Twin Cities native Gordon Vayo is headed to the final table of The World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas. A professional poker player, Vayo started playing in high school, first with friends, then going online to find greater challenges and an opportunity to up his game and hone his craft.
It all started when he was about fifteen. Poker tournaments were being broadcast on television, and Vayo was fascinated. "It transcended from this back room Vegas thing to this game that people were playing with their friends," Vayo said. "People started taking it more seriously. It was like a mind sport."
Initially playing just with friends, Vayo took his serious interest online to learn more about the game. "I don't recommend starting that young with playing for money, but I had a little bit of money that I had won playing with friends and I gave that to a friend to transfer that into online money."
Which, as his age, was not legal, but Vayo was undeterred. "It really wasn't about the money. I was living with my parents and I didn't need the money. What got me into poker was the mental battle. It's very competitive. It requires so much work and so much strategy."
Vayo's parents didn't approve of his online poker playing, and he took steps to conceal it from them. "I wasn't taking my parent's credit cards or doing anything shady to play," said Vayo. "As a teenager, I didn't see anything wrong with what I was doing. I certainly understand why my parents didn't like it, and today I would be the same with my kid. But at the time, there was nothing they could do about it. It seems like a very tough, seedy world. But poker playing is mostly a bunch of nerdy 25-year olds on their computers."
Vayo honed his skills and found success playing professionally. His parents now are very supportive of his career. He'll be appearing at the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in late October.
And, no, he doesn't believe in luck. Vayo believes in hard work, strategizing and crunching the numbers.
