PokerWorks

Mark ‘Newhizzle’ Newhouse burst onto the live poker scene with a million dollar win in his first ever WPT event when he was just 21. Since then he has been grinding the cash games online and live and has been having some success in local Los Angeles card rooms recently.  

KL: How long have you been playing poker?

Mark: I have been playing for about 5 years.

KL: How did you get started playing?

Mark: I started playing small stakes home games and then I started playing real small online. Eventually I ran it up and then started playing big online and then got into playing live.

KL: What stakes are you playing online?

Mark: I have played as big as $1000-$2000 I don’t play that big anymore. I haven’t played online in awhile actually I have been playing a lot live at either the Commerce or the Bike. I usually play anywhere from $100-$200 to $400-$800 limit.

KL: Your second career cash was for your Borgata win, $1.5 million. Was that one of your first live events?

Mark: I didn’t really play any tournaments before that, I was mainly a cash game player. That was my first World Poker Tour that I played and I won it. I didn’t take it seriously at all; I went out to Borgata to play the cash games on the side. I was playing a $200-$400 game and it broke and I played a satellite, won that, and went from there.

KL: That must have been crazy making the final table.

Mark: Yeah, it definitely was. I went into that tournament just not even really caring. Maybe that’s how I won it.

KL: Do you still do that now?

Mark: Now I take tournaments a little more seriously…and haven’t won one since then, so…

KL: Do you back people?

Mark: Not at the moment, but I have in the past. In general unless you are really smart about it, it’s hard to make money. Usually when I back people it has been because they are very good friends of mine and I want to help them out.
 
KL: When you play online where are you playing?

Mark: PokerStars or Full Tilt.

KL: Are you mostly playing the live tournament circuit now?

Mark: I am not going to play all of them, but I’ll play all the west coast events and Borgata this year. Other than that I am mostly playing at Commerce every day.

KL: Are you going to the WSOP Europe?

Mark: I don’t have plans to go just yet, but that could change. As of now probably not.

KL: You are known for some marathon sessions online.

Mark: Yeah, I have had plenty of those! I don’t know if it was online or live – but the longest I have played is probably 36 hours. I haven’t done that in awhile, though.
 
KL: Why did you play that long? Was it a good game?

Mark: I don’t think I played that long online, I think that was a live game. If it’s a really good game and if you feel like you can keep playing then keep going. Lately I have been keeping my sessions a lot shorter.

KL: How has this year been for you so far?

Mark: So far, not particularly great. In tournaments I did well in the $25,000 and the $5000 Caesars and the first event of the World Series and then nothing after that at the series, so not a good World Series. I actually haven’t been playing all that much this year but I am getting back into it and doing well since I have been back in LA after the series.

KL: What are your thoughts on all the drama in the poker world, you have gotten wrapped up in it in the past?

Mark: It’s all a part of being a name that people talk about. There is going to be stuff about you on the internet and stuff like that. I try not to even follow it that much anymore.

KL: Do you read the forums or post?

Mark: Yeah, I read 2 +2 and stuff like that but not as much as I used to.

KL: Do you think sites like that are good or bad?

Mark: It can be good for interest in poker; I guess it’s good to have something to talk about.