Poker Player Interviews
Matt Dean
Matt Dean finished 7th in the incredibly crowded 2004 WSOP Main Event and won $675,000.PROFILE
Name? Matt Dean
Where are you from? The Woodlands, TX
Age? 24
What do you do for work? Play Poker
What do you like to do with your free time other than poker? I like to play tennis and I'm a big fan of movies.
POKER PROFILE
How long have you been playing poker? A year and a half
How long have you been playing poker online? About a year
What is your favorite site? And why? Pokerstars.com - they got me to the WSOP!
Do you prefer playing online or brick & mortar? And why? I like brick and mortar more because I like to interact with the other players.
How many hours a week do you play? Probably about 5.
Where did you learn how to play?With the boys at the Pike house at Southwestern University.
Have there been any books that have helped you learn how to play? T.J. Cloutier's Championship Pot-limit and No-limit hold 'em is great. I loved Zen and the art of poker also.
What is your favorite game? Anything no-limit.
Who is your favorite poker player? I like Annie Duke and Howard Lederer. Lederer is probably my favorite. He's someone I try to emulate.
What was your biggest poker accomplishment before making the final table at the WSOP? Haha, I didn't have too many. I think I got 2nd in a $20 tournament and won $1,000 once.
What goals do you have as a poker player? I'd love to place in the money at some WPT events and I'd love to win the WSOP someday even though I know my best chance was probably last year.
What limits & games do you typically play? When I can find $10-$20 no limit I play that.
What is your style of play? I like to think of myself as tight-aggressive.
What are your strengths as a player? I am very patient at the table.
What are your weaknesses? I wish I could change my game up a little more. The pros can adjust easily but I struggle playing short-handed.
Do you play poker mainly for the money, entertainment, or for the challenge? I play mainly for the challenge.
What advice would you give to new players? Play a lot online even at lower limits just to get in a lot of hands. Nothing beats experience.
TOURNAMENT
Did you buy in directly or through a satellite (if so how many times did you try to get in)? On my second night on Pokerstars I tried to qualify again for the WSOP. I won a satellite that I spent $32 on.
How did you feel before the tourney started? Did you feel like you had a good chance to do well? I was really nervous before the tourney but then I loosened up. I thought that if things broke right for me I could do well. I really just wanted to get to day 2.
Tell me about how the tourney went? I went from $10,000 to $7,500 in the first couple hours. But then I doubled up with QQ vs. JJ and from then on I was in pretty good shape. I was in 26th out of 32 at the beginning of the second to last day. I got lucky with A6 vs. AK and then won a few coin flips which vaulted me into second going to the final table. I had a really tough time at the final table though. I didn't seem to find any hands and I was forcing a lot of action when I could have just sat back and waited. But I don't second guess anything I did. I just have to live and learn.
Tell me in detail about some of the keys hands that you remember or big decisions you had to make: Twice when we were under 15 players I had to call all-in with JJ. Both times I thought I had the best hand and I did - just barely. I was up against AK and was lucky to win both of those hands.
Now having the experience, how would you have played differently? I wouldn't change anything because $675,000 is not half bad but looking back calling all-ins with JJ isn't really a great play. Usually I'm at best a coin flip. Of course, the two guys who put me all in were super-aggressive so they theoretically could have had a pair of 3's for all I knew. I also should have been more patient at the final table.
Do you plan on playing in the WSOP in future years? Do you think you'll ever have a better money finish than the 2004 WSOP? I'm gonna play all the no-limit hold 'em events next year. Mathematically it's very unlikely I'll ever make a final table again but you never know!
What do you plan on doing with your winnings? I'm investing all of my money. I don't have too many expenses and I'm not in a rush to spend it all.
Ten years from now would you like to be playing poker professionally or do you think you'll be doing something else? I'll probably be doing something else like teaching but playing professional poker wouldn't be a bad job!
Name? Matt Dean
Where are you from? The Woodlands, TX
Age? 24
What do you do for work? Play Poker
What do you like to do with your free time other than poker? I like to play tennis and I'm a big fan of movies.
How long have you been playing poker? A year and a half
How long have you been playing poker online? About a year
What is your favorite site? And why? Pokerstars.com - they got me to the WSOP!
Do you prefer playing online or brick & mortar? And why? I like brick and mortar more because I like to interact with the other players.
How many hours a week do you play? Probably about 5.
Where did you learn how to play?With the boys at the Pike house at Southwestern University.
Have there been any books that have helped you learn how to play? T.J. Cloutier's Championship Pot-limit and No-limit hold 'em is great. I loved Zen and the art of poker also.
What is your favorite game? Anything no-limit.
Who is your favorite poker player? I like Annie Duke and Howard Lederer. Lederer is probably my favorite. He's someone I try to emulate.
