Againstime: Grinderschool 9-man and 6-man SNG Turbo Coach

Kyle "Againstime" Marshall has enjoyed playing games competitively since his early childhood. Before discovering poker, he showed an early interest in real-time strategy computer games and also card games such as Magic: the Gathering (M:tG). After only a few years of play, he found himself ranked among the top 20 M:tG players under 16 in the world was invited to compete at the M:tG Amateur Championships in Florida, which aired on ESPN2. After high school, Kyle decided to set gaming aside to pursue a degree in Mathematics from the University of Arkansas. After graduating he began to realize that he would not be satisfied in life working a typical job, and once again found his interests drifting towards gaming. He had already been involved in a $20 no-limit hold'em freezeout home game that met weekly with 8-10 regular players. While not achieving any real success in these lower buyin home games, Kyle managed to essentially break even while learning the basics. This interest later motivated him to make a deposit on Pokerstars, which a friend had suggested to him as a trusted site. Kyle began playing single-table $1-$5 SnGs, but busted after about a week's worth of play. Determined to try and improve, he made two further deposits of similar size. Through poor bankroll management, he burned through this money as well. Realizing his mistake, he finally decided to make a $200 deposit so that he would be able to absorb the swings in poker more effectively, and he has not busted since this deposit.

Kyle continued to research poker theory over the following year while working part-time at the local university. As his skill improved and he became more confident about his game, he decided to research the viability of playing poker professionally. He found a great deal of evidence indicating that in order to play professionally online, it would be necessary to play many tables simultaneously, have a HUD, and use an ICM program on the side to analyze difficult all-in or fold situations. At this time, though, he was only playing 3-4 tables simultaneously and did not have a HUD or an ICM program. After purchasing SnG Wizard and Pokertracker 3, Kyle's continued study and effort to increase his table count payed off, as he was able to build his bankroll to the $5000 he felt necessary to play the $20-$50 SnGs without fear of busting due to variance. Once he met this bankroll benchmark, Kyle quit his job and began playing online poker full-time. A few months later, he decided to relocate to Las Vegas so that he could pursue poker both online and live. Kyle continued to play online poker professionally on Pokerstars until Black Friday. After considering his options, he decided to remain in the United States and transition to live poker in Las Vegas and also to make a deposit and begin playing on the Merge network, which a friend had recommended to him. Kyle is currently 15-20 tabling on the Merge network as "Againstime" and specializes in both Turbo/Non-Turbo Full Handed and 6-Max SnGs.

SNG Tournament Stats:

SNG Tournament Graph:

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