Got a tip for a future 3-Bet? Drop a note in the comments and we'll take a look at it.
Today in the 3-Bet we find some interesting insight From Alex Millar about Viktor "Isildur1" Blom's NLHE reqs, Max Steinberg breaks down the hand he busted Phil Ivey from the WSOP Main Event with and Gus Hansen, still reeling from his online downswing, finds a glimmer of hope.
1) Alex "Kanu7" Millar: Isildur1 Only Plays Hold'em at 3xBB
We don't know what's in the water right now but a number of great, in-depth interviews with interesting poker players are around.
Gus Hansen talked candidly about his online downswing and eroding confidence. Remko Rinkema did a great, long-form head-to-head with Andrew Pantling. And today we got a great one from PokerPlayer Uk's Christy Keenan with high-stakes crusher Alex "Kanu7" Millar.
Tons of great parts we could mention (Prahlad is "rubbish" at $50/$100 heads-up ftw) but one bit that caught our eye was Millar's take on playing Viktor "Isildur1" Blom at NLHE.
There's only one rule, really - play at 3xBB or don't play at all:
"Well actually he won’t give me any action at hold’em! He will only agree to play if I make it 3x BB when I raise preflop. To people who don’t play much heads-up, it probably sounds like no big deal, but Isildur is very good at that game.
"When both players raise 3x preflop, that’s the game he’s beating most people in, and if you change it up by min-raising or limping he actually plays a hell of a lot worse. I think I’ve got quite a sizeable edge against him if I’m allowed to min-raise, but he just won’t play if I do it."
Apparently it also bothers a few high-stakes folks that he's considered one of the best NL players in the world too, given his stipulations. Read the full piece here.
2) Max Steinberg on Busting Ivey: A Fantastic Experience
If you caught the latest episodes of ESPN's 2013 WSOP Main Event coverage this week you saw the moment every poker fan dreads every year: Phil Ivey's bustout.
Let's be honest: Watching Ivey play is the nuts. He brings buzz to the room every time he sits down and, unless you're playing against him, it's pretty thrilling just to watch him play poker.
Ask Brandon Wong how it felt at WSOP APAC when Ivey won his ninth bracelet this year.
The flipside of course? How good does it feel if it's you who busts the greatest player in the world?
That honor went to Max Steinberg this year and in a recent blog post he explains exactly how it felt: awesome. And it led to an 888 sponsorship, no less.
Surprisingly a lot of talk on the forums asked if Ivey made a big mistake risking his whole stack, which Steinberg also dismisses in the post. Check it out here. Check our interview with Steinberg about it this summer above.
3) Gus Claws Back $300k; Should Have Stuck to 2-7
We mentioned our recent Gus Hansen interview above and, if you'll forgive some self-aggrandizing, we think it's a good one. Particularly for parts like this:
"I feel like I am missing something. Maybe I'm outdated. I used to be the biggest winner on Omaha HiLo while in the last six months I'm the biggest loser on Omaha HiLo.
"So, I wonder: what happened in the mean time? I know I haven’t been running good but, at the same time, I don’t think I have been running THAT bad."
Down $10m or so online lifetime Gus has a ways to go to get back some of his mojo but he got started on the upward path again last night according to highstakesdb.
Hansen crushed the 2-7 games for about $600k at the expense of O_Fortuna_PLS before giving half of it back at the FLO8 tables.
All told, though, Gus still finished in the black -- enough, we hope, to help quiet a few of those creeping doubts. Check the full report of the action here.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com