What is your poker story and what led you to full-ring over other variations of the game?
I got a free $10 at Absolute Poker through my friend Hui back in late 2004, was very skeptical before playing, even with free money. Promptly busted that of course; didn’t think much of it. Not long after that World Poker Tour came on TV and I got really into that. I started reading more and learning about poker. During that time played a ton of free money sit and go’s at Absolute Poker. I was doing pretty well in them, so obviously deposited some money and started playing micro stakes SNGs, made a little bit and cashed out because holidays were over.

Not long after that I got another free $20 at Bodog (thanks again Hui). Took it straight to $10nl full-ring and ran hot to begin with. Played there for months and months, slowly learned some things, read some books etc etc. Then for the next like 3 years I was very slowly working my way up the limits, also played a whole lot of sit and go’s, bonus whored my way around all the networks etc.

In late 2007, got really into 2+2 and improving my game and learned to mega-table. From that point on I’ve never really looked back.

Full-ring was just what I had always played; I just stuck with what I knew I guess. It wasn’t really a conscious decision at any point in time. Reading poker books when you are first starting that teach a kind of tight approach I guess lends itself to finding your way to full-ring.

Have you, or do you plan to play any other forms of poker than NL Holdem?
I’ve had brief periods of flirtation with Omaha/8, limit and pot limit cash games and pot limit sit and go’s. Other than that, I haven’t really many hours playing other games.
I still feel like I have a lot more to learn about no limit hold ‘em, and would be more likely to head down the path of more 6-max and heads-up type play than to learn a completely different game. It’s just such a huge sacrifice to take yourself out of your normal game and try and learn something that is very different.
How many hands do you think you have played lifetime? Give us a breakdown of the limits and how successful (by your standards) you think you have been at each.
I have absolutely no idea, other than to say millions of hands. I spent a lot of time early when I was playing non-thinking, bonus whore type poker at the micro limits, but I was never playing a lot of tables so my hand volume probably wasn’t as great as when I moved up to small limits. I just didn’t care to improve my game at that time, so I would say that period wasn’t a success and I regret that I didn’t use that time more efficiently.
Since then though, I would say my transition through the small limits up to mid-stakes has been very conservative by most people’s standards, but a success for me.

When you get up in the morning, what makes you want to play poker?
This is a pretty deep question and something I think about a lot. Deep down I think I have a passion for the game and solving the problems within it, but there are certainly times when I question whether I want to dedicate so much time to it in the future. So sometimes it can feel kind of like a means to an end and a grind trying to achieve whatever goals I’ve set out for myself, but other times I am purely driven by the thrill of playing.

What are your poker goals for 2009?
I blogged them at the start of the year, but I won’t repeat them because I’m failing miserably at a few of them. I’m not really too fussed with a lot of them, the most important thing is that I’m still enjoying playing poker and that playing a lot hasn’t gotten old. I’m no longer playing much on PokerStars so all my VPP related goals are obviously irrelevant. My aspirations of getting into PLO and playing tourneys have been put on hold also. Playing more 6-max and on non-US sites has been successful to an extent. Later in the year I’m looking forward to APPT Sydney and meeting a bunch of 2+2ers/friends I’ve made online there.

What is behind your screen name?
The Eureka Stockade is was a rebellion that took place in my home State (Victoria, Australia). Basically it was an uprising by gold miners against the government forcing them to have licences back in the gold rush. The Eureka flag (pictured in the header of my blog) bears the Southern Cross, a prominent set of stars visible in the Southern Hemisphere sky. Individual liberty and freedom is an interest of mine, so I’m sure that had something to do with my choice of name, as well as a sense of national pride I guess.

Are you climbing stakes these days?
I’m very conservative with my shot taking for the most part, but being a full-ring specialist I mean there isn’t really much to move up to. I really don’t see the point in playing much beyond the stakes I play unless I find tables with a few weak players and not many short stackers (they are few and far between these days).

How much time do you put into poker outside of playing, and what do you do?
It varies, but probably more than most that play the kind of hand volume I do, I would say. Sometimes it’s hard to give up playing time to study, but not being locked into a SNE chase or similar helps I guess. I try and do a hand review at least a few times a week, watch a bunch of videos as they are released and do a fair bit of chatting/discussion with other players about hands.

What are the major poker epiphanies you’ve had to get you to the point of solid, winning poker?
There are so many things that I’ve learned along the way and continue to learn and I have massive breakthroughs all the time. The funny thing about solid poker is that a lot of people are not actually setting out to play in a boring solid style. They want to play loose, they want to make fancy plays, they want to 3-bet a lot, whatever. I’ve slowly loosened up my game over time, but I think I’ve always set out to play pretty straight forward and go from there. Obviously, you can’t be completely ABC, but you really don’t need to mix things up as much as a lot of players do in order to beat micro/small stakes games.

I guess there is just lots of small things you come to realise over time, how important position is, people aren’t bluffing you as much as you think, table selection is really important, bankroll management is key, studying and improving all the time to stay ahead of the curve is crucial and a lot of other stuff.

It’s actually pretty funny to look back and think about my time at lower limits and my view of the regulars when I first started in those games. It’s pretty bizarre to think about how I used to sort of aspire to be as good as them and fear them a little. I think there is a lesson in that. When you think about your current limit, there is sure to be a player that gets the best of you or whatever and it’s really crucial to recognise the fact that, I constantly re-enforce to myself, ‘they are just a dude with a range’. With hard work, practice, patience and discipline you can beat just about anyone or at least not have them smack you around. I’m sure there a lot of people reading this who have had that feeling of intimidation, I’ve struggled with it in the past and still encounter it all the time.

How do you consider your game? Sum up your style of play. Are you a nit, a LAG/TAG. Why are you the player you are?
I would say that my full-ring game has linearly progressed from me being one of the biggest nits in the game to one of the looser TAG regulars at my stake these days. I guess my style of play is just a product of how I was introduced to the game. My basic goal in the beginning was not to lose much/win marginally and make money grinding bonuses and the best way to do that was playing really tight. When you aren’t very skilled post-flop, you instinctively tend to stay out of trouble by not playing many marginal hands and that’s what I did for a long time. When I actually started thinking, learning and improving the loosening up came naturally.

What do your friends and family think of your poker playing?
I imagine my parents were quietly worried initially, but I don’t think it took them long to realise I wasn’t maxing out credit cards to indulge in poker. I think they always knew I was very frugal when it came to money and that I had a good head on my shoulders, so they had no reason to be worried. I kept good grades up at University as well, so I’ve never really given them too much reason to think twice about it. My wonderful girlfriend has always been fine with it, apart from missing me when I’ve gone on poker trips. We were together before I got into poker, so it could have been an issue, but never has been.

As for my extended family I’m not sure how much of it they understand other than that I don’t have a gambling problem, I’ve been to Vegas/Macau a few times and I have a blog. Poker is just one of my many interests; I don’t really see that it should be define me in any way to anyone really. Same with my high school and Uni friends as well I guess. It’s not something I’ve really discussed with a lot of people. I don’t really care how I’m viewed and what people think of me in terms of my choice of hobbies.
These days a lot of my closest friends have either come from poker circles or gotten into the game themselves anyway. I’m happy that I can share experiences and relate to them well I suppose.

What kind of reactions do you get from people outside of poker when you tell them that you play? What are some of the funniest, ill-conceived, tilt inducing and fishiest responses that you get?
There are only two instances I’ve come across where someone has reacted like I have some sort of problem. No real surprises, they have both come from religious types. I guess the notable one was when someone asked my mum if I’m “still addicted to poker”. As we all know, there is absolutely no way to be passionate about playing cards for money unless you are 100% addicted to it and in need of a soul cleanse.
Most people I ever talk to about it are pretty open to it, they’ve seen it on TV or they play sometimes themselves. I get all the usual things like their poker/bad beat stories, tales of other people they know that play and the fishy stuff like can I double their $300 for them.

You have a strategy group known as ‘Life Fish’. Who is in it and what is it about?
It’s basically a private strategy discussion forum, mostly for full-ring. I asked a few regulars from the spectrum of poker sites to join. Some agreed to join and never got involved much, so they were culled. We are left with about 10 members now and at the moment there are about 4 or 5 of us who take it seriously. We might look to get more members in the future. Essentially, it is just a far better alternative for discussion of hands as opposed to a public forum.

What are the best and worst parts of being a poker player?
Winning and losing, of course (not really). The only bad part about poker I can come up with is how sedentary an activity it is. I could make a long list of things that are great about it. I really love that there is always something new to learn, there are always games going, there are always people that think they know more than they actually do, there are lots of cool/interesting people I’ve met playing (and now call my friends) and I guess one of the most satisfying things is that I’ve actually become a decent at it.

If you are having a really bad run, or a really good run, does this affect your day to day life outside poker?
Not really. I can’t really think of a time where I’ve lost any sleep over poker (which is more than can be said for the trials and tribulations of other passions of mine, such as my sports teams). Sure, if I’m going through a rough patch I might get a tad grumpy now and then, but nothing major.

Who’s your favourite famous pro?
I’m not really massive on following the tournament scene, TV poker or railing nose bleeds online. I’ll watch High Stakes Poker and occasionally some high stakes videos, but that’s about it. My favourite TV tournament pro would be Allen Cunningham. As someone who really quietly spoken myself, I can relate to the way he carries himself and he just comes off as a really humble nice guy. He seems to be pretty sick good a poker too.

In terms of an online cash hero, it has to be BalugaWhale. I’ve learned a lot from every single thing he’s written or recorded. He might not be one of the biggest names in high stakes, but he has a way of breaking down the game that really works for me.

