Erick Lindgren Interview with Poker News Daily

Poker News Daily: You won your first bracelet during the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP), getting that proverbial monkey off your back. Is that the biggest poker accomplishment of your career?

Lindgren: It has to be. It was definitely a big deal. It was something that I really wanted and was looking forward to, so accomplishing it felt really good.

PND: Do your fellow poker players view you differently now that you’ve captured a WSOP bracelet?

Lindgren: Maybe the general public does. Within the poker world, people understand that it’s just a tournament and longevity proves what kind of player you are. That’s winning day in and day out and I think I’ve done that for a long time.

PND: Describe how you got started in poker.

Lindgren: I fell into it. I tried to play basketball in college and, due to work ethic, lack of skill, or whatever it was, it just didn’t work out for me. I stumbled into a poker room.

PND: You won two tournaments during Season II of the World Poker Tour (WPT). What gave you an edge over your competition?

Lindgren: I was playing a different game than most people were. I was ready for the No Limit Hold’em outbreak to happen. I was playing cash games and I think it was due to my overall experience playing No Limit as well as Limit. I was just very prepared to play these tournaments, whereas a lot of the pros were strictly cash game Limit players and they had to learn the game of No Limit.

PND: Describe how the landscape of poker changed following those two WPT victories.

Lindgren: The players have become younger and more talented. There is so much more knowledge about the game now. People work so much harder at their games now than ever before. Overall, the people are just much more talented.

PND: What’s the most challenging part of poker for you today?

Lindgren: The hardest part for me is keeping up with these young guys in terms of the new moves they’re making and trying to find counter-moves to the strategies they are employing.

PND: What advice do you have for newcomers just getting started in poker?

Lindgren: My advice is to take it easy and have fun. A lot of people ask me, “How do I know if I should turn pro?” I say that you don’t. There’s no need to turn pro. This isn’t like the NBA Draft; you don’t have to declare yourself to be a poker pro. Just play in your own time and have fun.

PND: How important is it to have a support group around you of high-profile poker players?

Lindgren: You have to have a group of friends to talk about hands. You get not only your experiences at the tables, but you also get theirs. That’s huge.

PND: Talk about your four rounds of under-100 golf in one day prop bet. What motivated you to win one of the most memorable prop bets of all time?

Lindgren: I was angry at myself the day before. I had busted out of the $50,000 buy-in HORSE tournament and I thought that I played poorly. I wanted to torture myself the next day. I was out to dinner with Gavin Smith and said that I could walk four rounds of golf and the bet just kind of happened from there. I had some other guys bet against me and off I went.

PND: You represent Full Tilt Poker. Tell us why we should play on that site.

Lindgren: Having all of the pros there is a good base. You get to see that all of these guys support the site and endorse the site, so you can feel safe playing there. There’s a wide range of games; some of the highest limits are being played there along with games of every level.

PND: Whose game do you respect the most and why?

Lindgren: When focused, Phil Ivey. He brings more to the table. It’s very hard to lie to Phil Ivey. If you’re lying to him or bluffing, he’s going to figure it out. Don’t try to bluff Phil Ivey.

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Poker slang:

CRYING CALL - A call made with little chance of ultimately winning, but marginally better than an immediate fold.
ANTE - A small bet all players are required to make before a hand is dealt. Not all games have an ante. Related terms: BLIND, FORCED BET.
FACE CARD - A jack, queen or king (a card with a face on it, not joker).
DRAW - [1] A class of poker games characterized by players being dealt 5 cards face-down and later having the opportunity to replace some of the original 5. "Draw poker" and "Five-card draw" are examples of usage. [2] In stud and Hold'em games, the set of cards that will be dealt later can be collectively called "the draw". [3] To discard some number of cards and have dealt an equal number of replacements.
DOOR [CARD] - A player's first upcard in stud games.
NUT / NUTS - The best possible hand of a given class. Not a LOCK unless all cards have been dealt. The "nut flush" is the highest possible flush, but might still lose to, e.g., a full house. Usually used in Hold'em games.

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