Layne Flack was born in Rapid City South Dakota in 1969 and grew up in Montana. Introduced to cards at a young age, his interest and latent skill in poker didn’t really emerge, however, until he had worked a stint as a dealer and cardroom manager. It appears that, like a fair number of casino employees, he found the attraction (and profit) of playing the game outweighed his interest in working around it and he dived in. Having won the second tournament he entered, he made the decision rather rapidly to concentrate on playing, leaving the poker world short one dealer and up one multiple bracelet winner.
Instrumental in his emergence onto the tournament circuit was his friend and early advisor Johnny Chan, who let him sit behind him while he was playing and provided Layne with encouragement and advice. Huck Seed, too, played a part in convincing him that Las Vegas might be the place to head, and he eventually settled there. Having made friends with a couple of the world’s best players, he set about making a name for himself. The name “back-to-back Flack” soon presented itself, having a nice ring to it. It came about after his surprise double win in the 2002 World Series, in the $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em and the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em.
He now boasts 15 WSOP cashes, taking first place in no fewer than five events: the 2003 $1,500 Limit Hold’em shootout, the 2003 $2,500 Omaha hi-lo, the 1999 $3,000 PL Hold’em and of course the double victory in 2002.
Recently, he came 2nd in the $6,000 No Limit Holdem Ultimatebet.com Poker Classic earning a cool half mil in 2004. First place in the 2004 Monte Carlo Millions Consolation Tournament also earned him a prize of $40,000. He has become a familiar face to many due to his appearances on the televised WPT, and his fearless, and many say (including an admiring Phil Hellmuth) erratic style of play have picked him out from the crowd, as if his tournament achievements weren’t enough to do that on their own.
Now seen wearing the familiar FullTilt logo, he, according to them at least, spends time online “helping amateurs learn the game.” I think his style of play might be a little tough to pick up, however, especially as he is renowned for both having an astounding ‘read’ on opponents, and drinking heavily through tournaments and winning them regardless. His penchant for intoxicants led to a stint in rehab, into which he was helped by friend Daniel Negreanu, but he admits his experimentation with drugs was born from boredom and curiosity. These same traits he quotes as his game’s weaknesses – but he is plainly aware of the dangerous directions his personality can lead him. He has learned valuable lessons this way – self-discipline in the arenas of sports betting as well as alcohol and substance abuse sometimes has to be learned the hard way.
Whereas he might admit to limitations personally, he is full of confidence in his unconventional no-limit game. This, his favourite game, is where most of his best results are earned, although he has proven himself a successful all-rounder. Hard as it is to describe how ‘intuition’ works, this is what he considers the secret of his success. Not big on learning from books, one gets the impression that he is comfortable with his formula – to play on instinct with fearless aggression, relying on a “sixth sense” ability to read his opponents. Not the tips his fans might want to hear, as that doesn’t sound like something that can be learned, exactly. He just seems to have discovered a raw talent for tournament poker which he’s happy to let work for him without outside influence – other players can just watch and wonder how he does it.
