There are a lot of people here who would recognize the screen name “bigjoe2003” long before they recognize the guy in the fedora playing the $50,000 HORSE event. By the beginning of Day 3, however, the name Joseph Michael was well-known around the room.
Michael doesn’t hide his identity. In a matter of just a couple of years, he’s become a bit of a superstar for a number of reasons. He was the second person to ever achieve PokerStars VIP Club Supernova Elite status. He then used Frequent Player Points to pay for a huge down payment on a huge house.
“I grew up in a trailer park, so being able to live in a million dollar house was always a dream of mine,” Michael said at the time.
In a field full of huge names and veteran players, Michael has been among the most successful newcomers to the big HORSE event. He has been among the chip leaders all day long.
Unlike most everybody in this event who doled out bricks of cash to play, Michael chose to go a different route. He used his FPPs to fund his buy-in to the big event.
So, just consider that for a moment. Anybody who plays at PokerStars earns their share of FPPs. Some people play freeroll events, other people buy hats and books. Michael buys houses and enters one of the most expensive and prestigious poker tournaments in the world.
So, while Joseph Michael may not be a poker household name yet, he is working on it…one house and $50K buy-in tournament at a time.
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Team PokerStars Pro Greg Raymer had a rough go of it yesterday and departed before Day 3. Here’s what he has to say about the big event.
Watch WSOP 08: Greg Raymer On The HORSE. on PokerStars.tv
