He knows when to hold ’em — and cashes in

Jared Hubbard’s job demands that he spend hours at a time intensely concentrating on four computer monitors simultaneously. Is he an air traffic controller? No. He wagers large sums of money daily. Wall Street broker? Guess again.

Hubbard, 23, of Winona, Minn., is a professional online poker player — one of the few people who actually make a living at it.

Poker’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years, with the growth of online poker rooms and TV coverage of poker tournaments.

The consulting firm Christiansen Capital Advisors, which specializes in analysis of professional gambling, projects that Internet gambling revenue may total $18 billion in 2007.

While the National League of Poker estimates that thousands of people nationwide are profiting from online play, the average player is more likely to become a gambling addict than he is to suddenly roll in the dough. A spokesperson for Gamblers Anonymous said that 3 to 5 percent of gamblers are known to eventually become addicts, and the actual number may be three times as high.

Among the few online poker players who stay in the black comes an occasional wild success story like Hubbard’s. Ranked as the world’s No. 1 player in the six-man single table tournament (“sit-n-go”), he belongs to the top poker site Pokerstars.com’s Supernova Elite club, a ranking so difficult to achieve that it currently has only four members.

Hubbard’s success is no surprise to friend and fellow poker player Brandon Misfud, who has followed his pal’s career closely.

“He is one of the two best sit-n-go players, and without question the best six-man sit-and-go player in the world,” Misfud said, citing Hubbard’s top ranking on Sharkscope.com, a site that ranks online players based on total profit.  “It takes dedication, commitment and a lot of practice to be as good as he is.”

Having the nerve to lose

The dark-haired Hubbard’s medium-size build and quiet, serious demeanor belie the sarcastic wit and determined mentality that those close to him are familiar with. He also possesses a deep knowledge of his career, gained through intense study.