Player Interview: fouruhaters

Why “fouruhaters”? Is that your nickname on all sites and which sites do you play on?

The name “fouruhaters” came about when I initially began playing poker. I had a lot of individuals who at every opportunity told me I wasn’t good enough to succeed in poker. So it was used for all the people who were “hating” on me at that point in time. I also go by the name of "Protégé3" on Fulltilt and UltimateBet. My name was "fouruhaters" on PartyPoker as well but after I took down two nightly tournaments and the Saturday $200k Guaranteed I changed it to "Noahstredamus" so people wouldn’t be able to identify me.

Where are you from, how old are you and when did you start playing poker?

I was born and raised in Miami Beach, Fl. I am 24 years of age and I began playing poker seriously at the age of 19.

Is poker a full-time thing for you or do you study/work as well?

My main focus at the present time is strictly poker, albeit I do have several business ventures that are currently in the works. I graduated from Florida International University with a double major in Finance and Entrepreneurship.

You have proved your online tournament prowess by winning both the PokerStars Sunday Million and the PokerStars Second Chance in recent months. Tell us a bit more about what was involved in winning the ‘Million’ – how much you won, how many runners, pivotal plays etc.

Well in order to win the Sunday Million $1,060 buy-in on PokerStars I had to be right on point in all facets of my game. The tournament had 1,712 participants. I had to employ a lot of self discipline and patience in order to win the tournament. I won a little over $295k which for me was an extremely nice hit.

The story behind it was I went to Hutchinson Island for the weekend to attend my best friend’s wedding and wasn’t sure if I was going to have the opportunity to make it home in time, so I got up relatively early and drove four hours back to Miami just to make the tournament in time. The rest is history.

As for the pivotal play or for that matter the largest laydown of my life to this point. It came with 27 people remaining and this is how the hand went down. I was second with just over 1.1 million in chips, the chipleader was at my table and he had 1.25 million. With the blinds at 10k/20k, the guy under the gun makes it 60k. I have K-K and re-raise to 194k. It is folded around to the small blind and the chipleader, ‘BigQueso’, shoves all in. He has been playing super aggressive but why risk 90% of his stack here? So I try to identify the range of hands he can make this move with, so as my time bank begins to expire I decide to lay down my hand and announce to him that my 194k in chips was a loan and I will get it back with interest, which I ended up doing. I entered the final table 8th in chips. I was able to use selective aggression and move up the pay scale. When I got heads-up I was behind with 4.8 million v 17.2 million. But heads-up lasted a total of just six hands with me ending up with all the chips.

Tell us a bit about this year’s WSOP. You bubbled the final table of the $3k NLHE event and you got pretty deep in the Main Event too. How was the experience overall?

The overall experience was quite exhilarating. Yes, I placed 11th in the 3k which was very disappointing to me. I had amassed a quite sizeable chip stack by using selective aggression and then gave it all away after Beth Shak called the floor on me in a hand she wasn’t involved in which sent me spiraling downwards. As for the Main Event I placed 252nd, good for just over $45k.

Had you had much offline tournament experience/success prior to this year’s WSOP?

Prior to this year’s Main Event, the first live event I took part in was last year’s Big One, in which I placed 973rd. I have played two WPT $10k events and the Bellagio $25k event. In total I have played in 15 live events and have five cashes and two final tables.

Any outstanding highlights or regrets from WSOP '07?

Ultimately, I think my biggest regret is the way in which I was unable to regain my composure after what Beth Shak pulled. I certainly had enough chips at that point to go on and win the event and secure my place in history with my first bracelet, but it is important to live and learn from this experience.

Outside of tournament poker, do you play cash or SNGs as well? If so what games/levels?

I do play cash games. Usually, I play multiple $25/$50 NLH cash games on PokerStars.

How much have you made from poker so far?

You would have to contact my accountant in regards to that ;)

What factors/skills make you successful?

I certainly think my degree in finance has played a quite sizeable role at least with the analytical part of my game and being able to compute numbers at a rapid pace. Being able to identify what my pot odds are and being able to place individuals on hands are also very important. I play a lot on intuition and instinct and when I sense weakness I try to capitalize on it. Ok, I don’t want to give out too much info here.

What was your worst run ever and what do you do to get through a big downswing?

I went through a month-long swing on Stars where I dropped over $150k in the $25/$50 NLH games. It was a very difficult time. I got carried away because I had so much money in my account. I had no regard for it. I had to put things back into perspective and get back to my game and sure enough turned it around very quickly.

What other tips and tricks can you give out to the readers that might improve their games/build a bankroll?

I think one of the most vital tips I can give is to make sure you play relative to what your bankroll is and don’t ever over-extend yourself because you think you can make fast money. My rule of thumb is when you play in a cash game, whether it be online or live, make sure you are never playing with less than 20 Big Blinds.

What are your main interests outside of poker?

One true passion of mine is traveling and exploring other cultures, values and beliefs. In fact, I am going to Punta Cana tomorrow but that is strictly for leisure. I also love to give back to the community and I take part in several outreach programs in Greater Miami to help less fortunate kids.

What are your aims and plans for the next couple of years?

I plan to proceed with my career in poker and see where and how far I can take it, and as I mentioned before, I have several business ventures that I am involved in (which I can’t currently discuss due to confidentiality agreements).

Which five adjectives best describe you?

Committed, Reliable, Ambitious, Persistent and Humble.

Any players you particularly admire or anyone you want to give a shout out to?

Yes, I like to say what up to my boy Jared “TheWacoKidd” Hamby who owes part of his success to touching my Star of David and also Thomas Wahlroos who is just a truly stand-up guy.

Thanks Noah – Poker Verdict will be looking out for you. Best of luck for the future.

David Gross aka "thekid08"