Noah Schwartz “Black Night” – All In
Poker says: “Okay, this is my hand; how do I play my hand perfectly to extrapolate max from this situation? Same way life asks: “How do I spend my time the best and most wisely to live optimally every day. How am I making optimal decisions so I can get the most out of each day?”
At the time it felt like the beginning of the end, I was a kid, only 16 years old when my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. I was very young, lost and confused; I remember a lot of nights asking “why is this happening to me”? To see my hero, my mentor, not have the strength to fight and beat this vicious disease was extremely debilitating. To witness him suffer, while being completely helpless was something I couldn’t come to grips with. I needed a distraction to help occupy my time.
At the time, at my most vulnerable, I was living with a childhood friend who first introduced me to poker. I needed something, anything, to give me strength and hope that there were brighter days ahead.
Poker provided me that outlet, a coping mechanism to deal with the pain I endured from my father’s battle with cancer. Albeit temporary, it was a much-needed escape from the reality I was engulfed in. My father, being the person he was, and the love he had for my brother and I always downplayed the significance of his cancer. He did not want his only two children to worry or be afraid. He was a fighter and did what all fighters do, fight till the very end. Even when the odds are against you, you continue to fight and that’s what in part defines who we are.
When my father passed away it was the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced. I didn’t have any direction in life, so I questioned myself “what am I going to do with my life”? I remember feeling I didn’t want to be in this world any longer, I had an un-fillable void.
Giving up was too easy, I stayed up the night of my father’s passing and wrote a 15- page letter reflecting back on all the amazing moments and lessons I was handed down. From that moment on I swore that everything I would do in my life I was going to dedicate to my father. He was such a great man; he taught me the important things in life like respect, resiliency, and values. What I learned is most valuable is how finite time is, and to be present in the moment. From that day on I was going to dedicate my life and living in his honor and leaving a legacy that wouldn’t be forgotten. Today I live for my family and for my father. I know it makes him proud to see the person I have become. Every day is about creating a better version of yourself.
Noah, at what age did you start playing poker professionally?
My professional career got started at the ripe age of 21. The majority of states require you to be 21 and over; however, there are a handful of states where it’s legal to play as long as you’re at least 18 years old. While I was in college, I played online which is quite different from playing in person. My uncle at the time had cosigned a credit card for me. He thought it would be used for books for college instead; most of the time, I used it to deposit money on a poker site that lets you play when you’re 18 years old. I decided to take a leap of faith. When you’re young you have less responsibility, you can take more risk so I went mindset it’s now or never.
When did you win your first poker tournament?
When I was 21 I won my first tournament on the PokerStars website. It was a 300 dollar entry fee; there were 800 players in it. At the time, I was just really learning the game. I wasn’t as good as I thought I was. I would definitely call it beginner’s luck. I won around 46k dollars. So what did I decide to do? I told my boss, “Listen, I’m going to Vegas tomorrow” to which he replied, “If you leave you’re fired,” so I quit because to me I was doing what I loved.
Within a week I had lost all the money, my chest was hurting and I was very stressed out. Again I questioned myself thinking “what am I going to do now”? I just had $45,000 and now all I have is student loans, anxiety and a plane ticket back to Miami. I thought to myself “maybe this isn’t for me” but then again, I’ve never been a quitter.
When did your big break come?
My one big break was around the corner. I just needed to make a couple of right turns to get there. It was the weekend of my close friend’s wedding, so I rented a car and drove up to celebrate this occasion; little did I know both of our lives were about to change drastically.
Poker Stars, the online site just started hosting a special edition of what they called the Sunday Million. It was a $1,000 entry fee and all I had to my name were $3,000. I remember having to wake up early to drive home and wire money to the site. The tournament began at 4pm on Sunday and by 5am on Monday morning I was 495,000 richer and in a state of pure bliss.
Imagine going from debt and student loans to all of a sudden having $500,000 to your name; it was like a dream. I remember staring at the screen of my account balance and calling my brother to deliver the news. From that point on, it was full steam ahead; this was my calling. I was fully committed to chasing my dreams. This is what I’ve always wanted, never wanted to work for anyone again. So here is my opportunity to grab the bull by the horns and run with it. We only have this one chance in life. I’m going for it. Good luck stopping me now.
