PocketFives had the opportunity to sit down with Dale GratefulD3adHolzer (pictured), who calls Sicklerville, New Jersey home. Holzer plays under the handle LightMyFireon WSOP.com, Grat3fulDeadon 888 Poker, and theGrat3fulDeadon Borgata Poker. When he is not running or cycling to stay in tip-top shape, he is grinding four to five days a week on the virtual felts in New Jersey. With over $24,000 in tracked online cashes, Holzer has a win in the WSOP.com $10,000 Guarantee for $2,750, a second place finish in the same tournament for $1,620, and a win in the site’s $5,000 Guarantee for $1,350.

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

Dale Holzer: I am very thrilled to be able to play from my own place again like the pre-Black Friday days. There are several pros and cons to the regulated sites in New Jersey. I am very pleased with how easy it is to withdraw money on each of the sites as well as the variety of buy-ins that adhere to both the recreational and regular player.

I wish some of the blind structures, payouts, and starting times were tweaked. The WSOP structure is a bit too long and shallow at the final table. Borgata’s structure appeals to what I like way more, but I still think they pay out too much of the field.

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

Dale Holzer: Although I started playing only on WSOP, I would have to say my favorite sites to play on are 888 and Borgata. 888’s daily schedule has all freezeouts, which I enjoy, and the games don’t take too long. Borgata has the best final table structure and the deepest play.

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

Dale Holzer: I have cut my hours per week back drastically in the last couple of months, which has helped me both physically and mentally. I play four to five days a week, which totals 32 to 40 hours. Although more recreational players play on the weekend, which equates to a softer field, I like to grind Monday to Thursday, take Friday and Saturday off, and put in a long session on Sunday.

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

Dale Holzer: If I remember correctly, I was on a cruise in 2007 and saw Vitaly Lunkin win a bracelet for a little over a million dollars. I was intrigued to say the least. While I was a freshman at Rowan University in 2008, I dabbled in a few dorm games for beer, but didn’t get serious about poker until the following year.

I was going to school full-time, running cross country and track, working at the student rec center, and was looking to make some extra money. I was lucky enough to meet DJ kickdj02LoPresti, who worked with Tony Tonyflow99 Velocci and me. They lived together in the same apartment complex as I did and I was able to improve my game with them. Those guys don’t play nearly as much as I do currently, but are probably still better than I am.

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

Dale Holzer: Again, my buddies were huge factors in helping improve my game back in 2009. I would also watch Steve gboro780Gross and Paul paulgees81 Volpe absolutely crush in all of the biggest tournaments on Full Tilt and PokerStars.

I played a lot at Borgata with my buddy Christopher Brand, who primarily just plays live cash. I recently taught my brother Zack stickyking Holzer poker within the last year and now he crushes and talks strategy with me. There are still many New Jersey players who are much better than I am and I am working to improve my game every day. In order to be mentally prepared for the long sessions, I try to run or cycle every day.

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