Shak is third in chips with 102,700 heading into the final nine of WSOP APAC Event 2 $1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha.
It’s just the latest achievement in an extraordinary year for the man who still claims that poker is just one of his hobbies.
So far Shak has finished fifth in the PCA $100k High Roller for $228k, fourth in the Aussie Millions $100k Challenge for $250,201 and fourth in the Aussie Millions Main Event for $422,279.
Even more recently Shak beat one of the toughest fields ever assembled to take down the Party Poker Premier League VI for $528,000.
Finding Balance Between Poker and Work
The commodities trader has a couple theories on why he’s playing the best poker of his life.
“I think I can attribute it to playing less,” Shak told PokerListings while on break at WSOP APAC. “I’m not getting any younger and I discovered that I have to keep myself mentally and physically ready to play.”
Shak has also been finding a better balance between work and poker.
“I’m still working 10-12 hour days but if I get deep in a tournament then I have people who can help me out,” he said.
“I think I’m going to make poker more of a priority this year.”
The focus on poker seems to have paid off for Shak as he’s already picked up more than a million playing poker including the victory in the ultra tough Premier League VI.
“It was the best poker I’ve ever played,” he said.
“I never really played poker for the money and maybe I’ve had bigger cashes but in Premier League you have to play four rounds with eight of the toughest players in the world to make it to the final table where there are more ridiculously good players.”
One of the biggest all-time winners in super high roller tournaments, Shak hates the theory that he succeeds merely because he 'doesn’t care about money.'
“I need to be honest with you, I’m a competitor and if I was just losing money I wouldn’t even play in them,” he said.
“I think it’s a lot of money and I don’t want to lose it as much as the next guy.”
Shak Bringing Good Business Sense to Burgeoning IveyPoker
Shak was a surprise addition to Phil Ivey’s rapidly expanding IveyPoker earlier this year. Shak seemed out of place on a team that included heavyweight cash game players like Ivey and Patrik Antonius.
Shak offered some clarification on what he hopes to bring to the team.
“Aside from Phil [Ivey] being undeniably the best player in the world and a friend of mine I don’t see myself doing tutorials on how to play poker,” he said.
“I do think I can help people with bankroll management and the business end of poker.
Shak went on to say that many new players don’t understand how to manage their winnings.
“It’s much more difficult to keep the money you win than it is to make it,” he said. “I can bring good business sense to people’s poker games.”
For the time being, however, Shak will concentrate on winning his first WSOP bracelet in Event 2 of WSOP APAC.
Action begins at 12:30 AEST tomorrow at the Crown Casino in Melbourne. PokerListings is providing official live updates so be sure to follow along as the action unfolds.
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