Shannon Shorr
A little short of a year ago, then-20-year-old Shannon Shorr was sitting in his dorm room at the University of Alabama with an engineering book in one hand and his mouse in the other. Shannon has always been one of those people who excels at whatever he puts his mind to, so going to school, working an engineering job through his school’s co-op program, and multitabling online sit-and-gos were no big thing. While he was an avid player, poker was just a hobby, and Shannon set course for a stable and bright future in the “real” world. The best laid plans of mice and men, however, often go awry.
And go awry they did. Wonderfully awry. Over a million dollars awry, in fact. In less than one year, Shannon Shorr has transformed himself from a quiet Alabama college student to a millionaire poker savant nipping at the heels of current Card Player Player of the Year points leader Michael Mizrachi … and ravenously focusing on overtaking him.
Rich Belsky: Shannon, your emergence onto the poker scene and subsequent rise to second place in the Player of the Year race have been thrilling to watch. Most great stories, however, have humble beginnings. Tell us about your entry into poker.
Shannon Shorr: The early stages weren’t much fun.
I missed a lot of the freshman year college experience because I played so much poker and I wish I hadn’t missed out. I was a losing player for the first eight months I played and lost about three grand before
I finally started turning a profit.
RB: What were you playing back then?
SS: I was playing mostly low limit sit-and-gos and some $2-$4 limit hold’em online. I didn’t really know the game well enough and I didn’t follow what I now realize is the best way to start off. If I went back, I’d read as much as possible and accumulate as much knowledge as I could before I started. Then I’d attack the game.
RB: So not having the requisite knowledge before you started playing, what was it that finally turned your game around?
SS: I just played so much that I developed the experience necessary to move up levels. It took me eight months of losing, but I turned it around and started playing higher and higher buy-in sit-and-gos. I didn’t necessarily have the bankroll to play all that high, but I liked to chase it and it just worked out. I was eventually playing the $200 buy-in sit-and-gos and built my bankroll up to about $55,000.
RB: Up to this point you had never played in a live tournament. Your focus was still basically centered on college and your future. Things changed a bit in January of 2006. Tell us what happened.
SS: I won my seat to the Aussie Millions in January. I didn’t want to drop out of school, but as an engineering student, you can’t just take two weeks off and then come back. So I decided to take the semester off to go play in the Aussie Millions and some other international events. I ended up placing fourth and hitting my biggest cash ever; more than $200,000.
RB: It’s extremely rare for someone to have that kind of success in his first experience playing live. To what do you attribute your success?
SS: Well, I played a couple of preliminary events just to get used to playing live. I had only ever played $5 house games with my friends. I went in with the mentality that I just wanted to cash; I was basically on a freeroll. As the tournament moved along, I kind of acquired this natural aggression and realized I could take advantage of the players that were just sitting back and waiting to catch hands.
RB: Were you intimidated at all by any of the pros that you encountered at your tables?
SS: Mike Sexton was at my starting table and I remember thinking, “Oh God, now I can’t play any hands,” because Mike is a great player. Now I realize that everybody gets two cards, and I just have to play them the best I can.
RB: Tell us what it’s like heading into the final table of a major televised event with so much money on the line.
SS: The TV final table bubble was ridiculously long; almost three hours. I finally busted the guy on the TV bubble to give me a nice stack going into the TV table; I think I was third in chips. We didn’t get done until about 3:30 a.m. and I just couldn’t sleep. In the little bit I did sleep, I had crazy dreams, mostly about winning. I woke up around 9 a.m. and the tournament started at noon so I had all this time to think about it. Once the tournament started, though, I settled into my game, made some nice calls and good plays, and ended up finishing fourth.
RB: So now your bankroll is more than a quarter of a million dollars and you have some decisions to make. What were your thoughts about school and your future at this point?
SS: I was still planning on returning to school after the semester was over. I just planned on enjoying that semester off, traveling, and playing in some other international events. I won a seat to the Canadian Poker Championship in the Bahamas on PartyPoker, which was a couple weeks later. I finished second for another $75,000 and then started thinking, “OK, maybe I’m good at this.” It was then that I began toying with the idea of dropping out, but decided to set a mark to determine if I would drop out or not. I decided if I made a half a million by the end of the summer that I wouldn’t go back. I ended up winning two Bellagio Cup II events for more than a million dollars, far surpassing the mark I set, so I’m going to continue to ride the wave.
RB: But do you really think dropping out of school is the best long-term idea?
SS: There is definitely something to be said for graduating college. I do plan on going back at some point. So many kids are dropping out with insufficient bankrolls, going bust and then wondering what to do with their life. But for me, right now, the smart thing is to see how far I can go in the poker world.
RB: Before your stellar performance at the Bellagio Cup II, you played in 22 events at the World Series of Poker, with less than stellar results. What happened at the WSOP?
SS: Those smaller WSOP events are hard. You don’t get a whole lot of starting chips and my style of play dictates that I see a lot of flops. You can’t see a lot of flops in those events early, as a call preflop and/or a bet on the flop commits a good percentage of your chips. I cashed three times out of the 22 events including the main event. I felt like I played well but just never got a whole lot going.
