Poker Refugees Blog Interview: Matt Stout - allinat420
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| Matt at a Final Table during WSOP 2013 |
(Q) Years playing online poker:
(A) Since I was 19, so 9 years (8 for
real money). After I turned 1,000 play chips into 1 Million to prove to myself that I
could play for real money.
(Q) How many months after Black Friday did you decide to move?
(A) The
final decision was made about a week before we moved [in August 2011];
generally my plan was to see how WSOP 2011 went but either way pretty likely to move
outside the country.
(Q) What are all the places have you lived since Black Friday? SantaAna and Jaco, Costa Rica; Amsterdam; Rosarito, Mexico. Also have traveled a lot through Europe for EPTs.
(Q) What is your favorite destination so far?
(A) If you take away
the whole earthquake factor I would say Costa Rica is the coolest.
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| Costa Rica - Ecotourism Capital of the World |
(A) About a week the first time, but that was when it was taking other people months. Yeah obviously much easier, after getting set up once [through Poker Refugees], I feel a lot more comfortable relocating myself to other places.
(Q) You own a home in Vegas; at what point do you foresee being
able to live there and support yourself online?
(A) It seems like it’s going to be
a long time still before that happens and there’s realistically enough action to make it
worth it to the point where I don’t have to travel outside of the country for
large portions of the year.
(Q) What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had living abroad or
craziest story you’ve heard about another player?
(A) The weirdest experience I’ve heard of anyone
having is Bryan Paris’s girlfriend getting robbed in front of a security guard.
Also being on the 14th floor of a 16-story building for a 7.6
magnitude earthquake. That qualifies too. (Ed Note: We're glad you're all alive!)
(Q) Favorite food/meal/restaurant abroad:
(A) Gino’s Pizza in Santa Ana;
impressively close to NY-style pizza.
(Q) Do you think your experience would have been different had
you moved by yourself as opposed through with Poker Refugees?
(A) I probably wouldn’t have gotten online by
WCOOP 2011 due to the situation with documents and utility bills, as well as not
speaking Spanish. Getting the bank account set up so fast made it easily worth it. A hell of a lot
easier.
(Q) How has living abroad changed your life?
(A) Well, let’s see, the
fact that I met my fiancé in Costa Rica changed my life a little bit (Matt is engaged to Kristin Wilson's (founder of Poker Refugees) sister, Shannon).
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Matt is one of many Poker Refugees clients who's found love abroad -
maybe we should start a dating service!
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Overall, I’ve done a lot of international travel but actually spending more time living in other countries has given me more perspective on the world.
I'm glad I have this opportunity to travel the world and play poker while I’m young and don’t have any kids or many responsibilities. I won’t feel like I’ll regret it when I’m older and settled down.
(Q): Any last words of wisdom for players still in the US who may
be thinking about it or who delayed their move due to school, work or other situations?
(A): Yeah, if you can afford to and your life situation allows
for it, definitely do it. It’s a great experience to live outside the country.
You get to know yourself a lot better as well when you’re in experiences that
aren’t the norm.
Anyone who played poker before [Black Friday] and couldn't move must miss it. I feel bad for
people who couldn’t afford to move before or have family obligations, but if you can, definitely do it. -Matt Stout
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