What was your biggest poker accomplishment before making the final table at the WSOP? Haha, I didn't have too many. I think I got 2nd in a $20 tournament and won $1,000 once.
What goals do you have as a poker player? I'd love to place in the money at some WPT events and I'd love to win the WSOP someday even though I know my best chance was probably last year.
What limits & games do you typically play? When I can find $10-$20 no limit I play that.
What is your style of play? I like to think of myself as tight-aggressive.
What are your strengths as a player? I am very patient at the table.
What are your weaknesses? I wish I could change my game up a little more. The pros can adjust easily but I struggle playing short-handed.
Do you play poker mainly for the money, entertainment, or for the challenge? I play mainly for the challenge.
What advice would you give to new players? Play a lot online even at lower limits just to get in a lot of hands. Nothing beats experience.
TOURNAMENT
Did you buy in directly or through a satellite (if so how many times did you try to get in)? On my second night on Pokerstars I tried to qualify again for the WSOP. I won a satellite that I spent $32 on.
How did you feel before the tourney started? Did you feel like you had a good chance to do well? I was really nervous before the tourney but then I loosened up. I thought that if things broke right for me I could do well. I really just wanted to get to day 2.
Tell me about how the tourney went? I went from $10,000 to $7,500 in the first couple hours. But then I doubled up with QQ vs. JJ and from then on I was in pretty good shape. I was in 26th out of 32 at the beginning of the second to last day. I got lucky with A6 vs. AK and then won a few coin flips which vaulted me into second going to the final table. I had a really tough time at the final table though. I didn't seem to find any hands and I was forcing a lot of action when I could have just sat back and waited. But I don't second guess anything I did. I just have to live and learn.
Tell me in detail about some of the keys hands that you remember or big decisions you had to make: Twice when we were under 15 players I had to call all-in with JJ. Both times I thought I had the best hand and I did - just barely. I was up against AK and was lucky to win both of those hands.
Now having the experience, how would you have played differently? I wouldn't change anything because $675,000 is not half bad but looking back calling all-ins with JJ isn't really a great play. Usually I'm at best a coin flip. Of course, the two guys who put me all in were super-aggressive so they theoretically could have had a pair of 3's for all I knew. I also should have been more patient at the final table.
Do you plan on playing in the WSOP in future years? Do you think you'll ever have a better money finish than the 2004 WSOP? I'm gonna play all the no-limit hold 'em events next year. Mathematically it's very unlikely I'll ever make a final table again but you never know!
What do you plan on doing with your winnings? I'm investing all of my money. I don't have too many expenses and I'm not in a rush to spend it all.
Ten years from now would you like to be playing poker professionally or do you think you'll be doing something else? I'll probably be doing something else like teaching but playing professional poker wouldn't be a bad job!
Did you buy in directly or through a satellite (if so how many times did you try to get in)? On my second night on Pokerstars I tried to qualify again for the WSOP. I won a satellite that I spent $32 on.
How did you feel before the tourney started? Did you feel like you had a good chance to do well? I was really nervous before the tourney but then I loosened up. I thought that if things broke right for me I could do well. I really just wanted to get to day 2.
Tell me about how the tourney went? I went from $10,000 to $7,500 in the first couple hours. But then I doubled up with QQ vs. JJ and from then on I was in pretty good shape. I was in 26th out of 32 at the beginning of the second to last day. I got lucky with A6 vs. AK and then won a few coin flips which vaulted me into second going to the final table. I had a really tough time at the final table though. I didn't seem to find any hands and I was forcing a lot of action when I could have just sat back and waited. But I don't second guess anything I did. I just have to live and learn.
Tell me in detail about some of the keys hands that you remember or big decisions you had to make: Twice when we were under 15 players I had to call all-in with JJ. Both times I thought I had the best hand and I did - just barely. I was up against AK and was lucky to win both of those hands.
Now having the experience, how would you have played differently? I wouldn't change anything because $675,000 is not half bad but looking back calling all-ins with JJ isn't really a great play. Usually I'm at best a coin flip. Of course, the two guys who put me all in were super-aggressive so they theoretically could have had a pair of 3's for all I knew. I also should have been more patient at the final table.
Do you plan on playing in the WSOP in future years? Do you think you'll ever have a better money finish than the 2004 WSOP? I'm gonna play all the no-limit hold 'em events next year. Mathematically it's very unlikely I'll ever make a final table again but you never know!
What do you plan on doing with your winnings? I'm investing all of my money. I don't have too many expenses and I'm not in a rush to spend it all.
Ten years from now would you like to be playing poker professionally or do you think you'll be doing something else? I'll probably be doing something else like teaching but playing professional poker wouldn't be a bad job!
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