POKER VT - Virtual Training with the Pros

Like so many poker players today Jon Turner AKA (Pearljammer) watchedthe WSOP on ESPN in 2003, and was quickly enthralled. An amateurnamed Moneymaker winning the event didn’t suck him in like it did mostpeople, the play and the allure of the professional caught his eye. Thenature of the poker tournament fascinated Jon and he started playingonline freerolls. Eventually Jon deposited $50 into a real money account.He would turn that into a few hundred, almost $1k several times, grinding$.25/.50 NL cash games and the occasional $10 – $50 sit ‘n go or multi-table tourney, but he would always inevitably lose it back.

It wasn’t until Jon found a small group of guys at North Carolina State University getting together to play poker that he truly got hooked.  After a week or so playing home game tournaments with his friends he quithis job at Circuit City and actually started making more playing than he had at his previous 9-5.

Jon’s NCSU home game grew from 7-10 players to 10 – 25 people virtuallyevery night. They started playing a $.25/.50 NL cash game along withtheir tourneys. This cash game would usually spring up once a few peoplebusted the tourney and often lasted until 6 or 7am. Within a few months,their games were almost all NL cash, and they grew to $1/2. All of asudden Jon was averaging making a few hundred dollars a night, and hefelt like maybe he could play this game for a living!

In early 2005, determined to give playing professionally a shot in LasVegas Jon moved West with a few friends from their original home game group.

Once in Vegas, Jon started playing $2/5 NL games, mostly at Bellagio. InJuly of 2005, he decided to take a couple shots in the WSOP. Jon finished18th out of just over 1,000 players for about $20k! In late October, now thatJon had a bankroll, he decided to look at what tournaments were offeredonline, and he discovered a whole new world! Jon hasn’t looked back since.

These days Jon can be found playing the biggest live and online tournaments in the world. He still also enjoys live high stakes cash games,usually 100/200 – 300/600 mixed games. Jon also plays guitar and takes every chance he can to see his favorite band Pearl Jam.