We've all heard the quote:
"Find something you love and you'll never work a day in your life."
For me, that was basketball - but like many, it was an impossible hoop dream. Standing at 5'8, growing up in NORTHERN Canada, where there were zero resources, connections, and opportunities, playing pro ball was beyond unrealistic. The odds of going runner-runner for quads are probably 10x greater...But as I moved throughout life, experiencing new things and learning more about myself and the world, I've found something that is possible to achieve - A dream that started incubating during the all-too-familiar high school home games.
After high school, around 2008, I found some success playing live tournament poker and I fell in love. However, since then, I've never truly committed to the game, whether online, or in person, until I moved to the US two years ago. I've always studied by watching on YouTube and now PokerGO. It allowed me to quickly learn the odds or various situations as well as the strategies pros employ in tournaments. Now, after my largest score to date, finishing 6th/2457 (I should have folded and finished at least 5th...) in a $400 Mystery Bounty tournament, I believe I have the ability and opportunity to take the necessary steps towards converting this passion into a career.
As I carve out the time to play more tournaments, study resources, solvers, and all the variety of content available, I find myself wanting to glean a little more from players: something real, personal, and human. So I looked up to see if there was anything like Players Tribune, but for poker players. A place to read and hear directly from those who have been through the trenches, as well as from those who are aspiring to improve their game. I couldn't find a centralized and comprehensive website, so I decided to create SOLLOS.
If you're a poker player and you're reading this, I'd love to hear any stories you have that you think would be beneficial for the community and for those looking to learn poker. Experience, advice, education, regrets, you name it. This palindrome of a company stands for "Share our legacies. Learn our stories." My goal is to contribute to the poker community in a positive way, in which we all learn from each others' legacies and stories. Ultimately, SOLLOS will be a place where we can aim to improve our game, while also improving ourselves as people.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you'll join me on this journey, as I continue to take steps towards turning this passion into a full-time career.