Sophomore year some friends told me about this glorious place called PartyPoker where the players were (gasp!) even worse than on Stars. One Friday afternoon I really had the itch and deposited $300 on Party. I basically played for 60 hours straight and by the time I had to go to class on Monday I had over $20,000 in my account. The rest, as they say, is history. Those were the days, when poker was actually fun. I was so involved in school and had so little free time that I genuinely looked forward to being able to play. Party had this great tournament back in the day, a $33 rebuy that started at like 11pm. You could rebuy anytime you were all-in so the average person was in for $300 or so. At one point, I cashed this tournament 9 times in a row. I would bust around 4am, take a quick nap, and wake up for class at 7:30. Rinse, repeat. F the UIGEA =/

What led you to full-ring over other variations of the game?
In November of my senior year, I got my two five figure scores on Stars and had built up a nice bankroll. I decided that I had pretty much mastered tournaments (laughable, I know) and was ready for a new challenge. I had never played in a cash game online before, so I decided to give them a shot. I immediately started 12 tabling 1/2 FR on Stars. Full ring was the logical choice for me because I was used to the dynamics of 9 handed poker. Also, in my limited experience in 6 max I was a complete spewtard and I thought I could play a much more disciplined game at FR. Even today I run at an average of 40/30 in 6 handed games so not much improvement in this area I am sad to say =/. It took me a couple weeks to adjust to playing with deep stacks and develop pot control skills, but after that I was pulling in a steady five figures every month in my spare time.

Talk about your win in the Sunday Million.
Basically, I played lights out, mistake free poker and ran really well. I was able to accumulate a huge chip stack early on in the tournament and just pounded my opponents into the ground through raw aggression. As we got deep, I stayed away from major confrontation and picked up small pots fairly risk-free. I actually got 17th the very next week, which could have been pretty historic since both fields were in excess of 5000 people. [funny story: really blew up in this one... my friend was over sweating and I was yelling instructions to him since I had to take a serious #2 and had no laptop at the time. He says that button has raised and I have 45o in the BB and before I can process the information I have already told him to shove. I tell him to stop, I was just kidding, but it was too late. The satty fish times all the way down to 1 second and calls with AQ... oops]

I was already playing 2/4NL at the time of the tournament so it did not really help me move up in limits, but it was obviously awesome as my bankroll doubled overnight. I will tell you the truth though, it doesn’t feel nearly as good as you expect it to. I had gone to bed many times just wishing I could somehow win the Million so that all my wildest dreams could come true, but after the adrenaline wore off I felt exactly the same as I did the day before. Food still tasted the same and I wasn’t having rampant threesomes with Italian twins in a giant pool filled with money like in my dream. “This is it?” I thought to myself. If anything, winning the Million made me disappointed. It is disappointing to realize that in all likelihood you have reached the pinnacle of your poker career and it is not 1/100 as fulfilling as you pictured it would be.

What is behind the name GoMukYaSelf?
Pretty self-explanatory. Just a simple play on words that I thought was fun. It is good because I am easily recognizable but it is bad for the same reason, not to mention having to hear the same jokes from fish over and over. If I could go back, I probably should have chosen a random fish name like KILLER456 or something.

Poker and non-poker goals for 2009?
My goal coming into 2009 was to make $500k in cash games, but I am not too concerned with it because winnings are so volume dependent and I have no idea what I will be doing tomorrow, much less months down the line. My main career goal is to be successful in consumer advertising, so I guess my non-poker goal would be to continue to set myself up for that, so when the well dries up or I no longer enjoy poker I can hit the ground running.

Have you ever been coached?
Yes, I got a really respected coach a few months ago mostly just to see what all the hype was about. It was very helpful to get a fresh perspective on some of the plays that I somewhat took for granted as standard. I have recently gotten into coaching students myself and I am really enjoying it. It feels good to help people get better and it is a nice ego boost to see their graphs head skyward in the week after I coach them =)

What are the major poker epiphanies you’ve had to get you to the point of solid, winning poker?
No one ever has anything.
Push them until they fear you. And then push them more.
Figure out what your opponents are trying to get you to do… and then do the opposite.
No one calls their way to victory.
Poker is just like chess… always be one move ahead of your opponents.

What are some of your interests outside of poker?
I love going out and meeting people – just being spontaneous in general. I’m extremely competitive so any sport/game/challenge/etc is right up my alley. I’m a big movie buff, I’ve seen just about every mobster/conspiracy/heist movie that is out there. I also read a ton, right now my main topic of interest is behavioral economics. People are really fascinating.

What sports teams do you follow?
Anything Cleveland or Ohio State.

What are the best and worst aspects of being a poker player?
Best: daily freedom, opportunity to travel
Worst: can be very stressful/frustrating at times, public perception of poker as a “career choice”, harder to maintain active social life

What do your family (both immediate and extended) think of your poker playing?
It has been very interesting. My parents still do not fully understand what is going on (They still ask me “but how much did you lose?”) but they trust me and support me 100%. I get asked all the time by extended family and friends in the workforce “how is the job search going?” and I usually don’t have the heart to tell them that I haven’t been looking. Most of my good friends are so impressed by it and brag that they know me all the time but their comment is always “you are so lucky” and it is hard to get them to understand all of the hard work and dedication it took to get where I am now.

What kind of reactions do you get from people outside of poker when you tell them that you play? What are some of the funniest, ill-conceived, tilt inducing and fishiest responses that you get?

*at a party*
Friend: Hey (dude), this is Chris, the poker guy I was telling you about.
Dude: What’s up bro. So where do you play?
Me: Pokerstars.
Dude: Cool. I used to play there until I figured it out was rigged. Do you ever play for real money?
Me: Uh… yeah. I play for a living.
Dude: That must be awesome! You are so lucky! Do you ever play with DonkamentFish34? He wins like every tournament he plays.
Me: Uh… no sorry I play cash games.
Dude: Nice. I was playing $0.05/$0.10 with my friends one time and I was dealt the pocket AA…
Me: HEY, WHAT KIND OF BEER IS THIS AGAIN?????

Quick Quiz – Of All 2+2 $400nl+ full-ring regulars

Best avatar?
plyboy_binny’s fake bronze star avatar is so awesome. I wish I would have thought of that first.

Best strategy poster?
People post strategy on 2+2?????

Best trash talker?
Deldar182. Kid is a prodigy.

Best 24-tabler?
Kelistaan. If I played the kinda volume he has played for as long as he has, I would be surrounded by padded walls.

Funniest?
Ranka <3

Weirdest?
rytoast… dude is a few chips short of a full stack if you know what i’m sayin

Most under-rated?
thenutspt has come a long way in a short time imo

Most over-rated?
Probably me, to be perfectly honest.

Who have you met in real life?
from the 2+2 crowd… Pterodactyl, SetzerMason, Kos, srkbigdaddy, Coordi, KakiTee, and the infamous WhiteWhale.

Most Tilty?
Among the solid regulars, fantasticcow/AGx19 probably

Least Tilty?
Pterodactyl6. Dude just plays solid, mistake-free poker.

Best table selection?
Leatherass/studnit1

Best short stacker(lol)?
I plead the filth.

I chose Full Ring over other variations for the simple reason that what I had seen on ESPN was 9 players to a table. I didn’t even know about 6max or HU until awhile after that. I don’t really have the patience to learn 6max/hu though. I play 6max every now and then when I’m bored with FR though. I used to play Omaha a bit and it is truly the gamblers game. I remember swinging from doubling the roll to busting it in one session of 2 tables. It was awesome and soul crushing all in one.

What is behind the name Petteytheft?
I’m usually quite horrible in making creative names, but I think my poker name is awesome. My last name is Pettey which is pronounced (and often misspelled) as petty. Petty also means small or unimportant. Petty Theft meaning Small Theft! This means I like to steal your blinds if you didn’t follow that.

Poker and non-poker goals for 2009?
My poker goals are SNE and $200,000 profit overall currently. The first part is getting harder and harder to get, but I put myself at 90% to get it. The second part, I keep moving up and up because I’m doing better than I had originally thought. Non poker wise, I’m trying to go to the gym to gain weight this year. I’d also like to get my own place but it’s so expensive in SD (I’m a cheapo)!

Have you ever been coached?
I have been coached before. I think EVERYONE could use coaching at one point or another. I used to think that people who got coached were those who sucked. I realized that there always are better players than you that can teach you new things in the game. I can say first hand that the coaching really did open my eyes to various things and decreased the time needed to get to the level I’m at currently.

Talk about your prop-bet with FATDAN and how that all came about.
I was one of those people who didn’t out their screenname on 2p2 trolling various people while playing NL100. FatDan made some sort of posting challenging me iirc and I outed myself and got into the prop bet. To this day, I still don’t believe that playing 6max would have been an angle, but at this point it doesn’t matter at all. I was a little annoyed that people called me an angler though, but I guess it’s understood because I was not known by anyone. I got destroyed in the prop bet, but I feel like our actual skill levels at the time were even at worst.

I’m hoping that FatDan and I can get a prop bet going in May again. He wants 2:1 odds with a 200k maximum on hands after winning the first prop bet by 5 figures. My guess is that the line will be at around 1.5:1 by the time we get this thing going. I expect to destroy him this time though.

What are the major poker epiphanies you’ve had to get you to the point of solid, winning poker?
There are several things that got me to where I am today. First of all, I wish I didn’t 24 table so early. When I teach newer players, I hammer it into them to play only 12 and learn the game correctly. It’s so easy to just take the easy route of being an FPP pro though. Another thing is to up the aggression in the steal positions. Remember that if you are on the button and steal one set of blinds, that is 1.5 bb. If you do that only ONCE during a 100 hand session, you’re increasing your bb/100 by 1.5. That is something that seems so small but really makes a huge difference. The difference between 3ptbb and BE is 4 sets of blinds only.

What are some of your interests outside of poker?
Outside of poker, I enjoy playing sports. I play softball in a league with my dad that is surprisingly competitive. I also play Tennis and Basketball with friends a couples times each per week.

What sports teams do you follow?I follow pretty much any major sport outside of Hockey, but my teams are San Diego Padres (baseball), San Diego Chargers (football), Los Angeles Lakers (basketball), SDSU Aztecs BBall (College basketball) and Phoenix Suns (basketball)

What are the best and worst aspects of being a poker player?
I’d say the best aspect by far is the money. What else can you do to make this amount of money at this age? The freedom to “work” whenever I want is definitely a close second though. The worst aspect has to be playing when I don’t want too, or when you hit a huge downswing. Going for SNE makes me play more than I’d like, but it’s a goal I really would like to achieve. I’m an incredibly lazy person, and I’d really like to get this to prove that I can reach SNE. I’ve had some pretty nasty downswings in the past due to various things, and I’m not a nice person when that happens .

