SpadeClub Interview: John 'BadManPoker' Flannigan
On July 26, Another WPT Boot Camp Giveaway Event Took Place and SpadeClub Awarded its Second Free WPT Boot Camp Seat
SpadeClub Member John “BadManPoker” Flannigan was excited to start playing some of his best poker and was hoping to
take home the grand prize of a free WPT Boot Camp seat when he played in the WPT Boot Camp Giveaway tournament on July 26. Flannigan has been playing poker seriously for about five years now, and he reads a lot of poker books and magazines to improve on his play. Flannigan thinks the best way to know your opponents is to take notes on their play and what kind of player they are. He is a notorious note-taker and finds it is easy to take notes on players he plays against online. Flannigan said, “When someone sits down, I see if I have notes on them and I can look up what kind of player they are. I will know what kinds of hands they play with [and that helps me] put them on a hand preflop. Other than that, I will know whether or not players are good at playing position or pushing in hands.”
Flannigan recently spoke with Card Player to discuss his recent win and the strong efforts he puts forward at every game.
Card Player: What do you like about the game of poker, and what got you interested in SpadeClub?
John “BadManPoker” Flannigan: I like the analytical part of it, so that intrigued me. When the poker boom hit, I decided there were more places to play and started playing online. I am close enough to
CP: What WPT Boot Camp will you be attending?
JF: I would like to attend the September camp at the Taj Mahal in
CP: What is your general strategy going into a tournament?
JF: Not to get into trouble early. I like to burn some of the people I am playing with and not overplay drawing hands. I like to pick up some pots from position and take my chances when I have a mid-hand. When I get lucky enough to get a big stack, I will play big-stack poker and increase my chip stack, but other than that, I wait for my big hands.
CP: Do you think your game is stronger preflop or post-flop?
JF: Definitely post-flop. I think a lot of players like to push the chips in with their big hands preflop. I am looking for a cheap flop as often as I can get them.
CP: What was the most important thing that you did to get your game to where it is today?
JF: I guess there are three things. I read as many poker books as I can and read articles and magazines. I play as many hands as I can and implement everything I have learned. I talk with people about hands I’ve played and bounce back some ideas between them.
CP: What do you think is the key to success in when a tournament gets down to heads-up poker?
JF: It is difficult; I am still learning how to play heads up. I was lucky in this tournament to have a pretty good chip count. Being aggressive, but not too aggressive to the point that you give your chips away, and also read your opponents quickly. Some people like to just raise and reraise so that you throw your hand away. If you know they do this, then wait for a big hand for them to throw all of their chips in the middle. Otherwise, do the exact oppsosite. If someone is going to play tight, then you should raise post–flop. Most people heads up like to see every flop, so don’t judge too much by what they’re doing preflop.
CP: Who was your toughest opponent in the event, and why? What aspects of their game made them tough to play against?
JF: The person I was heads up with was definitely my toughest competition. I don’t think I won too many hands until we got heads up; I tried to stay clear of him because I think when he went into the tournament, he was ready to do anything to win the pot. When I went heads up with him, I was lucky to have a chip lead and I got really lucky with my cards. I think everyone at the final table was pretty good, though.
CP: What advice can you give to other SpadeClub members who are looking to go deep in these tournaments?
JF: Keep playing as many tournaments as possible; play as much as you can. I think a lot of people are willing to throw their chips in at the beginning of the tourney, and they lose a lot of chips, and they give in. Be aware that early in a tourney the blinds are small, so don’t give up. Even if you have one chip, you don’t have to give it up; just keep going.
CP: Have you participated in any of the community features of SpadeClub? If so, what do you think?
JF: A little bit, although I am doing a little bit more now. I like the community, because I think the people who play on SpadeClub are generally friendly and looking to have a good game, they are not just looking to throw their money away. Few people at the table get angry, and people playing against each other won’t hesitate to have them as friends. It was nice to have people congratulating me and to know that so many people were watching [when I won].
CP: Do you think SpadeClub is a good learning ground for people who are looking to start playing?
JF: I love it, I think it is great! Since you aren’t paying for a tourney buy-in, it takes a lot of pressure off of people. It is a perfect place to learn, because it is just your monthly fee, which is not that much. It is definitely not nearly the amount of buy-ins costs. You are able to play in tournaments and try different strategies that you may have learned in a book and not have to worry about your $100 buy-in. It is better than playing a normal freeroll with like 5,000 entrants wherein everyone is throwing their chips in the middle to get a huge stack. I think people go into the tournaments on SpadeClub wanting to play real tournament poker, so they are quality opponents and really think about how they are playing.
CP: Anything else you would like to add?
JF: I would like to thank Card Player for doing this, and I love the tournaments.
