$440 NLH Mini Main Event
Level 10: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 BB ante
Entries: 235
Ricky Guan, ‘ratedGTO’, one of our latest additions to team Run It Up is at his first Run It Up Series. He is sitting with about a starting stack and we were lucky enough to catch up with him on the latest break of the tournament.
How did you get into poker?
I learned about poker when I was growing up because I was a Sports fan and saw it on ESPN, but I didn’t really get into it until college when I was 19. I helped build a team called Poker Club in College, and learned the game a little from there.
Where do you currently live?
I grew up in Brooklyn New York and basically lived there my entire life but this year, my friends and I, a poker group club called the Young Wizards, we all moved to New Jersey. I really wanted to get into content creating for Poker. There is now regulated online poker in New Jersey, and I am able to play on sites such as PokerStars, therefore I have access to more games and a better chance to create content.
Can you tell me more about the Young Wizards poker group?
The Young Wizards is the original group of poker friends I started studying with and traveling. The group consists of young poker talents. I would say some of the youngest, and brightest talents in America right now. A lot of them have had a lot of success, despite being 21, 22, 23 years old. They’ve been working really hard to study and play poker and it’s very rare to see new poker talents especially in America just because the options of playing online are so limited. Being in New Jersey allows them to grow their game and develop their game while playing online. It’s only a matter of time before the poker world gets to know them. I actually take more satisfaction in being able to see them succeed, even more so than me winning a poker tournament or anything, just because I was able to help them grow in some way.
How did you get into streaming?
I’ve been a fan of Jason Somerville, Run It Up, and all the other big Twitch Streamers as well for a long time. I met Jason at a PokerStars Festival in New Jersey exactly two years ago. That’s was when I first started my own poker journey, when I first started traveling to play live poker. Streaming and content creating was something that I always saw myself doing but I wasn’t comfortable with my own poker game at the time yet, where I wanted to kind of show the world. But I’ve put a lot of hard work and studying the last couple of years. I’ve become much more comfortable in my poker abilities and this is kind of my way to give back to community. I want to help grow the game and be an ambassador for the game. This is why I chose to work with Jason and Run It Up. I’m very thankful that he gave me this opportunity.
How does it feel to be a Run It Up ambassador when you were a fan of Jason?
It’s been so overwhelming, especially over the last month, after I got introduced as a member of team Run It Up. I’m overwhelmed by all the support that the Run It Up community and Twitch have been able to give me. That is only the beginning of a new chapter in my poker journey.
This is your first Run It Up Series and we are only two days in, but what’s your first impression?
This has been a blast. I can’t wait to see all the different events that go on and meet all the people that are here. This is definitely a tournament series like no other.
