Poker News Daily: How did you get started in poker?
Brown: If you go all the way back to the birth of my poker game, it would have been in the Bronx, where I grew up. I used to play poker in little Italian cafes on the weekends with my friends. It was mostly dealer’s choice that consisted of a lot of games similar to Omaha. There would be some Stud and regular games, but it was mainly a lot of mixed games. I used to win most of the time and that was advantageous because I got to play so many different games. I had to figure out the math and what was the best way to play particular hands in different games.
I was acting and when I moved out to Los Angeles to further my career, I didn’t realize that there were legalized poker rooms there. I was prepared to be a bartender or a waiter to supplement my income in between acting jobs, but saw the opportunity and thought that poker was something I could do. Knock on wood; I’m still winning in poker.
PND: You’ve played a lot of poker on both the East Coast and the West Coast. Which games are tougher and why?
Brown: The West Coast has more world-class poker players. The reason is because on the East Coast, until recently, they primarily only played two games that were high-limit: Stud and Limit Hold’em. The style for most winning poker players in those two games was to play tight-aggressive. On the West Coast, there’s an eclectic group of poker players that plays a variety of styles: loose-aggressive, tight-aggressive, and in between. It adds to your tools.
John Phan, David Pham, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, and Allen Cunningham are guys who play different styles, but are all world-class No Limit Hold’em tournament players. However, playing with a diverse group of poker players even helps the pro. You still learn and grow no matter how good of a player you are.
PND: Tell us about the “Ultimate Poker Challenge,” which you host.
Brown: The “Ultimate Poker Challenge” started in 2004. The producer of the show, Dan Pugliese, saw me make the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Seven Card Stud Championship. I went heads-up with Ted Forrest and after four and a half hours of play, Ted ended up winning. Dan realized what I had done as an actor and poker player and thought I had all of the elements to be the perfect host for his new show.
I really liked the idea of the “Ultimate Poker Challenge,” which was a tournament that was going to be televised from the Plaza Casino in Downtown Las Vegas, and knew it would be a hit. What was different about our show as opposed to the WSOP or World Poker Tour broadcasts was that I always had a different guest poker player commentating with me. Poker is very subjective, so there is no right strategy to play. Getting different points of view is more advantageous to helping people get better. A lot of different top pros came on and guest hosted. That gave the viewers something different on each show. I gave my opinion on how I see poker. I think most people liked my point of view: I give insight into not only the factual math, but also what I think is going on inside someone’s head. However, by having a different co-host, viewers didn’t know what they would say or how they would analyze play. That’s what made the “Ultimate Poker Challenge” uniquely successful.
PND: You’ve had success in the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker. Describe some of the differences between playing live and playing online.
Brown: For friends of mine who play online and are not world-class players, one of the biggest traps for them is that when they’re playing in a live cash game at a casino, they protect their ego and don’t want to look like a donkey. When they play online, they’re anonymous. If they’re steaming, losing, and want to play some bad hands, they’re not embarrassed about it. Those types of players will play worse online.