Bob Ciaffone Interview

Bob Ciaffone is one of the most famous names in poker. For over twenty years, his books have been amongst the biggest sellers in the poker literary world. Ciaffone will be best remembered for almost winning the $10,000 World Series of Poker in 1987 when down to three players and in a strong position against the legend Johnny Chan and Frank Henderson.

Ciaffone went down in history along with Chan as the first two players to contest a tournament pot with over a million dollars in it, a pot which Johnny Chan won. He is a regular in the Las Vegas cash games but Bob Ciaffone’s name has become synonymous with quality poker writing and his four books have all been great sellers.

* Omaha Poker
Regarded as one of the best books on Omaha on the market and well worth a read

* Middle Limit Hold’em Poker
Ciaffone co-authored this with professional middle limit player Jim Brier and is a book that I highly recommend. The book has over 400 hand examples that help the student to grasp the concepts more clearly. This book may just go down as a classic in time.

* Improve your poker
Another quality book that I highly recommend and is a book that I find the time to read periodically and I cannot say more than that.

* Pot Limit & No Limit Poker
Co-authored with English cash game specialist Stewart Reuban, this is a great book for any player wanting to improve their skills at big bet poker.

All these books are available at www.pokercoach.us

At what age did you first get into poker?

I first played at age 9, and have played regularly all my life

Who if anyone was your greatest inspiration in poker?

I do not get so inspired by people, so much as ideas. The most important book I have read was Doyle’s super system, which explained to me how to play no-limit holdem.

I suppose that we all have heroes or favourite players in poker, who if anyone are yours?

The two writers I enjoy the most are Dan Harrington and Dan Negreanu

How long did it take you to become professional?

Poker has always played a role as an income source, but I do not consider myself a true professional until I moved to Dallas and played NLH every day.

You were the first person in WSOP history to play a pot with a million dollars in it, does that fact make you feel proud?

It is always nice to have the kind of record no one can take away from you, but since I lost that pot, I cannot burst with too much pride.

Many people who are new to the game will be unaware of just how close you came in 1987 to winning the big one, do you have regrets about anything that you did or didn’t do when it got three handed?

With hindsight, I should have played Johnny Chan for what he held for just limping, then calling a big raise (K-Q), and checked the flop. My flop bet might have been correct against someone else.

Are you surprised that Johnny Chan is still as awesome today as he was back then?

I am surprised only that he has competition for the title of the best NLH player in the world.

What is your opinion of how the World Series has gone since the influx of all the online qualifiers several years ago?

Great for poker. The fact that a pro player like myself has a huge overlay for the money and could become a multi-millionaire in one lucky event dwarfs anything else.

Do you play much online poker?

Some. NLH and PLO

What are your opinions about today’s poker players compared to when you learnt the game, are they better or worse on average in your opinion?

There are a lot more good ones—and a lot more bad ones. The big change is that someone can become a very good player in only a year, because of the internet.

What is your favourite poker form and why?

I like PLO high because there is more action in it and selecting a good starting hand is harder to do than in holdem.

I learned much of my poker knowledge from reading your books and I still read them every now and again, are you proud of your standing in the poker literary world?

Yes. I have had an enormous number of positive feedback on my books.

Have you anymore books planned for the future?

I will have a book on NLH out next year. It should have been done already, but I made the mistake of giving Outlook Express the green light to compact my email folders, and it ate them beyond retrieval. Use Outlook, not Outlook Express; the files you save could be your own!

And what does the future hold for Bob Ciaffone?

I am getting politically active, and am also trying business ventures such as making and selling a four-color deck. The future for me looks rosy, as it does now for many poker players.

What do you mean by “politically active?”

There is an especially serious need these days for good state and federal laws on poker, and I am working to help get some needed changes. Poker is in the 21st century, but poker laws are stuck in the 19th century. My organization is called FLOP (Fair Laws on Poker) and my website is www.fairlawsonpoker.org

Can you give an example of a bad state poker law?

The worst one was enacted by the state of Washington this spring. It penalizes internet poker playing with a felony charge that can give you up to five years in jail.