Ian Frazer Poker
Ian Frazer Poker Rating: 6,7/10 9556 votes
Ian Frazer is a strong poker player from Croydon, England. He earned more than USD 1,483,603.00 in his carreer with poker tourneys alone. Cash Games not tracked. His last poker live game was in 24-Nov-2017 where he got position 1 in the £ 30 + 6 No Limit Hold'em event in 2017 Genting Casino Plymouth Recurring Tournaments, Plymouth. Tony G limped from early position with the and Ian Frazer picked up pocket fives in the small blind. He raised to 26,000 and then David Benyamine was next to act in the big blind with the. He called the raise and then Tony G came alomg to the flop as well. The flop came down and Frazer was first up. He fired all in for 108,000.
Ian Frazer is in Las Vegas at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Classic. The first WPT report was published last week. The following is Ian’s experience from the day 3, and it includes sidebets with Antonio Esfandiari. Plus another Frazer video poker tip and a chance to play Ian heads-up for $500.
WPT Bellagio Las Vegas Day 3
Well not the best start for the main event, I am told, cards in the air at 1pm. So I wander down around 1.15 to miss all the kafuffle that goes on at the start of a big tourney, only to find the first level was nearly over DOH!
It started at 12pm and there are 5 x 1hr 30mins levels each day with 60k in starting chips. My table looks ok-ish at first glance, but I find out pretty quick that I have the winner of the $5k tourney two days ago and $5k WSOP bracelet winner to my left and next to him is Baldwin who has just been voted Card Players, player of the year and also won the $1k rebuy tourney for a cool payout of $200k, Elky came 8th by the way and needed 7th to break even is that mad or what. Further round is Jimmy Tran so there is not going to be any easy spots for stealing.
The $5k winner to my left is pretty much centre of attraction, he seems to be in all the big pots and when he passes he claims the 2nd best hand every time (I like this but can see straight through it) His chip stack is up and down like a yo-yo, I figure he won’t last very long or have massive chips early he looks like he’s in a hurry.
He is also the brain in a game for side bets with Antonio Esfandiari and another on the next table. This guys voice is one of those really loud and annoying ones that you would hate if things are not going right for you but fortunately I was okay and it was keeping me very amused. For those of you, who do not know the rules for this game. It is the most stupid, immature, trusting and egotistical way to gamble but better than listening to an iPod I suppose.
Basically two or more players will choose a subject with a number as a spread to gamble on over/under or closest to the line, which the brain declares after telling the players “IM LOCKED IN” ha-ha, you gotta love it. The players take it in turn to decide on the subject for the brain here are a few of the subjects I heard to give you an idea, the stakes are not chicken feed either! Ha-ha it just tickles me no end.
1st Question
Antonio: okay brain how much money do I need not to have an orgasm for 6 months…oh and you know I can do anything right?
Brain: Does this include involuntary?
I am thinking what the hell does that mean! What are these guys ever on?
2nd Question
Another: Brain how many one night stands in Vegas tonight?
Brain: Does a couple count as one or two?
Antonio: Na that’s only one man, and we are not talking hookers here right!
Brain: Okay I am in the tank!
Brain then starts to work out how many bars and clubs and what night it is etc and then declares okay “IM LOCKED IN”…………ha-ha I just cannot believe it these guys are killing me. Last one I promise.
3rd Question
Antonio: Brain how many girls has Bin laden bedded in the last year?
Brain: Do you mean the last 365 days because he is probably dead?
Ian Frazer Poker Club
Antonio: well his last 365 days then.
Brain goes through all the rig moral of sayings again and this time he even searches Bin Laden on his iPhone, ha-ha I mean what did he tap in for crying out loud. I haven’t bothered with the other answers but this time brain says okay two.
Antonio: Two! For a man with a billion dollars and a penis Two! are you crazy brain.
I gather he gambled for more, anyway the brain made a really bad play in a 3 way pot and he was out and that was the end of the brain game. (Sob).
Back to the game and I am treading water, nothing much is happening I am on 80k in chips and we are on the last level of the day.
I make a big squeeze after a small raise UTG with 5 callers I hold 10dJd and figure I want to force some play now. UTG passes which I obviously love, but then I get called in two spots. Flop Qc9s6c (that’ll do) I lead straight at it no pause, with half pot bet. I get one call. It is now a big pot and I figure the caller has a suited club ace or even straight & flush draw as this guys range was pretty wide, especially calling down. The turn brings 2d I am so certain I have a good read on his hand so I bet 2/3rds and the guy moves in on me, dam I have got this so wrong, I still have 22k so I pass and he shows 99.
