Interview with Barry Greenstein.

Since my blog focuses on televised poker shows, I’ll start there:

Q t♥i♠ que♠tion i♠ intentionally vague. : Do you think the recent massive influx of poker on television is good or bad for poker?

BG: It’s certainly been good for me. I am now an admired person, where before I had to hide what I did for a living. As for poker, I
think too many young players are obsessed with poker. I hope they will leave time to develop themselves in other ways, like education, sports, and music.

Q: What changes can be made to make tv poker more interesting?

BG: Eventually, shows will have to be made longer, so that we can see more post flop play. Now we mainly see the all-in before the flop hands.

Q: I read somewhere that you taught Mimi Tran to play poker. Why are there so few women players in the game?

BG: Competition is more a male thing. Also, the seedy environments are often not right for women. Most women who have entered the poker world were introduced to gambling by their boyfriends.

Q: What do you think of the players boycotting the World Poker Tour?

BG: It seems like a non-issue to me. It will all be straightened out. I don’t think any players with much WPT success have joined the boycott.

Q: Do you feel poker players should be unionized, similar to the National Football League and other major sporting leagues?

BG: It is hard to unionize poker players, since they are such a diverse group, and many have different reasons for playing. I have signed on as a member to many of the groups, but I have always avoided being in a management position.

Q: It’s well known you are called the “Robin Hood of Poker,” because you donate all your tournament winnings to charity. Let me just say I find this more than truly amazing. Words just cannot describe that level of generosity and unselfishness. When and how did you come up with this idea of donating so much to charity?

BG: I had been involved with Children, Inc and I thought it would be good to give a big gift if I won a tournament. I got a very positive response from the poker community and I seemed to inspire others to hold charity tournaments or give a percentage of their winnings away. I didn’t plan on playing as many tournaments as I currently do, but I have accomplished so much and I enjoy playing tournaments, so I continue to do it.

Q: What would you like to see done to get other poker players donate more to charity?

BG: I don’t push others to give to charity. Most players aren’t able to make money from the side games, as I have. I think players need to take care of their families first — then they can help others. But I am always happy when I hear that a player made a big score and gave a small percentage of the win to a good cause.

Q: You are widely known as one of, if not THE BEST, players in the world. Let’s talk about your game a little bit. What do you do to improve your poker game? Do you work with others, or prefer to take everything in and make your own judgments?

BG: I am certainly a self-made player. I haven’t learned much from books. I am happy to read what others basic strategies are, but I make my own adjustments. I am glad people are reading books, because it makes the opponents I face in tournaments more predictable.

Q: There is a lot of talk on poker blogs these days about “game theory.” How much does game theory and its concepts factor into good decision-making in poker?

BG: Except for head-up hand selection with short stacks, it doesn’t come into play much. I think it is helpful to understand game theory, because the ideas lend to correct ways to think about solving poker problems at the table once you mix in some adjustments for psychological factors.

Q: What advice would you have for young people who would like to try professional poker as a career?

BG: Finish school and get some maturity before you immerse yourself in the poker society. Have a plan for a career outside of poker just in case poker doesn’t work out.

Q: Should Phil Ivey be banned from tournaments because he is so obviously a computer in a man’s clothes?

BG: Phil is nothing like a computer. He is a player with a good feel for what his opponents are thinking.

How great an answer! He is a poker players’ professional, and a wonderful ambassador for poker. For more information, go check out his awesome website. Also, check out Barry’s new book “Ace on the River.”

2 Responses to “Interview with Barry Greenstein.”

1. weeeny on September 14th, 2007 1:50 pm

   How about posting the results of high stakes internet action like the people who come here are looking for?

2. admin on September 15th, 2007 11:24 am

   Great interview Joe! Interviews are one of the most popular things that people are looking for when they come to this site. I live in Las Vegas, so I’ll try my best to get some more interviews in the future. Until then, keep ‘em coming!

   And thank you for helping me get the site back after the recent tragedy of downtime. I truly appreciate any help that readers can add.

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