Jeff Rossiter, an Aussie poker pro, stated in a recent interview with igaming.org that playing poker professionally is not that easy.
Speaking about the difference between the numbers posted in poker ranking sites and the amount actually received by poker players, he said that he got only $631.177 of the $3 million he had won at GuangDong because he had invested in just 20 percent of his gaming action.
A deep run into the main event of Aussie Millions 2011 made Rossiter famous, especially as he survived over famous pros such as Patrik Antonius and Chris Moorman. However, when only three players were left at the table, Lady Luck left Rossiter and he had to finish third.
His prize of AU$700,000 appeared too small when compared to the huge first place prize of AU$2,000,000 that David Gorr won.
The Aussie poker pro said that poker, for him, was fun at first and then became a source of side income. It was only after the Aussie Millions 2011, he realized that poker could mean a lot for the next few years at least. Before taking part in Aussie Millions 2011, Rossiter use to play several cash games. In fact, the Aussie Millions 2011 was the first major live poker tournament he had taken part in and he was quite nervous at the time.
He became more and more successful in the years 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he finished second in the GuangDong Asia Millions and won $3.155 million. He also won a couple of European Poker Tour (EPT) side events, finishing fifth and winning $246,972 in the London Main Event and grabbing a total of $251,000 at the final tables of three high-roller tournaments.
In spite of his poker success, Rossiter isn’t comfortable because he understands the risks of taking part in live poker tournaments and always prepares for anything that might happen. Unlike many other players who focus on fame, Rossiter focuses on making the money required to maintain his lifestyle.
Declaring that he is least motivated with fame and trophies, he said that he prefers “really good accessible live cash games” to live poker circuits. He stated: “I play poker for the money, that’s what it is all about.” At the same time, he said that he enjoys playing poker, especially live tournaments because “there’s absolutely nothing like the excitement” one gets out of a deep run in a lucrative live poker tournament.
