Generation Next -- Andrew Lichtenberger

Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger’s first World Series of Poker was a memorable one. He finished a table away from being one of the 2009 “November Nine” millionaires, taking home $500,557 for 18th place. The entire experience was a surreal one for the 21-year-old online cash-game specialist. “One hand at a time” became his mantra, never letting the media frenzy or the millions of dollars at stake obscure his focus or the enjoyment of the moment.

“I tried not to take it all too seriously,” said Lichtenberger. “I knew that if I started thinking about the situation I was in, it would mess with my head and I’d lose my concentration. It was a completely awesome, invaluable experience.”

Right from the start of his poker career, Lichtenberger was determined to conquer the game. When college classes collided with a love for poker, he was more than motivated to find success. “I didn’t really feel like a complete failure when I left college,” said Lichtenberger. “But, I felt that I had somehow screwed that opportunity up, so I really couldn’t screw up poker. That was sort of my mental safety net that motivated me to succeed.”

A week before making his deep run in the WSOP main event, Lichtenberger came close to capturing the bling of a shiny gold bracelet. In the $5,000 no-limit hold’em shootout event, he battled his way through a tough field, eventually finishing second for $250,403.

Before he traveled to the WSOP Europe events, Card Player wanted to find out how a heads-up terminator transformed himself into a tournament wizard.

Craig Tapscott: How did your MTT [multitable tournament] game evolve?

Andrew Lichtenberger: Right about the time that I moved up to $3-$6 no-limit, I got a bit bored with cash games. So, I decided to jump into tournaments for variety, and I began grinding a full daily schedule. Also, I had some guidance from a few successful friends.

CT: Great heads-up players seem to be very good hand-readers.

AL: Yes. I think it’s due to the sheer volume of hands you’re dealt when you play heads up. You will find yourself in so many different situations, and in many of them, you will be uncomfortable. And that’s good, because if you’re coming from a full-ring or six-max background, it means that you obviously have things to learn.

CT: I watched a few of your training videos at LeggoPoker.com. You were playing a very accomplished player, Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron. It was an exciting high-stakes match. What kinds of edges are you looking for when sitting down with a player of that caliber?

AL: When I enter any heads-up match, the main things I’m trying to determine right away are what kinds of hands my opponent is doing things with, what kinds of hands he is raising from the button, or three-betting and four-betting, and what kinds of hands he is two- and three-barreling at the pot. I closely observe the actions that are occurring, because I want to know what kinds of hands people think it’s good to do certain things with.

CT: Once you’ve gathered this intelligence, what now?

AL: From there, I can start exploiting them. And, obviously, you can’t just call down every single time for information. You have to make assumptions about some hands that are not getting to showdown.

CT: What skill do you need to possess to be a great heads-up player?

AL: Mainly, tilt control, because of the huge swings and variance. You can start a session up a buy-in, and 30 minutes later be down two or three buy-ins. So, if you can’t control your emotional state of mind, you will lose. You will start making plays to get unstuck and will rationalize them any way you can, and that won’t end up working in your favor.

CT: How do you control tilt?

AL: I think about poker very systematically, almost robotically. It is somewhat ironic, because I don’t play in a robotic fashion. I play every hand to the best of my ability. I realize that if it doesn’t work out, for whatever reason, it’s just part of the game. I’ve come to accept the fact that poker is a game in which you’re not going to win every single time, even if you’re the superior player. That’s very important. Even though most people know it, accepting it is something else.

CT: So, you never get emotionally attached to the outcome of a hand?

AL: Pretty much. I may get angry for a moment or two, but I’m usually able to laugh it off. That’s because most of the time when someone sucks out on me, he probably botched the hand pretty badly. What I do then is count my Sklansky dollars while I save up for my Sklansky mansion (laughing).