While most players were taking a break from poker after a long summer in Vegas, Andrew Moreno was feeling the urge to get back in the mix.
“I took two weeks off,” confessed Moreno. “I planned on taking a bit longer, but I felt the itch to play. So, with my wife Kristy's blessing, I left our home in Texas. Right away, I missed my family and was homesick. I was battling those feelings for the first two days.”
The trip paid off as the PokerOrg Player Advisory Board member would go on to capture the RunGood Poker Series Million Dollar Main Event at Thunder Valley Casino in Sacramento for $200,080.
We caught up with Andrew at the airport as he was headed to Florida for this week’s series at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open.
'I wake up and see how I feel'
How did the WSOP series go for you overall?
I feel like every year during the WSOP, it's similar to the one time I went to Burning Man. When you're there, a big part of you is, ‘I love this.’ There's also a small piece of you that says, ‘I hate this’.
Then, when you're done at the end, you're like, ‘I don't know if I'll ever do that again. That was crazy.’ Then a year later, you're just ready to do it again. (laughs)
But in terms of results, I had a good summer. It was a profitable one. The big challenge for me is always balancing my mental and emotional health with playing every day. And trying to schedule things, having my family there with me in a responsible way, can be a juggling act for sure.
(Note: Andrew took fifth at the $3,500 Wynn Summer Classic this summer for $325,347)
How do you go about balancing everything, especially on days you don’t feel up to playing?
Well, I'm what you call a feel player in the biz. That's kind of how I approach things. I wake up and see how I feel that day.
When you play tournament poker, if you are not feeling up to the task and you register for the tournament, I don't think you have any shot. That goes for the best players down the chain.
On the days I play, I usually have breakfast with the family or catch up with them during my dinner break.
'You have to play your game'
Were you anywhere near the whirlwinds surrounding Martin Kabrhel or Will Kassouf this summer?
I was around it a little bit. Being someone who's been in poker for many years, I feel like you kind of get used to dealing with crazy situations and big distractions.
I feel pretty good about being able to tune that stuff out. I listen to music quite often when I play poker. But if you're just out there living your life with no earplugs, no music, then it definitely is a challenge.
Being an excellent poker player is going into a situation that you don't want to be in and being able to find peace. You have to play your game from the most centered place that you can. That's the name of the game.
If you allow other players to rock that peace, you probably have other leaks in your game that you may want to look at.
How did you manage to maintain your balance and peace as the event approached its final few tables?
I focused on staying present to everything that's happening in front of me because things change so quickly. It was very emotional, especially towards the end.
This summer, I had a couple of big spots that I kind of forced it a little bit, and I was very determined not to do that on this go-round.
As we approached the final table, I thought to myself that I didn't need to do anything. I don't need to make anything happen. Just continue to let the game come to you and take what you see.
I said that to myself probably a thousand times over the last 10 hours of the tournament.
Did you call home for any support that last day?
I was at the final table during dinner break, feeling stressed. We were down to five players, and things weren't going well.
I called home and talked to my three-year-old son.
I said, ‘Hey buddy, Dad is not feeling well. It's getting really hard. Do you have any advice for me?’
He said, ‘Dad. You can do hard things.’
We tell him that all the time when he's struggling with something: take your time, and you can do hard things.
He hit me with that advice, and I said, ‘Thanks, buddy. That's what I needed to hear right now.’
Visit Amo4sho.com for information on coaching from Andrew and follow on X @Amo4sho. Also, check out Andrew and his brother, Johnny Vibes, on their recent podcast about the feasibility of tournament poker in 2025.
