PocketFives had the opportunity to catch up with Sergio svigano Vigano (pictured, ranked 145th in New Jersey), who was born and raised in Brazil, but has found a home in Marlton, New Jersey. Vigano’s poker journey started out as a dealer in 2010 in a Florida casino, which eventually led to him playing Limit Hold’em. As time passed, he got into No Limit Hold’em and has improved year after year.

He did not venture into online poker until post-Black Friday. With close to $300,000 in live and online cashes, some of his notable accomplishments include a fifth place finish in the 888 Poker/WSOP $35,000 Guarantee for $2,479, a third place finish in the PartyPoker/Borgata GSSS $20,000 Guarantee for $2,136, and a win in the 2014 WPT Borgata Open for $168,875.

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

Sergio Vigano: I don’t have much experience in online poker at all. I started playing online poker after Black Friday, so being able to play online poker in New Jersey has really helped me improve my game. I hope we can continue doing so with improvements and extending it throughout the US in the near future instead of being “shut down” once again by authorities.

I would go even further and hope that New Jersey can get more sites joining us in the next couple of years, but honestly I don’t see that happening and would love to be dead wrong. Money does talk, sad but true.

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

Sergio Vigano: I started getting involved in poker when I decided to become a poker dealer at the end of 2010. I still remember my first time in a poker room at the Isle Casino in Florida where I went to observe dealers. The game was $2/$4 Limit Hold’em, I got my first hand dealt, pulled the cards all the way to my chest, and the whole table was yelling at me while the dealer immediately began to explain the situation.

I find quite a few things appealing about poker. It is a “people’s game,” which means you have to pay attention to their behaviors, try to read them at all times, adjust my game accordingly, and, like everything else in life, poker needs a balance by all means.

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

Sergio Vigano: I like them all. I guess I am just happy to be able to play online from my home. I prefer WSOP’s software besides of the fact that I run a lot better there than on the other sites.

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

Sergio Vigano: I have never really paid much attention to it, but I would say it averages around 35 hours per week lately, playing and/or studying. But when I go play live tournaments, that number can get up to 60.

PocketFives: Is there anyone who helped change how you approach the game of poker?

Sergio Vigano: I don’t think there is anyone in particular. Like I mentioned before, I believe in balancing my game. Therefore, I try to get good things from all kinds of good players: loose/aggressive, tight/solid, nit, etc.

PocketFives: Do you feel online poker has helped improve your live game?

Sergio Vigano: Absolutely! Being able to play online every single day is a huge way to keep improving my game in certain aspects that I can still use in a live game. It helps my overall game from getting stagnant considering that not every day I can make it to a casino to play a decent live tournament.

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

Sergio Vigano: When I am not playing, most of my time I spend with my eight-year-old going to parks, sports practice/games, playing Xbox, going to the movies, etc. I enjoy listening to music, traveling, animals, going to the movies at 12:00pm to watch “what I wish,” and the simple things in life like chatting with friends even when it has to be on FaceTime while having a beer. Spend more time with your loved ones, people!