Poker News

The online poker site Victory Poker has been attaching several of the world’s top players to its brand since it launched in February. One of Team Victory’s newest pros, Australian superstar James “Andy “McLEOD” Obst, sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss his new home.

Poker News Daily: You recently became a member of Team Victory. How did this deal come about?

James Obst: The guys involved with Victory Poker got in touch with me and let me know they were interested; it went from there.

PND: What were the deciding factors in joining Victory Poker, especially with the site just breaking ground this year?

James Obst: The opportunity to join Team Victory was essentially just what I had been waiting for. I was never interested in going after any deals that may have modest benefits and live to regret it should something special come around thereafter. In Victory Poker, I have the opportunity to start with something from the beginning and am doing so with a group of people who all share the same passion for success and see the limitless potential that Victory Poker possesses. It is something completely new; a site driven by players for players, where the players are actually listened to.

PND: Which games and stakes do you plan to play on the site?

James Obst: I’m enjoying playing low-stakes Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha there when I can for now. Time will tell how the games emerge in coming months as the traffic continues to climb.

PND: Talk a little bit about the Team Victory Pros. What do you know about some of these guys and how do you think you’ll fit in?

James Obst: Most of the Team Victory Pros are tremendous cash game players, with a few well-respected tournament players also. You only have to watch some of the Victory Poker videos you’ll find on YouTube to know that they’re fun guys and fitting in will not be an issue.

PND: You have an interesting poker background. How did you get started playing?

James Obst: I used to play competitive chess for a few years and was introduced to poker by a bunch of friends at a tournament. Since there isn’t much money in chess, the money aspect was a big draw card for poker and I had always enjoyed playing cards anyway. From there, I got an account online, slogged it out, experimented with all of the poker varieties when I wasn’t at school, and taught myself enough to start doing well.

PND: What early influences did you have?

James Obst: I got to know Shane “Anbessa9” Pacheco on the chess server I played on and he introduced me to Jon “apestyles” Van Fleet, who played a bit of chess also. Jon was mauling tournaments at the time. It seemed like he won a Paradise Poker $100 rebuy every other day and their big $30 rebuy every week. I enjoyed watching him play both tournaments and six-handed cash and I’m sure that only added to my aggressive nature.

PND: You were banned from the online sites for playing underage a few years back. In what ways did that affect you?

James Obst: It just helped me focus on other things and get them done. I sorted out renting an apartment and got it all furnished. I was in hospital for the latter half of that period anyway, so it didn’t really affect me much.

PND: You’re 19 now, which means that you still have two years before you can play in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. Even though you’ve been playing in tournaments across the world, are you getting the itch to play in the game’s biggest event?

James Obst: I’ve got enough going on at the moment to not really worry about it. It would be a great month or two were I able to play, but I’m fine sorting out everything else I want to get done in the meantime.

PND: You play online as a few different names. What would you like to be known as now: Andy McLEOD, TheFatFish, or simply James Obst?

James Obst: I think most people refer to me as Andy; I’m happy with that.

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