What do your family (both immediate and extended) think of your poker playing?
Immediate family sees the money I make and doesn’t say much about it anymore. Extended, I have a couple of family members that think I’m ridiculous for playing poker as much as I do. This goes back to when I played computer games. They just don’t understand the new age of technology.

What kind of reactions do you get from people outside of poker when you tell them that you play? What are some of the funniest, ill-conceived, tilt inducing and fishiest responses that you get?
I try not to tell people how much I make, but sometimes I feel it’s the only way to justify to them why I play so much. I really don’t owe them an explanation but I do it anyway. I’d say I get the good ole “can you turn my XX into XX” question a lot. I have a large bankroll and they don’t understand I don’t want or need their money. Also, when I had an 8k bankroll, someone asked for 1% by giving me $80 lol. I don’t need 80 fucking dollars lol. Also, the epic bad beat stories. Someone once told me of the worst beat I have ever heard. When I asked how much it was for, he replied play money. Standard.

Quick Quiz – Of All 2+2 SS Full Ring and PokerStars $100nl-$400nl full-ring regulars
Best avatar?
Other than my avatar for personal reasons, I’d have to go with Pisco’s or the FPP pro’s. I never see a picture of any country’s flag much but I’ve seen at least 4 of Argentina which makes me laugh.

Best strategy poster?
I used to see the guy with Phil Galfond avatar (can’t remember his name) posting the best serious answers. Also, I remember Renaissance and FantasticCow posting seriously when I was first coming into SSNL.

Best trash talker?
Rambo makes me laugh when he trash talks. He just is versatile and will have you confused. I saw him flame a person’s poker skill then challenge them to street fighter.

Best 24-tabler?
NL100, I don’t really know who plays here
NL200, BiggieSmallz? RobertFripp? Do these guys even 24 table? I don’t really know who plays 24 tables at 200 yet.
NL400, Kiwi, Keli, several really good 24 tablers

Funniest?
Ranka has a strange Estonian sense of humor but it’s awesome. He rarely gets mad and always has a joke.

Friendliest?
LearningCurve is definitely the most friendly. I’ve never even seen a trace of anger/hate in her posts, but only encouragement.

Weirdest?
The strangest has got to be KiWiKaKi. I just don’t understand what goes through his head sometimes.

Most under-rated?
Subv is one of the more underrated players that I feel like flies under the radar.

Most over-rated?
I’ll go with who overrates themself. Any person who makes posts belittling others skill normally overrates themself. SlammedFire thinks he’s god gift of poker, while TimStone thinks he can just shit talk anyone for some random reason. IntenseDawg, aka the biggest douchebag in MSNL also thinks he is a legend of poker. These are only two people of several that overrate themselves.

Who, if anyone, have you met in real life?
Strangely enough, the person I’ve met in real life is KiWiKaKi. I met him at a Warcraft 3 tournament (yay nerds!).

Most Tilty?
I’d say the most tilty would have to be someone who does flips when they have lost a lot. There can only be one name here and that’s BIGGIESMALLZ. FantasticCow is one tilty mf’er too when he starts losing flips.

Least Tilty?
Everyone tilts but those who can say nh even to bad beats are those who will rarely tilt. People like Ranka, Muk and You (Eureka) come to mind.

Best table selection?
I don’t practice table selection much, but there is one guy that if he is at my table, it’s got to be a good one. That’s the StudGrandpa.

Best short stacker(lol)?
Kidding?

I got into poker like many people during the Moneymaker era. They were playing WSOP reruns constantly, and me and my best friend decided if that monkey could do this so could we.  We downloaded pokerstars and started playing play money and freerolls. I literally learned how to play from pokerstars play money games. I think this was late 05 to early 06 and I amassed a bunch of play money chips. I figured how different could real money be from play money and soon deposited like 200 bux or something. I started off playing 4.40$ 180 mans and spewed massively until I luckboxed a win, giving me a false sense of ability and confidence.

Pretty soon I had lost most of the money back through various SNG’s and tournaments, and feeling alittle frustrated I went to the cash games and joined a 100nl FR table. I didn’t really have a clue what I was doing, and I’m pretty sure that 100nl just happened to be what was on the screen when I went to cash.  After that, I just always played full ring.  Probably because it was like the tournaments that were on TV. I was a massive 60bb station fish at the time. I remember having this weird quirk where I would stack off the first hand I raised at a table no matter what. I don’t think anyone caught on, and I’m pretty sure it was actually a profitable play. Good times.

So I switched to cash after a frustrating run at SNGs and was fortunate enough to run my roll up to 1200$ within the first week I was playing cash. This was probably one of the worst things that could have happend at this time. This run, mixed with the win in the 4$180man and the general belief that anytime I lost was just bad luck, put my confidence at an extreme high.  It couldn’t have been 2 days later that I busted my whole roll. All 1200, 60$ at a time 4 tabling. I thought I was just soooo ****in unlucky that I couldn’t stop, I was chasing that initial run thinking that was the normal and now I was just on a sick run of bad cards. I never folded anything, and would make random irrational bluffs.  I was the quintessential fish.

Pretty sure the same night I busted my roll for the first time, I deposited another 1-300 $ and busted that too. I know I busted about 800$ over 3 or 4 deposits within a week. I really didn’t have that kind of money and was soon taking a break, playing at the play money tables again. It ate me up for a long time. How could I not only run up a couple hundo into over a grand and blow that so quick, but blow through another 600 or so just like that. I mean that **** killed me inside. We were always poor growing up and I had a measly savings and a ****ty job with too few hours. It felt like I had lost about 2k and I just couldn’t let it go. For the longest time I wouldn’t play. I’d say this was the late-middle of 06, and I don’t think I deposited again until the end of 06/beggining of 07. I was pretty busto for this period of time and didn’t study poker at all or play much.

I think I decided to deposit again after I cashed in a fair amount of my savings bonds. I was supposed to use my bonds to pay my Dad for my car that I bought off him.  Instead I decided I could deposit, spin it up, and cash out before I had to pay him.  My cashed bonds were about 2500, I used 500 to make a small down payment on my car and had the rest in my checking. As soon as I got back I deposited like 500 and began to play. I had this horrible habit of stomping 100 for a while, moving up to 200 too fast, losing all that I won, moving back to 100, then losing a little more. So I was basically breaking even at 100 then blowing double money at 200. I think the bond money lasted me through February or so until one night I finally tilted off my last 500 after breaking even and earning bonusii.

I had been making car payments and basically living it up off my job money so I dont think I blew the whole 2500. I figured it up once after I got PT and stuff and I had lost a little more than 1800 at this point (it might have been a little less cause I earned a couple 150$ bonus but still bad) so I guess just 1k of the bond money.

Now I was flat broke, making like 7$ an hour working 25 hours a week or something, owing my dad a bunch of money every month, and pretty much living a lifestyle I just wouldn’t be able to accommodate. I had been playing poker pretty constantly for a good 4-5 months straight, and I have a horribly addictive personality. Poker is pretty addictive as it is, so you put those together and I was pretty hooked. Not to get into a lot of detail of my younger life, but i was pretty much a scumbag with no morals. So I wanted to play and I needed money. I remembered finding money in my parents closet while searching for weed one time so I ransacked the closet and found a couple stashes of cash. I took another 1k and deposited into my checking account. As soon as it cleared I put it all into my stars account. I was playing 6 tables of 100 and 200 at a time and went into my superhero mode, the invincible fish on a heater. By this time I had picked up PT and was using it to track my results. I spun that 1k up into 3k and had enough to cash out my roll, pay back my mom, and more than pay back myself. I should have left poker right then and there way better off than most, up a little money, and up a **** ton in life lesson. Obviously that isn’t what happened .

Over the next month or so I bled off the 3k at 200 and 100 tables. I wound up trying to shortstack like 10 tables at a time and failing horribly until the rest of my money was gone. I was down 2800, pretty much broke, owed both my parents money, and worst of all I stole from my mom and couldn’t bring up the gamjes to tell her. I ****ed up a lot when I was a kid, and blew a lot of good chances for a number of different things, but this was far and away the lowest point of my life. Words cant describe the filth I felt inside and outside my body.. I mean it sickens me just thinking about it. A week or so went by and I was finally able to tell my mom how busto I was because of poker, but still couldn’t tell her about the money. I had like 35$ to my name and I put 15 of it into pokerstars and vowed to learn how to play from the bottom up.

I had ordered some books from pokerstars and found 2+2 through them. I began reading strategy and 1tabled 2nl with 2$ buy-ins. Things went really well for me from 2-5nl and had ran 15$ up to 125 in a matter of a week or so. I started multi-tabling 5nl deep and had rolled for 10nl very quickly. It was around this time that my mom noticed the money missing, and that caused all sorts of hell between me and my parents.  I started having to make payments to my mom on top of the payments to my dad and I have been living on my own this whole time so there are bills and etc. We also partied a lot and we were paying for a lot of alcohol and etc entertaining an assortment of people. I went into mad grind mode, I was working 30 hours a week, playing 30+ and, going to school another 9 hours. **** was hectic but I was cashing out all the time, just a couple hundred here and there to pay for everything, but still adding a little to roll. After a month of this I had cashed out enough to take a couple live shots(instead of paying extra to my parents LDO) and I was at the casino every chance I could get. I couldn’t afford it, and was playing bad because of scared money. I lost a couple buyins over a week and was pretty life tilted again. I remember wanting to try and spin my online roll up again one last time, but my roommate was super busto also and hadn’t paid the internet bill. This is probably the second most fortunate thing that has happend to me.

