An Amateur Poker Player's Absolute Dream Come

An amateur poker player recently won every budding poker player's absolute dream: buy-ins to 10 big-time tournaments, lessons from an award-winning poker player, and a free stab at a share of more than $100 million in prize pools.

Illinois machinist Scott Carroll won Absolute Poker's appropriately named Absolute Dream Package main event on March 4, and the $125,000 package that went along with it. The package includes buy-ins to the World Series of Poker main event, five World Poker Tour events, and the Ultimate Poker Challenge's televised high-stakes cash game. The package also features coaching from Card Player's 2007 Player of the Year, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi.

"I'm guaranteed to be on TV, so that's very cool," said Carroll, referring to the Ultimate Poker Challenge's face-time guarantee for its Cash Poker show. "I've just been on cloud nine for a week. All of my poker buddies are super envious and wishing it was them. We're all pretty serious about poker."

Carroll is also particularly eager for his one-on-one poker lesson with Mizrachi. "I'm super excited," Carroll said. "Just for the chance to meet him … He's the best player in the world right now."

Carroll started his journey to success by entering a $24 buy-in satellite to the Absolute Dream main event under the screen name "thebombbaby." He eventually took second place in the satellite tournament, earning half of the $200 buy-in to the final event. Carroll put up the remaining half himself and proceeded to plow through the field of more than 500 entrants on his way to victory.

As for his home games, Carroll says he only does "OK" against his poker buddies, but he's hoping to hone his skills to capitalize on the opportunity he's been given. On whether this experience will be life-changing or simply a fun detour, Carroll says it could go either way.

"I'm quite into poker, so I've been trying to get my wife to let me quit my job and play," he said. "Now, of course, she's all for me going out and doing this.

"Some of it will depend on how I do in the tournaments," Carroll said, "but I do fairly well down in Tunica, Mississippi. I won a $200 second-chance tournament for $8,000, which was probably my biggest poker accomplishment up until now."

Absolute Poker has decided to hold the Absolute Dream Package promotion again this month as a result of the success of its inaugural run. The next main event will be held on Sunday, April 8, and qualifiers are currently running to gain entry into the final tournament. Players can qualify through freerolls, $24 satellites (as Carroll did), or buy in directly for $200 (plus a $16 entry fee).

Those interested in partaking in the promotion and joining the ranks of poker professionals on the tournament circuit can do so by clicking here.