Meet Cash Game Festival Online Streamer Matt “CheapTorque” Walker

New Zealand’s Matt “CheapTorque” Walker has been playing poker for about a decade and has recently started to take things more seriously. “CheapTorque” created a thread on the poker community and rankings site PocketFives.com where he challenged himself to run his bankroll from $800 to $10,000.
During the challenge, “CheapTorque” began streaming on Twitch from his “menacepoker” channel and will be one of the 30 players to stream during the Cash Game Festival Online which runs from Oct. 24-30.
We sat down with “CheapTorque” to learn a bit about his poker background, about his challenge, how he plans to approach the Cash Game Festival Online, and more.
 

How did you get in poker and how long have you been playing?

When I was 18, a friend of a friend was into poker and I went along to a pub poker game. I really wasn’t much into it then, but did start playing the odd game online. I had poor bankroll management and played awfully and lost hundreds of dollars.
Sometime after Black Friday, I had completed my psychology major and had a great interest in social psychology. During my holiday I wondered if I could put some of it to use at the poker table and ended up having a reasonably nice run in micro-stakes MTTs. My main focus was to try to read my opponents’ betting behaviours and focus on my table image. I played awfully in all other areas, but managed to win. After this I was hooked!
I played a very small amount 10 years ago, but not any real amount until the end of 2012, and got more serious about studying the game just under one year ago.

What do you like most about the game?

I like the math involved in the game, the rush of coin flips on final tables, and the idea that I can play a game that involves outsmarting my opponents, and winning money at the same time.

Tell us a bit about your bankroll challenge?

I had a bit of a light bulb moment near the start of September which I feel improved my game 100-fold overnight. I just finished my final exams for the university year and I wanted to start keeping a diary of the grind I had planned for my holiday period. At the time I was really hungry and had big dreams to join a top level stable to get coaching from the best in the world.
Unfortunately, I was turned down by all three coaching and staking stables that I applied to. In a way I figured keeping a thread would look good on my resume next time I applied as I don’t give up easily.
As is always with poker I am still not sure 24 days on if I really am playing remarkably better or if I am just on a heater, but time will tell. I didn’t explicitly want to state a bankroll challenge because I feel that most people who do this (although not all) either fail or have a really rough time.
I can’t help but feel the pressure of stating a specific goal and having everyone watching on to see if you achieve it can negatively impact your game. So I just said I wasn’t going to state a specific challenge. If I win I win and if I lose I lose, but I am going to attempt to run my $800 roll up to $10,000.
I hate to sound so generic but I would be lying if I didn’t say Doug Polk’s recent challenge didn’t influence the goal figure. My bankroll is getting close to the halfway mark 24 days into the challenge! I haven’t binked anything huge in this time period but consistent smaller wins with the hope that something big is coming.

What is the funniest thing that happened while playing poker?

I have a few stories of crazy things that have happened while playing poker, but most of them are probably too explicit to publish. However, the funniest was probably the time that I fell asleep at my computer before a final table many years ago and woke up in the morning to a 3^rd place finish.

What are you looking forward to the most about streaming for the Cash Game Festival Online?

Being able to stream for the festival will be a lot of fun. I will be able to comment on how I play hands and try to give others advice. However, I also hope I will get a lot of comments on my play from those that watched so that I can improve as well.

What stakes will you be playing during you stream?

I plan on playing NL€20 (€0.10/€0.20) 6-max cash games, and if I am running well I may open up an NL€50 (€0.25/€0.50) table also. This may change as well as the number of tables I do at once depending on what is available at the time.

Would you like to attend a live Cash Game Festival? If so what is your dream location for one?

That could be fun. It would be nice if there would be one in Australia seeing as it’s close to my home in New Zealand and has a warm climate.

What do you do outside of poker?

I have been a full time student for 6 years, I have two degrees and close to completing a Master’s Degree. Training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on and off for two years, but I am currently taking time off recovering from injury. I have a dog that I take for runs and hikes, go to the gym, and spend time with my partner.
#”CheapTorque”