Talking more about your personal life? How does your wife support you in your career and the things that you do?
My personal life is the perfect blend of chaos and calm. When I speak with people, I tell them and emphasize that balance is the key to it all. Having a life partner who always lifts you up and pushes you to be the best you is critical for the development stage. I like to say “behind every great man is a better woman”. I feel fortunate to have found her; she’s always there supporting me.
I go to Vegas to compete in poker tournaments for two months during the year. She’s always reminding me to go chase my dream and never let anyone tell me I can’t do it. Having this support system behind me allows me to be Uber – focused.
If you weren’t a poker player, what would you be doing?
Poker is one of my true passions in life but if I had to pick something else to do full time, I would either be a tech entrepreneur or run a Venture Capital fund. I love the art of the deal; to me, it is similar to making a deep run in a poker tournament. The end goal when you play is to win. Like in life, many define what winning in the game of life inevitably is. When you invest or build a company, you’re trying to fill a void or create a niche.
Now you have reached a high level of success, what’s next?
One main focus right now is philanthropy. I think we were put on earth to leave a legacy and impact people’s lives in such a way that when others say your name, it holds real meaning.
Right now, I want to focus on building something: “A foundation, a family” I’m launching “The Noah Schwartz foundation” and going to write a book. So as I mentioned, I want to leave a legacy in different arenas in life. Poker is excellent; I had a lot of fun with it, I met many amazing people but now it’s time for the next chapter in my life.
Has poker as a game taught you anything that you apply to your life?
The game of poker provided so much insight into how to approach life. When you sit down in a poker game, you begin by evaluating your competition; as the game progresses, you continually about your opponents. The same way we learn via life lessons. I look at that both as games but with just different endings.
The key is making the best decision possible to get what you feel is the ideal result. Whether it be; investing, maintaining your health, spending each hour doing things that increase your happiness. Even choosing my life partner with all these things. When you start to dig deep, you know you want to try to make the best decision in every situation.
Poker says: “Okay, this is my hand; how do I play my hand perfectly to extrapolate max amount of money from this situation? The same way in life, “How do I spend my time the way I see best and most productive to live optimally each and every day.
Is there a tournament you remember as the most memorable of your life?
By far the most memorable tournament I’ve ever played was “The first Big One for One Drop”. The event was put on by the owner of Cirque du Soleil Guy Liberte & The World Series of Poker (WSOP). It was the first-ever $1 million buy-in that took place, and the cause that was addressed made it even more memorable. The One Drop Foundation’s mission statement is “to ensure sustainable access to safe water and sanitation for the most vulnerable communities through innovative partnerships, creativity, and the power of art.”
I had this one-of-a-kind opportunity to play with so many unique individuals from all walks of life at the highest level. The first place was almost $20 million. Can you imagine playing for $20 million? – It was very surreal. That was kind of a defining moment in my life. The Wall Street Journal featured me on the finance section’s front page on how I raised the money for the event.
Tell us about the one time as a poker player that you made a horrible choice and learned something from it?
It’s hard to pinpoint just one time to be quite frank. One of the keys that many people who get into gambling as a profession do is mismanage their bankroll and I was no exception.
One that comes to mind is – I just had lost a substantial amount of money in a poker game and as a result I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. I decided to try my luck on an NBA game without any edge. So I went to the SportsBook and bet six figures on a random game. I won’t bore you with details, but the end results weren’t in my favor. Lesson learned to stick to what you’re good at.
Do you consider yourself being one of the best poker players?
At one point when I was putting in a lot of time and effort playing I felt I could compete with anyone in the world. Poker, like anything, takes a lot of effort and repetition to master. At that point it showed I was ranked number 4 in the world based on the Global Poker Index, which uses a formula to rank the best players in the world.
What would be the name of your book?
The title is something I have jockeyed with back and forth. I want it to symbolize life & poker all in one. Since a good poker player never shows his hand, you’re just going to have to wait and see.
INSTAGRAM: @noahschwartz
