|
|
|
Phil Laak: What makes the Unabomber tick? |
|
|
|
Written by ANN FINSTAD
|
|
Thursday, 03 November 2005 |
In the world of professional poker, Phil Laak (pronounced ‘lock’) is a Personality with a capital P. Better known as "The Unabomber" because of his affinity for sunglasses and grey hooded sweatshirts (he owns six – "two with zipper, four without"), his behavior as he came away with a win at the World Poker Tour Invitational has made him a fan favorite – as well as victim of critics who find his behavior infantile or boorish.
| | |
The Unabomber’s tips for aspiring pro poker players
|
1) Remember it is a zero sum game
2) Remember... discipline, thought, and control. Remember what happened throughout history to great men with too much ego.... sometimes it worked out. But many times...not such a happy ending
3) Keep records in order to ascertain that you are playing within your bankroll (learn the relationship between win rate, standard deviation, and bankroll.) This is a fulcrum concept. You run a high risk of ruin if you don't educate yourself properly in this department.
4) Always be curious... read lots of stuff.... and then when you hear a concept you are not familiar with (i.e. gambit theory, risk of ruin, kelly's criterion, prisoners dilemma... what ever it might be... go to the Internet ... do a hunt... get a print out... and read the stuff.
5) Never be satisfied with your game Treat it like a life long relationship. Nurture it when appropriate.
6) Play for stakes that will slightly sting
7) As your game gets stronger, have the confidence to explore theories of your own.
8) Play
9) Play
10) Play
11) Think about what your opponent is thinking.
12) Think about what you should be thinking.
13) Enjoy yourself.
14) If you are not enjoying the ride.... get off the horse. Simple.
|
| | |
Call him eccentric, even crazy. The labels would fit Laak, whose antics on the WPT included doing push ups, running around the table; even peeking over the dealer’s shoulder.
So how many push ups in a row can Laak really do? "Three," he admits. "They used editing and splicing to get it as high as you saw on TV."
Laak is relatively new to the poker circuit, having only picked up the game "rather by accident" about five years ago when he tagged along with a friend who frequented a NYC poker club. "Voila. I was hooked," he recounts. "That very night I saw what I had been missing. What a great game!"
When he speaks, Phil Laak shoots out sentences rapid-fire, charged with the same manic energy that comes across in his playing style. "Life for me is all about happiness and freedom; and playing smart poker, antic free or with a little goofing about, all falls under the umbrella of life. Having some fun and exercising the joy of freedom."
His onscreen antics belie the fact that he’s quite smart, with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering to his name, but I’m reminded of this fact when he brings up what he’s been doing in his free time: reading lots of stuff off a website supported by Princeton's engineering anomalies research department. (He even provides the address: http://www.princeton.edu/~pear/, and a quick look reveals a staggeringly technical and complicated set of pages.) The guy’s no slouch.
Of course, many may not immediately recognize Laak by his real name. In the game, he’s picked up the moniker "Unabomber," since his attire resembles that of the infamous wanted poster of American terrorist Ted Kaczynski, convicted mail bomber. I ask him how he rationalizes the fact that some may find his nickname offensive, especially in the current terror-sensitive environment.
"You rarely pick the nickname others give you, and this case was no different," Laak responds. "I did not give it to myself, it was given to me. It is obvious to see that the original Unabomber was a very sick man, and what he did was twisted and evil. I don't aim to disturb anyone...it is just a nickname."
Behind the hood, Laak is an attractive guy, slim-built with bleached blonde hair and dark-framed hipster glasses. He’s the type of guy you’d expect to see fronting a band, not pulling in cash sitting behind a poker table. So does that translate to success with the ladies?
"I don't know if "the ladies" are tallying points on fellas that play cards," Laak says. "If they are then I am losing out, as I am sort of in something of a relationship now. That probably sounds commitment phobic...maybe I am a little bit."
One thing Laak isn’t afraid to commit to is poker, at one time spending up to 1500 hours a year (by his estimation) playing the game. Now he plays less often, except when the big tournaments roll around. With all that playing time logged, he has some great poker stories.
"I remember one time I had been up for about 3 days or so... (no caffeine or stimulants, nor any mind altering substances) and every time I looked up the chips in the middle of the pot looked like they were floating in mid air. The felt had started to look like some sort of neutral medium...like air or something…and in this chunk of time the deck and me were one. It was something else. I was really surfing the whole probability matrix of poker nicely. And then this hand came to me...and I did not know what to do. We were at the turn. Two people had acted...I knew I had no way to win the hand. I had nothing and knew I was beat in both spots and I was far removed from a moment of bluffing. I knew I was going to lose...but I still was confused. I did not know what to do.
"I had forgotten that I could fold. I had played to the end so thoroughly on so many hands. I was in some sort of nether space/time continuum fuzziness. I just plain forgot that you could fold a hand in this game. The player to my right saw that I was trying understand the moment... he kinda said jokingly, "You know...you are allowed to fold...." (kiddingly, of course, as he knew that I knew this) Yet I had forgot! [sic] I was so relieved. Yes, of course, I remember now... folding...yes...phew.... situation resolved."
From any other player, this may seem like a tall tale, but when dealing with the unpredictable and charismatic Phil Laak, nothing seems out of the question.
|
Other Recent Articles by ANN FINSTAD:Poker bad boy Josh Arieh comes cleanChatting with Laura CaldwellThere's something about piratesAre you a nerd? Take our quiz!"Nasty" a fabulous family affair
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
