Poker Player Profile – Paul Wasicka Poker Player

Poker player Paul Wasicka began with online poker and then live poker tournaments. He has not won a WSOP bracelet but has come second in a Main Event.

Entry To Poker

Paul Wasicka was born in 1981. During his childhood he participated in several athletic competitive sports and also in chess. However, poker was not then on his agenda. Later he was introduced to blackjack but he did not take the game up because he felt that the odds were always slightly against him. In 2004 he was introduced to poker for the first time. Wasicka realized that he could make money playing poker in short bursts, but soon lost whatever he had won because he was not able to concentrate for long. This problem became an impediment in his becoming a poker professional. So he continued with his job as a bartender and restaurant manager. By November 2005, Wasicka had overcome his concentration problems and was ready to play poker professionally. However he was committed to his employer till March 2006 and turned professional only after then.

Live Poker Tournaments

After a few setbacks in live poker tournaments Wasicka finally was able to build a bankroll that would enable him to participate in the WSOP 2006. He cashed in two preliminary events and then entered the Main Event which won him eternal fame. In that event he reached the heads up with poker professional Jamie Gold but lost to him. Wasicka was ranked at number seven for the 2006 Player of the Year in Bluff Magazine. Having tasted success so quickly in his professional poker career, Wasicka lost the desire to play poker for a while. But he was back with renewed vigor 2007. In that year he finished 12th at the Aussie Millions, then 4th in a WPT event and finally he won the televised poker National Heads Up Poker Championship. In the NHUPC he beat poker professionals like Joe Hachem, T.J. Cloutier and Chad Brown. He later finished 4th in the prestigious WPT LA Poker Classic. Wasicka’s live poker tournament earnings are about$7.6 million. He has had 15 cashes and 1 first place finishes. Of this $6.1 million was from the WSOP 2006 Main Event.

Online Poker

Wasicka’s entry to poker was through online poker. He learnt the ropes and prepared his strategies there. One of his early mistakes was that he began to play high stakes without having adequate bankrolls. After his stint at live tournament poker Wasicka was sponsored by the online poker room Full Tilt Poker. He plays as a Full Tilt Pro both online at the poker room and in live poker tournaments.

Other Poker Achievements

Wasicka’s poker nickname is “Kwick Fish.” His personal web site is www.kwickfish.com where fans can read his blogs and learn about his schedules. His favorite poker game is10/20 Short Handed No Limit Hold’em Texas. He is also an instructor at the WSOP Academy.

Wasicka is single and lives in Las Vegas. When asked what he wants the rest of the world to know about him, he said, “I have the best friends and family anyone could ask for.” Wasicka loves video games, driving, movies, strategy games and sports. Of late Wasicka has taken an interest in golf. He hopes to play in the PGA tour in a few years time.