Since the internet was down and im obviously a sick degen in need of money, I went to play some live with like 600$ to my name. I remember the session so well. I had been there 35 minutes and was a little under 200 when I get dealt AKo in MP. I made a std raise to 12 and got 1 ip caller and one from the blinds. Flop comes Kxxr and the blind donks for like pot, I jack it up to 80 or so. IP guy folds and donker calls. Turn comes rJ and blind c/c my shove. River is and x and he flips KJ before I can even guess what he might have. I left pretty fumed and distraught. I remember getting to my car and smoking this half a J I had with me and just having no clue what I would do. Selling weed again was probably the standout choice in my mind, but something urged me into getting another hundo and playing 3/6 limit. So I go back in, totally baked and on complete life tilt to find a seat open. I had been there maybe 15 minutes when Im dealt 55 somewhere. I limp call a raise from behind and the flop comes KK5. I dont remember how many bets went in, but im sure I tried to trap with like a lead call or a c/r/c instead of slamming AK face through the wall. I suck at lolimt but have always ran white hot at it. The turn was the golden 5, and again I cant recal specifically but remember getting like 2 bets in. The river was a 2 and I lead, he raises, I raise, he raises, I raise, he raises, and I say ok wtf he wouldnt be 6betting the split, wtf so I put another bet in planning to just call his next raise. He obliges and I make the call feeling sick that i might lose with quads. He tables KK and i reluctantly flip 55. The table goes crazy, which kind of pisses me off, I mean I just lost the ****ing hand… Im too involved with the guy who had KK, who cant beleive I just called with 55 on the river instead of betting out till bust, to even notice everyone rabbling about BBJP.

By the time the floor man came over, I had just figured out that Aces full or better didnt mean you had to have pocket aces, and that I in fact had won 50% of the 7538$ BBJP!! They were going around getting everyones IDs and taking down information, and everyone was congratulating me. The sense of elation that I was feeling was through the roof. I mean this was the answer to my immediate problems. The single most fortunate moment of my life by far. I pulled out my wallet to get my id, I was on top of the ****in world, and I opened my wallet… My id was not there. I started going frantic through my pockets and my wallet and back through my pockets. It wasn’t there at all. The floor man got to me and I was near tears. I explained what was goin on and he looked indifferent. He told me that he wasnt sure what was going to happen, but the head honcho would have a talk with me. I went and searched my car thoroughly and still found nothing. I got back into the casino and was escorted to the back where this lady was askin me how I got into the casino without a ID, (LOLOLOL??!?) why I would come without an ID, was I even 21, and was all in all just grilling the **** out of me. There was alot of attitude traded back for a few minutes when one of the other guys just stepped in and was like, Just come back in the next 72 hours with your id and we will hold the money in the poker room safe. Yahtzee! I remember the day I got it I paid off my mom in full, paid my dad down to like 1k or something and was more than stoked to have a couple hundred extra to pad my checking account.

These events happened about 2 years ago and since then I’ve straightened up severely.  I’ve never been the type to enjoy gambling or even black jack but poker has been different.  I think I’ve always realized there was more to poker and related it to another game that I obsessed over, chess.  One mans strengths against someone can be his weakness to others, which is why poker is such a beautiful art.  As for why i play fullring, I’ve tried all other forms of poker with mediocre to abysmal results.  FR induces the least amount of tilt while allowing me play massive amounts of tables and volume.

What is behind the name Coordi?
I played counterstrike for years as coordinator and everyone always called me coordi for short.  Since then, after all the websites I’ve used coordi as my user name, it has only been taken twice.  convenience ftw

Poker and non-poker goals for 2009?
Supernova elite and > breakeven.  As for non-poker, just do everything i can to enjoy my life and stay off tilt.  I tend to be my own worst enemy.

Have you ever been coached?
No, but i have been fortunate enough to be able to observe players better than me play and discuss poker on multiple occasions.

What are the major poker epiphanies you’ve had to get you to the point of solid, winning poker?
To just play solid winning poker.  I am an ABC nit .  I think the way we develop as poker players has a lot to do with our personalities.  I was able to take things like meta-game and perceived images and work them into my game in a way that really made sense, instead of trying to force things i had seen or heard.

You sight tilt-issues as one of your biggest leaks. Are you improving in this area? Have you sought advice from anyone? What words of wisdom can you give people struggling with the same issue?
I have been improving, but still have random outbursts. Something that has helped recently is stacking and never looking at results.  I think you just have to realize that tilting costs you infinitely more money than variance, but really i shouldn’t give advice in this area.

You work a real job as well as playing poker. How many hours do you get to dedicate to poker a week and how tough is it balancing the two?
Actually in August I told my old boss that I was moving to Vegas for all of September to take a shot at playing poker professionally.  I had a really good month for me at the time and never looked back .  My boss was an old pool hall hustler and not only understood but supported my plan to get out of airplanes.

What are some of your interests outside of poker?
I love to travel.  Not as much the act of traveling but just being in different places and seeing things.  I like learning things, wikipedia is pretty amazing and listening to smart people talk works most the time as well.  I’m kind of introverted so clubs and bars and such aren’t really my thing.  To be honest im a pretty big loser, I mostly like to smoke copious amounts of weed and watch sports or bullshit.

What sports teams do you follow?
I don’t really follow any sports anymore, but i watch a lot of sports.   I tend to watch sports in spurts, like I used to love baseball, then I liked watching basketball, then it went to football for a long time, now i am really into futbol.  I just enjoy watching the raw talent and strategy more than backing a singular team or player.

What are the best and worst aspects of being a poker player?
The best is obviously being able to work whenever and to an extent wherever you want.  The money available for the investment is basically unrivaled.  Also, poker can be very fun, although most of the time I don’t really find it fun anymore.

I would say the worst is that it is the most cut throat industry possible.  It is such a hostile environment I am suprised that the majority of us can even get along as well as we do.  Also the game dynamics are constantly changing, obviously this affects players in different ways, but you aren’t guaranteed anything in poker.  You could wake up a week from now and not be a winner anymore, it happens.  Also you can get so frustrated from life and running bad or even just mediocre for an extended period of time and just go on retarded life tilt.  Which is obviously bad when people keep thousands of dollars readily available to be lost in any number of dramatic fashions.

What do your family (both immediate and extended) think of your poker playing?
Obviously with the details of my story they were horrified at my decision to continue playing poker.  Unfortunately for them they found out from me cashing out large checks and leaving the receipt for my mom to file, so they didn’t really have a choice but to love it lol.

What kind of reactions do you get from people outside of poker when you tell them that you play? What are some of the funniest, ill-conceived, tilt inducing and fishiest responses that you get?
Really in general, the responses i received have been very “I dont understand this, but I believe you to be smart so if you say this, then it is so”.  Although most the people I have talked to about it are close family friends and my friends who witness it first hand.  Some of my favorites tho..

Just donks that use poker lingo incorrectly trying to sound cool for you or something.  Like, “3betting mad flops for value” referring to either him c-betting or donking the flop was one I heard recently.

My old boss used to tell me bad beat stories where either the way the hand played out, he would have won, or it would be impossible to happen.  Or he also told me that he was crushing sng’s and had started to win at 200nl but i look up his shark scope and TR and hes down a bunch.

I also had an old girlfriend who was telling me about how her dad loves to play poker and that him and her brother make decent money.  So I tell her that I play a lot of poker and she freaks out and starts telling me what a waste it is, and like “how does it benefit anyone else?”.  The mutual respect was never the same again.

Quick Quiz – Of All 2+2 SS Full Ring and PokerStars $100nl-$400nl full-ring regulars
Best avatar?
Me obv, why would I do anything without striving to be the best.  I only await to see what I come up with next.

Best strategy poster?
I haven’t looked at strat in a while, most the posts are jokes anyways.  Probably someone in ssfr who gives serious one liner replies every now and then.

Best trash talker?
Probably jumanji, that guy is fucking relentless.

Best 24-tabler?
I don’t even know who is 24 tabling anymore.  Also it is hard to say when people don’t play together or their styles conflict with mine more.
but by level
100nl: renn or me, but probably renn cause of the volume he puts up
200nl: probably you if you 24 tables, your up on me more than anyone who isnt just luckboxing
400nl: haven’t played enough, but there are a number of scary 24 tabling sne maniacs

Funniest?
There are a lot of funny guys.  I think i miss main posting the most tho

Friendliest?
Learningcurve obviously

Weirdest?
Ranka is a fucking weird euro donk <3.  Most of us are probably fairly weird tho, we post in an online community :rolleyes:.

Most under-rated?
Succout, astropete, and my main man effen

Most over-rated?
Meh not really anyone, maybe bently just cause he went on a retarded heater and was suddenly “one of the best” at a limit.

Who, if anyone, have you met in real life?
DonQee, pterodactyl, gomuckyaself, kos, tooeazy, keli, epipen, and shamwow.  Hope i didnt forget anyone.

Most Tilty?
It is hard to say, most people tilt in silence, I just happen to post a lot so I don’t tilt on people in real life.  I’d have to say someone who never wins like alltheway is probably constantly tilting.

Least Tilty?
vinivicci

Best table selection?
The whale never plays and makes 2x as much as me a month

Best short stacker(lol)?
That fag yugor gives me fits.  Also me and hongzhong have been playing for forever, he loves to do retarded shit vs me that works

So anyways, that’s my live experience and now onto my online career. I started out in the days of party poker somewhere around 03. I used to 1-2 table 5/10 nl and also play some 30/60 lhe. Games were crazy soft back then and if you knew how to play ABC poker you were making some good money. I built my bankroll pretty decently at this time but ran into some huge sports betting issues which forced me to cash out and stop playing for a while, and then I started back up on ftp in 2005. I started playing 6 tables under the screen name ExpediaDOTcom, maybe some of you remember me , but anyways, I think I won about 6k in 2 months playing there and also wound up cashing out and going back to live.

Now here comes the story about why I play 60bbs and why I don’t buy in deep. My bread and butter game prior to 2006 was the 400NL buy-in game at commerce. The blinds were 5/10 and wow…… only 40bbs max buy in. action was crazy and top pair top kicker = the nuts. I excelled in this game and was forced to learn how to read players or go broke. You cannot just sit at this game and wait for a hand and you are forced to make decisions for your entire stack all the time. Anyways, I won’t go into detail as to why 60bbs is great for online, but there you have it. This is why I do it.

Anyways, now onto my current career in online poker on pokerstars. I am a video game fanatic and played competitive “street fighter” since I was 15. I was once considered the best player in the USA and played on 5 team USA vs. team Japan battles over the years. (I’ll explain further in the next question regarding my 2p2 SN) so I met hevad khan from our gaming community and as all degens, hevad and I would bet hundreds of dollars on matches played of this video game. Then all of sudden hevad made an awesome run at the WSOP and made the final table in 2007. This is when I made a deposit of $500 and never looked back. I started playing 1 table of 5/10 where a player by the name of kardius doubled me up and my online bankroll took off from there. I used play 9 tables of 2/4 and a bit of 3/6 until I hit a small downswing. Since I’m constantly withdrawing money to take care of my bills and overhead, I don’t keep a huge sum of money online and I decided to take a shot at the 1/2 game. What a goldmine and the best decision I have ever made. I quickly learned how to play 20 tables and with rakeback included, I was making the same amount at a lower limit with much less variance.

