Johan Storakers

Name: Johan Storåkers

Age: 40

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Stakes you play/coach: MTT 50f-1000f / 10r-500f

Background: I grew up in Sollentuna, a suburb to Stockholm. I started taking interest in strategy games in an early age. I especially liked chess which I competed in until I was 18.After high school I did military service as an airbase hunter. Then I started my own company, selling all kinds of things, which later turned in to mostly fashion. Once I started playing poker it was hard having a regular job, so I started distributing out newspapers at night after I played poker. I started to become a steady winner and around 1997 I took the plunge and quit my job to play poker. The results started coming and I won a lot of money in several competitions in Finland. My big breakthrough came in 2003 when I won two tournaments during MCOP (Master Classics of Poker) in Amsterdam. In December 2004 I wrote my first sponsorship contract and since then has everything has proceeded well. I started traveling a lot and playing poker. After my first child, I temporarily cut back on travel, and now I play at Casino Cosmopol for the most part. I’ve done my fair share of coaching but focus has primarily been on my own game. I staked and coached Mats Rahmn 2004-2006. He is my most successful student, with great results since. Today I feel like coaching can be a great addition to my own game and fits well to my current family status, as a soon to be father of two.

Best Poker experience? The two life changing wins in Amsterdam 2003.

How do you work on your game? I use self-criticism and anylyse the game together with other pro's

What do you think is most important to keep up with pokers development? You should always try and find leaks and spots where you can improve. It's very important to have patience and to be able to critically review your game.

What characteristic is most important for a student? It's good to have an open and critical mindset, and to be calm and patient.

Who's your role model in poker and in life? Gunnar Östlind.

Describe the upside and downside of being a poker player: It's fantastic, complex game, and there is much money to earn. The downside is that you can stop winning for long periods of time. Only playing poker feels rather vacuous.

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a coach/player? I have many years of experience and have seen quite a lot at the tables. I haven't got in to all of the latest poker techs just yet.

How do you think the poker scene will look like in 2020 and what will you do then? Poker as a game will always live on. With new markets opening, there will always be good live tournaments to play. Online, however, will be must tougher and the players edge will increase. More sites will turn to anonymous tables so that the weaker players can't get exploited as fast as they are today.