I got the hand so wrong and felt gutted. I then found myself all in later after my pre-flop raise hit 2nd pair with a flush draw against top pair and that was the end of my WPT.
Ian Frazer’s poker tip of the week
Ian Frazer’s Christmas bounty tournament is on this Sunday. Last week Ian discussed how to play against crazy loose poker players, the week before he discussed strategy for early levels of tournament play. The tip of the week is on why you need to concentrate if you want to be a winning player.
Ian Frazer Poker Games
Head over to the Partypoker Facebook page for details on how to you can win a $500 head-to-head match against Ian Frazer.
13 March 2007
Ian Frazer Poker Game
Few players have so much success whilst remaining one of the unknown quantities on the poker circuit. But then Ian Frazer isn’t really part of the poker circuit, or he doesn’t think so. He represents a tribe new to poker but hardly new to life. The older generation that arrives already making the money that floats them to the top of the pile so fast that you just assume they’ve been doing this for years.
Frazer is also something different to modern poker in that his success has come almost exclusively on TV tournaments; the late night televised shoot outs, filmed in a week, shown over half a year. And while a younger player might take success as a sign of invincibility, Frazer has kept the day job, albeit a well paid one, and just drove to work in a better car. A faster one too. Yes, almost unheard of these days, Frazer is a poker player who spends his winnings.
We met at the Maidstone studios where Ian was in the midst of a dismal start to the Premier League of Poker. But a cup of tea in the cafeteria can make any man feel better, particularly when your ride home, with fellow travellers just a blur in your rear-view mirror, will be a constant reminder of your own success.
Stephen Bartley: So your Ferrari in the car park. Is it really a good car or is it all for show?
Ian Frazer: It’s a fantastic car! Boys with big toys isn’t it?
SB: Can you give me those numbers, like how fast it goes?
IF: I’ve done about 140mph in it, I think, something like that.
SB: Where?!
IF: On the motorway! (laughs) But then it ain’t really that quick. 140 is top end for a car. A load of cars do that now. It’s just a fantastic car. I remember being at school and saying to everyone ‘when I leave school I want to get an MGBGT’ and I thought I’d be Jack the Biscuit with one of them, and now I’ve got a fantastic Ferrari 360 Spider. I’ve had it for 18 months now.
SB: On to the poker. With a tournament like the Premier League Poker tournament, is that something that suits you structure wise?
IF: Yeah this does suit my game to be fair. And I’m very confident.
SB: What do you think it is that suits you?
IF: I don’t really mind the losing part about it. And I know there’re 11 fantastic players in this as well and they’ve all got far more experience at general poker than I have; they tower over me with experience. But I really don’t mind going out. I think that’s the difference. I don’t mind being first out. I’ll either be first out or I’ll win it. And that’s how I am with these games and I don’t mind making moves.
But I found out quickly with these guys – these are really good players, and it’s not like the normal heats you play in, they can get reads on you a lot easier than other guys. I’ll still play the same game but I might not be so eager.
SB: You’re not a Pro as such but you play a lot of these events.
IF: No, I’m not a pro. I run a business refurbishing hotels, bars, restaurants, stuff like that. That’s still my job, and I do it full time. It’s just that any spare time I get now; instead of swanning off on holiday I try and tie in a poker tournament and swan off on holiday!
SB: I don’t see you on any of the EPTs, and tournaments of that size…
IF: No, not at all. I just don’t. If they were in a county that I wanted to go to, take my family and have a good time, then yeah I’d do it. To be fair I don’t really want to be going to Baden, Copenhagen, you understand. Deauville in February? Deauville in July is a completely different ball game; I’d be there 100 mph.
SB: You won the Pacific Poker Open in 2005 and the European Poker Open in 2006, but and if you don’t mind me saying if I Google your name nothing comes up poker related at all. Why are you so low profile?
IF: I don’t know, I haven’t got a clue! (laughs) I’ve won a few things as it happens, quite a few quid. I play online for fun. I don’t open my laptop to go online and nick money. I play on there to relax, have a bit of fun. If I’m indoors having dinner, then put a film on, I’ll open the laptop and I’ll play in a tournament while I’m watching a film, and that’s how I am with it.
SB: Is that something that’s to your benefit – poker not being your main source of income.
