Alex Foxen Enjoying High Roller Success in 2018

New York pro Alex Foxen is currently enjoying an unprecedented run, with his winnings for the first three months of 2018 already amounting to $1,480,459. Helping to provide his career earnings with a major boost to $3,709,590 are two major wins this year, including taking down the WPT L.A. Poker Classic High Roller for $424,625, and victory at the APPT Macau Super High Roller for HK$ 7,560,000 ($963,880).
At this rate, the 27 year-old pro will soon surpass the $1,715,480 in winnings he amassed for the whole of 2017, which presently represents his most successful year to date, and commenting upon the winning approach to the game which has netted him so much at the tables, Foxen explained:
“I think that everything in poker is progression and you need to improve small things. Over that period of time, it’s been a steady progression making minor changes in small spots and it makes a significant change as a whole.”
Study Hard
Previous to his 2016 enrollment in the Chip Leader Coaching program, three digit buy-in tournaments was Foxen’s norm. Following his studies, however, Foxen has started to concentrate more of his efforts on the high roller circuit, and has since been able to make the necessary adjustments to his game to enable him to compete against some of the game’s best.
In Macau, for instance, he overcame a stacked final table at the HK$ 400,000 Super High Roller to lift the title, with his final table opponents including the likes of Brian Rast, Patrik Antonius, Rainer Kempe, and Sam Greenwood. Elaborating on his success, Foxen once again emphasized the importance of staying ahead of the curve and looking at where one might improve in order to progress in poker, stating:
“When you have success, it’s easy to think you have the game figured out. You play a session of online or a tournament and [other players] think about what they did well and I think about what I didn’t do optimally.”
Talking Strategy
While Foxen does all the academic reading required of a top poker player, including studying solvers and charts, one of the most beneficial ways of improving that he enjoys the most is through strategy discussions with other noted pros. This is because unlike solvers, or software that suggest ‘optimal’ solutions to specific poker scenarios, many of the assumptions made using such programs fail to take account of the way top players understand the game. According to Foxen, it is only the players themselves who can give a more solid understanding of the processes involved, with his two main go-to buddies for studying and going over hands being Chance Kornuth and Nick Petrangelo.
Adapting Your Plan
Foxen says that while he may have an initial basic gameplan when entering a high roller event, he then has to adapt his strategy according to the competition he faces at the table, explaining that “it’s all about being fluid and responding by deviating from your baseline going in.”
No Fear
He also says that he is not intimidated by any of the players he meets at high roller tournaments, regardless of their past results, and that in his mind he treats the game as just another poker tournament, with “nothing to be afraid of.” It is important to have this approach to high roller tournaments, too, considering the huge amounts of money placed on the line each time, even despite the fact backers are often invested in many of the bigger tournaments. The $1 million Big One For One Drop, for instance, is high on Foxen’s mind, and he has already acquired of a group of investors willing to back him in the world’s most expensive tournament. Whether he will actually take part remains to be seen, though, as the 11% rake has given him some cause for concern.
“The rake is pretty absurd right now,” explains Foxen. “I get where they’re coming from. As someone who is selling to it, it’s hard to be profitable for investors. If they change the rake, I would definitely be in. You need confidence from other players to play those tournaments. It feels good to be able to play them.”
Enjoys the Competition
While winning money is important, Foxen also admits that studying the game, improving as a player, and winning accolades provides much greater incentive to him at present. Foxen says competition comes naturally to him, and that one of his main objectives for this season is to keep on amassing GPI points and eventually top the player standing board by the year’s end. Foxen is certainly in contention to do so, too, with the player currently ranked 5th on the Global Poker Index with 3,304.16 points, behind Adrian Mateos (3,752.03), Stephen Chidwick (3,504.94), Justin Bonomo (3,419.07), and David Peters (3,373.97).