Your first Sunday major win is always special. Last weekend, Randall TwinMSU Brooks experienced what it was like to take down a high-stakes tournament on the weekend day, bringing home a victory in the PokerStars Sunday 500. His poker skills were showcased in one of the largest weekly tournaments, as Brooks defeated Christian charder Harder heads-up. The runner up, as we all know, took fourth in the recently completed World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship at the Bellagio for $571,000. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Brooks has been able to fall back on poker in a challenging economy in the area. He sat down with PocketFives.com to discuss his milestone finish and $87,000 payday.Three hands at the final table stood out. In the first, Brooks raised with pocket sixes from the cutoff and was called by the player in the big blind. The flop came Q-8-5 and the big blind check-raised Brooks after he fired out a continuation bet. Brooks 3bet and promptly showed his cards after his opponent finally folded. He recalled, “A lot of people don't show hands like that, but I think showing hands has its ups and downs.”
Then, he tangled against Harder (pictured at left), who raised with Q-10 under the gun. Brooks re-raised with A-J and Harder flat called. The flop came A-J-9, giving Harder an open-ended straight draw and Brooks top two pair. Brooks bet, Harder called, and the turn was an eight, completing Harder’s straight. Brooks commented, “Harder was playing very aggressively the whole final table, so I decided to go for the check-raise on the turn. He bet and I jammed. Even after he called, I thought I still might have the best hand, but unfortunately his nut straight held.” Despite losing half of his stack in the hand, Brooks still came away $87,000 richer for his wear.In the final significant hand at the final table, Brooks ran sixes into eights, but managed to spike a two outer on the river to propel his chip stack back in the right direction. On the field that turns out for the weekly spectacle, Brooks noted, “It's a pretty soft field early on and turns into a tough one late. I’m surprised that I was able to keep my cool in the middle of that tournament. Earlier in the day, I lost a $100 rebuy where first was $77,000. I was the chip leader with 15 people left, took a few beats, and finished 13th.” That cash, which occurred in the $100 rebuy on PokerStars, was good for $3,000.
In February, he won an $11 rebuy on Stars for $13,000. Two days later, he triumphed over the field in the site’s $55 rebuy for $12,000. The win in the Sunday 500, as you’d expect, means the most to the Michigan resident. He told PocketFives.com, “I've always told myself that I’m not a poker pro until I win a Sunday major, so this win was personal. Of course, the money means a lot since it almost triples my second largest score. I have a bunch of wins in smaller buy-in tournaments, but this one meant the most.”
He became aware that playing poker for money on the internet was possible while attending Michigan State University. In live play, the Spartan struggled against his friends and was determined to improve his game. Now, living in Detroit means being engulfed in one of the hardest hit economic areas in the United States. With American auto manufacturers on the brink of bankruptcy, Brooks talked about what it means to be able to have poker to fall back on: “I grew up in a Detroit ghetto. I just recently moved into a condo in Southfield after staying in the city for 21 years. The economy is horrid and it's extremely hard to find a job. Poker is just awesome. A lot of my friends and family want to follow suit, but they don't know how tough it is to become a winner.”
When his peers or others ask Brooks to teach them how to play, the PocketFiver responds with, “‘I can teach you how to play, but I'm not sure if I can teach you how to win.’ I'm by no means a big-time player like shaundeeb (pictured at right), AJKHoosier1, or moorman1, so I don’t think I can make anybody a winner. I think you just have to have that killer instinct.” In addition, Brooks is self-taught and has even contemplated hiring his own coach.He wanted to send a shout out to Craig HU4ROLLZ Bergeron, teh_R3aLde4l, and TDT07. On his list of top-tier PocketFivers that he hopes to meet one day are Steve gboro780 Gross, Chris moorman1 Moorman, and Chad M8kingmoves Batista, whom he appropriately described as “a bunch of sickos.” Congratulations from all of us here at PocketFives.com to Brooks for lodging his first Sunday major win.
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