Max Ward

by TightEnd
Submitted by: snoopy on Mon, 11/12/2006 - 5:39am
 
The winner of the UK Amateur Poker Championship was Max Ward from Manchester. He kindly gave us some time to answer some questions for APAT members:

TightEnd: Tell us about yourself:

Max Ward: Well, I’m 27, I have been married two and a half years and live in Stockport. I work as an accountant in an investment bank.

This year has been particularly hard for me. In the summer I had emergency back surgery, I had around 3 months off work and things were really pretty grim to say the least.  I came scarily close to kicking the bucket, but thankfully, like my back, that’s behind me now. I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t be able to cope with the rigour of playing poker for 12 hours at a time, two days running, but suffice to say I held up.  It’s a good job the tournament was when it was really, because if were even just a month ago, I physically wouldn’t have been able to compete.

TE: How did you hear about APAT?

MW: I subscribed to poker player magazine back when it began, so when I read that the APAT being created, it seemed like a great opportunity to get involved.  I mean, for the relative cost of the buy-in its hard to imagine where you can go wrong, that was a big factor, but the biggest I think was that there were no re-buys.  It seemed like everything local to me, unless I haven’t done enough research, just involved modest buy-ins but lots of re-buys.  I wanted to play live, but unless you’re prepared to pay 5 re-buys upwards its difficult to imagine you can compete. I guess, on reflection I’m just too competitive like that, I don’t like doing things unless I am either really good or I have a fair chance to get involved.

TE: What is your poker background?

MW: I started playing around 18 months ago.  Cheap and cheerful sit n go’s were the norm for the first few months until I developed my game and found myself more and more in the cash games, no-limit that is.  I play a variety of levels from the micro-limit 25p/50p unto £2/£5, usually multi-table, depending on where the action is.
 
My game of choice would be short handed. I am naturally hyper-aggressive and like to see many flops, which may surprise some people given my tightness early on at the APAT event. I know that I certainly felt more at ease at the later stages of the final table and ultimately, I think, my ability to run through the gears and open my game allowed me to force my way through the final table from 9th through to 5th and ultimately a marginal chip lead going into the heads-up.

TE: What are your major poker achievements?

MW: At the risk of sounding a complete chancer I would have to say that aside from winning the APAT event, which was quite a feat, I don’t really have any other claims to fame in the poker world.

I’ve won STTs and MTTs at a number of different levels but certainly nothing on a scale comparable to this.

TE: Tell us about your thoughts on the structure of the competition?

MW: Because as the winner I am duty bound to sing its praises. And indeed the APAT, Poker Stars, Poker Player, Aspers and all involved can take a great deal of credit not just for the event that was produced but also in the manner in which it was played. For a first timer in live events, it was accommodating and engaging and certainly at no time did I feel uncomfortable or intimidated, which in live poker, I think is quite an achievement.

You have to understand that the APAT isn’t just a voice for its current members, it’s a calling to those who have yet to join, who’ve yet to sample the pressure and exhilaration of a live event. To that end I would recommend these events to everyone, regardless of experience.

With regards specifically to the structure I was quite surprised.  It’s no secret that the theory behind the deepstack structure was to induce free and creative play. I landed on a table that was tighter than tight. I had Ironside on my left, a scouser to my immediate right who could clearly play (and also was very supportive – thankyou, whoever you were!) and a number of other players who also had a good game but seemed reluctant to get involved. Play was very slow and with a mixture of my early position and the table temperament I didn’t get the chance to really get involved anywhere near as much as I would have liked. Every time I wanted to steal the guy to my right beat me to it and I daren’t try pushing earlier given the tightness of the table, I was only ever going to be called by a hand that had me behind. A number of times I pushed back on the flop and picked up pots but it was never enough to be able to sufficiently build my stack to a point where I could dictate a momentum.

This tournament, for all its benefits, and there were many, created an almost unique brand of poker. I think in day two especially I saw flops for approx 20% of hands played, there was a lot of passing to the blinds, a lot of button steals and a lot of preflop pushes. Which is great in a way as it asks players to change their natural game, it levels the playing field. I like to see lots of flops, so initially I found it hard to adjust, despite being 4th at the end of day one I wasn’t playing my natural game.

TE: Did you have any particular strategy entering the competition?

MW: I had no expectations of really achieving anything coming into the tournament, as a first timer it would be arrogant to assume you could beat anyone with more experience and clearly I was always going to be one of the few who hadn’t played live before. That said, initially I would have been content (not necessarily happy) with finishing in the later half.

