by Aaron Angerman
It was Sunday night, June 8th. The eve of Event #17 on the 2008 World Series of Poker schedule, a $1,500 No Limit Shootout. Jason Young was sitting in his room at the Rio in Las Vegas, at the midway point of his 10 day pilgrimage to Las Vegas. After years of working jobs that only left him unfulfilled, the then 26-year-old from Suffern, NY, decided to take a shot at a poker career that was hundreds of Atlantic City trips in the making.
After some ribbing from a fellow pro, and some surprising words of encouragement from his dad, Young arrived in Vegas on June 3rd. Bankrolled with remnants of a loan for a business that never materialized, Young struck out in his first three tourneys. During a much needed off day, Young felt a calm come over him.
"I felt like over the course of the day, my Universe had been realigned," said Young. "Good things were destined to happen to me."
By Monday morning, Young was signed up for Event #17. He had also predicted to no less than four people that he was going to take it down. Thirty hours later, Young made good on his promise.
He pocketed over $330,000 for the win, along with his first WSOP bracelet. Over the last year, Young has added several more cashes, including a win at the Borgata Winter Poker Open. Since deciding to hop on the plane, Young has ran his career tournament earnings up over the $500,000 mark. He is also the newest featured blogger on Poker Pages and was kind enough to answer a few questions.
AA: Who´s responsible for introducing you to poker, or more specifically, No Limit Hold´em?
JY: My Grandmother taught me how to play 7 Card Stud when I was really young. I think it actually came right after she taught me how to play Memory.
I didn't get into Hold'em until the "Poker Boom" hit. And I had absolutely no idea what I was doingthe first time I sat down to play. Oddly enough, I'm still not sure I have any idea what I'm doing at times...
AA: Many players say they have a hard time balancing life at the table and life away from the table. How are you handling the balancing act that comes with being a pro poker player?
JY: I really am doing my best to keep everything balanced, but it gets hard sometimes. Being away for extended periods of time, I start to miss my family, my dog, etc... So when I am home, I like things to be laid back.
AA: When you do get some time away from the tables, how are you spending it?
JY: An ideal night is going out with my bro, Paps and Scottie K. Grabbing some wings, a few beers and just watching a game. Maybe head home early to play some Xbox and just hang.
I've really found out who my true friends are over the past year. They are the ones that go out of there way to see me when I am home, even though they have work in the morning. They never give me S*** for being away, forgetting something, or not being able to call right back.
I've made a few really good friends from poker as well. And with these people, poker is the last thing we will talk about. I'm thankful for being able to travel with some people that are on the same page I am.
AA: You said that your prediction before Event #17 was your first. Any feelings before your Borgata win in January?
JY: That's kind of funny actually. I did predict tw0 cashes and one final table for the series. The win was kind of a bonus.
I was rooming with my friend Al and he actually said he saw some sort of weird focus in me. I was convinced by my words and actions from before we even got to Atlantic City that I was winning the first tournament. And sure enough, I bulldozed through 1,600 people over the next four days.
AA: While we're on premonitions, any feelings about this year´s WSOP?
JY: Unfortunately, I haven't had any feelings about the World Series yet. But that's okay, because they just come out of left field unexpectedly. I did, however, have a dream that I won the WPT World Championship at the Bellagio. I don´t know if dreaming it means it will happen, but I guess we will have to wait and see.
AA: Do you have any personal goals, or expectations, for the 2009 WSOP?
JY: My expectations for this WSOP are HUGE!
I am a very competitive person. I have navigated my way through huge fields on more than one occasion. Knowing that only makes me want to jump into that elite class of multi-bracelet winners.
Cashes, final tables and deep runs are all great... The money is great too. But my emphasis will be on putting myself in a position to win another bracelet.
AA: In that case, how many events do you plan on playing? And will you be trying your hand at games outside of Hold'em?
JY: I think I'll be playing somewhere in the range of 20-25 tournaments. I'll be playing the Limit Hold'em tournaments as well as the No Limit. Definitely the shootouts. Razz. Maybe take a shot at a smaller HORSE buy-in and a Stud tournament, or two. Ideally, things will be going well this summer. And if that's the case, I would love to play the $10k Heads-up as well.
AA: You made a decent run in the Main Event last year. How was the experience for you, and what happens if Jason Young is at the final table this year?
JY: The whole Main Event experience for me was a blast. It ended on the 4th-day, but I would have loved to have it last longer. The feeling has a chance to really sink in. It's also nice to be able to plan it out so that whatever family and friends you would want there would be there.
