Capture the Flag -- Antanas Guoga

Tony G is a Melbourne, Australia, native who has spent years traveling around the world playing in the biggest cash games and the most prestigious tournaments. He not only has earned $2.5 million in tournaments, but also has earned a reputation as a killer pot-limit Omaha player. He’s as bold and outspoken as he is talented, and his instincts in both poker and business have brought him enormous success.

Kristy Arnett: When you were coming up in the ranks, how did you improve your game? Did you have a mentor?

Tony G: I never had a mentor. I think the key is that you need a lot of self-discipline and self-control. It’s very important to manage your bankroll and not go on tilt. If you have enough natural ability, it will come out. If you have holes in your game, like gambling on sports, or casino games, or spending too much money on drugs, that can ruin your poker career and your life, ultimately. It’s very important to have good discipline. Also, game selection is important. Even if you’re not the best player but are good at selecting games, you can be a winning player. You don’t want to get in the habit of playing just because that’s what you do every day. It’s all about self-control and improving your game. I never read any poker books. The more hands you play, the more you’ll pick it up and have your own style.

KA: What games and stakes are you playing these days?

TG: I like to play on Full Tilt, and I’ll jump into a $200-$400 or $300-$600 PLO [pot-limit Omaha] game. I don’t play that much, though, probably fewer than 5,000 hands a month. It’s just a hobby for me. I’m not a guy who’s there trying to prove that I’m a great player. I’m an average player who’s been very fortunate to have gotten a lot of recognition. I’ve also been good at game selection. I’ve managed to play in the biggest games in the world with worse players.

KA: You’re known for being quite the world traveler. Can you tell me about a few of the places you’ve played?

TG: I’ve played poker all around the world. I’ve played for some of the highest stakes in Japan, when it first sort of started there and rich players popped up. I’ve played in places like the Philippines and Singapore. All of these places had very high stakes. Now there’s poker in Macau. I haven’t had time to get over there, but if we’re talking about Asia, I’ve played in all of those countries. These would be considered home games. There’s a lot of action all around the world. Over five years ago, I played in Russia, where the stakes were up to $5,000-$10,000 PLO, which is my favorite game. It’s much more fun to play that game. You can play every hand.

KA: Obviously, these are all private games. How did you manage to get invites to these exclusive cash games?

TG: Just luck. One of my good friends made a way for me to get into the games in Russia. It’s always through some friend. But you also need the money to be able to play in these games. It’s not just about getting the invite. You have to have the money.

KA: Playing in these huge games all over the world, you surely must have a lot of stories. Can you tell me one? Maybe the biggest hand you’ve ever won?

TG: There have been so many. I wrote about the biggest pot I’ve ever played on my blog. It was a $3.15 million pot in Moscow. I was all in with aces and a flush draw. I had three diamonds in my hand. I was up against two other people who also had the flush draw, but had flopped a straight. I was down to four outs twice to make the flush. It actually came twice, so that was pretty lucky.

KA: What is the biggest piece of advice that you would give to beginning pot-limit Omaha players?

TG: I think the biggest thing is that you don’t want to play small pairs in that game. I think a lot of people don’t know that, and they play a lot of pairs. Sets are not that strong in that game. That’s just my experience in playing ultra-high stakes. There’s a lot of pressure, and if you get your money in, you’re probably behind very badly. Hands like connectors, such as 5-6-8-10, are not that bad. I’d rather have that over two nines with A-K. They just have more value in terms of when you’re getting your money in. You always have a chance with those connectors, because you can bluff, or you can flop wraps and things like that. You need to understand the game really well, and you need to understand what you’re doing. Position is obviously important, as well.

KA: Who do you think are the best cash-game players right now?

TG: Well, it was Isildur1, Viktor Blom, until a little while ago, but he’s dropped the ball now. He seems to be broke. It looks like [Brian] Hastings now is the best guy. I mean, seriously, Tom Dwan has been a great player for many years. He’s going to be a very great player, but he’s got to recover now from the beating he took. He’ll bounce back. Obviously, [Phil] Ivey is a great player. He has unbelievable ability, but you know, he’s got that nature of gamble. He wants to gamble it all, all the time. That’s the only thing. Well, I guess Tom does the same thing. It’s interesting. Everyone wants to play the highest they can and see if they can go broke. I guess that’s the ultimate satisfaction — being on the edge of going broke. That gives people the biggest thrill. That’s the fascination aspect of it.

KA: What’s your take on Isildur1 multitabling $500-$1,000 against Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Tom Dwan, and Brian Townsend, and eventually losing more than $4 million to Brian Hastings? And what do you think the future holds for Isildur1?

TG: I think it’s really bad for Full Tilt Poker to have their very elite pros kill the main attraction on the site. Based on the ESPN interview, there are serious issues, and Hastings needs to start talking about what really happened, to clear the air. Isildur1 is going to be fine. He still has about $500,000 as a bankroll, and I think he will focus on European sites from here on. We must keep in mind that he is 19, and his life is still ahead of him.

KA: What do you think the future holds for high-stakes cash games? Do you think the stakes will continue to increase, or do you think they are too high as it is?

TG: I think they are definitely too high. They have to minimize them. You can see by the comments, and the players going broke. They are suffering a lot. There’s no need to have the $500-$1,000 game; $200-$400 PLO should be the highest game online. It’s great for the rail, and they’ll enjoy it while it’s happening, but when some of these stars go broke, never to be seen again, that can also hurt the site. It all comes down to who’s playing. If Phil Ivey is playing someone big who has a lot of money, too, that’s fine, but if someone is playing who is on the verge of going broke, I don’t know if that’s a good example for the kids. It’s all a matter of opinion.