Q&A with NorwichFanRob

Lafortezza

1) What games are you currently playing? Levels?

2) Are you running well or badly in the last week or two?

3) Guinness drinker? How do you deal with the Guinness sh!ts the next day?

Shortstack

1) How has playing cash games regularly affected your tournament game?

2) Why Norwich?

3) Caprice of Cameron Diaz?

tribulus

1) Are you playing full time now?

2)If so was it a tough decision - career/family wise etc?

3) Do you play many SnG's anymore or are you strictly cash games?

ditpoker

at what level did you start?

when do you decide to move up a level?

do u play holdem only, or anything else?

whats the best advice you have about varying your game away from basic ABC poker?

RasTa

Which is more profitable and less straining on the mind? Cash or tourneys? and is there much of a difference $$$ wise with either.

Oh and what have you treated yourself to from poker winnings?

BigDragon

RasTa wrote:

Which is more profitable and less straining on the mind? Cash or STT's? and is there much of a difference $$$ wise with either.

Rob has rarely lost $17k pots with AA in SNG's....just a guess :eek:

RasTa

He also might have won some! I'll change it to tourneys, i.e getting knocked out of a big mtt

cooker3

Why do you think you have been on such a good run for the last 6 months or so?

What do you think makes you better then the majority of players?

Do you think you will still be a pro in 5 years?

ocallagh

What are your 2007 goals?

Goodluck2me

who is the best player you have played against.
who taught you to play first?
best/worst moment in poker?
your favourite weekly tournament?
do you like the strawberry ice cream in the fitz?
your biggest ever cash?

RoundTower

Do you think it's a bad idea to risk all your chips on a draw in a poker tournament, especially early in the the first few levels?

Several noted professionals have commented on how they fare better against stronger opposition. Do you find this is true for you?

Do you consider yourself a lucky player? If you think of the four or five biggest pots you've ever played in cash games -- or the most crucial points in tournaments -- have you been lucky or unlucky overall?

Do you know how to play mythical or klag? Would you like to play some time?

What table selection techniques do you use while playing online?

Suppose you are playing a heads up cash game with blinds €1-€2, and €200 stacks. You are on the small blind and you get dealt AK. While you are thinking about what to do you accidentally flip over your cards and your opponent sees them, however you are still allowed to play the hand. Should you go all in? Or fold and wait for a better spot? Would it ever be better to do something like raise to €7, just to mix up your play?

Hectorjelly

RoundTower wrote:

Do you think it's a bad idea to risk all your chips on a draw in a poker tournament, especially early in the the first few levels?

etc

when are you planning on releasing the scores for this quiz?

Norwich Fan Rob

lafortezza wrote:

1) What games are you currently playing? Levels?

2) Are you running well or badly in the last week or two?

3) Guinness drinker? How do you deal with the Guinness sh!ts the next day?

currently playing 20/40 & 10/20 NL holdem cash on tribeca, 10/20 on betfair, very occasional 5/10 omaha, most of the big live events, and the big weekend multis such as stars million, rarely play STTs anymore, which were almost my sole game about 6 months ago.

December and January have been amazing, since i started playing 20/40 NL ive taken about 28k in 3 weeks from it.

Used to drink guinness, more of a lager man now these days, dont get hammered as much as i should (dont mention scarborough).

ocallagh

how much money will you miss out on winning by answering all these questions?

Norwich Fan Rob

Shortstack wrote:

1) How has playing cash games regularly affected your tournament game?

2) Why Norwich?

3) Caprice of Cameron Diaz?

I think i tend not to care as much in online tourneys these days, i may be playing a 20/40 table at the same time !!!, i think the pot control elements ive been working hard on for cash has taking something from my tourney game, that said , i just won a multi there on tribeca about an hour ago

Always supported norwich, since about 1980, when i was 7, think it started cause i liked the colour of their tops.

Cameron, just, a marginal call, pretty much +ev either way.

Norwich Fan Rob

tribulus wrote:

1) Are you playing full time now?

2)If so was it a tough decision - career/family wise etc?

3) Do you play many SnG's anymore or are you strictly cash games?

playing full time since early nov, first few weeks were shaky, now its looking like a great decision.

was tough, i had a good job, but u only live once, im happier now, touch wood, eventually my results persuaded those close to me that i wasnt mad.

rarely play sng's anymore

kincsem

I backed Norwich to win the league a few years ago when they were in 3rd spot. Shame they didn't win it.

You were knocked out early in Drogheda (1st ?). I noticed you stayed around chatting and taking the slagging. But it must have hurt. How bad? And how long before the pain melts?

How long was it before you were profitable at cash games on the internet? Immediately, or did you have to spend a long apprenticeship?

Do you treat poker like a job with fixed start and finish times?

Describe you PC ? Do you have millions of poker tables running at once?

kincsem

Feck, doesn't anyone ever sleep?

Norwich Fan Rob

ditpoker wrote:

at what level did you start?

when do you decide to move up a level?

do u play holdem only, or anything else?

whats the best advice you have about varying your game away from basic ABC poker?

started playing at 1/2 cash and in $50 sngs and small multis.
first live game was 50+50 game in red cow. (the first ever one of these that was held)

slowly moved up, really only started to take off after i won 6k in the fitz last december 13 months ago.