If I'm the November Nine, I would go to bed every night with a big-ass smile on my face and wake up in the morning with the same big-ass smile on my face. Also, I'd probably take everyone in the Rio out to for dinner and drinks when it was over.
AA: That one´s in writing. Outside of the WSOP, any goals for 2009, on or off the felt?
JY: I fell like I've already started the year off strong, but my goals are somewhere along the lines of just being successful. Continue to expand my knowledge of the game and try to keep getting better and better over time.
More importantly, I want to focus on just being happy and enjoy the life that I'm allowed to live, for the time being, at least. I am extremely lucky to be where I am and I think about that all of the time.
AA: Early at the Shootout final table, you ran AJ into AK in a battle of the blinds. Your stack was about to get shipped to your opponent, until running jacks gave you new life. What do you think you´d be doing if big slick is good there?
JY: I think about the AJ hand at least 10 times a day. It was literally a life changing hand for me. If I lost that hand like I was supposed to, I would have been back home in Suffern, selling refrigeration equipment to restaurants. Wondering if this was all life had in store for me. I'd be dreaming of how cool it would be to be living the life I am living right now.
AA: Have you given any thought to a life without poker? How long do you see yourself playing professionally?
JY: I would love to play for as long as I can. Either make enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life, or quit when I stop enjoying it. The bad beats, and stuff that come with them, they suck, but this is really a lot of fun. I love doing it and can't see that changing anytime soon.
AA: Given your winner´s photo, I´m guessing you are a baseball fan. Was that your first love?
JY: Baseball was definitely my first love. I think the first time I picked up a bat, I was 2-years-old. When I was 12, my all-star team was two wins away from the Little League World Series.
My senior year of high-school we made it to the state quarterfinals. We played in the Mets AA stadium in Binghamton. I hit a ball further than I ever had in my life, 411 feet to dead center field. But the fence was 412 ft and he caught it up against the wall. That sucked.
I was in the on deck circle when my high school career ended. Down 4-1, there were two on and one out. Our #3 hitter lined into a double play to end the game. I always wished that ball got through. I still think about how exciting it would have been to get up there as the winning run.
… Probably almost exciting as winning a World Series of Poker bracelet.
It was Sunday night, June 8th. The eve of Event #17 on the 2008 World Series of Poker schedule, a $1,500 No Limit Shootout. Jason Young was sitting in his room at the Rio in Las Vegas, at the midway point of his 10 day pilgrimage to Las Vegas. After years of working jobs that only left him unfulfilled, the then 26-year-old from Suffern, NY, decided to take a shot at a poker career that was hundreds of Atlantic City trips in the making.After some ribbing from a fellow pro, and some surprising words of encouragement from his dad, Young arrived in Vegas on June 3rd. Bankrolled with remnants of a loan for a business that never materialized, Young struck out in his first three tourneys. During a much needed off day, Young felt a calm come over him.
"I felt like over the course of the day, my Universe had been realigned," said Young. "Good things were destined to happen to me."
By Monday morning, Young was signed up for Event #17. He had also predicted to no less than four people that he was going to take it down. Thirty hours later, Young made good on his promise.
He pocketed over $330,000 for the win, along with his first WSOP bracelet. Over the last year, Young has added several more cashes, including a win at the Borgata Winter Poker Open. Since deciding to hop on the plane, Young has ran his career tournament earnings up over the $500,000 mark. He is also the newest featured blogger on Poker Pages and was kind enough to answer a few questions.
AA: Who´s responsible for introducing you to poker, or more specifically, No Limit Hold´em?
JY: My Grandmother taught me how to play 7 Card Stud when I was really young. I think it actually came right after she taught me how to play Memory.
I didn't get into Hold'em until the "Poker Boom" hit. And I had absolutely no idea what I was doingthe first time I sat down to play. Oddly enough, I'm still not sure I have any idea what I'm doing at times...
AA: Many players say they have a hard time balancing life at the table and life away from the table. How are you handling the balancing act that comes with being a pro poker player?
JY: I really am doing my best to keep everything balanced, but it gets hard sometimes. Being away for extended periods of time, I start to miss my family, my dog, etc... So when I am home, I like things to be laid back.
AA: When you do get some time away from the tables, how are you spending it?
JY: An ideal night is going out with my bro, Paps and Scottie K. Grabbing some wings, a few beers and just watching a game. Maybe head home early to play some Xbox and just hang.
