Final Table Takedown: Andy Philachack Shares Sharp Hand Reading Skills to Take Down WSOP Circuit Event

Andy Philachack was born in Laos, and came to America with his family as refugees in 1981. He attended Paris Junior College, earning an Associate of Science Degree in 1994.

The following year, he transferred to the University of Texas-San Antonio on full scholarship and graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. He then decided to further his education and enrolled in Parker University (formerly Parker College of Chiropractic) and received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 1999.

While attending Parker, he played poker sporadically with his college graduate pals and began to develop an interest in the game. He opened his own chiropractic practice in the fall of 2000 while still continuing to play poker for amusement as much as time allowed with a busy work and home life. Philachack finished in second place at the 2005 6th Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open for $280,000. From that point onward, Philachack continued playing in World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour tournaments with diligence, determination, and much success.

While he has amassed a little over $2.3 million in live career cashes since that first big win in Tunica, Mississippi, he still has a passion for chiropractic care. He is also very involved in coaching youth sports, volunteering, and assisting in the community when needed, and of course, caring for his family.

Event:  2016 World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw Main Event

Players: 1565 • Entry: $1,675 • First Prize: $393,1880 • Finish: 1st

Key Concepts: Maximum value, Three-handed play

Craig Tapscott: What had the journey to the final table been like. Smooth sailing or a bit bumpy?

Andy Philachack: The play in this tournament was very bumpy. I was short stacked for the majority of the tournament, with the exception of the end of day one. I had to fold Q-Q three times to get to the final table. I was never at risk until there were 18 players left. The first time I went all in was when it was three-handed and I picked up Q-Q. I just figured I would play strategically and keep myself in the tournament by picking up the antes and blinds. I went into the final table ninth in chips. My plan was to exercise patience and just hang in there and wait for solid opportunities; the strategy paid off.

I was finally able to make up some ground and capture the chip lead when we got down to three-handed play. Andy Spears is a solid, aggressive player; I was glad to see him go out third. He would have been a formidable opponent in one-on-one play. Landherr was also great competition. He really knew when to slow down the play and when to get aggressive. It just seemed like, in the end, the fall of the cards happened to be in my favor when we hit three-handed play that evening.

Spears raises to 330,000 from the button. Philachack raises to 800,000 from the small blind holding Q Q.

CT: Did you have any specific reads on Spears when you made this raise with a big hand?

AP: I had no read at all. Most of the time when it comes down to three-handed play the button (Spears) will raise because they have position.

CT: And if Spears had moved all in, what was the plan? Instant call, I assume?

AP: I was thinking that I was never folding Q-Q preflop if Spears decided to shove after my three-bet. So far, I had folded Q-Q three times during this tournament in order to survive; twice was preflop and once was on a 7-3-3 board. But Spears decided to…

Spears calls.

Flop: 10 4 2 (pot: 1,790,000)

CT: Great flop. No ace or king.

AP: I know. I was thinking how perfect this flop was for me. So I…

Philachack bets 1,200,000. Spears moves all in.

CT: What’s your take on the shove?

AP: My thought process after Spears shoved: I didn’t put him on A-A or K-K because he is aggressive and would have four-bet me preflop. If he flopped a set, he would have slow-played it. I have to put him on a semibluff, a heart draw, or two overcards, which would be A-K, A-Q, or A-J. Mainly this is because of the massive shove he just made. After a few moments of though, I decided…

Philachack calls. Spears reveals A J.

AP: Just as I predicted he had A J, two overs and the nut flush draw.

Turn: 6 (pot: 19,770,000)

River: 2

Philachack wins the pot of 19,770,000.

AP: I faded the big draw and won a massive pivotal pot. After this hand, I held 60 percent of the chips in play.

CT: Since you never have played full time as a professional, what are some of the main ways you have gone about improving your tournament game?

AP: I love asking my friends questions about how they would play specific hands, especially hands I have played incorrectly and strategized incorrectly on. A few of my poker playing friends (Benjamin Zamani and Jared Jaffee), give me great advice and help me recount times when I have erred in my play. I believe by asking questions and reflecting on mistakes, a player can prevent future mishaps during poker play. It also helps to reflect on many different player perspectives so I can reconsider what my opponents may have been thinking. I always ask questions and think about the feedback I receive so I can make my next tournament even stronger. I view each poorly-played hand as the stepping stone to the next great one.

