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STEALING BLINDS NEWS |
July 28th, 2011  What It Takes to be a Contender!
Q&A with Phil "USCPhildo" CollinsBy: John Erwin Team StealingBlinds Playing online poker a few years ago on FTP, I had noticed the same name consistently on my tables or at the top of the leader board in most tournaments I entered. This player was very aggressive and seemed to time his spots with precision while continuously applying pressure to his opponents. He would raise often in position, and three bet every time he had the chance. If his opponent showed weakness, he showed no fear. He was relentless in making moves on the virtual felt. I knew right then and there, this player had the initiative and instinct to be a special poker player one day. Well it did not take long for Mr. Phil Collins aka USCPhildo to prove not only what I had thought, but prove to the poker world that he is one of the top players on the planet. He would go on to win many big tournaments and crush just about any game he played on the major online poker sites. If he had any critics after his wins online about his poker ability, he put that to rest last week when he became part of an exclusive club; The November Nine Club. It took a lot of stamina and a tiring eight days to beat out a field of over 6,700 players to make the WSOP Main Event final table, but he kept his composure and accomplished the task at hand. USCPhildo booked a date in November to play out the final table, and maybe a date with destiny too. It is my privilege and honor to be able to do an interview with the Poker Pro himself and to share it with all of you. The following is fifteen questions I had the opportunity to ask Phil and his replies to each question; StealingBlinds: How did you celebrate making the November Nine? Phil: The night after we made it I actually just went home and watched the coverage on ESPN with my wife. We were both pretty tired and didn't want to go out but watching it was a way to kind of relive the moment. The next night me and a bunch of friends went out to a nice dinner and had some drinks. SB: They say that sometimes you encounter a hand that is a make or break hand to reaching a final table, do you feel as if you had one of those hands, and if so, could you please tell us what hand or hands did you feel were a make or break hand? Phil: I played a lot of big pots in the span of 8 days that all really needed to go my way at the time, but the most memorable hand was on Day 5. I raised the cutoff with AK and the young kid in the SB 3bet. I put in a 4bet and he 5bet me small. It looked like he had a big hand, but I also thought there was enough behind that he might still be folding to a shove. I did shove, and he called with KK, but the board ran out J99 T Q and I had a little over 2 million instead of being left with just 2 hundred thousand. SB: Can you tell us what it was like on a day in and day out basis during the WSOP main event during the course of 8 days? Phil: Each day of the main event I was wide awake as soon as I opened my eyes in the morning. I could feel my heart start beating faster as the adrenaline kicked in almost immediately. I started eating and sleeping less and less each day as we got closer to the final table. On breaks I would try to find a place to lie down and rest and calm myself and eat what I could. Towards the end, the we would have 5-10 minutes of interviews on breaks and after play from the different news sources. There were a lot of distractions and obstacles that could have kept me from playing my best, but I was so amped up and focused on playing my best that everything else just didn't matter. SB: What was a normal day for you grinding in Vegas pre-WSOP and post Black Friday? Phil: I spent a lot of hours after Black Friday playing the different 2/5 games around Las Vegas. I'd mix it up and go to Aria, Venetian and Wynn, usually 3-4 times a week. I'd play my sessions depending on how I was doing and if the table was good or bad from about 4 to 12 hours. SB: What was the main factor in keeping you focused during that time? Phil: I was trying to make some money but really I was trying to improve my deep stacked live play against amateurs. Its important to understand the good players, but its also very important to take as much as you can from the weak players. I knew that I could improve a lot if I played more, and I really wanted to be prepared to play my best for the World Series of Poker. SB: Any Superstitions? Phil: No None SB: How has your life changed since making the November Nine? Phil: Well, I'm doing a lot of interviews. I've basically done about 2 a day for the past week or so. I've watched my twitter followers triple and I have a ton of new friends on Facebook. Other than that I've been taking it easy, playing some golf (I did get a really nice new set of clubs) and some video games since I haven't had time off in a while. SB: Being an elite online poker pro for so many years, How have you adapted moving your game from online to the brick and mortar scene? Have you had to adjust your play at all? Phil: I've learned that playing live the players at your table are much more aware of what you're doing and how you're playing. You have to be conscious of everything that you do and how it is creating an image at the table. I play a very similar game to my online style but I think I'm doing the small things well like maintaining composure, paying attention to other hands, watching players etc. SB: Any players at the Main Event final table that you have prior experience playing against? Who do you think, besides yourself of course, has the best chance of bringing home the Title in November? Phil: I've played with Ben Lamb and Pius Heinz some online and I played in the Main Event two years ago on Day 1 with Matt Giannetti, but leading up to the final table I played with all of them a fair amount on previous days so I have a little experience against each of them. I'd say Ben Lamb has a great shot to win other than me, because he's so hot right now and he's playing with a ton of confidence. He'll have to deal with the chip leader on his left though and Staszko could definitely win as well. SB: How will you take advantage of the four months you have to prepare for the final table? Phil: I'm going to be playing more live poker tournaments, the WPT Legends, EPT London, WSOPE, and EPT San Remo, and hopefully I can make a final table in one of those to prepare for the big final table in November. I'll definitely watch the coverage again and have a game plan for each player. SB: What do you think made you so successful in being able to grind it out until the final table of the main event? What was the key to being able to survive that long and against so many players? Phil: I really made sure that I didn't lose a big pot all tournament. I knew that with the two hour levels, you can be so patient and wait for those really good hands or the good opportunities to make a move. I tried not to make a big mistake and make sure not to invest too much into one hand for most of the tournament. SB: What made you take up an interest in poker? Phil: I love to compete and I grew up playing card games as a kid. I'm a guy who loves making money too so any chance to have fun, compete and make money at the same time naturally sparked my interest. I love tournament poker as well because of the feel of victory you get when you take first place and get a nice score. SB: What stakes did you start playing at? Did you deposit at all? Phil: I first started playing $5 and $10 games with friends in college at the University of South Carolina. I eventually put money online and lost a few $50 and $100 deposits to start. Eventually I started winning and by the time I graduated I had made a few thousand online. SB: Do you plan on playing any poker during the 4 month break? Phil: I'll be playing WPT legends, EPT London, WSOPE, and EPT San Remo SB: Are you planning on traveling the world and playing on the pro circuit on a regular basis now? Phil: I have been playing the live circuit for quite a bit the last year or two and now I will only be playing more. I've wanted to play more around the world and now that I have some extra money and I know I'm playing well, I'll be traveling to play a lot. Anyone that has had the chance to know Phil Collins or even play with him live or online, knows that Phil is truly deserving to be a November Niner. He has excelled on the virtual felt for many years, and now he has taken his game to a whole new level by dominating the live scene as well. StealingBlinds wishes the best for Phil and his family and appreciate him taking the time out of his busy schedule for this interview. Good luck Phil "USCPhildo" Collins in your journey to become Pokers World Champion. |
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