Paul Wasicka “Kwickfish“

Birthplace
Dallas, TX

Hometown
Las Vegas, NV

Total Winnings
$761,480

Born in the land of Hold'em, Paul Wasicka, a Dallas, Texas native may have been destined to play poker. His family moved him to Boulder, CO at 7 and he became hypercompetitive, playing five sports per year in school. As he grew, he learned a lot of gaming strategies through his family's love of chess, backgammon and video games. He found that the mental games helped his endurance during the sports that tested his physical intensity. On a ski trip with friends, he stopped at a casino and was introduced to blackjack. He turned ten dollars into one hundred and was hooked. Five weeks later he found himself with a bankroll of $17,000 and a desire for more. One of his good friends gave him a fifteen minute lesson on Hold'em as they drove to an underground tournament in Denver. Out of a field of 100 people, Paul finished in the top ten. Later that night, the same friend opened up the world of online poker to Paul. He was stunned to find out that he could make money "playing." Paul "Kwick Fish" Wasicka spent the next year honing his game online. He used a credit card to fund bankroll and rode the poker roller coaster up and down, learning that he was occasionally an emotional player who had to step away to avoid playing on tilt. At the Bellagio in April of 2006 he took 15th at the WPT Championship event and won $146,460. In July he cashed in two WSOP events then in August he made it to the final table of the WSOP No Limit Hold'em Championship. True to his nickname "Kwick Fish" he darted in and out of the deep water and avoided being eliminated by the chip leader. In head to head play, his stack just didn't match up, and he found himself in a respectable 2nd place with winnings exceeding $6 million.