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Location of Interview Thread : here
Date of Interview : Interview was posted on 3rd December 2005.
Official Site : here
Short Bio from Launch Poker :here
these questions are in no particular order :)
Question : (From Kikilo)
Do you play limit or no limit cash games? If limit, what style of play do
you find to be the most beneficial? Ulta-aggressive, very tight but playng
the big hands aggressive, or a bit of everything.
I usually play limit for the cash games and no-limit most of the time when
it comes to tournaments. I really enjoy taking little breaks from each and
playing the other. In both though I find that usually playing aggressively
is the way to go. Although sometimes you need to lay back and let players
come to you. Really it’s a mixture of many styles, using whatever fits the
moment.
Do you ever attempt a bluff in limit, because I know that they rarely work
in the online work of poker. If no limit, do you attempt any big bluffs? Do
you try to steal the blinds a fair amount? Do you try to establish yourself
as the aggressor at the table?
Answer :
Of course you have to be able to bluff at all limits and all levels of
poker. You just need to be careful not to overdo it though. Many players
will take it too far and basically force themselves to be called down.
In the online game you should probably be bluffing even less. The fact that
players are anonymous and just have to click a button to call or raise makes
it that much easier to bluff, or to call a bluff.
You always want to be the aggressor in any game you play, and this will also
include stealing blinds and robbing people often.
Question : (From Fonzerelli_79)
5,619 players played in this years World Series of Poker Championship Event.
2004 had even more with 2,576 players. In comparison, there were just ovewr
40 players in the main event in 1978 when Baldwin won.
Remembering that pokers popularity is still growing at a fast rate, do you
believe anyone will ever be able to get close to the number of WSOP
bracelets won by Brunson, Chan and Hellmuth?
Answer :
10 is an awesome number, regardless of number of players or eras. I would
like to think that someone will be able to catch up at some point, but it’s
going to be tough. Who knows? Maybe it’ll be me. :)
Question : (From THPKRPlayer)
The WSOP Main Event in 2005 had over 5600 entrants. Next years WSOP Main
Event will probably have between 6000 & 7000...maybe even more.
1. With the popularity of this event increasing over the last few years and
the ever increasing number of online qualifiers, do you think a well known
professional poker player will ever win this event again? If so...who do you
believe has the best shot at it in a field of 6000 to 7000+ players. Mike M
came close in 2005.
2. Do you think the buyin for this event should be increased so as to reduce
the amount of entrants or do you think it would even make an impact, what
with the number of online qualifiers these days?
3. Who is the friendliest Pro you have met while playing? The funniest? The
most serious?
Answer :
1. I really hope that the pros are going to be able to assert dominance in next
year’s Series. As we saw last year, the pros are still able to rise above
the amateurs. The main event takes it a step further of course with the
sheer amounts of players involved. I am pretty confident that a pro will
take it down again though.
2. Definitely not. $10,000 is tradition and I think we would lost something if
we changed that. Of course it would make for tougher fields, but the main
event is becoming an American event, and I like that.
3. The friendliest would have to be Joe Sebok. He always is chatting with
whoever is at his table. Funniest is Tim Phan, as he always leaves he
cracking up. The most serious is definitely Ray D. He reminds
me of a lion stalking his prey. So focused.
Question : (From Alli2132)
Considering you only have a year of tournament playing under your belt, I
was wondering how much professional cash game experience you have. If it's
not considerably more than that same year, what made you realize you'd be
successful professionally? Did/do you have coaches? How did you prepare? Did
you have a large bankroll to play with as you learned? What exactly, if
anything, made you sit up one day and say " Hey I'm really good at this!"
Answer :
I have been playing poker since I was 18, but only professionally for the
last four years. I always felt that I had the drive to do this and I am so
happy to see that I was right. I have never used coaches and have instead
preferred to use my own mistakes and experience as my teachers.
I didn’t have a huge bankroll to start out, but was successful playing
$20-$40 from the beginning. Having that kind of success from the onset
really gave me the confidence to keep with it.
Question : (From BillyBoy62)
Do you think being one of the few lady players on the circuit works to your
advantage
Answer :
I think sometimes it is an advantage when some of the newer players sit
down. Ultimately though, all the pros respect each other and I think my
advantage goes down with them. Definitely against the amateurs though.
Question : (From CRAPSHOOT)
IN NLHE the pre-flop bet is a critical bet, on the one hand you do not want
to bet too heavy, since you never know how the flop is going to fair out
with your pocket cards and on the other hand you want to bet enough to drive
out many of the opponents. I know that Chris Moneymaker tries not to be a
heavy pre-flop bettor as he will risk an extra opponent or two to keep
himself from being too committed to the pot...it is a very general question,
without bringing up other factors, but in general, how do you feel about the
pre-flop bet and do you feel that the turn bet is probably the most critical
bet?
