Nicolo Serlenga

Nicolò Serlenga, born in La Spezia, Italy, started playing poker at the age of 18. He recalls his first sessions in a dimly lit kitchen, solely illuminated by a laptop screen, and immediately fell in love with the game. This early passion led him to adopt the online nickname "WhyAlw4ysM3_" on PokerStars.it.

Serlenga quickly rose through the ranks of the Italian online poker scene. Over the years, he won virtually every major tournament series on PokerStars.it, including the Sunday Special, SCOOP, TCOOP, and ICOOP. His net winnings from online tournaments exceeded €350,000 in a few years, establishing him as one of the most successful grinder in the Italian market.

As his career progressed, Serlenga moved to Malta to join a professional grindhouse, where monitors were always on and sessions were endless. There he could play both .it and .com platforms. He described his daily life as a dedicated poker professional: long nights of grinding, cold coffee, and late mornings. He shared a grindhouse with his friend Andrea Shehadeh and considered relocating to Austria for better conditions.

After eleven years of intense grinding, Serlenga decided to take a sabbatical from online tournaments in August 2023. He cited physical exhaustion from years of nocturnal sessions as the primary reason. However, he continued studying and remained in touch with the best Italian regulars. During this break, he founded The Edge Factory, a poker coaching project aimed at restoring credibility to the role of a pure coach. He offers high-quality coaching at competitive prices, focusing on real-world adaptability rather than rigid GTO play.

Serlenga is known for a thoughtful, non-GTO approach to poker. In an interview, he explained a key hand where he bluffed an opponent by leading into a three-bettor and then using a tiny turn bet to set up a river bluff. He emphasized that while GTO has its place, the Italian field plays tighter and more predictably, so deviating from solver recommendations yields an edge. His style combines solid fundamentals with sharp reads on opponents.

Serlenga credits his development to early coaching from Luca "legolas" Franchi and Simone "spera91" Speranza, as well as constant discussion with peers like Aleasto and Molinelli. He also works with a mental coach, Nicola "quattroganci" Valentini, whom he has followed for five years. He believes that mental factors and continuous learning are crucial for long-term success.