PocketFives had the opportunity to chat with Ryan Acpoker0271 Lee (pictured), who used to play a lot of cash games at Borgata, but then converted to playing online more since regulated poker launched in New Jersey in late 2013. Lee works for Child Protective Services in New Jersey full-time, so poker is more of a part-time hobby for him when he is not out playing sports or catching a comedy show with his girlfriend Nicole.

He has won seats to New Jersey Devils games eight times through the Dream Seats promotion on PartyPoker. His favorite tournaments to play online are the nightly $5,000 and $10,000 Guarantees on PartyPoker/Borgata. He has made the final table of the $10,000 Guarantee five times for a total of $5,454. Visit PocketFives’ New Jersey poker community for the latest news and discussion from New Jersey players.

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

Ryan Lee: In February 2013, I heard some great news about online gaming sites becoming legal in New Jersey. Before this, I had played on sites like Full Tilt, PokerStars, and Bovada.

One of the issues for me by playing on these sites previously had to do with withdrawing/depositing. Since these sites technically were not legal here and were located outside of the US, there were fees just to deposit money including international fees from my bank. Also, I could not always deposit and sometimes my card would be declined.

Now that there are legal sites in New Jersey, it’s obviously a lot easier. There are several different ways to deposit and not get charged any fees. There are also ways to withdraw and have the money transfer right to your bank account without charging any fees.

There are many benefits from playing online. Obviously, being able to play online right from your home without having to drive anywhere is convenient. Also, being able to multi-table online is a benefit. I think it allows you to be more patient and stick to playing better hands and keep you from getting bored. You can also play right from your phone or tablet wherever you are.

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

Ryan Lee: I started playing poker when I was 17 sometime after my senior year of high school. This was around the Moneymaker Boom, when poker became a lot more popular. I think I started watching the WSOP on TV with my brother around the time and it was just interesting to me. It took a little while to understand, as I only used to play Five Card Draw when I was a kid.

I think poker is appealing to most people because it is the one so-called sport that anyone can play. You don’t have to be athletic to play; you just have to learn and constantly work on your game. It can be a pipe dream for some.

It’s many players’ dream to be on TV and win the Main Event. Some people want part of the fame and fortune that celebrities and athletes have without having to be athletic and rarely moving from their chair.

After years of playing, I started doing pretty well and spent a lot of time on poker. I bought a poker table and had home games and played online occasionally. I was always either in school or working, so I never played poker full-time or could ever consider it as a full-time job even if I were profiting.

I’ve always played low to mid limits. I’ve always played $1/$2 NLHE cash games and occasionally $2/$5. I started keeping track of my wins and losses and noticed I was profiting and doing very well. At one point, I got into a slump as does everyone and also made mistakes trying to play at higher limits. I got back on the track I was on and started doing well again.

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

Ryan Lee: I mainly play on Borgata, although I don’t know if this would be my favorite site if I start to consistently play on others. I have played on 888, WSOP, and PartyPoker, but I wanted to stick to one site to get used to and build a bankroll on.

I only play at the Borgata Casino for live poker, so I figured it would be beneficial for me to play on their site as well. The Borgata online points/reward system could be better. I think they should look into transferring online comps/points to their land-based casino comps account. Since I have been a Black Card holder at Borgata for the last several years, it is harder to maintain that status since I am playing online more and playing live less. Also, no comps are given by playing live tournaments.

On PartyPoker, they offered great freerolls, specifically the New Jersey Devils suite seats and lower level seat freerolls. This past season, I won these seats eight times; one included an all-inclusive trip to Florida to stay and watch a game (I also bubbled the trip to Arizona). The suite seats were amazing and the trip to Florida was great too.

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

Ryan Lee: I play 10 to 15 hours per week. Since I have a full-time job working at least 40 hours per week and a girlfriend and I own a home, it is hard to play anymore than that. I used to play at Borgata on weekends, but more recently it’s been playing the daily $5,000 and $10,000 Guarantees on Borgata online.

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

Ryan Lee: I started out watching a lot of poker and reading books. My favorite player was Daniel Negreanu, so I watched him play a lot and read one of his books. I related a lot to his game and felt like I was somewhat similar to him including how he could just call out a player’s exact hand.

Other pros I liked to learn from or whom I just liked following were Phil Helmuth, Phil Ivey, Allen Cunningham, Jamie Kerstetter, Jennifer Harman, and Amanda Musumeci.

I don’t know if or when my approach to the game ever changed that drastically. At one point, I learned that all I could do was try to learn and improve my game and try to play the best that I could. Players have no control of the cards and can’t control luck. The luck of the game can factor in the short-term, whereas the skill of the game can factor in the long-term.

However, you just don’t know when luck will change or how much it will really influence results. You just have to always play your best. You should always try to evaluate your play and fix your leaks to help push you forward. Even improving on one thing can be the difference between cashing a tournament and not.

I’ve always talked about poker with some of my friends to give and get feedback. A friend of mine, Bob Romanowski, (Standouts), who plays professionally, has always given me advice and given me a better perspective on poker similar to what was previously mentioned.

Another friend of mine who also plays professionally, Jake schaf4206 Schafer, has helped with advice. I also talk to some of my other good friends who play poker who I not only have given but have received advice from like Tom Carapelho, Keith Cosentino, Jordan Lavundi, and Nick Decastro. Even my girlfriend, Nicole Parrino, knows a thing or two. I also have two brothers, Mike and Brendan, who play who I talk to about poker.

To date, I have been playing more tournaments than cash games. Within the past few months, I have been cashing in more tournaments more consistently than I used to. I think this is due to working on my game, fixing a few leaks, and taking it seriously while not tilting as much.

I think the main thing is understanding how your opponents play. Play your opponents’ cards, not your own. I think having knowledge is important, but also having experience and emotional stability in the game is equally as important. And, “If you can’t spot the sucker within a half-hour at the table, then you’re the sucker.”

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

Ryan Lee: I do work for Child Protective Services full-time, which takes up a lot of my time. About the same amount of time probably goes into having a girlfriend. I also bought a house in Forked River last September, so for a period of time I was really busy and away from the tables.

On my time off, some of my hobbies include playing all kinds of sports, mostly basketball, golf, softball, soccer, and football. I’d like to think I’m an athletic person. I played lots of sports throughout my life. I play in different local leagues throughout the year. I also like to go to the gym, run and weightlift.

I try to get healthier and get into some kind of shape, which I think helps at the poker table. I think if you feel good, you’ll play better. I live on the Jersey shore, so in the summer I enjoy going to the beach. I like to travel a lot now, which I have done more often recently.

I like to sports bet occasionally, mostly on football. I also started playing on DraftKingsand FanDuel last year and love the daily fantasy football leagues a lot more than season-long leagues. I also like doing other typical things like going to the movies, going out to eat, or going anywhere just to get out of the house.

I also enjoy watching standup comedy (Jim Gaffigan, Mitch Hedburg, George Carlin, Brian Reagan, Rodney Dangerfield, Chris Rock, Louis C.K ). I also enjoy performing standup comedy, which I have done several times at different places.

I’m usually very competitive in most things that I do. I enjoy all competitions. This past year at Borgata, I entered their first basketball free throw competition. I finished in the top 16 out of 1,022 entries, losing by one point in that round, and was still disappointed.

I have traveled more this year also. I also went with my friend Jake to Vegas. I also cashed in my first WSOP deep-stack side event, which I can now cross off my bucket list.

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