Arnold Spee

A poker biography of Arnold Spee.

Quick Information

Name - Arnold Spee

Born - Chicago, Illinois, Usa

Poker Room - Not Available

Biography

Arnold Spee, a native of Chicago, Illinois, believes that it takes two things to win a poker tournament: psychology and math. These two things, more than anything else, aid luck and good cards in winning any tournament. These things were probably his tools in winning the World Poker Challenge, a World Poker Tournament (WPT) main event in 2005, which was held in Reno, Nevada. Spee finished first place in the competition and grabbed the $663,880 prize.

Forty-one-year-old Spee has always have the heart for playing cards. He used to outwit his parents in playing Canasta during holidays thus, playing poker was kind of a calling for him. When he and his friends went to Las Vegas, he would stay hours playing poker while his pals and tried their luck in slots. The only time that he realized that he wanted to play poker full time was when he quit his marketing job after experiencing bad beats. After losing his job he would play almost everyday in every card room in Los Angeles and improved his poker skills in just three years.

In 2004, Spee finished fourth place in a No Limit competition in Los Angeles and won a total of $21,600. He then started playing regularly on the World Poker Tour (WPT). In addition to this, after winning his pioneer satellite tournament, he also topped over 20 tournaments within four weeks. He also ranked 21st in WPT Championship Season Three and bagged $56,615, which makes him a very competitive player.

According to him, he loves playing more on WPT than on other tournament because he likes to compete with the best concentration of players, which he usually finds in WPT events. He plays better when he is matched with professional players than with dozens of no-names because he almost always reads best players. He knows their moves and if they tell the truth or not. However, before gaining the popularity that he has right now, it took him three months to inch his route to the WPT main events.

Although Spee is a huge fan of poker on television, he believes that he learned a lot from playing than in watching tournaments on TV or reading poker books. He said he learned to improve his skills through playing on the spot thus, he is now among the most renowned player in the scene. He learned to use his gut instincts and take several risks in the earlier parts of tournaments.

If Arnold Spee is not excelling in poker, he said he would probably end up being a police detective because the job requires solving puzzles, which he truly loves. In fact, his friends always give him brain teaser puzzles during holidays or gatherings that no one else can decipher. Just like his attribute in playing poker, he likes figuring out his opponents' strategies. Reading people probably is the psychology part that Spee has been talking about. Spee seemed to cracked the code in becoming a successful poker player and in earning his $929,328 total winnings. Arnold Spee is currently residing in Thousand Oaks, California.

Last Updated ( Saturday, 08 December 2007 )

[ Back ]