Sung Joo Hyun has solely 16 recorded match cashes to his title. However, what Hyun’s résumé might lack in amount, is greater than made up for in high quality.
The 30-year-old South Korean has put collectively a formidable checklist of accomplishments, together with profitable a World Series of Poker gold bracelet and accumulating greater than seven figures in match earnings with a number of massive titles gained alongside the way in which.
Hyun was born and raised in Seoul, and after graduating from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, he accomplished the obligatory navy service required of younger South Korean males, serving for 2 years.
In latest years, he has grown extra critical about poker, making his solution to main tournaments around the globe. His first recorded money got here on the 2015 WSOP. Just three years later, he made the ultimate desk of the $1,111 buy-in Little One For One Drop occasion on the summer time collection, ending fourth for his first six-figure reside rating of $189,098.
During final 12 months’s reside poker shutdown, Hyun overcame a area of two,307 entries in a 2020 WSOP Online $500 buy-in no-limit maintain’em occasion to earn his dream of profitable a bracelet. He took residence $161,898 because the champion, and have become simply the third South Korean participant ever to seize a bracelet, becoming a member of Sejin Park who gained the 2019 Colossus occasion, and Jiyoung Kim who took down the Ladies occasion title that very same 12 months.
After reside match poker made its return, Hyun made a prolonged journey to Las Vegas to play in a number of main occasions. He walked away with two titles and greater than half one million {dollars} in earnings.
Hyun’s first title run of 2021 got here within the February World Poker Tour DeepStacks $1,600 buy-in no-limit maintain’em principal occasion held at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. The occasion attracted 812 entries, and after 4 days of motion Hyun was the final participant standing. He was awarded $208,335 because the champion, which was the most important rating of his profession on the time.
That private document solely stood for round six weeks, although. In the center of March, Hyun overcame a area of 614 entries to emerge victorious within the Wynn Spring Classic $3,500 buy-in principal occasion. Hyun struck a heads-up deal to safe the title and the highest payday of $323,409. The career-best rating elevated his lifetime earnings to $1,033,602.
Hyun was awarded a complete of two,172 Card Player Player of the Year factors for these two title runs, sufficient to see him climb into second place on the 2021 POY race leaderboard. We lately caught up with Hyun to debate how he discovered the sport, the poker scene in South Korea, and his scorching begin to the 2021 POY race.
Card Player: Can you speak about the way you discovered poker?
Sung Joo Hyun: My first encounter with poker was throughout a highschool competition. The English majors have been doing one thing to symbolize Las Vegas, and that’s the place I first noticed the sport being performed and tried it out myself. It was executed with pretend cash, however I actually fell into it.
CP: What concerning the sport did you discover fascinating?
SJH: I felt prefer it was a small model of the world that forces us to make selections in each hand and select our future ourselves.
CP: Do you assume you could have any specific abilities or persona traits that helped you excel at poker?
SJH: I are typically all for how individuals assume psychologically about sure stuff. It makes me drained generally, however that behavior did assist me in my sport prior to now. Nowadays, although, I’m focusing extra on the theoretical method.
CP: Do you could have a background enjoying different technique video games or sports activities?
SJH: Yes. I beloved enjoying soccer and Starcraft. I used to be fairly aggressive, and I couldn’t give attention to something after shedding.
CP: How did you transition from enjoying for enjoyable to taking it extra critically? Was the choice to play bigger occasions supported by your loved ones, or was it troublesome for them to know?
SJH: Watching movies from tournaments just like the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour at all times make me wish to fly to Vegas. I saved it a secret till my first journey to the U.S. with a purpose to play. I cashed my first occasion, and was in a position to clarify each element about how enjoyable and particular poker is to me. Luckily, my mother and father have been supportive.
CP: What is the notion of poker and poker gamers in Korea?
