Member Interview 5: Exploring the World of Poker Through Statistics - Kazuki Takao

Hello! I’m from the PR team at CLOViZ Inc.

A lot of people are probably wondering what CLOViZ actually is, and what kind of team members we have. In this blog series, we introduce CLOViZ members in an interview format. Along the way, we’ll share our vision and values, each member’s role and skill set, and what makes both the team and the individuals so compelling.

In this fifth installment, we’re featuring Mr. Takao, who works as a poker coach and helps create content.

1. A University Poker Player Using Statistics as a Weapon

—First, could you briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Kazuki Takao, and I’m in the Faculty of Business Administration at Hosei University. At university, I study statistics and econometrics.

I first encountered poker at a middle school cultural festival. I started taking it seriously in April 2022, when I joined the University of Tokyo poker circle. That’s where I became obsessed with the appeal of imperfect information. Back then, I was thinking about poker from morning to night. I even remember counting combos while taking a bath.

As for results, I won a JOPT side event in January 2024, and won a SPADIE side event in February. More recently, I’ve also been studying games beyond No-Limit Hold’em, and I placed 7th in the JOPT PL-BigO event in January 2025.

At CLOViZ, I work as a poker coach and also help create content, such as deciding what kinds of questions to include in our poker learning app, POKER Q’z.

2. Beyond Correlation to Causation: What Poker and Crypto Trading Have in Common

—Could you tell us more about your university research and your interest in crypto trading?

Right now, I’m researching causal inference at university. It’s about identifying and quantitatively evaluating how an intervention or factor affects an outcome, and it’s used for things like measuring the impact of marketing initiatives.

For example, in video advertising, you can analyze how different elements, such as the actor’s gender, video length, or how long the company name is displayed, influence consumer purchasing behavior. By thinking in terms of causality, you can propose more effective ad strategies.

I think the causal inference mindset also helps when studying poker strategy. One representative example is using a method called clustering, which groups similar features together, to classify flops. This can simplify equilibrium strategies into a form that’s easier for humans to apply.

Since October 2023, I’ve also been working on crypto trading research. The goal is to generate consistent profits by running trades through a bot, a program that automatically executes currency trades. I’m still a beginner in that space, but I want to take it more seriously going forward.

What’s especially interesting is the structural similarity between poker and crypto trading. Both are zero-sum markets, both require strong mental control, the ability to handle money pressure, and statistical thinking.

Finding the market’s sources of profit, which in poker you could also call an opponent’s leaks, and exploiting them feels very similar to the environment of high-stakes online poker.

3. A New Perspective Through Poker: Statistical Thinking and Global Connections

—It’s great that your research and hobbies connect to poker. What have you learned from poker, and what do you find appealing about it?

The biggest thing I’ve gained through poker is statistical thinking. I’ve started viewing many everyday situations as probabilistic events. For example, if my favorite drink is sold out at a vending machine, I now think about whether it’s worth walking to the next one in terms of expected value.

I’ve also learned to control emotional reactions, what poker players call tilt, and to make calm decisions hand by hand. Even highly skilled players can lose in the short term. Learning to live with that variance is both what makes poker difficult and what makes it fascinating.

Another major appeal is that communication naturally happens because you’re sitting at the same table for long periods of time. When I played in Vietnam recently, I was able to connect with other players through poker even with the language barrier.

4. Looking Ahead: Playing Abroad and an Ideal Future for Poker

—That’s true, thinking in expected value really changes how you see everyday choices. How do you want to stay involved with poker going forward, and what do you hope for the poker industry?

I plan to keep playing more for enjoyment than for money. In my fourth year of university, I’ll have more free time, so I’d like to stay abroad and challenge myself in cash games. My top destination is the Philippines, since it’s English-speaking and the cost of living is low. My second choice is Las Vegas.

For the industry to grow, I hope the legal environment improves. I don’t feel the current approach to prize payouts is ideal, so I’d like to see things become cleaner and more sustainable, potentially in coordination with Japan’s IR projects.

5. The Real Value of Late Registration: A Short-Stack Specialist’s Perspective

—If the legal side improves, it could really open things up. What kind of playing style are you best at?

In No-Limit Hold’em tournaments, I’m confident in short-stack strategy at 30BB or less. On the other hand, I’m relatively not as strong when deep-stacked, so I often enter right near the end of late registration. In general, late reg can also be higher EV.

That said, in tournaments common in Japan with very poor payout structures, it may not be rational to play purely for money in the first place. In those cases, registering from the start and simply enjoying poker is also a good option.

6. “GTO in Human Language”: How POKER Q’z Is Changing Poker Study

—So late registration is part of the strategy too. How do you think people should study poker?

In my case, I started by studying from books. Now I learn by discussing hands with members of the University of Tokyo poker circle and other strong players, and by using GTO Wizard.

Balancing theory and practice is a never-ending topic, but I think beginners should prioritize playing first and get enough experience to start forming hypotheses. After that, the phase of learning theory becomes important. Many people struggle to interpret and understand GTO Wizard outputs during this process, so we’re developing POKER Q’z as a tool to bridge that gap.

In Japan, more players are learning basic strategies, like not open-limping. However, only a limited number of players can apply GTO concepts and GTO Wizard results in real games. For most people, understanding and applying them takes time, or feels difficult. POKER Q’z aims to interpret solver outputs in clear, human language. We hope this makes the complex concept of GTO easier for beginners to understand.

Poker can feel intimidating because of its mathematical complexity, but it’s also a powerful communication tool. If POKER Q’z can remove those barriers and help more people enjoy poker, that would make me very happy.

—Mr. Takao, thank you very much for your time today!

Thank you as well. If you’re interested in what we’re doing and would like to get involved in developing our services, please contact us via the link below.