Poker Discussion
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CarbonPoker · Full Tilt · Cake Poker · PokerStars · Ultimate Bet · Players Only · Bodog
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Ive gotten quite a few requests to do this, although I don't feel like I should (I'm not the caliber of player in previous wells), but Ill give it a go since Im taking next week off. Im sure by now you all know what a well is, but here is the explanation:
"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."
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."
Im newish to mtts and around here. My name is Mer, Im a girl, and 28. Ive grown up in Atlanta (Georgia) and still live here, but travel a ton. I've always been consumed with competitive sports or hobbies my whole life, horse back riding took up the majority of 15+ years. After a few injuries I had to give up on some things at top levels but still found ways to continue in other areas. All this happened at about the right time because I had to make some life choices, either keep going with horse back riding or go to college, unfortunately it made that choice easy.
I moved to Athens (UGA), got a double degree - B.S. in psychology, B.A. in biology, and a minor in legal studies. I had planned on going to medical school but opted on getting my masters in clinical psychology and then on to my PhD instead. Part of the way through grad school my mother had a stroke which left her paralyzed on one side, we also found lung cancer at that time. Needless to say I put my school on hold and moved home to care for her. When she passed away I remained home to help with things, including my brothers, one had just started college and the other was still in high school.
I started playing poker...hrrmm...I guess about 4+ years ago. My ex-whatever you want to call him got me into poker. I was the typical naive person about it and gave him some crap about playing, after over a year of him trying to convince me to play I caved and gave it a go, which turned out surprisingly well! I deposited $100 and never had to redeposit again. I started out at low stakes full ring limit holdem, ran well...cause lord knows I didnt play good....and moved up fairly quickly. I made the transition from full ring to 6-max at around 5/10 about 6-8 months in. I played limit games (mainly holdem) from 15/30 to 200/400 for the majority of the last few years. At the start of 08 I decided to switch it up a little and play some nl cash, it went well at first but I got bored of it quickly. Around the same time I started playing more tournaments, I had always played a few here and there but nothing too serious. In April I went out of the country for a few months (I don't play when I travel) so I didn't fully get into mtts until August or so. Around October a lot of different "life" things happened which resulted in me having to be home the majority of the time (before I was gone almost half the year) so I figured it would be a good time to give tournaments a spin. So here I am 7ish months later....
Im not sure if this is going to answer most of the questions I get non stop or just create more of a havoc, but I guess we will see!!
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 Frank1The1Tank: | |
Sorry, that isnt what this is for. There are pictures out there of me, but I dont care for it to be a positive or negative focal point.
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so, would you say you've always stayed within a good bankroll management? And what were some of the things and people/strategies you've used to move up through the limits. Did you ever grind those 8+ hour days to build your bankroll?
thanks
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others that have done the well, when asked, said that they had no financial responsibilities at the time of the beginning of their success
my biggest struggle has been the fact that the scores im am able to hit, i need this money for outside of just moving up in stakes
I hit a 4 digit score and have to continue to grind 3 SNGs
my question is.... was the money you started initially bringing in from poker, used as a means to move up in stakes, or were you dependent on this money to, say pay bills???
if you were dependent on this money, how were you able to step up to the next level? grindin SNGs? hit multible big scores and keep a small % of that in?
sorry for the long question, this seems to be my biggest struggle with poker, trying to balance my financial responsibilities against my desire to move up in stakes and stop playing in 3K+ fields
thanks!
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what day is it today? 
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| wandigo: | |
| TheRealMT: | |
pictures of her were posted on 2+2 by someone who was not her and she in fact is a woman.
oh, okay... i'm convinced.
sigh, just sigh...several reputable members of this site know her personally
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| CardXFactor: | |
How much do you use psychology in your game? What are some of the things you've picked up being well versed in psychology?
Jeez, this could be a lengthy one but Ill try and make it short...hopefully this makes sense. Psychology isnt something I consciously use, but Im sure Im always utilizing it somehow. It wasnt something I "learned", Ive just always been good with people, emotions, sensing things, etc. Studying it just gave me terms for a lot of the knowledge I already had and fine tuned different areas.
In regards to poker, I do frequently put myself in another players place and make a move occording to what I would do in their position, but you have to be weary about doing this. Generally, I read people exceptionally well which makes it fairly easy to do so in poker. Ive traveled the world working with people in various places, so Ive done a fair amount of cultural studies, which has made me more aware of things I wouldn't have noticed on 6 years ago. I pick up on body language, moods, tones, and general emotions better than the average person, its second nature to me (this was made stronger by intercultural experiences). I can use someones personality to manipulate them, something I avoid doing in day to day life, so I actually feel a tab bit bad if I use it in poker, I have to remind myself that it is part of the game.