Why did you choose srkbigdaddy as your 2+2 screen name and TYJohnRambo on PokerStars?
I chose the name srkbigdaddy because of a website that is based around the streetfighter game community. It is called www.shoryuken.com (shoryuken = dragon punch which is a special move in the game) and is known as srk for short. My name on stars came about in a pretty funny manner actually. My buddies and I got into a stupid habit of saying TY this and TY that so one night we were at the movies and some idiots were asking for trouble. After some jawing and what not I just grabbed the dude and slammed him right onto the Rambo 4 poster and my homie yelled “Thank You John Rambo” and it kind of stuck.

What are some of your goals for 2009? Both poker and non-poker.
My goals for poker are to get my win rate back up to 3bb/100. Last year I started playing way too many tables and although my rakeback was flourishing, my WR went to hell. Outside of poker I’m hoping to keep grinding out nursing school so I can eventually open up a retirement home and make a ton of cash!

What are your interests outside of poker?
I actually still like to play fighting games, watch a ton of sports, and unfortunately I love craps

I’m sure you’ve addressed this before, but what is the thought process behind the 60 big blind buy-in strategy?
Force opponent to call with a hand they normally wouldn’t for 100bbs, piss off the regs who think full-buy is the only way to play, and less variance.

You are pretty well known on 2+2 for your rants in the PokerStars regular’s thread. How much of what you post is for show and how much is legitimate anger and ill-feeling towards the world?
I can honestly say I just talk mad **** online to people that deserve it. I know for a fact that my trash talk has taken players out of their normal play at the tables and caused spew so I find it +EV for the fact I make money from it, and also for the fact that some people seriously need a reality check when talking smack behind a keyboard. The world isn’t that big and you never know who you’ll run into.

Is there anyone that you respect too much to go after? Is there anyone that you trash talk that you secretly respect?
I respect a handful of players on 2p2 who I no longer play with, and directly coming to mind are tooeazy and pattay. I played with tooeazy when I was at the higher limits and thanks to him I found this forum. I also played with pattay and used to chat with him once in a while when I moved down to 1/2. As far as secretly respecting anyone……. naw, if I trash talk you, you’re an idiot and deserve it. There is no hidden respect there.

What were some of the major breakthroughs and leaks that you have plugged in order to get the point of playing solid winning poker?
I think a major leak I plugged was finding out who’s 3-betting me light and forcing the action more often. At first I was a bit overwhelmed by the mass tabling but now that I have adapted, my game and reactions too many situations have changed as well. I also think I have a great strat vs these 20bbs guys that spare me from wasting time and basically I’m the one doing the shoving vs. those clowns now, so HA.

What are the best and worst aspects of being a poker player?
Best aspects are obviously freedom of work schedule and making much more than your typical 9 to 5. The worst aspect is spending so much time in front of a computer and going through a ton of stress.

What do your family (both immediate and extended) think of your poker playing?
My wife hated it at first but can’t complain about all the gifts I buy her and the excess money we have to spend freely so I doubt I hear anymore from her. My mother doesn’t mind as long as I don’t get too wrapped up where I can’t come visit her or spend time with her. As far as anyone else, I keep it pretty hush hush about how I make a living.

What kind of reactions do you get from people outside of poker when you tell them that you play? What are some of the funniest, ill-conceived, tilt inducing and fishiest responses that you get?
People claim it’s rigged all the time and I usually don’t talk about poker with anyone aside from people that actually play.

As a PokerStars Supernova VIP what changes do you think could be made to the VIP program to improve it?
I actually feel as though the VIP program is very generous. I never enter tourneys anymore so that once a week donkament is kind of cool. Value wise it’s not great, but hey, it’s free, so who cares.

Quick Quiz – Of All 2+2 SS Full Ring and PokerStars $100nl-$400nl full-ring regulars
Best avatar?
biggieliveson when he was sporting that **** thing was hilarious but im gonna have to be conceited and say mine!

Best strategy poster?
I don’t read the forums for strat so i cant really answer that, sorry

Best trash talker?
Aside from myself I will go ahead an say jack-frost is pretty good and kelistaan when he was around.

Best 24-tabler?
Yadameen has a great win rate and made sne and from my experieces playing with him, he gets my vote.

Funniest?
Speedle and ranka both have a weird sense of humor but I laugh at both of their posts so its a split decision here.

Friendliest?
Learning curve obviously and it’s not even close.

Weirdest?
Xerxes.

Most under-rated?
Fatdan has taken alot of heat for his play, but i honestly think hes a decent player and I think there are a lot of good players that just get too caught up in the SNE chase to show what they are really all about.

Most over-rated?
I’ts hard to say who’s over-rated just for the fact that certain styles counter others. I also think its really rude to put one player on the spot here and will plead the 5th on this one.

Who, if anyone, have you met in real life?
I just met gomukyaself and he is officially the first and only one so far.

Most Tilty?
Slammedfire.

Least Tilty?
ryanj (insert random #’s here)

Best table selection?
studboy 100%

Best short stacker(lol)?
Too many to list!!!! ROFL!

Why did you choose BlGGIESMALLS as your Stars name and thanksb on 2+2?
I love hip hop and Biggie is my favorite artist of all time so that was a pretty easy decision. I also hate racists so tilting them with my screenname and taking even more of their money is really sweet. I didn’t want to out my stars name right away so I made the account thanksb on 2p2. Thanksb is short for thanks barn which is slang I picked up from my Magic playing days. The definition of a barn is “one who latches on to someone superior to them (the hull)…short for barnacle…can also describe an opponent easily beaten”

What are some of your goals for 2009? Both poker and non-poker.
For poker I’d like to hit the 600k VPP mark and make $100k this year. Non poker would be the best boyfriend I can be, and have sex with my girlfriend on a pile of money, and get decent (lol) grades I guess.

What are your interests outside of poker?
I love hockey…I’ve played at a really high level my whole life and this is first year I’ve taken off in maybe 8 years and I really miss it…I also love freestyling and being with my girlfriend and my other friends. I will freestyle battle any of the full ring regs 4ROLLZ. =)

You famously took part in some $5,000 flips late last year (and ran bad). Talk about the flips, what lead you to taking them and why $5k as opposed to any other amount?
I flip after a bad session to try and get back to even. It’s obviously a terrible habit and I’m trying to break it. I’ve flipped for a bunch of different amounts $5k is just the largest I’ve flipped for and obviously the amount where I run the worst too. When I did those flips I also didn’t have any idea how much $5k really was. I just saw my account balance going down instead of up and I wanted to get it back as quick as possible. Flipping was the fastest way. Basically kids, learn from me, don’t chase your losses.

I know you have imposed limits on your poker accounts so you can’t do them anymore, but at the back of your mind are you worried that ill-discipline could jeopardise your bankroll sometime in the future?
I won’t claim that I don’t do stupid things sometimes still but I think I’ve learned my lesson. However, as an extra precaution I don’t like keeping a lot of money online for that exact reason. I don’t plan on playing 200/400 limit heads up ever again. =)

What were some of the major breakthroughs and leaks that you have plugged in order to get the point of playing solid winning poker?
My biggest breakthrough was just finding more spots to be aggressive. Usually a table is filled with a ton of regs so knowing their tendencies down pat is really +EV. For example, constantly pounding on the nitty regs and staying out of the way of the better regs seems to work the best for me. Another breakthrough I had was the realization of the power of position. I absolutely hate playing out of position because when you’re in position you can play so many more hands and I love playing as many hands as I can. A leak I had when I first started playing a bunch of full ring tables was thinking that everyone was just making moves on me all the time. After about a zillion hero calls failed I realized that full ring regs rarely triple barrel bluff.

What are the best and worst aspects of being a poker player?
The best is the money and the freedom. The worst is burning money on a regular basis and the way society receives it. It’s really hard to have no one besides other poker players have any idea about the game and what we go through. That’s why I think 2p2 is awesome because even though we’re all over the world, we can all share brags and beats and talk to other people who understand the ups and downs of playing poker seriously.

What do your family (both immediate and extended) think of your poker playing?
At first my family really hated it, they thought I was going to lose all my money because the house always wins etc. I was pretty close to being thrown out of the house after I got busted for playing underage in Atlantic City. However, they started supporting me when they actually saw how much money I was making and my relationship with my family is currently the best it’s ever been.

What kind of reactions do you get from people outside of poker when you tell them that you play? What are some of the funniest, ill-conceived, tilt inducing and fishiest responses that you get?
I always get the “if I give you $100 can you turn it into $200 for me?” Or they think I’m addicted and when I tell them that I’m not and I’m actually trying to get myself to play more they get really scared and the looks on their faces are priceless.

This one kid always tells me the same story about how he won $200 once and he’s literally told me it 5 times. Once the same kid was like “yeah I play online too I deposited $50 and now I’m at 275.” I was like, “Cool man” and he replied, “No, I meant $2.75.”

As a PokerStars Supernova VIP what changes do you think could be made to the VIP program to improve it?
I was hoping that they would add the Supernova Elite Jr. because I’m not going to be able to hit elite this year so it would have benefited me. In general though they really should give more back to the really high volume players because they’re making such a ridiculous amount of money they can afford it.

Quick Quiz – Of All 2+2 SS Full Ring and PokerStars $100nl-$400nl full-ring regulars
Best avatar?
I really like those FPP Pro avatars that tiltbad made

Best strategy poster?
Sabr

Best trash talker?
srk and jack frost

Best 24-tabler?
ChicagoJoey

Funniest?
ranka

Friendliest?
LC and WCGrinder

Weirdest?
Rennwurm, how the **** can anyone play that much poker?

