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Articles by Ben Saxton
Q&A with 'Poker with Presence' Author Jason Su
July 01, 2020 Ben Saxton In poker, you need both art and science to excel. An intuitive “feel player” might dominate for a while, only to lose to others who expose her technical deficiencies; on the other hand, a solver-obsessed theorist who doesn’t trust or hone his intuition lowers the ceiling of his potential. To be the best that we can be, Jason Su writes in Poker with Presence: Unlocking the Final 15%, we need a method of linking the two.
Q&A with 'Playing with Presence' Author Jason Su
July 01, 2020 Ben Saxton In poker, you need both art and science to excel. An intuitive “feel player” might dominate for a while, only to lose to others who expose her technical deficiencies; on the other hand, a solver-obsessed theorist who doesn’t trust or hone his intuition lowers the ceiling of his potential. To be the best that we can be, Jason Su writes in Playing with Presence: Unlocking the Final 15%, we need a method of linking the two.
James Obst Leaving Poker for Tennis
WSOP bracelet winner and tournament crusher James Obst, known online as "Andy McLEOD," recently made a surprising announcement: he plans to leave poker in order to play professional tennis and compete in Wimbledon. Obst's announcement arrived after another deep run in the Main Event. On Day 6, after nimbly navigating the 7,874-player field, Obst got all-in preflop with two aces against Michael Dyer's two tens.
The Hand Heard 'Round the Thunderdome: AA vs. KK vs. KK
For the last week, the poker world has been buzzing about a stranger than fiction hand from the stone bubble of the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event final table. Just 10 players were left from the starting field of 7,874, and players had redrawn and were seated around a single table. With the blinds at 300,000/600,000 with a 100,000 ante, Nicolas Manion raised under the gun to 1.5 million with . Antoine Labat called in middle position with .
Player of the Week: 15-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner Phil Hellmuth
The path to Phil Hellmuth's fifteenth World Series of Poker bracelet wasn’t easy. An instructive bump in the road happened on Day 3 of the Main Event when Hellmuth was all in preflop with the against Jans Arends's . After the board came , he was in prime shape to double up. The river was the . Hellmuth grabbed his stuff, slathered a smile onto his face, and stalked out of the Thunderdome.
Moment of the Week: Joe Cada's Bluff Propels Him to the Final Table
The 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Joe Cada has had an eventful summer. He shipped Event #3: $3,000 NLHE Shootout for $226,218 and his third bracelet. He also put his father, Jerry Cada, into the $1,000 Super Seniors Championship. Jerry had recently suffered a stroke and spent over a month in a coma. During his recovery, Joe taught his dad poker basics before hopping into the Main Event.
WSOP Main Event Final Table Profile: Michael Dyer
Brought to you by the WSOP-C Playground, hosted by Playground Poker Club and partypoker LIVE. The long-awaited return to Canada of the WSOP Circuit takes place from August 23rd to September 3rd and will not only feature an $1,100 Main Event with a huge $2,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool, but also other favorites such as the Colossus, Monster Stack, and High Roller. Michael Dyer has over $130,000 in live tournament earnings, including an eighth-place finish in a 2009 WSOP event for $65,905.
WSOP Main Event Final Table Profile: Aram Zobian
Brought to you by the WSOP-C Playground, hosted by Playground Poker Club and partypoker LIVE. The long-awaited return to Canada of the WSOP Circuit takes place from August 23rd to September 3rd and will not only feature an $1,100 Main Event with a huge $2,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool, but also other favorites such as the Colossus, Monster Stack, and High Roller. Aram Zobian is enjoying every minute of the Main Event.
Tony Miles is Dressed for Success and Still in the Mix
After bagging a third-place stack of 42,750,000 at the end of Day 7, Tony Miles predicted that he would have a wardrobe surprise for today's final table. “You're gonna see [the jersey of] an athlete that I respect on and off the field," Miles said.
WSOP Main Event Final Table Profile: Michael Dyer
Brought to you by the WSOP-C Playground, hosted by Playground Poker Club and partypoker LIVE. The long-awaited return to Canada of the WSOP Circuit takes place from August 23rd to September 3rd and will not only feature an $1,100 Main Event with a huge $2,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool, but also other favorites such as the Colossus, Monster Stack, and High Roller. Michael Dyer has over $130,000 in live tournament earnings, including an eighth-place finish in a 2009 WSOP event for $65,905.
The Muck: Could/Should You Fold Kings Preflop on the Main Event Final Table Bubble?
“It feels like you can’t get away from kings, but you can,” Maria Ho said. It was the stone bubble of the WSOP Main Event final table, and ESPN’s commentators were in disbelief. But hole cards don't lie. With the blinds at 300K/600K/100K, Nicolas Manion raised under the gun to 1,500,000 with pocket aces. Antoine Labat, who had 51,250,000 and pocket kings, called in middle position. Yueqi Zhu, who also had two kings, moved all-in for 24,700,000 from the hijack.
