Tobias Dattwyler: From Childcare to Poker Pro - The Unlikely Journey

Tobias Dattwyler is one of the strongest cash game poker players in the world. His journey to the top was anything but conventional. After high school, Dattwyler worked with children with developmental delays for nearly 5 years. This experience, he says, helped him keep perspective and not get too caught up in the ups and downs of poker.

Dattwyler's introduction to poker came in his last years of school, inspired by the Moneymaker effect. He and his friends would watch poker shows and play together, convinced they were better than others. His first foray into online poker was through SNGs, where he started to win consistently.

After school, Dattwyler and a friend had a significant winning streak in a casino, turning $1k into $40k before losing it all. This experience, though disappointing, taught him the importance of taking poker seriously. He started grinding NL2 online after work while continuing his job with children. He studied poker theory using materials from PokerStrategy and worked with trainer Steffen Go0se.core! to improve his skills. After a three-week break to play poker full-time, Dattwyler quit his job to pursue poker professionally. His parents, initially shocked, now fully support his decision.