Poker Discussion
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CarbonPoker · Full Tilt · Cake Poker · PokerStars · Ultimate Bet · Players Only · Bodog
So for my 2000th post I decided I wanted to do something for the
community, so I asked you guys what you wanted in a thread. The most
popular thing seemed to be a well. For those of you who don't know what
a well is, here's the most amusing description I've read...
A stranger is being shown around a village that he has just become part
of. He is shown a well and his guide says "On any day except Tuesday,
you can shout any question down that well and you'll be told the
answer." The man seems pretty impressed, and so he shouts down, "Why
not on Tuesday?" A voice from in the well shouts back, "Because on
Tuesday, it's your day in the well."
So yeah, essentially, in this thread, I'll answer any question you
have about playing professionally, the game, myself, or any random
question you have that might not even to do with poker.
I also thought it'd be cool to introduce wells to Pocketfives, since on other forums other wells have
been really eye-opening. You learn a lot of things about the people who
play for a living that you otherwise would've probably never known.
For those of you who don't know me I've been playing professionally for a few years now. Before poker I grew up in a
suburb of Seattle. Somebody introduced me to poker when I was 16 and I
got hooked pretty quickly, playing every home game I could find. My
home life wasn't exactly awesome at the time so I would work at Arby's
or play poker most hours after school, just to kind of get away from my
situation at the time.
I left my home during senior year of high school on pretty bad terms
with my family, pretty broke. I went to Alaska and worked as a
commercial fisherman, and came back home and moved to the actual city
of Seattle. I worked there as a security guard, usually sleeping
through my shift, and then came home to play SNGs all night.
My first month doing this I luckboxed two tournaments and made
$7,000, put a few grand in the bank, and then quit my job. I haven't
had a real job since.
I totally sucked at the start, running break even over 1,000 SNGs,
and showing a -20% ROI over my first 1,000 tournaments on Stars.I
started watching training videos though, and working on my game
constantly, and slowly but surely I got better. I moved through SNGs,
to tournaments, to cash games.
The last year I've focused more on the live circuit, playing poker
in Ireland, the Phillippines, Korea, Brazil, Costa Rica, France,
Hungary, Poland, Italy, Uruguay, China, and Germany.
I no longer live in Seattle currently. I lived in Korea off and on
for a year with my girlfriend there, but eventually it didn't work out.
I was gone 90% of the time for tournaments or something and Korea is
just too far away from the European events.I'm currently residing in Malta, doing the EPTs, playing the tournaments online, and trying to take as much money as I can out of the European economy by playing on their sites.
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The "well" is a great idea and P5's owes you big for starting one. Now to my question:
How, if at all, has playing poker full time changed you as a person? (I think the cop-out answer made by a lot of people would be "it hasn't", but you seem like an honest and open person so I'm interested in hearing your response :)
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 mathclub: | |
could you ever see yourself doing another job after poker? if so, what sort of job?
edit : great idea btw, love it
I'm incredibly incredibly lazy now, and I can't stand having a boss, so it'd be hard.
I actually really want to write. Not articles, actual books. I think I'm a pretty average poker player, and a much better writer. The intensity in poker is obviously much greater when its the big stage, but the day to day grind can be pretty dull. I'd like to balance my life out a little more. I've actually started writing quite a bit here in Malta, and I'm hoping it leads to something down the line.
A real job though, ugh, it would take serious rehabilitation.
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the obvious, jessica alba or jessica biel?....who do you think is the best online tournament poker player other than yourself? :P, and what was your favorite nonasian country to visit so far?
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| ofxaxrevolution: | |
What do you feel MOST contributed to your success in playing poker?
Hard work and being honest with myself.
I still never watch a HH and see what I do right. All I ever see is what I did wrong. If you ever think you're faultless in this game you're just done. There's so many guys that were doing well a year ago, but when the times change they don't adapt, because they just can't accept that how they used to play is wrong.
Training videos are huge. I've gotten into the habit of watching one over breakfast. Discussing HHs with friends is also huge.
Every time I have gotten lazy with doing my homework in poker I have not done well, and every time I have just tried to love the game and play each hand the best I can I have done well.
When I have let other shit effect me and played when I was burned out I have never done well.
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I wrote you an email on facebook once and never got a reply....sigh
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| omgitsjimbob: | |
When you first started, what tools/books/anything did you use to get better?
I read every book there was at the start, but most of them were garbage. Harrington On Hold'em and Ace On The River were the only two I'd probably read now.
Training videos, and discussing hands with good players.
Take a few hands from every session and just analyze, ask for thoughts, you get better. Have your friends sweat you and sweat them too. Put in the hours, and don't just mindlessly grind during them.
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| Frank1The1Tank: | |
I've played with you quite a bit in the last few weeks or so. So assuming you remember playing with me, what do you think of my game? What are my strengths and weaknesses as a player iyo? If I remember correctly, you are still 20, like me, are you planning to travel the live circuit in the US when you are 21?
Man, I play too many tables. I'm sorry. I can't give you a real opinion.
I don't know about the US circuit when I'm 21. The World Series I'll be at most likely, but I just like living in Europe and Asia a lot more. Although financially tournament poker...USA is the place to be.
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what limits or sngs or MTTs were you playing when you decided you were a 'pro' and no longer just making some coin. thanks for this, mad props.
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| Scha: | |
What is your favorite kind of porn, and you do watch porn/masturbate while playing? How much equity do you think you lose while doing that, and how much equity do you gain afterward because you are more relaxed/not bothered anymore about some nasty beat?
Wow, tricky.
Sex does mellow me I'll admit that. I think it's like that for all men. Greenstein's chapter in Ace On The River was spot on.
Obviously Asian, although I've become more equal opportunity.
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| ronkend: | |
What was your break? The one tournament/week etc that got you going?
I had tons of little lucky scores, no huge ones. I guess my biggest windfall was when a friend of mine put me into bigger tournies for the first time, and I chopped the 200r that first week. Didn't have any makeup at the time.
Sickest thing was he had Watchthesea's action too, and he was the guy I chopped it with.
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| vesperka: | |
Could you see Russia from your commercial fishing boat?
No, I just saw the crazy fucking Russians nearly killing us, because they'd go twice as fast as any other boat without concern as to who was around them.
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| Mkind16: | |
Tea: black or green? Enya or Kenny G? Japan or China? Mr Big Cheese or Mr Big Queso? Mkind16 or Mick Foley?
Green
Enya
Queso
Japan
Mkind
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What suburb of Seattle did you grow up in? I'm from Issaquah.
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How do you invest or store your bankroll? And, do you ever plan on going to college?
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Howdy Alex Glad to see you are doing really well for yourself these days :)
Whats the biggest thing you have splashed out on with poker winnings?
Keep pwning!
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