With all eyes on Vegas for the World Series of Poker, it takes quite a feat to make some noise in the poker world online these days. Last month SCTrojans went on a tear that will be remembered for a long time as one of the top accomplishments of this or any year. In the space of 32 days (if you count back to 4/29), he cashed for well over $180,000, including a whopping 12 tournament wins. In April, several well known players claimed their second Triple Crown, including Pearljammer, dyzalot, and dmmikkel, heating up the race to see who would be the first to complete the vaunted Triple Triple. SCTrojans put all speculation to rest by simply claiming three Triple Crowns in a row. <READMORE>That’s right, you’re not seeing things, that is a triple dose of Scott “SCTrojans” Freeman's mug on the Wall of Champions. He is the first player to win three Triple Crowns, and to do so back to back to back, is simply amazing.
Seriously though, twelve wins in a month? Who does this guy think he is? Apparently, he thinks he’s a poker player, and a damn good one at that. Scott didn’t come out of nowhere; he was already a well known and respected member of Pocketfives and a highly regarded player among those who were paying attention. He and his good friend 1Pen grew up together and started playing cards in high school. They have both been ranked among Pocketfives top 100 tournament players, but until now 1Pen was always above his buddy.
Lenny: With this spree of wins, you are bound to pass 1Pen in the rankings. Are there any bragging rights on the line between you guys?
SCTrojans: Oh no, not at all. We both know it was just a matter of time [laughs]. He’s already resigned his spot as the highest ranked player from Oak Park. To his credit it’s only because of his extremely low volume over the last few months.
Lenny: So, I have to ask, what got into you this past month?
SCTrojans: I dont know, most of it is definitely due to the fact that the semester ended and I could play more of a full schedule.
Lenny: What kind of volume have you been putting in?
SCTrojans: There were quite a few days where I started at 11 am and ended with the 8 pm PST tourneys. I had quite a few 12 hour days in the past month.
Lenny: Were you playing purely mtts?
SCTrojans: I was playing the majority of the $50+ buyin freezeouts and $10+ rebuy tournaments on stars, FTP and UB. I played the occasional late night SNG but almost exclusively mtts. They are a lot more fun to me.
Lenny: Do you ever dip into cash games?
SCTrojans: Very, very rarely, almost never. They just have never appealed to me. I have never really played poker for the money, as dumb as that sounds.
Lenny: No, of course not, you play for the chicks, right?
SCTrojans: I wish internet poker helped in that department. For me, it is the competition and the challenge to be good, or even great at something.
Lenny: So, in the tourneys we track we have a win for you on 11/8/06, then on 4/4/07, then twelve more between 4/30 and 5/31. That can't be just volume, can it? Were you getting close a lot and something just clicked?
SCTrojans: Well, I definitely ran well, there’s no hiding that, but the volume I played in May compared to previous months really was drastically different. During school I only played about 4 days a week, and generally only the 5-6 PST starting tournaments. So my volume increased about 400% or more.
Lenny: Were you already playing the big stakes at the beginning of the summer? Or did some of these wins vault you up a level or two?
SCTrojans: I just started playing the 1k Monday on FTP and the Sunday 200 rebuy on stars fairly recently. I had been playing the 100r for a while though.
Lenny: Do you notice any difference in those tourneys?
SCTrojans: They are definitely much tougher fields. Normally I recognize about 2-3 names at my 100r table while in the 1k freezeout and 200r its more like five or six.
Lenny: What do you do to work on your game?
SCTrojans: I just play and talk. The poker section of my AIM buddy list has increased from 5 people to over 50 and the thousands of hand histories that we post and discuss with each other really is priceless.
Lenny: Do you have any advice for a player trying to take the next step?
SCTrojans: Just to keep working hard. Be a student of the game. You can always learn more and improve.
Lenny: You have been a recreational player for a while, what made you decide to take poker more seriously?
SCTrojans: Probably my success. The better I get at something the more I want to play.
Lenny: After your amazing success last month, are you still motivated, or more motivated?
SCTrojans: I don’t know. I played a LOT in May. It can get kind of rough playing that much. I am headed to Vegas and I plan to play a few events, but I am actually looking forward to the WSOP this year more for the opportunity to meet people and hang out with them than play poker.
When he’s not dominating online or studying Business at USC, SCTrojans spends his time hanging out with friends, playing pick-up games, or indulging his video game habit. He has one year left at USC and he “definitely” plans to finish, much to the relief of his parents. “I don't expect poker to be full time forever,” Scott says about his plans for the future, so he very wisely includes a degree in those plans. As far as the WSOP goes, SCTrojans has the luxury of being just four hours away, and he plans to drive up and play a few events. If he can bring a tenth of the talent and luck he had going last month to Vegas, GG live poker.
</READMORE>
Canada
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Australia
Mexico
Denmark
Russian Federation
Sweden
Brazil
Germany
