PocketFives had the opportunity to catch up with Will Billson Gallagher (pictured, ranked 14th in New Jersey), who has been playing online poker since 2007 while also playing live at Delaware Park Casino while attending the University of Delaware. When not going to classes or playing at the casino, Gallagher got a part-time job running poker games for a bar league.

With close to $70,000 in tracked online cashes, some of his notable accomplishments include a win in the PartyPoker/Borgata $50,000 Guarantee, a win in an NJCOP $40,000 Guarantee, and a win in the 888 Poker/WSOP $10,000 Guarantee for a combined $16,294. Visit PocketFives’ New Jersey poker community for the latest news and discussion from New Jersey players.

PocketFives: When did you start playing pokerand why was it appealing?

Will Gallagher: I started playing with friends in high school in the occasional home game and watched poker on TV. Around the same time, my cousin was playing on PokerStars and making some decent money. So, when I went to college in 2007, I started playing online too, but was basically giving away $25 to $50 at a time because it was just for fun and I was not very concerned about being good.

I finally got sick of losing around January 2011 and decided to try to improve my game. The Monday before Black Friday, I took third in a $3.30 rebuy on Full Tilt for $1,700 and had a brief few days of delusion thinking things were moving in the right direction.

In the aftermath of that, I was lucky to be going to the University of Delaware, which is 10 minutes from Delaware Park. So, I got a part-time job running games for a bar poker league and began playing the daily $65 tournaments at Delaware Park regularly.

After college, I could not find a job, so I started painting houses and playing poker when I could. Over time, it gradually became more poker and less painting. Ultimately, I began playing poker because it was fascinating to me and still play poker because I love to play.

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

Will Gallagher: Since the beginning of this year, I have really been grinding a lot online. It depends if there is a series going on. Right now, I am playing almost every night, but when there is not a series going, I generally play four or five days a week. On average, I probably play 30 to 40 hours per week.

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

Will Gallagher: I had a lot of issues with geo-location initially, so I only really started playing a lot in January of this year.

I like the variety on WSOP better, but I prefer freezeouts to rebuys, so I like the daily majors on Borgata a bit more. I have traditionally run well on Borgata as well, but I just started running well on WSOP too. I also like 888 for some of their smaller buy-ins and actually suggest my friends check that out first if they are interested in learning poker.

PocketFives: Since the launch of regulated online poker in New Jersey, what has been your most memorable cash or win?

Will Gallagher: I have had all of my top eight online cashes in the last two months, so it has been an exciting time in general. While chopping the PartyPoker/Borgata $50K on June 7th was nice, I think the most memorable cash was in the $1,000 buy-in High Roller during the NJCOP.

I was not going to play it, but then I knocked out two people in the $500 Bounty to freeroll that tourney. I looked in the lobby of the $1K and there were 20 left, 12 getting paid, at the 500/1,000 level. I decided to hop in for the 10 bb to take a shot at the $20,000 up top. I ended up doubling a few times and busting in ninth for $3,600. It was terrible bankroll management, but not bad for only playing in that tournament for about an hour.

PocketFives: Is there anyone or anything that helped change how you approach the game?

Will Gallagher: Volume has really helped in terms of my actual play. Having that “been there, done that” feeling is nice when you are getting into the business end of a big tourney. Some friends, including Justin PocketProfitsWong and Scott “SBlast2711” Blumstein, have been very supportive. Seeing their successes online has inspired me to play more and focus more.

Also, being strategy agnostic, I am willing to try new things and gauge their impact relative to my game. I am currently a month into an old school 3x opening experiment and am loving the results so far, but now that I just told everyone what I’m up to, maybe it’s time to mix it up and switch back to the min-raise.

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

Will Gallagher: I am currently working for a Battery Storage startup company and do not get paid. I’m grinding for equity right now. I am going to the FireFly Music Festival next Thursday for the long weekend. I love playing chess, although I only began playing as an adult. I lived in Germany for a year during college, so I speak German and have been wanting to go back for a visit, probably to Berlin. With my recent run good, maybe it will happen sooner rather than later!