Capture the Flag: Terrence Chan

Poker pro Terrence Chan has been beating cash games for years, once playing as high as $1,000-$2,000 limit hold’em on the Internet.

In his time away from cash game tables, Chan has managed to accumulate more than $1 million in tournament earnings. He also has recently found a passion for the mixed martial arts, training and fighting competitively in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai boxing, western boxing and wrestling.

He found poker after he started sneaking into casinos to play blackjack at 18. He got drawn to “the weird-looking poker tables.” Years later, after humble beginnings at $4-$8 limit hold’em, he was playing nosebleeds online.

These days Chan plays as a HeroPoker sponsored pro, while still traveling the tournament circuit.

Card Player caught up with the Vancouver, Canada resident to talk about his background in cash games.

Brian Pempus: So you started out playing limit hold’em cash games right?

Terrence Chan: Correct. Live $4-$8 in 1999 was my first exposure to “real” poker.

BP: Was that because it was the only game around?

TC: Pretty much. There was a $4-$8 and a $10-$20 in Vancouver, so I chose the smaller game. No online then, obviously.

BP: How did you fare in those games off the bat? What were you doing right or wrong at that time?

TC: I ran pretty well at the start. Basically, I read Lee Jones’ book (Winning Low Limit Hold’Em), played very tight, and because it was seven people to every flop, I got paid off when my hands held up. I probably didn’t get maximum value, but a very straightforward strategy was enough to beat those games.

BP: Were you pretty snug preflop as a result of the game being so loose?

TC: I wouldn’t say it was actually because the game was so loose, it’s just what I’d been told was correct. I probably could have played more pairs and suited hands profitably, but I was told to play tight starting out.

BP: What were some of the core fundamentals that you learned during this period, or from limit hold’em in general, that translated into no-limit cash and tournament success?

TC: Honestly, there’s not a lot you can learn playing $4-$8 limit that ended up being useful playing no-limit cash and tournaments years later, other than just the general experience of playing live poker, following the pace of the game, knowing procedures, things like that. Seven-way action to the flop and people chasing everything is not really too applicable to no-limit or high stakes poker at any game, really. High stakes games in almost every form are usually two-bet and three-bet preflop.

BP: OK, so from $4-$8, how did you progress up the stakes in cash games?

TC: $4-$8, then $10-$20. Then took some time off to finish my degree in business, and then I went to work for PokerStars. I ran the customer support team; basically I hired, trained and managed the people who answer the e-mails sent to support.

While working there I couldn’t play on Stars obviously. I played the $50, $100, and $200 sit-and-gos on Party. I did well at that, left my job at Stars, and continued to grind the sit-and-gos on Party and the no-limit cash games on Stars once I was allowed to play there.

I hit a rough patch, so I went back to playing limit. Lots of people wanted to play heads-up limit so I kind of went up the ranks, $15-$30, $30-$60, $100-$200, up to $500-$1,000 and once in a while $1,000-$2,000.

That would be the “golden age” of online poker, until around 2008 or so. Around 2009-2010, I stopped playing the nosebleeds. The big limit games weren’t really going any more, no one wanted to play me, and I would be a bit stressed out from six-figure swings anyway. I wanted to travel a bit, so I started playing live tournaments which is a bit of a different challenge and a new puzzle to figure out.

BP: Did the nosebleeds become mainly “bum-hunting?”

TC: For most of the period I was playing nosebleeds, I would play anyone; I was fairly confident. But that really didn’t matter because the other regulars didn’t play me. And yes, the scene was definitely full of bum-hunters. It would be really frustrating when I would sit at Stars for hours by myself, some random would come to my table, and then seven guys would just show up in the first orbit.

BP: What are your thoughts on bum-hunting? It seems sound from a bankroll perspective, but unhealthy for the game overall. In your opinion, where are the lines crossed?

TC: I would definitely like the sites to take measures to alleviate it. There are a number of ways they could do it, like capping the number of tables, or allowing screen name changes, or various things like that — I’m not sure what the best is, but I do wish they’d do something. It looks really terrible to see dozens of guys squatting in the lobby, not willing to play anyone.

BP: So now you’re playing no-limit cash. Why the switch?

TC: Well, the limit games are pretty dry. As I said, it was frustrating to sit around for hours at the high limits and never getting action, and when I did it was always a potentially stressful six-figure swing. I decided there will pretty much always be no-limit cash, and since I enjoy traveling to play live tourneys, I should also play more no-limit. You could say “well, why not play no-limit multi-table tournaments online?” But the truth is that I find it really hard to sit and play more than a few hours online at a time. I just kind of go crazy and lose my patience, unless it’s a big tournament like the WCOOP.

BP: Do you think limiting the length of cash game sessions is a good way to avoid losing focus and maybe playing less than your A-game?

TC: Absolutely. I only play as long as I feel good, unless the game is super fishy. I’m lucky that I’m in a situation where I don’t have to play 60 hours a week to grind out the rent money.

BP: Can you give a basic description of your style of play in no-limit cash? Do you three-bet a high percentage compared to your opponents, etcetera?

TC: Wow, that’s a tough one. I think I open and three-bet somewhat more than most of my opponents in six-max no-limit. I think part of this is because they’re on more tables than I am, though. I never play more than six tables. I’m an old guy for online and can’t react and think that quickly. And besides, I am trying to learn just as much as make money.

BP: Oh, so you think you can gain a slight edge from people playing too many tables. Is it a good idea to check and see how many tables your opponents are playing?

TC: Yeah, it’s definitely worthwhile to do that. Someone playing 20 tables probably can’t have noticed that someone lost a big all-in on a previous hand and might be tilty, or that some other guy has squeezed three times in the last ten hands.

BP: What basic advice would you give to someone who wants to move from full-ring to short-handed cash games. What big things should they do differently?

TC: I would say preflop, definitely be willing to three-bet more from the button and blinds; in full-ring, someone often has something, so it’s much less profitable to do so. I would also say that set-mining is a little bit less valuable just because it works best when someone is likely to have an over pair, which happens less short-handed.
In a general sense, play some smaller stakes heads-up and get comfortable with it, because when playing 6-handed or less, most of the pots you play will be heads-up. Cutoff vs. blind, button vs. blind, small blind vs. big blind, etc., so you have to be very comfortable in those situations.

BP: In addition to poker, you are into MMA. Is it important for poker players to be well rounded? Is exercise good for one’s poker game?

TC: Poker is a sedentary lifestyle, so no matter what your athletic passion is, you should make time for it and make sure you’re not in a rut of sitting in front of a computer or the felt for 14 hours a day.♠

The poker community can follow Chan at his website, terrencechanpoker.com, and his Twitter, @tchanpoker.