IF: I’m not sure whether it is or not. I do get asked that and obviously I’m not under pressure to win, because it’s not my income. That’s why I bought the Ferrari because it was a surplus amount of money, it was like walking down the road and a big bag of money dropped in my lap. And I didn’t know what to do with it. So I used the money to buy the Ferrari. And it’s the same thing, then I won another couple of hundred thousand and I’ll go treat myself buying a luxury that I wouldn’t ordinarily buy.
I don’t know how it works with pressure but what does sort of peeve me off a bit is you get a bit of exposure. Like I said I’ve only been playing the game ten minutes, to be fair. When I started playing was when I won. That was two yeas ago.
SB: Is it literally that recent?
IF: Yeah. It’s quite a funny story. I went out to Vegas with a mate of mine on a long weekend jolly up. I love gambling, don’t get me wrong, I mean I’ve had greyhounds with mates, race horses with mates, and I know I love gambling, I love the buzz of it all. We all like the adrenaline.
So out to Vegas with a mate of mine and on the flight over he began to tell me everything about Binions and how the old man rode in on his horse…
SB: All the folklore…
IF: Yeah he told me all the history about the World Series of Poker. I didn’t really have a clue to be fair; I mean I played Kaluki at the golf club and in the snooker hall and all that. I didn’t mind playing for a few quid.
Anyway, he brainwashed me about this thing the World Series. We were staying at the Mirage; this is three years ago, he said ‘I’ll take you to Binions and show you’. When we went down there all the satellites were being played for the World Series and I didn’t even know but wanted to be part of it. So we both decided I was going to play a satellite, so I sat down to play a super satellite and won it. Won a seat in the World Series, straight off! (laughs) And we weren’t even there for it. We were going home. I remember we had to sell the seat, trying to get the dollars back. Anyway, we got the ten grand eventually – went and done nine grand of that on the roulette! We went back again with a thousand and I sat down at a ten seat table for a thousand and won that.
So that’s how I got into poker. And I came back and started playing; downloaded Ladbrokes, started playing on there. I met Barry Hearn and he said come down to Poker Den. Went down there, I knew Barry from other sports like boxing and snooker. So he said come down. I played in a heat with Devilfish and Ryynie Campbell; he was the outright winner who put up that tournament in the Turk and Caicos. I love the game. Then I went back again and won the next one and the next one and then I got invited to play in an Open thing in London and I won that.
SB: So poker was something that came naturally to you?
IF: Yeah.
SB: Did you read the books or anything?
IF: Nah I couldn’t read a book! If I’m on a train and pick up a newspaper, I probably read two pages and I’m bored. It’s not that I can’t read I just get completely bored with it; I can’t focus myself on it! Nah, I definitely wouldn’t read a poker book.
I talk a lot of poker with my brother – he plays every single day – a good player but he ain’t got a lot of bottle. So I talk a lot and I think you learn a lot by that. I like watching it as well.
SB: How did the commentary come about?
IF: I think what happened was I turned up the wrong time for a heat I was playing in, or something. And whoever was going to do the commentating wasn’t there. They asked me if I’d ever done anything like it and I lied though my teeth and said ‘yeah, I’m great’ (laughs). I’d never done anything like that before. But I just went in there. I didn’t think it was fantastic but I just say what I see and how I feel it.
I don’t mind talking about how I play to anyone. People say ‘well, you’re letting everyone know’. But because it’s not my living I don’t really care. It’s gone on and I’ve done a few more and a few more. They seem to like it and I don’t slate anyone.
SB: Do you find it hard to bite your tongue when you see some things?
IF: I find it hard to contain myself from laughing sometimes! (laughs) You predict things how you see it yourself, sometimes you get it wrong. I mean I said to Jessie May one day, ‘if he calls this hand I’ll give you 20 quid’… you know the rest. A second later they called.
But it’s like that and I think the main thing with poker is that there are so many new people getting into the game and getting involved that are on a really low level; they don’t know the top pros or even their names. And when you commentate on poker you must be very descriptive for them, for that audience. Because I think these people are going to be the ones that force poker into the top league of TV and everything.
When I’ve listened to commentators, unless you know the terminology of poker and you understand the hands, you can’t listen to it, you’re better of watching it with the sound down. So I’m always thinking that you let people know the fundamentals of the game. And if Jessie asked ‘do you think he’ll call here Ian?’ you don’t just say ‘no’, you’ve got to give your reason why and back track the hand a little bit to make it clearer.
SB: Thanks Ian. And is the Ferrari red?
IF: Yeah. Obligatory red!