Straight To The Edge – Liverdracon Second In The Sunday Brawl

The FTOPS is over, but the successes don't stop. Coach and Sample Hand Judge Liverdracon finished as the runner-up in the Sunday Brawl and thus won over $50,000.

In the finale, Liverdracon only had to submit to the FTOPS Main Event winner Julian Verse – and he would have almost grabbed the win.

After Liverdracon went into the heads-up being behind about 1:3 in chips, he was able to double through early on with QJ against A5 and so almost evened up. In the next hand, he received a pre-flop raise from Verse while holding AA, right in time. He made a 3-bet, Julian Verse put him all-in and showed pocket jacks. Liverdracon's aces held up, and the online pro only remained with about 600,000 in chips, while our sample hand judge held over 4 million.

When the next all-in took place and Liverdracon faced JT with his own KT, he was already a 70% favourite pre-flop, but the board gave Julian Verse the straight. The turning point of a "card rush" which almost lead to the win. Hardly a playable hand showed up from then on, and if one came, it was always dominated.

Thus his opponent took back chip after chip. After almost an hour of heads-up play, Liverdracon moved his last 8BB across the line with 34 suited and got called by AQ. The board brought no help, and Verse had also secured the Sunday Brawl after winning the FTOPS Main Event. Maddyhh actually finished 14th.

"I often made the mistake of acting too impatiently and wanting to force things too much. As a cash game player, you then pull out moves which end up with you getting a slap on the back. During some phases, I was also simply card dead. My buddy then had to calm me down so that I didn't start to go on tilt. While we're at it: Once again a big thank you for the so important moral support. Later on, I had a few more card rushes which almost got me the win. In the end, I was almost the winner already, only to suffer a suckout. Afterwards, things were over and done with. Twice AJ vs AQ, and then came the end."

With this self-criticism, Liverdracon analysed his own performance in the following interview. A statement which reflects his professional approach towards the game. After all, he had just won over $50,000, and left behind some of the best online poker players of the world in the Sunday Brawl. To lose against Julian Verse in the heads-up is probably no shame either, but Liverdracon wants more.

He is very happy about his success, but a healthy dose of self-criticism is the only way to the success. "Sure I'm happy, but I strive for more. The best of their profession only became so good because they were their own biggest critic", said Liverdracon.

In his early years, his discipline carried him to the European Youth Chess Championship amongst other things, where he represented his home country Luxembourg against over 100 participants from all over Europe. Back then, it wasn't enough for a win, but the game taught him the will to advance. "I think it's due to the chess game that I got the ambition of always wanting to go further. And I obviously learned that patience is a virtue." Just as "straight to the edge" he also goes through his life off the poker tables. Lots of sports, "mainly jogging and fitness studio", are on his schedule. As a sportsman, he wouldn't smoke anyway.

Apart from that, his life is characterised internationally. As a "half Swede and half Luxembourger", he currently studies nutritional science in Vienna, Austria.

The fact that he speaks six languages, four of them fluently, makes him the ideal coach for the English and French community. Meanwhile, however, he had to slow down a bit due to his studies, and mainly concentrates on evaluating the sample hands in the French community.

He himself also started at PokerStrategy. Referred by a friend, he began with the already legendary $5 on PokerStars, moving quickly up to $3/$6 on Fixed Limit. On $1/$2 short-handed, however, came the cooler. He literally "went down" back then. Starting anew with $200 on NL10, Liverdracon meanwhile plays NL600 up to NL2000 quite successfully, which also gives him the option to deal with the big online majors.

"Naturally, the Brawl success wasn't my first try, but the first one in which the coin flips held up for a change, and I also won a 30-70 situation every now and then", he evaluated the premises for such a success quite realistically. After all, despite all the skill, you always depend on a few close decisions in such a tourney at times.

The probably "most important hand" was on the final table with still six players at the table. The blinds were at 17k/34k, and Liverdracon open-raised with QQ to 72,000. Julian Verse made a 3-bet to 200k, and the short-stacked BB shoved all-in. Liverdracon pushed his remaining 800k in as well, and Verse called. AK for Verse and KK for the shorty left Liverdracon pre-flop with just about 20%, but already on the flop came a queen and thus saved his tournament.

That it wasn't luck alone prove his other results of the past time. Three further final tables in the past days, and multiple other cashes show the clear line of approach for Liverdracon. Next on his list is the EPT Prague. "It would be nice to play that one, as I currently play a few Steps for it." It certainly won't be a surprise if we see him in one or the other live event soon enough.