Most under-rated?
gregy2073035039535835

Most over-rated?
OMGBentley

Who, if anyone, have you met in real life?
ChicagoJoey

Most Tilty?
Me

Least Tilty?
Eurekakid

Best table selection?
Studboy1

Best short stacker(lol)?
Sodom by far, I thank my lucky stars everyday that he doesn’t buy in full because he would single handedly cause the small stakes full ring games to die because of how good he would be.

Tell me a bit about your poker story, how you came to be involved in online poker and what made you choose full-ring no limit games.
The first time I have heard about Texas Hold’em is when I have watched “Rounders” on french TV (in 2003). But that was only in 2005 after I have seen World Poker Tour (with commentaries from French singer Patrick Bruel, lol) and began it (I am fond of intellectual video game, like Civilization, Football Manager or Ogame so the transition was easy).

I deposited $50 on Stars the 1st January 2006, and play some NL2, limit 0.02/0.04 and Pot Limit Omaha 8. First month was not easy, but I didn’t lose my deposit and actually increased it. In June, I was in NL25, in July in NL100: that was my summer job (better than working in a factory).

After that, I lost a lot of time in short handed games and in limit.

In July 2007, I decide to stop my studies (because I didn’t want to work!) and play poker full time. 4 first months was good, but I have had a downswing in December and decide to play full ring again: less variance, less stress, more vpps.

I became quickly one of the better NL200 regz, and try some successful shoots in 400, 600 and 1k. But I am a nit and hate variance, so I play a lot in 200.

Tell us about your life in France and the poker scene there in general.
I am 25 and officially student, so I live in a student city, Rouen, close to Paris. I enjoy sports (football, tennis, cycling, golf), cinema, and theatre. And I am probably the laziest guy on the Earth.

The poker scene is good in France. We have a big forum (clubpoker.net), a lot of amateur clubs in almost all cities and casinos. Private games with small buy-in are very common too. We have some (two!) stars, David Benyamine and ElkY and some very good young guns

French are generally very fishy. They play bad, they never fold, they bluff a lot, and they like to trash talk. Unfortunately, I don’t enjoy live games. It is too slow, I tilt after two losing hands and I am a very very bad loser.

What is the origin of the name Xerxes and why the number 13?
Xerxes came from my two favorite video games : Civilization (where the Persian civilization is ruled by Xerxes) and Football Manager (where I like to take Xerez Club Deportivo, a Spanish team). 13 is my favorite number, my lucky number, and I was obliged to add it to my screen name, because “Xerxes” was already taken on Stars. But don’t call me “13”, I am Xerxes!!!

What are your goals for 2009? Both poker and non-poker.
I have only one goal, to buy a land and build a house. But for that, I need a lot of money, so I need to play a lot. So if I am Supernova Elite this year, I think I can achieve my goal. So I will grind a lot this year, in 200 and a little in 400. It is boring, but I want this ****ing house.

What were some of the major breakthroughs and leaks that you have plugged in order to get the point of playing solid winning poker?
I think I have made a lot of progress in 2008. The first important thing is the table selection. You can be the 10th best player in the world, if you play against the 9 best, you will lose.

Second one is to have a fresh mind. This month, I am playing 200k hands. It is a lot (2 times more than I used) and I make a loooooot of mistakes because I am tired or in tilt (my winrate is so low, I hope I can adjust next months). If you play like a robot, you will win money from fishes, but be break even against the regz and the ****ing short stakers (and with the rake, it is a losing proposition).

Third one is you need to exploit regz, but not fight them like hell, it is a variance game when you go all-in with 88 BvB, your edge is zero and your downswings are huge. If I can avoid to play good regz, it’s +ev for me and +ev for them, more time to concentrate on bad regz/fishes.

Outline your poker education, what resources have you used to develop your game, who has influenced your game and have you had any coaching?
First, I was member of ClubPoker.net (French forum): that was good to acquire the fundamentals and beat NL100. Then, I have discovered 2+2 and Card Runners. Some instructors are very good: Brian Townsend first videos are awesome, CTS is a ****ing agro genius, Peachy Keen and Daut44 videos were very useful for me.

I like a lot watch goods players to play, too: Kelisitaan (aka “pot control master”), wobbly_au (in a TAG style) or in the new generation Ranka666, ADZ122 or Artanis11. They have huge win rate and play well, so it is good. I have never had any coaching and I don’t think I will, because I don’t want to play over 1k. I am a ****ing nit !!!

What are the best and worst aspects of being a poker player?
Best: You can work when you want, be naked or smell like a pig: no one cares. And money, obviously.
Worst: Loneliness, tilt and burn out.

What do your family (both immediate and extended) think of your poker playing?
I don’t want to be a poker player all my life. It is just few years where I will grind a lot to be quiet after. My family understands me. I am smart (I hope^^), they are smart, they know I can succeed in poker or in other jobs, so, when poker will be tough like hell, I will just do another thing.

What kind of reactions do you get from people outside of poker when you tell them that you play? What are some of the funniest, ill-conceived, tilt inducing and fishiest responses that you get?
Generally, people are surprised, but I never talk about my winnings, so they can’t be jealous. And that is why a poker website like Table Ratings is dangerous.

As a PokerStars Supernova VIP what changes do you think could be made to the VIP program to improve it?
Maybe make a program worse, because they are too many regz on PS

What was your motivation behind posting polls for the best and worst 200nl regs of 2008?
Joker I don’t know myself !

Would you be interested in starring in a sitcom I’m developing that would feature you, Speedle, Ranka, Jackk Frost and TYJohnRambo living in a two-bedroom apartment in New York across the hall from an old cat lady? If so, which one of those guys would you like to share a bunk bed with?
Of course I am in. My English is maybe broken like hell, but it will be a lot of fun. I probably share my bunk bed with any of these guys, cause I am sure they are good boys.

Quick Quiz – Of All 2+2 SS Full Ring and PokerStars $100nl-$400nl full-ring regulars
Best avatar?
Speedle. His picture of Wentworth Miller was… just gay

Best strategy poster?
Kelisitaan. He was sometimes leveling, sometimes he said the truth. His ban is a shame for 2+2.

Best trash talker?
I never read srk posts, too much stars on it When I am on tilt, I am a very big douchebag too

Best 24-tabler?
Kelisitaan and it is not even close. I don’t respect one 24 tablers other than Keli. I think they all suck, especially in 200.

Funniest?
I like a lot ranka’s posts. Piscogay, in another register!

Friendliest?
I have not a lot of friends in the poker community. I enjoy loneliness (sometimes not when I am on a downswing). I speak times to times with Speedle on MSN.

Weirdest?
All the losing regz, like Ajven. How can you enjoy poker when you are a loser ? When I have a losing day, I am devasted during one week.

Most under-rated?
Kelisitaan. This guy is God and is so under-rated because he is playing FR. He has understood the game in a deep level. I like to watch him play.

Most over-rated?
Just see my topic imo. But I think a lot of 2+2er SSFR are over-rated. Table Ratings don’t lie. OK, they are missing 10 or 15% of hands, but winrate is VERY VERY accurate.

Who, if anyone, have you met in real life?
Nobody. I hate live poker and I hate donkaments, so it doesn’t help

Most Tilty?
Blunty31. This guy is playing 11/7, and 4 bets/call all day long with 88 PF.

Least Tilty?
The regz bots. I can’t play 2 hours without screams, blows, tears, so 10 hours a day…

Best table selection?
Studboy1. This guy is probably one of the weakest players on Stars, but he plays only on table where he got an edge.

Best short stacker(lol)?
**** them. **** their mother and **** Stars which allows short staking. My winrate will be so huge without these clowns !

Eventually, I started playing poker throughout my last year of high school in just a bunch of random homegames with lots of kids from my school and other schools in the area. Some of them were better structured and higher stakes then others. I made a bunch of friends through these games and met a lot of accquaintences of friends as well. A few kids I met through poker at my friends home game, eventually introduced me to online poker.

These kids were making a lot of money at online poker, but not by playing cards. They were making money by affiliate work. Basically, they would go around to all of thier friends and thier friends freinds and even family and convince them to sign up on Partypoker and use thier referal code. You would get like a free $25 to the account that just signed up, and once that person cleared X ammount of rake, the account that refered them would get $50. This seemed easy enough and I knew tons of kids who would deposit and play poker online. I burned through my family, friends, people I barley knew, basically everyone around. I was machine. When I graduated high school, I had over $7,000 in a partypoker account, and I had never even played a hand of online poker.

The college I went too had a casino w/ a poker room about 5 minutes outside of campus. I continued my affiliate business stuff in my freshman year of college and things were going well. I was learning poker via these forums and 2p2 books I bought and was playing live LHE at the nearby casino almost 40 hours a week. My freshman year of college was a blur of partying and gambling way to much.

I started to dabble in online poker near the end of my freshman year of college, the affilliate stuff had dried up, I had moved my money from partypoker to absolute poker and pokerstars. I was starting to multitable 2/4 and 3/6 LHE. Live poker was also going well and I had a bankroll to play our casinos 10/20LHE game and I was beating that game whenever it ran (our casino used to close at 2am, only spread LHE 3/6-10/20, and 10/20 used to only run basically friday-monday). Also, during freshman year, I got involved in online casino “bonus whoring.” I ran white lighting hot while clearing and doing casino bonuses (these were a ****ing gold mine back in the day). Again, when I say I ran hot, I mean scolding hot, online slot progressive slot jackpot, SHIP IT ($39,000) and running hot at BJ and video poker. Things were good!

Sophmore year, I was routinely 12 tabling SSNL cash games on Pokerstars while 4 tabling 3/6 and 5/10 LHE games on absolute and other sites. Live games were good and I was travelling a lot and playing in a lot of poker rooms throughout country, I mean I was all over the place. Commerce, Vegas, Canterbury. I dabbled in my first ever black chip game as well this trip, was a bad experience, lets leave it at that. When I wasn’t playing poker, I was having fun being a college kid, unfortunatly minus the class. So just like freshman year, sophmore year was a blur of too much partying and too much poker. Oh, and obviously the neteller fiasco and party shutting down somewhere around that time period sucked as well.

Next year, I stopped playing live aside from a few poker trips that year. The casino by campus stopped any LHE higher then 3/6, and the 1/2NL w/ a $150max and $12/hour time charge was highway robbery so I had no desire to play live anymore. I got me some Absolute poker BBJ love sometime in there as well and continued to grind hands online. In this period I was playing around 150k-200k hands a month online.

