Champion Spotlight

Name:  Andrew Kim       

Age:30

Hometown:  Seattle, Washington

Nickname:AK

Occupation:  Just recently quit my job.  Weighing my options on what to do next.

Andrew Kim was a regular player on the scene. After some work restrictions, and relocating, he has made his presence back on the Poker scene in Korea by winning the biggest prize in Korean history at the Poker Stars APPT event in March, 2012. Short Stacked for much of the tournament, he caught a wave of cards with good play to be the Chip Leader for most of the final table. Besting the field of 269 he went on to win 144,000,000 KRW (127,296 USD).

Online vs Live: Definitely prefer playing live.  Online is convenient and quicker but a lot easier to go on tilt and play hands you shouldn’t be playing.   Live games keep you in check and the slower pace gives you more time to really think about what you’re doing. 

How did you start playing poker?  Caught the poker bug in college and started playing online.  Spent 4 years in the Army after college so didn’t really play that much.  And once the new laws that made it harder for US players to play online, I pretty much stopped playing for a few years. 

Favorite Hand?  Got to go with Big Slick.  Only fitting that it was my winning hand in the APPT Seoul event. 

Do you consider yourself a Cash game or Tournament Player?  I’m still trying to figure this out.  But I’d probably have to say a tournament player.  Only played a few, but have always done ok in the ones I’ve played in. 

What do you consider the most common mistake new poker players tend to do, and what is your opinion about it?   I think when people first start playing poker they tend to play too many hands.   But it’s all part of the learning process which unfortunately can be a steep cost at your own expense. 

What advice can you give to the new players?  The more you play the better you’ll get.  Don’t always expect to win because there will always be times when you are just running bad.  Establish a budget and don’t play beyond your means of living. 

Your thoughts on Walker hill Poker:  Walker Hill Poker has come a long ways since 2004 when they first brought poker to the casino.  With Korean nationals not being allowed to enter the casino, they have definitely done a great job in steadily improving their business through networking, social media and understanding who their customers are.   Action is always great on the weekends.   I am bummed that they only serve ham/egg sandwiches instead of letting players order off the regular food menu, ha. 

Poker Philosophy/Strategy:  I am definitely still learning the game.  Live and tournament play is completely different in my opinion.  But in general, I always try to figure out what type of players are at the table before I decide on how I want to play, whether to be tight or aggressive. 

What was your strategy coming in to the tournament?  I was bubble boy in a satellite tournament a couple days prior and almost decided not to play in the event.   Fortunately, my friends convinced me to play.   The goal was always to make it to the next day.   I initially got caught up in chip stack size but my buddy kept telling me that it doesn’t matter how many chips you have, but how many chips you have in relation to the big-blind.   I made a lot of my decisions and plays based on that. 

At what point did you think you could win this tournament?  I never thought I could win until probably the final table.  I was short stacked the entire tournament and basically just rode the wave of waiting for other people to get knocked out of the tournament.   I came into the final table 4^th or 5^th in chips but immediately lost a quarter of my stack on the very first hand trying to knock out the shortest stack.   So again I became short stack.   It wasn’t until I doubled up with AA vs AK that I believed I could win.  I became the chip leader after that hand and never gave up the lead from there.