Mike ‘norfair18’ Phillips has been able to hop around the world thanks to a desire to master Spanish

Remember in high school when you had to take a foreign language class? You were probably thinking, “Oh, this is going to be a giant waste of time” and then zoned out as you were taught French, Spanish, or for you Europeans out there, English.

For American online poker transplants like Mike ‘norfair18’ Phillips, paying attention in Spanish class has paid off in a big way, as he just passed $2.2 million in career online tournament winnings, including a recent victory in the PokerStars Super-Sized Sunday. Without a working knowledge of Spanish, thanks in part to those high school days, relocating a few times to continue playing online poker after Black Friday could have been a lot more challenging.

“I just moved down to Medellin, Colombia,” Phillips said. “I wanted to be with a few other grinders I knew who said they liked it down here. I’m taking Spanish lessons four times a week in the morning before my grind sessions.”

Prior to Medellin, Phillips was camped out in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

“That place was beautiful and relaxing,” he said, “but I was looking for something where I’d absolutely have to use my Spanish every day. In most of these poker expat destinations for American grinders in Mexico and Costa Rica, most grinders live in a bubble where they speak English with their friends and live in big tourist spots where it’s very similar to American culture.”

“Other parts of Latin America have a lot more to offer than I first realized,” he added. “So, I’ve dedicated myself to learning Spanish and assimilating into the local culture a bit more. There’s beautiful weather year-round, a lower cost of living, a place where you can really ball out if you want to, and a lifestyle that frankly isn’t available to poker players in the States unless you’re Phil Hellmuth or Daniel Negreanu.”

Since Black Friday, Phillips scored the largest cash of his career – a win in the Super Tuesday in 2015 for $121,000. It’s a tournament he’s owned, as all four of his largest cashes have come in it for well over $300,000 total.

“You really can’t get by without knowing Spanish unless you want to feel like an idiot in daily conversations,” he said. “I took a few Spanish classes in high school and, in hindsight, those were the most useful and applicable courses I have taken out of any subject. I’m still a beginner, but I expect that to change soon by having classes four times a week with a one-on-one tutor.”

Phillips is currently the third-ranked online poker player in Colombia, #2 in Medellin, and #180 worldwide. He hit #1 on PocketFives last year for a two-week stint that ended in May and is a three-time PocketFives Triple Crown winner, having won one in 2014, 2015, and 2016. He signed up for the community 10 years ago and his longevity after Black Friday likely would not have been nearly as smooth had he not paid attention during those long afternoons in Spanish class.

The view from Phillips’ balcony

Phillips lives in the upscale El Poblado neighborhood of Medellin, where new high-rises are being built around him every month. “I’ve only been here for a month-and-a-half,” he said. “I have mainly focused on learning the language so far.”

He originally found his way to Colombia through fellow PocketFives member ‘tedSTRETCH‘. The two lived together in the seaside resort town of Jaco in Costa Rica, but ‘tedSTRETCH’ moved to Colombia, so Phillips came down to visit.

“So I did,” he said, recalling what could have been a brief, in-and-out visit. “But, a few months later, I made the permanent move. The lifestyle is very relaxing and the people are really friendly in contrast to the United States, where many people are so busy working and not as happy. We like joking around and furthering the impression Colombia has in America, which is kidnappings, drugs, and murders, in hopes that no one else comes down so the city remains pristine for us.”

A five-star hotel in Medellin, the capital of the Antioquia province, averages less than $100 a night. The average rent for a 900-square-foot apartment is less than $500 a month. A lunchtime meal in the business district: less than $5. It’s affordable and, as Phillips said, you can live like a king not just once, but every day.

And according to the United Nations, Colombia had a murder rate of 27.9 per 100,000 people in 2015, half of the rate of the US.

“The Colombian stereotypes were based on events that happened 25 or 30 years ago,” Phillips said. “It doesn’t help that every new Hollywood movie or Netflix series about Colombia is based on that era in its history, which frustrates local Colombians.”

The backdrop, complete with its Spanish roots, has paid off. Phillips’ house earned $100,000 on a recent Sunday – a single day – after Phillips shipped the Super-Sized Sunday, ‘tedSTRETCH’ won the 888 Mega Deep, and his third roommate finished second in the ACR Sunday major. “That was a first for us,” he said with a smile.