SpadeClub Poker Winner: Henrik "aintblinkin" Fochler

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Henrik “aintblinkin” Fochler of Berlin, Germany, is SpadeClub’s most recent $30,000 Mega Monthly winner. Fochler is no stranger to the Mega Monthly final table, as this is the second one he has reached since he became a SpadeClub member in February 2008. He is a dedicated fan of Card Player TV and believes the key to success on SpadeClub is to learn from others, especially SCKenny, SpadeClub’s poker room manager.

Card Player recently spoke with Fochler about his final-table finishes and about how he outlasted the largest Mega Monthly field of players so far.

Card Player: First off, can you tell me a little bit about your life outside of poker?

Henrik “aintblinkin” Fochler: I am 30 years old and I am living in Berlin, Germany, together with my girlfriend. Besides studying math, I am working at a movie theater, which is a lot of fun. I like sports, playing guitar, watching movies, and playing poker.

CP: How long have you been playing poker, and how did you get started playing poker on SpadeClub?

HF: I have been playing poker for almost four years now, mostly online, but sometimes I join a home game. The first time I heard about SpadeClub was when I saw Barry in a promotional Card Player TV interview. I instantly decided to sign up, since I could only lose that little monthly fee. It was a no-brainer!

CP: Do you have a story behind you screen name?

HF: The idea for the name “aintblinkin” came from the children’s game, which is called “Indianerblick” in Germany. [The English translation might be] “Indian’s stare?” You stare at your opponent and try to keep both eyes open as long as you can. Whoever blinks first loses. With one eye open, I often said: “No, I ain’t blinkin,’” because I did not want to lose.

CP: Do you consider yourself a recreational, amateur, or professional poker player?

HF: I am a recreational player who plays poker for fun. I enjoy playing small stakes no-limit hold’em tourneys online. The [SpadeClub] prize money already landed in my bank account and will not be used for poker. The poker pros have experience in playing more variants than just no-limit hold’em. So, I think you have to be good at all of the games if you want to go pro. I don’t play cash games. Playing no-limit hold’em tournaments for the “big score” is a more relaxed approach for me.

CP: Is there a professional poker player you look up to most? If so, why?

HF: Mike Matusow is my favorite poker player. His live tournament results in 2008 were impressive, and he always makes good TV. He is also very good at H.O.R.S.E. The Mouthpiece on Card Player TV is very entertaining. I even bought that “positive thinking” book that he recommends! Guess it works, somehow.

CP: What is the one thing that you wish you knew about earlier in your poker career?

HF: That positional play and aggressive play are the keys to the game. The books [in the] Harrington on Hold’em [series] helped me a lot.

CP: What mistake do you see players making most often in poker tournaments?

HF: A lot of players simply play too fast. They are rushing things and are willing to play big pots with marginal hands early in a tournament.

CP: You took down SpadeClub’s largest Mega Monthly tournament field so far of 2,146 players, how does that make you feel, and how did you do it?

HF: Awesome! I was really excited after the winning hand and tried not to cheer too loudly, because it was still early morning in Berlin! I think I played very patiently and had good table draws, so I was able to exploit the passive players. I consider making the Mega Monthly final table for a second time, the first time with 1,075 players, as my biggest poker accomplishment so far. Winning the big one was the icing on the cake.

Some plays that I made at the final table were arguably pretty loose, but fortunately, they worked out. I won almost every coin flip! I would like to add that it was very tough for me to stay focused, because I got really tired. I had the window open for fresh air. As a result, I caught a nice cold, because it was -15°C outside. I had to stay in bed the next three days and won a couple of other online tournaments. Quite a rush.

CP: Was there a particularly key hand that you played in the tournament that helped lead you to victory?

HF: Yes. With about 20 players left, I decided to push my short-stack all in from the cutoff with A-6 and got called by “DKop3,” who held A-Q. I hit a lucky 6 to stay alive and doubled up.

CP: What is your favorite part of the SpadeClub community?

HF: The friends feature is really nice! It is great to have the support from guys like DoubleD, dollycopp, JeffM, MoPoker, AndrewB, gamebolt, olim2005, delilah, and more. Thanks again to all of the railbirds who rooted for me at the Mega Monthly final table!

CP: Do you have something else to add?

HF: When you are making a trip to Europe, don’t forget to visit Berlin and enjoy some good German beer! Prost!

To read more, please visit SpadeClub.com.

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