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Online Poker Spotlight: RIZEN Rising
by Craig Tapscott , Special to FOXSports.com
At the beginning of 2006 the Kansas native left a job in the computer field to play poker professionally. "It was a very difficult decision. I mean how do you leave the security of an upper five figures a year job with great benefits to play a silly card game?" shared Eric. "For me, it became an easier decision after I had managed to save a few years salary up and had shown a consistent trend for winning well more at the tables than at my real job. The kicker really for me was my family. I was missing all the 'firsts' that your kids do as they grow up; first steps, first word, etc. That was killing me. I've always had it in the back of my head that I may either go back to work or get seriously involved in some other 9-5 endeavor once my kids get into school again, but for now the ability to support my family in the way they're accustomed to and be home for all the important things in my kids' lives made the decision much easier. At first it was just a two to three month trial for me, but with the success I've had so far it seems like it will probably be much more permanent."
FOXSports.com caught up with Eric shortly after his whirlwind day at a WSOP final table.
FOXSports.com: It seems like you've come out of nowhere to being one of the most respected players online while earning your stripes in live play as well.
Eric Lynch: My game has been in a constant state of growth for close to three years now. Honestly, the biggest jump my game has seen over the last three years is just that I finally hit a few big tournament scores increasing my bankroll to the point where I can compete in all the biggest daily events as well as make some trips to things like the LA Classic and the World Series of Poker.
FS.com: When did you feel that you really could dig in and hold your own against the best out there?
EL: Online I think I realized it after I won the Friday Special on PartyPoker. I was able to take a commanding chip lead into the final table and just dominate a table that had some pretty good players in it. Offline it was definitely at the LA Poker Classic this year. I didn't cash, but on day 2 they did their seat drawings by alphabetical order, first name. My table draw included Erik Seidel, Erick Lindgren, Eric Mizrachi, and Eric Firestone. At the end of day 2 I was the only Eric still left, and had been playing good enough poker to have some fighting chips going into day 3 of the event. While I didn't cash there, playing with lots of big pros and holding my own was a huge boost for my confidence, and both my online and offline game were much better for it.
FS.com: Everyone is curious how to build a bankroll. What's your story?
EL: I started with $50. I built it at the time playing limit cash games. Those were the most popular back then. I had horrible bankroll management skills at the time though. I moved up a little too fast and found myself back down to around $50 after building up a few thousand several times before I finally was pointed in the right direction on how to play within your bankroll. From that point on I built gradually from $50 up to about $3000 again before I won the $55k guaranteed on PokerStars and the Friday Special on PartyPoker in a 3-4 week period to give my bankroll a $50k+ jolt that I've never looked back from.
FS.com: Please list your achievements in poker that you would like to share.
EL: Wow, I mean obviously the biggest online is the PokerStars $1 million guaranteed win, and offline is the PL Hold'em WSOP 3rd place finish just last week. Beyond that though I've won countless online tournaments including:
PartyPoker Friday Special
EmpirePoker 200k guaranteed
Paradise Poker 150k guaranteed (multiple times)
Paradise Poker 100k guaranteed (multiple times)
PokerRoom Weekly 'Big Deal' 80k guaranteed
FS.com: How would your opponents classify your style of play?
EL: My first instinct is always to be tight/aggressive. That's how I learned to play the game, and it's still what's most comfortable for me. That being said, my style of play incorporates all styles and gears, and knowing when to use them. Tight/aggressive may be good at times, but when the entire table is tight/passive it's better to be loose/aggressive. I try to incorporate all styles into my game and switch between them as the situation warrants.
FS.com: Any leaks?
EL: I feel I play pretty solid, but sometimes having an overly aggressive player to my left can prove difficult for me. Dealing with overly aggressive players out of position is something I've been working on.
FS.com: Do you approach live and online play differently?
EL: Live players in general tend to play a more weak/tight style of poker where online players tend to play more loose/aggressive. Obviously it's all dependant on your table, but I tend to be a bit more aggressive live than online to take advantage of a lot of the tighter players. Also, having live reads can help a ton, and I tend to act on those a lot so sometimes I'll make some plays that seem a bit more odd live than online. Online when a guy thinks 20 seconds you never know if he's really thinking or if he just is running back from the bathroom, but live you get to see every movement, which is a huge help.
FS.com: How about cash games vs. MTTs?
EL: Cash games for me tend to get a bit boring after about 2 hrs. I play them in short sessions; otherwise I end up getting a little out of line. In tournaments, with the blinds going up all the time and everyone fighting for survival there is just more of an adrenaline rush. I also think my skills tend to do better in tournaments, but I'm a successful cash game player as well.
FS.com: What you are looking for at the table?
EL: One word - weakness. There are many different types of weakness, but I look for any I can and try and exploit them. Some people are weak because they fold every time they don't hit the flop, others are weak because they'll never fold if they hit. I want to find the best way to exploit every player at the table and their individual weaknesses, so I'm looking to pick up as much information about how they play at all times, regardless of if I'm in the hand or not.
