Poker Articles

This week's Podcast features interviews with high-stakes Sit & Go specialist Michael "Inissint" Glasser and online poker grinder Joe "LatestLines2" Ward.

Not all that long ago, single table Sit & Go Tournaments were a haven for low stakes players wishing to build a bankroll.  With a minimum amount of investment, players with little experience could jump into multi-tabling $5-$20 SnG's with the basic strategy of Fold Early, Push Late.  It was not uncommon to read posts on the PocketFives.com Forums of members who had turned $100 into $500 in two weeks by grinding out small stakes SnG's, and before long, the trend caught on.

Enter 2006, where top poker training sites, including www.PokerXFactor.com, begin featuring lecture videos with one of the greatest Sit & Go players to ever grace the virtual felt, Eric 'Sheets' Haber.  As more and more players became familiar with Independent Chip Modeling calculations, and prudently stayed out of trouble early, it wasn't long before these tournaments became much tougher as those PXF lectures revolutionalized play in the single table format on the premier tournament site, PokerStars.

Soon, winning mid-stakes players could be seen posting on the boards in complaint.  What once was a fish pond had quickly turned into a shark tank.  Average Return on Investment statistics for some players were quickly decreased by more than 50%, forcing many grinders to play more tables at a time or find a different game.  That's where a large portion of former mid-stakes SnG greats reside today - in a situation where rapid accumulation of Frequent Player Points can sometimes influence one's profit more than winnings at the tables.  Many Supernova VIP players on PokerStars have learned that once they reach 180,000 FPPs, they can use them for pretty much anything.  A couple of PocketFivers are known to reach this mark monthly (a cash equivalent of $3,000).

But among many of today's disgruntled SnG players, there are a handful of specialists who have continued to make huge profit and have somehow weathered the storm of infiltration by competent opponents.  Michael "Inissint" Glasser is a Guest Pro instructor at PokerXFactor.com who was tutored by some of the best players in online poker history.  His Sharkscope.com statistics show him in the Top 5 of average profit over his last 500 SnG's ranging in stakes from $100 to $300 buy-in.  As many former sharks find themselves dwindling into the background, this former criminal defense attorney is raking in thousands of dollars in profit and can be seen playing at stakes over $1,000 for a single Sit & Go.  "Inissint's" thoughts and observations featured in this week's interview is something no Sit & Go player will want to miss.

Joe "LatestLines2" Ward has lived in the Boston area all his life, where his accent fits in well with others who ignore the letter "R" when speaking.  Joe has won two Seats to UltimateBet.com's live event in Aruba, and has used that success in combination with his skills to make a living for himself at online poker.  Many online players have developed a strategy of playing 4 or more tables at a time, but "LatestLines2" prefers only one or two.  His head's up play at $5/$10 No-Limit Texas Holdem has earned him much recognition, as he's had earnings of up to $10,000 in a single session.