ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Scott Blumstein’s path to winning more than $8.1 million as the World Series of Poker champion started in the online poker rooms of New Jersey.
While internet gambling has helped Atlantic City’s beleaguered casino industry begin to recover, Blumstein credited his online experience with helping him win the biggest prize in poker after he defeated more than 7,000 players to win the series’ marquee no-limit Texas Hold ’em main event early Sunday in Las Vegas.
“Two weeks ago, I was just a New Jersey online grinder and nothing’s really changed,” the 25-year-old with an accounting degree from Philadelphia’s Temple University told reporters.
New Jersey is one of only three states that offer internet gambling, along with Nevada and Delaware. Other states are considering legalizing it, including neighboring Pennsylvania, but there’s also a looming threat that Washington could crack down on the industry.
The action online pale s in comparison to the state of online poker before the federal government cracked down on offshore sites in 2011, but players in New Jersey can now legally play at all hours of the day.
Pros play multiple games at once, including tournaments and cash games. New Jersey also offers live poker in many of its Atlantic City casinos, with the poker room at the Borgata considered among the top places to play on the East Coast.
“The best way to get better at anything is through repetition and practice,” said Blumstein, who lives in Brigantine, next to Atlantic City. “When you play online in New Jersey, it’s hard for any live pro to see even close to the amount of hands I’ve probably seen in the last two years.”
Blumstein won about $200,000 in his largest previous cash after winning a $500 tournament at the Borgata last year.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.
