Grant Hinkle turns pro after his stunning victory at the 2008 WSOP.
Grant said that he had to keep a low profile after winning the 2008 WSOP as it had not yet been aired on TV. He thought that no one would have recognised him anyways but every time he reached for his chips, the camera would zoom in on him. Hinkle was disappointed with the ESPN telecast as only two hands of the heads up match were shown on TV, and that both made it look like he was lucky. "That's the one hand everybody who saw the broadcast wants to hear about." Hinkle said.
"I just tell them that the heads up match lasted 2 ½ hours and it was just going back and forth the whole time and the aggression for both of us kept escalating," he stated. "He was betting a lot when he had nothing and I was doing the same. That time, I made what looked like a pretty bad move, but it worked out for me, that's for sure."
Hinkle is now concentrating on his new career as a professional poker player. "I have set up the basement for my own personal man cave office". He treats his new career as a real job and does everything he can to get into a routine. Hinkle said that he wakes up at around 10 in the morning, then goes through his e-mails and then starts playing online. Around 4 in the afternoon he leaves his office, works out and then gets back to the office to play in more or less 6 tournaments with Buy-ins usually between $100 and $250. On a regular basis him and his brother go over the hand history so to closely track his play.
In the original FTOPS Hinkle won an event that paid him $145,200. He plans on playing in as many events in FTOPS IX as he can, as well as play in PokerStars 2008 WCOOP (World Championship of Online Poker) that is held from 5-22 September.
He says he has never been out of the US so he would like to play in places that would be fun to travel mentioning Australia and Aruba as possible destinations. Until that happens he will continue to play away in the online world, looking to take advantage of the cushion his WSOP win has given him.
"So far, I'm enjoying it a lot," Hinkle says. "I'm making sure I'm not stretching myself in terms of playing limits that are very high. I am playing games that I know I can beat right now and as I become a better player, I'll play some higher limits.
What makes it a lot easier is that I know that I am not playing for my livelihood and can afford to lose a couple of big hands without stressing about the money.
< Grant Hinkle smiles broadly after his win at the 2008 WSOP
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