Erick Lindgren knows when to hold ’em, and knows when to fold ’em.
On the heels of his two victories in the second season of the Travel Channel’s "World Poker Tour," Lindgren has captured the show’s first Player-of-the-Year honor.
Lindgren nabbed tournament titles at the PartyPoker Million and the Ultimate Poker Classic, and also made the final table at the Grand Prix de Paris, amassing a whopping $1,560,568 in winnings.
"It was a nice honor to be the player of the year. I honestly didn’t even know they had that award," Lindgren said.
"I had a great season and hope I can continue my success in the future."
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The "World Poker Tour," a series of No Limit Texas Hold ’Em tournaments staged at some of the world’s largest and most prestigious casinos and poker rooms, has vastly widened the poker’s popularity. By projecting poker’s essence -- a stylish and exhilarating game that combines cunning, skill and nerve that can be played by unique personalities of all ages, gender and background -- the TV series has enthralled new legions of fans.
The 27-year-old Lindgren was raised in Burney, Calif., in the Sierra Nevada range near Mt. Shasta. He started playing poker recreationally at a local Indian casino and knew early on his career was going to be off the beaten path.
At age 21, he made the leap to playing poker full time, supplementing his income at a casino in San Pablo, Calif., as a "propositional player" -- a player hired to keep the games lively.
Before long, he was off and running as an up-and-coming poker pro.
Part of the new, ultra-aggressive corps of poker’s rising stars, Lindgren combines an uncanny ability to read people and thorough knowledge of the game as his formula for success.
"My strength as a player is reading people. A person’s appearance says a lot about them. There are certain patterns that certain types of people fall into. You learn to recognize them and it is a big advantage," Lindgren said.
The form of poker played on the "World Poker Tour" lends itself perfectly to Lindgren’s aggressive style.
No Limit Texas Hold ’Em, aptly named as a player can bet any amount of their chips at any given point of the hand, can be played with two to 10 players. Each player is dealt two cards face down, called hole or pocket cards, that only they see. A round of betting then follows and three community cards, nicknamed the "flop," are dealt. Another round of betting follows and a fourth community card, the "turn," is dealt. Another round of betting ensues and the fifth and final community card, the "river," is dealt. A final round of betting then takes place. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot.
Simple, right?
But No Limit Texas Hold ’Em is dubbed the "Cadillac of poker" for a reason. As "World Poker Tour" announcer Mike Sexton says at the beginning of each episode, it’s "a game that takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master."
The game is so highly respected that it is used to determine poker’s world champion at the annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). The WSOP is a series of tournaments, held at the Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, that culminates in the $10,000 buy-in No Limit Texas Hold ’Em main event. This year’s seven-day tournament begins Saturday and will be broadcast on ESPN beginning June 8.
"This is going to be my third time in the World Series of Poker. I haven’t fared very well in the past but I’m excited as the field is expected to be somewhere around 1,800 players, 700 from on-line alone," Lindgren said.
"First place is probably going to be more than $3 million."
With Lindgren’s recent success he is sure to be a target of some of the tournament’s participants, as poker legend Johnny Chan was a target of Mike D., played by Matt Damon, in the 1998 film "Rounders."
"I think people will take a couple of shots at me now that they know who I am. People love to try to bluff out a pro," Lindgren said.
"People are starting to recognize me a lot more, as I was just on the cover of Card Player Magazine, in addition to this season of the ‘World Poker Tour,’" Lindgren said.
A Las Vegas resident, Lindgren plays a majority of his poker at the Bellagio Resort and Casino and on-line at FullTiltPoker.com, a Web site he is affiliated with.
Lindgren finds there are many differences between playing live games and games on-line.
"The on-line game is a more mathematical one. You go mainly by the odds and a little with betting patterns," Lindgren said.
"When you play live you look at a number of factors -- physical appearance, demeanor, betting patterns and feel. You have to develop a certain set of skills in a live game."
Statistically in Hold ’Em, the best starting hand is a pair of aces, while the worst is 7/2 offsuit. After years of playing experience, most professionals find that they have certain unconventional hands that they either love or hate to play.
For example, poker legend Doyle Brunson loathes playing ace/queen, while he loves playing 10/2 as starting cards.
Whether he’s playing live or on-line, Lindgren also has his own nemesis starting hand.
"I hate playing king/queen. I don’t know, I just haven’t had the best of luck with that hand. I know it’s not a bad hand, too," Lindgren said.
On the flip side, Lindgren has yet to encounter his own 10/2, which is even commonly referred to as Doyle Brunson.
Aside from a few unlucky flops with the dreaded king/queen, Lindgren finds himself fortunate as he travels around to all the stops on the "World Poker Tour," which range from Los Angeles to Connecticut, and Paris to Aruba.
"There is a group of us who travel around with the tour and play in all the events -- myself, Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth Jr., to name a few. We are very friendly on the tour and away from the table. We all get along great. It is nice to have friends when you’re on the road and going to all these different places," Lindgren said.
Not that they shy away from some "friendly" competition.
"With (Phil) Ivey there is nothing but trash talking. The guy won’t shut up," Lindgren said jokingly.
After Lindgren’s Cinderella season on the "World Poker Tour," he has found his life is, surprisingly, pretty much the same.
"I spend a little more money now, but, for the most part, it is the same," Lindgren said.
And as for future goals?
"Like all poker players, I want to win the World Series (of Poker) and also want to keep improving," Lindgren said.
Source: Becky Moles, Herald News
