On Day 1A of the main event at the 2008 World Series of Poker it was one of smallest, most humble men in the room who loomed as a giant over all. Jerry Yang, the 2007 world champion was on hand to watch the action in the Amazon room, where one year ago he became a part of poker history. Although Yang will not begin his title defense until Day 1D, he caught up with Card Player today right next to the final table. He talked about a number of things going on in his life, as well as the poker tournament last year that forever changed his life. He also wanted to share the following charity poker tournament dates he will be a part of:
August 2, 2008 -- Gold Country Casino charity poker event to benefit wildfire victims, and the fire department in Oroville, California.
August 9, 2008 -- Casino Marysville charity poker event to benefit earthquake victims in China.
August 23-24, 2008 -- Palm Beach Kennel Club charity poker event to benefit the Ronald McDonald House.
Early 2009 (TBD) -- Tachi Palace of Lemoore charity poker event to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Ryan Lucchesi: You will definitely have a target on your back this year when you begin your tournament on day 1D of the main event. How will your approach to that first day this year differ from the approach you had for day 1 in 2007?
Jerry Yang: I think I’m going to come out and be more aggressive this year. I noticed last year that on the first day people were playing kind of tight. I’m going to take advantage of that. I’m going to come out and be the aggressor and take down a few pots and establish my chips. Once I establish a good chip lead I will probably go back and play a little more conservatively.
RL: Did you know that you were going to switch your strategy as drastically as you did heading into the main event final table last year?
JY: The night before the final table when we went back to the hotel I strategized actually. I wanted to come to the final table being the aggressor. I was short stacked and I also studied my opponents the night before and I noticed that they were playing a little tight, so I decided to come out and be the aggressor.
RL: Your spirituality at the final table last year was very apparent. What was it that you prayed for during the final table?
JY: I prayed to my God for the strength and the wisdom to be a better poker player. To be a stronger player, to be a more focused player, and just make the best decisions I knew how at the time. I give all the glory and credit to God for giving me the victory, and I look forward to hopefully I can win again this year, but it is going to be rough and tough. If I can win again I would like to do even more for charities and for the communities in this country and other countries as well...I believe that God loves Tuan Lam, or Lee Watkinson, or Raymond Rahme the same way that he loves Jerry Yang. He doesn’t love Jerry Yang anymore than he loves them, or vice-versa…If you believe in something, you just have to pray about it and go for it, and believe in that. If you don’t win, hey, you gave it your best shot.
RL: Which player were you the most worried about heading into the final table last year?
JY: I knew that Lee [Watkinson] was a very good player and I also knew that Phillip Hilm had been aggressive, until towards the end when he started playing a little tight. I think Lee was the player that worried me the most.
RL: Other than the final table, what other key points of the tournament led to your victory.
JY: When I won that pot against Alex Kravchenko, when I went all in with my pocket eights, and he called me down with K
Q, and then I doubled up I knew that I would have a shot to make it to the final table. So then I was studying my opponents during that same day there and then I knew how they played. And so I kept that in mind and when I went to bed I strategized a little bit and I decided to come out as the aggressor and thank God it worked out for me.
RL: The final table is going to be very different this year. Those final nine players are really going to have an opportunity to study up against each other, what do you think about the change?
JY: Anything can happen between July 14 and November 9, but I think they made the decision based on the future of poker and I think we should stand behind them and support them. There will be coaching and things like that, but I think the bottom line is that this is something that is going to better the future of poker.
RL: What advice would you give to any players out there who will be playing in their first main event over the next couple days?
JY: I have four different principles for me: patience, courage, faith, and discipline. Have the discipline to fold when you need to, have the courage to make calls when you need to, have faith in your reads, and also have the patience to wait for good cards. I think if you have those four you will do fine. Play position, and take your time, and study your opponents, and you should be okay.
POSTED ON: Jul 03, 2008
Good luck Jerry!