Buy Low, Sell High: Gardens Casino Qualifier Luis Arellano Takes his WPT Five Diamond Shot

By Sean Chaffin

Luis Arellano enjoys two things when he’s not selling homes for the real estate company he shares with his sister – playing poker and fishing. One brings a sense of peace, the other brings out his competitive side.

Among the five qualifiers for the WPT Five Diamond Poker Classic from the Gardens Casino in Los Angeles, the 40-year-old plays about one event a week at the property. At the Gardens, he plays the regular $175 event with a $30,000 guarantee every Friday.

“I haven’t won first place, but I’ve cashed several times,” he says. “Once they reach the final table, they usually just chop up the prize pool.”

When not playing cards, look for him in the early morning hours at the beach near his home in Santa Ana, California. Beach fishing is one of his passions. 

“You’d be amazed what you can catch,” he says. “My favorite fish to eat is halibut, so that’s the only fish that I target.. You usually have to do it early in the morning before the crowd gets there. You have to time it with a low tide.

After landing a few, Arellano filets up his catch and quickly has them on the grill. 

He and his sister do sell real estate and process mortgages all over Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties. He also enjoys working out when not casting a line in the ocean.

Poker has been a part of his life even from a young age.

“I come from a family of gamblers, so when I was a kid my family used to get together on holidays and we played poker,” he says. “That’s what we did. I continued with it and have always just had an interest in the game. I love it and wish I could do it full time.”

How do his two great passions, fishing and poker, compare?

“Poker can definitely be more rewarding, but I think when I’m fishing I’m more at peace,” he says. “It’s more for relaxation and to relax my mind. When you’re playing poker, you’re under more stress. Even though it’s fun, it can still be a little stressful.”

Each summer,  Arellano mixes in a few smaller buy-in events at the World Series of Poker including the $1,500 Millionaire Maker. But at close to seven times that buy-in, the $10,400 Five Diamond is by far the biggest event Arellano has ever played. Although this a large buy-in featuring a room full of poker sharks, Arellano is unfazed and trying to keep everything in perspective.

“At the end of the day, it’s still the same game whether you’re playing a $300 tournament or higher,” he says. “I’m just going to play my style – the way I’ve been winning, the way I’ve been successful. I really don’t plan to change my style too much. The way I play is the way I’m going to approach it, and then adapt to the rhythm at my table.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.