Answer :
My game is aggression, so I believe in taking control pre-flop when I can.
I understand some players don’t like to get too committed to a hand before
seeing the flop, but it won’t stop me from making a nice bet if I think I
have the best of it.
In NL I would actually say the flop is the most critical bet. You will find
out so much information there depending on what the other player’s do in
response to you. In limit though, I would agree that the turn is the most
critical bet.
Question : (From CRAPSHOOT)
I view NLHE as a 80-90% mind game and a 10-20% card game...how do you view
it?
Answer :
At the higher levels you do need to play the players more than you play the
cards, but this isn’t to say that you can forget your cards, especially when
you are playing players with less experience. As with everything in poker,
you have to consider who you are playing against and adjust accordingly.
Question : (From BSQUAD)
First of all, congratulations on your recent success and thank you for
taking the time to join us here at Texas Holdem Forums.A recent debate came up lately here at the forum and a few of our members
chimed in with their thoughts. I wanted to get a proffesional players point
of view.. So heres the scenario:
Its the very first hand of the WSOP and your in the Big Blind and you look
down to see Pocket Aces. Everyone folds except the Small Blind ( an obvious
rookie ) who announces "ALL-IN"!! . The question is.. Do you call? and why
or why not?
Answer :
Thanks for the congratulations. :)
I would, of course, call. Regardless of everyone’s thinking about getting
knocked out quickly, this is how you build up chips. I would basically
never fold pocket aces in almost any situation. AA is the best possible
hand you can find and if you aren’t willing to play that hand, than what
would you be willing to play? I’m not afraid of busting out early in a
tournament. I would rather give myself the chance to get ahead early and
win it.
Question : (From Fonzerelli_79)
youve been a professional poker player for a few years now. This year you
finished a very respectable 5th in the $1,500 No-limit Hold'em WSOP game and
picked up $177,000.
When you finish well and win money in a tournament how do you manage the
cash? For example, do you set aside 40% as a bankroll for future games and
cash the rest?
Answer :
I just do what anyone would probably do. I take care of expenses and then
hopefully do something fun for myself after that ( like shopping) :-) I don’t set any specific numbers though
Question : (From Fonzerelli_79)
In the pro circuit you will undoubtedly see a lot of the same faces at the
table. I've read you are friendly with Evelyn Ng and John Phan and im sure
your friendly with a lot of other pros.
Do you ever ask for advice from fellow professionals about your play or how
you played a specific hand?
Answer :
Absolutely. We all talk about different hands that we have played and see
what others would have done. It’s a great learning tool, and we all utilize
it
Question : (From Jvelez)
Lately I have been playing many live sit and go's. We play winner takes all
usually. I have cashed 6 or 7 times, but I've been second 15 times. Do you
have any advice for Live play heads up with very high blinds?
Answer :
It just takes a lot of experience. It actually sounds like you have a
pretty good record so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Just keep
playing, getting better, and having fun.
Question : (From Cowboy)
Do you ever find yourself burnt out and exausted during a tournament and
play reckless steals/plays just to put yourself into a position to either
have a thrilling hand or just lose completly because you have had it with
the tournament?
Answer :
I can’t say that I have ever done that. I think that part of being a
professional is riding out those times when you are bored and just want to
make something happen. Unfortunately we have to do it for money, and we
can’t just jump in for the fun!
Question : (From Kaartkeizer)
1. Before starting a tournament, what advantage do you have over your
opponents?
2. What aspect of poker makes you a winning player? Is it your reading skills,
aggressiveness or something else?
3. To avoid the bubble at what time do you start playing aggressive?
4. Don't you find it annoying when you have a very big chipstack and you have
to look at your cards?
5. What kind of music do you listen to when playing poker?
6. Do you play online poker also, If so where?
Answer :
1. I like to think my advantage is just preparation, and playing my A game all
the time. I think my discipline is also an advantage.
2. It’s a combination of all of the above. A good players uses whatever is
necessary at the time to play the game.
3. I am always playing aggressively, so the bubble doesn’t really figure into
my thinking. Also, I am not really trying to cash in a tournament, I am
trying to win it.
4. I don’t find it annoying. I love playing, so I love dealing with the chips,
the cards, and the other players.
5. I listen to hip-hop, r & b, house, and anything else that’s on my ipod.
6. I play on PokerStars, UltimateBet, and Absolute when I do. I am more of a
live player though, so usually I am in the casinos.
A Huge thank you to Liz Lieu for taking the time to answer our questions :):)
You can comment on this interview in this thread.
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