PokerWorks

Sixty-three year old pro Dan Harrington is easy to spot at the tables; he is almost always sporting a green Red Sox baseball cap. Playing poker for over 25 years Harrington is a legend of the game. He has written several books about poker and his Harrington on Hold ‘em is a poker best seller.

Harrington has proven he can pass the test of time in the game. His first big wins were two WSOP bracelets in 1995, including a Main Event win and his most recently a 1st place finish at the Legends of Poker Main Event in 2007.

KL: You recently played the Legends of Poker at The Bicycle, how was that event?

Dan: They give you a lot of chips in this tournament, 30,000 and the limits are low, so that is nice. I had a very tough table with a lot of good, young players that knew what they were doing. I also had Erick Lindgren at the table and he’s a very tough player. They seemed to be all tight aggressive, which was a tough table. I played that table slow and tried to wait for a new table, I just tried to survive the day and hope for something better the next day.

KL: You won the Legends of Poker last year, when you win an event do you like to come back the next year and try to reclaim your title?

Dan: It certainly is a nice thought but I have never been able to do it. It’s difficult even winning one tournament so I am happy enough just doing that. I always have to come back and play again and it would be nice to win the title a second time.

KL: How do you decide which tournaments you play?

Dan: Whether I am in the mood or not, generally some of the big tournaments close to me like the Bike or the Commerce. I will play in those because I am in the same town, so it is very easy for me. The next on the list would be the ones in Vegas. After that, maybe I will play 1-2 tournaments somewhere else in the world, but that’s about it.

KL: Will you go to the WSOP Europe?

Dan: No, I won’t.

KL: You mentioned that you start with plenty of chips at the Legends, what do you think about people that show up late to tournaments?

Dan: I guess it’s a personal decision, I wouldn’t do it. It’s not so much the rounds of money you miss, it’s the rounds of information you miss and that’s more important. Some people do it and they seem to be ok with it, but I wouldn’t do it.

KL: When you sit down at the table how long does it take you to get a feel for people that are at your table?

Dan: It usually takes about an hour or two, something along those lines. That’s why you should start off a tournament relatively slow.

KL: What about if you get dealt a big hand the first hand. Would you play it fast or would you play it slow because you have no information on your table?

Dan: It just depends upon what I think the situation is. Sometimes I will play it slow, sometimes fast. It depends what I think my opponents would do.

KL: You recently released some books on cash game strategy.

Dan: Yes, they came out a few months ago and are selling really well. I’m working on book six which will be about more shorthanded poker games, 6 max and stuff they have online.
 
KL: Where can people buy your books?

Dan: You can get them at the bookstore, Barnes & Noble or get it on Amazon.