Don't be hatin'. Noah Schwartz, also known as fourUhaters online, had a problem getting respect when he originally got into poker, which was the reason he chose his online screen name. The haters seem to be disappearing as Schwartz prepares for his first prestigious final table at the WPT.
Schwartz played four days of solid poker and put himself in a position to do major damage at the final table. If nothing else he has secured at least $233,600.
PokerListings.com talked to the cordial Schwartz a few minutes after Day 4 ended.
So Noah what did you think of the action today, particularly at the last table?
Overall I didn't have very good cards. I picked my spots really well and a few times I squeezed with absolute air. I'm used to playing online so it's a little bit different. Earlier this year I won the Sunday Million.
It was an extremely tough table. I mean we had Justin Bonomo who opened a bunch of pots so you had to be very, very selective when you wanted to come over the top on him. And then there was also Men [The Master] to deal with as well.
I just tried to pick my spots well. I had good position against Men and [in one hand] I had jacks versus A-K and I was fortunate enough to hit a set.
Basically I just played solid, position poker. I had a really, really tight image and I used that to my advantage. I was raising with marginal hands at best but getting a lot of respect. At the end of the day I was really able to stay consistent. I never really dropped much and didn't lose any big hands. As a result I'm playing tomorrow.
How has the overall tournament gone for you?
Well I finished Day 1 at around $110,000 chips and at the end of Day 2 I was second in chips only to Gavin Griffin. Day 3, however, was a huge roller-coaster for me. I had John Hennigan at my table and I went from $480,000 to $160,000 in the first level. I was all-in against Hennigan on a 6-6-2-10 board and I had A-6 versus his 6-5 and he managed to hit a five on the river.
That was pretty brutal and I just had to work my way up from there. After that I managed to get some cards and get in some big hands where I was able to chip up and I've just remained constant since then.
How do you regain your composure after you take a beat like that John Hennigan one?
That beat really put a damper on my day. It was a $380,000 pot and if I had won it I would have had a huge chip stack with blinds of like $300/$600 or something. I did go on a bit of a tilt and played very, very aggressively. Fortunately I got lucky and picked good spots and no one was able to call my all-ins. My fiancée kept telling me to have perseverance and to screw my head back on and I managed to do it.
What do you think of the deep stack structure at the WPT Borgata Poker Classic? Does it suit your style?
Yeah. I mean I pretty much just play MTTs and not much cash. I think the way the blinds increase in this structure is amazing because you can open your game up a bit more and see more flops, especially early in the level.
You can take advantage of weaker players after you identify them and that's what I was able to do on the first day where I really ran through my table.
I think it's the best structure.
You're obviously a well-known online player; how has the transition to live play been for you?
I really enjoy the live game because you're surrounded by so many different things. Online you're just looking at a computer screen. Here, you get to interact and meet some really great people. I really like networking and I've established some great relationships because I've played live tournaments, which I wouldn't be able to do online. Overall the transition hasn't been too hard.
What are you actually playing more of these days? Would it be live?
Yeah. I just started six months ago and I've been traveling the WPT circuit. I've had some success in live poker - I cashed 252nd at the [2007] WSOP Main Event but Jerry Yang put a bad beat on me. Then again, Jerry Yang pretty much put a bad beat on everyone.
I'm really excited to make this WPT TV final table though. I'm guaranteed at least a quarter of a million dollars and I'm getting married soon so it's really exciting.
Things are going well for you then?
Things are going great. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow - hopefully I become a WPT champion.
What are your thoughts heading into tomorrow?
I'm going to stick to my game. I'm going to have selective aggression. I know that Gavin is opening a lot of pots and David [Tran] is re-raising a lot so I think I could find myself in a good situation as long as I'm patient. I have about 30-40 big blinds and I'm feeling comfortable. There are two short stacks as well so if they bust that's another $150,000 in the bank. I can't complain about that.
Thanks a lot Noah; best of luck tomorrow.
No problem.
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Earlier this year Schwartz proved he could be a force at a final table when he made it all the way to the final table of the PokerStars Sunday Million and then proceeded to win the entire tournament. Schwartz now finds himself at another table where the prizes are lucrative but this time he will have to get through Gavin Griffin and David Tran if he wants a shot at WPT glory. In any case there just aren't that many people hating on Schwartz these days!
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