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Anytime members of PocketFives.com name whose game they respect the most, the answer is nearly the same every time: Isaac mr. menlo Baron. It doesn’t seem to matter who I ask, whether or not they’re ranked, or how long they’ve been playing poker for. The answer is always “Isaac Baron.” So who is the man behind mr. menlo and why does the entire online poker world respect his game? Before he could make it out for the night with his friends, PocketFives.com talked to the source, mr. menlo himself, to find out why the entire online poker world is taking about this young prodigy. You’ll quickly understand why he’s regarded as being among the most accomplished players in the game.
Online, Baron has logged some impressive cashes during his poker career. He took third in Event #13 of the UBOC in December for $74,647. One week later, he won the $200 rebuy on PokerStars for $57,695. He’s won the PokerStars Sunday Million, Full Tilt Poker $750K Guaranteed, and the PokerStars $100 rebuy. If there’s a tournament, chances are that he’s won it before. He told PocketFives.com, “I never considered myself to be a tournament or cash game player. I was more of just a poker player, so I played everything I could and tried to get good at each game.” He’s one of the top all-around players in the world and it’s easy to see why.
In live play, Baron has excelled as well, logging an impressive string of high-profile tournament cashes. Most notably, he finished fourth in the European Poker Tour Monte Carlo Grand Final in April for $932,000. Baron was the highest-finishing American in that event, which was eventually won by Canadian Glen Chorny. Italian Dario Minieri also made the top three. He commented, “My best poker accomplishment so far is being consistent over the past three years and never having to get staked or anything like that. If I had won the Grand Final, it would have been that, but I wasn’t really happy with getting fourth.”
Few players have experienced the level of success that Baron has, which begs the question, what’s the biggest challenge that he currently he faces as a poker player? He responded, “Staying motivated. Right now, I’m lucky enough to not really need the money as much as a lot of guys playing poker who are my age do. For me, the biggest challenge is not getting complacent and playing well all the time.” He’s finished in the money in the World Poker Tour’s North American Poker Championship and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. His lifetime WPT take is over $100,000.
Baron’s volume is noticeably lower than other online poker players you’ll find on PocketFives.com. However, with cashes in WPT and EPT tournaments, along with wins in the biggest events in online poker, quality is more important than quantity. He talked about his volume of play: “I don’t really enjoy online tournaments except for major events like the FTOPS and WCOOP. I prefer playing in cash games and live tournaments.” In no limit tournaments, one player he would like to avoid is Steve MrSmokey1 Billarakis (pictured): “He’s a very solid player who understands how to play every aspect of a tournament well. He is a great deep-stacked player, a great short-stacked player, and he understands all of the inflection.”
If you’re a new student to live poker, Baron makes for an excellent role model. He told PocketFives.com that players making the transition from online poker to the live arena should “stay patient and remember that it’s still the same game. I see a lot of online players rushing and forcing hands when they play live. People try to get really fancy and outplay people.”
Ego is a major part of online poker. It can be beneficial for your game or a hindrance to improvement. Baron revealed how he’s dealt with ego: “I never had a big ego when I was coming up. I think, for as much success as I have had, I don’t have much of an ego at all. However, it is definitely easy to get caught up in your own hype when everyone is telling you how great you are. I feel like I’ve stayed grounded for the most part.”
So if you’re looking for one of the top all-around poker players in the world, remember two simple words: Isaac Baron. A special thank you to mr. menlo for taking the time out of his day to talk with us.
By Dan