After I found my rhythm and players started to drip away I saw that I actually had a real chance of progressing.  Having got used to the type of poker game that was required to actually win chips I did start to move up the ranking towards the end of day one.  After which I really had targets of simply progressing to the next stage each time, firstly the money, then the top ten, top three and beyond.

What undoubtedly worked in my favour was that whilst I am far too competitive to simply enjoy the occasion I was happy with how I was playing from the middle of day one onwards. So although I wanted to progress I would have been happy had I been knocked out from 21st onwards. I was therefore quite bold and unafraid to lose, which is always a blessing in this game. Especially as I think a lot of the bigger players were clearly making moves, and rightly so, for the big Vegas prize. They were more concerned with not being eliminated, and this gave me an edge to work on.

TE: You ended the first day in the top five chip-leaders. What were the key situations that led to this?


MW: I found the structure and pace hard to take early on and despite playing a tight game to combat, got a terrible run of cards for almost 2 hours, the best two hands I picked up was Aces in the Blinds which everyone folded round to and K6 on the button.  Of course the later is a poor hand but there were, surprisingly for the table, limpers so I joined for value. The flop came 2K6 and it was checked round to me, I bet marginally under half the pot, everyone folded to the cut off who was, I feel, clearly planning a play (probably with a higher King or an underpair). But before he had chance to act the dealer drew the pot, mucked the cards and passed me the money. I went crazy, she hadn’t noticed the other active player and given the player chance to act,there was nothing I could do, I’d undoubtedly lost a position to raise my stack.  After that I didn’t play a hand for almost an hour.

Later that afternoon I caught my rewards, my stack had dwindled to 3,000 at this point and there were three new players on the table, two of which limped, I got 5s on the button and limped also. The flop came 929, UTG bet just under the pot, there was caller with no raise. Considering the limpers It seemed a bet that wasnt intending a caller and so, although worried by a higher pair, but led by my stack size, I tried a squeeze play and moved all-in. All folded and with the blinds and the action prior, my stack was far healthier for it.

Around two hours before the close of the day I picked up Queens on the button, UTG moved all-in short stacked and 2 seats down a middle stack moved all-in looking to isolate. There is an argument for saying that Queens in this instance should be folded given the re-raise to isolate, but I hoped for AK vs High ace or middle pair, and moved all-in behind ensuring the blinds folded behind me.  UTG showed two Tens, Seat 2 showed Jacks, and fortunately my Queens held up.  It was maybe somewhat fortunate but this gave me the momentum to start playing my natural game for the final hour.  I think I played around 40% of my hands for that period and moved my stack upto £140k from just over £50k.

The first hour of the second day drew just as much drama. I came in looking to roll over the short stacks and pick up pots that would allow me to dictate. In the third hand of the day a short/middle stack moved in and I quickly raised to isolate behind him. Everyone folded but unfortunately his KT caught on the flop and my Fours were beaten.  It was a loose play but I wasn’t afraid to lose, I was prepared to take the risk to accumulate chips.

TE: As the final table started you were reasonably low in chips yet you seemed to remain very patient. Was this deliberate?

MW: Of course I am going to say yes. The truth is that it was a very genuine plan. The money didn’t change from 10th to 4th and for me I would have been happy to go out 10th. However, I was going out making a play. Despite playing tight for large parts, there were reasons, the players I targeted as weak were staggered around the table and it was difficult as a short stack to isolate them without engaging a larger stack.

The very first hand played I was in the blinds and joked to Leon, now sat on my left he better not raise my blinds, knowing he’d take the bait.  The action folded to Leon who duly raised to £50k. I had £134k and moved all in over the top with a marginal hand, I knew he was going to steal and I knew Tom to my left wouldn’t like a raise and then a re-raise, no matter how much he posted in the big blind. Leon folded and that lifted my stack to close to £200k.

I was still short stacked and common sense would usually dictate that if your stack falls below 7 big blinds you are in trouble and need to make plays. But I was happy to wait and steal against players in the big blinds I knew were comfortable facingand weren’t looking for action all the time. As such I had enough moves over a few hours to sustain my stack whilst the big boys knocked each other out.

The important lesson I took away was not just that I could survive on such a low relative size to the blinds but that the more pertinent point was how the rest of the table fared compared to the blinds. I managed to survive because even the chip leader was only just loose with 12-14 big blinds. Of the final ten I think there were at least 5 with combined blind ratios of below 8.  This meant that just one double up would thrust me back up the rankings so I waited my chance.

