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SHANE SCHLEGER
AGE: 28
ZODIAC SIGN: Taurus
YEARS PLAYING: 6 years (1 year professionally)
FAV FORM OF POKER: NL tourneys
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Santa Monica, CA
The first time I had a chance to spend some time with Shane was at the Bellagio one night last June. A group of us planned to head to the nightclub Light for some fun and cocktails. That night Shane rolls up in this leather jacket. I found it strange because, even at night, Vegas in June is hotter than balls, and no one wears a jacket, let alone a leather one. Turns out this is his favorite jacket, and I’d have to say it fits very well with the persona Shane exudes: a nonchalant, laid back, i-do-what-iwant kinda thing. And since I’ve gotten to know him better, I’ve realized the guy is very cool, genuine, bright, and creative.
Shane is also, as it turns out, one of the fiercest players I know and, since we first met, he’s proven himself as one of the toughest up-and-coming players on the circuit. But this was no easy task. He’s put in the hours and paid his dues, having made a name for himself in the world of online tournaments (typically playing under the name Shaniac). He sometimes plays as many as 30 to 40 tournaments per week. While he’s a very well respected online player, he likes to point out he actually got his start in the underground card rooms of New York City, and claims to have lost $2,000 his first summer playing $1/$5 stud.
Shane definitely seems to be on his way. Over the last year, he’s placed five final tables, one of them in the 2005 WSOP, and most recently with a first place finish in a prelim event at the LA Poker Classic, which earned him $220k. When asked about how he sees himself and his game, Shane responds modestly: “I’m no poker natural. It’s taken me a lot of hard work to become competent.” In my opinion, he vastly underestimates himself.
Jordan Morgan
AGE: 21
HOMETOWN: Norman, OK
YEARS PLAYING: 4 years (1 professionally)
FAV FORM OF POKER: NL Tourneys (second is Omaha8 cash games)
I was dining with Gavin Smith in Reno, celebrating Greg “FBT” Mueller’s (see Check profile Nov. 05) fourth place finish in the WPT World Poker Open event, and I had the chance to ask Gavin if there were any players that he could recommend I profile. Gavin thinks for about half a second and mentions Jordan Morgan, then continues with much unabashed praise of his skills at the table. I go on to ask a few other people, and I hear them spewing the same things about Jordan: strong, creative, aggressive, fearless…
So I hunt around a little more and get Jordan’s contact info. We get a chance to chat and he tells me his story. You would think that such a talented young player got his start playing online. Well, with Jordan, that’s not the case. It turns out he started playing poker a few years back in local small stakes home games in Oklahoma City. This may explain why, for such a young player, his composure at the table is like that of a grizzled veteran – enough so to impress even Gavin Smith.
While Jordan’s initial focus and poker education were live games, this isn’t to say he hasn’t had online success. On the contrary, in the last year Jordan has had four online tournament cashes of over $50k and pocketfives.com ranks him as one of the top five online tournament players (playing under the name iMsoLucky0). Typically, I like the players that I profile to have a few live circuit wins and deep cashes in pocket. But while
Jordan has yet to prove himself on the tournament circuit, I have no doubt he’ll be an up-and-comer to watch out for.
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