SJH: The humorous factor is that we’ve got poker rooms within the main casinos round our nation, however solely foreigners are allowed to play. On the opposite hand, numerous reside tournaments are held at a locations referred to as maintain’em pubs. Overall, the poker scene is rising, however I actually want that our authorities would open poker rooms to Koreans in addition to the international gamers.
As we all know, poker is a sport of ability. Just as a result of individuals can lose cash at poker doesn’t justify the sport being banned for Koreans. There are some ways which can be authorized for individuals to burn their cash away if they’re irresponsible.
CP: What is the poker neighborhood like in Korea?
SJH: It’s rising for certain, with some on-line match apps and reside tournaments in addition to some YouTube content material, like my ‘ArtePokerTV’ channel. There are communities having fun with poker and rooting for gamers who run deep in large tournaments. But, studywise, I’d say the neighborhood is pretty weak.
CP: How would you hope the poker scene in Korea adjustments transferring ahead?
SJH: Allowing home individuals to play tournaments within the casinos can be my hope, primarily, however I’d additionally prefer it if our individuals knew extra concerning the sport normally.
CP: How did you progress up the ranks?
SJH: I performed largely reside video games, from $500 as much as $10,000 tournaments, transferring up and down many instances. I started to take on-line extra critically in 2020, enjoying mid- to high-stakes with buy-ins from $100 to $1,000.
I performed largely within the WSOP occasions, as my first purpose was to get a WSOP title. But I feel nothing simply occurs like that. I received that bracelet after I began crushing mid-stakes tournaments. Now I wish to put together myself and be able to play increased stakes. I’m certain that I would like extra enchancment.
CP: Have there been any setbacks in your highway to enchancment?
SJH: Yes. I used to be doing okay in each reside money video games and tournaments up till 2018. Once I began taking poker coaching programs, which was 2019, I struggled in each. I assume I wanted extra time to regulate myself to what I had discovered.
CP: Can you inform me concerning the expertise of profitable a WSOP Online bracelet in 2020? Was it thrilling to win a bracelet, even when it was not on the Rio with followers and a rail and all that?
SJH: It was my second time at a WSOP remaining desk, and I knew that this chance doesn’t come usually. I saved on saying to myself that I needed to win it. I had my individuals watching the sport and cheering for me via messenger apps. I’d assume profitable reside can be extra thrilling, however I don’t wish to ask for an excessive amount of. I used to be glad sufficient.
CP: I heard that you simply stream your match play and have began a web based vlog.
SJH: I began in 2020, which was my turning level in on-line tournaments. I began as a result of it was very laborious to search out profitable gamers from my city who needed to assist one another and have enjoyable collectively. Doing vlogs wasn’t my plan initially, however taking down two trophies positively made me change my thoughts. Overall, I wish to assist make this sport turn into extra fashionable in Korea.
CP: What do you attribute your success on the reside match scene to thus far in 2021?
SJH: First of all, loving this sport results in all the pieces. When I’m not enjoying, I watch poker programs and content material from coaches like bencb (on-line match star Benjamin Rolle) and Pokercode (Fedor Holz’s coaching website). I imagine that each second I spend on finding out poker helps me not directly. I’m a greater participant than earlier than, sure, however there may be nonetheless a protracted solution to go. Playing on-line modified my sport loads, and watching good poker content material was what actually resulted in my breakthrough.
CP: Your two large wins within the early months of this 12 months each occurred in Las Vegas. What led you to journey to the U.S. for these reside occasions?
SJH: I used to be merely bored with grinding on-line, and needed to simply fly someplace protected. And I heard that they’ve some tournaments working, so why not Vegas?
CP: What do these victories imply for you transferring ahead? Will you proceed to play extra reside occasions?
SJH: I feel these outcomes are form of like nutritional vitamins for my complete poker journey; I’m simply getting began. I’ll proceed to play wherever I can achieve this safely.
CP: Do you could have any targets for the subsequent few years?
SJH: I wish to make this excellent sport extra fashionable for everybody, whereas on the similar time making an attempt to get my sport to the best stage doable.