TE: Five handed you seemed to change gears, raise more often and your chip stack began to rise. Talk us through this key time:

MW: As I said before that target was at this point not to win but to move to 3rd and get the bigger money.  My game of choice is short handed and heads up, so we were entering my terrain. The players remaining were looking at the prize and hadn’t loosened up at all, apart from Tom would had been unlucky to have me on his right as with first in vigorish I managed to play a number of preflop steals and moves over the top on the flop. My table image helped and I played largely uncontested for fair periods.  Before I knew it I was second in the final three, had knocked out one large stack and had just missed the increased round of blinds.

I was glad to see Tom eliminated in third, not out of bitterness but because he was on my first table in day one and I had observed him on a lot of hands, which was how I knew I could steal his  blinds. He was a very good player and aside from ray on the final table was the one player I didn’t want to face in the later stages.

Ray went out earlier than he had hoped, he got out drawn with top pair top kicker on the flop to an inside straight draw (a sick four outer!). Ray was a good player, fortunately I hadn’t tangled too much with him, he had chips, was aggressive, made moves, but importantly I saw him get away from pots on a number of occasions on the turn and river despite piling chips in prior, which is a good indication of someone who can play. No doubt Tom and Ray will be looking forward to busting me in the upcoming events!

TE: Heads up was a long see-saw battle. First you must talk us through the KK hand when you flopped KAA and checked three times!

MW: It was simple really I had intended to raise my kings minimum on the button but forget to announce my raise as I piled my chips in. This resulted in me flat calling and my opponent checking.  When the flop dropped I thought I had played it super cool and looked like I had no interest. After the event I was told I nearly took off out my seat, which is embarrassing but its easier said than done sitting still when you flop a monster full house.

That said, although I had flopped the monster I was aware that the one occasion I had seen my opponent trap and slow play (in the whole tournament) was when he played Kings a few hands prior. Maybe I was too prudent but considering such cuteness I was concerned by concealed AK (AA was unlikey but ultimately the same eng game). To that end I checked down the board actually hoping he had hit an ace but that he could bet first and to which I would have raised 1/3 my stack. If he had reraised or put me in I would have folded as there was too much ambiguity to risk the title on that one hand.  If I had bet out first and faced a reraise I would have to have folded and lost a lot of chips. As it turned out he didn’t hit Ace or King and despite catching an 8 on the turn I think, I don’t feel any bet would have induced a call. The only hand playing that call in his position facing my chip stack and preflop play would only ever be a hand that had me beat.

I don’t think anyone understood how I played that hand, people were surprised I hadn’t just pushed in. Maybe I could have value bet the river, that is a strong call. But what chance would I have of beating a hand that would call that bet?

TE: What was your strategy heads up?
 

MW: I had a definite strategy, no doubt.  I had seen my opponent play for quite a period. As  good as he was and he clearly must have been to get to the point he was then, I did feel I had a good read on his game. He was a very straightforward player. In the few hundred hands seen, he reraised only once and conceal/trapped once.

My strategy to beat him was to play many small pots, see lots of flops and hopefully showdown a great may hands. That way not only would I have the profile I had built up over the last two days (we were on the same table at the end of day one, I ran over his blinds twice uncalled) but I would know what hands he raised with heads up, how he played the button and the big blind and whether he often continued on the flop.  And that’s exactly what I did.

He played heads up quite passively and whilst I looked to limped and complete often seeing flops he rarely conflicted and tried to push me around. After a couple of hands I felt I had the measure of him and began sticking to small pots but pushing in the flop. The results being I built a quick a sizeable chip lead.  The hope being that eventually he’d catch a hand and push back, if I wasn’t in good shape I could afford to fold and If not I could take the pot down and win the event.

Exactly that happened when I limped Qs on the button he pushed all in on the BB with KQ. I called and was a huge favourite for the hand. But he caught a King on the flop and took a big portion of chips and with the blinds going up I was in trouble.

I played it fast again, and to my fortune he didn’t change his style, if he ran me over with his chip lead it could well have been different but my aggression was the telling factor.  I again built a quick lead. I then made one too many pushes, I pushed in on the BB with A3 figuring his weakness for not raising was representing a poor hand again, maybe he finally had me read, he turned AT and I was an underdog for the hand, I caught a 3 on the flop and my pair held making me the winner.

I actually felt quite ashamed of winning when I was dominated on the final hand, I wanted to win concealing a straight on the river or something special but ill settle for just winning, full stop.

TE: What are your final thoughts about your victory, the prospect of a trip to the WSOP and your whole experience?

MW: Three days on and I still feel in a daze. The prize money is great and the winning of the competition is by far beyond my wildest dreams but the enormity of actually going to Vegas for the world series just wont seem to drop, it will be amazing and I will be honoured and proud to represent that APAT..

Thanks to all who organised the event and thanks to all who played (and lost), no doubt I will see everyone again at future events.