Key Concepts:  Hand deception: Maximum gain; Executive game plans.

CT: Did you have a plan of attack going into heads-up play?

AP: My initial plan was to play very aggressive during heads up, since I had the 2:1 chip advantage when we started the play. However, that strategy immediately fell through in the very first hand when I picked up 3-3 and thought I would shove all in on Landherr, who happened to be dealt a pair of Jacks. My poor judgment on that first hand then reversed the scenario instantly, and I was now the underdog with a 1:2 chip disadvantage. Looking back at it now, I may have been tired and antsy. We had been playing for a very long time, and the match was very intense. I could have been tired and ready to get back to my house with my family. However, I decided I had played with such intention and focus that I was going to slow down, regroup, and grind out the win for however long it was going to take.

Landherr limped in from the button. Philachack checked the option holding 2 2.

AP: I looked down at 2-2 and decided to disguise my hand and check my small pair.

Flop: J 6 2 (pot: 540,000)

Philachack checks.

CT: Great flop.

AP: I was thinking how beautiful this flop was and how I could maximize this hand and get paid off, so I decided to check.

Landherr bets 240,000.

AP: I decided to just call since the board was so dry and I didn’t sense any danger.
Philachack calls.

Turn: 10 (pot: 1,020,000)

Philachack checks.

AP: I was thinking maybe I should put out a bet here. But since the board was so dry, I decided to check again and see what would happen.

Landherr checked.

AP: I was pretty disappointed that he checked this time.

River: 10 (pot: 1,020,000)

CT: You have to bet now, right? Get a little value if you can.

AP: I do. After some thought, I decided to go fishing and pushed out a small bet.
Philachack bets 700,000.

AP: Jeff tanked for about a minute. And I was thinking, ‘Oh, God. Please have a ten.’
Landherr raises to 2,000,000.

CT: That’s not what you were expecting, I’m sure.

AP: No. After he put out a raise, I was thinking that he could have a ten and if he did, he couldn’t get away if I shoved here. So I tanked and counted down my chips and I had around 9 million behind. So, after some thought, I decided to move all in. I was hoping that my instinct was correct and that he was holding a ten.

CT: Did he call immediately?

AP: Not really. But once he stood up and counted out his chips and tanked for a little bit, I knew I had him beat. If he had a bigger boat, he would have snap called my all-in.
Landherr calls and reveals 10 8. Philachack wins the pot of 19,600,000.

AP: This was a very pivotal hand during my heads-up match because I got all my chips back from a previous hand I had lost and got my 2 to 1 chip lead back.

CT: Congrats on the big win.

AP: Thanks.

CT: You’ve won more than $2 million playing tournament poker over the last few years. Most men your age would have packed up their 9-5 job and gone on the circuit full-time.

AP: In the beginning years of my play, it was pretty tough trying to balance my family, tournament poker, teaching high school algebra, coaching youth sports, and running my chiropractic clinic. Each time I left town for a tournament, I would have to get my sons’ schedules situated, hire a doctor to work in the clinic, ask assistant coaches to help with my sons’ soccer teams, and plan each tiny detail. My sons are growing up now and are more independent and involved in different things in school, and things have become a bit easier at home when I travel. I have also hired a full time doctor to work in my clinic, so I am able to focus on my tournament play if needed and I don’t feel the urge to rush back to the office. However, I will state for the record that the first 5-7 years of my tournament play were definitely stressful, and I would not recommend it to anyone who has to choose between juggling family, a fulltime profession, and poker.

CT: How do you balance your job as a doctor and your profitable side gig as a poker player?

AP: Well, as cliché as it sounds, I love what I do. I have lived in Garland,Texas for over 30 years and I feel an obligation and a passion to serve the city that has given me so much. I truly enjoy talking to my patients, who are like my family, and assisting them when they are in pain. There is something very nourishing to the soul when we are able to help an injured person heal. Playing poker does not refresh the soul, nor does it develop the spirit like healing my patients, friends, and family does. ♠