Generation Next -- Andrew Ferguson

Variance sucks. Just quiz any poker professional who’s seen a juicy bankroll plummet. University of Maryland economics major and tournament specialist Andrew “fergwrx” Ferguson is no exception. He’s been there, done that. He’s tasted big scores, gone toe-to-toe with the manic highs and crushing lows of variance, and has emerged from the belly of the beast relatively unscathed, living to log on and play another day.

“For me, the key is to maintain a positive attitude,” said Ferguson. “A lot of players can get into a pretty bad mindset amid downswings. And at 100-plus buy-in levels, you’re going to see some pretty big downswings. I’ve seen at least two negative $100,000 swings, including my live play. So, I always try to figure out how I can improve my game, even when I’m on a big upswing.”

Ferguson first got his feet wet in tournament poker after creating a poker site called psmoney.com, a website that exchanges tournament dollars on PokerStars. While managing the site, he met some of the best online players in the world, including Faraz “The_T0ilet” Jaka. Inspired by the piles of cash that he saw many players raking in, he accepted an offer to be mentored and backed by Jaka.
The partnership was a successful one. After a few months of intense coaching sessions, Ferguson captured the 2007 UltimateBet Online Championship for a cool $181,575.

Since that win, Ferguson has admitted to many ups and downs in the game, both financially and emotionally. Through it all, he’s kept his head on straight and stayed strong when the bad beats hit the fan. To stay sane, he understands that activities away from poker are most important, and that family, friends, and a supportive girlfriend come first. Poker is just a game, best kept in perspective.

Craig Tapscott: How have you dealt with big downswings?

Andrew Ferguson: While playing, I’ve always tried to think about what the optimal plays are and really go through my hand histories. I don’t allow myself to go into robot mode, where I think I know everything. I try to just keep playing my style and stay off tilt.

CT: How has the game changed over the last few years online?

AF: When I first started, there were a lot fewer mistakes you could make by playing a loose-aggressive style, because you could go pretty crazy and run over tables, as most players were playing pretty tight. And they didn’t understand how to play a short stack or know a player’s calling and shoving ranges. That wasn’t even talked about, except amongst the best players. You just can’t play that way anymore. Back then, it was rare to come across players who really knew what they were doing.

CT: What were some of the mistakes that you made as your game developed?

AF: I played way too loose. I would play 10-9 offsuit from early position for no reason. Now if I do that, it’s because I am looking at many of the situations present and the table dynamics. Back then, I didn’t do that, or look at my stats or use any poker software to review my game.

CT: What else did you learn?

AF: I learned how to play a short stack, and with what stack size I needed to be pushing hands. I used a sit-and-go program back then that calculated expected value and plugged in players’ hand ranges. I got an idea of which ranges I should be profitably shoving with and which ones not to, and predicted the outcomes.

CT: During the late stages of a tournament, what are you looking to take advantage of?

AF: To really open up my game, I want three or more players with 25 big blinds at the table. I’m going to open a ton of pots, and with hands that don’t really matter, because they’re a little too short to three-bet and fold to me, and they can’t really four-bet if I happen to three-bet them. It really puts them in a spot where I can pretty much run the table, regardless of how good they are.

CT: How do you slow down a very aggressive player to your left?

AF: My favorite way is to throw in a few flat-calls now and then, with no intention of playing back at him post-flop. It slows him down and makes him think I want to see a lot of flops. That way, he can’t really continue to play his crazy, lag [loose-aggressive] style profitably.