Liam Skinner: IPA Most Valuable Player (2020 – 2021)

Congratulations to Liam Skinner of the Brown Poker Team on being named the Intercollegiate Poker Association Most Valuable Player! Liam recently graduated from Brown University, where he studied economics. He averaged 8 points per game, equivalent to a 2nd-place finish, across 8 regular-season games, the highest average in the league. Liam and his team won the 2020–2021 IPA title after finishing second in 2019–2020. He will be joining Susquehanna International Group as a trader.

Interview

What was going through your mind during the season? Did you keep notes on players or review spots where you thought you played poorly?

I kept a spreadsheet where I jotted down notes during the matches, so when I faced the same opponent more than once, I could remember how they had played before. Apart from that, I was just trying to play solid and adjust correctly for the tournament structure and stack sizes. Knowing how to play short-stacked and knowing the push-fold charts is very important.

What are your career plans? Do you plan to play any major tournaments?

I’ll be starting full time at SIG in the fall, where I’m expecting to play plenty of poker!

What was the camaraderie like on your team?

There was a lot of genuine camaraderie on the Brown team. Everyone has been playing together for a few years now, and we all wanted to see each other do well. Sometimes you lose a few flips in a row and need some moral support so you don’t get tilted, so we were all cheering each other on during the matches.

Any advice for future IPA players?

Even if you’ve mastered the basics in cash games and sit-and-gos, pay attention to the tournament structure. This year’s point structure encouraged players to hang on and play fairly tight because payouts increased linearly, and I think the teams that adjusted to that were rewarded. Also, take notes on your opponents. If you sit down already having three hours’ worth of notes on someone from the last match, that’s a huge advantage.

How have you grown as a player since you started playing at the college level?

I only started playing poker competitively about three years ago, and I’ve put a lot of time into studying and practicing to get where I am now. I owe a lot to my teammates. Most of them are more experienced and better players than me, and playing with them over the last couple of years pushed me to take the game seriously from the start, unless I wanted to be the weakest player at the table. I’ve grown a lot as a player throughout college, and I owe that to these guys and to our former teammates Julius and Dan.

Anything else you’d like to add?

If you want to get better at poker, put in the time to study. Reading, watching videos and reviewing hands are essential to improving your game. Ask lots of questions, challenge yourself and play with people who are better than you. Just not with your whole bankroll.