Cole South
Encyclopedia
Cole South is a 24 year-old professional poker
player, author, and entrepreneur from Washington, DC. South is best known for his play online, though he has also made television appearances on Poker After Dark
in season 5 of the show.
South is an economics
student at Georgetown University
.
In just two years he went from playing small stakes poker, to building up a bankroll of over $2 million and playing in high stakes online games, winning pots of over half a million dollars.
In April 2010, Cole South left the team at the CardRunners
website, which he was a partial owner of. During his time there he produced instructional poker videos where he shared his knowledge of the game.
His mathematical approach to poker, as well as his pursuit of constant improvement and self-analysis are what makes Cole South stand out as a poker player:
Poker is a game based on mathematics (probability and expectation in particular) and should be treated this way. Bets, folds, raises, bluffs, and all poker decisions should be evaluated solely on their expected value, not because a certain action "feels right" or "gives you information". As a mathematician this is perfectly clear to me, but it isn't evident to casual players and this is what makes poker profitable.
Cole South experienced some large swings in February and March 2010, winning more than $3.5million in the month of February, and losing $2.6million in the month of March. Exactly one month after winning $1.1million in a single day, South lost $1million to Tom Dwan
and Ilari Sahamies
which is a clear example of his change in fortune at the online tables. Also in the month of March, South lost $785,000 in a single session over a span of almost 2,400 hands against poker player Isildur1
. After starting at $100/$200 PLO they increased their bets to $300/$600 before their match had ended.
In December 2009, Cole South was accused of sharing hand histories from his matches against Isildur1
with other professional poker players, Brian Townsend and Brian Hastings, with Hastings going on to win around 5million from Isildur1. Ultimately it was determined that South did not share his hand histories or violate the Full Tilt Poker rules in any way and he was not penalized. Townsend was ultimately suspended from his 'Red Pro' status for 30 days for downloading hand histories from a widely-used subscription service.
In March 2010, Cole South entered a heated exchange with fellow professional poker player Ilari Sahamies
(Ziigmund). The controversial Sahamies accused South of taking advantage of him being disconnected during an online match and continuing to make bets against him.
, he finished 162nd in the 2009 WSOP Main Event earning him $40,288.
He cashed the following year as well, earning $36,463 for finishing in 365th.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player, author, and entrepreneur from Washington, DC. South is best known for his play online, though he has also made television appearances on Poker After Dark
Poker After Dark
Poker After Dark was an hour-long poker television program on NBC. The show made its debut on January 1, 2007, and was cancelled as another victim of the "Black Friday" criminal case due to the show's sponsorship by Full Tilt Poker, one of that case's defendants. on September 23, 2011 For its first...
in season 5 of the show.
South is an economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
student at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
.
Poker career
Cole South is a professional poker player. South started playing poker online in November 2005 at partypoker under the username CTS, depositing $50. He quickly improved as a player and through intensely studying the game he increased his bankroll to over $13,000 by October 2006.In just two years he went from playing small stakes poker, to building up a bankroll of over $2 million and playing in high stakes online games, winning pots of over half a million dollars.
In April 2010, Cole South left the team at the CardRunners
CardRunners
CardRunners is an instructional poker site founded by Taylor Caby and Andrew Wiggins and formerly part-owned by Brian Townsend. CardRunners charges members a monthly fee for access to their catalog of poker instructional videos and private poker strategy forums...
website, which he was a partial owner of. During his time there he produced instructional poker videos where he shared his knowledge of the game.
His mathematical approach to poker, as well as his pursuit of constant improvement and self-analysis are what makes Cole South stand out as a poker player:
Poker is a game based on mathematics (probability and expectation in particular) and should be treated this way. Bets, folds, raises, bluffs, and all poker decisions should be evaluated solely on their expected value, not because a certain action "feels right" or "gives you information". As a mathematician this is perfectly clear to me, but it isn't evident to casual players and this is what makes poker profitable.
Cole South experienced some large swings in February and March 2010, winning more than $3.5million in the month of February, and losing $2.6million in the month of March. Exactly one month after winning $1.1million in a single day, South lost $1million to Tom Dwan
Tom Dwan
Thomas Dwan Jr. is an American professional poker player who regularly plays online in the highest-stakes No-Limit Texas hold 'em and Pot-Limit Omaha games, primarily on Full Tilt Poker, where he plays under the screen name "durrrr"...
and Ilari Sahamies
Ilari Sahamies
Ilari Sahamies , also known as Ziigmund, is a Finnish professional poker player. He specializes in high stakes pot-limit Omaha cash games. Sahamies is known for his trashtalk at the poker table, usually aimed towards his fellow pros, which has led to an online following...
which is a clear example of his change in fortune at the online tables. Also in the month of March, South lost $785,000 in a single session over a span of almost 2,400 hands against poker player Isildur1
Isildur1
Viktor Blom is a Swedish high stakes online poker player, best known as Isildur1. His rise to fame drew considerable audience around the poker world in late 2009, taking part in all ten of the largest pots in online poker history. In December 2010, it was announced that then-anonymous Isildur1...
. After starting at $100/$200 PLO they increased their bets to $300/$600 before their match had ended.
In December 2009, Cole South was accused of sharing hand histories from his matches against Isildur1
Isildur1
Viktor Blom is a Swedish high stakes online poker player, best known as Isildur1. His rise to fame drew considerable audience around the poker world in late 2009, taking part in all ten of the largest pots in online poker history. In December 2010, it was announced that then-anonymous Isildur1...
with other professional poker players, Brian Townsend and Brian Hastings, with Hastings going on to win around 5million from Isildur1. Ultimately it was determined that South did not share his hand histories or violate the Full Tilt Poker rules in any way and he was not penalized. Townsend was ultimately suspended from his 'Red Pro' status for 30 days for downloading hand histories from a widely-used subscription service.
In March 2010, Cole South entered a heated exchange with fellow professional poker player Ilari Sahamies
Ilari Sahamies
Ilari Sahamies , also known as Ziigmund, is a Finnish professional poker player. He specializes in high stakes pot-limit Omaha cash games. Sahamies is known for his trashtalk at the poker table, usually aimed towards his fellow pros, which has led to an online following...
(Ziigmund). The controversial Sahamies accused South of taking advantage of him being disconnected during an online match and continuing to make bets against him.
World Series of Poker
Cole South has made an appearance in the World Series of PokerWorld Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
, he finished 162nd in the 2009 WSOP Main Event earning him $40,288.
He cashed the following year as well, earning $36,463 for finishing in 365th.