Hero Poker: Most memorable hand?
Corwin: I don't really remember many specific hands after a while honestly.
Hero Poker: How did you get started?
Corwin: I got started playing 5$ home games in the college dorms with my friends. After playing those for a while, I saw some commercials for online poker and decided to try that out. I deposited 50$, lost it in about 15 minutes, then put another 50$ on. That 50 took me about a month to bust so I deposited 50 for a third time. After that deposit I just slowly built up and never had to deposit again. I started out grinding cash games starting from .1/.25 nl up to 5/10nl. After I reached 5/10 I was kind of tired and the cash grind and I decided tournaments were more fun, I have been playing them full time ever since.
Hero Poker: What is the toughest thing about being a poker player?
Corwin: The toughest part about poker is surviving the downswings. In mtts if you hit a really rough patch you can easily downswing for 6-12 months and it can be hard to cope with just losing day after day. But in mtts since around only 10% of players cash you have to go in knowing 90% of the days you play you will lose. So you have to develop a mindset where you don't get too excited when you win and just shrug it off when you lose to survive.
Hero Poker: Which live tournaments do you like the most and why?
Corwin: #1 by far is the WSOP main event. It's the tournament worth the most money, gets the most press and has the most prestige. If you win the main event you get a place in the history books so I look forward to it all year. #2 would probably be PCA. It's in the Bahamas so its almost like a mini vacation and it's a good place to meet up with a lot of people you know from online.
Hero Poker: What do you think is wrong with the poker world today?
Corwin: There are a lot of things wrong with the poker world today but probably what annoys me most is when players have poor manners. The majority of people who play poker play it for fun. Nobody likes to play in a game where everybody is in a bad mood or one guy is always complaining or berating other players. People need to understand when they act like a child in this way it ruins everyone's enjoyment and hurts their bottom line because oftentimes the most profitable games are the ones where people are having a good time.
Hero Poker: Where do you think poker is headed?
Corwin: There is a lot of uncertainty about where poker is headed, especially for USA players. If poker becomes regulated and it becomes easier to deposit online then a lot more casual players will come back to the game and poker will continue to thrive. However, if it continues the way it is going now then many of the bottom tier pros will be forced to quit as the games become tougher and tougher.
Hero Poker: What are you thoughts, generally on Pot Limit Omaha (PLO)? Hard? Exciting? How is it compared to Hold'em?
Corwin: I don't have a lot of experience in PLO but I do think it's a very enjoyable game. It's a very deep game with a lot of different strategies from holdem, so it can be a welcome change of pace.
Hero Poker: Which other pro do you admire or simply like, if any?
Corwin: I admire Phil Ivey for his insane skill and work ethic. A lot of players get a bit lazy after having a lot of success, but even though Ivey is the most successful player in the world, he's also put in probably more hours than any other player over the last 10 years. I also admire Phil Galfond a lot. I admire Galfond for his intelligence and the incredibly calm and analytical way he approaches the game.
Hero Poker: What limits and games do you play, both online and live?
Corwin: Online I play pretty much all of the biggest nl tournaments that run every week. Live I play all of the biggest nl tournaments other than a few of the high rollers and during wsop I play some of the non-holdem events.
Hero Poker: Top 3 qualities in a pro when they play online, and what you think differs when playing live.
Corwin: Discipline, intelligence and emotional stability. I think these are by far the 3 most important qualities a pro needs in order for them to survive in the long run, and I don't believe it's the same whether they are online or live pros.
Hero Poker: Quickest way to improve for a beginner (just starting), and intermediate level player (playing for about a year)?
Corwin: Discussing poker with friends and watching instructional videos can help both new and intermediate players advance quicker than they normally would. However, there is no quick way to improve and by far the most important thing any player can do to improve is to just practice. To become good you will have to put countless hours into actually playing to really improve.
Hero Poker: What are you most known for in poker or otherwise?
Corwin: Not really sure, maybe I am known for being the best ginger poker player haha.
Hero Poker: What is most like poker outside of poker, in your opinion?
Corwin: I would say something like stock trading is the most similar to poker. Both require a lot of hours and study to be truly good at it. And there are very large swings in both, so even if you are great at it you can get unlucky and lose a lot of money if things don't go your way.
Hero Poker: What does 'Hero' mean to you in the poker sense?
Corwin: One of the things I have always loved the most about poker is that anyone can do it. Most people will never get a chance to play golf with Tiger Woods or basketball with Michael Jordan, but there are no physical limitations in poker so anyone can sit down in a game or play a tournament with Doyle Brunson or Ivey. So hero to me in poker doesn't mean you are great or anything, but it means you have the control to create your own story. You can sit in any game with anyone you want to so you can fulfill any dreams/goals you may have.
