Dan Zak: My Toxic Poker Obsession and the Road to Professional Play

Dan Zak's introduction to poker came at the age of 10, inspired by Chris Moneymaker's victory. He was captivated by the sport and would watch ESPN's poker broadcasts. One memorable moment was watching the final table of a tournament featuring Chris Moneymaker, Dan Harrington, and Phil Hellmuth, which he watched at a friend's house.

Zak's older brother played online poker on Paradise Poker, and Zak would watch him play. He became obsessed with poker, convincing his father to buy him all of Dan Harrington's books and secretly creating accounts in poker rooms to play on play money and freerolls. He often risked his entire bankroll, showing a lack of discipline at such a young age.

Zak was inspired by the idea that anyone could succeed in poker, as promoted after Chris Moneymaker's victory. He played chess at a high level and had lessons with grandmasters, but found it difficult to earn money. He dropped out of college to pursue a career in poker. He played in an Asian app and lost money to superusers, taking a month to realize his mistakes. Zak's parents were unaware of his poker activities until he was older and would scold him when they found out. He had a period of frequent wins and losses in freerolls and small deposits between the ages of 14 and 16. At 16, Zak missed a class trip to North Carolina because he was playing poker and ended up losing all his money in a heads-up game.