Before this year’s Series, Jeff Lisandro was unable to obtain a sponsor. Despite his formidable record, nobody wanted to know. Two months later and the Iceman boasted more bling than Ali G and over $750,000 in tournament winnings. He had become the first player to win bracelets in all three Seven-Card Stud events, and if ever a reminder were required of his success and others’ short-sightedness, his mug would be enlarged to foreboding proportions and plastered on next year’s walls as the 2009 Player of the Year.
Born in Perth but now residing in Salerno, Italy, Jeff’s reputation as a cash player belies what is an equally impressive skill set for tournament play, in particular at the World Series where he’s become an unstoppable force. Debuting with a final table in 1997, he went on to cash 31 times, including four bracelets (the first coming two years prior, again, in the Seven-Card Stud format), two seconds and two thirds. He also won $542,360 in a 2005 circuit event in which he beat Phil Ivey heads-up. With over four million in winnings, to pigeonhole him solely as a “cash player” would be ignorant beyond belief.
After a deep, but fruitless run in the Main Event, I found Jeff loitering in the Brasilia Room, chatting with friends, in fine fettle and smiling from ear to ear. Detecting an expectantly sociable mood, I swooped in to ambush him with a few choice questions, the self-satisfaction of winning three bracelets in as many weeks, or course, being top of my list.
Snoopy: Which of this year’s bracelets was the most important to you?
Jeff Lisandro: I’d probably say the Seven-Card Stud High-Low because it was a big prize. Also, I was behind at one stage heads-up and never really had big chips, so it was nice to win that one. I had to really fight and grind away at him, but I got there in the end.
Snoopy: Did winning a bracelet help your confidence?
JL: Oh yeah. It’s always about confidence. Once you’ve done it once, it’s a lot easier doing it for a second time.
Snoopy: How key is the money to you? How about the Player of the Year award?
JL: The money’s not a really big issue, I love the bracelets. It was great being the 2009 Player of the Year. I came second in 2007 and was a bit disappointed. It’s always good to win something, and it’s nice to have the respect of your peers too. It’s like having another title.
Snoopy: Do you enjoy playing No Limit Hold’em and is it something that you wish to focus more on?
JL: I think I play No Limit Hold’em really well, but I don’t play it enough. It’s not easy to be consistent in that game. The way it is played these days with so many young guys continually pushing their stacks, you’re always getting in positions where you only have slightly the best or worst of it, and it’s costing you your whole stack. You have to overcome that, which isn’t easy. Whereas in Limit Seven-Card Stud games, you gradually build up a chip lead, and if you lose one hand, you’re still the chip leader. You can only lose so much at once.
Snoopy: Do you worry about the future of Seven-Card Stud games?
JL: I think the popularity of HORSE guarantees the future of the Seven-Card Stud games because to play HORSE, you have to have a good knowledge of all the games.
Snoopy: What is the standard like in Seven-Card Stud events?
JL: The standard is very, very strong. There are a few good amateurs, but most are hardened pros. 1,500 fields are always going to be hard to beat, but so are 400 fields where all the players are good. Phil Ivey is a great Seven-Card Stud player, as is Nicky Frangos. I’ve made a couple of finals with him, he always seems to get to the end and it’s just a matter of time before he wins one.
Snoopy: What are your views on two of your heads-up opponents, Michael Craig and Farzad Rouhani?
JL: In the Razz with Michael Craig, I had such a big chip lead that it didn’t really matter how he played. Rouhani had a good understanding of the game, but I didn’t like the way he played heads-up. He also tried to needle me a bit, but it didn’t work. I felt sorry for him, and I didn’t even want to needle him back.
Snoopy: Why did you start playing more tournaments?
JL: Because it suited what I was trying to achieve, which was winning a million dollars a year. I decided that was my goal in poker. I’ve had an exceptional year and won twice as much as I wanted to win, but the thing with the tournaments is, that I really only play at the World Series of Poker. There are 31 events that I enter, which gives me a month and a half to really get into it and knuckle down. I know I’m going to play all these tournaments, and make a profit, because it’s not a one off thing. I’m outlaying $150,000 in tournament buy-ins, but I know in my heart that I’m going to have an above average return on payouts.
Snoopy: Is there anything about the World Series of Poker that you’d like to see changed?
JL: You know what, I’ve got to tell you, they’re doing a good job here. If someone else who didn’t have the same experience wanted to set up something similar, they’d be lost. They’re doing a good job, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do a better job. For example, I think they should be more on time. This year there were a few events where they said to people that they were going to restart the next day at a certain time, yet they made people hang around for a couple of hours. That is not acceptable and you cannot treat people like that. In those two hours, I could have been sleeping, resting, or whatever.
