Luke Schwartz

Lukas (Luke) Schwartz was born in London, England on 15th February, 1984, and is a specialist at No Limit Hold’em. He began playing poker in 2005.

The Grosvenor World Masters in 2005 and the 2005 Harbour Lights in Brighton are where Schwartz first had some live tournament success, and his record has been spotty since. 2010 was a good year for him though, which included a ninth place finish at the €25,000 No Limit Hold’em – High Roller Event of the European Poker Tour’s EPT Grand Finale in Monte Carlo, and a third place finish on the 15th December at the EPT €1,000 No Limit Hold’em/Pot Limit Omaha event in Prague. However, this is clearly not where he shines.

He is best known for his online play at Full Tilt Poker, where he competes under the username ‘__FullFlush1__’. His style of play is loose and aggressive, and he consistently utilizes a defiant demeanour, apparently in an attempt to intimidate his opponents. No one is safe, as not only does he call out the average Joe, but also some of the sport’s top players such as Tom Dwan and Di Dang.

When he began playing online in 2005 he went broke on several occasions, which appears to be when his aggressive personality came to light. In 2007, he was the winner of the PokerStars Sunday Million, and has been riding (and talking) his way to success at cash tables ever since. He also finished in fourth place at the Full Tilt Poker Million VIII, taking home $150,000 in winnings.

In 2008, Schwartz was noted to have stated the he “owned everyone at the table” during a European Poker Tour event in Prague, where he was also quoted as saying he “likes to wind players up. I get bored looking at all these depressing faces. I’ve got to bring a bit of life to this game.” He also asserted that he is the best tournament player around at the Monte Carlo High Rollers event, directly to everyone at the table, which included such veterans as Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu.

His mouth got him into trouble on several occasions on Full Tilt Poker, and he eventually had his chat privileges permanently revoked. It is rumoured he then cashed out from the site. Despite all his trash talk, he is regarded by some as one of the top players in the field for his ability to call his opponent’s cards.

He is a featured blogger on Black Belt Poker where, true to his nature, he continues to stir up trouble and make divisive comments.

Everybody seems to be on the proverbial fence about Schwartz these days. Will he continue to burn white hot, or will he quickly fizzle out? Only time will tell.