Wilma Poker

John D’Agostino is a Full Tilt Poker pro. John made a major name for himself by winning some big-time poker tournaments. So why would he rather play cash games?

Given TV’s infatuation with tournament poker, the twenty-something millionaire seems downright de rigueur. What’s often overlooked, however, is the rigors of not just securing a day in the sun, but a life in the black.

Some players ride auspicious and ultimately unsustainable tournament results into financial ruin. But one young pro, a throwback of sorts who has managed to balance tournament savvy with cash game acumen, is 28-year-old John D’Agostino.

Despite his recent 8th-place finish at the WPT North American Poker Championships in Niagara Falls, John bared his teeth when discussing tournament poker. “If tournaments were not televised, I would never play one,” he warns. “Tournaments are ten times more luck than cash games. The blinds get too high too fast and tournaments turn into pre-flop idiocy. ”

Let’s break it down this way: in cash games if you play really bad and lose nine sessions out of ten, everyone knows you’re the sucker. But in tournaments, if you play really bad and lose nine times out of ten but one time get really lucky and actually win the tournament, all of a sudden you’re a superstar to the public.

Most of the tournament stars are broke because they play cash games so damn bad. “Strong words from a man accustomed to sniffing the rarified air of major tourney final tables. None was more memorable than his 2004 heads-up match with Phil Ivey at the Fox Sports Net’s American Poker Championships.

“That was a good early moment of my career,” he recalls. “That was a great final table and everyone seemed to love it because it was broadcast live and they showed every hand. I think I played pretty well at the final table especially three-handed with Phil Ivey and John Juanda, which is one of if not the toughest three-handed spot in the world.”

John D’Agostino’s total live tournament profits surpass $1.6 million.