Doc Sands Comments on #1 Online Poker Ranking, Today's Top Players
PocketFives.com: Congratulations on becoming the number one player in the Online Poker Rankings. What does the distinction mean to you?
David Sands: The biggest thing to me is the sense of accomplishment I get from holding down the top spot. Obviously, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people out there who want to succeed at online poker, so being one of the best is a great honor and something I am definitely proud of. Also, it’s something that I will have for the rest of my life. No matter what happens, I can always look back and say at one point I was at the very top.
PocketFives.com: You had a solid run at the end of 2009 that featured wins in the Full Tilt Poker$100 rebuy for $47,000, PokerStars$200 rebuy for $43,000, and Full Tilt Poker $50 Cubed for $21,000. What’s been your key to success in rebuy tournaments?
David Sands: Prior to that sick run you mentioned where I won rebuy tournaments on three consecutive Sundays, I had actually really struggled in them in general. I had been discussing rebuy strategy quite a bit with friends who were more successful in those types of tournaments. Obviously, being able to fire a few shells and rebuy a few times is vital, but I also think rebuy tournaments in general, especially the $100 and $200 ones, are simply very high variance.
PocketFives.com: Is stepping down in buy-in a way to mitigate variance in rebuy tournaments?
David Sands: Most definitely. I have historically had quite a bit of success in the $30 rebuy despite not playing it often. I think there is a massive difference in the quality of the field in the $30 rebuys than in the $100 rebuys, especially during the week. Weekday $100 rebuys are basically the toughest fields online. I wouldn’t recommend them for anyone but the top players. Sunday $100 rebuys are much softer, but the weekly ones that get 120 to 175 players are just filled with solid regulars.
PocketFives.com: Is there any disconnect for you between being ranked number one, but only holding the fourth best Pro Poll score?
David Sands: No, not at all. I realize in the grand scheme of things that I am a relative newcomer. Guys like Steve gboro780 Gross (pictured at left), Moorman, and Dan djk123 Kelly have been crushing high-stakes MTTs for years. Even though I feel I play as well as, if not better than all of them, I have immense respect for each. I’m pretty sure I have moved up in the Pro Poll every week since I entered the top 100, so all I can really do is keep winning tournaments and let my results speak for themselves.
It’s funny, though. When you have a lot of success quickly like I did, people seem to want to highlight reasons that you’re not as good as some of the names that have been around for awhile. I remember when I won my first few tournaments, people said I could only win large-field majors with lots of bad players. Then, I won the Sunday $500 and $1K Monday and they said I couldn’t win rebuys. Now, I seem to have quieted those critics as well, so we'll see what’s next.
David Sands: These are in no particular order: Gross, Moorman, Kelly, Travis TravestyFund Rice (pictured), and me. With regards to Rice, he is just a player that always gives me trouble when I sit with him. He’s on the short list of guys that when he has position on you and chips, you know you can’t exploit the table because he is going to 3bet you a ton and make you pick up hands. He actually wasn’t even close to as good as he is now when he won the Aruba Poker Classic a few years back. Recently, I know he has spent a ton of time working on his game by observing and learning from other top players and it really shows.
PocketFives.com: What are your odds of holding the top spot for four weeks?
David Sands: If I don’t get a little more respect in the Pro Poll, it will be very difficult. Unless I move up a spot or two, I think I would need to continue to hold down the number one PLB spot to do it, which is very tough. Also, I plan on playing many of the LAPC live events, so I may be putting in quite a bit less volume in the upcoming month. If I had to guess, I’d say I’m 50/50 to keep it for four weeks straight.
