Brian Hastings Looks to Defend his WSOP $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. Title in Event #87
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The mixed-game tournament movement has been on the rise over the last several years, but one players who has been firing them for well over a decade is Brian Hastings.
In 2018, Hastings topped a field of 354 entries to take down Event #76: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. for a big payday worth $233,202 and his fourth career World Series of Poker gold bracelet. Of his four bracelets, Hastings has won three of them in a mixed-game format, with the fourth one being in the Heads Up No-limit Hold'em Championship.
"I definitely pride myself on how far I've come in mix from when I first started, far behind some of the best players."
Additionally, Hastings has made eight WSOP mixed-game final tables in his career, with the latest being a runner-up finish earlier this summer in Event #65: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better for $286,570 after losing head up to Nick Schulman.
Hastings' WSOP Titles
| Year | Event | Buy-In | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Event #12: Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship | $10,000 | 1st | $371,498 |
| 2015 | Event #27: Seven Card Stud Championship | $10,000 | 1st | $239,518 |
| 2015 | Event #39: 10-Game Mix | $1,500 | 1st | $133,403 |
| 2018 | Event #76: H.O.R.S.E. | $3,000 | 1st | $233,202 |
Hastings' live earnings currently sit at just over $3.7 million, but his online results, namely in cash games, are much higher. He is also known for winning $4.2 million in one day after playing Viktor 'Isildur1' Blom in a heads-up cash game online. Between his live and online results, Hastings has arguably marked himself as one of the best and most well-rounded players in the game.
When asked how it felt to have a real shot at defending his title, Hastings commented: "It's really cool. I know Adam Friedman did it earlier this summer in the dealer's choice. I know this isn't something that happens often, and I definitely pride myself on how far I've come in mix from when I first started, far behind some of the best players. It would be a really big honor. "
Mixed Game Specialist
The poker world is growing all the time, and with the rise of interest in Texas hold'em, there is also a growing interest in playing mixed games. Some of the popular variants include pot-limit Omaha, all of the games played in H.O.R.S.E., badugi and 2-7 no-limit, just to name a handful.
Hastings came up playing Texas hold'em and pot-limit Omaha, but grew to learn the many other formats as time went on.
"I kind of just stumbled into mix. A bunch of players I was playing against also played mix, so I was like 'hmm, what's that like?' As I started learning the games it just became a fun thing," Hastings told PokerNews.
"I imagine I'll play a more reduced schedule, but I'll still come out and play the Main and stuff."
"I think I really just have a desire to learn all the time. Part of what keeps me going in poker after playing for a living for about 15 years now is constantly being able to learn new stuff, and mix provides an opportunity to learn more. Playing too much of any one game, you can get kinda bored sometimes," continued Hastings.
Hastings says his best game is Stud Hi. "I have a bracelet in it. It's the game in which I think my edge is the strongest. People are a little too cautious in Stud Hi, so I feel like I can take advantage of that."
While there are many hold'em training sites and forums to pull from, Hastings recommends reading books and getting experience playing live. "At the end of the day you have to get your feet wet somehow. I've heard good things about Dylan Linde's new book about mixed games. I think that would be a good starting point. I think back when I started, I got some of the old Sklansky and Malmuth books - they're pretty good. Some of the newer books would be a little more up to date."
Activating Baby Rungood
While Hastings is focused on winning back-to-back H.O.R.S.E. titles, he also has a future to think about. After getting married to his now wife Sonya just seven months ago, the newlyweds are expecting their first child in January 2020.
There has been lots of buzz around the superstitious poker world about 'baby rungood,' and it's hard to turn a blind eye to some of the results.
Max Silver brought a baby girl into the world at the end of 2017, and went on to take down the �10,300 No Limit Hold'em - High Roller in Barcelona for �600,924. Soon after, Patrick Serda welcomed a baby boy in 2018 and promptly went on to win his first World Poker Tour title in Montreal in the C$5,300 No Limit Hold'em Main Event for C$ 855,000. Most recently, Mike Leah had a baby boy in June and immediately won $79,861.67 after landing on the Jackpot playing 'The Deal' on PokerStars as he opted to steer mostly clear of the WSOP this summer.
All those fathers who haven��t immediately had six figure scores should feel like failures.
— Max Silver (@max_silver)
Asked how being a father will change his poker plans, Hastings responded: "I'll probably play a bit less at least to start. I will definitely travel less and stay home in Florida - play there live and online and stuff. Next series is gonna be interesting - I don't wanna have to make that decision yet. I imagine I'll play a more reduced schedule, but I'll still come out and play the Main and stuff."
Brian Hastings is still in contention for his fifth WSOP gold bracelet, so follow along via the live updates to see if he can add some more hardware to his collection.