I think rebuy tournaments should be reintroduced. I found them to be great events because there was a lot of value in them. If someone wants to rebuy 50 times, they’re paying for that advantage. Another thing that I don’t like is that they’re only televising a couple of the events this year. I think the success of the numbers at the Series is based upon the fact that tournaments are televised. There’s a cost involved, but if they maintain the amount of events they film, the numbers in those events will be maintained as well.
Snoopy: Does this mean that you’d be happy for them to change the HORSE final to No Limit Hold’em if it meant they could televise it?
JL: No, because I believe there’s going to be a gradual change where the people watching poker on television will graduate to appreciating all the games. I know it’ll be hard at the start, but people will eventually watch and become accustomed to them.
Snoopy: What do you think about the induction of the award ceremonies?
JL: I think it’s a good thing. I’m a duel citizen; I’m 100 percent Australian and 100 percent Italian. I took the oath on both nations. I picked the Australian for my anthem, and almost immediately, the Italians started criticising me. Luckily, I won more than one bracelet, meaning I could play the Italian anthem on the second ceremony. The third was Australian, and next time I win a bracelet, it’ll be Italian. That’s the best I can do.
I had to pick one of them first, but you’re always going to get a lot of criticism and jealousy from other players saying that I’m representing Italy just to break into their fan base, but that’s not the case. It’s a sad thing, but many European nations don’t consider you a representative of that nation, even if you’re a citizen. I believe that’s a problem that Europeans have to address. It shouldn’t matter that you don’t traditionally look like a member of that country, you still have the right to say you are from that nation. This is why I like the ceremonies.
Some players need to mature. There are a lot of Jamaicans in England, but they’re English, that’s what they are, whether you like it or not. They fight for their country, and play sport for their country, so if they want to say they’re English, they should be entitled to do so without criticism. My father’s Italian and I have that citizenship, so If I want them to say I’m Italian, I’m Italian, and if a few people don’t like it, then they can go to hell. And I’m not going to change because a few people who think I’m trying to get an edge in poker are saying they don’t like it.
Snoopy: Have your views on sponsorship changed since the Series?
JL: Sponsorship is still important to me because if my goal is to win a million dollars a year, then 25 percent of that money could come from sponsorship and endorsements. It would make my life easier and I wouldn’t have to risk so much. In order to make that amount five years ago, I’d need a bankroll of three or four million. It’s easy to set these targets, but I’m always jeopardising my 'roll in trying to achieve that goal. Like any sport, it’ll ease the burden, but playing is the hardest thing.
In truth, I haven’t had a lot come my way. I’ve had a few offers, smaller sized, but I haven’t accepted anything yet.
Snoopy: Do you have any interest in fame and glory?
JL: If that’s what I have to do to get endorsements, then yes. I’d do it for my family too, but it’s actually not a big thing for me personally.
Snoopy: Would you consider yourself to be a poker obsessive?
JL: I wouldn’t say I’m a poker obsessive as such. I don’t play a lot of poker, maybe five or six months a year. When I do play poker, though, I play a lot. I work hard when the opportunities are there and I dedicate myself to the game. But then again it’s important to be aware that your body and mind need a break, so you can wind down for a few months of the year and get poker out of your system.
Snoopy: How did you adjust to the injection of young players into the game?
JL: I just continually do what I have to do. Where I’ve got the edge is that I believe you need to know 10 different games, and I play those 10 different games really well. I play No Limit Hold’em really well too, but I wouldn’t say I’m the best at it. However, I would say I play it well enough that I can hold my own against anyone. If we had a combination of three or four different games, I’d be very confident of getting into the money, because when it comes to playing multiple games, it’s very hard for a young guy to beat me.
Snoopy: What is your major weakness as a poker player?
JL: My weakness is fatigue. When I get tired, I play really bad. You have to get into a routine of fitness; you need to be really fit to play 14 hours a day. This actual year, I was concentrating on my diet and eating really good food to help me stay awake and get through the fatigue stage. Next year I want to do even better. I hope I have enough time to really train and get fit, as well as maintain a good diet. All those things come to fruition in the last two hours of the day, so it’s really important that you are able to focus.
Dieting has been a big part of my success this year. I’ve always had a sleeping problem too and found it difficult to sleep after playing poker tournaments, but this year I’ve fixed that. I wanted to have a system, getting up and going to sleep at the same time, eating an hour after getting up, that sort of thing. I’d like to do more exercise, but I don’t have time. I can’t afford to exercise during the Series because it will make me too tired during the day.
Snoopy: What are your hopes for the next 12 months?
JL: I want to get some endorsements so I don’t have to risk such a huge amount of money. I have no goals fame wise. I’m going to Europe and will play a few events, including Cyprus where I’ll be organising some cash games. I’ll also be in the Aussie Millions where I’ll do my month of playing cash and tournaments.