In the fall of 2023, Benny Glaser put on an all-time performance during PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). Over the course of the series, Glaser racked up a record-setting 7 WCOOP titles, bringing his total COOP title count to a whopping 25.
Clearly, Glaser knows a thing or two about grinding a long, high-variance online schedule. As such, it's always a good idea to check in with the man himself as he kicks off his SCOOP run. PokerOrg reached out to Glaser for his thoughts on the ongoing SCOOP grind and how he's managed to find sustained success in COOP events.
Are there any events on the schedule that jump out at you as particularly fun to play or ones that you look forward to?
BG: Honestly, not particularly any outstanding things. I definitely prefer the mixed events overall. I enjoy them more and I don’t play them as often as NLHE. For example, No-Limit, Single Draw 2-7 is a game that I really like, but rarely get to play. It’s a long series and, aside from the Main Event days (which are clearly the biggest), I try to treat every day as it comes, in terms of the different game variants.
What type of prep did you do in the run-up to the series?
BG: This series it’s been much tougher to do prep than I would have liked. I was playing EPT Monte Carlo for a week beforehand and then I flew straight to Montreal where I basically had only two days to logistically set up a place to be ready for the grind, which was very difficult.
Normally, I’d ideally take a bit of time off right before a series to rest in preparation and maybe do some study beforehand too.
Is there anything you can point to within your game that explains your sustained success in COOP events?
BG: I’d like to think that my versatility is one reason - both with being adept at lots of game variants, as well as being able to battle with some of the best mixed game players in the world and play against the guys in a $22 O8 or 2-7 event at the same time. Basically, being able to multi-task and adapt.
As well as my experience over the years, putting in the volume for basically every game type.
How do you stay focused on the big picture items, like Player of the Series or leaderboards, when playing so many tournaments day in day out?
BG: It’s tough. Especially when I’ve just been playing another series right before it and also when I’m trying to look towards the WSOP immediately after it. I just try to prioritize it. I mostly am just playing on PokerStars throughout SCOOP (sometimes cash games too).
I just kind of accept that that will be my life for those 3-4 weeks and that some sacrifices will be made and other things will get put on the back burner in order to just focus.
