Final Table Interview: David "Bakes" Baker
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Event #43 attracted some of the best poker players in the world, so it was no surprise to see the final table stacked with names like Layne Flack, Jesse Martin, Jeff Lisandro, Konstantin Puchkov, John Hennigan, and John Turner.
Also still alive is the 2011 champion of this very event, David “Bakes” Baker, who is having another stellar summer with six cashes and four final tables. During the break, Pamela Maldonado had a chance to chat with Baker about his great run, his strongest game, and more.
PokerNews: This summer you already have six WSOP cashes and four final tables, including this event. Would you say you’re crushing this summer?
Baker: This is definitely more than I could have ever expected. You want to make one final table and maybe one deep run so having four final tables is just off the charts. It’s not something that hasn’t happened before but it is super unlikely. I’m very happy so far.
What do you think has kept you from winning a bracelet this summer?
Bad luck at the final table. There were a couple of plays that could have gone either way, which I considered to just be a form of bad luck. You can’t guess right every time. So even if it’s just a card that hit the river or making a bad decision, or even making a good decision that turned out to be bad is all part of luck, too. I just did well in the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) online about a month ago. I made a bunch of final tables and took like first, second, third, second, and I don’t think I did anything different in those events than what I am doing today. It’s just a matter of variance, and a matter of luck that is present at these tournaments.
Your final table includes some of the best players in the world. How do you think you rank among the other players?
I don’t like to turn it into an ego game or think about who is better. There are people in poker that don’t have the raw skill of another person but play better in certain games and are more disciplined. I don’t want to slay anyone by saying I am better or worse than they are. I will say that I have a great chance and am very confident at this table.
You’ve cashed in most forms of game in your career. Which game is your strongest and which is your weakest?
Well no-limit hold’em is definitely my strongest game just because I’ve played it professionally for seven years. My weakest game is probably Omaha 8-or-Better or Seven-Card Stud or Stud 8-or-Better. I’m not weak in those games but I only have two years or so in the other games and a lot fewer hands played compared to no limit Hold’em.
How does your final table strategy compare to the earlier stages of the tournament?
In the early stages there isn’t the pressure of money. You can just go for every chip and not have to worry about the money influencing your decisions. At the final table you don’t want to play scared or anything but you have to know that it’s not good to play huge pots with a marginal hand against one of the chip leaders. You have to be mindful of your spots when someone is about to bust.