PocketFives had the opportunity to catch up with Milltown resident Tom njhockey15 Macor (pictured, ranked 76th in New Jersey), who can be found on the ice playing hockey when not on the virtual felts in New Jersey. Macor was introduced to poker at the age of 13 and has been playing ever since.

With over $53,000 in tracked online cashes, some of notable cashes include a 10th place finish in the inaugural WSOP Online Championship $250,000 Guarantee for $3,000 and two wins in the WSOP $5,000 Guarantee for a total of $2,743. Visit PocketFives’ New Jersey poker community for the latest news and discussion from New Jersey players.

PocketFives: When did you start playing poker and why was it appealing?

Tom Macor: I started playing right around the time of the poker boom. I was about 13 at the time and was introduced to Texas Hold’em by a friend’s dad. I’ve always liked strategy games, so I was immediately drawn to the game and began working on getting better. I’ve been playing since then and have really enjoyed trying to improve my game.

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

Tom Macor: Overall, I have had great experiences playing on the regulated sites. I played a bit on Bovada after Black Friday, so compared to that the regulated sites have been great. Obviously, there are a bunch of things that can be improved upon, but just being able to play has been great.

I also like what regulated poker has done for PocketFives. The New Jersey community has grown a lot since last November and I have been lucky enough to meet a lot of the New Jersey grinders. I really look forward to meeting up with everyone at the PocketFives tournament again this summer.

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

Tom Macor: I put most of my volume in on WSOP. I have not been able to play much lately due to work, but when I can play during the week, WSOP has the most tournaments that fit my schedule. They have also been crushing their guarantees since the merge with 888 and I really like the fact that they recently allowed players to sync their Total Rewards card with their WSOP account.

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

Tom Macor: My most memorable cash came back in the WSOP Online Championship Series in January 2014. I won a satellite into the $530 buy-in, $250,000 Guarantee and ended up really deep in it. I had 20 to 25 big blinds on the final table bubble and a guy in early position open-jammed like 30 big blinds. I wake up with aces, he had kings, and a king landed on the river to send me home in 10th for a $3,000 score.

I was pretty crushed at the time, especially considering that it was $56,000 up top, but I was really happy with my play throughout the tournament. That was only a few months after poker became regulated in New Jersey, so it was a great learning experience for me. I am definitely going to remember that one for a while.

PocketFives: Is there anyone or anything that helped change how you approach the game?

Tom Macor: Back in the fall, I began taking lessons from Grayson the_dean22 Nichols. He has really helped me to look at situations differently and change up my plays. I had read about a dozen poker books and watched a bunch of training videos prior to getting a coach, which helped me with the basics. But, reviewing my hand histories with Grayson has helped take my game to a completely different level. I still have a lot of work to do, but he has helped my game tremendously.

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

Tom Macor: I play hockey a few nights a week, which helps me get through the work week grind. In the summer, I spend most of my weekends down at the Jersey shore, so I am really looking forward to summer.

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