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Bluff:We know that you love to mix it up with the smaller preliminary events, and we are sure the WSOP won’t be any different. What is your strategy going into these smaller-stacked tournaments?
Grinder: In the prelim events, you have to be a lot more patient early on. Once you double up and you have most of the table covered, that is when you would be able play a lot more pots, and take some risks. You can then either double up again, or move back down towards an average stack. My strategy would be to play more on the safe side in the early levels of these events. There are going to be a lot of bad players, and you want to allow these players to make mistakes against you. You need to take advantage of every situation.
In these events, I will be playing a lot more premium hands. I will stay away from the 6-8, 4-5, 3-5 hands, and try and get in with A-K, K-K, Q-Q, or A-A. After I make my first double up, I can play around a little bit more.
Bluff: It seems like a lot of newer players who will be in these events get themselves stuck with those very hands, A-K and such. How do you avoid going broke if you do miss your flop?
Grinder: Again, you need to play patient poker. While I won’t see a lot of flops early in these events with sub-par hands, I will try and see flops and avoid situations where I will be forced all in. You want to play smart, and take your time and play your position. You should avoid being pressured to call all your chips at any time. You want to be forcing someone else all in. Make your opponents make the real tough decisions, and allow them to make a mistake. Constantly put the pressure of the decision- making on your opponent.
Bluff: Once you get into the deeper-stacked events, does your strategy change then?
Grinder: I think I will definitely loosen up in the deeper events, and play a lot more hands. With more chips, you now have more weapons. But it still comes down to one simple idea: Force your opponent to make bad decisions. Some people don’t know how to play deep stacked. They will pay you off in deep-stack events, especially in big pots. Players tend to get overwhelmed in large pots, and make even greater mistakes than they normally would have. You also should try to play more small pots as well, and grind your chip stack up. You need to keep applying pressure.
Bluff:With so many events this year, how do you stay focused? Do you have a schedule planned?
Grinder: No, I don’t have a set schedule. I want to be sure my family and kids are around, so when I take bad beats I can come and see the family and relax. I want to play as many events as I can, because the more events I play the better chance I have to win a bracelet.
Bluff: Any bracelet predictions for the year?
Grinder:Well, I definitely want to win at least one, but I would love to win two.
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