Poker a Family Game for Team Bodog Player
For Maryland father of two, says he still learns something about poker every day
May 9, 2006
By Jake Gosselin
BodogNation Contributing Writer
The 2006 World Series of Poker will feature approximately 8,000 players from around the world, and will award more than $70 million in cash prizes and a grand prize of $10 million. This year, Bodog is sending 700 of its most talented online players to the WSOP and BodogNation will be spotlighting some of these qualifiers, as well as following their progress throughout the tournament.
This week, we drop in on Michael Showalter.
Showalter first started playing poker 35 years ago for pennies with his grandfather, who always stressed the importance of watching the other players in a game. These formative years paid off and gave Showalter a solid background in reading players while also covering his own tells. And even though it was through an online poker tournament at Bodog that Showalter won his seat at the WSOP, he says he plays best in brick-and-mortar games.
Showalter says his ability to prioritize has not only made him a better poker player, but also a better man. He played poker for cash regularly before the birth of his two daughters. With their arrival into the world, he stopped playing for cash for fear of losing any resources that could be used for his children’s health and happiness. Two years ago, with his daughters grown up and independent, Showalter noticed the poker renaissance and dove back into the game. He soon realized that he was out of practice and decided to commit himself to bettering his skills.
“I soon found out if I wanted to play this game I wanted to not just be good, I wanted to be very good,” Showalter says of his return to poker. “I now try to learn something about the game every day and really have become a student of the game. I try to read everything I can by all kinds of poker players, even if I don't agree with or want to incorporate it into my style of play I still want to know how other players look at the game.”
Showalter has been playing with Bodog Poker for about a year and considers it his home for online poker. He is 42, has been married for 23 years, and has two daughters who are 20 and 19. He is working as the project manager for one of the world’s largest Homeland Securities Contractors. Although he lives in La Plata, Md., he hopes to move to Las Vegas in the near future.
With victory in the WSOP, which runs from June 25-Aug. 10, he could be there sooner than he expects - and living in style, too.
Another Team Bodog Player to Watch
Svetlana Gromoenkova is originally from Russia. She now lives in New York, where she graduated from New York University with a degree in psychology. She has been playing poker for three years and now considers it her profession. Expect Gromoenkova to apply her training in psychology to give her an edge at the table at the Rio this summer.
And yes guys, she’s single.
40 Seats Won Each Weekend
Bodog qualified 40 players to the WSOP last weekend and will do it again this weekend. That's one seat every 20 minutes of play during the weekend. All of the 40 seats awarded last Saturday and Sunday were for the WSOP Main Event, which begins July 28. Find out more, grab a seat in the Bodog WSOP Qualifiers and you might be the next member of Team Bodog. With a WSOP buy-in, $1,000 in swag, $2,500 in cash for travel, accommodations and beer, and exclusive access to the Bodog VIP Lounge, you know that it's a good thing.
PHOTO: Michael Showalter of La Plata, Md., is off to Las Vegas for the WSOP as a member of Team Bodog.
For Maryland father of two, says he still learns something about poker every day
May 9, 2006
By Jake Gosselin
BodogNation Contributing Writer
The 2006 World Series of Poker will feature approximately 8,000 players from around the world, and will award more than $70 million in cash prizes and a grand prize of $10 million. This year, Bodog is sending 700 of its most talented online players to the WSOP and BodogNation will be spotlighting some of these qualifiers, as well as following their progress throughout the tournament.
This week, we drop in on Michael Showalter.
Showalter first started playing poker 35 years ago for pennies with his grandfather, who always stressed the importance of watching the other players in a game. These formative years paid off and gave Showalter a solid background in reading players while also covering his own tells. And even though it was through an online poker tournament at Bodog that Showalter won his seat at the WSOP, he says he plays best in brick-and-mortar games.
Showalter says his ability to prioritize has not only made him a better poker player, but also a better man. He played poker for cash regularly before the birth of his two daughters. With their arrival into the world, he stopped playing for cash for fear of losing any resources that could be used for his children’s health and happiness. Two years ago, with his daughters grown up and independent, Showalter noticed the poker renaissance and dove back into the game. He soon realized that he was out of practice and decided to commit himself to bettering his skills.
“I soon found out if I wanted to play this game I wanted to not just be good, I wanted to be very good,” Showalter says of his return to poker. “I now try to learn something about the game every day and really have become a student of the game. I try to read everything I can by all kinds of poker players, even if I don't agree with or want to incorporate it into my style of play I still want to know how other players look at the game.”
Showalter has been playing with Bodog Poker for about a year and considers it his home for online poker. He is 42, has been married for 23 years, and has two daughters who are 20 and 19. He is working as the project manager for one of the world’s largest Homeland Securities Contractors. Although he lives in La Plata, Md., he hopes to move to Las Vegas in the near future.
With victory in the WSOP, which runs from June 25-Aug. 10, he could be there sooner than he expects - and living in style, too.
Another Team Bodog Player to Watch
Svetlana Gromoenkova is originally from Russia. She now lives in New York, where she graduated from New York University with a degree in psychology. She has been playing poker for three years and now considers it her profession. Expect Gromoenkova to apply her training in psychology to give her an edge at the table at the Rio this summer.
And yes guys, she’s single.
40 Seats Won Each Weekend
Bodog qualified 40 players to the WSOP last weekend and will do it again this weekend. That's one seat every 20 minutes of play during the weekend. All of the 40 seats awarded last Saturday and Sunday were for the WSOP Main Event, which begins July 28. Find out more, grab a seat in the Bodog WSOP Qualifiers and you might be the next member of Team Bodog. With a WSOP buy-in, $1,000 in swag, $2,500 in cash for travel, accommodations and beer, and exclusive access to the Bodog VIP Lounge, you know that it's a good thing.
PHOTO: Michael Showalter of La Plata, Md., is off to Las Vegas for the WSOP as a member of Team Bodog.
