After winning the 1st rake race in October we sat down with Magisk to ask him about life as a poker player.

How long have you been playing poker?
I've played poker for about 4years now

How did you get started playing poker?
I think I'm a product of the "poker boom" that happened around '04. I remember learning about the game on TV and at the same time a lot of my friends got into it.

Is poker your full time job - if not then what else do you do?
Yes, it is. And I have no plan B

What’s your big goal for the future?
I have many goals I strive to aspire but to single out something poker related it would have to be to make enough money to be free and help out family and friends

If you weren't playing poker now, what would you be doing for a living?
That’s a good question and thinking about this is a little scary because I can’t really see myself doing anything else really, so for me it’s actually "be good at poker or be bad at life", if that makes sense

How many hours a week do you spend at the tables now?
Because of the rakerace that’s going on I’ve been playing more than usual the last month, and I think I’m somewhere between 5-10 hours per day playing 2-6 tables

On a scale on 1 – 10 how do you rate yourself as a poker player?
This is gonna sound like a Phil Helmuth trip but I rate my poker skills at maybe 8, however I have many flaws but those are more psychological like controlling emotions than gameplay

How did you learn the game of poker?
I think the only way someone can learn poker is to play, however the learning process is very individual, so I’ve placed a lot of importance in being sure that the way I’m thinking is correct, because one game behaviour is the fundamentals for the next, sort of.

Many people say 100 full buy ins is what you need to play – What do you think?
I totally agree with that statement - shorter buyins prohibits creativity and limits the amount of hands you can play. There are certain situations where shortstacking is fine, like, when your moving up in limits and want to get a feel for the new gameflow. As a long term strategy shorstacking is bad and to play successfully with it you need more and different skills than people realise. If your at that level that you know how to move around your shortstack you would make much more money playing full buyin so it doesn’t really make sense.

What advice would you give anyone thinking of becoming a poker player?
You gotta be honest with yourself, work very hard but make sure poker doesn't take over your life :)

What makes a successful poker player?
I would say aggression, position awareness, intelligence, instinct, braveness, and the ability to adapt to how other people are playing.

Who do you think is the best poker player in the world?
Phil Ivey

What made you choose mintedpoker as your home?
The reason I choose Minted is mainly because of the great support and software. There are also great promotions such as rakeraces and bonuses going on each month, and when taking the soft playing field into consideration - Minted poker is clearly the best site to play at in my view

Thank you very much for spending the time to talk to us. We wish you all the best in reaching your goals.

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