Scott “BigRiskky” Clements makes winning poker tournaments look easy. His latest win in the Canadian Poker Open earned him a nice payday of $250,000 Canadian (USD Equivalent is $220k). This adds to his Lake Tahoe WSOP Circuit preliminary event win, a long list of online accomplishments, and of course a World Series bracelet in Omaha Hi-Lo this summer. A short time ago, he broke into the Pocketfives rankings and he has stayed in under the new automated system. I got the chance to talk to Scott about the Canadian Open, his poker background, and goals for the next year.
Scott Clements grew up in a very competitive atmosphere. Being the youngest of four boys, he had to learn to take care of himself from a very young age. Two of his brothers are quite a bit older and made sure to keep the younger brothers in line with a healthy dose of “brotherly love.” It wasn’t all noogies, titty-twisters, and Indian rugburns however. Scott played on a lot of the same sports teams with the brother closest to his age, especially baseball, which he played competitively throughout high school and into college. He is also looking forward to the holidays with his family, so it can’t have been too rough growing up in the Clements household.
BigRiskky’s poker education began in earnest in a home game he hosted, which drew 40-50 players every Monday. The stakes were low, $10-$20 a head, but the competition was pretty fierce.
“I learned a lot playing those guys. Half of them were pretty decent players compared to some you find on the circuit,” Scott said of his hometown poker buddies. His experience in that home game served him well when a casino in Washington State began offering a monthly $10k guarantee. Scott won one month, and when they upped the guarantee to $20k the next month, he took it down again. After that, they changed the tournament to a satellite to the WSOP main event. It’s not clear if that was so he couldn’t win it every time or not, but either way, his promising poker career was off to a running start.
BigRiskky took his winnings online, where the tournament dollar goes a lot further. He had some mixed success early on, but 2005 was a breakout year for him. He won the Friday Special on Party Poker in April of that year, and the very next week saw him collecting $46k and a WSOP circuit ring. The rest of 2005 was a steady climb up the poker ladder, as he competed in the biggest tournaments online every week. He made the money in the 2005 Main Event, but 2006 was much more successful. Winning a WSOP bracelet is every Poker Player’s dream, and it’s a dream Scott Clements has already realized. He hasn’t slowed down one bit, however, and I doubt it would surprise anyone to see a few more bracelets on his wrist sooner rather than later.
The Canadian Open was a bit of an odd tourney, since the number of entries was capped at 300, and Scott wasn’t the first 300 to get a seat. This meant that although he had booked all of his travel in advance, he would have nothing to do but twiddle his thumbs in his hotel room when he arrived. He was lucky enough to buy a seat from another player, although he paid quite a premium. I asked him about this when we spoke:
Lenny: You paid $3,900 to enter a tournament with a $2,700 entry. That’s a pretty big premium; you must have liked your chances!
BigRiskky: Yes, I did.
Lenny: What was the field like overall in the Canadian Open?
BigRiskky: Not many pros signed up in time. It was pretty soft, especially for a televised WPT event.
Lenny: I heard you came to the final table with a chip lead. How long were you at the top of this field?
BigRiskky: I took the chip lead at the end of day two, so all of day 3 and then the final table.
Lenny: Wow, were there any bumps along the way, or was it pretty much smooth sailing?
BigRiskky: I was never in a pot for all my chips the entire tournament, so I guess you can say it was pretty smooth.
Lenny: As the chip leader were you playing big pots and knocking people out?
BigRiskky: I rarely play a big pot without the goods. I try to maintain pot control, especially in live tournaments.
Lenny: Any big hands you’d like to share?
BigRiskky: I got hit with the deck at the final table. The only really scary moment was when I moved in on Tony [O’Hagan]. I may have been bluffing with the best hand, but I’m not sure. I’m actually looking forward to seeing that on TV.
Scott “BigRiskky” Clements is currently in the top 50 of the Cardplayer Player of the Year race. He plans to take most of the rest of the year off with all of the holidays coming up, but one of his goals for next year is to make the top ten. He and his lovely fiancée are planning to tie the knot in the Spring, and she has made plans to join him on the poker tour, as Scott plans to really go after live tournaments next year. I asked if I’d see BigRiskky again in January in Tunica, but he has plans to be playing in the Bahamas. I don’t suppose I can blame him; I’d rather spend January in the Bahamas too.