David ‘bakes’ Baker is Rewarded After Putting in the Work

Even before his sixth-place finish in the $50,000 Players Championship netted him $272,275, David “bakes” Baker had earned more than $2 million in his short tournament career. Playing under the name “WhooooKidd,” the 23-year-old pro from Michigan already had established himself as one of the best tournament players in the online community.

While his no-limit hold’em prowess was never questioned, there were some skeptics who found themselves surprised by his final-table run in what many believe is the toughest tournament of the year. Card Player caught up with Baker to discuss the tournament and how he came to be such a formidable player in the live mixed-game arena.

Julio Rodriguez: You are known primarily for your skills in no-limit hold’em multitable tournaments. When did you make the transition to mixed games?

David Baker: I started from scratch about a year ago. I began with a bunch of pot-limit Omaha, and from there, I discovered the eight-game tab on PokerStars. There was a really bad player in the games, and I decided to sit in. I won a little bit, and then started to really study the games. I got hooked, and spent the past year just really grinding out those games, and I even took some shots at $400-$800.

JR: What was it about the mixed games that got you hooked?

DB: As in other games, people overestimate their edges, but in the eight-game format, a lot of players have a hard time avoiding tilt. Players can still go on tilt in no-limit hold’em, but it’s much easier to recognize the problem and stop playing. It seems that in this format, players can go on tilt and really start to punt off some stacks without realizing it. Because you are playing more hands in the limit games, it’s much harder to go on autopilot with your decisions.

JR: Where do you think your strengths and weaknesses were during the tournament?

DB: I think my biggest edge on the field was triple-draw [lowball]. I’ve put a lot of theoretical work into the game, and not many other players have really bothered with that. As for my leaks, I’d say that my worst game was Omaha eight-or-better. That being said, I had a real hard time adjusting to maniacs during the razz hands. I know my equities when it comes to my strong or medium-strength hands, but when it was a situation of a weak hand against a weak hand, I found myself in some difficult spots against aggressive opponents. That wasn’t much of an issue early on in the tournament, but it was obviously magnified in shorthanded situations.

JR: Was this tournament run the highlight of your career?

DB: After a year of grinding and really learning all of the games, I knew that I’d eventually get to the point where I could do well in this event. I just didn’t think it would happen so soon. Forget the finish and the money, it really felt good to be able to come into this tournament as the online kid and leave with the respect of some of the best players in the world.

JR: Are you ready to become more of a recognizable face on the live-tournament circuit?

DB: Hell yeah! I said in my ESPN interview that I’d be the best player in the world in five years, so I’d better back it up.