Grinding It Out: Trey Morris Using Cash Game Expertise in Zynga Poker WPT500

By Sean Chaffin

Trey Morris (pictured) isn’t quite yet accustomed to running deep in a tournament. Not because of lack of skill, but because he’s usually playing cash games either at home in San Jose, California, or here in Las Vegas.

In recent months, however, this 28-year-old poker pro originally from Indiana has been working on his tournament game. He’s been entering more events and has definitely seen some positive results here in the Zynga Poker WPT500 Las Vegas.

“I’m not a big tournament person, but this year, in general, I’ve been playing a lot of tournaments,” he says. “I saw this one on the schedule and it looked good. It’s a different ball game in tournaments, but I’m getting there.”

Morris finished Day 1B second in chips and had 2.59 million on the Day 2 dinner break, good enough for the chip lead.

Beyond this event, Morris has also cashed three times this summer at the World Series of Poker. A final table appearance in the Zynga Poker WPT500 could make it a special summer indeed.

Poker has been Morris’s occupation for more of his adult life. After attending a semester of college back in Indiana, he decided college just wasn’t for him, launched a poker career, and hasn’t looked back.

At the cash games, Morris is a regular in $5/$5 or $2/$3/$5 PLO and his biggest score in one session was about $20,000. In San Jose, he plays at the M8trix Casino and at ARIA, Wynn, and the Venetian when in Vegas.

When not catching cards Morris enjoys reading, playing video games, hanging out with friends, and traveling. Those excursions recently included working his way throughout California as well as a visit for a month to Chicago. Tournament poker makes for a nice complement for travel aficionados and more trips are already in the works.

There’s a sense of glamour and intrigue that comes with being a professional poker player. But Morris knows first-hand the ups and downs, financial swings, and work that goes into making a living from the game he loves. What do most people not realize goes along playing full time?

“It takes a lot of effort,” he says. “You’ve got to put in hours and it takes a lot of mental stamina.”

So far, so good here at ARIA and he’s hoping all that training comes together for an even deeper run and a final table appearance.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.