Student poker player keeps habit secret

"Metsfan512," as he's known on websites like FullTilt and PokerStars, plays a lot of poker. He's quite good at it. Good enough to have made around $175,000 in just a few years.

There's a hitch, though. The UConn sophomore has to hide most of his winnings from his Muslim family because the religion prohibits gambling in any form.

"They know I play a little poker at casinos… My mom knows at least," he said. "I help her out with the bills and life expenses, and support myself, so that's one less thing she has to worry about."

The extent to which he plays and the amount of money he's won remain a mystery to them.

But that doesn't stop Metsfan512. He plays often and tries his hand at many types of games — a $5 buy-in game in his dorm room, a $5,000 online game or a $10,000 live tournament in the Bahamas. 

At just 19, he's too young to legally play at most casinos in the U.S., but that doesn't seem to stop him either.

As his moniker suggests, he plays mostly online and he plays a lot, usually putting in 30 to 40 hours a week. "It's like a job," he said, describing how he manages to fit poker in with his school work.

"Metsfan512" started playing five years ago at 14 because he was "intrigued by the mental aspect of the game." He learned from watching and, eventually, playing with a few of his uncles, who also helped him hide his newfound hobby from the rest of his family.

Until he turned 18, he cashed out of online games using his uncles' accounts, and they paid taxes on the income.

Not every game he plays is high stakes. He's often content to hole up in his dorm with six to 10 other guys, playing with a $5 buy-in.

Metsfan512 also enjoys occasional trips to casinos. He's played in tournaments at Turning Point in New York, where the legal gambling age is 18. Nearby Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun aren't off limits, either, despite the required age of 21. He just walks out onto the floor, he said,  and no one bothers him.

"The guards don't say anything, and the floor people don't say anything. As long as you don't order drinks, they don't card you. It's really not that hard at all."

He still can't play in organized tournaments in Connecticut or at most other casinos in the country because his ID would be checked during registration, he said.

Every gambler has downswings, said Metsfan512, and they may be larger than non-gamblers expect. His personal biggest downswing was around $40,000, which he said is "almost standard, which is kinda gross to think about, or even say out loud."

Metsfan512 admits that the long hours and potential for big losses have caused him to consider quitting the game he loves.

But for now, he keeps playing. Winning $47,000 in one online tournament on Jan. 4, 2009, his personal best, will do that.