By
Dan
The online poker world has seen some amazing feats over the past few years. Back in 2005,
Dr_Zoidberg2 took down the Party Poker $250,000 Guaranteed tourney in back to back weeks. Who could forget
kingfisher, who won the Paradise Poker $100,000 Guaranteed on consecutive weekends as well? In 2006,
hoodini10 won the PokerStars $100 rebuy three times – in one weekend. Add another outstanding feat in online poker, this time by Greg “
DuckU” Hobson, who took down the
Full Tilt Poker $750,000 Guaranteed last weekend and the $400,000 Guaranteed this weekend. He cashed for over $230,000 total, vaulting his name into the poker spotlight.
Hobson comments on the difference between the $750k and the $400k: “I felt like there was enough play in the $750k to make standard raises and even re-raises without being completely pot committed, which was not the case in the $400k. I actually felt more confident in the $750k once I got to the final table because the blinds were more reasonable compared to the chip stacks. I felt in the $400k, I was going to have to get a little lucky to win because the blinds were so big. I had to push without premium hands if I felt like it was the right time.” 1,647 people entered the $750k tournament and 2,340 played in the $400k.
You’ll usually only find DuckU seated at the tournament tables on Sundays, as he is an avid cash game player the rest of the week: “I put in a lot of hours playing cash games. It’s nice because it’s a steady income compared to tournaments. I also don't find that playing in small tournaments is usually worth my time. I can make more and quit whenever I want playing cash games. I like to be able to spend time with my wife in the evenings whenever possible.”
Hobson has been married for over a year and was wed on New Years Eve 2006. “We decided to do it on New Years Eve because she wanted a winter wedding and she had a break from school at that time.” The 27 year-old is a graduate of Southern Oregon University, where he played football for four years and met his future wife. He holds a Masters degree in Teaching: “I was a substitute teacher and coached football the year following my teaching program. My wife graduated from college and wanted to go to law school. That’s when I started playing poker full-time.” He has been a full-time poker player for two years. Here's a shot of Hobson with his bride:
The support Hobson received during the two tournament wins did not go unnoticed: “During both the $750k and the $400k, my brothers and my parents were watching the final tables. They put in a lot of hours watching me and helped me maintain focus when it really counted. Having their support helped me out and made the wins even sweeter.” Congratulations to Greg “DuckU” Hobson on his back to back Full Tilt Poker major wins.
For discussion about Greg's accomplishment and where it falls in the history of online poker, check out the discussion thread in the forums.