** Rafe Furst BIrd Feed **

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Rafe Furst
Years Playing Poker: 25
Fav. game: Spit 'n Shit Classique (it's a home game the tiltboys play)
Fav hand: AA

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#1 So far you have 1 WSOP braclet , do you see your self adding another one to you collection in 2008 ? are you going to play in the Eurrope WSOP this year ?

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I would sure hope to add another bracelet and will try my best, but it's really tough to get through such big fields. I would like to play in some WSOPE events, schedule permitting, but I don't have any planned yet.

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#2 What are your strengths as a player and what areas do you need to improve on?

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Strengths: emotional control, reading people, flexibility in thinking
Weaknesses: disciplined approach to the game, not playing enough hours to stay sharp

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#3 Have you had any embarrassing moment's in a live trny ?

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If you count dressing up in women's clothing to play in a ladies only event, sure, but I'm kinda proud of that :-)

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#4 How did you get started in Poker and was there anyone that was your mentor ?

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I started playing in junior high, but my grandfather, Louis Furst, introduced me to card games for money. We played Hollywood Gin ("a quarter a game, nickle a box, settle for half".

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#5 What is this group that you are a member of and how did it get started (tiltboys) ?

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In college I was looking to play in a regular poker game, like I did through high school. It was really hard to find people to play with. Sophomore year, I lived across from Russ Garber, who was a kindred spirit (but was a much better player). We started a game and invited some football players he know, and a friend of his named Perry Friedman. That year my cousin, Michael Stern was a freshman and so was Steve Miranda (who I knew from a summer camp we both worked in). That started the core of the game and throughout college we had a regular crew. People came and went and then after college we played in my apartment in Palo Alto, where I met Phil Gordon and a bunch of the others who are now "tiltboys". The name came from a Vegas trip we all took together. We used to post trip reports to rec.gambling (precursor to rec.gambling.poker), and that was the title of one of the early reports. You can find out more from tiltboys.com and the book we wrote about our adventures (Tales From the Tiltboys).

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#6 Have you won any trny's at Full tilt Poker.com ?

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I couple of smaller ones, but not any big ones yet.

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#7 How do you play differently in tournaments vs. cash games?

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I tend to play a bit tighter and the variation in playing styles I can employ is smaller. In cash games, I'm often playing short-handed and people play more of a variety of styles not to mention that I'm playing games other than NLH often.

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#8 What is this Bad Beat on Cancer that you are Co- founder of ?

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It's a grass-roots initiative that Phil Gordon and I started where we asked our fellow players to pledge 1% of their tournament winnings to PreventCancer.org, which is a charity where we both serve on the board. We started it during the 2003 WSOP and it's grown every year since. We sometimes hold special live events and online BBoC fundraisers. You can read more on www.badbeatoncancer.org and also join the MySpace profile "badbeatoncancer".

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#9 What advice do you have for somebody starting to play online poker?

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Start at the lowest limits and work your way up, but not too fast. You can make more money with smaller swings playing $1-$2 at 4 tables than one table of $5-$10 because the games are so much softer and you will be seeing 4 times as many hands. Also, be sure to try all the different games and formats (cash, tourney, SNG, etc) and develop proficiency at everything possible. Not only will you find it more fun, but sometimes the best games are not NLH. Ultimately you will win more money being a solid player of every game and situation than being a specialist.

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#10 If you were not playing poker , what would you be doing for a living ?

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Well, I'm not a full time pro. I play when I want and I don't base that decision on needing to make money, but rather if I'm having fun or am working on a goal. I am an entrepreneur at heart and I keep myself busy with lots of projects, both for profit and not for profit. Many people know about the company Phil and I started called ExpertInsight.com because we produced an award-winning DVD starring Phil called Final Table Poker, and a (multi-award winning) DVD with Andy Bloch called Beating Blackjack. I'm still involved in that.
My background is in computer science, and I strongly encourage anyone who is finishing high school to get a college degree. It just gives you so many more options. I have friends who are great poker players but want more out of their lives, and they feel they are stuck playing poker. That's a real shame. There is WAY more to life than poker.

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#11 Poker Achivments ?

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1 WSOP Bracelet in PLH
1 Ultimate Poker Challenge Championship
5th place Ladies Only event at Bay 101 ;-) (lol a womens trny hehehe)

29-Jun-07		$ 2,000 No Limit Hold'em 38th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2007, Las Vegas	62nd	$ 10,571
25-Jul-06		$ 1,500 No Limit Hold'em 37th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2006, Las Vegas	88th	$ 6,122
28-Jun-06		$ 1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em 37th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2006, Las Vegas	1st	$ 345,984
11-Jul-05		$ 1,500 No Limit Hold'em Ultimate Poker Challenge, Las Vegas	1st	$ 35,650
04-Jul-05		$ 1,000 No Limit Hold'em 36th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2005, Las Vegas	77th	$ 3,290
15-Jun-05		$ 1,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 36th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2005, Las Vegas	19th	$ 2,980
06-Jun-05		$ 1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo 36th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2005, Las Vegas	48th	$ 2,410
30-Sep-04		$ 500 No Limit Hold'em 2004 Ultimatebet.com Poker Classic, Palm Beach	17th	$ 873

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#12 What would you say is the best online or live game you are skilled at ?

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This really changes based on the competition at any given moment. Too hard to say.

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#13 As a pro that Plays on FTP are you allowed to receive FTP points ?

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I receive them, but I don't think I can use them for anything.

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#14 Do you have any tips on reading players when online/ live trny play ?

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Online it's tough. Sometimes you can pick up tells based on how long people are thinking or what they say in chat. Live there are many more opportunities. Pick up Caro's Book of Tells and Joe Navarro's book that he did with Hellmuth.

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#15 Is there anything else you would like people to know about yourself that is poker-related or even
non-poker related?

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Life is about being happy and making those around you happy. Poker is a selfish game and it's easy to get caught up in that and forget how to have normal, nurturing relationships. I like to keep this in mind and hope that others can remember too, it's just a game.
--Rafe

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Thanks alot Rafe for your time !!! Also speacial thanks to Mrs Magoo for help on this issue.

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