In the low-stakes version of Event #27 of the recently completed PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), Joe crackhAAdCutler came out on top in a $22 Razz tournament for $10,000. He managed to outlast the aptly named RazzKidheads-up and the top 440 players finished in the money. A field of over 3,000 registered and Cutler turned in one of his largest online poker paydays to date. He’s also taken down the site’s $3.30 rebuy and Nightly Seventy Grand in recent months. We caught up with the new SCOOP winner to break down his dominance in Razz.
PocketFives.com: Congratulations on taking down a SCOOP event. Talk about your proficiency in Razz.
Joe Cutler: I don’t really play it much to be honest, but sometimes poker is just poker. I think there’s more to it than people give it credit for. Of course, you have to get lucky not to get counterfeited deep in hands and improve every so often, but people don’t look for enough spots to be aggressive from what I’ve noticed.
I think in some ways it helped not to be very proficient in this game because it really forced me to pay extra close attention and look for the best decisions rather than autopilot my way through. I think Razz is a poker muscle that most regular players don’t flex regularly and there are cases where some people are raising early in hands when they can’t possibly have the best hand, but on the whole, people have a decent grasp of the game.
PocketFives.com: What is your game of choice?
Joe Cutler: Primarily No Limit Hold’em and some Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better. Those are where my best results are as well as volume, but part of the fun of the SCOOP and FTOPS is getting to play some great MTTs in different disciplines.
PocketFives.com: When you decided to become a professional poker player, were your friends and family supportive of the decision?
Joe Cutler: I turned pro about 3.5 years ago. I had some substantial results before I made the decision, but now my family and friends stand firmly behind me.
PocketFives.com: You come from a pool playing background, right?
Joe Cutler: Yeah, so playing poker didn’t surprise most of my family and friends since they were used to me making some alternative decisions. My pool background definitely helps me deal with the swings of winning and losing. It also helps me understand that there are only certain aspects of the game you can control; others are fully out of your hands.
PocketFives.com: Where does your SCOOP title rank among your various poker accomplishments?
Joe Cutler: It’s definitely behind my WSOP Shootout final table last year and my first two big wins of $146,000 and $58,000. However, there’s something special about winning any championship, especially in another form of poker.
PocketFives.com: Your final table in last year’s $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Shootout at the WSOP was worth $56,000. Talk about your plans for this year’s WSOP.
Joe Cutler: I’ll be playing all of the $1,000 events, $1,500 events, and the Main Event with others mixed in. I’ll spend the rest of my time in the Bellagio daily $1,000 events and the Venetian events. In the past two years, I’ve won three of the Bellagio $1,000 tournaments and have had some decent results at the Venetian, so I hate to stay away from there too. If I get off to a fast start this summer, I will dedicate more time to the Rio, but there are so many variables to consider.
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