So fastforward a year and I’m now a a SSNL rakeback pro who plays around 2million hands a year, living in a different college town with his best friends and partying every day. Not exactly, the lofty poker goals I had originally in my sights, but I’m not complaining. I’ll be a homeowner within the next month, am involved in a few small business ventures with some of my buddies, and I actually truly enjoy grinding out hands 24 tabling SSNL. Living the dream.

To answer the other question about why I chose full ring SSNL cash games. It started even way back when I was first into online poker, FR games are just stupid easy to multitable, and that is why I play them.

UPay4College is a pretty classic screen name and has spawned a few knock offs on Stars, how did it come about? What do you say to the people that have copied it? What happens when you finish college?
I made it to induce action. I think it does a good job, especially considering I play in the fishpong that is SSNL. There are just so many new and fresh players every day that are unknowns to me, but, more importantly I am unknown to them and all they have to intially go on is my screen name and avatar.

You are rarely spotted beyond $100nl full-ring, but are widely regarded to have the skills to beat the bigger games. Why do you rarely play higher?
A lot of people are in similar boats and when they are asked this question they always sight thier hourly and start changing the subject to $$ and then often times segwaying into stress management of some BS. This is all a crock.

You can make more money playing higher stakes and anyone that makes excuses about why they don’t play higher are just dancing around the issue, that I have come to terms with long ago. We are just not that good at poker. The cakewalk is over, and its going to take lots of hard work to move up and succed in todays games. A lot of people aren’t cut out for it.

Before people blast me with stones, I’m sure there are tons of exceptions and blah blah blah, and if you are one of those exceptions, I’m not talking about you.

Me personally, I’m not that good at poker, and I’ve grown lazy and complacent. My game has suffered and has dropped off dramatically. Hopefully, I will right the ship and get my ass in gear and move up through the ranks during 2009.

Thankfully, I enjoy what I do.

What are some of the interests you have outside of poker?
I really enjoy spending time with my friends, whether, it be traveling, partying, or just hanging out. My friends are the most important thing in the world to me.

I also enjoy basketball, and playing chess. And I’m a bit of a film nerd.

What were some of the major breakthroughs and leaks that you have plugged in order to get the point of playing solid winning poker?
The biggest breakthrough for me was learning that there was more to poker then just playing well fundamentally and to not be afraid to be different.

A lot of players and people pass through these forums and other forums and stuff and they learn a basic outline of winning poker play and they build a stable foundation. In today’s games all you really need is this foundation and you are able to beat the SSNL games and in years past much higher games.

However, what this has done is cause people to become complacent and marginal winners in these games and since these games are the most popular there are obviously tons of these marginal players about.

So what this leads to is massive groupthink in forums like these, and what this has done is hinder the progress of so many good poker minds, because they get caught up in a bunch of marginal poker players crosshairs and are forcefed by these players their stable but very primitive poker foundations as if it was the gospel and end all be all of poker knowledge. We have grown to embrace conformity in these forums, and its wrong.

Wow, that probably sounded really bleak and backhanded to a lot of my peers. I’m sorry. It’s not meant to be.

So I guess to summarize that above rant…My major breakthrough with poker (at least breakthrough thus far) was to realize that there is more to poker then what you hear from people. You need to learn to think through everything and question everything, take posts you read on forums and stuff in strat threads and break down peoples logic and thoughts, don’t shape your game after everything you read on the forums, take that foundation and build on it yourself.

Another quick little thing that really improved my game was learning how important peoples perception of you is at the tables and how it effects thier perception on your range (if they think that deep) or how it might effect thier range based on what they think of you (even the dumbest players always take thier perception of a player and rationalize thier fishy plays based on that, learn to exploit that, get inside thier heads).

Outline your poker education, what resources have you used to develop your game, who has influenced your game and have you had any coaching?

Luckily when I was learning poker I was able to be around really good poker players very often and was able to constantly be talking poker w/ people. I also, obviously used to be very involved in the forums and what not. I also have spent a fair amount of time working in my own databases and stuff. Tools like PT, HEM, Pokerstove, can do wonders for your game, learn to use them and constantly be using them to help your game. Also, there are tons of quality material on various video training sites. For a measly few buy-ins, it’s definitely worth it for any up and coming player to invest in these sites.

I’ve never gotten coaching officially, however, I have gotten a few freebie sessions via a few connections (not so subtle brag)

What are the best and worst aspects of being a poker player?
The best aspect is obviously the $$$. Being your own boss is also an obvious perk.

The only con, is that is tough to let our work related stress to your friends and family. As they simply won’t understand and your situation is unique and not like most of thier peers. I’m sure they might find it hard to connect with us about thier problems too. So I think thats my biggest problem.

What do your family (both immediate and extended) think of your poker playing?
Thankfully they are supportive.

What kind of reactions do you get from people outside of poker when you tell them that you play? What are some of the funniest, ill-conceived, tilt inducing and fishiest responses that you get?
I have the same standard stories as so many others. However, my biggest gripe or tilt inducing is a general scenario that I’m sure resonates with everyone reading…

People when they find out you play poker, feel like its ok to ask questions about how much you make and just they feel like its acceptable to pry into your finances. Its not socially acceptable to ask people thier salaries in most fields, however, you can hammer away and grill the poker player about his $$$, F that. Then people act like we have to almost answer thier questions to prove the validity of our jobs. Its especially bad w/ kids in my age group.

As a PokerStars Supernova VIP what changes do you think could be made to the VIP program to improve it?
Simply put, give back more to the players. Pokerstars bends us over all day and sodomizes us with thier rakestick. Show us a little more love, they can afford it.

How do you view the future of online poker? Will it be legalised in the US sometime soon and if it is what sites and networks do you think stand to benefit?
I’m not really educated on the issue as much as I should be. I’ve read the legislation forum on 2p2 regularly and do what people tell you to do there (calling representatives, emailing, etc). However, people myself included really need to become more active.

With that said, I don’t know enough about things to even hazzard an educated guess about online pokers future in the USA and even globally.

I can only hope things will take a turn for the better.

Quick Quiz – Of All 2+2 SS Full Ring and PokerStars $100nl-$400nl full-ring regulars.

To be honest, I browse 2p2 w/ avatars turned off and in our forums I really only post and read the LC threads. Most of time on 2p2, is spent lurking the MSNL and HSNL threads, as well as reading the legislation and a few of the Off topic forums. I tend to shy away from the BBV and OOT related stuff though as well. I’m pretty vanilla 2p2 user. Sorry I don’t got more to say.

I look forward to meeting a bunch of you throughout this year though and hopefully everyone in Vegas over the summer.

Tell me a bit about your poker story, how you came to be involved in online poker and what made you choose full-ring no limit games.
Last January one of my old friends from grade school (skilled_sox on stars) who had been playing poker for about 6 months at the time told me he was making some pretty decent money. He convinced me to give it a shot and gave me a couple hours of really basic coaching and 50$ to play with at 2nl. I was doing pretty well and made it up to 100nl with like a 6k roll by the middle of April. Then disaster struck and I went on a 4k downswing in like 36 hours. It was devastating enough that I quit for a few weeks. After school, in the summer I went out to Vegas with a few friends one of whom was a 400nl grinder. One of the days while we were there he stood behind me and basically berated me for 2 hours while I played. Those 2 hours completely revolutionized my game and I went from breaking even at 100nl to beating 200nl almost instantly. From there I’ve pretty much just grinded a bunch and taken shots when it felt appropriate.

What are the stories behind your 2+2 name RosaParks and your Stars name fantasticcow?
FantasticCow is a name I’ve been using online for years. I always thought it was kind of amusing so I kept using it. As for RosaParks there isn’t really a story. I was really baked and talking to my friend about buses when I was registering for 2p2 and somehow RosaParks was born.

What are some of the interests you have outside of poker?
Hanging out with friends, skiing, traveling a bunch, a drug or two, I used to be into online games but not so much anymore.

What were some of the major breakthroughs and leaks that you have plugged in order to get the point of playing solid winning poker?
I think when I really internalized just how miserable you can make people’s lives in position was when I actually started to make money in this game. Other things were learning which boards are bad to cbet, when you can fire off multiple barrels, when you can float and who you can run big bluffs on.

Outline your poker education, what resources have you used to develop your game, who has influenced your game and have you had any coaching?
I’ve pretty much taught myself everything. I think people underestimate how much you can learn by just not playing more tables then you can handle and really thinking about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. I certainly think a coach can act as sort of a catalyst but other than that I don’t think any other resources are all that helpful.

What are the best and worst aspects of being a poker player?
Well, obviously making a lot of money playing what is essentially a video game is pretty sweet. I think poker allows me a lot of freedom that I wouldn’t otherwise have.

The downside for me is really not having anyone at school I can talk to about poker. Especially when I go on prolonged, soul crushing downswing. Not having someone who you can talk to who would actually understand what you’re saying can be really frustrating.

What do your family (both immediate and extended) think of your poker playing?
My family has always been really supportive even when I was just starting out. A lot of times my Dad will sweat one of my sessions and have me explain **** to him. I haven’t yet told them that I kind of intend to play poker for at least a year or two after I graduate but I’m pretty sure they’ll take it well.

What kind of reactions do you get from people outside of poker when you tell them that you play? What are some of the funniest, ill-conceived, tilt inducing and fishiest responses that you get?
Oh Jeez. I’ve gotten all the cliché responses. It usually doesn’t bother me that much though. Most of the standard responses are totally understandable. Like, they just don’t know very much about the game except what they’ve seen on TV. Usually people are just genuinely curious and I don’t mind explaining stuff to them. The one response that tilts me though goes like this:
Them: so how much have you made?
Me: I dunno, little over 100k maybe?
Them: Wow, but how much did you lose?

$^#T*&$%@#&* Like WTF? What the **** is that even supposed to mean? I just can’t understand how they can logically get to that question. Why wouldn’t I give you the net total? Gah so tilting.

As a PokerStars Supernova VIP what changes do you think could be made to the VIP program to improve it?
Well, better bonuses would always be an improvement obviously. But in terms of things that aren’t going to change without more competition I think they could make SNE a little easier to obtain for cash players.

