Recently, Terrence “Unassigned” Chan took down a $1,050 buy-in Limit Hold’em Six-Max event during the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). In April, he emerged victorious from the fields of the high- and mid-stakes versions of the 20th Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) event, also Limit Hold’em Six-Max. He is the undisputed king of short-handed Limit Hold’em until further notice and sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss his feat.
Poker News Daily: Tell us about your success in Limit Hold’em tournaments.
Chan: I feel comfortable playing high-stakes. I’ve been playing big-limit games for a while and it was the first game I learned to play. I bring a lot of experience to the table. In tournament fields in the WCOOP and SCOOP, you have a lot of people who are tournament players, but not necessarily Limit Hold’em players. They make a lot of typical mistakes that players who aren’t familiar with Limit Hold’em would make, which gives me an edge.
PND: Is it surreal to have won three major Limit Hold’em tournaments in a span of six months?
Chan: It has been surreal. The night after I won the WCOOP event, it didn’t really hit me and I wasn’t enjoying it. I was in shock and was all smiles. Everything felt awesome. I didn’t think at any point that I was going to win until the very end. You always hope you can win, but you always think you’re a few hands away from something bad happening.
PND: On online poker forums, you’ve received a tremendous amount of praise for your accomplishments. Does it feel good to see that you’ve earned the respect of the poker community?
Chan: It feels good. It’s flattering that people say nice things about me. I try to take it all in perspective and not think that I’m the greatest thing in the world. A lot of people are playing $1,000/$2,000 and crushing that, so it’s nice to have my moment in the sun, but I try to stay grounded.
PND: We know a lot of people admire your game, but whose game do you respect the most?
Chan: I’ve always been a fan of all of the people who have done a lot of the mathematical groundwork of the game. I’m friends with guys like Bill Chen and admire guys like Chris Ferguson and Andy Bloch. I’ve ridden the coattails off that and taken lessons from smart game theory guys. Those are the people who deserve a lot of credit. I’m the guy who is able to digest it.
PND: Are the mathematical and game theory aspects of poker concepts that anyone can learn?
Chan: Yes, anyone can learn it. It’s actually an easier framework from which to learn poker. If you’re trying to learn poker from a guy who thinks everything is feel, then how are you supposed to copy that? It’d be like learning golf from watching Tiger Woods swing. You need to have someone tell you how the hold the club and swing. It’s easier to have a logical framework. Unless you have that great ability, you’re not going to perform at as high of a level.
PND: How did you get started in poker?
Chan: When I was about 18, my cousin took me to a local casino. He just wanted to show me how to play blackjack. I got bored, started wandering around, and saw four poker tables. When you see a poker table for the first time, people are just flinging chips everywhere and things are happening fast. I had just gotten the internet, so I found online message forums and started reading books. Lee Jones’ was the first book I ever bought.
PND: What’s helped you grow in poker since then?
Chan: Having a support system. To be able to bounce hands off friends is the most valuable thing for people just getting started. You can draw a lot from others.
PND: Did you make any purchases with your online poker winnings?
Chan: I took my friends for lunch and things like that. I’m a typical poker player. It’s probably going to be sent back into the system somewhere. I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve been playing big cash games for a while, so things I want or need, I can already buy.
PND: You’re from British Columbia, Canada. Talk about representing your country well.
Chan: For a country with only 30 million people, we have quite a few strong poker players. The West Coast doesn’t have as many, though. Guys like Daniel Negreanu and Scott Montgomery are all from Ontario, so it’s good to represent the West Coast.