PocketFives had the opportunity to catch up with Charlie seedload Zimmerman (pictured, ranked #39 in New Jersey), who calls Mt. Laurel home and loves to ski in addition to playing poker. Forced to take some time away from poker due to a health condition, when Zimmerman was better, he got right to work on the virtual felts.

With over $54,000 in tracked online cashes, some of his notable accomplishments include a win in the PartyPoker/Borgata PokerGarden State Super Series II Event #2, a win in the network’s $10,000 Guarantee, and a win in the $5,000 Guarantee for a total of $5,812. He also won the GSSS II Micro Competition, recording the most total cashes ($694) out of 31 other competitors. Visit PocketFives’ New Jersey poker community for the latest news and discussion from New Jersey players.

PocketFives: Give us your thoughts and experiences of regulated online poker in New Jersey.

Charlie Zimmerman: I was tremendously excited when online poker came to New Jersey because I hadn’t played online at all since Black Friday and I couldn’t wait to start playing. But, at the beginning of last year, I was also very sick. I have a congenital heart defect that was worsening and I didn’t have the energy or the concentration to commit to poker. So, I played small, and not often, and lost a few small deposits to Party.

In April 2014, my wife and I finally decided it was time to have an operation to correct the issue, and in May 2014, I had my Aortic valve replaced with an amazing minimally invasive procedure. After some recovery and some unexpected complications, I finally started feeling well and strong in mid-2014. And, not surprisingly, that is when my game began to pick up.

Once I felt strong again, what I found about the New Jersey market is that it was a perfect fit for me. I play a lot of cash games and I actually like the fact that there are six to 10 tables running in my buy-in range all the time, but not more.

I only play four to six cash games at a time and I could basically get in all the games running and there is an advantage to a smaller player pool that you actually know a lot more of the players you are playing with without having to keep intense notes and depend too heavily on a HUD. I find the smaller pool perfect for me, but understand the need for liquidity overall, so I still hope we get some compacts and some more players in the pool.

I also like the smaller fields for tournaments. It helps my game to be playing smaller tournaments with more frequent cashes because I tend to play a bit of a volatile style. I was never a big MTT player before Black Friday, but I have found that in this market, with the smaller fields and the more frequent cashes, I am doing okay. So, the New Jersey market seems like a good fit.

PocketFives: What are your favorite New Jersey online poker sites to play on and why?

Charlie Zimmerman: I actually kind of love Borgata. I play all of my cash games there and like the look and feel of the tables. Borgata feels cleaner and simpler than WSOP to me. But, since the recent tournament schedule changes to Borgata, I started playing on 888 Poker and really like the site. I like throwing stuff at the tables and like the freeze-outs at times that are better for me. After GSSS is over, I will probably go back to playing mainly Borgata for cash, 888 for tournaments, and the occasional $10,000 Guarantee or Sunday event on Borgata.

PocketFives: How many hours do you dedicate to poker a week?

Charlie Zimmerman: It’s a part-time thing for me. It’s a hobby and fun and a way to make some extra scratch. I play maybe an average of 20 hours a week, but I can play a lot more sometimes and a lot less sometimes.

PocketFives: How did you get started in poker originally? Why was it appealing?

Charlie Zimmerman: It’s weird, but my dad got me started in poker without ever playing a single hand with me. He was a super smart guy and a game-lover. He was a chess master and counted cards in Atlantic City. But, I was never good at chess nor did I have the patience for counting cards. He would try to teach me, but I never got there, so we played other games together, board games and strategy games, but never poker for whatever reason.

We used to talk about games and game theory all the time, he would explain his counting system in great detail, and we discussed meta stuff like bankroll and variance. I just loved those conversations. I remember him telling me that it was a shame that Atlantic City didn’t have poker because that was the only game that he would play if they had it. This was like late 80s and early 90s before poker rooms existed in Atlantic City.

So, when he passed and when the poker boom happened, I gave it a go knowing that despite not connecting in chess or blackjack, I might find a connection in poker. I did well, loved the game, and finally understood why he said it would have been the only game he would have played.

PocketFives: To what do you attribute your current online success?

Charlie Zimmerman: I don’t know that I can attribute it to much of anything really, just feeling good and playing the game the way I have played it for years. PocketFives has definitely helped my game a great deal. I have said it before: it’s funny that there really isn’t that much strategy discussion on the New Jersey wall, but somehow being part of the site makes you play better anyway.

The competition of Rankings is definitely an incentive. I found that trying to be #1 in Mt. Laurel, then top 100 in New Jersey, then cracking the top 50, and now doing well in a GSSS competition. Those things are motivating, and motivation is a big part of success. I was a 10 NL player in July, yet I was able to do each of those things in the last six months. So, who knows what 2015 holds?

PocketFives: What do you do away from poker? What else interests you?

Charlie Zimmerman: I am a Software Engineering Manager for a major producer of cable electronics. Man, do I love to ski, but it has been a few years because of the heart condition. I might get out once or twice this year, but next year I think I can convince my wife that I am healthy enough for us to ski a lot!