In recent weeks, Josh Brikis (pictured), who is well known as brikdog24here on PocketFives, was part of a four-way chop of the PokerStars Sunday Million for a resounding $125,000. That’s not bad for an day’s work, especially for a player who in 2009 banked $619,000 for landing in second place in a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max World Series of Poker tournament. Talking about six-figure scores never gets old, so we sat down with Brikis, who just signed with IveyPoker, to get his perspective on what went down.

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PocketFives: Talk about the decision to chop the tournament. How did it come up and what do you think looking back on it now?

Josh Brikis: Those tournaments are commonly chopped because there’s a lot of stalling late in them. Combined with the stalling, the structure gets worse while you’re playing for a lot of money. When it got down to the last couple of tables, my first goal was to get to the final table, see where the stacks were, and get to four- or five-handed play to see if we could work out a deal.

Fortunately, there were a few short stacks. When we got to the final table, we had three or four guys with 2 million or less and miraculously they all got knocked out when they were all-in. I was able to knock two of them out, get chips in the process, and work up the cash ladder. Locking up $125,000 seemed like the right thing to do.

I think ICM was a fair deal for everyone and I didn’t have to give up anything. The chip leader was asking for extra money and I said no, but the other two agreed. I couldn’t be happier to get that kind of score.

PocketFives: How does this compare to something like being a runner-up in a WSOP event? Are they at all comparable?

Josh Brikis: I was really excited to final table the Sunday Million. Before Black Friday, I played it every week and I think my best showing was around 100th. To final table it is a tough thing to do. It’s like a WSOP event, but it happens more often. It has as big of a field as the WSOP Main Event. When you finally get rewarded in a big online tournament, it’s huge. At the WSOP, the feeling is different. It’s live and you’re playing for a bracelet. It was a much bigger score too.

PocketFives: Where does brikdog24 come from? Can you tell us that story?

Josh Brikis: It’s part of my last name and 24 is my birthday and was my favorite number growing up. It has always been my favorite number. When I grew up playing baseball, that was my number. I have the screen name from the PartyPoker days back when I first started playing. I was like 21-years-old, threw something together, and it stuck. People have called me brikdog for years. I’m happy with it.

PocketFives: Do you have any plans for the money?

Josh Brikis: I have been through a lot the last two years in poker and the downswings have been rough. I have a nine-month-old son now. We have a nice home, but poker has been stressful, so I’ll try to save the money. I’ll also use it for large stuff rather than reinvest it in poker. Life changes as you get older and there are a lot more things going on. Tournament poker’s variance is tough. You never know when you’ll get that next score.

PocketFives: You’re from the United States, so how do you balance having a baby with playing online poker?

Josh Brikis: I just went to Toronto to get set up on Stars two weeks ago with Mike goleafsgoeh Leah. My son is home with my wife. It’s another poker trip to me instead of going to Atlantic City or Las Vegas. I don’t know how often it’ll be, but I have an address there now. Any time I’m out of the country, I’ll be able to play. It’s hard to be away from the baby, so it won’t regularly be a long stint, maybe five days a month.

PocketFives: Tell us about being a dad.

Josh Brikis: I really had no idea what to expect. The love you can have for someone is amazing. He’s everything to me. Prior to having a kid, I would grind whole series for 10 or 14 days. I would never risk playing from the United States, though. I don’t know when intrastate games will get going, but you likely won’t be able to play on Stars, so I don’t know what to expect. Ideally, I’d like to be able to play in the States at some point. Thankfully, the border of Canada is just as far for me as Atlantic City. It’s four hours to Niagara Falls and six hours to Toronto from where I live.

PocketFives: How much has the online game changed from when you played before?

Josh Brikis: The online game has changed a lot in the last two years. People play completely differently from live poker and what is shown on the training sites. It’s nice to know you can jump back in and get a score like that. It’s a good feeling. I hope to follow it up with some live success. A lot of poker has to do with confidence. Sometimes, the downswings you go through make you question some things you do. That’s probably why you see people going on mini-heaters. I wouldn’t be surprised to hit another six-figure score before the WSOP.

PocketFives: We understand you were playing on PokerStars on Black Friday?

Josh Brikis: The last time I played on Stars before a couple of weekends ago was April 15, 2011 when they shut down to the U.S. I was still playing when it happened. I got a call from someone asking me if I had been to PokerStars’ website. I said, “No, I am in the middle of playing hands there.” When I logged out and tried to get back on, that’s when I figured it out.

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