Masterclass: 21-Year-Old Cole Sudeck Leads WPT Gardens on Day 2

By Sean Chaffin

Many 21-year-olds may be heading back to college during this time of year, back in study mode for another semester. Others might be working one of their first jobs – paying the bills and looking to start saving for a house or a new car. Cole Sudeck (pictured) doesn’t quite fit that mold.

After dropping out of college at age 19, two years later the native of Newport Beach, California, returned to the field in the WPT Gardens Poker Championship after leading Day 1B. By the first break in Day 2 he’d moved to the top of the chip counts.

“I love poker,” he says. “I didn’t play this tournament for the money. I played this tournament just to see if I could compete at this level. That’s all I wanted to know.

“The feeling [of being a chip leader] is surreal because I have a bunch of people calling and texting me.”

Sudeck got his start playing online and has now moved into live poker as well. Initially his parents were not on board with leaving his studies at the University of Colorado behind for a career in poker. His father didn’t understand the game and thought he was just gambling in a casino. He’s the only one in his family who plays. 

When the poker young gun started winning some nice dollars, however, his parents began to change their minds. Sudeck’s father even showed up late in Day 2 to see how his son was doing.

“He has no idea what poker is,” Sudeck says. “He thinks poker is like blackjack, and that’s why he didn’t like me doing it, because he thinks it’s all gambling. I explained to him that it is gambling, but there is skill involved and you get to decide when you get your money in.”

Last July at the Choctaw casino in Oklahoma, Sudeck recorded his first live tournament cash – finishing runner-up in a $400 WSOPC event for $12,190. In a very limited amount of time he has several other smaller cashes for $42,000 in live tournament winnings.

Sudeck’s entry into the Gardens comes after a fifth-place finish in December in a $400 WSOPC event at the Bicycle Casino. He’s hoping to parlay some of those winnings as well as some backing from friends and family into an even bigger score. Watching televised poker shows like the WPT what attracted Sudeck to the game.

“I’ve just always loved games and puzzles,” he says. “I love the psychology of poker, that’s my favorite part – being able to try to stay at your A-game. At this level, everyone’s on their A-game and I’m just trying to choose spots against certain players. It’s all about just player selection for me.”

That passion for poker extends to studying. He spends hours each week working on his game and that includes investing in time with poker coaches and training sites. 

“Two years ago I was playing one-dollar and two-dollar tournaments online,” he says. “Then I built a bankroll online and I went live.”

So far his live play has had some nice results, and he’s shocked at how things have turned out so far at the Gardens. It didn’t look so well yesterday. With blinds at 100-200, Sudeck was down to 2,700. He found a few doubles and then continues to roll throughout the evening.

When not playing cards, Sudeck enjoys hanging out with friends and watching Netflix. But poker is on his mind most of the time, and that certainly includes today at the Gardens. What would it mean to him to have his deep run continue?

“Against these high-level players, I’m just happy to be here,” he says. “I was happy to make Day 2. I told myself I was happy just to make it just through yesterday’s starting stack. I entered just to know if I can compete. When I’m in there and have my music going and I’m in the zone, I feel good.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.