SpadeClub Poker's 2008 Player of the Year

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SpadeClub’s 2008 Player of the Year race came to a finish on Dec. 31, 2008, and Exclusive member Kevin “CHILLSHOT” Williams took first place with more than 38,800 SpadeClub Player of the Year (SPOY) points. Williams has been concentrating on his poker game for more than two and a half years and plays for more than 15 hours a day. He is excited to take his brother on the seven-night Card Player Cruise through the Western Caribbean, but he hopes to be able to play tons of poker on the ship.

Card Player had the opportunity to talk with the 2008 SpadeClub Player of the Year to discuss his recent win and his next goal on SpadeClub.


Card Player: First off, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Kevin “CHILLSHOT” Williams: To start off, I’m 29 years old, single, and built like a model. I have no kids, as of now, but I hope to meet a wife once I turn pro. I’m a real sports freak. I watch ESPN and lots of Poker After Dark. When I’m not watching ESPN or poker, I am studying either my poker books and DVDs or I’m studying the outer-galactic part of the universe.

I managed to leave high school as the Athlete of The Year after taking down MVP of the basketball team and MVP of the track team. I’ve always been a role model and a vocal leader. In turn, it takes a lot to surprise or rattle me. I work best under pressure or when the stakes are high. After high school, I took a different direction than my athletic career to do something I always wanted to do, which was serving for the United States military.

While serving my four-year term in the navy aboard the USS John C. Stennis (Air Craft Carrier), I found my self becoming a great spades player. It wasn’t long before I found poker, no-limit hold’em. After the navy and being out to sea for four years, I enrolled in South Western College in Southern California. Nothing I do seems to surprise me, mainly because I set my standards so high. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I believe if you put your mind to do something that’s realistic and within your means, you can accomplish it like I’ve done.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg for me and my poker career, and I’m getting excited. So, that’s a little bit about me.

CP: How does it feel to be the first SpadeClub Player of the Year?

KW: It feels great to be the first SPOY for SpadeClub. I remember telling my family (uncle, mother, and brothers) that I had a chance for Player of the Year, and I got different opinions from them all. My brothers all thought I could do it, my mom just wanted me to win the Bellagio tourney and take her, and my uncle told me to go and get a real job. All three opinions helped fuel the fire that was burning inside of me.

CP: How long have you played poker, and what got you interested in SpadeClub?

KW: I’ve been playing poker nonstop for two and a half years straight, for about 15 hours a day. It’s a brutal training workout plan. I don’t advise new players to train so hard, but if you’re serious about turning pro, or just making some money, and you believe in sacrifice, then the time spent to become the best you can be will be well worth it in the long run.

CP: What recommendations do you have for players trying to win the 2009 SPOY race?

KW: One of the main recommendations for players seeking the 2009 SPOY is to realize that this is not a sprint. It’s not about who’s the fastest runner, it’s more about who has the time (to finish the race), patience (players who can pick the right spots to make big moves without tilting), sacrifice (giving up something old for something new), and dedication (turning negative into positive, and realizing that no matter what anyone tells you, if it’s realistic and you put your mind to it, and have faith in yourself, you’ll get it done). It’s that simple.

CP: Do you think SpadeClub is a good learning ground for people who are looking to start playing?

KW: As far as SpadeClub being a good learning ground, I would say that out of all of the training sites I’ve played on and or seen online, this is by far the best training site in the world. There is not another training site that can compete on an overall scale as well as SpadeClub has proven itself.

CP: What tournaments do you think helped you earn the most SPOY points?

KW: The tournaments that helped me break through in the last stretch for SPOY were the $500 tourneys. Although I’ve displayed great efforts in finishing at the final table in the $5,000 weekly events and a final table in the Bellagio Championship Series monthly on my first try, it was the $500 tourneys that push me over the top toward the last laps in the Player of The Year race.

CP: What is your general strategy going into a tournament?

KW: What my strategy is/was entering into a tournament was asked and on the minds of many players on SpadeClub. Now that I’ve won Player of the Year, I don’t mind disclosing this vital information. In the world of poker, which I’ve been lucky to be a part of, there is something called gears. My gears are one through six. Gear one meaning the least active and gear six meaning the most active. Anytime I win a big pot or lose a pot, the gear that I’m in also changes.

This is one of the main down falls of new or inexperienced players (not knowing what gear they’re in once winning or losing a pot). In a nutshell, gears represent how tight or how loose you’ll be playing at the current blind level. Gear one is going to be “tight observant,” gear two is “tight solid,” gear three “semi-tight solid,” gear four (swing gear) “tight/loose,” gear five “loose-solid aggressive,” and gear six “loose-observant aggressive.” Gear four is the swing gear. It’s the gear where you’ll keep your opponents off balance ... sometimes you’re tight, sometimes your loose, never allowing more observant players a chance to read you.

No matter what stage or level in a tournament, you’ll always be in one of these six gears. The easiest way to figure out what gear you’re in is so simple. Everyone knows 10 times the big blind or less is push or fold. So, whenever you start out in a tournament or are in push-or–fold mode, you should pretty much be in a tight-observant state of mind. Being tight and observant is a good way to know when you should push a medium hand while in push-or–fold mode, or when to make a good call against a loose player in the beginning of a tournament. So, if the blinds are 1K, then gear three would be 3K or more, but less than 4K, which is semi-tight solid. See? So easy. Good luck.

CP: What was the most important thing that you did to get your game to where it is today?

KW: The way I got my game up to par is quite simple: eating, sleeping, thinking, dreaming, and, of course, playing poker. I have been playing 15 plus hours a day, two and a half years straight. I have stopped clubbing, stopped dating, and I stopped wasting time and used that energy to learn the most sophisticated card game in the world. But there’s one thing I can’t get over, which is that the first card game that I was super good at was as a top-flight spades player. So, maybe that’s the secret, being a great spades player led me to being a great SpadeClub player.

CP: Was winning the 2008 SPOY a goal of yours? How did you accomplish this goal?

KW: Becoming player of the year was a big test for me to challenge myself and see if I could achieve that goal. Once I knew I was a good player, I wanted to see if I could become a consistent player, which in turn would make me a great player. I love when I hear my fellow sharks say, “It’s great to see the best player on SpadeClub win SPOY.”

CP: Do you plan on going for back-to-back SPOY wins?

KW: I would love to win back-to-back SPOY, but I would also love to turn pro. I wouldn’t mind signing with Full Tilt or PokerStars. But, honestly, I would love to represent SpadeClub as my sponsor. That would be so great to me. It would be the goal of all goals. I not only want to be the first Player of The Year for SpadeClub, I also would like to represent, as well as play, for SpadeClub around the world. I feel like I’m one of the next faces of poker and would love to share that with SpadeClub!

CP: Are you excited to go on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise with Card Player Cruises? Who are you going to bring? Where are you going to go?

KW: I am very excited to go on my Caribbean Card Player Cruise. I can’t wait. My big brother Randie is going with me on the cruise. He could really use a vacation, so I figured we could go around his birthday in April. This will be the first time off I’ve gotten since I started training in poker two and a half years ago, so what a relief. But I hope I’m playing poker on the Card Player Cruise. I can’t go too long without playing my newfound passion.

CP: Is there anything else you would like to add?

KW: Last but not least, I would like to say thanks to my family, friends, and all the ones who believed. This is like a new beginning for me. So, to all of the up-and-coming players out there, stay focused and one day you might do an interview with Card Player magazine.  :)CHILLS HOT:)

 

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