Most poker gamers would envy the spot Sam Laskowitz discovered himself in. He sat contained in the PokerGO Studio in February because the chip chief in a $15,000 PokerGO Cup occasion. The former lawyer from Long Island, New York had already notched three top-10 finishes within the sequence, and with a win might put himself in rivalry for participant of the sequence honors.
Instead, the 32-year-old discovered himself abruptly dashing in direction of the exit. Although he nonetheless had chips on the desk, a serious life occasion had pressured his hand.
“My girlfriend was pregnant and the due date was sometime during the PokerGO Cup,” he recalled. “We didn’t know when it was going to be exactly, obviously. I was playing every tournament, just kind of waiting for that call. And then finally, we were on stream and she texted me that her water broke. I was actually chip leader with like 21 people left or something. It just progressed super fast. By 7:30 we were all ready to push the baby out.”
The story had a constructive ending all the way in which round. His new son was wholesome, as was his son’s mom, fellow poker professional Melissa Schubert. And whereas he didn’t get to complete the event within the PokerGO Studio, Laskowitz nonetheless managed to complete eighth for $51,600 whereas merely getting his stack blinded off.
He’d have to attend a couple of month earlier than he discovered the winner’s circle once more, incomes a WSOP Circuit ring at Horseshoe in March, however heading to the hospital as an alternative was definitely price lacking out on the potential $350,000 first-place prize.
“It’s actually been really nice to have a girlfriend or a partner who understands poker life a little bit,” he stated of Schubert.
The couple met by means of mutual buddies in Las Vegas.
“We knew there was a possibility he would have to blind out of something if I went into labor during the series,” Schubert stated. “I was five days late, so we were expecting it any day. I started labor the night of that tournament when he had a lot of chips. As a first-time mom, I expected a long labor and no rush, but I progressed really quickly and it was all pretty hectic. He made it though! Early on, Sam and I knew we had a shared vision of family and we’re blessed to have started. Our son Dean is already no stranger to poker. The day after he was born, he spent his afternoon at the hospital watching the final table on his dad’s chest.”
Laskowitz’s life has definitely been on the upswing since leaving his job as a company lawyer. The new profession started in 2022, when he performed in his first World Series of Poker occasion. It was a protracted shot. The $400 Colossus drew an enormous discipline of 13,565 runners, however Laskowitz managed to navigate his strategy to heads-up play, settling for second place and a $256,170 payout.
With his new bankroll secured, Laskowitz ditched submitting authorized briefs for riffling poker chips and has since racked up $3.3 million in event winnings. He lately spoke with Card Player about his distinctive entry into the sport, enjoying with the excessive rollers, dwelling in Las Vegas, and extra.
First-Bullet Fortune
Laskowitz took up poker as a interest at an early age again in New York. He and his father performed on the home and the Moneymaker increase solely ramped up his curiosity. He was into sports activities and performed lots of basketball, making good use of his 6-foot, 5-inch body.
Always very aggressive, Laskowitz has additionally been somewhat little bit of a gambler.
“I’ve never been a degenerate gambler,” he says. “I’m not into sports betting or things like that, but I’m always ready to put my money where my mouth is if I believe in myself.”
After highschool, Laskowitz attended the University of Delaware to check legislation, finally working in New York City for one of many massive 4 accounting corporations. But that 2022 journey to Las Vegas would finally change his complete life.
“One of my friends convinced me to come out to Vegas for the WSOP,” he recalled. “I played my first serious poker event and I ended up coming in second. Then I left my job to try and pursue this professionally.”
“It was a surreal experience. It was my very first live bullet in a tournament. It was pretty fast because it’s over in three or four days, but it was crazy just being on the livestream for the very first time. I always thought I could probably be a professional poker player and I liked the game a lot. It was something I wanted to do, and that was the big push I needed.”
As somebody pretty new to the main event competitors, Laskowitz says he was surprisingly calm for a lot of the motion, which helped him in the long term. While the six-figure end added gasoline to his new poker life, taking second was a serious disappointment on the time.
“It’s so funny, but I swear, I [never got above] my resting heart rate,” he stated. “I was very, very prepared for the moment somehow. I’ve had big spots since then where I have felt nerves. I would say I’ve felt the nerves on many occasions. But that one, it just kind of felt like a destiny type of thing.”
