Brian Hastings, known as LucLongley and Stinger885, is an online poker prodigy. He got his start playing low-limit ring games and eventually worked his way up. Before long, Brian was a regular winner in $50/$100 and $200/$400, some of the highest staked games available. Currently, Brian is one of the most feared online players in the game, right up there with Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey, and Patrik Antonius.
In December 2009, Hastings was involved in minor controversy following a session vs. Isildur1 in which he beat the Swede out of $4.2 million. Hastings, along with Brian Townsend and Cole South, shared heads-up hand histories of their play vs. Isildur, using the database to construct ranges for his play in certain situations. The infractions are widely considered to be mild, and all three where suspended accordingly by Full Tilt Poker.
Already a millionaire at age 22, Brian Hastings remains a student at Cornell University. In an interview with Bluff Magazine, Hastings addressed his decision to stay in school, saying, “Basically I’ve received lots of advice from close friends, family, and colleagues preaching the importance of a degree. Obviously this is no surprise coming from my family, but I think it’s even more significant coming from someone like Taylor Caby, who is in a similar position as me but a few years older. Also, I’m not sure I want to just play poker for the rest of my life, so I’d like to keep my options open.”
When he’s not playing online at Full Tilt Poker, where he is a sponsored pro, Brian Hastings makes videos for leading online poker training site CardRunners.com. When asked what he does away from poker, Hastings responded: “Aside from my poker playing, I’m basically a normal college kid. I’m in a fraternity and enjoy parties. I also like to play golf, play video games, and watch movies and TV.