New Jersey poker player Paul Scaturro (rimmer27on PocketFives, pictured) out of Old Bridge, New Jersey is a longtime PocketFives member who has over $600,000 in tracked online cashes. Scaturro plays under La_Flama_Blan27 on PartyPokerand Rungood27on WSOP.comand Ultimate Poker. On July 26, he took down the WSOP.com $10,000 Guarantee and finished in second in the PartyPoker/Borgata Poker $10,000 Guarantee the same night for a total of $4,457.

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.

Paul Scaturro: Overall, I have to say I have been very pleased with my experiences of regulated online poker in New Jersey. I know some players have been vocal about the negative experiences, but I guess my expectations were not that high so they were rather easy to surpass.

For example, I remember the first weekend the sites went fully live, Party/Borgata ran its Sunday $50,000 Guaranteed and I thought, “Wow, I can’t believe a week into this and we’re playing a fully regulated, $50,000 guaranteed tournament.” Of course, the growth needs to continue and the sites need to keep improving, but we are only in the infancy of this process. I’m hoping with time and further improvement, the online poker world in NJ can really grow and set the bar for other states to possibly join forces.

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

Paul Scaturro: I play on all of the sites, but I think it’s pretty clear that Borgata/PartyPoker is the best as far as overall traffic and tournament schedule. Plus, even though their payout structures aren’t ideal, they seem set to be giving us an excellent series coming up in September. I enjoy playing on WSOP.com, but I would really like to see them work on their tournament schedule.

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

Paul Scaturro: Honestly, I think it’s just timing. I’ve put in enough time over the years to know that success in tournament poker is really about putting yourself in a position to do something good. If you keep getting deep in tournaments and are playing optimally, eventually you will get there. That’s not to say it is easy either. Every time I play, I feel like there is an opportunity to learn and I know I am a better player today than I was at this time last year or before that. Practice may not make perfect like they say, but it definitely makes you better.

PocketFives: Since the launch of regulated online poker in New Jersey, what has been your most memorable cash or win?

Paul Scaturro: A few weekends ago, I came in second in the PartyPoker $10,000 Guarantee and won the WSOP.com $10,000 Guarantee. Plus, I final tabled the $5,000 Guarantee on PartyPoker. The two $10,000 Guarantees are really our daily crown jewels here in the New Jersey online world, so even though the scores might not seem enormous, it felt really good to do so well in both on the same night.

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

Paul Scaturro: I learned to play poker sitting on my grandmother’s lap watching her and my aunts and uncles go at it over a nickel and dime game. I was hooked at a young age and have been a games player since I can remember. I am competitive to a fault, so I definitely enjoy the competition on the felt.

Of course, it’s nice to fuel my competitive fire with a hobby that can actually be profitable if you are lucky enough to succeed. The appeal to online poker is pretty simple; after work, I get to go home and see my wonderful wife and two little girls and still fire up a tournament or two.

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