Considered by many to be the best streamer for high stakes tournaments on Twitch, Tonka is the ideal choice for creating tournament content for The Upswing Lab members. His first video "Play & Explain" will be available today or tomorrow!
Parker "Tonkaaaap" Talbot has been an online tournament player for seven years, and his accomplishments show that he is a serious contender to be reckoned with at the table. Tonka earned more than $ 3 million from online prizes, in particular, he took second place in SCOOP M for $ 109 thousand and a Super Tuesday win for $ 101 thousand. On PokerStars alone, Tonka has around 3,000 cash prizes worth over $ 2,679,000. (Stats taken from Tonki's PocketFives profile.)
Besides his poker skills,
personable, sometimes cynical player. It is this kind of attitude that stream after stream is shown to his viewers. This short highlight - with a frantic comeback - showcases how Tonka started acting at a young age. He played 5c / 10c with his father online, and episodes of the World Poker Tour appeared regularly on his living room TV.
When Tonka first discovered No Limit, it was love at first sight. But his parents feared their son's passion for the game. He ended up going to college with no intention of playing poker.
The rise of the star Tonka
Canada's relatively low age limit for gambling makes it difficult to play poker. Traveling to Quebec a few times a week to play live started to make a profit, and as a result Tonka stopped attending classes. He started making real money almost every day. In the end, the parents provided amazing support, realizing that their son can really earn. After months of live play and intense training, he went online and found his calling.
Tonka quickly achieved success in both tournaments as well as sit and go (SNG). SNGs were his main game for the first few years and he was able to reach Supernova Elite while maintaining a positive ROI. At the peak of the SNG ecosystem, he regularly played $ 2,000 and $ 5,000 - SNGs with the highest stakes on the internet, earning over 3 million VPPs per year.
When PokerStars changed their reward system to make SNGs less viable, Tonka jumped into tournaments without fear and never looked back. (He still jumps in SNGs or Spins from time to time.)
Many players play in tournaments these days, but few discover the passion to love and learn the game the way Tonka does. He has always emphasized that great work at the table is the key to his success. The work ethic that has made all of Tonka's successes possible is a curious and exciting topic for Lab members who will explore in depth what this player has learned throughout his career.
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