” If you keep putting in the work and don’t give up, you can surpass thresholds that may have seemed too high for you initially. Persistence and determination can make a huge difference in poker and life in general.”

bitB Spins: Can you tell us how you initially got involved with poker and when you discovered spins?

BlueEyesWD40: I first dabbled in poker at 15, playing casually with friends, not online, though. My interest grew more serious in my final year of high school, and I ventured into online poker around 2014 or 2015. At that time, I was still a beginner, absorbing knowledge from poker books and trying out various formats like MTTs and cash games, all at the lowest stakes. I wasn’t terrible, but my lack of insight into the poker ecosystem meant I lost money in my first year.

Taking a hiatus from my computer science studies, I joined a now-defunct spin stable, one of the first of its kind. This was my introduction to spins. I started playing at the 3$ on Pokerstars and swiftly moved up to 30s and even 60s within my first year. Despite hitting a rough patch and facing a period of stagnation, I eventually found myself bouncing between 50s, and 30s, and sometimes playing 25s on Winamax.

bitB Spins: How did you come across bitB Spins, and what motivated you to join us?

BlueEyesWD40: Around 2019 or 2020, I spent a year playing on Unibet. It’s a unique platform for spin players as it doesn’t allow HUDs, hand histories, or any access to your stats. While mainly playing 25s and 50s there, I was doing reasonably well. But a year later, feeling isolated as my friends left the platform or stopped playing, I began to feel adrift. The inability to analyze my performance due to a lack of stats and data left me craving structure.

That led me to search for a stable, and bitB caught my attention with its stellar reputation, especially in the MTT section. Recognizing coaches like Wolle83, whom I was familiar with from his previous works, reinforced my impression of bitB’s strong team dynamics. Seeing him affiliated with bitB convinced me of the team’s strength, and I was absolutely right about it.

bitB Spins: That’s great to hear! Could you share about your progression within bitB? At what level did you start your journey with bitB?

BlueEyesWD40: My journey began after my stint on Unibet, a period that left me uncertain about my skill level. I decided to explore PokerStars for a couple of months, starting with the $10 buy-ins to get used to playing with a HUD again and playing in more competitive fields.

Then I gradually moved up to 25s. During this phase, conversations with other players introduced me to nitros. At that time, nitros were largely perceived as a gambling format where consistent winning was deemed unlikely. Despite this, a friend shared their positive experience with nitros, prompting me to give it a try two months into my time with bitB.

Beginning with 10s for the initial week or two, I quickly transitioned to 25s. Nitro appeared to be a perfect fit for me. Many of my weaknesses in regular spins unexpectedly turned into strengths in nitros. I often compare it to running a 100-meter versus a 300-meter race. I felt more adept at the 100 meters, finding it similar to nitros, which eased many of the issues I faced in regular spins, making the experience less bothersome and more in tune with my capabilities.

bitB Spins: Are you currently playing up to 500s?

BlueEyesWD40: No, I’m not. I did play 500s for about six months, but now, with a child, it’s hard to manage my schedule, 500s just aren’t practical for me. Nevertheless, I did hit a huge 2,000,000 jackpot while playing there, making it an unforgettable experience.

With my volume, I had anticipated possibly hitting a 1,000,000 jackpot at some point, but hitting it on the 500s, where I played less frequently due to the smaller player pool, was truly astounding.

This was only the second 500 jackpot in Winamax history. Interestingly, the first one also involved one of our players finishing in second place. The second prize is wonderful but slightly frustrating because the difference between the first and second place is huge.

Different poker sites have diverse payout structures. For instance, Winamax has a significant gap between the first and second place, while other sites like ACR permit a deal where the distribution is more balanced, like 40-30-30. GGPoker, with its 50-25-25 structure, makes the win more valuable but widens the gap between the second and first place.

To me, losing that day didn’t feel too bad. There was no profound sense of loss as it wouldn’t have drastically changed my daily life. I’m not inclined towards luxury, so even a win wouldn’t have made a huge difference. The only real sting comes from considering the long-term impact, like the potential investments with the first-place prize versus the second, which would signify a significant difference over a decade.

On the day of the jackpot, it took me about 3-4 hours to unwind because of the adrenaline rush. This wasn’t my first jackpot. Two months into playing Nitros, I hit a 250K jackpot on 25s and finished in third place in just three hands. Having played Nitros for three years and experiencing jackpots ranging from 40K to 80K, I’m somewhat familiar with the feeling.

Seeing an amount as staggering as 2 million was hard to believe initially. If I were to hit another jackpot, like 1 million, I believe I’d handle it with even more calmness and preparedness.

 

bitB Spins: Can you recall the details of that day for us?

BlueEyesWD40: It was a day like any other. The jackpot popped up during a regular session, early in the morning, around 9 or 10 AM local time. Interestingly, that particular day saw more traffic than usual. I remember one of the other players, who eventually hit the jackpot with me, had been playing for about an hour, took a break, and came back just in time to hit the jackpot. It turned out to be an unforgettable session for all of us involved.

I played at relatively high stakes during that session, with about 6 to 8 tables open, fewer than I usually play. It would have been quite the scenario if it had happened while I was multi-tabling 20 or more tables. But even in such a situation, the natural reaction is to push all the other tables aside and concentrate entirely on the jackpot table. That’s the only one that holds any significance at that moment.

bitB Spins: Did you have any specific strategy for a jackpot?