RB: Now let’s talk about your biggest success to date, the Bellagio Cup II. You absolutely tore it up, winning two events, including the main event, and cashing for more than $1 million. What got into you?
SS: I ran particularly well and played very well. I cashed in three $1,000-buy-ins in a row, including a win, and then the main event. I remember I hit a two-outer early in the main event for a ton of chips, so that definitely helped. I got to see a lot of flops and that helped me to accumulate chips. That was the key.
RB: You are currently in second place in the Card Player Player of the Year points race; just behind Michael Mizrachi. Just how important is winning Player of the Year to you?
SS: Being so close to winning Player of the Year is an amazing feeling. Anyone can win a tournament but to win Player of the Year means you are part of history. My goal for the rest of the year is to catch the Grinder, but it’s gonna be hard work. Stranger things have happened, though.
RB: Now that you have all this money, have you made the transition into cash games or will you stay predominantly a tournament player?
SS: Well I played sit-and-gos up until April, and I never really played cash games. I started paying attention to cash games and saw all these kids making tons of money in cash games, so I decided to try it out. I’ve done really well and recommend that anybody starting out play cash games instead of sit-n-gos. Sit-n-gos are really formulaic and don’t really represent what poker is like nor do they build the necessary skill set to be a solid tournament or cash game player.
RB: What limits are you playing now and what are your results?
SS: I’ve recently stepped up into some really high limits online. I’ve been playing the $500-$1,000 Omaha eight-or-better game on FullTilt. I’m playing every day with John D’Agostino, Mike Matusow, and some other very well-known players. It’s been a roller coaster, but up to this point I’ve been raking in some pretty sick profits. I’ve also been playing some $25-$50 no-limit. Anybody who’s interested can track my results on my Web site at www.shannonshorr.com.
RB: What would you say is the strongest poker attribute you possess?
SS: I’d say my ability to stay levelheaded and not tilt. I never tilt. Growing up I’ve always been thick-skinned and didn’t really let situations get to me. I was a baseball umpire for a couple years and had hundreds of parents screaming at me, so I’m sure that was good training. I think it’s a good attribute to have, and I don’t think I’d trade it for any other poker quality.
RB: In under a year, you’ve gone from being a complete unknown in the poker world to one of its brightest rising stars. You’ve now developed relationships with many of the biggest poker stars in the world, as well as garnered massive respect from many people throughout the industry. This is the dream of so many people out there, so tell us what it’s like to be you right now.
SS: I’m definitely not taking anything for granted. This experience has been absolutely amazing and I couldn’t be happier to be here. I don’t think my life has changed all that much though. I’m still Shannon. I just come in each day and play. I try to respect the game and respect the players and just play my best. If people like me or hate me that’s their decision. I definitely like to drink and go out and party, and there are some great people in the poker world to do that with.
RB: Have you developed close relationships with any of the pros, or is there any particular player with whom you enjoy discussion strategy and from whom you seek advice?
SS: I wouldn’t say I’ve developed any close friendships; I’m friends with everybody. I don’t call and talk to anybody regularly or anything. They’re all great people, and to be a great poker player you have to have a fascinating mind, so almost everyone in this world is a cool person to talk to.
RB: You have a girlfriend whom you’ve been dating for a little while now. Many poker players have trouble maintaining a relationship for a variety of reasons, so what is it that helps you maintain yours?
SS: A big part is just who the person is. My girlfriend is really supportive and you need that from a girlfriend or wife. She lets me play and understands my really weird hours. I think in order to make it work you have to be willing to miss some good games or some tournaments, you have to make it clear that she is a priority in your life. Just like anything in life you have to maintain a balance, and it’s no different with a “poker relationship.” I also fly her out to some events when she can make it and she really enjoys that.
RB: Now I want you to do your best to educate the young masses out there that are undoubtedly striving to achieve what you have recently. What are the biggest weaknesses that you see for young players coming up in the live poker arena?
SS: I think they’re not as well versed in picking up reads in live situations. I’m not necessarily talking physical “tells” as much as just nuances of a live situation that give clues as to what’s going on in the hand. Also, many young players are used to multitabling and having so many other things going on while playing that they become bored in live play and start splashing around in pots that they don’t belong in. If a kid sits down, I can usually tell if he has live experience and if I read him as not having much, I attack him. My advice is to get as much live experience as possible, especially considering everything going on with online poker, but use online poker as supplemental support for your bankroll.
RB: You’ve been very smart with your money, having bought nothing more expensive for yourself than a 2004 Chevy Tahoe, and having invested a lot of money in mutual funds. Your bankroll has steadily increased due to your shrewd money management, and this is where a lot of players fail. What are your thoughts on bankroll management.
SS: You just have to remember that you absolutely don’t want to go broke under any circumstances. If you go broke, you have to start all over either at the smallest levels or in a different career. I couldn’t think of anything worse. A lot of guys can sit there with half their bankroll on the table and be fine. I never put more than 5 percent of my bankroll at risk at any one time. I think you just have to acquire a level head when it comes to losing, you have to be smart when it comes to game selection, and you can’t have an ego when it comes to stepping down levels to conserve your bankroll. I’m here to make the money, not to impress myself or anyone else because of who I’m playing with. Pick the right games and just be smart with your bankroll.
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