at the tables. So, when people see me jet-setting around for a poker tournament, it is not exactly a vacation or even a chance to take in the local sights. 

Joe Serock: The main challenge of being on the road is not having some awesome things with you at all times. Like a dog, a nice cooking setup, a great stereo system, or a girlfriend (unless she works for the World Poker Tour, then it’s quite a better situation). Even though I’ve barely ever had any of those things (a girlfriend yes, but, at the time, I wasn’t traveling much), they seem like pretty sweet things to have. It’s really not that challenging.

Planning things out can be difficult if you hate making decisions like me, even though it’s actually pretty easy. Usually, I just follow my friends or have my horse (a player you are supporting in a business relationship by placing them into events) plan it out. But then there’s the problem of having your horse have a strip club problem or a money spending problem, especially when he has no money. There is the fact that you have to go to casinos, which contain some of the most irritating sounds and sights and some of the saddest people ever. But that is something that is easily solved by putting on the headphones and having tunnel vision. I suppose it costs a lot and it is really hard to profit, but I rarely make trips just for poker anymore. I want to say more bad things about traveling, but truthfully, it’s just not that bad.

Craig Tapscott: What are some of the things you love the most about being on the road playing poker? Share a few of the amazing experiences and relationships you have developed over the years that have added value to your life and your game.

Ben Wilinofsky: My favorite thing about being on the road is winning giant tournaments. Seriously, it’s just the best. I would recommend everyone win a European Poker Tour main event before they die. But you can’t really plan on it, so enjoy the people and the places you travel to while you’re trying.

I’ve met some amazing friends and seen all these corners of Europe that I wouldn’t have made it to had it not been for poker. Every time I come back after a long break from the tour, I feel like I’m going to a school reunion. I’ve crashed with poker friends in Sweden, Florida, California, New Jersey, Rome, and probably some other places I forget to mention. I still keep in touch with people all over the world and, every time I go away, I know I will see old friends. It makes the world seem a lot smaller and friendlier, and makes it much more exciting to plan a trip somewhere, knowing there will be good company there to share it with me.

Maria Ho: I realize that some people never leave their own city or state, let alone their home country. Getting to see the world and experience the diverse cultures, foods, people, and views that our planet has to offer is absolutely priceless.

I’ve made a lot of foreign friends on the poker circuit and it is cool to go to another country and have a handful of acquaintances that I can call up and visit or have take me around town when I find myself abroad. Specifically for poker tournaments, we get put up in some of the most beautiful and luxurious hotels and casinos around the world (sometimes), and it is quite a treat to live in the lap of luxury, in that sense, from time to time.

Overall, I feel like travel broadens you as a person. I look back on my life so far, and it feels full. I have a brain and heart full of memories, sights, sounds, smells, places, people, and experiences because of my travel for poker. And isn’t that what life is about? 

Joe Serock: The road is great. It’s led to me meeting almost all of my best friends who have shaped who I am today, instead of an anxiety-stricken person feeling on edge or depressed all the time. Now I can basically do anything that I want, celebrating life.

I have friends all over the world, there’s always a place to crash or even live if I need to. If I died today, I’d be more than happy with the life I’ve lived just in the past three years, the fun and all of the great people that I have shared experiences with. And it is all thanks to going on the road and playing poker.

You always have your buddies around, and new people to meet and have fun with. I wouldn’t have met the super sexy Jeannie Duffy (WPT Royal Flush Girl) without my life on the road. There was the time myself and some buddies went to Peru for a Latin American Poker Tour event and vacation. Most of us only played one day of poker that trip, even though the field was filled with South American casual players, mainly because we suck. My reason for leaving the event early was, I decided to five-bet all-in with 10-5 suited in the small blind versus Humberto Brenes. Sometimes I lose all common sense in a situation like that for some reason. This time, it was because we had just come back from break and only three of us got to the table on time.

But, after getting knocked out of the event, I went paragliding, ate great food, and partied. And then Black Friday happened while we were there, so we partied extra hard. We met a few locals who showed us around, and we ended up going to Cuzco with a couple of them, home of Machu Picchu and the seven dollar an hour massage. I highly recommend checking out Machu Picchu. Poker on the road showed me what life could be all about. ♠

Ben Wilinofsky is a Canadian native who graduated with an honors degree in business administration in 2009. He won the 2011 EPT Berlin main event for $1,174,000. He has more than $6.2 million in career online and live tournament cashes.

Maria Ho is a professional poker player, currently ranked third in the world among female players. She has amassed more than $1.6 million in live tournament earnings, which includes 21 WSOP cashes, three WSOP final tables, and four WPT cashes. She is a published author, WinStar Casino celebrity spokesperson, and television personality. She is known worldwide for appearances on The Amazing Race and American Idol.

Joe Serock is an aspiring model turned professional poker player. He has more than $4.5 million in live and online cashes.