Wednesday Jan 21, 2009 05:55 PM
SpadeClub Interview: Eldon 'Easy1936' Holland
SpadeClub Mega Monthly Winner Aims For $25,000 Seat Next
Eldon “Easy1936” Holland of Des Moines, Iowa, is one of SpadeClub’s recent Mega Monthly winners. Holland distinguishes himself on SpadeClub by displaying his love for dogs on his SpadeClub profile; he only adds friends who have a canine as their avatar. Card Player spoke with Holland about his recent win and his next goal on SpadeClub, winning a $25,000 seat to the Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic championship event in April.
Card Player: First off, tell me a little bit about yourself.
Eldon “Easy1936” Holland: I am a retired stock broker and business owner. I live with my wife of 40 years; her name is Lorraine. We have no children of our own, but we do have lots of nieces and nephews that seem to keep us young. We both love dogs and have had several. The last one was a Boston Bull Terrier named Buddy. He is my avatar on SpadeClub and watches over me from Heaven.
CP: That explains your avatar image, but what about your screen name? Do you have a story behind that?
EH: The story behind my screen name [Easy1936] is: I needed an “easy” name to remember, and 1936 is the year I was born.
CP: How long have you played poker, and what got you interested in playing poker on SpadeClub.com?
EH: I have been playing poker since I can remember. When I retired in 2000, I joined a Texas Card Club here in Des Moines and began playing hold’em. Since I retired I have had the opportunity to travel more, and I tend to choose places where I can play poker. I have had success in some Iowa and Illinois casinos, also in Arizona, Las Vegas, and Laughlin, Nevada. I even won a tournament on the Norwegian Star Cruise to Mexico a couple years ago.
I played online back then, and in 2008 I read about SpadeClub and joined in August 2008.
CP: What strategy did you have in mind going into the tournament? Is this the strategy that ultimately prevailed?
EH: I employ the same strategy in all tournaments: patience, patience, patience. Wait for a hand that you can win with, and/or look for the players who you can push off their hands. The strength of my game is dependant on the strength of my hand and what position I am in at the table.
CP: How does your play differ when the money bubble has come and gone?
EH: I am always aware of what position I hold in a tournament, and the closer I get to the bubble, the more conservative I get. After the bubble has passed, I loosen up and get more aggressive.
CP: What kinds of really big mistakes did you see people make in the event?
EH: People make mistakes by playing rag hands, or high cards with low kickers. Money you lose when you gamble on bad hands is hard to recover.
CP: Since you won the Mega Monthly event the number of players entering has been growing steadily, do you have any advice on how to take down tournaments with such large fields?
EH: The bigger fields in tournaments demand your utmost patience. You will have to lay down hands you would normally play with a smaller field if you expect to last to get in the money.
CP: Who was your toughest opponent in the event and why? What aspects of their games made them tough to play against?
EH: The toughest opponent in any game is the inexperienced player. They are harder to read. When they push, they might have 7 2 offsuit or pocket aces. Fortunately, they soon exhaust their luck and are gone.
CP: What is your next goal on SpadeClub? How do you plan to accomplish it?
EH: My next goal with SpadeClub is to win a seat in the upcoming WSOP in Las Vegas. Also, I am qualified to play for a chance at the $25,000 seat or a $2,500 satellite seat [for the WPT Championship by playing in] the Bellagio [Championship Series final on SpadeClub] in April.