WSOP Main Event Final Table Profile: Tony Miles
Brought to you by the WSOP-C Playground, hosted by Playground Poker Club and partypoker LIVE. The long-awaited return to Canada of the WSOP Circuit takes place from August 23rd to September 3rd and will not only feature an $1,100 Main Event with a huge $2,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool, but also other favorites such as the Colossus, Monster Stack, and High Roller. An avid dancer and Seattle Seahawks fan, Tony Miles brought his infectious enthusiasm all the way from Jacksonville, Florida.
Sit 'N' Go's to Thunderdome: A Firefighter’s Journey in the Main Event
For Cory Williams (pictured above, right), firefighting runs in the family. After studying fire science at Edison State College, Williams joined the Fort Myers Fire Department in 2010. His younger brother Dalton and their dad, Larry, work there too. The trio recently enjoyed Cory’s sizzling run at the 2018 WSOP Main Event, which started with a modest sit 'n' go.
PokerNews Audiobook Review: Tommy Angelo's 'Elements of Poker'
Tommy Angelo's 2007 Elements of Poker is already a classic. After decades of experience as a player and a coach, Angelo identified 144 of poker's "elements" — stuff like A-Game, Tilt, Bankroll, Position, Running Good and Running Bad, Awareness, and much more. Witty and wise, stern and compassionate, Angelo's book is a reassuring guide for a challenging game. Angelo recently revised and narrated an audiobook version of Elements.
A Look at James Sweeney's New Video Series 'The One Percent'
James "SplitSuit" Sweeney has been playing and coaching poker for over a decade. After he got started in 2004 at Syracuse University, Sweeney co-founded Red Chip Poker, and since then has coached hundreds of students, released hundreds of training videos, and has written four books. And Sweeney isn't slowing down. Recently he adapted Ed Miller's book Poker's 1%: The One Big Secret That Keeps Elite Players On Top into an accessible video series.
PokerNews Book Review: 'The Microstakes Playbook' by Nathan Williams
Like many up-and-comers in the early 2000s, Nathan "Blackrain79" Williams found poker as a broke kid in his early twenties, fresh out of university and with little direction. From there Williams embraced the life of a jetsetting grinder, traveling the world and amassing "some of the highest winnings in online poker history." (How high?
WSOP Strategy: At Table 147 With Henry Tran, Mustapha Kanit and Steve Bierman
There were 2,572 players starting Day 3 of the WSOP Main Event, and nine of them took their seats at Amazon Orange 147. For much of the day, they — like everyone else — would compete to the utmost of their abilities to survive the bursting of the money bubble due to come at night's end. One of the table's most active participants, Ngni "Henry" Tran, started the day with 384,000 chips and a reputation.
Navigating Day 1: Playing the WSOP Main Event with Benton Blakeman
When Benton Blakeman first played the WSOP Main Event in 2012, he psyched himself out by thinking about the tournament's enormity. Many first-timers do. "I was always worried about my own financial investment as well as the investment of the people who I sold shares to," the Las Vegas-based poker pro said. After he failed to cash in 2012 and 2013, he reminded himself: This is just another day of work.
Going Deep in the Rio Daily Deepstacks at the 2017 WSOP
With the 2017 World Series of Poker winding down, the Daily Deepstacks at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino remain an affordable option for players looking to earn a big score. Although no bracelets are awarded in these events, many consider these one-day tournaments to be among the best value in Las Vegas, offering top prizes well into five figures. Just last week, for instance, Raymond Kilpatrick won $32,498 for beating a field of 1,016 entrants.
PokerNews Book Review: 'Advanced Concepts in No-Limit Hold'em' by Hunter Cichy
Do you even GTO, bro? In 2006 Bill Chen and Jerrod Ankenman wrote The Mathematics of Poker, a dense book that introduced readers to "game theory optimal" play. More recently, thanks to online wizards like recent $111,111 High Roller for One Drop winner Doug Polk and programs like PokerSnowie, our understanding of optimal play has advanced considerably. It's a controversial topic. Indeed, the very term "GTO" intoxicates some, infuriates others and raises plenty of questions.
Talking 'Advanced Concepts in No-Limit Hold'em' With Hunter Cichy
Last year Hunter Cichy told PokerNews about "The Template," an algorithm that he uses when consciously considering pertinent factors at the table. “I can adapt within that algorithm,” he explained, “but the same concepts run through my head over and over. Structuring my thought process prevents me from distraction.” Cichy, a Florida-based poker pro, coach and founder of Check Shove Poker, recently expanded his thoughts on The Template into a new book. We caught up with him to get the details.
Poker By The Book: World Series of Zombies
Vegas, early July. You’ve been at the Rio for a full month, grinding hard, pining for that elusive WSOP bracelet. Fourteen-hour days blur together. You stop thinking. You stop showering. After another bad beat (do aces ever beat kings?) you drag yourself from the Brasilia Room to the toilet to the Poker Kitchen, where you force another greasy, overpriced burger down your throat. Staggering towards the Amazon Room, you feel like…a zombie or something.
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