Poker Articles

Brian Townsend, known in the online poker world as sbrugby and aba20, is the newest instructor for CardRunners.com, which continues to be one of the premier providers of online poker training videos.  Brian is one of the best known high stakes cash players online, and he also is currently appearing on High Stakes Poker on GSN.  Brian took the time to answer a few questions for the PocketFives.com community.

P5s: Please tell me a little about your background.  Where you're from, education, how old you are, what your interests and goals are outside of poker.

BT: I grew up in Northern California and went to college at the University of California at Santa Barbara.  I graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering and began a PhD program but dropped out to pursue poker.  I am 25 and enjoy physical activity.  I used to play rugby and now I compete in triathlons to stay active.

P5s: How did you get into poker, and can you explain some about how you ended up in the biggest stakes?  Also, what are you goals for the future in poker?

BT: Some friends had a weekly $10 buy in game in college.  From there I deposited 50 bucks onto PartyPoker and went bust.  Then put 300 in and grew from there.  I used to only play limit.   I was never a great limit player and decided to switch to no limit.  At about the same time, I found CardRunners (this was at the beginning of 2006) and never looked back.  I want to learn all forms of poker in the future, so I can be a complete player and be comfortable sitting in any game.  

P5s: Please tell us a little bit about your experience playing the highest stakes cash games.  Particularly, what are some of the biggest challenges you've had to overcome?  How did you determine you had anedge in those games, and was that always the case?

BT: I don't really think about [the stakes] now; I just play as I did when I was playing 5/10 NL.  The monetary swings bother me as much as they used to in 5/10. I think I have an edge in pretty much every game I play.   I used to tilt very badly when playing, but I have overcome this with exercise and green tea, which have helped me relax.  I still tilt at times, but I am much better than I used to be.

P5s: What types of tables do you typically seek out?  For instance, I know Taylor likes to play against at most two opponents.  Do you have a preference between playing several opponents or playing short-handed?

BT: Now that I am at the largest stakes, there is very little table selection.  I just try to be better than everyone else, and I don't have to worry about table selection as much.  I try to limit the number of tables to three, but sometimes there are too many good games going to only play three tables.   I prefer short handed play.  I really like 3-4 people at a table.  I think that is when the game gets interesting.

P5s: I understand you participated in High Stakes Poker.  Can you tell us about that some?  Specifically, how did you end up getting involved with that?  How did it feel to be playing for such high stakes and against such skilled opponents on TV?  Do you plan to do it again?

BT: It was a great experience.  I thought I played well the first day but not so great the second (second day aired first).  I saw a post on 2+2 with an email, and I sent a message with some of my results.  The producer was familiar with me and offered me a spot.  It was exciting, and though I play against the same people in my regular games, it was good to meet everyone.  I plan on playing next year. The one downside was that the taping really slowed down the play.  I am used to getting 250-400 hands an hour online, but on the show we were only doing about 15 an hour, due to all the tape changes.


P5s: What inspired your decision to work with CardRunners?  Are you concerned about giving away information about your play and/or having less time to focus on poker and other things?  Were there other training sites you considered as well?

BT: Well, the night after High Stakes Poker, I was watching a HU video between Taylor and Andrew.  The video was extremely well done and offered tons of good insight.  I kept thinking how amazing this video was and how wonderful this site was.  That was when I first thought about joining.  After that, I contacted Taylor and Andrew about joining the team.  They had actually been thinking of adding me, and we went from there.

I am surprised how much work there is to do for CardRunners.  I remember waking up the first morning and having 15 emails about various things.  So yes, it will take away some from playing, but it's good to have balance, and I have always wanted to own a small business.  I did speak with other sites who were very interested in me, but I thought CardRunners was not only the best fit for my services but also the best site.

P5s: What kind of addition do you think you'll be to what CR offers?  Is there something that sets you apart from the other high stakes experts who teach there?
 
BT: Very few people play the 200/400 NL and 200/400 PLO games.   I have to be one of the few people in the world who has expertise in these games.  I think all high stakes players look at the game in a slightly different light, so my view of things will be different than any other pros.  When our members watch all the videos, they can take in what each pro has said, in order to mold themselves into their own player.  

I believe my PLO game is a major addition to CardRunners.  I think I am as good at PLO as NLH now, and I think PLO is the most profitable game at the highest stakes.   I think the PLO videos I make will be very beneficial to our members. 

Another factor that sets me apart from many other high stakes players is my use of a heads up display.   I use statistics to make many decisions, and I will go through this process in my future videos.

P5s: Anything else you want to add?

BT: I am very optimistic about the future of online poker, which is why I purchased a portion of CardRunners.


Look for Brian Townsend under the name aba20 on PokerStars and as sbrugby on Full Tilt.  He already has one $10/20 NL video on CardRunners.com, and he's got a lot more on the way.