A Conversation With Zach Clark

“Brunson 10” member Zach Clark, nephew of the late Chip Reese, is a young star on the tournament trail. The following interview that I conducted with him sheds some light on his life, and on his relationship with his Uncle Chip.

Todd Brunson: How long have you been playing poker? Do you consider yourself a pro?

Zach Clark: I have been playing different variations of poker since I was a kid, but have been supporting myself 100 percent from poker since I was 21. So, I guess that’s when I considered myself to be a pro.

TB: At what point would you say that you had become a pro?

ZC: After I felt that I could be a consistent winner and not have to rely on anybody else for anything, monetarily speaking.

TB: If you weren’t playing poker, what would you be doing?

ZC: I think I would be involved with the stock market. Hedge funds, possibly, even though I don’t even know what they are, really [laughing]. I guess the answer is that I don’t have a clue — aka “an entrepreneur.”

TB: Do you see yourself being a poker pro for the rest of your life?

ZC: I see myself being an entrepreneur for the rest of my life, for sure. If poker is the best way for me to support my family and be happy at the same time, I absolutely can see myself doing it for the rest of my life. With that being said, it’s on me to keep my game at a high enough level that I can have the option of being a pro for the rest of my life. The game is always changing, and if I don’t change with it, I might not have the option to be a pro forever.

TB: How did the late Chip Reese, your uncle, influence your poker life? Did he encourage you to become a pro? Did he teach you? Stake you?

ZC: Chip was constantly in my ear about everything other than “how to play poker”; that is, bankroll management, tilt, how to deal with different types of situations, doing the right thing, the “big picture,” and so on. Obviously, I hounded him with poker-strategy questions all the time, but overall, he taught me much more about the different intricacies of the lifestyle than the strategies.

He didn’t really encourage me to choose this as a profession; however, he certainly didn’t discourage it. I can remember when I was 10 years of age, taking a trip to his house during college bowl season and being “in action” for the entire trip. I always wanted to be in the action with him. After that trip, whenever we were together, I got in on all of the sports action — slightly smaller unit sizes, though [laughing].   
He staked me in my first World Series, where I played about six or seven small no-limit hold’em events and the main event. I won a little bit that year, and quit him [laughing].

TB: What was the single most helpful piece of advice that he gave you concerning poker, life, or anything else?

ZC: He always would say something to the tune of: “If you’re not smart in managing your bankroll, we might never know how good you could have been, buddy.” Another one was something like, “When you play tournaments for a living, you have to float and always keep your head above water. Then, when your opportunity comes, pounce on it!” That was his way of saying that variance is a bitch in tourneys.
TB: You play no-limit hold’em the most. What other games do you play? What is your favorite game?

ZC: I grew up on, and made my first $50,000 on, limit hold’em, but to be honest, I am over that boring game [laughing]. I “earn” only in no-limit tournaments for the time being, but I fully intend on getting into mixed games in the future. My favorite game has to be no-limit hold’em right now, because that pays the bills.

TB: Do you prefer live or online poker?

ZC: I like both; however, I see much more value in online poker for somebody like me, a multitable tournament grinder. Online, I can play more tournaments for more money with much less variance. Online isn’t as time-consuming, either; 99 percent of the online tourneys have a winner in less than 12 hours, whereas some live events take five or six days to complete.

TB: What does being a member of the “Brunson 10” mean to you?

ZC: It’s definitely a huge honor to be part of that elite group of players. Everybody on the team has such an impressive resume. It has been a great opportunity for me, and I can’t say enough about how much it means to me to be part of the whole thing.

TB: Tournaments or live?

ZC: Tournaments. I would like to get into cash games eventually, but right now, tournaments are where I make my money.

TB: How much traveling do you do, being based out of Northern California?

ZC: I travel all the time. However, I travel for poker only when I feel like it, because I think that if you get too caught up in trying to go to every big live tourney, you can really wear yourself out, and that’s not something I am too interested in. It sometimes feels like there is a tournament every day somewhere that you could go to.

TB: What are your favorite places to visit to play poker?

ZC: I really had a good time at the Aussie Millions when I went a couple of years ago. The Bahamas is always a good time, and I have had a couple of really fun trips to Aruba. I look forward to going back to Monte Carlo, as well. The trip I recently took to Punta Cana for DoylesRoom was an absolute blast.

TB: Favorite place for fun?

ZC: I think I enjoyed Aruba the most, because the native people there are so happy and always living it up to the fullest, which is something that I really appreciate.

TB: What is your favorite type of food?

ZC: I like everything, but no tomatoes! I will eat tomatoes, but don’t enjoy them, really.

TB: What are your favorite drinks, alcoholic and non?

ZC: Water, water, and more water! I have always been a vodka guy, but recently I have been drinking Crown on the rocks.

TB: If you got a free one with no repercussions, who would you bitch-slap?

ZC: I think it would have to be Chad Batista, because if I really hit the kid, he would probably sue me. Anybody who knows him knows that he’s just a little punk who needs a couple of lessons taught to him. ♠

Todd Brunson has been a professional poker player for more than 20 years. While primarily a cash-game player, he still has managed to win 18 major tournaments, for more than $3.5 million. He has won one bracelet and cashed 25 times at the World Series of Poker. You can play with Todd online at DoylesRoom.com or live at his tournament, The Todd Brunson Montana Poker Challenge, in Bigfork, Montana. Check his website, ToddBrunson.com, for details.