Steve Quach led Season 26 Summer 2012 with 10827.08 points!
Steve Quach lived in Atlanta in 2005 and then moved to Las Vegas in 2006. While he was in Vegas a friend of his got him interested in Texas Hold’em and he started playing cash games. He moved back to Atlanta in 2009.
Each Season lasts four months, and how does it feel to lead the entire League in
points at the end of the Season?
I feel satisfied. To be honest, I wasn’t trying to get the most points but was hot at the beginning of the season and just kept going….feels really good.
How long have you played Texas Hold’em?
Four or five years…after playing in Las Vegas and moving back here, I was looking for other venues to play and found the Atlanta Poker Club.
What is your philosophy of winning?
Tournament play is different than cash and I had to readjust my game. Tournament play is about picking your spots. You want to minimize the volatility of your stack. Try not to lose big pots and win small pots. Minimize the volatility and you don’t want your stack to get dwindled early on in a tournament and don’t take an early hit in the tournament. If you have the hand go ahead and pay for it in a big pot. Try to survive and get to the final table and then you make a move or win a race and maximize your chips. Make your move when the blinds are high and wait when blinds are low.
How have you changed your game since you started playing with the APC?
When I first started in February of 2011, I didn’t do good or bad as I only had one month left in my first season. In the second season, I finished in the top 10. I was still adjusting my game to the APC style where there are a lot more calling stations than in casino play and you have to pick spots better. You have to learn who you can value bet…a fine line to pick who you are playing against and then to adjust your bet sizing according to opponents.
As you accumulated more points in this last season, was it easier or harder to get points?
I think it was easier to win against good players as they will respect your play more. It is easier to win against them as they respect your bets. But from the calling stations, they need to prove themselves and they go after you when you are in the pot and will call you down with mediocre hands and you walk with a target on your back…they want and need to prove themselves.
Who is your favorite pro?
I don’t have one…but Daniel Negreneau adjusts his game and reads people well…and Phil Ivey for aggression and picking his spots…and Doyle Brunson because over the course of time has consistently proved himself and able to win even with the Internet generation and consistently does well…he has adjusted his game. Those three are my favorite players in the way they perform and I pick and choose parts of their game to emulate in my game.
Have you ever lost your temper at the table?
No. Not to the point where I have to become physical in a confrontation but I do obviously go on tilt occasionally.
When you began playing with the APC you didn’t talk much but seemed all business. How have you changed?
I’m more comfortable and have friends on the table and joke around with them more and they have brought that out of me…that comfortable and family feeling. It’s really like a family.
Any advice for new players?
Get a basic book by Dan Harrington or Doyle Brunson and pick and choose what works for you and your image and personality. Everyone has a different image and play opposite your image as Dan Harrington says.
What are the most important elements of playing at the Atlanta Poker Club for you?
APC gives you a chance to practice and meet new people and discuss strategies…best poker league in Atlanta….with the APC you can’t buy your way to the final table as there are more serious players to learn from and compete against. When you go to a real casino your game will have improved just because you are playing with the APC. This is a great League and has given me a different perspective on tournament play and has given me insight into my game.
Steve Quach is a great addition to the Atlanta Poker Club. He is always willing to share his poker knowledge and discuss the game and he is a great competitor at the tables. It is great to hear him laughing as he plays and enjoying his poker family. Congratulations to Steve Quach!
