Poker Player PROfile: Mike LeahLeah Off To Incredible Start In 2014 |
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Canadian pro Mike Leah has spent the last five years tearing up the tournament circuit and proving he is one of the best online players in the world.
The Innisfil, Ontario resident is currently tied for the most Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) wins with four and in 2011, he finished third in the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) main event for $663,816. In total, he has won approximately $2.5 million in online tournaments.
Leah’s also on a bit of a hot streak when it comes to live tournaments as well. In 2013, he made three World Series of Poker final tables and in January, he won a $5,000 prelim event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $119,770. A month later, he took down a $1,000 event at the Fallsview Poker Classic for another $107,084 and most recently, he won two WSOP Circuit rings in the same day at the Winnin’ O’ The Green in Los Angeles. The Team Ivey Pro now has over $2 million in live earnings.
Card Player caught up with Leah to discuss how he splits he time between live and online tournaments and how he became proficient in mixed games.
Julio Rodriguez: In 2009, you cashed 25 times, made nine final tables, won three titles and earned almost $700,000 playing live tournaments, finishing in 11th place in the Card Player Player of the Year race. Then you kind of pulled back a bit on live tournament to focus on online events.
Mike Leah: I left my career in September of 2008, so 2009 was really my first full year on the tournament circuit. I really wanted to test myself, so I set a goal to win Player of the Year and traveled nonstop. In the last few years, however, I’ve gotten to a point where I’m more secure financially and I know that I’m going to be playing for many years, so I’m trying to find a balance between work and my personal life. I’ve been taking some time off and enjoying friends and family.
JR: Living in Canada, you can continue to play both live and online. How would you say you split your time between the two?
ML: I’d say I split my time about 50/50 these days. I only play online on Sundays or if its part of a big series. I never grind online from Monday to Saturday unless I’m playing in an FTOPS, SCOOP, WCOOP or something like that. When picking a live event, other than WSOP events, I’m looking for convenience along with big fields and big prize pools. For instance, I just played in a WSOP Circuit stop at the Bike because I was already going to be in Los Angeles for the L.A. Poker Classic. I try to keep it to just one poker trip per month.
JR: Most U.S. poker players haven’t been on PokerStars or Full Tilt since Black Friday. What changes, if any, have you seen in the traffic and competition?
ML: PokerStars is basically back to what it was like before Black Friday. The competition is probably a little bit tougher because we lost all of the recreational players from the U.S. while the better players relocated to keep playing. Also, the players are just that much better at no-limit hold’em all over the world. Full Tilt is still recovering. The volume isn’t what it used to be, so I really only open it during a big series, which is great for me because I love playing all of the different games and variations. The start times are now a little bit earlier to accommodate European players, but it’s not too bad having to get up at 10 a.m.
JR: Last summer at the WSOP, you took third in the $5,000 stud eight-or-better event, fifth in the $1,000 stud eight-or-better event and have other cashes in pot-limit Omaha, Omaha eight-or-better and stud. When did you begin playing games other than no-limit hold’em?
ML: When I started playing these online series tournaments, I jumped into all of the tournaments, even the ones that weren’t no-limit hold’em. I’ve always learned by doing, so over time, I got better and then really focused on becoming great. A few years ago, I started to play the mixed game events at the WSOP and every year since I feel that I have gotten better by about 100 percent. Now I feel like I’m not giving up anything in these events. In fact, I feel like I have a pretty good edge.
JR: Where do you find your edge? Is it against mixed game players who don’t regularly play tournaments, or tournament players who don’t regularly play mixed games?
ML: It’s a combination of both. For example, in a stud eight-or-better tournament, I think I’m going to have a big edge over tournament specialists that don’t normally play the game. However, I also think I have an edge over stud specialists who don’t normally play the game in a tournament setting. I’ve got the best of both worlds.
JR: Do you ever take these mixed games skills into cash games or do you stick to tournaments exclusively?
ML: I’ve dabbled in high-stakes mixed games online. Again, I try not to play too much when I’m at home and there isn’t a series going on, but if I’m bored and have nothing to do, I’ll jump in. Sometimes when I’m in Atlantic City or Los Angeles, I’ll even play the live mixed games at $100-$200 or even $500-$1,000 if I sell some action. I think I can play with anyone, so that allows me to be flexible when it comes to picking a game.
JR: You’ve played in tournaments with $50,000 buy-ins. How hard is it to stay on top of your game in a $300 tournament?
ML: I play better when I’m motivated. I set goals and then I work hard to achieve them. For me, it’s about pride, because I know if I do well then the money will take care of itself. Whether it was sports, my sales career or poker, I always tried to treat everything the same way. I’m never going to wear a WSOP Circuit ring or one of my FTOPS jerseys, but they are good reminders of what I’m playing for. If I didn’t have those goals, I might have trouble getting up for a $300 event. I think I play at my best when things are meaningful for me, even if it’s not for monetary reasons. It would be easy to play on autopilot in a smaller buy-in tournament if I didn’t have that pride.
JR: The average poker player is better today than they’ve ever been in the history of poker. What are your thoughts on the learning curve and what kind of longevity you expect to have in the game?
ML: There are so many decisions and so many ways to play a hand on each and every street, that I don’t think that the game will ever be even close to solvable. As good as everyone has become, the game will always evolve and the best players will adapt in order to take advantage of it. You look at some of the big winners from ten years ago and many are gone. The longer you stay in the game, the more experience you can draw from to make the best decisions possible and the people who work the hardest will be rewarded with a long career.
You can follow Leah on Twitter @goleafsgoeh
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