'Poker isn't a math problem' - Alex Foxen on the art of winning

What are you most looking forward to at this summer’s World Series of Poker?

What stands out to me most is the expansion of the pot-limit Omaha high rollers and the big-stakes PLO in general. The PLO tournament should be crazy this summer. They added the $100K and the $25K, half PLO and half NLH. That one will be really fun.

I've put a lot of work into PLO in the last year or two. So, I'm excited to play some of those.

Anything else?

Well, it’s another chance to have a good summer. I've never felt that the summer has ever been my highest-performing time of the year. I'm excited to rectify that this year.

This summer I'm going to play less volume at the lower stakes. That's mainly because the days are so long, and I need to prioritize my energy for certain moments during the series.

Foxen won over $3.8M in the huge Triton Main Event at WSOP Paradise last December.

You've been crushing it over the last three years with numerous seven-figure scores. To what do you credit most of the growth in your game?

I would like to think there are many things I've done differently. For one, there's just the constant focus on self-improvement, which is essential to keep up with the game and excel.

I also believe in being open-minded to different strategies and thought processes and recognizing on a deeper level that poker isn't a math problem; it isn't a science equation.

Then what is it?

It's a lot more artistic than it is scientific. I’ve been embracing and recognizing that approach like an artist would. I feel a great artist needs to understand angles, shades, colors, and all of those more technical things.

But at the end of the day, they produce the amalgamation of all of those different facets into a coherent thought based on a feeling.

Poker is more similar to an art than most people realize.

 

Poker is more similar to an art than most people realize. It's a hard thing to do because you need to let go of what the solver/GTO says as a form of training wheels in the sense that it gives you an idea of what would happen in a theoretical world that doesn't exist.

If you can take that approach more often, you can recognize the reality of the situation and be able to manipulate a player’s frequencies and tendencies to your advantage.

One of the big stories last year was using GTO Wizard at the table. What do you think will be the big story this summer?

I have no idea. I'm hoping the story is about the Foxen family winning 10 bracelets (laughs), but that's a tough thing to predict.

It’s funny that you mentioned the GTO Wizard thing. I welcome and even encourage the table to use GTO Wizard at these WSOP events. If all the regs are using GTO Wizard, that would be great for me in my opinion.

If all the regs are using GTO Wizard, that would be great for me.

 

What positive changes could the WSOP make that would benefit the players most?

I think most of the changes that need to be made are administrative. The WSOP has been left behind in a few ways. The Triton and EPT events have digitized much of the registration process. There is a phone app; you can load it with money and click register.

I hope that WSOP can recognize how much money they're costing themselves. Because every minute that someone is waiting in line is a minute that they're not at the table in a hand, they’re not able to bust and then re-enter.

I think there's no good reason besides laziness not to have those things in place. I'm optimistic they'll start implementing some of these things for the players.

Can you share any details about the upcoming online Chip Leader Coaching Bracelet Hunter Bootcamp?

One of the coolest things about the CLC Bootcamp will be the three different perspectives from Kristen, Chance, and myself. We're going to be preparing each other and talking through various scenarios.

Poker is so process-oriented. I think having the format where the three of us are discussing spots allows people to get a better insight into the thought process that exists from one player to the next and also where there are differences.

I’m excited. I think the bootcamp will share a pretty unique perspective on preparation for these types of events at the WSOP.

Kristen Foxen and Chance Kornuth will join Alex at the 3-day online bootcamp.

Antonio Abrego

You have a great partner in crime with Kristen. How has that support enhanced your life and poker game?

I feel like it's a massive advantage. There are obviously the strategic aspects of it. It's nice to be able to just talk to someone all the time about situations and hands and offer a different perspective.

It also helps that you have someone who understands the day-to-day that you're living through playing poker. It’s been invaluable.

Hellmuth said he won’t be playing the Main Event; it’s brutally long. Do you think he’ll play, or do you care one way or the other?

If I'm completely honest, I really don't care if he plays the Main Event. That's up to him. But I do think he has a point.

The organizers need to recognize that most people are doing this for fun. Obviously, it's competitive and intense, and that's part of what makes it fun.

I'm not necessarily suggesting we play four hours a day or something like that. But I think it is important to keep in mind.

Sign up today for the Chip Leader Coaching online 3-Day Bracelet Hunter Bootcamp beginning May 2 with Chance Kornuth, Alex Foxen, and Kristen Foxen. Stay tuned to PokerOrg for more info coming soon.

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^{Images courtesy of PokerGO/Triton Poker Series/Antonio Abrego.}