Ask Chip and Karina

Q: What qualities make up a good tournament poker player?

Karina: I think a good tournament player has three main traits. First and foremost is aggressivness. Without agressiveness, a player has little chance of winning. Reading players is also very important in tournaments, because every situation is different and there are more variables than in a ring game, making accurate reads a necessity for tournament play. The ability to change gears is also important. A player must know when to open his game up or lock it down when the situation calls for it.

Chip: Tournament players are a sick bunch. Defining their traits is like defining the common traits at an insane asylum, but I'll try. 1. Masochistic – If you can't handle a lot of pain mixed with occasional moments of pleasure, then tournament poker is not for you. 2. Twisted pleasures – The players who enjoy going into the tank for five minutes when they already know what they are going to do are the same people who, as children, liked to fry ants with a magnifying glass. 3. Need for guidance and closure – In a tournament, when you run out of chips, you must leave. You cannot continue to torque off your bankroll indefinitely. After a set number of levels or time, even multiday tournaments have daily closure when you are forced to bag up your chips and call it a day. It forces a small amount of money management on you, whether you like it or not.

Q: How did you know that you were good enough to make a living playing poker.

Karina: When I could start paying my bills.

Chip: I knew when I met Karina that if I worked hard and focused on improving my game, I could manage to lose less than she wins.

Q: Is it still about the rush, or is it about the money?

Karina: It's about learning and mastering a game that you love to play, and if you can make money at it, that's a bonus.

Chip: Neither. For me, it's all about the pain.

Q: What are the major difficulties you see in being a poker couple.

Karina: Schedules, and dealing with the emotional swings.

Chip: Trying to decide whether to name your son Ace or Jack.