Last weekend, Hungarian online poker player noirduck(pictured) chopped the PartyPoker High Rollerheads-up with fellow PocketFiver Cathal shinerrr Shine. His reward for an afternoon of hard work was $26,000 following the two-way deal in a final table that featured members of PocketFives in the top eight spots, including four of our site’s top 100. So what does it take to chop the PartyPoker High Roller? PocketFives went straight to the source to find out.

PocketFives: Congratulations on chopping the PartyPoker High Roller. Tell me about the decision to chop. Why did you decide to chop and how did the negotiation go?

noirduck: Thanks. That was my last tournament for the day, so I was tired a bit and, more importantly, the payout structure on PartyPoker is really top-heavy. The gap between the first two places was like $15,000 and I didn’t feel I had a decent edge on my heads-up opponent, so I suggested we should look at the numbers at the beginning. He said okay and offered me a standard chip-chop deal (he had the chip lead), and I agreed. We didn’t play heads-up at all.

PocketFives: Your heads-up opponent, shinerrr (pictured) on PocketFives, has nearly $1.2 million in tracked cashes and is in the top 500 worldwide. Can you talk about his game?

noirduck: I had no idea who he was at the time. I knew he was a regular with great results on PartyPoker, but that’s all. We started to play against each other when we got four-handed. I had the chip lead at that point and luckily was on his left (he had a big stack too).

He adapted to the situation well though: He raised with a tight range and played really aggressive post-flop. He fired multiple barrels in blind-versus-blind situations, so he won some pots from me. We didn’t play many showdown pots. He seemed to be a competent player and I can’t recall any mistakes.

PocketFives: You seem to have had a solid start to 2012, with a final table in the PokerStarsSunday 500 and now a PartyPoker High Roller chop. Talk about your poker game this year.

noirduck: To be honest, I haven’t played a lot this year. After a two-semester break, I’m continuing my university studies, so I can’t devote as much time to poker as I did during previous years. I usually play MTTs on Sundays or when a PokerStars series is running. I don’t have time for long tournament sessions, so I’ve been playing cash games lately. I traveled to a couple of EPT stops and can’t wait for Las Vegas and the WSOP.

PocketFives: What kind of field shows up to the PartyPoker High Roller each week? Is it a regular tournament for you?

noirduck: Yes, I play it almost every Sunday. I only play two or three tournaments per week on PartyPoker and regulars have different screen names from what they use on PokerStars, so I can’t really judge, but from what I’ve seen, it’s tough.

PocketFives: How did you get started in poker? Who or what has been influential on your game?

noirduck: I started playing in high school with friends and really enjoyed it. After quitting Counter-Strike, I decided to learn how to play poker. I got a free $50 bankroll and read a lot of online articles and forums, plus I had plenty of time to grind. I was playing only cash games back then, but a few years later, I took a liking to MTTs. We played Sunday sessions in a group and I got a lot of support at those early times.

PocketFives: What do you do away from poker? What hobbies or other interests do you have?

noirduck: Besides poker, university, and random student stuff, I don’t have too much free time. I like skiing, playing tennis, and playing Age of Empires Online (pictured).

PocketFives: What advice would you give to low-stakes grinders looking to improve their game?

noirduck: Play cash game sessions and learn to play post-flop, especially if you play live events or non-Turbo tournaments. Regulars are not making huge mistakes pre-flop (when stack sizes are smaller), but I think in general they have major leaks in their post-flop game when the stack sizes are bigger (even in higher stakes tournaments). That’s where you can have a huge edge.

Visit PartyPokerto play in this week’s High Roller.