Russell rdcrsn Carson has had an impressive month of August. Through its first three weeks, the longtime PocketFives.com member from Powell River, British Columbia has taken down the $100,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack on Ultimate Bet for $25,000 and the $109 buy-in Turbo $15,000 Guaranteed on PokerStars for another $13,000. To open the month, he lodged wins in the $11 rebuy on PokerStars and $30 rebuy on Full Tilt Poker for a combined payday of $22,000. Just a few hours prior to his interview with PocketFives.com, Russell nailed a hole in one on the links on a Par 3.To say that the month of August has been a good one for Carson would be the understatement of the century. He’s returned to grinding since the month began and, during the first 16 days of August, piled up $140,000 in tournaments that are tracked for the Online Poker Rankings in a whopping 95 qualifying cashes. As a result, he vaulted from #42 to #29 worldwide when the latest Rankings update was released. Carson admitted, “Lately, I have been grinding out sessions and it's been paying off. It was time to make money again. I didn't get in enough hours when I was in Las Vegas and, before that, I was in Europe.” Now, Carson has returned home to Canada and gotten back into the groove.
On August 15th, he took down the $300 buy-in $100,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack on Ultimate Bet for a cool $25,000. The next day, he returned to victory, winning the $109 buy-in $15,000 Guaranteed Turbo on PokerStars and boosting his bankroll by another $13,000. On what it takes to be successful in each tournament, Carson told PocketFives.com, “In the PokerStars Turbo, you just need to run good late, whereas on Ultimate Bet, you have a great structure and more time to pick your spots. I love the Ultimate Bet deep stacks. They definitely have the best structure out there except for special events.”
Carson has been a member of PocketFives.com ever since 2006. In early 2008, he took down the PokerRoom Grand, finished third in the Full Tilt $1 Million Guaranteed, and won the PokerStars $200 rebuy for $270,000 total. Despite his success and stint at #29 in the Rankings, he hasn’t loudly broadcasted his success. He explained, “I think I'm a little quieter than most and am not striving to be a famous live pro. I guess I don't reach out much.” His peers have taken note of his success, as he owns the 16th best Pro Poll score worldwide.
Carson finished 37th in a $2,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed event during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), earning $9,000. On the event, which was one of his two cashes during the 2009 tournament series, Carson recalled, “I had Erick Lindgren (pictured at left) in late with aces against kings for a very nice stack, but it didn't hold and I was short-stacked a couple of hours later. That's how it goes. I should have been playing more events, but I started to find my golf addiction.” Carson also earned $4,000 for a 120th place showing in a $2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event; Angel Guillen ultimately won.Speaking of golf, just hours before talking with PocketFives.com, Carson recorded a hole in one on a Par 3. He relived the moment: “I stepped up on the first Par 3, knocked a seven-iron on the green from 172 yards away, and it rolled into the cup. I just got back into golf this summer. I used to play as a junior and being in Las Vegas hooked me again.” Needless to say, all is right in the world for Carson at the moment.
Carson started his climb up the poker ladder playing in college with friends in a $10 weekly game. Several of his tablemates then made the switch to online poker and Carson soon followed. He began as a Limit player before jumping into tournaments. He wanted to let Jonathan therookieqq9 Plens (pictured at right), a former PartyPoker Birthday Million winner, know that he’s “horrid.” Plens is a fellow Canadian, hailing from Toronto. Like Carson, he’s a Monthly PLB titleholder on PocketFives.com, having captured the accolade last November.Carson’s 95 qualifying cashes over the first 16 days of August exemplify his willingness to put in time on the virtual felts. On how poker players can turn on the switch and grind, he explained, “You have to be able to make sure you can get long hours in and play well, otherwise you are throwing money away. I definitely pride myself in my long sessions and playing my ‘A game’ the entire time. I think that's why the best are the best: they don’t stray far from their ‘A game.’” In the coming months, he’ll head back to school to play soccer, which he admitted may affect his volume.
Congratulations to Russell rdcrsn Carson on his solid month of August. See who else is dominating by checking out the PocketFives.com Online Poker Rankings.
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