It’s in the Cards
Friday, January 15th, 2010An Iowa man has found his living playing our beloved game of poker. I tend not to write much about these types of stories, but sometimes it’s good to have that positive motivation to know that anyone with some poker skill and dedication has a chance of hitting the felt’s big league. Marcus Steinhauer of Sioux City, Iowa said he started playing cards at the tender age of 14. The now 20-something graduated from Western Iowa Tech Community College and then decided to make the leap into professional poker. “A lot of people think poker is a game only their dad’s play,” said Steinhauer, “yet it’s the young guys who are moving up in the ranks,” a trend all too noticeable especially in online poker. Steinhauer hooked up with San Ramos, a California based rounders network that helps poker players find local games. Steinhauer, after showing his prowess with the slick backs is working fro San Ramos on salary, maintaining their blog as well as their twitter and facebook accounts. As a perk, the Rounders network pays for Steinhauer’s travel and entry fees into various poker tournaments and poker related events. He’s hoping to eventually make a name for himself by playing through the rounder’s network across the country. When asked what separates an amateur from a pro he said simply, “confidence.” “That’s what it takes to play at the table with the like of Phil Ivey…I’m not there yet, but I will be soon,” promises the 20-something Midwesterner. Playing sometimes as much as 13 hours a day, Steinhauer insists that this is what it takes to get to that competitive level that the pros are at. And for him, the game is just a stepping stone for his future plans. He plans to one day own a chain of hotels. And if he hits it big playing poker, that might be just the capital he needs to realize his ambitions.