FInal Table Takedown: Kyle Julius Takes Down First World Series of Poker Bracelet and Shares Turbo Strategy

Kyle Julius was just a junior in high school when his brother came back from college and taught him poker. Julius instantly fell in love with the game. He continued to learn and play when he entered college, while at the same time playing collegiate basketball at a high level.

Poker became a bigger focus after he won $165,000 at a Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) $300 rebuy event, followed by a $180,000 score in the monthly $1 million guaranteed event. Julius would go on to place second at the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure main event for $1.5 million and second in a $5,000 event at the World Series of Poker for $589,000.

Since turning pro, Julius has career online and live tournament winnings totaling more than $7.3 million. But he is most proud of his most recent accomplishment, a baby daughter with fiancée Samantha.

Event: WSOP $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Top Up Event

Players: 318 • Entry: $3,739 • First Prize:  $228,000 • Finish: 1st

Key Concepts: Knowing your opponent; Hand ranges; Playing the money bubble

Craig Tapscott: Did I hear right? You hadn’t planned to even play this event.

Kyle Julius: It’s true. I honestly wasn’t even going to play this turbo event. But my buddy called me 30 minutes before late registration and told me to get over there. I wasn’t so sure. But then my fiancée Samantha encouraged me to go and that made it final because we made a pretty interesting bet. So I woke up, sped over to the Rio, and registered at the last second.

CT: So the bracelet had to be fate. Do you have any game plan or strategy to share about how to play turbo events compared to the regular events at the WSOP?

KJ: Well when it comes to turbo events there is definitely a different strategy than when you’re playing a longer structured tournament. I generally will play pretty tight throughout a turbo, knowing that I need to contain 10-20 big blinds to always give myself a chance to win the tournament. Most people think that a turbo means you should just be shoving all-in and trying to win each pot and build a huge stack. Although making a huge stack is obviously a plus no matter what tournament you’re in, the most important thing is staying alive. In a turbo I feel like I know the correct play in the majority of the shove or fold situations. It’s a comfort zone I have that allows me to make decisions and quite honestly rarely ever regret them, because it’s either the right spot or it’s not. Where as in better structured tourneys there’s much more post flop play and more betting going on where mistakes are much easier to make.

CT: Set this hand up for us.

KJ: This is the hand that really got me going and it was five places from the money.
Julius raises to 6,000 from middle position holding K Q. Deeb calls from the big blind.

CT: I am sure you know Shaun quite well. Can you even put him on a hand range at this point?

KJ: I know Shaun very well, we have been battling for years. When I raise his blind I clearly don’t want him to put me all-in, which I know he’s capable of doing with worse than my K-Q offsuit. He knows I will open a wide range from this spot with 20 big blinds in a turbo. So when he simply calls I know about 95 percent of the time I have the best hand. He would shove all pairs on me preflop and any good Ace, and the only hands I am behind are his Ace rags.

Flop: K 7 6 (pot: 17,500)

Deeb checks. Julius bets 7,000. Deeb tanks then moves all-in.

CT: What was going through your mind when he shoved? Is he on a draw, could he have flopped two pair, etc?

KJ: When he check-shoves this flop I am basically thinking, “Let’s hold please.” It’s very rare that he ever has me beat here, although I think he may check-shove bottom two pair, but besides that I think he would play it completely different. If he had better than that he may just check-call to slow play, or check-raise to induce me to go all-in with worse. So I had to…

Julius calls. Deeb reveals 8 7.

Turn: 5 (pot: 124,500)

River: 2 (pot: 124,500)

Julius wins the pot of 124,500.

KJ: Now I had a comfortable stack on the bubble.

CT: Please share one or two pointers on how best to strategically play the turbo money bubble to get the most benefits out of it?

KJ: When it comes to the money bubble it’s extremely important to abuse it in the correct way. Considering this is a turbo and I have 125,000 at 3,000 big blind level, that’s well above average in the tournament. So I am very comfortable and probably at no risk to bubble. But I also have to take into consideration that I still only have 40-42 big blinds and it’s a turbo, so soon it will be even less.

CT: What other things are you thinking about?

KJ: Well it’s very important to stay disciplined and pick and choose good spots and make sure to put the pressure on the right players. If this were a better structured tourney it would be easier to just raise-fold a lot, because there are bigger stacks where I can do that. In a turbo there are a lot of short stacks where if I choose to raise weaker hands and short stacks shove, I will have to call because I am getting the right price. This could expose me and possibly cost me a big chunk of my stack.

Key Concepts: Short-handed play; Shoving Ranges; Turbo Strategy

KJ: The next biggest hand came when we were three handed, and Ben shoved all-in with about 18 big blinds from the button and the small blind had five big blinds.

CT: Before we breakdown your thoughts about his range can you share your game plan when you came into this final table?

KJ: My game play going into this final table was pretty simple. I had a decent stack, and I wasn’t going to force anything. My plan was just to let it flow and when the spots were right take them. I knew I would get myself in a spot where I would get it all-in dominating or flipping at the worst. So once I got my first double up it was pretty much ABC poker from then on. I had to simply make the right shoves and the right calls and I would give myself a good shot to win the tournament and my first WSOP bracelet.

Yu moves all-in from the button.

CT: Thanks. So Yu shoves. What are you holding in the big blind?

KJ: I have K J. This is normally a spot where I would fold. But I had to sit back and consider Ben’s shoving range and then remember that this was a turbo event. So I knew he was going to be shoving a much wider range, perhaps J-10 and K-J and even suited connectors. If he has A-x I figured I was still live with a strong holding in K-J.

CT: And you would not be out of the running if you lost.

KJ: Yes. I was aware that I was risking half my stack, but I knew if I won this hand then I most likely would be winning the bracelet.

Julius calls from the big blind holding K J. Yu reveals Q 10.

Flop: 8 6 2 (pot: 4,280,000)

Turn: K

River: 9

Julius wins the pot of 4,280,000.

KJ: So now I am heads-up for the bracelet. On the first hand I had 4-4 and we got all-in. He had K-9 and he flopped a King and I hit my two outer on the river and won my first bracelet.

CT: And you won something a little more valuable I heard. Let’s talk about that bet you made.

KJ: I did. I had a bet with my fiancée that by winning the bracelet, I would then have the rights to name our first child.

CT: Wow. Such a crazy bet, but fun for sure. Congratulations on the bracelet and your first child. What did you name her? I am hoping not something like Ace or Gambit.

KJ: (Laughs) We named her Ellie Rose, after both our grandmothers. She has been such a huge blessing. She has given me so much more perspective on life and I can’t wait to watch her grow up.

CT: Thanks for sharing your big win with Card Player. As many readers may know I did a cover story on you a few years ago when you tore up the circuit that year. What have you been doing since then to improve your game, besides having a baby?

KJ: Honestly, since the cover story I haven’t done much to improve my poker game. I haven’t played as much as I would like. I think I have a pretty solid understanding of tournament poker and feel comfortable playing at any level. Now that I have started a family I have even more motivation to be successful to make a solid living so I can support them. ♠