John “The Razor” Phan has begun 2008 playing focused poker. He cashed three times at the World Poker Open in Tunica, including a 22nd-place finish in the World Poker Tour championship event. He followed that up by holding or being close to the chip lead for much of the early days at the Borgata Winter Open, before he took some hits and was
knocked out of the tournament. Phan is refocusing on his game this year and hopes to repeat the success he had in 2005, when he finished runner-up to Men “The Master” Nguyen in the Card Player Player of the Year race. Card Player caugt up with Phan at the Borgata, where he talked about confidence, having fun at the table, and never forgetting where he came from:
Ryan Lucchesi: How important is confidence at a poker table?
John Phan: If you don’t have any confidence you will never be really successful.
RL: Do you think people drop their guard around you because you have so much fun at the table in these big buy-in events?
JP: Sometimes, I think definitely when I’m drinking … it goes either way, but the majority of the time it goes my way. Poker is like a business, but you’ve got to have fun and enjoy the game. That’s what I do every day; I always go to work and have fun. And winning’s nice; who doesn’t want to win?
RL: Do you think players can get really hot in poker and ride those hot streaks that breed confidence?
JP: Poker is really funny; when people have a hot year, like I did in 2005, I was on fire. In 2006, I was worn down by the traveling, I was chasing it, and I wasn’t mentally prepared. I would just play because there was a tournament. There were so many hands where if I would have stopped and analyzed it I would have never called or risked my chip stack. We all make mistakes, but I learned from that and overcame it. In 2007, I didn’t play very much because a member of my family passed away, so I was very disappointed. But in 2008, I’m really putting my head to work, and that’s why I played very consistently here and in Tunica. This year, I’m going to be all over the circuit, playing all of the major events. I’m playing really well, and I want to take my game to another level. I have a good feeling that I will have a good year.
RL: Are you more aggressive in a field that more amateurs are playing in?
JP: It depends; some days you get really lucky, or you catch a lot of cards, so you can do everything your way, and it will be right. You slow-play your hand and it works out well, and then other days when you should slow-play your hand you play fast. I gamble no mater what, though; I just love to gamble. I like big pots … I don’t like small pots. I pick my edge; I play big pots only if I have the chip lead. It I have a short stack, I will wait for the best hand.
RL: Do you prefer the professional-heavy fields or the amateur-heavy fields?
JP: To me, it doesn’t really matter. I will play whatever they have. Sometimes, a lot of non-pros are good at accumulating chips. Sometimes, you get lucky, though, and you have so many chips that they just give it to you; pros are just a little tougher.
RL: Do you think that anyone has more fun than you out on the tournament trail?
JP: Actually no. Mike [Matusow] always gets so moody. I just like to have fun. Even if I get deep in a tournament and get knocked out, I go back up to my room, relax, and come back the next day fresh. Usually, it doesn’t bug me for too long. If you play over the years, you have to train yourself that way. In this business, in order for you to do really well, you have to be able to overcome a lot of things and not let little things bug you. Always have confidence when you’re going in, even if you might not have that confidence, and always give yourself that momentum to be really confident in everything you do.
RL: I know that you and Liz Lieu make frequent charity trips? Do you have any plans for charity work in 2008?
JP: Definitely. Any time I win in a big tournament, I donate 20 percent of my share to my family and unfortunate people back home. Hopefully I do well here, so that after the L.A. Poker Classic or the Shooting Star I can go back. I just love to give back. It’s such a nice feeling when you can give back, especially in my country. I was raised in a very, very poor family, and we had nothing. I feel very lucky to be where I am today.
RL: Do you have so much fun out here because you have never forgotten where you came from?
JP: In my life, growing up, we escaped from my country. We escaped on a little boat, and I almost died. In my life, growing up, I almost died twice. That’s why in gambling I’m freerolling. That’s why I do the things I do; I enjoy what I have. I don’t take anything for granted.
