Capture the Flag: Stephen Chidwick

Poker pro Stephen Chidwick is one of the poker world’s rising stars. At a young age, the Brit has more than $2.5 million in tournament earnings.

Through the halfway point at the 2013 World Series of Poker, Chidwick had four cashes, which included two deep runs at a bracelet, including a fourth place finish in the $25,000 six-handed no-limit hold’em event for a $353,780 cash. He said that winning a bracelet is a major goal of his, and he won’t stop playing day in and day out before he wins one.

At the 2012 WSOP, Chidwick sort of had his breakout performance in Las Vegas. He made the final table of the $50,000 Players Championship, which pitted some of the game’s best against one another in a variety of disciplines. The online grinder held his own in a big way.

Chidwick went on to finish sixth for a score of more than $250,000.

Over his career playing online and live, Chidwick has racked up more than 130 career cashes and seven tournament wins. He plays under the screen name “Stevie444” online.

In addition to his tournament game, Chidwick is a regular in high-stakes cash games on the web. He focuses primarily on the mixed games and has found that he has an edge.

He has also played stakes as high as $500-$1,000 in no-limit hold’em on Full Tilt Poker.
During a break in action during a four-max event at the 2013 WSOP, Chidwick stopped to talk about his poker life and the difference between cash games and tournament games.

Brian Pempus: It seems like you’re crushing people today. Has it just been a good table for you today in this four-max tournament?

Stephen Chidwick: Yeah, there have been pretty good hands for me, at least so far. If this were a knockout tournament then I’d probably have first place money already (laughs). I have busted four people. They have mostly just been coolers and pretty good spots. There was this kind gentleman at the table who decided to five-bet all in with no equity. That was nice. [Chidwick got all the money in on a flop of A-5-5 with Q-5 against his opponent’s 9-2 with no redraws.]

BP: Was that kind of surprising to see that hand so deep in the event?

SC: Yeah, it was a little bit. But I mean people tend to spazz out against chipleaders a lot because they just assume they’re always making moves, I guess.

BP: Well, just in general, with regards to the poker community, do you feel people think you’re a loose aggressive player … or how do you think people think of you?

SC: It is kind of a tough question to answer really. I have heard different things from different people. I don’t know. I guess you would have to ask the poker community. Hopefully they just see me as someone who is capable of anything, but who has a slower gear too and can kind of change it up when the time is right.

BP: Do you think you are a pretty good short-handed player in cash games and in tournaments? Is that one of the strengths of your game?

SC: I love it. It is really fun. You get to play a lot of pots. You get a lot of hands in and a lot of hands against specific players. So, you have a good chance to build a dynamic with other players. It becomes a lot more of a psychological game than just a nine-handed game.

BP: Do you think cash game experience is pretty crucial for a tournament like this, such as a four-handed tournament? In cash games one seems to play more hands as well, just in general.

SC: Yes, I have played a good bit of short-handed cash as well. It is kind of about different frequencies and people bluff in different spots. But at the same time, since this is a tournament, the antes are involved too, which is not a factor in cash games. On top of that, since it’s a cash game, people are going to be opening for three times the big blind, instead of double.

BP: Do you feel like a veteran or a newcomer around the Rio these days?

SC: I don’t really feel like too much of a newcomer anymore. This is my fourth year coming to the World Series. The last three years I’ve played 30 events each year. I think I have taken two days off in two years during the World Series. I feel a lot more conformable than I did relative to my first World Series — more comfortable making plays and staring people down. I feel like, although I’m young, I’ve got some experience under my belt and made it to a few final tables. Hopefully I can add to that.

BP: What do you get out of it when you stare someone down? What kind of information are you trying to get typically?

SC: I guess just any time I make them feel uncomfortable it’s good for me. They’re going to give off more body language. It’s going to vary from player to player. You have to be good at reading how people are going to adjust to it. Some people are going to be a little bit intimidated and less likely to bluff you and then other people are going to fight fire with fire and come back at you and bluff more. But, live reads aren’t the strongest part of my game by any means…but I feel the more I pay attention to it the better I’ll get at it.

BP: Do you think playing cash games gives you solid experience to pick up on bet-sizing tells?

SC: Yeah, bet-size tells are pretty big, although they’re a little different in live games because people don’t have the size of the pot right there in front of them. So they’re going to bet weird amounts more often than they will online. So you can’t read too much into it.

BP: What are some of the mistakes people still make in the cash games online and the mixed-game tournaments that you play?

SC: Most people who play in mixed games are pretty well-versed in a few of the games and then have weaker games. I can’t really characterize people’s mistakes.

BP: You said you’re going to win a bracelet soon, right?

SC: That has been my goal for awhile now. I have come close. I just came up with sixth place earlier in this Series, which was a bit disappointing.

BP: Do you think it’s healthy to set goals in poker? Some people think they should just let things happen and not think too much about the end result.

SC: It’s tough because you don’t want to be too results oriented. You want to focus on playing well. However, at the same time, goals definitely help me stay motivated and help me get out of bed in the morning and play that $1,500 (event) when I just got done playing 15 hours the previous night and busted on the last hand. So, winning a World Series of Poker bracelet is probably one of the biggest goals for me right now. I’m not partying at all, and I’m trying to stay hydrated and do everything that I can to keep focused.

BP: Do you have set a time limit for the hours you put in at the cash games?

SC: I’m not one to play very long hours in cash games. I don’t like playing after losing a couple buy-ins. Typically that cuts my session short. I was just in Vancouver for SCOOP and then for the World Series, and I played every day for 15 days. I guess that’s pretty good practice for cash games. I definitely feel there’s an advantage in these World Series events, which are so long, for the younger players who have a little more physical stamina.

BP: Why do you have that two buy-in rule for cash games?

SC: I definitely don’t adhere to a rule, strictly. I just don’t like the feeling of losing, and I like to stop any kind of tilt, and I think that’s one of the biggest things in cash games: being able to quit and take breaks. Even if there’s a fish at the table, and they’re not playing too well, it’s important to be able to take a step back. ♠

Goals definitely help me stay motivated and help me get out of bed in the morning and play that $1,500 (event) when I just got done playing 15 hours the previous night and busted on the last hand. So, winning a World Series of Poker bracelet is probably one of the biggest goals for me right now. I’m not partying at all, and I’m trying to stay hydrated and do everything that I can to keep focused.