FS.com: Can you share your strategy in such a large field as 5000 people when you won the PS Sunday tourney? Is it a lot different from a $100 rebuy or a $300 freezeout with 400 players?
EL: In a lot of ways it's way different, but in some it's very similar. Large field tournaments with lots of satellites tend to have lots of weaker players in them. Also, a lot of people have gotten into the $250 buy in for $6; so many consider it a 'success' simply to cash. You've got to realize that for the first 2-3 hours of these you're often just playing level 2-3 poker, and nothing much higher. Often the satellite players don't think about things like what you may think he has and act accordingly. They often just look at their cards and play them, with little regard to what else is going on around them. That's not to say these fields aren't filled with LOTS of good players, they are. But there are moves you'll pull on players who are willing to put up $300 of their own money that just won't work against guys who got into a tournament for $6.
In a lot of ways though it's still poker, and you still have the same goals. Don't focus on the fact that there are 5000 people in the tournament, just focus on the 8-9 other people at your table and do the best you can at your table. If you think of everyone else in the tournament it makes it easier to make a mistake. You can only control the fate of 9-10 players at a time; so don't worry about anything else.
FS.com: Can you expand on your thoughts about table image and using that in your favor?
Well, you should always be aware of what the table thinks of you and how they react to you, and adjust your play accordingly. Sometimes if I've recently shown down a hand like 47 off-suit in a bluff, if I get AA next I tend to play it more aggressively, hoping that the 47o sticks out in their mind and they want to catch me bluffing. If everyone is constantly folding to my raises I'll often start raising with a much wider variety of hands until I start to get played back at or have to show one down, then I'll go back to my regular game. You definitely need to be aware of what the table thinks of you and how to adjust your game, you also need to anticipate how certain plays will change your table image so you can stay one step ahead.
FS.com: While we are on the topic of table image explain your poker mind reading techniques. It seems you always know the right action against most players.
EL: In poker there are 'levels of thinking' that all players go through. The first level is 'what are my cards?' These people are playing cards. Most people make fun of these players, but in truth they mostly just want to have a good time and pay our bills, so we can't complain. They look at what they have, and evaluate all their decisions based on that and that only. The second level is 'what are my opponents cards?' This takes a bit more thinking, as you have to guess your opponent's cards based on his action. You can then evaluate your opponent's strength or weaknesses based on that and decide if you should fold, bet/raise for value, or bet/raise as a bluff.
That takes us to the third level. 'What does my opponent think I have?' You can go through infinite levels of thinking, but I find that the difference between decent players and good/great players is they think on the third level or higher. The easiest example of this is that when you raise a hand pre-flop, most opponents will automatically put you on an Ace. This isn't always true, but most players automatically think people raise Aces. So when that Ace flops and he checks to you, you bet because he thinks you have an Ace, and he will not play back at you without a hand that can beat an Ace (this isn't always true, but I'm generalizing).
People often call this representing a hand. You play your hand in such a way that you represent a certain holding, which allows you to get away with a bluff when you don't actually hold those cards. Now, one thing to keep in mind is if the opponent you're playing can't at least think to the second level (meaning he actually thinks about your cards and not just his) then this sort of play is useless.
The reason I think of this?? I was in the 45k on Stars Saturday night when I was dealt AQo in middle position. I raised up the pot and it was folded to the big blind, who flat called. The flop came down JJ5. He bet into me a fair amount, I raised him, and he called. The turn was a Q, I bet, he called. River was a rag and I bet and he called. Turned out he had ATo. Now besides the fact that he played this hand horribly, he started berating me for my awful play basically saying 'how can you raise that flop? I bet like I had the Jack.'
Ignoring how insanely awful his play all the way through was, the fact is he didn't represent a Jack. Had he had a Jack, he would have check raised or check called the flop to extract more money on his trips. His betting was precisely how I knew he didn't have a Jack. I raised him with the intention of him folding, but hitting the Q on the turn was a bonus. I never feared I was behind because he never properly represented a Jack.
In short, when you play think about what exactly your actions are telling your opponents about you, and make sure it's what you want to say. Every bet tells a story, and as the storyteller you control everything. You can tell a truthful story (in the form of a value bet) or a lie (in the form of a bluff). The key to everything though is making sure the lies you tell are believable, and disguising your truths just enough that people become suspicious.
Lots of people think that bluffing is making some sort of elaborate bet or play to steal the pot, when often bluffing is just a subtle lie carefully crafted to make your opponent believe you hold something you do not. So next time you're thinking about bluffing, take a deep breath and think about how you would play your hand if you actually held the cards you were trying to represent, and then play that way, and you'll find your bluffs will have a lot more success.
Craig Tapscott is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com Poker, Card Player & Card Player College magazine. He may be contacted at: ctapscott@verizon.net.
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