The latest addition to the Pocketfives Triple Crown Wall of Champions is Grayson “the_dean22” Nichols. There was almost a month long lull between SCTrojans’ impressive triple Triple and the next Triple Crown winner, when a familiar face in BeL0WaB0Ve added his second Crown to his impressive resume. The_Dean22 also is no newcomer to success on the MTT circuit. He is currently ranked 77th in the Pocketfives Rankings and has come close to the Triple Crown a number of times in the past only to fall short with third and fourth place finishes for the third leg. “To come so close before and miss out was disappointing. It felt great to finally get it this time,” the_dean22 said of his breakthrough. <READMORE>The_Dean’s wins came in the PokerStars $55 +1r&a, which he actually took down twice last week, the UltimateBet $33 rebuy, and the Full Tilt Poker $30 rebuy. The top players gravitate towards the rebuy tournaments, not only for the juicy prize pools they generate, but for the greater opportunity for deepstack play. It’s no wonder most Triple Crown wins include a rebuy or two. For Grayson, the final win in his Triple Crown was special for a number of reasons besides the obvious. The final table featured two talented players who happen to be good friends of his and it’s always fun to play (and beat) your buddies.
The first was GB2005, who went out 7th, which made things easier for the_dean22 to get his win, but he said he would have like to play GB2005 heads up. The_dean22 did get to go head to head with another Pocketfiver, Dapalma150 who Grayson has known since childhood. “He is a solid player not many people know of, but he has a few $150 wins on Full Tilt and is also one of my best friends. So beating a good player and friend one on one for the Crown was just the way to do it,” Grayson said. He had his work cut out for him going into the HU match, being down 8-1 in chips. Never one to shy away from a challenge, the_dean22 managed to pull off the comeback to take first and the Crown.
The_dean22 is living out in Vegas this summer in a house with Ari, gboro780, and GB2005, which he says has been, “an enlightening experience, to say the least.” His wins in the $55+1r&a last week came with the added bonus of bragging rights as he and his housemates have been making last longer bets all summer long.“I’ve won that tourney (the $55+1r&a) three times this summer, with several other finals tables. GB2005 has won it, and Ari and gboro780 also have a few finals there. I’d say our house is fairing pretty well when a last longer is involved in that tourney,” the_dean22 said. When asked if the added competition was a motivator for him, he responded, “Absolutely. I mean, living in that house is unreal. Ari usually wins a tourney before I wake up and GB2005 and Gboro are always going deep. Just the other day gboro took 2nd in the early 100 rebuy on Stars and 2nd in the $150 on Full Tilt while GB2005 won the 100r that night and I took 2nd in the UB bounty. We are all making runs, so the atmosphere is always fun, and it also helps to watch each other’s final tables.”
Grayson “the_dean22” Nichols is enjoying his summer to the fullest before he heads back to Gainesville for his fifth year at the University of Florida where he is studying Political Science. “No one in their right mind would want to leave Gainesville, so since I support myself I’m just going to take my time and enjoy it,” he said of his college plans.
“I spend about 4-5 days a week playing and then just spend the rest of the time hanging out with friends. I’d say I lead a pretty privileged life.” The_dean22 strikes a pretty healthy balance with how he spends his poker earnings. He doesn’t keep it all locked up in a virtual vault online, and he doesn’t blow it all on status symbols either. He is, however definitely enjoying his 2007 Tahoe, thank you very much.
Like the rest of the Pocketfives community, the_dean22 is excited about the new regional rankings, even though he has some stiff competition in Florida. To be number five on a list that includes M8kingmoves, Roothlus, THAY3R, and SN8MAN above you is still quite an honor. Two of his housemates are #1 and 2 in New Jersey, which I am sure GB2005 is sick of hearing this summer. When asked to give a bit of advice to the community, the_dean22 advocated patience, “I think people feel forced to make a move sometimes when they really don’t need to. With a little patience you will find the best spot.” He also added, “If you are in a hand with GB2005, Ari and gboro780, get out immediately.” That is some solid advice from the latest Triple Crown Champion.
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