High School Social Studies Teacher Adam "Red4novak" Novak Chasing MICOOP Glory

Adam "Red4novak" Novak, 39, hails from Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan where he's lived most of his life. He's been married for nine years and has three daughters with his wife — Hazel (6), Ruby (3), and Marigold (10 months).

"I’m a high school Social Studies teacher at AGBU Manoogian High School, where I am also the school’s Athletic Director and have coached girl’s volleyball, cross country, and girl's and boy's basketball," he told PokerNews.

Novak first learned to play poker approximately 20 years ago thanks to his friend Russ Woodruff, who taught him using pennies.

"I almost immediately started playing on PokerStars around 18 or 19 years old in my parent’s house where I turned $20 into $50," he explained. "I was hooked ever since absorbing it online, on TV, and through books like Gus Hansen’s Every Hand Revealed."

Prior to 2011, Noval was mainly a Sit n’ Go grinder grinding approximately 20 SnG tables at a time. Those ranged from $10 to $50 buy-ins and he was simultaneously trying to maximize profit while amassing Frequent Player Points towards Supernova Elite status.

"I also played all types of tournaments starting from the suggestion of a friend starting around age 23," he said. "There have been several nice scores with my best being due to my wife who suggested I play it despite only having around 10 minutes left of late registration. I took third in a $50 tourney with over 7k participants for approximately $21,000."

In regards to legal and regulated online poker coming to Michigan, Novak was among the masses to welcome it with open arms.

"I’m very excited about Michigan’s return to online poker and look forward to getting back on the virtual felt," Novak concluded.