Heads-Up with New Jersey Poker Player Ryan Shaw (Tapouttazz9)
PocketFives sits down with Ryan Shaw (Tapouttazz9, pictured), a bail bondsman out of Fair Lawn, New Jersey. He is primarily a micro-stakes cash game player, but also plays online tournaments in New Jersey. Shaw has a brain tumor sitting on his right optic nerve that caused his right eye to go blind, so not only did he survive the tumor, but he also plays poker with one eye.
He was also recently featured in a News 5 New York documentaryabout online gaming. Some of Shaw’s cashes include a third place finish in the WSOP.com$5,000 Guarantee for $500 and a win in the PartyPoker/Borgata Poker$500 Guaranteed. Visit PocketFives’ New Jersey poker community for the latest news and discussion from New Jersey players.
PocketFives: How did you choose your screen name?
Ryan Shaw: When I was thinking of a name, I wanted it to represent something in my life at the time. I decided to pick a name that had meaning to me. Tapout, to me, is a warrior spirit. I then took my dog’s name, Tazz, and put them together to form Tapouttazz. The nine at the end represents my favorite hockey player, Paul Kariya. I have used the same name since I first started playing in 2011.
PocketFives: You recently appeared in a Fox 5 news documentary about online poker. What was that experience like?
Ryan Shaw: The experience was a good one for sure. I didn’t realize how much work and planning are involved when doing a story. The story, for the most part, turned out okay. It was an hour of shooting and questions at my house and then 30 minutes of shooting at my job for a total of two minutes on TV.
PocketFives: How long have you been playing online poker?
Ryan Shaw: I have been playing online poker since 2011, right before Black Friday hit. I still, to this day, remember how crazy it was not being able to log on and play. I hope nothing like that happens again.
PocketFives: Give us your thoughts and experiences of regulated online poker in New Jersey.
Ryan Shaw: In my opinion, online poker has been a success so far in New Jersey. There are a few things that need to be fixed, but for the most part everything is going well. As for an experience, I went and played at the Borgata PocketFives Open. It was a great time and I met many really cool people. I hope they run it again soon.
PocketFives: What are your favorite New Jersey online poker sitesto play and why?
Ryan Shaw: My favorite online poker site to play on is 888 Poker. They run the best freeroll MTTs in my opinion. They also have a lot of small-stakes freezeouts.
