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The Hollywood Poker Academy
The HPA Interview with Scott Fischman
by Joe Fortin, Founder of HPA
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Scott Fischman is a two-time World Series of Poker Champion, and at 23, was the youngest player ever to win two bracelets, back-to-back. He’s also the World Poker Tour Young Guns of Poker Champion, and a columnist for Card Player Magazine.
HPA: How long have you been playing hold’em?
Scott: I’ve been playing for probably 6 years, with the first 3 being recreational and losing.
HPA: Were you playing online right away?
Scott: No, I didn’t really start playing online until, maybe 3 years ago. I was basically sneaking into casinos playing 3/6, just gambling basically.
HPA: Who taught you how to play hold’em?
Scott: A friend of mine, Jordan Salmon. I went to high school with him and he was my roommate when I graduated high school. He came from a poker family and he guided me, taught me. His grandfather won a World Series bracelet back in the day. His grandparents used to play poker all the time. They taught him and he taught me.
HPA: How did he teach you? Did you watch him play?
Scott: No, we would just screw around at the house and he talked me into going to Sunset Station. We talked about hands, he’d watch me play and tell me what I was doing right. We’d go home and play heads up for like 12 hours straight.
HPA: How many poker books have you read?
Scott: Zero!
HPA: Do you prefer limit or no-limit?
Scott: I prefer playing no-limit.
HPA: Do you play more tournaments or side games when playing hold’em?
Scott: More tournaments. I just recently started playing side games. I wanted to make sure that I played a lot of tournaments at first, because tournaments and side games are so different. It’s really hard to play both at the same time. So I focused on tournaments and when I felt I had a mastery of them, in a way, I just recently, in the past 6 months or so started playing side games and getting used to those.
HPA: Limit side games or no-limit?
Scott: Both.
HPA: Where do you usually play?
Scott: I’ve been playing at Bellagio a lot, and Commerce in Los Angeles. Usually when I play limit, I don’t play hold’em very much in the cash games. I play mixed games, Omaha, Stud high low, some triple draw games. If I’m playing no-limit or pot-limit, it’s usually pot-limit Omaha or something like that.
HPA: Do you come to LA to specifically play at the Commerce?
Scott: Yes, I’ll drive there, it’s only like 3 ½ hours. I love it there. The Commerce is full of action, the games are great. I stay there for like a week or two at a time.
HPA: What’s your favorite no-limit starting hand to play?
Scott: Pocket 8’s. It’s always been my lucky number growing up as a kid. It used to be the number on all my jerseys. Then I won the final hand of the H.O.R.S.E. event at the World Series with pocket 8’s. That was my first World Series bracelet.
HPA: What’s your most frequent hold’em mistake?
Scott: Bluffing an opponent that I know doesn’t realize what I’m doing, so it doesn’t really work. Making a bad bluff is my most frequent mistake.
HPA: Do you play in a home game?
Scott: Yes. I have a poker room in my house. I usually get some of the friends over to play around.
HPA: Any friends we may know?
Scott: Recently it’s been me, Mike Matusow and Gavin Smith.
HPA: Mike Matusow? Nice! What’s the biggest pot you’ve ever won?
Scott: 3 days ago, $116,000.
HPA: Nicer! Where?
Scott: Bellagio. No-limit, $50/$100 blinds.
HPA: How much did you buy-in with?
Scott: $30,000.
HPA: Have you ever gone broke and lost your bankroll completely?
Scott: No. Never. Not even close. I might be one of the only ones. (laughs)
HPA: Ever have someone stake you?
Scott: Yes. I get staked currently at big buy-in tournaments. For me it’s the security of it. These days, tournaments can run you $600,000 to $700,000 a year to play. So I still get backed in those.
HPA: Is it a website that backs you or is it a private individual?
Scott: It’s an individual. My website is my own thing. (thefishtank.com)
HPA: Who’s the most entertaining poker pro for television?
Scott: Mike Matusow. (laughs) He just won The Tournament of Champions, and he made the final table at the World Series this year, it’s going to be great TV. He and Phil Hellmuth came in first and third at the T.O.C. It’s going to be amazing to watch.
HPA: Did you play in that event?
Scott: (laughs) Yes, I did. I got knocked out early. The Grinder (Michael Mizrachi) knocked me out.
HPA: What did he knock you out with?
Scott: He had Jacks, I had tens. All the money was in before the flop.
HPA: What would you change about the World Series of Poker?
Scott: This year and in the coming years they are saturating it with no-limit hold’em. I saw the schedule for next year and there are almost 40 tournaments, and 25 of them being no-limit. And there is going to be no H.O.R.S.E. tournament, which I won in 2004, and 2005 they didn’t even have it. The no-limit tournament I won at the World Series last year, I came in second this year. And I never got a chance to defend my title in H.O.R.S.E. I was kind of upset.
HPA: Why did they get rid of the H.O.R.S.E. event?
Scott: They were greedy. (laughs) They figured they’d only get 200 players for it, you know, and they can get a few thousand in a no-limit event. It’s a joke. I’d have a $10,000 buy-in for H.O.R.S.E. Doyle Brunson thinks H.O.R.S.E. should be the main event because it’s a true test of poker. I’d love to see a $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. event and more Stud events, High-low. I know that a lot of up and comers are just playing no-limit and the only reason they are playing no-limit is because that’s what they see on TV. If you had the other games on TV, the public would see it, and get interested in them as well.
HPA: What about the main event? Should the buy-in be bigger?
Scott: No. I’m all for tradition. And it’s been $10,000 since day one, and I think it should stay $10,000. I understand there are a lot of people, but I think it’s great. I think it’s wonderful.
HPA: What are your thoughts about online poker?
Scott: There’s nothing better than online poker. It’s the best way to learn. It’s convenient, it’s time consuming, its fun, it’s everything that poker should be. I play a lot of online poker.
HPA: Do you only play on your site? (thefishtank.com)
Scott: No, but mostly on my own site. The good thing about the internet is that there are so many options. I’m not going to let myself get cut off by just one site. Other than my own site I play most at Party Poker, Poker Stars, and Ultimate Bet.
HPA: What’s your favorite vacation spot if poker is involved?
Scott: I’m going to Monte Carlo. I was there last year and it was awesome. I’m going to Australia, which I’ve never been to, so that may be my new favorite spot. Monte Carlo is amazing!
HPA: If you were going to form a no-limit hold’em tournament poker tag-team, who would you want as your partner?
Scott: Layne Flack. He’s amazing. I’ve been watching him since day one, and he’s got incredible skills, he’s a nice guy, and I think he’s an awesome no-limit hold’em player.
HPA: What’s the best advice you have for an amateur poker player?
Scott: Always keep a positive mental attitude and don’t let your day to day results affect your mood.
HPA: What win or accomplishments are you most proud of?
Scott: The back to back titles at the World Series.
HPA: For 10 million dollars, would you quit playing poker?
Scott: (laughs) No. I can’t, I can’t. It’s a sickness. I’m addicted.
Scott’s website, thefishtank.com is a poker playing site in the Doyle Brunson Poker Network, and offers up to a 35% sign on bonus.
The Hollywood Poker Academy Interview is conducted by Joe Fortin. Posted 11-'05
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