Scott Fischman, 2004 WSOP Back-to-Back Bracelet Champion

By PokerListings.com Jun 7, 2005 | 4 years ago

Scott Fischman at WSOP 2005

Scott Fischman experienced his big breakthrough at the 2004 WSOP, winning the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em and the $2,000 H.O.R.S.E. And, although its only just beginning, the 2005 WSOP is turning out to be yet another successful tournament for Fischman.

You got off to a good start at this year's WSOP, finishing second in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Tournament. What are your thoughts on that?

It's just unbelievable. I won the same exact event last year! My expectations for this year's event were low. Knowing that the field would be huge my only goal was to make money.

What was your strategy for the tournament?

I've actually written an article on how to beat a large field recently. The key is to trick your mind into only paying attention to your stack and your table. You can't sit there and think about all the big players that are in the tournament.

How is your game different this year compared to WSOP 2004?

All the other players know who I am this year and that has made me adapt my game accordingly. I've also learned that the prestige that comes with winning a WSOP event makes many players really afraid of going broke and I'm trying to take advantage of that fact.

How does your schedule look for the rest of WSOP 2005?

I'm gonna play pretty much everything.

Let's go back a couple of years, when did you take up poker?

I learned poker from a friend when I was 18. At first I was losing my money all the time but I really enjoyed the game. When I turned 21 I decide to deal poker (at the Mirage in Las Vegas) and that was a great learning tool. I started to understand the game better. I had no idea how to play Omaha but I was dealing it and after a while I got pretty good at it.

When did you decide to try poker for a living?

I quit my job at the Mirage when I was making so much money from playing poker that it didn't make sense to keep my job.

What do you do outside of poker?

Nothing really, I'm always trying to improve my game. When I'm not playing tournaments I play online either at my own site, thefishtank.com, or sometimes at Party Poker.

Like many other high-profile poker players, Fischman has ventured into the online poker industry and the young Pennsylvania native now has his own poker room, www.thefishtank.com