Know the Pro: Amnon Filippi

Topics: Epic Poker League, Know the Pro, Amnon Filippi

It has been said many times that poker is a solitary game. It requires concentration, study, and a take-no-prisoners attitude at the tables to win. But to survive and thrive in poker, more friendships have arisen through the game, especially in the last several generations of players. Amnon Filippi is one of the best examples of how friends have improved his game and allowed him to relax away from it as well.

Amnon’s poker career has its roots in high school, where he learned to play Seven-Card Stud. As a young adult, his interest for the game took him to small card clubs in New York for cash games, and it wasn’t long before he tried tournament poker in nearby Atlantic City. It was there where he made his first major final table in a Seven Card Stud tournament at the United States Poker Championships in 2003, and other final tables followed in A.C. and at Foxwoods in Connecticut.

His first poker friendship emerged from the early tournament days. “I met Tim Phan when I first started playing tournaments, and he’s still a very good friend of mine,” Amnon reflected. “He was the first person I met from the West Coast in the poker world.” Tim had a positive effect on Amnon’s game. As far back as 2003 and 2004, poker was changing so quickly with the evolution of online poker and the boom bringing so many new players to live games, Tim was a person who helped him adjust and keep up with the changes.

Amnon doesn’t take friendship lightly, either. “I just saw Tommy Wang two weeks ago. He was the owner of the club I played in in Queens, and even after 10 or 11 years, it was like seeing a buddy I played poker with last month.”

Amnon admits that despite the deep ties between some friends, there are others with whom he spends time on a more regular basis. He met JC Tran and Nam Le at his first World Series of Poker trip to Las Vegas in 2004, and they are now somewhat inseparable. Of course, they discuss poker. “They’ve influenced me to change my game and fix things that didn’t work. They yell at me to stop playing small suited connectors in bad situations, and it took a lot for me to stop doing that,” he said. “They critique my plays in positive ways, though, so it helps.”

Poker players will discuss hands, and Amnon doesn’t deny that it happens. But they try to keep it to poker environments, for example, at tournament stops or during tournament dinner breaks. Away from the tables, they spend a lot of time with normal social activities. They see movies, go to clubs, and try new restaurants. “Enjoying life in non-poker situations keeps it from getting old,” he reflected.

Of course, their gambling nature finds its way into some of their leisure activities. “Every summer, we get a house together in Las Vegas during World Series time and play a lot of Chinese poker,” he said. “We play Spades and other games, too. We gamble to make it interesting and because we’re competitive, but we don’t prop bet for a lot of money. If we do bet some money, it’s for fun and embarrassing the other person, but it’s definitely not meant to hurt.”

Back at the poker tables, it is all about the money and taking the wins. They may be friends, chatting on tournament breaks and enjoying dinner together. In the game, though, Amnon says, “It’s war there.”

Through the years, Amnon has competed against some of his closest friends for the biggest titles. At the World Poker Tour Legends of Poker Main Event in 2005, Amnon exited in 12th place while Tim Phan went on to make the final table and finish fourth. At the 2006 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars event where Amnon finished 31st, he stuck around to cheer on friend Nam Le to victory. And when Amnon made the WPT Mirage Poker Showdown final table in 2007, 12th place finisher Le supported his friend to a 6th-place finish. And these are only a few examples.

Amnon has accumulated more than $2.7 million in tournament earnings through 2011, less than a decade after he started tinkering with the circuit. His game has improved, his results have been significant, and his friendships are solid. “If you’re a stand-up guy,” he said, “you become friendly with a lot of people. It’s a big small circle in the poker world. But it’s those close friendships that really make the difference.”