Nippon Poker

On the Go with Robert Williamson III

Life on the tour can be grueling, but Robert Williamson III explains to us how to stay fresh and focused. He has accumulated several first-place finishes in Omaha and hold'em, as well as a World Series of Poker bracelet in Omaha in 2002. Traveling to most of the major events, he is quite experienced on the tour.

Question: Life on the tour, what is it like?

Answer: Lots of work but a whole lot of fun!

Question: Where do you live?

Answer: Dallas, Texas, is where I call home; we also have a home in Phoenix. So we split our time between Dallas, Phoenix, Vegas, L.A., and then the road.

Question: Which is your favorite?

Answer: My favorite overall, day in and day out, is Vegas for temporary and Texas for permanent. But for traveling, I love Costa Rica, Aruba, and Amsterdam. Love those three, love them! Especially Amsterdam and Costa Rica.

Question: How many tournaments do you play a year?

Answer: Over the last five years, I've probably averaged as few as 30 and as many as 50. I play almost all the big tournaments, World Series of Poker events, other big buy-ins. Very few of the small ones, there's not enough time anymore.

Question: What is your favorite tournament?

Answer: Of course, I prefer any pot-limit Omaha tournament over the others. But for no-limit hold'em, of course it's the World Series because at the very end, you not only get a lot of money, you get a World Series bracelet. You are a champion for life.

Question: What would you consider your greatest poker accomplishment?

Answer: Probably my World Series bracelet from 2002. I think my consistency over a long period of time, too: Over a five-year period, in which I have been playing tournaments, I have shown a lot of consistency. I'm very proud of my consistency and levels of achievement.

Question: How does it affect your personal life and family?

Answer: Sometimes it may be a lot of fun for me, but it's more like work for my wife. She has to travel with me, and with emails and phone calls and setting up everything all the time, setting up travel, accommodations, then interviews, charity deals, it's always something. There is not a lot of off-time. I think that's the one thing that I regret: that my wife doesn't get enough off-time and alone-time with me. I try to always, as much as possible, really focus on what is important to her.

Question: What do you do in your spare time?

Answer: Bubble baths, watch sports, watch movies, dance, go out. I like nice big dinners, lots of good wine, close friends, and some great conversation.

Question: How much does stamina affect you on the road?

Answer: Stamina is huge. People don't even realize that to play a lot of tournament, especially the number of hours it takes, you have to have an incredible amount of stamina. Stamina is very important. Tournaments are draining. You not only have to play that many hours in a tournament, you have to travel to get there, get checked in, make appearances, and then play the tournament. So it's a lot. Especially the more high profile you become, the more things there are for you to do along the way. It's a lot, especially because I'm a newlywed. I'm trying to spend a good amount of time with my wife. It's tough sometimes to balance it.

Question: How do you balance it?

Answer: I don't sleep very much, and I have a high level of stamina. I was blessed with that from birth, so I have the Big Guy upstairs to thank for that. Also, I think you can do certain things to get your mental focus and really hone it. I know this is going to sound silly, but the morning before a tournament I try to make sure I follow a routine. I always make sure I have a nice breakfast a while before the tournament. Not right before, so I'm fresh when I get to the tournament. I always try to have a bubble bath so I'm relaxed and I'm in the mindset. When I'm sitting in the bath, I try to think about, visualize, what I am going to do that day. What my strategy is for this tournament and this structure that's there. So I like to take a lot of time and really think about it. Sometimes it takes me only 15, 20 minutes to figure out what I want to do that day. Most of it gets adjusted once I get to the table. I sit down and see who's on my left and who's on my right, and how they are playing today. That's when I make my final adjustments, but you have to have an overall strategy at first. I like a routine. It gets me in motion before the tournament.

Question: Does it ever get old?

Answer: Certainly; sometimes it gets to be like a grind. You have to refocus yourself and get used to the day-to-day swings. I like to think about what I can learn from each event to add to my arsenal for next time. I'm more concerned about trying to use each losing experience and winning experience as a learning tool to get better for next time.