Drew Gonzalez, better known online as BetOnDrew, is a poker pro, ACR Poker ambassador, streamer, and content creator. He enjoyed a deep run in the WSOP Monster Stack this summer and cashed in the Main Event for the second time in his career, following his 106th-place finish in 2021. We caught up with him after his Vegas trip to hear his thoughts on an incredible WSOP and the upcoming $10 million guaranteed Venom Mystery Bounty tournaments on ACR.
Looking back at your WSOP run this year, what’s your biggest lesson or takeaway?
I played my best poker this WSOP but didn’t make money. That said, I’m so happy with all my work and preparation leading up to the series, and I’m incredibly happy with my performance each day and how prepared I was going into each tournament. I think my biggest takeaway from this summer is that I will have peace no matter the results, as long as I work hard, focus on my performance, and don’t let distractions get in the way of my number one goal – playing the best poker I can.
If you could replay one decision from the WSOP, what would you do differently?
I can’t think of one decision I would necessarily have taken back, but I am starting to really dislike registering for a tournament with less than 40-50 big blinds. When I was late registering and found myself in spots where, shortly after sitting down, I was all-in, it just made me feel dirty and I didn’t enjoy playing as much – that’s not good. I only did this a couple of times, but it sticks out in my mind.
Any standout stories from your WSOP experience that might inspire players heading into the Venoms?
I think, like the WSOP, anyone entering the Venom has a shot at winning life-changing money. Just because the Venom is a $2,650 buy-in doesn’t mean it’s just hot-shot professionals playing it. This tournament is the only big MTT that can be played by most of the world from the comfort of their homes – this means that recreational players, semi-pro players, whales, and the hot shots all get a shot at winning life-changing money (thanks to the different ways players can qualify).
With both the Venom PLO and Venom Mystery Bounty coming up, how do you adjust your strategy between these two formats? Are you doing anything differently compared to past big events?
I personally won’t be adjusting my strategy too much between the two Venoms. I don’t play a lot of PLO, so I will just focus on playing a tight, solid strategy there and limiting my fancy plays. That’s pretty much the same in the NLH Venom, but I have way more experience in that format, so I can deviate much more in spots if necessary.
What are you most looking forward to in both the Venoms?
The shot at winning life-changing money. While having financial freedom for myself would be amazing, I also have a lot of people around me in my life that I would love to be able to help more.
What’s one key tip you’d give players ahead of the Venoms?
The one tip I’d give… you have to get to Day 2 before you can pull any big bounties! So, play your best, enjoy the ride, make Day 2, and anything can happen!
What are you doing to prepare for the Venoms?
My study routine will be to get in lots of reps playing online again post-WSOP, study my hand histories (alone and with my coach), and make sure to attack spots where I feel a bit weaker. The goal is to have confidence in my decision-making and to be emotionally strong to endure whatever variance may come my way. Study helps with all of that.
If you could give one piece of advice to a player entering their first Venom, what would it be?
Have fun and play your game. That’s always my advice to new players playing the Venom. You can’t do a huge game overhaul and go into a big event like this and expect to be confident about your decisions. If you make confident decisions that you can reflect on, then you have a better chance at analyzing pure data and getting better for future Venoms.
You can follow Drew Gonzalez on X. The NLHE and PLO Venom mystery bounty events start on ACR Poker on August 10. Make Day 2 and you'll be in the money. Each mystery bounty pulled on Day 2 is worth at least $5,000, with top bounties of $500,000 and $200,000 in the NLHE and PLO events, respectively. ACR Poker is streaming Day 1A action on its Twitch channel with ambassadors Chris Moneymaker, Rob Kuhn and Jon Pardy.
