Chad Brown did Team PokerStars Pro proud on Day 2 of the 2008 edition of PokerStars.com EPT Barcelona.
Brown was the only member of the team to make it into the money and secure himself a seat for Day 3 action.
Not only that, but the former New Yorker is among the chip leaders heading into Day 3, with $259,000 chips.
PokerListings.com chatted with the Team PokerStars pro during the last break of the evening.
So first of all Chad, you are officially the last member of Team PokerStars Pro still standing at EPT Barcelona. Does that make for pretty good bragging rights, and did you have a last-longer bet with any of the team?
I've never had a last-longer bet with any of the other members of the team. I would actually hate to make a last-longer bet with any of the Team PokerStars players because I'm always rooting for them. I wouldn't want to root against them.
It's still quite an accomplishment to outlast your skilled teammates …
Oh yeah. Of course. I think in this particular instance they were all enjoying Barcelona and thought, "I'm going to let Chad play this. I want to see more of the city."
How has your tournament gone? You're sitting on a load of chips now and your Day 1 was very good as well. Has it been smooth sailing?
I wouldn't say smooth sailing. Today has been a bit of a roller-coaster actually. During the middle of the day I had a lot of chips but I lost a big hand against [Sheryl Gershon].
In the hand there was a raise by a really loose player and [Gershon], who at the time had below the chip average, reraised to $12,000, with only $35,000 left behind.
I had $125,000 at this point and I had A-K. I re-reraised an extra $30,000 and she called. We got it all-in on the flop and she had two kings. Her hand held up and I lost a huge pot.
That was the start of a downswing for me.
I finally had to make a critical decision when I got down to $60,000.
In the hand I raised UTG with two tens and a player with about $35,000 reraised to $16,000. I knew I was beat and eventually I mucked my two tens face up. He showed me pocket aces so it was the right decision.
After that I went on a rush and I basically won every hand I decided to play. Right now I have close to $300,000.
Do you have a certain strategy for playing the big stack?
There really is no one set strategy. It's all based on your opponents. In that big hand I lost with A-K I took into account that [Gershon] knew the original raiser was loose and might be making a play with a marginal hand as well. I normally wouldn't commit that many chips with A-K. That situation allowed me to play aggressively, while it was the opposite when I had the two tens.
It really is all situational.
As a member of Team PokerStars Pro you travel extensively to Europe. As a U.S.-based player, do you ever run the risk of burning yourself out on poker and travel?
Yeah; sure. A lot of poker players do burn out. I think I have a handle on what balance is in life. I think it's a bit different for some of the young players that get into it and subsequently eat, drink and live poker. That's a mistake.
I think you should be passionate and have a schedule where you limit the amount of poker you play. I try to have two days off where I don't so much as turn on a computer to play poker. Just make sure to have a life outside of poker. That will help avoiding burnout.
What are the adjustments you make to your game when you are playing EPT events?
You make adjustments for two different reasons. One is the limited amount of chips (except for Monte Carlo) and the other is the aggressive play.
You can actually trap in EPT events, while players in the tours like the American WPT seem to know better.
I see Europe as how the U.S. poker scene was in 2004. They are still learning the game.
That has to make EPTs appealing to U.S. players though …
Yeah; the players that qualify for these events on PokerStars not only get an amazing vacation and the opportunity to see new countries, but they also get pleasantly surprised by how weak the fields are.
PokerStars gives players a chance to have some amazing adventures by qualifying in satellites online. Some of these kids would never get the opportunity to see places like Barcelona if it wasn't for PokerStars.com.
What's your favorite stop on the EPT?
I always love Monte Carlo but last year I went to San Remo for the first time and I thought that was an amazing city. Barcelona is gorgeous as well. It's hard to pick just one. I'm from America and I really enjoy traveling to the different cities in Europe and experiencing some new cultures.
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Chad Brown has one of the best tournament records around so there's no questioning his ability to go deep in tournaments. Tune in tomorrow to see if the man sometimes known as "Downtown" Chad Brown can grab himself a place at the final table of EPT Barcelona.
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