New Jersey Poker Player Hoping to Complete ‘25 Wins of Christmas Challenge’
The promotion was simple – the 25 Tournaments of Christmas. PokerStars launched the promotion in 2022 and the idea inspired New Jersey’s Jeremy Sissman. He hoped to ramp things up even more and launched his own “25 Wins of Christmas” challenge.
As the name implies the 38-year-old married father of two boys hoped not only to play at least 25 tournaments, but win 25. Sissman met that goal in 2022, but came up just short in 2023. He’s now bringing the challenge back and is hitting the tables at Pokerstars, BetMGM, and Global Poker.
“Sadly, the tournament field sizes are even bigger this year, making it even harder, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve,” he says. “Basically, I just have to get first place in 25 tournaments before Dec. 26 and the field sizes need to be at least 25 players. Although, the smallest fields I’m playing in are typically 50 people.”
What is the 25 Wins of Christmas Challenge?
As any player knows, winning a tournament isn’t easy. It takes plenty of skill, but variance also plays a role and booking victories can depend on running well throughout an event. Finding so many wins in just 25 days isn’t easy.
So far, things have been going well and Sissman has been documenting his wins on Twitter. By Dec. 12, he was on pace to reach his goal and had notched 13 wins including a score of more than $2,900 on PokerStars. He’s hoping to keep up the winning and take some time off around the holidays.
“I really didn’t want to play any poker on Christmas Eve or Christmas, so I need to be a little ahead,” he says. “I think I can do it.”
All his play is on New Jersey regulated platforms, which also pool players with Michigan, as well as the Global Poker social gaming site. He plays No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha (PLO), and PLO Hi/Lo at buy-ins generally under $500. Sissman also plans on playing online World Series of Poker Circuit events.
The challenge has mostly been received well by fellow players over the last three years, but Sissman has been surprised by the detractors. The 25 Wins of Christmas keeps him motivated.
“The reaction has been like 90 percent positive, but some people freaking hate me for it,” he says. “I can’t even explain it. I guess it’s just because it’s the Internet – people be mad. Honestly, the people supporting me and liking my posts on X, really helps keep me motivated. There’s a few guys who like every win I post and it doesn’t go unrecognized.
“I love posting a win late at night and waking up the next morning, getting my coffee and seeing a bunch of likes. It’s a fun way to start the day.”
Poker Life
Like many players, Sissman learned to play poker at an early age. He was betting and bluffing by age 9. He has always loved the game, but probably never thought he’d be playing for a living later in life.
“I kind of just fell into it in a way,” he says. “I graduated college in 2008 and of course the economy was a disaster at the time. People with 20 years experience were taking entry level jobs because no one could find work. After months of having no luck getting a job, I needed a way to make money. So I decided to take my slightly profitable hobby of online poker and try to turn full time.”
By October of that year, Sissman was grinding 40 hours a week and never looked back. Sixteen years later, he’s still at it. At times that has included streaming, and the online pro credits his time on Twitch with helping to connect with a large group of poker friends and making him a more confident speaker.
When not hitting the virtual tables, Sissman enjoys spending time with family, including playing hockey with his older son. He also loves playing guitar and writing songs. On Saturday nights, he usually takes time off to watch a movie with my wife. However, the “25 Wins” may require more weekend poker.
“I’ll be working most Saturday nights during this challenge,” he says. “I need every day I can get to have a shot at completing it.”
Looking Ahead
As the new year approaches, Sissman has even more in the works. He’s focused on starting a YouTube channel to showcase his play and help others with their own poker skills.
“It’s been a dream of mine to start a free poker coaching channel and I’ve already been working on it,” he says. “I’ll be pumping out a lot of free coaching videos. Beginner and intermediate players will learn a ton. Also, I think a lot of experienced players will learn a thing or two.”
The 25 Wins of Christmas will also be a key part of the new channel.
“A little secret that I haven’t told anyone yet, but I’ve been recording all of my wins,” he says. “So the plan is to turn them into coaching videos and release them on my channel. Hopefully, I get all 25 wins up by the end of January.”
Just 12 more wins to go.
