Comments on a poker commentator
As one of the presenters of “Ask the Commentators” on the Poker Channel of DSTV, as well as one of the most successful players in Africa, Ryan Brauer is quite used to receiving and handling questions on poker hands. But this time we put Ryan on the hot seat and interrogated him about everything BUT poker hands….
Tell us more about Ryan. How would you describe yourself and would your friends and family describe you in the same way? “Loud, extrovert, talkative, I like to joke around. I think most people would describe me in the same way.”
How did you first get into poker in 2004 and what did you do before that? “I was working in design and media, while starting to play socially at home games with friends and the bug bit me.
You decided to pursue poker full-time in 2006. What lead to that decision? “I started winning against my friends consistently. I also managed to start winning more regularly online after I had paid my school fees learning the game there. I proceeded to enter some live tournaments in which I was fairly successful too. (His first big tournament result was landing himself an impressive 30th place finish (against a 750 player field) in the Aussie Millions, followed by a second place finish at the All Africa Poker Tournament.) At the same time we were trying to the rights to launch America’s biggest poker magazine in South Africa. After 6 months of preparations with the magazine, that idea was put on hold and after a few tourney successes, I decided to give it a full go playing professionally, a decision which I haven’t looked back upon.”
As someone who plays poker professionally, what would a week or a month in your life consist of and is it lucrative? “90% of the time I play poker online. I only enter for the bigger live tournaments, such as the All Africa Poker Tournament, Poker Ace and SA Poker Open and I also compete internationally from time to time, in the likes of the Aussie Millions; World Series of Poker and so on. I make a decent living out of it.”
We’ve noticed that you are not single anymore. How does playing poker affect your relationship? “I wouldn’t say it has a big effect, but one has to learn to compromise. If you play poker online and you’re on a winning streak, you naturally want to continue playing. And when you lose, you also want to keep on playing to win your money back. But you can’t sit in front of your computer 24/7. You need to know where to draw the line, and devote as much attention to your partner as you would to your work.”
What differentiates you as a poker player from the next guy? “I’d have to say my banter and table talk.” We smile, because anyone who has played against Ryan can attest to that. So are you trying to be the local Poker Brat? Ryan laughs out loud. “There has certainly been some comparisons between me and Phil Helmuth, but I am not deliberately trying to imitate him (although I’d kill to have a record like his, him being probably the most successful No Limit Hold’em tournament player ever). What happens at the table, stays at the table. Everyone who knows me, understands that my comments are made in good spirit. And I have become friends with many of these very players who were the recipients of my remarks around the poker tables.”
What are your most favourite poker moments or experiences? “I’d have to say it was in 2006 when I won the Bellagio Cup as well as the Sun City Heads Up Tournament within 6 weeks from one another. I was particularly proud of beating well-established players like Peter Vermaas and Cyril Jassinowsky (Piejay). There was also a bit of good-humoured revenge in there, as Peter was the one who beat me at the All Africa Poker Tournament prior to that.”
Who do you look up to in poker and why. “It’s hard to say. Locally I tend to form friendships with the players, and a form of mutual respect is developed. On an international level I’d have to say guys like Patrik Antonius and Kenny Tran. I admire Patrik for his aggressive play and his ability to win in mixed games at the highest level. And I take my hat off to Barry Greenstein for being the Robin Hood of Poker. He donates all of his tournament winnings to charity.”
Has anything occurred to you during your poker career that has changed the way you looked at poker before? “I haven’t had a light-bulb moment. But since I am in a committed relationship and have responsibilities such as a house and a dog, I tend to take poker more seriously. I can’t afford to fool around anymore.”
Where have you learnt the most about poker? “Definitely from playing frequently with my buddies such as Darren Kramer and Sami Sidia. We’d play and then sit and analyse our hands and sit and chat about how one could have handled these hands in different scenarios.”
What do you aspire to do with your poker career from here? Just to keep at it. I would also like to play in more international tournaments, but not necessarily the World Series of Poker, as I’ve played there a couple of times already. I want to play more in European Poker Tour events if possible, hopefully visiting Prague, Barcelona and Paris along the way.
On that note, how do you think our local players compare to international standards. “We’ve got some good players, but I think we still have a long way to go. It’s all about the numbers. Our poker community here is still very small in comparison, whilst there are thousands of poker players overseas and just as many playing poker professionally.”
Tell us more about “Ask the Commentators.” How has it been for you, and do you feel you that it actually fills a need for players out there? “It’s been a whole lot of fun. People e-mail us our questions on poker hands, but we don’t prepare our answers before the time. We feel that there needs to be an element of spontaneity in how we approach the possible solutions. We are not necessarily the best players out there, but we have certainly analysed a LOT of poker hands. We think beginners or intermediate players can gain from our experience. And I’ve actually been approached by some players at live tournaments, who told me that it helped them a lot and that it improved their game.
“Ask the Commentators” can be viewed on the All Africa Poker Channel on DSTV, available through the interactive touch menu. The programme is specifically aimed at addressing any poker queries, which are then handled by Ryan, as well as esteemed poker professionals and All Africa Poker Commentators Ryan Dreyer and David Dadic. Send all your burning poker questions to questions@allafricapoker.com or to catch them in action, visit www.allafricapoker.com for a screening schedule.
