Joe Kuether Talks About Career Year On The FeltPoker Pro Has Cashed For More Than $619,000 In 2012 |
|
It has been a monster 2012 for Wisconsin native Joe Kuether. A staggering 11 final table appearances, as well as four titles, have rocketed Kuether to 15th on this year’s Player of the Year Race. His more than $619,000 in 2012 live tournament prize winnings have given him the freedom to play more tournaments and take his promising career to the next level.
Kuether has more than quadrupled his live tournament winnings from any of the previous three years.
Claiming he didn’t have much help starting off in poker, Kuether explained that he learned most of his game through trial and error. He talked about this, as well as his three first-place finishes in one month, and why it’s important to stay off tilt and on his “A” game.
Logan Hronis: Tell us about how you learned the game of poker, and when you decided you wanted to play for a living. How long did you have to grind before you determined that you had made it?
Joe Kuether: I started playing poker in high school. My experience was probably pretty similar to most online players’ introductions to poker. Early on, I played in home games with friends in high school and I did well. I also deposited some online and enjoyed it. I was making money (playing poker) but not taking it super seriously, until around my sophomore year in college, when I kind of realized I wasn’t very interested in getting a normal nine-to-five job, and decided to give poker a shot.
LH: How is the poker scene in Wisconsin? Do you see it growing or evolving at all, in your experience?
JK: Well, right now I live in Las Vegas, but my family is still in Wisconsin. There’s one casino in Milwaukee that is decent. I used to play there a lot when I was underage, but I honestly haven’t played there in quite a while.
LH: You took down three tournaments in the month of March. Would you say you were more running like God or just playing like him? Please explain.
JK: I mean, I obviously ran pretty well. I decided to play some of those Wynn classic prelims, and the fields were really good. After those two wins, I decided to drive to Rincon to play the World Series of Poker Circuit main event there, and it obviously worked out! In pretty much all three of those tournaments, I was chip leader from the beginning to the end.
LH: After having a month like that, winning three straight tournaments, how does your mindset change, if at all? As a poker player in that situation, do you make an attempt to keep your confidence as high as possible, or try to keep yourself as grounded as possible? Please explain.
JK: I think it’s important for a poker player to realize that this is live tournament poker, and you can’t expect to win that many tournaments. Before this year, I had an absurd amount of 7th-20th place finishes. But that’s really just how it goes. I just try to put in as much volume as possible, while always focusing on playing my best at all times. I see so many people playing these tournaments that clearly don’t want to be there. Whether they’re worn out from playing a lot, or tilted about something else, I don’t know. It’s just so hard to play even close to your “A” game when you don’t really want to be there.
LH: How would you describe your style of tournament play? Can you name any poker players you watched (before you turned pro) who have influenced you to play a certain way? If so, who?
JK: I wouldn’t say any particular player really influenced my style of play. Most people would say that I play pretty aggressive, I would guess. I never really discussed poker with anyone the first couple years of playing. None of my friends in high school or college took it as seriously as I did, so for the most part, it was all from trial and error. I just played a lot of poker, and I would learn from my mistakes as I went along.
LH: It seems you have played quite a high volume of tournaments in 2012. Would you say this is mostly because of your continued success, confidence, or simply because you could afford to?
JK: After Black Friday, I decided to try playing more live tournaments. I had never really traveled to play tournaments live, outside of the _WSOP___. So I moved to Las Vegas, and traveled around to different tournament stops throughout the year. Obviously, when you are doing well it’s easier to put in more volume, and I decided that was pretty much what I wanted to do.
LH: I’m assuming you consider yourself a predominantly no-limit hold’em player. You also have some limit cashes, as well as a cash in an Omaha event. Which game would you say you prefer, and do you see yourself playing more events that aren’t no-limit in the future?
JK: Yeah, most of the tournaments I play these days are in no-limit. I started as a limit player, but don’t play tons of those games anymore. I’ll make some exceptions for some WSOP events and if there’s a good cash game running, but that’s about it. I enjoy pot-limit Omaha as well, but haven’t played that much of it. I like playing other games from time to time, just to mix it up a little. I can definitely see myself playing more of the other games in the future, especially PLO.
LH: Out of all the places you have played poker, which is your favorite? Are there any places you haven’t played that you are looking forward to playing at?
JK: I went to WSOP Europe and EPT San Remo last month. That was my first time traveling anywhere outside the country for poker. Both of those venues were great, and the cities were cool as well. I’m also going to WPT Montreal this week. I’m probably going to continue making a few trips to some cool places like those, in the next year.
LH: Tell us a little about your life outside of poker, and how you balance it with other aspects of your life. Do you have any other dreams or goals that do not pertain to poker?
JK: I enjoy sports a lot, so I watch sports quite a bit, especially my Wisconsin teams. I also just started rock climbing in the last year or so, which is cool. As for goals outside of poker? Nothing too serious, at least not at the moment. I am trying to relearn Spanish, as well as learn and be more involved in finance and investing.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