“It was really weird because I was actually really sad [after losing],” he admitted. “I really wanted it. I was a card away from winning the bracelet. We got it all in heads up. I lost the flip for the bracelet (his pocket threes fell to A-Q when eventual winner Paul Hizer rivered a Broadway straight) and the remainder of the heads-up. So afterward, I remember kind of just sitting there and watching them celebrate. It was a bittersweet feeling.”
New Full-Time Job
So far, enjoying full time has been a extremely worthwhile resolution. Along with the large runner-up, Laskowitz grabbed a win six months later in a $2,200 thriller bounty occasion at Borgata for $146,609. He additionally completed eighth within the championship occasion for an additional $144,006.
In 2023, Laskowitz transitioned to enjoying extra occasions within the PokerGO Studio, chalking up a number of ultimate desk appearances on the Poker Masters and PGT Sprint sequence. He additionally completed runner-up in a $1,500 thriller bounty occasion on the Wynn for $133,820 and closed his yr with a win on the North American Poker Tour at Resorts World for a rating of $180,850.
In 2024, Laskowitz turned up the warmth on the excessive curler circuit, profitable occasion no. 3 of the PGT Last Chance sequence for $205,000 whereas including two extra ultimate tables for an additional $102,200. He then picked up two extra ultimate tables on the PGT Kickoff sequence a pair weeks later for a mixed $80,950 and one other two in April when the U.S. Poker Open was working for $315,310. Even extra ultimate tables adopted up and down the Strip, together with a $250,000 rating on the Wynn Summer Classic.
So far in 2025, he has already made 10 ultimate tables, together with his most up-to-date WSOP Circuit win and runner-up end for a complete of $100,152, which Schubert credited on Twitter to some child run good.
Laskowitz now sees that first runner-up end for what it was, a serious windfall to springboard to a full-time poker profession.
“I feel like it’s a pretty common story in poker,” he stated. “A lot of the guys that have had staying power ended up having one big score or a lot of success early on. So (a major win) really does help and keep you in the game.”
After previously working in company taxes, mergers, and acquisitions, poker has been a welcome change. High-octane authorized work can imply lengthy hours and main accountability. High salaries can include demanding workloads and a extremely aggressive surroundings. He now spends those self same lengthy hours betting and bluffing. How do his two jobs evaluate?
“They’re both pretty stressful in their own ways,” he stated. “There are a lot more similarities than it would probably appear. I would say this one’s a little bit better on the time flexibility.”
Time flexibility is essential given his new household. He and Schubert plan to get married sooner or later.
“It’s nice,” Schubert admitted. “I’ve undoubtedly taken a step again from poker since I obtained pregnant however I feel being in the identical business and realizing the identical individuals provides to our relationship. I’m capable of empathize higher realizing the sport and way of life.
“Sam is hardworking, focused, and has an unrelenting belief in himself,” she added. “He’s always looking to learn and that’s why he’s been able to improve so quickly. In life, poker, and love – he knows what he wants and he’s good at getting it!”
Looking Ahead
Poker has not solely led to a change in profession, but additionally to his way of life general. Laskowitz enjoys the climate extra in Nevada and finds his new life extra peaceable. His routine consists of enjoying as lots of the higher-stakes tournaments in Las Vegas as he can get into, however when not on the desk, learning occupies a lot of his time – together with working with solvers and reviewing fingers and pictures. His good buddies within the sport embrace Nick Seward, Landon Tice, David Coleman, and Nick Schulman.
He doesn’t have any onerous objectives in the mean time, simply to enhance and get higher in high-stakes occasions. Winning a WSOP bracelet is on his bucket record after getting so shut and he desires to presumably play in some Triton Poker sequence within the coming years. But he significantly enjoys battling it out within the PokerGO studio.
“I can’t imagine there’s anywhere else that’s better to play,” he stated. “They treat you really nice. The structures are amazing. It’s my favorite place to play and it’s not close. I’ve done well there. It’s going well. The competition is tough, but it’s not as intimidating as it sounds.”
With poker as his new 9-to-5, not being a flash within the pan is considered one of Laskowitz’s main objectives. He goals for actual consistency and doesn’t need to be remembered in poker as a man who simply went on an enormous heater or grabbed an enormous end in his first-ever event. That means loads of work left to do on and off the felt.
“When I’m not playing poker, I’m studying poker. If I’m not studying poker, I’m watching poker,” he says. “I’m pretty obsessed and I want to get good at this. This is my hobby, my passion, my career – it’s everything right now.”
