Find out how Thazar turned $50 into $1,000
We meet the player who turned $50 into $1,000 in his latest Bankroll Challenge, and $150 into $130,000 overall.
Last week we shared the story of Thazar completing his Bankroll Challenge and today we sit down with him to learn more about him.
Starting with just $50 capital and $50 of his own personal fund which, added to his deposit bonus of another $50, gave him a starting balance of $150, thazar has since turned it in to $130k from profits accrued in both cash games and tourneys. More recently he completed his Bankroll Challenge of turning $50 into $1,000.
We caught up with the man himself to learn how he did it, and what comes next:
"Devil or Angel? I am a bit of both."
Hi Fabrice, congrats on reaching your goal so quickly! Tell us, how does it feel to come fifth in a tournament for 2.5k? Do you have the devil on the shoulder that wants more or the angel that is satisfied with the 2.5k?
thazar: To reach the final table in a large field MTT is always a great feeling. I am still to win one but it will come soon. Devil or Angel? I am a bit of both, I am delighted to have won that much but now I have a larger bankroll and I WANT MOAAAR!
Was this 5th place your biggest score so far? What is your favourite tournament?
thazar: My best score was finishing 2nd last year in the Sunday Warm up for $75k and that was a totally different experience. My favourite tournament has to be the Sunday Million but I enjoy the Majors on Pokerstars and Full Tilt the most. For the lower Buy-Ins, it's probably the Double Deuce.
Speaking about your biggest scores, as a long distance runner, what's your best time for 10k, 21.1k and 42.2km? Where do you want to go?
thazar: 10K is 0:37, 21K is 1:37. As for 42K, that was at 4:53 so I want to improve on that but at the moment my knee hurts a lot.
What makes a long distance runner such as yourself play long MTTs? Any other reasons you choose this game type and do you have any idols that play MTTs?
thazar: Well, I'm really a cash game player because I think I'm better at cash games. But given the time that I can put into poker, tournaments seem to be a much better option for me and the rewards are so much better that I cannot see myself switching back ever. My idols are pretty much Ivey and more closely TwiceT and Pleno1.
"To infinity and beyond"
When you finished the challenge, you immediately went for the next goal. What is the final goal for you in poker?
thazar: I am now a recreational poker player. I did play poker full time for a while but I don't think I was already bankroll and liferoll wise at the time. My goal in poker is of course to make $$$. I love the game. I am hoping for a 100K+ in 2016. After that, to infinity and beyond from there!
Since you made such a big ship, we need to consider you a pro! What's the top three pieces of advice that you can give to MTT newbies to become better players?
thazar:
1) Watch the other players and play the player not the cards. AT might be a good hand vs one player for a 20BB shove, but AQ might be a fold against another one in the same spot.
2) Change your game as your stack size changes. Don't have static ranges, and think about how many players are behind you when deciding on your range.
3) Bet small in most cases post-flop. This was probably the single biggest improvement in my game last year. Something I picked up from Pleno1. It allows you to continue with a much wider range without committing yourself.
"Mindset is so important in Poker"
It is not only about the technical poker skills, how much do you think the mindset contributes to success in Poker?
thazar: Mindset is so important in Poker. I don't think one can succeed long term in poker without the right mindset. For mindset, I got so much sound advice from one master TwiceT. Also the mindset that you learn in poker can be used in everyday life situations and make your life so much better.
Let's end with a fun question! Would you rather be able to read everyone's mind or be able to fly?
thazar: Snap call with being able to fly. Being able to read everyone's mind can and will be negative at some point, like "I wish I didn't hear that" type of situation. The downside of been able to fly is that I am scared of heights, but I am sure I would overcome that fear with time.
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Get rich or Die Tryin' - The Bankroll Challenge