These aspects have been part of me since I was a child and been developed over the years, therefore I dont knowingly think "okay, I know A., B. and C. about this person, so Im going to do this", I just instictively use whatever information I have while playing....if that makes sense. There are very few times I stop, pause, and force myself to go through the things I know about a particular person and mechanically deduce possibilites. Overall, Im sure my personality, natural "gift", and learned abilities do give me a tiny edge in poker, which evens out my weaker areas!!!
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| bassmaster: | |
What is the one thing that helped you the most with your poker game?
hip hop or rock?
cash or mtts?
weed or alcohol?
The thing that has helped me most is my emotional control and stability, eliminating tilt as a problem area in my game.
Depends on my mood, but rarely hip hop while I play poker!
Lately mtts for a little switch it up, but cash will always be my favorite I think
I dont do either!! I drink on occasion but its rare!
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| gray31: | |
Can you consider that thing a dog if it can fit in a handbag? (I love dogs but never saw the appeal of getting one that weighs 3 lbs, just get a cat if its going to be that small imo)
Also, is mer short for merlin or murloc?
Yes, she is a dog!! And she is most adorable thing ever! Even people that hate those types of dogs love her. I dont like cats, and the two arent even comparable....I dont see cats as small as she is!! I travel a lot, so having a dog this size makes it very easy for her to travel with me....she even rides inside the plane with me because of her size.
No, mer is not short for either of those
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If this has been asked, I apologize: do you play much live or only online? If you do play live, will you be in any of the WSOP events this May?
Were you a jumper or an eventer?
Anyway, keep up the good work!
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| Duffy08: | |
how influential have players that are on ur rail such as daut44 and scTrojans been on your game?
how do u handle the high stakes MTT swings while continuing to improve ur game like you did on your run up through the ranks?
are u backed?
Daut, Jim (Mig), and Blake (Balla-B) have been influential on my game, Scott not at all! They have given me confidence in my logic in mtts. When I started to get serious with mtts Daut helped me fine tune some bad limit habits of mine and stressed the math base which I lacked, Jim and Blake too it a step farther. Im very different from other people, Im not taught easily since I learn in a weird way, so Ive avoided wasting peoples time. The reassurance/confidence in my poker is key for me because I never know if what I am doing is right or wrong per say, so having friends I trust that tell me I did something correctly enables me to apply that in furture circumstances and adjust my play, so without them I would not have improved to the degree I have. Overall, the way I learn makes me a fast adjuster but can also be extremely costly.
Over the years I have gotten far less input and help than most would assume. Its rare that I "talk" poker, and when I do someone better know me very well cause otherwise they will have no idea what in the world I am saying...I have my own little mer-language. Prime example is that if someone says fold equity to me, I have to pause, think about it superrrrr hard, make up an example in my head, then Im like oooooook Ive got it!! what about it!?!?! So this obviously makes having a conversation about poker, let alone "teaching" me impossible!
I really didnt experience a ton varience until lately, and even now I dont swing as much as some other people I know so it doesnt really bother me. I was over rolled from high stakes cash so I am sure this plays a part in it since I dont stress about the money aspect. And coming from limit I was pretty familiar with variance so it wasnt a super shock!! The swings are definitely no fun but I have confidence it will turn right at some point when/if it goes sour!!
No I am not backed, but there are a couple of people that have percents of me.
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Who has helped your game the most, if anyone?
Whose game do you have the most respect for in nlhe mtts?
edit* Disregard, as I didn't see Duffy's post.
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Whoa I am 28 and grew up in the greater ATL area too! We have so much in common.
SO my question, why don't you accept random facebook friend requests?
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| Hub Dub 04: | |
Are you investing your winnings from Stars and FTP? Do you play on doing this for a long time? What types of music do you listen to while grinding?
No, I dont invest poker money, although I do invest other money.
Yes, I plan on playing for awhile in some shape or form. I enjoy the game as a whole and dont play it purely for monetary purposes...so I dont see much of a reason to ever give it up.
Hrmm, I dont really listen to music while I play a ton. I have people in and out of the house, my dogs, and constant phone calls so those keep me pretty occupied while trying to focus! If I do listen to something its going to be more mellow or my new favorite song that week over and over again on repeat!! (like all american rejects - gives you hell) One song I have listened to over 10,000 times playing is Debussy - Claire de lune, its my favorite piece of classical music and relaxes me no matter what.
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