GPWA Times - Issue 20 - March 2012

We know that poker is a game of skill, but luck also plays a factor in the game. What do you say to people who think poker is gambling? Do you have a quick, one-minute way to describe how the game is a game of skill? Anyone who plays tournaments knows that you need skill and some luck to win any large tournament, but I am one who believes that you create your own luck by knowing when to take chances. When people say it is all luck I usually just ask them to explain how the same players win consistently. What traits do you look for in an affiliate manager? Someone who is easy to work with, available when I need them, knows how to handle problems that come up with running several tournaments a week, and is able to correct problems quickly. What advice would you offer someone just starting out in the industry? Do your homework first. Find something that you can offer that others can’t or don’t offer, or find something that you can do better than what others have. When I started about eight years ago I knew abso- lutely nothing, I learned a lot through trial and error (many errors) and I was lucky enough to make some great friends who helped me along the way. What prompted you to join the GPWA? How has it helped you? One of those great friends I just mentioned told me about the GPWA and I joined. I have learned a lot from reading the GPWA fo- rums. It’s great to hear what works for other affiliates and what doesn’t, and how others got around problems you may have run into. The GPWA is definitely a site I would recommend to anyone in this business or thinking about getting into this business. How often, if ever, do you at- tend industry conferences and other related events? No, I have never attended any of the conferences. What do you like about the industry? I simply love poker. That is what got me started and what keeps me doing this. If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be? That’s easy, make online poker 100 percent legal in the USA so I and many others like me could safely en- joy the game we love online. What surprised you most about the industry? How helpful and welcoming most affiliates are toward each other. In a business like this where we are all pretty much competing for the same players it is very surprising how willing most are to help the new guy. How long do you give yourself for an- swering e-mail? What e-mail tips can you offer? I try to answer most e-mail within 24 hours. The only tip I really have is to stay on top of it; as your site grows it can really get out of hand if you let it. How do you manage your “to-do” lists? Do you use any special software to help you out? I am old-fashioned on this one, I guess. I have notebooks every- where! Ideas, thoughts, plans, everything – I write it down in notebooks. How much time does it take to keep your sites updated? I spend on aver- age two to three hours a day working on the site and/or league-related things. I definitely could spend more time on the site but you have to find a balance among work, play and family. How much time do you devote to so- cial networking in order to drive more traffic to your site? I use both Facebook and Twitter every day to promote my site/ league, our league gear, and to drive traffic to my site. How are your Google Analytics stats these days? Steady improvement? Up and down? They have been slowly improving lately, I think mostly because we became a free-to-play league, which is attracting people who may not have been able to play in the past. I have also been getting a lot of traffic from Facebook and Twitter. If someone were visiting you, what’s the one place you’d definitely take them to see? That’s a good question. I live in the middle of corn and bean fields in north central Illinois, not much around here. I guess Starved Rock State Park would be a must-see site. It is one of the most beauti- ful places in Illinois. What’s your favorite vacation spot? What is a vacation? If you could have one “superpower,” what would it be, and why? The ability to go back in time to change all the stupid things I have done in my life. What’s your all-time favorite movie? The Godfather ! I love gangster mov- ies and it is the best – great cast and a classic movie. If you were casting a movie with your- self in the leading role, who would play your romantic interest? My wife, be- cause if I picked anyone else she would kill me! If you could invite any five people, liv- ing or dead, to dinner, who would they be? Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey and my grandfa- ther. The first four simply to listen, learn and pick their brains, and my grandfather just to get to spend another day with him – and he is also the person who taught me how to play poker in the first place. What are three things that nobody knows about you? I love to cook. I am a huge country music fan. I once wore a miniskirt to high school to protest because girls were allowed to wear miniskirts but guys were not allowed to wear shorts, so a bunch of us guys got together and wore miniskirts to school. Apparently it got the point across because the next year they changed the rule. Gary and his wife, Kathy (BiggDawgg and DizzyKat) 55