Ex-Uni Student Skips School to Become High Stakes Poker Pro

Malcolm Trayner is a 20-year-old who dropped out of uni last year and has become a succesful professional poker player.

Malcolm Trayner Quit Uni, Earned $90K in WSOP Event

When a friend tells you that they are quitting school to pursue a pipe dream, you don’t often have very high hopes for them – but Malcolm Trayner is a special exception. The 20-year-old dropped out of university last year and took on a career in the world of professional poker. He made over $100,000 in his first few months on the scene, and continues to thrive as a high-stakes player.  

The former student hadn’t always set out to pursue a career on the felt. He had plans to work in the financial industry, studying Applied Finance at Macquarie University. However, the student like just wasn’t for him, and he dropped out just one month into the program.

He didn’t jump right into playing poker, though. Trayner initially quit school to work, and took a job at the RSL where he earned $25 an hour. During this time, he decided to begin playing poker in his spare time and quickly amassed $10,000 in winnings.

In December, he took a shot in the World Series of Poker at The Star in Sydney, where he battled it out against 1500 other runners. Trayner ended up making it to the final table and was one of the last two players. With first place and second place paying out $110,000 and $70,000 prizes respectively, he and his opponent made a deal where they agreed to split the prizes evenly. As a result, they both received $90,000.

The High Roller Road

With a $100,000 bankroll, Trayner was able to ramp up his wagers and move on to high roller games and tournaments. Since then, he’s been playing in a wide range of events in Sydney and even made it to the final table in the $1000 + 100 Monster Stack event during the 2019 WSOP.

He has had a very successful first year as a professional poker player, and hopes to continue to pursue this career path. Trayner has even worked with a more experienced poker player in coaching sessions, where they looked at computer simulations to inform his own playing strategy.

“It’s a game with no skill ceiling. You can constantly improve, so I still have a long way to go,”

– Trayner says

We wish Trayner all the best in his career as a professional poker player, and will certainly keep an eye out for him on the tournament circuit. He’s off to a fantastic start and we’re sure that he’ll only continue to thrive in the pro poker world.