Raigo Aasmaa – Interview

Interview with Raigo Aasmaa, Poker Pro
Let us introduce you to the well known poker enthusiast Raigo Aasmaa. It’s just past midday and we was lucky not to call him any earlier. Like all true grinders, he just woke up after an all-night poker session. We wanted to ask him about his poker schedule, but Raigo played us like the multi-tabling expert he is and answered before we even finished the sentence by saying;
There are no resting days. I just woke up and plan to start working soon again. Resting days are for the weak. Games are tougher nowadays and winrates are lower. The trick is to turn up the volume and just grind it out.
So tell us more about yourself…
I’m Raigo “hotcocacola” Aasmaa and I’m from the city of Tartu. I’ve been playing poker professionally for the last 6 years and I represent Team OlyBet. I started out with sports betting and then went on to play the legendary 5-card draw. At the beginning I didn’t have much of a clue what the game was about. But during the years to come I gained experience and the rest is pretty much history. I have always been open about my results, no matter if I’ve had a good or a bad day. I want to show people both sides of the world as a poker professional.
What do you play online?
My nickname online is “hotcocacola” and usually I focus on cash games. On some sites I have even banned myself from playing online tournaments. It’s less tilting with ring games, which means more money for me in the long run.
Do you enjoy playing live as well?
I like playing the occasional Tournament Series. I have been quite frequent on the live tour since 2010 and had my best year 2011 when I finished 3rd in EPT Tallinn for €110,000 and also won GSOP Prague for another €80,000. In total I think I have live cashes for over $420,000.
Do you consider yourself to be a gambler as well as a poker player?
I wouldn’t call myself a gambler since I don’t really like playing against “the house”. I’ve participated in the World Series of Poker for the last 4 years, but it wasn’t until this summer, in Las Vegas, that I tried Black Jack for the first time in my life.
Any final advice for beginners?
Yes. Play with money you can afford to lose!
Thank you for the talk Raigo, see you at Cash Game Festival Tallinn in November.
Thank you too.
It was great having a talk with one of the most influential Estonian players.
Feel free to follow Raigo’s blog: http://hotcocacola.blogspot.com.ee/
You can also find him @ https://twitter.com/hotcocacola