I've really found out who my true friends are over the past year. They are the ones that go out of there way to see me when I am home, even though they have work in the morning. They never give me S*** for being away, forgetting something, or not being able to call right back.
I've made a few really good friends from poker as well. And with these people, poker is the last thing we will talk about. I'm thankful for being able to travel with some people that are on the same page I am.
AA: You said that your prediction before Event #17 was your first. Any feelings before your Borgata win in January?
JY: That's kind of funny actually. I did predict tw0 cashes and one final table for the series. The win was kind of a bonus.
I was rooming with my friend Al and he actually said he saw some sort of weird focus in me. I was convinced by my words and actions from before we even got to Atlantic City that I was winning the first tournament. And sure enough, I bulldozed through 1,600 people over the next four days.
AA: While we're on premonitions, any feelings about this year´s WSOP?
JY: Unfortunately, I haven't had any feelings about the World Series yet. But that's okay, because they just come out of left field unexpectedly. I did, however, have a dream that I won the WPT World Championship at the Bellagio. I don´t know if dreaming it means it will happen, but I guess we will have to wait and see.
AA: Do you have any personal goals, or expectations, for the 2009 WSOP?JY: My expectations for this WSOP are HUGE!
I am a very competitive person. I have navigated my way through huge fields on more than one occasion. Knowing that only makes me want to jump into that elite class of multi-bracelet winners.
Cashes, final tables and deep runs are all great... The money is great too. But my emphasis will be on putting myself in a position to win another bracelet.
AA: In that case, how many events do you plan on playing? And will you be trying your hand at games outside of Hold'em?
JY: I think I'll be playing somewhere in the range of 20-25 tournaments. I'll be playing the Limit Hold'em tournaments as well as the No Limit. Definitely the shootouts. Razz. Maybe take a shot at a smaller HORSE buy-in and a Stud tournament, or two. Ideally, things will be going well this summer. And if that's the case, I would love to play the $10k Heads-up as well.
AA: You made a decent run in the Main Event last year. How was the experience for you, and what happens if Jason Young is at the final table this year?
JY: The whole Main Event experience for me was a blast. It ended on the 4th-day, but I would have loved to have it last longer. The feeling has a chance to really sink in. It's also nice to be able to plan it out so that whatever family and friends you would want there would be there.
If I'm the November Nine, I would go to bed every night with a big-ass smile on my face and wake up in the morning with the same big-ass smile on my face. Also, I'd probably take everyone in the Rio out to for dinner and drinks when it was over.
AA: That one´s in writing. Outside of the WSOP, any goals for 2009, on or off the felt?
JY: I fell like I've already started the year off strong, but my goals are somewhere along the lines of just being successful. Continue to expand my knowledge of the game and try to keep getting better and better over time.
More importantly, I want to focus on just being happy and enjoy the life that I'm allowed to live, for the time being, at least. I am extremely lucky to be where I am and I think about that all of the time.
AA: Early at the Shootout final table, you ran AJ into AK in a battle of the blinds. Your stack was about to get shipped to your opponent, until running jacks gave you new life. What do you think you´d be doing if big slick is good there?
JY: I think about the AJ hand at least 10 times a day. It was literally a life changing hand for me. If I lost that hand like I was supposed to, I would have been back home in Suffern, selling refrigeration equipment to restaurants. Wondering if this was all life had in store for me. I'd be dreaming of how cool it would be to be living the life I am living right now.
AA: Have you given any thought to a life without poker? How long do you see yourself playing professionally?
JY: I would love to play for as long as I can. Either make enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life, or quit when I stop enjoying it. The bad beats, and stuff that come with them, they suck, but this is really a lot of fun. I love doing it and can't see that changing anytime soon.
AA: Given your winner´s photo, I´m guessing you are a baseball fan. Was that your first love?
JY: Baseball was definitely my first love. I think the first time I picked up a bat, I was 2-years-old. When I was 12, my all-star team was two wins away from the Little League World Series.
My senior year of high-school we made it to the state quarterfinals. We played in the Mets AA stadium in Binghamton. I hit a ball further than I ever had in my life, 411 feet to dead center field. But the fence was 412 ft and he caught it up against the wall. That sucked.
I was in the on deck circle when my high school career ended. Down 4-1, there were two on and one out. Our #3 hitter lined into a double play to end the game. I always wished that ball got through. I still think about how exciting it would have been to get up there as the winning run.
… Probably almost exciting as winning a World Series of Poker bracelet.
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