Most players with $7.2 million in tournament earnings don’t fly under the radar, but a casual poker fan could walk right by Matthew Wantman’s table without giving him a second look.
And Wantman likes it that way.
“I do love that I’m still flying under the radar,” he said. “I try not to get too big of a head; obviously, some people might know me or play differently against me based on my results. I try to be like a chameleon and play whatever style I deem necessary given my table dynamics or history.”
Wantman has an above-average stack in Day 2 of the $3,500 World Poker Tour Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Championship. He's looking to improve on his 17 cashes, three final tables, and one WPT tittle that he won in 2022 at Aria.
Grinding around the globe
Wantman is putting together a 2024 with six, six-figure scores and a ton of travel. “I just have an insane amount of volume this year,” he said, dismissing the notion that he’s playing well. “I’ve been all over the world with buy-ins ranging from $400 to a $100,000 buy-in in Jeju. I’m actually not having an amazing year, believe it or not.”
With such a wide range of buy-ins, Wantman faces the gambit of every type of opponent. “For the most part, I play the same strategy, but I’m making little deviations based on my opponents,” he said.
“I’m always trying to exploit what I perceive people’s perception of me,” Wantman continued. “There’s a lot of different reasons why I might play a hand a certain way, but I’m always switching it up.”
Four-card poker enthusiast
Wantman is a feared Pot Limit Omaha player and just competed in the PokerGo PLO Texas Roundup at Champions Club in Houston.
“It was a lot of fun, but I ended up firing like six or seven bullets – which is unfortunate,” said Wantman. “I loved Champions Room and there’s a lot of gamblers over there. PokerGo does an amazing job putting on top-notch tournaments.”
The action in Texas is well-known in the poker world, but were the PLO streets as crazy as we’ve heard?
“Yeah, it probably is as crazy as you’ve heard,” Wantman confirmed. “I got to play $25/$50 against a guy that was sitting with $50,000. The PLO action was great, and I love to see it taking off.”
“PLO tournaments are so much more fun than no limit,” he added. “There’s not as much tanking and more gambling in general – I really enjoy it.”
Looking toward the future
As he has all year, Wantman is following the action in December. “I was planning on just going to the Wynn and playing the series there,” he said. “But I’m pivoting to the Bahamas because I just can’t miss a $25k with a $50 million guarantee that might potentially overlay. So, I’ll be at the Bahamas and make it to the Wynn series towards the end.”
Wantman battles for balance in life with so much time spent in casinos. He trained for the 2020 Boston Marathon and admittedly hasn’t been keeping up with running. But keeps his activity levels up through pickleball and tennis.
“I like leisure activities – anything that gets me away from the casino,” he said. “But truth be told, I’m not as balanced as you might think or I’d like to be, but I’m a work in progress.”
All photos courtesy of World Poker Tour.
