Poker Articles

In the online poker community being sick is almost always a good thing. Well, two weeks ago Glen “Choron” Chorny was sick as a dog, and it had nothing to do with his play in the World Poker Open 5k Pot Limit Omaha event. “I was actually sick as a dog both days of the tourney. Flu, cold, nasal congestion, headache, painful joints, muscles, bones, you name it. It was going around Tunica like wildfire. That made winning even sweeter. I felt fine after I won, no joke,” Choron said of his 80k win, which also came with a 10k seat and a diamond WPT bracelet. Oh, and he also beat out Robert Williamson III and Devilfish Ulliot on his way to the title, two excellent PLO players.

Choron’s win of the World Poker Open 5k PLO championship was not only healthy for his bottom line, but it also gave quite a boost for his confidence. Choron has done quite well for himself online, but he actually got his start as a live cash game player and continues to play live on a regular basis. This bracelet, along with a very deep yet disappointing 13th place finish in the Bahamas at PCA has him hungry for more live success. He is in the top ten of Bluff Magazine’s Player of the Year race, and he has already set his sites on that title for 2008.

That may seem bold coming from an “unknown”. The Bluff Player of the Year has been won by Bill Edler, Chad Brown, and Phil Ivey in the past three years respectively. Glen Choron has two live scores in the major databases and they are both this year. In fact, Cardplayer and Bluff are still reporting his first name as Glenn, but an extra “N” never hurt anybody. I remember reporting on the WSOP in 2006 and relaying the news to Cardplayer that a young man going deep in the main event was in fact Jared Hamby, not “Handy”. Last year Hamby made a run at a POY title himself, so why not?

How does Choron like his chances? He had this to say, “I would consider my tournament game to be somewhere between Bill Edler's and Daniel Negreanu's who are two live players that I consider to be on the highest of levels.” With only two live cashes and one tournament win under his belt the young man has a very long way to go to prove himself but it is certainly not for me to say it can’t be done.

Choron plans to hit the tourney circuit very hard this year. After Tunica he spent a few days resting up at his parents’ snowbird refuge in Florida before jetting off to Atlantic City and the Borgata Winter Open. That’s only the beginning for him, though. Choron is as ambitious in his schedule as he is in everything, “I will be playing pretty much every major live event this year with the exception of some in Europe. The EPT Grand Final is a lock for me though.” With the dizzying number of big tourneys around the world these days, unless Choron has figured out a way to be in more than one place at once he’ll have to skip a few events here and there.

Choron may also not see his hometown for months at a time. Waterloo, Ontario is one of those intriguing locales in the world that can be labeled a hotbed of poker talent. It’s not clear whether it is simply coincidence or if there really is something in the water, but that little corner of Canada has produced some impressive players. Pocketfivers ch0ppy, TheDreamer, Choron, and timex, among other successful players hail from Waterloo.  

Choron goes by “WLUstudent” on a few sites, which stands for Wilfrid Laurier University where he is one semester shy of earning his degree. Nonetheless he is taking the spring semester off to pursue his dream of live circuit dominance. He has crushed cash games in NLHE as well as PLO for some time now both online and live, and while he enjoys the game as much as ever, he has decided he wants a little fame to go with his fortune. In the poker world the place to seek those riches is in big buy in, televised tournaments. 

Choron is dead serious about winning and winning often, but he seems to remember better than some that he is making his living playing a game. “I’m a joker at heart,” Choron said, “I’m a character at the table. I can get serious and intense too, but for the most part I enjoy mixing it up and having a good time.” When I asked him if he used that to his advantage he replied,

“It’s actually really useful at the poker table. You can get different reactions from people to try to get a read, or put somebody off balance. Obviously you have to process information correctly, and I think I do that well.”

Choron talks fast and thinks faster. He has a quick wit and is always ready to have a good time. Behind that laid back and casual image lies not only a sharp poker mind but also a very accomplished investor. Choron has trounced the S&P for several years running through commodities investing as well as international securities. “I would say everyday of my life is about poker and the stock market equally divided. I have had great success in each and I love both. It’s all about the money man!” We’ll be watching Glen “Choron” Chorny closely over the coming year as he makes a run at the Player of the Year, but win, lose or draw, I would say this young man’s future prospects are very healthy indeed.