Va Shon Watkins is probably someone that the most people haven't heard off before? The ones that find his name a bit familiar maybe associate him with winning FTOPS Main Event and $450 000 last year at Full Tilt poker. In an interview with a big poker magazine he speaks out about the not so easy life before the big win...
Va Shon Watkins parents were very strict with him during his growth and they didn't even let him play poker before he turned 18. Therefore he started off his poker career with a rebel purpose against his parents and their daily round of strictness. The first time Va Shon Watkins played poker for money was at a friend's house with a few friends of his. Even though he lost all his money that night he immediately understood that it was possible to make living of playing poker. So he started playing more and more online and offline to improve his poker skills.
The big turn in his poker career occurred the summer of 2008 when he took his last money and bought in to the FTOPS Main Event at Full Tilt. At this moment he was very depressed and worried about taking a normal 9-5 job to finance his daily life and poker. But to spend the last $500 to buy-in to FTOPS Main Event came to be his best decision ever as he won the whole tournament and received $450 000.
Today Va Shon Watkins play poker every day and also get support from his family that now understands that it's possible to make a living from playing poker.
- "My mom was really happy and chocked after I told her that I have just won $450 000" - "But probably she changed her mind about poker when I bought her a new car for some of the money I won", says Va Shon Watkins to the poker magazine.
