There was an era in poker not so long ago where writers could pick from a roster of players turning 21 to play in Las Vegas for the first time. Online poker was the Wild West, money grew from trees and like all things too good to be true; it didn’t last.
Those young guns of poker from the height of the boom now have grey in their beard, they replaced molly with Advil and traded in sports cars for their family-friendly SUVs. 2024’s poker landscape is a bit saltier than the fresh-faced kids we saw joining the ranks in the mid-aughts.A dream run
In stark contrast to a weathered, salt and peppered final two tables, a baby-faced Connor Daynard was all smiles making a deep run in the $3,500 World Poker Tour Playground Championship for $28,433.
The 25-year-old is used to being the youngest at the table. “I’m kind of used to it and it doesn’t bother me at all,” Daynard said. “Sometimes I feel like the older guys try to pick on me and think I’m bluffing them all the time. So, it can go both ways.”
Daynard finished in ninth place for $28,433, which virtually matched his career Hendon Mob earnings – something that really happens once for a player in their career.
“Wow, yeah that’s incredible,” Daynard said when we pointed that out. “I didn’t think I’d get to this point. I’m not looking at the money too much, I’m just playing my game.”
Choosing poker over everything
An electrician by trade, Daynard left the comfort of a full-time job a couple of months ago and began focusing on playing poker full-time. He’s just starting to grind the road life, “I came to Playground for the first time and September and I’m already back. I love it here,” he said.
Daynard said that poker is growing in popularity among his peers. “There’s a bunch of guys even younger than me that are getting into the game,” he said. “They really love it – poker is really blowing up with the younger crowd.”
He was introduced to poker much like the young guns of a generation ago – through online poker. “My buddy introduced me to poker during the pandemic,” said Daynard. “We were all looking for something to do and he sent us all out $50 to play a little home game. I won it for about $300 and was hooked.”
The later stages of the event saw Daynard on the wrong side of a couple of flips. “Today I’ve lost aces to jacks and kings to jack nine, but I’m hanging in there,” he said.
A bright future
Unfortunately, he couldn’t recover from those hits to his stack after holding a commanding chip stick for most of his tournament. But the deep run gave him a boost in confidence, in not only his game but his future as well.
“Hopefully, I’m still doing this in ten years and hitting a bunch of live scores,” Daynard said. “I haven’t really gotten to do that yet; I’m just starting now and love it. That’s what my future looks like.”
All photos courtesy of World Poker Tour – Alicia Skillman