The conversation continues with Layne Flack in the second part of this episode of The Showdown. Friedberg had asked Flack about his former wild reputation, especially when he had been drinking while playing poker.
This is The Showdown, Episode 2 – Part 2. In case you missed it, click here for The Showdown, Episode 2 – Part 1.
Flack responded, “I think mostly, when you are playing aggressive and with no fear, people lay down medium hands or bigger hands and won’t play back at you. They’ll wait for that bigger hand because, why wouldn’t they? They know you’ll be raising that hand, too. So they just wait, wait, wait for you and not realize that you’re picking up pots, every blinds and all the antes. Then, I know when someone has a hand … if they play back at me they got to have a hand… so my reads on people were a lot easier.”
The next topic was about WSOP fields and the astounding numbers seen in many events that nobody ten years ago would have imagined. Five of the six bracelets won by Flack were by 2003. “I hit town in 1998 and I won five bracelets in the first five years I was here,” explained Flack. “I had a pretty good record.”
Friedberg then asks about the legitimacy of some of the bracelets won, such as when Tom McEvoy won his WSOP Main Event and there were only a little over a hundred participants in that event. Flack stated, “I know many tournaments I played in where there were 100-200 players and believe it or not those were the hardest I ever played in. I won the Legends of Poker and there were 55 players and I never not sat at a table with three reigning world champions… sometimes when the fields are shorter the fields are tougher … there is no dead money.”
The two also talk about Flack and his poker paraphernalia. Flack talks about how is house was robbed and his first WSOP bracelet was taken, which he was saving for his daughter. His other bracelets were given as gifts to close family members. However, the fifth one was allegedly given to Ted Forrest, who said he lost it.
The next topic was about one of the more memorable stories of Flack’s career. The first was about when Flack was 18 and playing $1-$3 Stud in Montana. He had called in a hand with a pair of deuces with the opponent showing two eights and wanted to bluff but had totally forgotten to raise. The other story Flack described as “Hellmuth’s favorite” and started with Flack staying at Ted Forrest’s house. Flack had been partying all night and was still at a strip club when Forrest called to tell Flack he was in the tournament, which started at noon. When he shows up, out of the 600 players in the field, Flack happened to draw the seat next to Ted Forrest.
Flack also discusses some true gems talking about experiences with some of the biggest players in some of the biggest tournaments, including the likes of Johnny Chan, Erik Seidel and T.J. Cloutier.
Jon Friedberg is the host and producer of The Showdown, which is released every Tuesday exclusively at Poker News Daily.