BlueEyesWD40: Honestly, I never really set a strategy for hitting a jackpot. I’ve always seen myself as someone who doesn’t dwell on the thought, “I will hit a jackpot.” So, I didn’t anticipate it, neither the first time nor the second.

Regarding preparation, I did have conversations with other team members because, even though it’s a short event and could be over in just a few hands, such discussions are valuable. In these circumstances, you stick to your known strategies and concentrate solely on that specific table.

I believe the most crucial aspect is to steer clear of major errors. That’s the real hurdle with jackpots; a big mistake can haunt you for a significant time. As long as you can effectively use your existing knowledge and abilities, you stand in a strong position. We possess the experience and the skill; the key lies in execution.

After the jackpot, my greatest joy came from the fact that after a few of the guys reviewed the tournament, I had successfully avoided making a single error throughout the game. So, you give yourself the best chance and hope for the best in these situations.

bitB Spins: Did you adjust your play based on how the other players were playing, or did you stick to your usual strategy?

BlueEyesWD40: Yes, I did make adjustments based on how the other players were playing, especially because I had some information about them from that morning’s session. Both of them were a bit more aggressive and active players than usual, almost crazy aggressive.

Watching the replay, I noticed that the eventual winner made some non-standard moves, even for good regs. However, for a recreational player to pull off those moves in a 2 million game was quite unusual and showed a lot of courage. I also feel that I made some good adjustments in response to their play. It was a dynamic and challenging game, and adapting to the situation was crucial.

bitB Spins: Could you walk me through your emotions and thoughts immediately after the game where you finished second? What were you feeling right after the game, and how did your emotions and thoughts evolve over time, say in the days, weeks, or months that followed?

BlueEyesWD40: Right after the game, I was surprisingly calm. I immediately showed my wife what had happened, but there weren’t any negative emotions. It was all pretty positive. However, physically, your hands do shake a bit, not violently, but just a little, for the rest of the day. It’s challenging to describe, but it’s due to the adrenaline rush. It’s incredibly unexpected when something like this happens.

Mentally, I was completely fine, and I remained relaxed the day after as well. The only negative thoughts that crept in were about the long term, like thinking about how it could have made a massive difference in ten years if I had just won that single hand. I had two or three opportunities to win the game in key all-ins, and they were close to 50/50 situations. So, in the long run, that could have substantially impacted my long-term financial situation.

But overall, it doesn’t haunt me or weigh me down. I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to be in that position at all, and that gratitude overrides any lingering regrets.

bitB Spins: Did hitting the jackpot change your approach to poker and motivation for the game, or did you continue as before?

BlueEyesWD40: I actually joked with someone, I think it was Alex (Wolle83) at Lake Balaton, that losing career-wise was easier because it didn’t require any changes. I could just keep grinding as usual. If I had won, the money was pretty crazy, and I might have considered reducing my grind or even stopping it altogether. In a way, losing would have allowed me to stick to my routine.

As for my approach to the game, it may have made me more of a believer that hitting another jackpot could happen in 2 or 3 years with the amount of games I play. I wasn’t expecting to hit the first one, let alone the second one.

After hitting two jackpots, I do have a considerable number of games under my belt on Winamax, around 600,000. While it’s still a matter of luck, it’s not as crazy as it might seem. So, I’ll keep playing, and maybe one more jackpot will eventually come my way. Who knows?

bitB Spins: How many games do you typically play on a regular day, and how many games do you aim to play in a month? What would you consider your average?

BlueEyesWD40: On Winamax, my volumes are somewhat defined by the bonuses I aim to hit because they provide extra rakeback, which is crucial in this format. For 50s and my status, I need to play around 13,700 to 14,000 games a month.

So, I consider the standard average to be about 14,000 games a month. When I played at higher stakes, I aimed for more but higher-stakes games yield fewer opportunities. So, I’ve occasionally played around 16,000 to 18,000 games in a month, but the typical average is 14,000 games for Nitros.

bitB Spins: How many days a week do you typically play, and how many hours do you spend playing each day?

BlueEyesWD40: I would say I spend about 18-24 hours a week in pure grind. The number of days I play can vary, especially with a child, but I usually have 1-3 days off a week. I’ve tried different schedules in the past, with one day off a week, two days off a week, or three days off a week. At the end of the day, the goal is to achieve the same volume, so the specific schedule doesn’t matter much. Regarding the schedule, it takes up about 7 hours of my day.

In poker, grinding is just one aspect of it. There’s also learning, managing, and calculations, not to mention recovering between sessions. I’ve heard from friends with regular jobs that they, too, spend a significant portion of their work hours on tasks other than their primary responsibilities. So, I think my workload overall is similar to a full-time job

bitB Spins: Would you like to share any overall thoughts or reflections on hitting the jackpot, playing spins, or poker in general?

BlueEyesWD40: Certainly! Reflecting on my journey, I joined bitB around three and a half to four years into my poker career. Having been with them for almost three years, I see a substantial improvement in my performance and earnings by about 5 to 10 times. Before this, while I was making a living from poker, I wouldn’t have classified myself as particularly successful.

I often think about how lucky I am to have ended up here. Still, I also believe a key difference between me and some friends who played or others I knew who played back in the day is that I didn’t give up, even when results weren’t great at times or when I felt like I wasn’t improving as much. In poker, there’s a lot to learn, not only strategy-wise but mental resilience. It’s not always easy to put all the puzzle pieces together.

So, in my experience, if you keep putting in the work and don’t give up, you can surpass thresholds that may have seemed too high for you initially. Persistence and determination can make a huge difference in poker and life in general.