Interview Of Aaron Kanter
Jon Eaton
August 26th, 2005
Full Name: Aaron Kanter
Nickname: AK
Online Handle: Lost_Larry
Date Of Birth: 5/18/78
Place Of Birth: Lodi, CA
Now Resides: Elk Grove, CA
Favorite Poker Game: No Limit Indian Texas Hold ‘Em
Started Playing Poker: High School
Major Accomplishments: Fourth in 2005 WSOP World Championship. Biggest prior tournament winnings 25K online, cashed in first big event WPT Aruba 2004.
Q: The WSOP Main Event was the largest and richest event in sporting and gaming history. A lot of things have been said about the way the event was handled, and how the Rio ran the event. Some of the areas of discussion were the bathrooms, the breaks, parking, and player comps. On a whole, how did you feel the event was run and what did you think of some of the topics people complained about?
A: I think they should be cut a bit of slack given the enormous field. As far as the bathroom issue the only other way I could see it was to bring in porta-potties and who wants to look at those inside of a nice casino. It would have been nice to start on time each day. Over all I think they did a great job. If this event continues to grow at this pace maybe we could move it to the Thomas and Mack Center.
Q: Of the final nine players at the final table, who did you least want to face off with in a pot? Who were you looking to get involved with?
A: Andy Black was the one that was the toughest to face off with because you weren't sure where he was at in the hand. He also happened to be the guy you wanted to get involved with because he was the one you had a chance to get a lot of chips from.
Q: One of the things people know you for is your big hand with Greg Raymer, where you decimated his chip stack. Tell us what you were thinking on each street of the hand.
A: He raised pre-flop and I decided to call with Qh Jh hoping to hit something. The board came 3 5 6 and when he bet out I decided I was going to call and then try to make a move on fourth street. The turn brought a 7h completed the strait draw while giving me a flush draw. I thought maybe he was betting again thinking I would fold a middle pair so I made the move to raise. I obviously didn't think he had K K till he announced all-in. I felt I was committed and disappointedly called.
Q: Another big pot you were involved in was with Tex Barch on the K T 7 board, where Tex had put in a third raise with K 7 and you moved in with K 5. Tell us what your line of thinking was on this hand.
A: This is obviously the hand I think about more than any other in the tournament. When the flop came down the plan was to check raise Joe because he had been betting every flop that was checked to him. When Tex raised him it through a wrinkle in my plan. I was thinking maybe Tex had the same idea so I decided to raise him also. It was disappointing to me to see Tex raise again and that was when I figured I was beat and began to take my time to fold. In that time I went back over the betting and convinced myself that since I made a small raise at a pot with two strait draws and a flush draw he must be thinking I was weak. His re-raise was not that big considering the size of the pot and that was when I chose to move all in. I immediately thought, "oh my God what have I done", considering my hand was not that good at all. Listening to Tex say, "I don't think I can get away from the hand," made me sick to my stomach but there was nothing I could do [at that point].
Q: Even though you won a ton of cash, what were your initial emotions when you left the final table?
A: I was a bit disappointed especially since I had been the chip leader heading into the final table and then again with five left. I wasn't thinking about anything other than first when I went to bed the night before. When I received my check and got back to my room I was then proud and a bit relieved.
Q: When you sat at your table on day one, did you have any idea what was to come? Did you have any big pots in early play that vaulted your confidence?
A: I was focused and ready to play heading into the first day. The very first hand I pick up J J, I raised and was called by one player. The flop came T98, I bet and he called. The turn was an 8 and I continued betting and he again called. The river was a 2 and I now bet 1,000 and he raised to 4,500. I thought for a while and folded, he flipped up 88 for QUADS!! I lost almost 2K on the very first hand. It got worse I continued to pick up big hands but they were not hitting. I was down to under 5K after three hours of play, but luckily I battled back and made a run near the end of the day. It felt great to be down so far and grind my way back up.
Q: You might be criticized for some of your play, but you still made it deeper than 99% of the players in the event. To what do you credit your success in the main event?
A: Finding a way to get chips. I definitely played the best poker of my life for the first five days. There was a point on day five where if I was playing a cash game I could have folded for three hours straight. I gained a lot experience and confidence after making it though that run. A part of me wishes the cameras were on my table from the beginning. I didn't feel like I played much poker on day six, I just happen to be picking up the right hands at the right time.
Q: What are your plans now? Do you plan on continuing to play on the circuit?
A: Poker has been a big part of my life for some time now. I will continue to play poker full time. I would like to get an experienced coach to work on my game. I want to get on the circuit and play in as many events as possible.
