Capture the Flag

Isaac Baron was the 2007 Card Player Online Player of the Year, which means that he finished deep in or won several online tournaments. However, Baron himself is quick to point out that he actually considers himself to be a bigger threat at the cash-game tables. Known on PokerStars as "westmenloAA," Baron can often be found in the biggest games running on any site. Having just recently turned 21, he has yet to test his live cash-game chops at the tables, but if his online results are any indication, he'll be at the front of the pack in no time.

Lizzy Harrison: How do you evaluate a game in order to select the table where you are going to play?

Isaac Baron: Ideally, I look for one or two pretty bad players who are giving a lot of action. Position on the fish is obviously a real plus. Also, I want to get a seat where the good players, the strong regulars, are on my right.

LH: If there is no game going, how do you go about starting one?

IB: Sometimes I will just sit at tables online, but not usually, because it doesn't really work. It's pretty rare for me to be able to get a game going these days. I mean, I am not going to play "durrr" [Tom Dwan], Di [Dang], or Hac [Dang] heads up, and all of the other people I would play heads up don't really want to play against me. It's a tough situation, and I really just have to wait for some of the bad players to come along, and then I can jump in there.

LH: What is your preferred game, and why?

IB: I like heads-up no-limit cash games, because I think that I am really good at them. There is a lot of action in heads-up no-limit cash games, and you don't really have to fold too many hands. Also, there are a lot of interesting decisions. There is definitely a lot of variance because of the luck factor, but I think that you can control it a lot more. If you are a lot better than your opponent, you are going to win a lot of the time, whereas, when you play six-max, sometimes you can be a huge favorite in the game but not get any cards.

LH: Is there a game that you don't really like or won't play?

IB: I don't like limit games. I am not a limit player. I am trying to learn a little bit, but I am definitely pretty bad at those games. I also don't like sit-and-gos, unless they are heads up. I cannot stand the nine-person sit-and-gos. It's not even like real poker; it's like fold, fold, fold, and then shove all in.

LH: How did you get started as a poker player?

IB: I used to have a cash game at my mom's house when I was about 16 or 17, and we played 50¢-$1 no-limit with a $20 max buy-in. When we started that game, none of us really had any clue how to play, but once we played for a little bit, some of us started to get more of a clue than some of the others. For the most part, I was a winning player in that game.

LH: When did you progress to bigger games?

IB: After I had a little bit of money, not much, I played at this Indian casino, because I had to be just 18 to play there. I made some money at that casino, and then I started to dabble a little bit online. Then, I won a tournament online and had about $4,000 or $5,000, so I started playing $1-$2 no-limit, and also other tournaments. When I would make a big tournament score, I would usually move up [in the cash games], as long as I felt comfortable. Also, I used my cash-game winnings to fund my tournament buy-ins. I have always played both. I have never been solely a cash-game player or solely a tournament player.

LH: Is one more profitable than the other for you?

IB: It is tough to say, because I think that I am better at cash games, but if you compare me to other people, I am better than them at tournaments. I think that there are definitely some cash-game players who are really tough, and may be better than me. But as far as tournament players are concerned, there may be people who are as good as me, but I don't think that there is anyone who is a lot better than me.

LH: What did you notice about your opponents as you moved up in stakes?

IB: It used to be that between the stakes, the skill level was so much different, but nowadays, because of all of the training sites, the skill difference is a lot smaller. The things that separate the high-stakes players from the medium-stakes players from the low-stakes players are not that major. The guys who are beating $2-$4 and $3-$6 no-limit are really good players. The main differences now are small, little things like discipline and hand-reading skills.

LH: Does the reduced difference in skill levels apply to all games, or just no-limit hold'em?

IB: Definitely not pot-limit Omaha. Part of the reason that PLO has caught on big-time is that it is kind of where no-limit was a few years ago. A few people know how to play really well, and a lot of people think they know how to play really well, when they really have no idea. Also in PLO, even more so than in hold'em, you can easily get fooled by your results. Some people go on huge PLO heaters, but they really have no clue how to play. It is easy for them to fool themselves into thinking they are making the right play when they are really not. They can keep doing something over and over, and it can keep working because there is so much short-term variance, much more than in no-limit. PLO is a really good action game, because there are just so many fish right now.

LH: Do you expect the level of play in PLO games to improve as drastically as it has in no-limit games?

IB: I'm sure it will, because people are playing it more and more.

LH: What stakes do you play on a regular basis?

IB: I will play in pretty much any pot-limit Omaha or no-limit game that runs online. I mean, not $500-$1,000, but I have been playing up to $200-$400. I will play as low as $25-$50 occasionally, but I usually play from $50-$100 to $200-$400.

LH: What is the biggest game you have ever played?

IB: I played in the $500-$1,000 game, but I also have played $300-$600 heads up, and even though the $500-$1,000 game has bigger blinds, it is capped, so I consider $300-$600 to be a bigger game.

LH: Since turning 21 recently, have you played any cash games in casinos?

IB: No. I planned on playing at Bellagio this past summer. I wired a bunch of money with plans to play in Bobby's Room, but after I busted out of the tournament [the World Series of Poker main event], I already had been in Vegas for three weeks, because I had been hanging out before I actually turned 21. So, I was sick of Vegas and didn't feel like playing live anymore, and just flew home.