23 Nov 11

Scott Clements Joins PokerStrategy.com as Our Newest Coach

Scott Clements is one of the world's premier poker players, with 2 WSOP bracelets and 2 WPT victories to his name. PokerStrategy.com is proud to announce that he has joined our team as a coach! Find out more about Scott, and check out an interview with him.

Scott ' ScottClements' Clements is one of the most feared tournament poker players in the world, so PokerStrategists of all skill levels will learn plenty from him now that he's a PokerStrategy.com coach.

If you're unfamiliar with Scott's accomplishments, he has earned 2 WSOP bracelets ($3K PLO8 in 2006 and $1,500 PLO in 2007), 2 WPT titles (2006 Canadian Poker Open and 2007 WPT North American Poker Championship), and tons of other wins and deep runs.

His lifetime tournament earnings total over $4.8 million, and he holds a 5-year membership card to the Epic Poker League. In short, the guy can play.

Scott's first video will cover the basics of PLO tournament strategy. It will be available tomorrow (November 24th) so make sure to look for it!

This week Scott has been playing live tournaments in Los Angeles, during which he won the $2,500 Venetian Deep Stack event for $110k, but he took some time out from crushing the field to tell us about himself in an interview.

The Interview

PokerStrategy.com: First of all, welcome to the PokerStrategy.com team! A lot of us are very excited to have you aboard. How did your relationship with PokerStrategy come to fruition?

ScottClements: I have to thank my agent James Sullivan, and Jim Erwood at Poker Royalty for that. They told me about PokerStrategy.com and the great format the site has for training. I checked it out for myself and loved it, so I told them to do what they needed to in order for me to become a part of it.


PokerStrategy.com: How did you first get started in poker? At what point in your development did you begin playing Omaha?

ScottClements: I was lucky to fall into poker. My brother and a bunch of his friends were playing on a weekly basis, and one week they came to me needing a place to play. I said yes, and somehow I was able to come 1st and 2nd in the first two small tournaments we played. I love winning, and that was all I needed to get hooked. I continued to run a weekly game, until I started playing a little too high online to continue playing the $10 tournament.

Online I played at Party Poker, and they had a lot of PLO8 action. Wanting to learn more games, I asked a player for a few tips. I played 3 Sit & Go's, won all three, and again I was hooked. Party Poker had a lot of PLO8 but not PLO at that time, so that became my focus. It was an easy transition for me to figure out PLO from PLO8, and the PLO bracelet I won was just about the first time I played PLO besides a few online tournaments.


PokerStrategy.com: What do you find so appealing about Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo? What types of players would you recommend try these games if they haven't already?

ScottClements: I think PLO8 and PLO are great because they are mostly post-flop games. I would recommend both of them to players with more skill playing post-flop.

"I still think about hands I may have misplayed"

Scott after winning his 2nd bracelet

PokerStrategy.com: You've had a ton of live tournament success over the last several years- are there any particular moments in your poker career that stand out as the most memorable for you?

ScottClements: I have really enjoyed every win. I love that feeling best about playing poker. When we get down to the endgame of a tourney, the money is never on my mind. Unfortunately the most memorable moment of my career is when I finished in 18th in the 2010 WSOP Main Event. It was painful to come so close only to fall short. I still think about hands I may have misplayed, and that drives me to play better in every tournament I play.


PokerStrategy.com: Your home state of Washington is one of the least poker-friendly places anywhere, and had laws expressly banning online poker way ahead of Black Friday. How did that legislation, and later Black Friday, impact your career? Do you still live in Washington?

ScottClements: I would say I am now more of a traveler with no home. I spend a lot of time at live events all over the world, and I also spend time in Canada, Washington, and Las Vegas.


PokerStrategy.com: What are your poker goals looking to the future?

ScottClements: I want to get better every day. I have come up short of some big wins over the past few years, especially at the WSOP, so this year and the following years my goal is to change that. I want to get bracelet number 3 and beyond.


PokerStrategy.com: Your first video for PokerStrategy.com will focus on PLO tournament strategy for beginners. What other types of content can we look forward to from you in the future, and what types of players do you think might benefit most from your videos?

ScottClements: I will be focusing on multi-table tournaments. I would like to do a lot of PLO and PLO8, so I may venture into cash games for those games too, but overall I've been more focused on tournaments as of late. I should also create some content focusing on heads-up play and NLHE MTTs.


PokerStrategy.com: We look forward to seeing your videos, and thank you for your time!

We are happy to announce that Scott's first video on PLO Tournament Strategy will be released tomorrow. Covering the basics of Omaha tournament strategy, it will be available for Silver members and higher.

by Matt Kaufman