Alex Masek: Lord of the WSOP Rings

Every summer, poker players from all over the world descend on Las Vegas in search of the ultimate prize in poker: a World Series of Poker bracelet. The poker world has lauded Phil Hellmuth for being the all-time WSOP bracelet leader with 13.

During the rest of the year, the WSOP Circuit travels across the United States. With about 20 stops every season, each tournament series awards twelve rings in twelve days. The champion of each WSOP Circuit event receives a WSOP gold ring.

Although Hellmuth is universally recognized in the poker world, many people do not realize who is the Lord of the WSOP Rings: Alex Masek. Originally from St. Louis, he first began playing poker while attending Washington University in his hometown. With the Moneymaker boom and online poker on the rise, Masek played with his college buddies and became intrigued by the game. However, unlike many young poker players, he still kept his eye on the ultimate prize: his education. In 2007, Masek graduated with a degree in Finance and Marketing.

The 29-year-old poker pro continued his educational path by enrolling in law school at the University of California at San Diego. During the next three years, he would also frequently visit the numerous card rooms in Southern California. During his breaks from law school, Masek began playing poker tournaments and captured his first WSOP ring in March of 2009. During his three years at UCSD, he won two additional WSOP rings, five other titles (including three in twelve days during the North American Poker Tour in November 2010), and earned over $230,000.

Even with his success on the felt, Masek persevered and received his law degree in 2011. However, his passion for poker overtook his desire to become a lawyer. Therefore, with law degree in hand, he decided to give professional poker a shot and has never looked back.

Overall, the current Los Angeles native has eight rings to his credit, a World Poker Tour final table, and almost $1 million in career earnings.

I recently sat down with Masek to talk about his success and his strategy on winning WSOP Circuit rings.

Bernard Lee: These days, it is pretty rare for young poker players to finish their undergraduate degree, forget getting a graduate degree. You were having such tremendous success on the WSOP Circuit while in law school. Why did you continue to pursue a law degree?

Alex Masek: Two factors: first, my parents wanted to make sure that I received my education and had a back-up plan. My father was a Mathematics professor and my mother was a computer programmer. Needless to say, education was extremely important to them.

Secondly, I wasn’t sure that playing poker full-time would be a viable career. I started playing poker when I was 18. Even though I was doing well and enjoy playing the game, I wasn’t 100% sure that I would be able to play poker for a living. But, after my success in law school, I decided to try playing poker for a while and I’m glad I did.

BL: You are currently the all-time WSOP ring leader with eight. What is the strategy for capturing a WSOP ring?

AM: Obviously, the most important thing is just being lucky enough that when you make your deep run, things work out. There are a lot of players who have made a final table but just couldn’t win that crucial flip when it was needed to close out the event.

However, I don’t think that there is one specific winning strategy. One of the beauties is that many players have utilized different styles to win a ring. Some are very aggressive and willing to gamble it up early. Others play very conservatively, waiting for premium hands.

As for me, in these lower buy-in ring events, I feel there are so many good spots to get chips. I am often looking to win chips from the weaker players and not to get into huge confrontations with the better players. Overall, I’m looking to play lower variance against the good, solid players.

BL: What is a classic mistake that you see many of the amateurs do?

AM: One mistake I see a lot of players make is that they don’t recognize the chip stacks of their opponents, especially the short-stacked players to their left. For example, I have seen so many times in these tournaments where the button opens and then the short stack big blind shoves all-in. The button will end up having to call with an extremely weak hand or even fold. They should have recognized this situation and be prepared to act accordingly.

BL: What advice do you give players playing the dreaded 20 to 30 big blind stack during the middle stages of a WSOP ring event?

AM: When the antes kick in and the effective stacks get shallower, many players don’t realize that this is when fold equity increases. Early in these tournaments, three-betting light is not very profitable because players are so deep-stacked that they will just call and see a flop.

However, during the later levels, three-betting light can be very profitable against the right opponents. Many players will raise in late position with a wide range, but they will not be able to call a three-bet. These are the players that I try to exploit.

Also, you just have to be comfortable grinding this size stack for hours. These events have good structures, but not amazing ones because the levels are only 30 to 40 minutes long. Many players believe that 20 big blinds is extremely short and they think they need to have 40 to 50 big blinds. Therefore, they take unnecessary chances just to double up.

BL: How do you take advantage of the money bubble?

AM: As you approach the money bubble, it is very important to be able to understand the mentality each of your opponents has. There are a lot of players on the circuit that don’t play a lot of tournaments events and cashing is almost as important as making a deep run. These are the players where you can lean on and exploit.

However, I actually like to take advantage of the final table bubble more than the money bubble. The final table bubble is usually bigger that the money bubble, so you would think that more people would want to put on more pressure during this time. However, everyone understands the strategy on about the money bubble, whereas most players just want to make that final table. I have seen players fold for two hours just to try and make the final table. If you have a playable stack, you can definitely take advantage of this situation.

BL: You have played dozens of final tables. What is your game plan as you begin a final table?

AM: The final table creates one of the most interesting dynamics in poker because you have one of the biggest chip distributions. Therefore, my game plan is to figure out which other players that have medium stacks are just trying to ladder up. They may play sub-optimally just to move up the pay scale. As long as I have at least an average stack, it is definitely something I will try to exploit.

BL: In August 2013, you finished fourth in a WPT final table in your current home of Los Angeles at the Bicycle Casino. Do you feel that you had to modify the style that we have discussed for a WPT main event?

AM: Yes, I believe so. During most WPT main events these days, you just can’t pass up spots because there are all good players around you. Otherwise, you will be just losing chips and there are usually very few weak players who will just give away their chips.

BL: Recently, other WSOP Circuit grinders have had success at the WSOP in Las Vegas, notably Ryan Riess. Has this motivated you to capture your own WSOP bracelet?

AM: Watching Ryan win the WSOP main event, made it more tangible. I feel like I could do it. For everyone who plays poker, winning the WSOP main event is the ultimate goal. Last summer proved that the Circuit grinders are good players. As for me, a WSOP bracelet, especially the main event, would be the ultimate achievement. It definitely motivated me, as a WSOP bracelet would mean everything to me. ♠

Bernard Lee is a poker columnist for ESPN.com, author of “The Final Table, Volume I and II” and radio host of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show,” which can be found on RoundersRadio.com or via podcast on iTunes. Lee has over $2 million in career earnings, five titles and is also a team member of RunGoodGear.com. Follow Bernard Lee on Twitter: @BernardLeePoker or visit him at www.BernardLeePoker.com.