Scott Fischman

Scott, when we interview players, we like to find out about their non poker-related interests, but you basically play all day, everyday…

That’s very true.

But you must have some hobbies apart from poker?

None that I can pay any attention to anymore. I used to play pool and golf, but I had to put them on the back burner. I don’t make time; poker has consumed me so much. I think it’s because there’s still so much to learn everyday. That’s what gets me about this game: every single day when I wake up, I’m playing better than I was yesterday. That feeling alone is what
drives me to play so much, so often. It’s a sickness (laughs).

When we last met up you had a pure white internet-poker tan…

In Vegas you can’t walk outside, or you’ll melt. So I decided when I moved here, that I wasn’t going to spend much time sunbathing. I’m allergic to the sun. You can’t get me out there.

OK, so what’s your favorite movie? …And don’t you dare say Rounders.

(Laughs) Actually it’s a movie that just came out recently called Hostage. I’m a big fan of My Cousin Vinnie, too.

Right. Now we’re getting somewhere. Where do you like to go in Vegas when you actually leave the house?

I go to the Cheesecake Factory. They have a chicken dish that I love, and the desserts are great. It’s in The Forum at Caesars Palace and you can sit there and watch people – a really nice atmosphere.

Is it true you have, like, ten giant plasma screens in your living room so you can play multiple poker games simultaneously? …And they’re all, like, wired up to a special helmet, controlled by electrical impulses from your brain…?

(Laughs) No. I have three: two that I play poker on and one that I watch TV on.

How many tables do you play at once?

I play a minimum of five or six, and a maximum of nine or ten. I generally just play whatever tournaments and sit n gos are available. Cash games are great, but they’re so different, so I try and keep those separate and focus mainly on tournaments.

How do you stay sharp on nine tables at once?

You don’t start off playing nine. When I first started playing online, I was playing one, then two, then three – and it takes a while, but you eventually get this kind of robot mentality. When I’m playing nine, I’m really not ‘thinking’ – the decisions are all pre-made. That’s another reason
why I play tournaments, because it’s a kind of pre-determined decision making process.

How many hours do you play online per day?

As many as I can stay awake for – that is, as long as I’m winning. A lot of players get ‘stuck’ and they never get up; they have to play until they get even. I’m different in that when I’m losing I’m just disgusted and I hate it, so I stop. When I’m winning, wild horses couldn’t drag me
away. I’ve had a session where I was playing so good I didn’t stop for two days in a row. I just couldn’t lose. The sheer adrenalin keeps you awake.

What’s a good tip for winning online?

Learn to control yourself mentally. That’s the biggest part about being successful in poker. If you’re able to handle the ups and downs emotionally, then you’ll be fine, no matter if you’re winning or losing. Remember that losing is a huge, huge part of poker. I played something like
250 live tournaments last year and made fifteen final tables – which was awesome – but it means that 235 times last year, I lost. And that’s okay.

What’s the most you’ve won online in one sitting?

I think my best tournament score was $38,000 in a day.

Do you ever treat yourself after a big win?

No I don’t – I’m so sick. I don’t even celebrate. After my second place finish this year at the World Series – which was my biggest payday ever – I just walked upstairs to my hotel room and went to bed. I’m kinda annoyed at myself that I don’t allow myself to splurge, but at the same time, I like that I have control.

How long do you think you can keep up this level of intensity?

I don’t know. That’s partly the reason why I’m so intense now. I figure that if I’m going to get burned out, then I may as well build my empire while I’ve got this intensity. If I want to calm down a bit in a few years, then hopefully I can do that because I will be able to afford to.

You’ve launched your own online site…

Yeh, it launched about six months ago. It’s called TheFishtank.com and it’s part of Doyle’s Network. I’m very proud of it. It’s great to have my own little poker room – my own little niche in the online poker world. We’re going to be doing a lot of promotions and a lot of fun stuff that I’ve always wanted to do. I just love it. I play on there all the time, the games are good – it’s just fun.

Do you prefer online or live play?

I like them both, but with online play, there’s just so much action – 24 hours a day, everyday, you can get any kind of game you want.

What’s your greatest achievement in poker to date?

Winning the two bracelets back-to-back at the 2004 WSOP.

How would you describe your playing style?

Adaptable. I have an ability to learn all the different styles and to use whichever one is best for the situation I’m in. That’s how I play and that’s how I feel that poker should be played.

What’s the greatest bluff you’ve ever made?

It’s the first day of the Main Event of the World Series 2004, the cameras are rolling because they’re covering the Crew and me (even though we aren’t winning anything at this point). I’m all in on the turn with absolutely nothing. I know my opponent has me beat, but I also know he can’t call. It was the first time I’d ever played a Main Event and the first time I’d ever made a
huge bluff in a live tournament – I’ll never forget that hand.

Has it been easy to adapt to fame?

I think I’ve done an OK job, but no – it’s not easy. I like it – it’s not a bad thing. Having said that, I’ve been in London over the past few weeks and I’m not as heavily televised over there on the regular channels. So I do get recognized there, but not a lot. I felt a little bit more relaxed, which was really nice. In the old days, I just used to walk out of the house, not caring what I look like, but now I have to uphold this kind of ‘image’, which is a bit weird.

Do poker players get obsessive fans yet?

(Laughs) Not yet. They’re all great – no one scary yet.

Let’s backtrack. How did you first get into the game?

A high school buddy of mine came from a poker background and taught me how to play. We used to sneak into the cardrooms. I began to get better and better playing with him and other friends. When I turned 21, I started dealing poker in Las Vegas.

And that’s when you really learned how to play?

Right. I was playing a lot on the internet, where I was learning a lot about the technical part of the game, but by being a dealer I got to learn a lot about the people. I’d just watch them all day long.

How did the Crew get together?

Dutch [Boyd] formed the Crew after his score in the World Series in 2003 and I became friendly with them after that. We just became friends and shared our poker knowledge, and that’s how it got going.

Were you viewed as young upstarts when you turned up on the scene?

I think people liked us. We were young and brash, but it was fun.

Any plans to write a book?

Yes, I’m writing one, and hopefully I can get moving on it if I can manage to stop playing poker for a couple of minutes. It’ll be about how to be successful online. I feel that online poker is the way to teach yourself the game. That’s why you see so many young players. I got ten years of experience playing poker in one year. By the time I got to the World Series, I was 23 and had been playing 20 years. And yes, I was young and emotional and egotistical, but I was really, really good.