Big decision pays off

University dropout Malcolm Trayner has hit the headlines in Australia after banking AU$100,000 (US$69,190) in his first three months of playing poker.

The 20-year-old from Sydney previously attended the prestigious Marker College before enrolling at Macquarie University. He made the bold move to drop out of university just one month into his applied finance degree in March 2018, but he claims that his decision had nothing to do with poker.

made the bold move to drop out of university just one month into his applied finance degree

Trayner simply wanted to start earning money. After leaving university, he started working in a local bar for AU$25 (US$17.30) per hour. He was playing poker on the side for fun, but in October 2018 he realized that he could make a career out of playing the game he loved.

Event that set him on his way

According to Trayner, this is the win that “got the ball rolling” and that he got lucky. There were 1,501 players taking part in this event, creating a prize pool of AU$600,000 (US$415,000).

Trayner managed to finish in second place. Before the last round, the remaining two players made a deal to split their winnings 50/50, which is a common ploy in these types of events. 

Trayner’s plans for the future

He now plays poker for high stakes both online and offline. Trayner does admit that the world of professional gambling is a fickle one. 

He said: “I definitely have losing days, weeks, even a month. But when you’re going through long losing streaks, you’ve got to trust in your ability … as long as you’re not the unluckiest person in the world.”

Trayner’s parents were skeptical when he dropped out of university

He now has another poker pro helping him as a mentor. He hopes that this will help him to make the best decisions on the table and minimize losses.

Naturally, Ttrayner’s parents were skeptical when he dropped out of university. Trayner knows that if he makes too many mistakes, there is a good chance that he will end up going back to college and finishing his degree. 

He said: “A lot of people are delusional. They tell themselves they’re a winning player but they never win. Who knows, maybe I could be one.”