How do you view the future of online poker? Will it be legalised in the US sometime soon and if it is what sites and networks do you think stand to benefit?
In terms of the whole legalization thing I dunno. I’m embarrassingly ignorant when it comes to poker and politics. As for the future of online poker, I don’t think the games are going to ever die but I do think that they’re going to get much worse and probably plateau at a relatively unprofitable level.

Earlier in 2008 you were a regular at 200nl games, but in the latter half of the year you became mid-stakes regular. How have you been doing in these games and how much differently do they play to small stakes?
When I’m not on super omega monkey tilt I actually seem to do pretty well. The average regular at mid-stakes is better. As a result there is more bluffing which leads to lighter call downs which leads to lighter value betting. V-bet ranges and bluffing ranges start to converge more the higher up you go. (if that makes any sense at all.)

Quick Quiz – Of All 2+2 SS Full Ring and PokerStars $100nl-$400nl full-ring regulars
Best avatar?
Kardius

Best strategy poster?
Theres a bunch. Off the top of my head: ATC, SABR, Ricky, Shaffer all seem to give advice that is usually spot on.

Best trash talker?
Last week Mike Kelly made a snide comment about Johnes Benjamin being way too verbose in some of his responses. JB’s retort wins my vote for best trash talker. It was pretty epic.

Best 24-tabler?
Wobbly (I hope he doesn’t read this though cause he tilts me to no end)

Funniest?
Pattay

Friendliest?
Speedle is a pretty friendly dude.

Weirdest?
Rytoast

Most under-rated?
I think Hu’as girl is pretty decent and no ones talks about him. Not sure if he’s 2p2 or not though

Most over-rated?
Too much of a pussy to answer this one.

Who, if anyone, have you met in real life?
No one, but PCA is coming up.

Most Tilty?
I’m gonna say me only because at FR it’s really hard to tell who’s tilting because you’re rarely involved in multiple hands with the same person at the same time.

Least Tilty?
I have no idea.

Best table selection?
EurekaKid

Best short stacker(lol)?
Heh, if they were good they would realize that short stacking doesn’t maximize profit. But I guess IMSAKID and noobelf are mildly competent.

Tell me a bit about your poker story, how you came to be involved in online poker and what made you choose full-ring no limit games.
I was a CS major at Purdue for 2 semesters. I ended up dropping out during my second semester due to a combination of family issues and absolutely hating my chosen field. I also spent nearly all of my free time during that second semester playing .25/.5LHE on Party Poker. After losing my first 50$ deposit, I had a friend sign up through me, and I received a 50$ bonus. From that 50$ came everything I have now.

Over the past 3.5 years of playing what I would consider professionally, I’ve bounced around a bit. I was a LHE grinder and bonus whore for most of 2005. In 2006 I moved to FRNL on PartyPoker until the UIGEA. After the UIGEA, I moved primarily to Bodog, where I selectively played MSNL for most of 2007.

In December of 07, I saw that I was very limited on Bodog, and needed to change my game plan to advance, so I took on the SNE challenge. 2008 has been almost entirely focused on achieving SNE, and I expect to finish just after Christmas.

What is the origin of the name Belok?
I’ve been using this screen name since I was about 12 years old. It somewhat became my alter-ego for most of the video games I’ve played, and it just stuck. There’s a longer more cheesy story on my blog. It also means “egg white” in Russian.

You are on the verge of Supernova Elite for the 2008 year. What initially prompted you to make a run for it?
After the UIGEA, I was having trouble finding a good “home” for most of my poker playing. Bodog had the best table selection, but 3 tables max and awful rakeback/bonus. Stars/FTP were both solid options at the time, but compared to Bodog, the table selection was just horrible. Unfortunately, I saw my $/hr hit a ceiling very quickly at Bodog, and was not satisfied with remaining there long-term.
Reaching SNE is 110k/yr in bonus alone, which was plenty of motivation. Getting sent to a major tournament, the status of SNE, and the sheer challenge of playing that many hands were also big factors in the decision.

How many hours/hands has it taken?
About 1500 hours and 1.8mil hands so far. The majority of my play has been at 200NL, with about 300-400k hands at 400 and 600NL.

How has the experience been and would you do it all again?
Well, it depends on when you ask. September, October, and November have all been so gut-wrenchingly breakeven over a massive sample. The VPP rate has gone down significantly since early this year as well, so I have been forced to put in even more hours of breakeven. Much of this is due to stress/time limitations effecting my game I am sure. Much is also due to the increasing difficulty of the games. I’ve been working on a new style with WCGRider lately, and it has revitalized my interest quite a bit. I’ll know by February if I want to do it again in ’09

You have a baby and just got married this year. How hard has it been to balance SNE grinding with family life?

Very mixed answer here. Some days it is incredibly easy, and some days incredibly difficult. I do share my office with Sophy’s crib, so that complicated the situation a little more. Marriage/fatherhood really isn’t difficult, it just requires a lot of time and patience. So on the good poker days (most days), I’ve got plenty of patience and enough time to go around the house. During the bad days where my patience has already been worn down, it seems like the only thing in this world I want is 15 minutes of silence, which I’ll never get.

On one hand, I’d say that taking care of a family can really make a SNE run difficult, in that you are automatically giving up a significant portion of your time and energy every day. On the other hand, these girls have been so helpful, and given me so much more motivation than I had previously. I may not have had the drive to pull it off without them.

You made a name for yourself with your epic 2+2 thread on 24-tabling on PokerStars. How has the number of tables you play progressed through your poker career?
I’ve always been the type to want to do more, better, faster, stronger, whatever. I can never settle for whatever hands/hr or $/hr I currently have. From the very beginning I was running 4 tables (which was the max at the time) on PartyPoker. When I moved to bonus whoring, I really upped that #, because those were the golden days where bonuses were worth $5+ per table hour.

Nowadays, for most serious players, I’d say that 4+ is an absolute necessity. The higher stakes games are saturated with very good players, and the lower stakes just can’t give someone the $/hr to make it worth your time without multitabling.

I’m told that the first video of my “Mass Tabling” series on CardRunners will be released next weekend. If the response is good, this will be a very long series, and I already see it as being much better than my 24-Tabling articles.

Do you think there is a point at which playing above a certain amount of tables is detrimental to your poker progression?
Definitely. During this last month or two, I was very interested in playing ANYTHING other than FRNL. The only problem was, I needed to be making ~500vpps/hr+ or I just wouldn’t be able to earn enough points to finish SNE. This left me with only 3 playing options: 24tabling FRNL, 24tabling shortstack 6max, and multi-tabling DoNs. All 3 of these games can be extremely brainless, which is what makes them easy to multi-table.

So I found myself in somewhat of a rut, but the rut was more because of the SNE goal than the multi-tabling itself. In the end, I stuck with FRNL because it is what I am comfortable with – but even with 24 tables, I’ve been able to massively overhaul my game this month.

You’ve been playing some of the ‘Double or Nothing’ SnGs in order to grind some VPPs for your SNE run, how have you been faring?
Crushing. Those games are not even poker. It is fun to win $ and everything, but there is very little skill involved in those things.

Your blog title references you as an entrepreneur. What entrepreneurial opportunities do your pursue outside of poker?
Ohh…long answer. My dad and I have co-owned 2 apartment buildings and 2 houses (one of which I live in) since I was 20. I did Ebay reselling for a while. I had the idea behind, and coordinated the early work on Sixth Sense. I haven’t been a part of that program for ~1.5y now. Random staking, a few small-time coaching deals, etc. I just love taking an idea and turning it into a profitable working business.

What are some of the major breakthroughs and leaks that you have plugged in order to get the point of playing solid winning poker?
I think most FRNLers struggle with being a giant nit, which is no exception for me. It is still a struggle to avoid my nitty tendencies.

What are the best and worst aspects of being a poker player?
Best: Money, Hours, Freedom, having a hobby as a job
Worst: Uncertainty in the future, swings, closed-minded people making judgements

What do your family (both immediate and extended) think of your poker playing?
My immediate family started out very much against the idea, which is understandable given how rare it is for someone to succeed. After a year or two of consistent results, I won everybody over. Some of my extended family are much more against the idea.

I’ve found that there are some people who just plain shut down when they are shown a situation they don’t like. Of the members of my extended family who clearly aren’t happy that I’m a poker player, and not 1 person has ever said a word to me about it. I’d much prefer to have a conversation about it, but people will be people.

As a PokerStars Supernova VIP what changes do you think could be made to the VIP program to improve it?
Well, Stars takes away your SNE status in July if you haven’t reached your million points yet. I think that’s pretty awful, and one of the major reasons against trying again.

How do you view the future of online poker? Will it be legalised in the US sometime soon and if it is what sites and networks do you think stand to benefit?
I wish we could keep things the way they are. If it is legalized, the god damn government will get their filthy hands on it somehow, and we’ll wish they never did. 5k cashouts will reach your door as 3.5k with the tax taken out already…Uncle Sam will be taking an extra 1$ out of every pot for national security… it seems like every single thing they touch turns to ****. Keep poker under the radar as long as possible IMO.

Quick Quiz – Of All 2+2 SS Full Ring and PokerStars $100nl-$400nl full-ring regulars
Best avatar?
I have avatars off, so I have to vote for Belok.

Best strategy poster?
I don’t post or read strategy any more.

Best trash talker?
srkbigdaddy

Best 24-tabler?
Belok

Funniest?
Jack frost…but not because he’s trying to be

Friendliest?
WCG and WeakTite have both been friendly to me, I don’t have as much social time as other regs though.

Weirdest?
PimpMySpeed – I dont know if he’s a 2+2er, but he sure likes to whine when he loses his 40$ stack. Pretty weird IMO.

Most under-rated?
Weak Tite

Most over-rated?
I’m not gonna out anybody, but there is a list of people who were thought of as good who just can’t cut it any more (I was very close to this list).

Who, if anyone, have you met in real life?
Nope, but I’ll be at Monte Carlo in 09! Maybe some others will too?

Most Tilty?
against me – WCGRider

Least Tilty?
Studboy1

Best table selection?
Studboy1

Best short stacker(lol)?
The best shortstackers are the ones who fold to 3bet 75%+