Over the first weekend in March, Dan NukeTheFishWilson (pictured) was one-half of a heads-up chop of the PokerStars Sunday 500and raked in $58,000. It was the largest score of his online tournament career by a factor of almost three and he has since shot up to #245 worldwide in the PocketFives Poker Rankings. We caught up with him to discuss his life, which included getting a PhD in Astrophysics.

PocketFives: Congrats on chopping the Sunday 500. Tell us how you’re feeling about it.

Dan Wilson: It feels amazing. I was pretty card dead for large portions of the final table and dwindled to below five big blinds at one point trying to ladder versus two other super short stacks six-handed. So, to come back from that to get heads-up was pretty awesome.

PocketFives: Tell us about the chop with another PocketFiver, staszeq.

Dan Wilson: The chop was straightforward. We snap-decided on a chip-chop once James Andy McLEOD Obst busted in third place and played on for $6,000 and the glory, which was not forthcoming, sadly. staszeq was a decent reg, so I was happy to chop, especially with so much on the line.

PocketFives: Do you have any plans for the money?

Dan Wilson: I’m off traveling around Asia and then Australia at the end of the month and for the rest of 2015, so it will definitely go towards funding that. I will add the rest to my bankroll and continue building. I’ve had a decent 12 months across live and online poker, with deep runs in the WSOP Main Event and a win in an EPT side event, but having 100% of myself makes this score easily my best one.

PocketFives: You’re staying in Australia(pictured) for the rest of the year?

Dan Wilson: That’s the plan. My girlfriend and I have been wanting to take an extended trip abroad for a while and she recently traded in a desk job for one not dissimilar to mine, working from a laptop, so we’re going to take advantage of it and head off while we can. I know a few people in Australia and love Melbourne, so I’m going to spend the rest of the year there if all goes according to plan.

PocketFives: Are you looking forward to the vastly different playing schedule in Australia?

Dan Wilson: It will force me to get up earlier every day, but that’s by no means a bad thing. It also means you can be finished with your grind by early enough in the evening, which sounds good to me.

PocketFives: How did you get started in poker?

Dan Wilson: I played home games in college, mostly six-handed sit and gos for €2 a head, and the winner would then be able to afford dinner for the first time that week. One guy consistently beat the game and tapped the glass a little too much, so I decided I had to figure out how to beat it too. I read everything I could get my hands on and progressed from there.

I’ve been playing full-time for the last 12 months since I finished up my PhD in Astrophysics, but I was playing a lot during my PhD too, so I could have probably qualified as a semi-pro for the last four or five years. When I was doing my PhD, I lived with four other grinders. That environment definitely helped improve my game over time, so a shout out to them: Smidge, Jaymo, Liam, and Robbie.

PocketFives: Do you have any desire to do something with the PhD?

Dan Wilson: Maybe down the line I’ll migrate back to science, but I needed a break from it after submitting, so I decided I’d just play poker for a few years and see where things take me.

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

Dan Wilson: I still maintain a healthy interest in what’s going on in the sciences, but other than that I enjoy watching and playing soccer, eating healthy, and keeping fit. I found that was one of the most important additions to my routine when I started playing full-time and it’s something the top pros espouse, but not all regs take seriously. All of those hours sitting in front of a screen or at a live table can be mentally tiring. Keeping yourself in good shape will massively assist your mental state and concentration.

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