He Paid $200k In Vegas Tuition...Was It Worth It For Aaron Mermelstein?

The More Rake Is Better Giveaway at Phenom Poker: https://table1.vegas/rake Play with us in Vegas at Table 1: https://table1.vegas Aaron Mermelstein won a $50K online poker prize at age 15... and never saw a dollar of it. In this week’s Table 1 Podcast, Merms opens up about everything — and we mean everything in a rare interview. From sneaking onto Party Poker as a teenager to going broke after discovering Vegas table games, it’s a rollercoaster of ambition, pain, and absurd poker highs and lows. Show Notes: 00:00 Video Games To The Varkonyi Effect 03:18 Freeroll to Bankroll 07:10 Finding Table Games 11:57 Working vs Going Pro at Poker 19:12 The $100 Date 23:13 NY Poker Games & Backing Deals Gone Right 29:08 The Borgata WPT & Tourney Breaks 37:58 Post WPT Tourney Circuit 39:38 The Home Game Scene 44:34 Poker: The Great Equalizer 46:36 COVID & Game Running 49:45 Miami Life & The M Casino 48:42 Chip On The Shoulder High Roller 1:02:21 WSOP Main Event Run 1:10:38 Post Main Event & The Future! Table 1 Links: Play with Us In Vegas: https://table1.vegas Play with us Online: https://play.phenompoker.com/register?r=Table1 Follow us on X: https://x.com/table1vegas Follow us on Instagram: https://x.com/table1vegas Watch us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@UCCXgQ2MnNidaOP-9PPTG6Sg Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3fkMXT5gsZxgHuDBxUcY59 Art's Links: Learn to Beat Slots (Seriously) at SlotMaps: https://slotmaps.com Run your own poker game at PokerHQ.io: https://pokerhq.io https://x.com/ArtParmann Justin's Links: https://x.com/justinyoung07