98% holdem, 2% omaha.

at most levels, abc poker is profitable, as long as u have discipline, extreme patience and dont tilt, studying opponents is key, and getting a feel for them.
i dont get hugely out of line in cash games, i made most of my money by catching a lot of bluffs, and control the pot in marginal hands.
in tourneys , the key is a good gear change , and knowing when and how to up the ante from very tight to very aggressive.

phantom_lord

kincsem wrote:

Feck, doesn't anyone ever sleep?

sleep is -evs

Norwich Fan Rob

RasTa wrote:

Which is more profitable and less straining on the mind? Cash or tourneys? and is there much of a difference $$$ wise with either.

Oh and what have you treated yourself to from poker winnings?

cash is more profitable, and way more mind blowing....
theres more to be won in cash, and with a solid game, i think u can win it more consistently.
in tourneys, u can always get the big win, so to speak, but u always need to win a race or 2 along the way.

to be honest, most of it is in the bank, its like a buffer for me if anything goes wrong, to pay the mortgage etc, ive done up the house a bit, and had a few hols, i plan a lot more hols this year, maybe along the lines of 1 a month,

Norwich Fan Rob

cooker3 wrote:

Why do you think you have been on such a good run for the last 6 months or so?

What do you think makes you better then the majority of players?

Do you think you will still be a pro in 5 years?

ive put a lot of work and time into my game, ive play a lot of hours in all forms of poker, cash/tournies etc, and im always trying to learn and gain as much experience as people, reading boards and various blogs has helped a lot too, im quite patient, good at maths and generally focused when i play, i play well within my roll, and will stick it in if needs be.

i hope to still be a pro in 5 years, yes

Goodluck2me

Norwich Fan Rob wrote:

think it started cause i liked the colour of their tops.
.

thought i was the only one!

Norwich Fan Rob

ocallagh wrote:

What are your 2007 goals?

to try and do better than i did at last years wsop !!!
to final table in a big live multi.
to continue to build my roll and beat highish level cash games.
to not have to work
to have as much fun as possible and go some nice places.
to continue to make a lot of good friends in the poker world.

Norwich Fan Rob

goodluck2me wrote:

who is the best player you have played against.
who taught you to play first?
best/worst moment in poker?
your favourite weekly tournament?
do you like the strawberry ice cream in the fitz?
your biggest ever cash?

in all my time in the main event , the one guy who really stood out for me was an american called kevin o donnell, he was tough to play, he ended up coming about 30th, and has since won a big event in the mirage or somewhere, so i will say him.

i thought myself, i started playing every hand in 1/2, did 5 or 6k before i started turning it around, was a mega fish first 3 or 4 months.

best, was the whole world series experience, worst the moment on day 5 when i turned over my JJ and saw the other guys QQ.......like the end of the fairytale.

fav weekly tourney, hmm, i often play the 200 freezeout on tribeca at 11, i like that one, i used to love the old crypto 50k on a sunday, thats more or less gone now though.

never actually had that ice cream, will try it the next time.

biggest single cash $47,006 at wsop 2006. (ticket cost me $396 (198x2))

Goodluck2me

Norwich Fan Rob wrote:

in all my time in the main event , the one guy who really stood out for me was an american called kevin o donnell, he was tough to play, he ended up coming about 30th, and has since won a big event in the mirage or somewhere, so i will say him.

i thought myself, i started playing every hand in 1/2, did 5 or 6k before i started turning it around, was a mega fish first 3 or 4 months.

best, was the whole world series experience, worst the moment on day 5 when i turned over my JJ and saw the other guys QQ.......like the end of the fairytale.

fav weekly tourney, hmm, i often play the 200 freezeout on tribeca at 11, i like that one, i used to love the old crypto 50k on a sunday, thats more or less gone now though.

never actually had that ice cream, will try it the next time.

biggest single cash $47,006 at wsop 2006. (ticket cost me $396 (198x2))

sounds incredible.
whats your favourite live tournament?
strawberry ice cream is horrible there!
that only just beats my biggest cash. i once won 45$ in a 10$ SnG, but im sure the luck will turn for you...

Norwich Fan Rob

RoundTower wrote:

Do you think it's a bad idea to risk all your chips on a draw in a poker tournament, especially early in the the first few levels?

Several noted professionals have commented on how they fare better against stronger opposition. Do you find this is true for you?

Do you consider yourself a lucky player? If you think of the four or five biggest pots you've ever played in cash games -- or the most crucial points in tournaments -- have you been lucky or unlucky overall?

Do you know how to play mythical or klag? Would you like to play some time?

What table selection techniques do you use while playing online?

Suppose you are playing a heads up cash game with blinds €1-€2, and €200 stacks. You are on the small blind and you get dealt AK. While you are thinking about what to do you accidentally flip over your cards and your opponent sees them, however you are still allowed to play the hand. Should you go all in? Or fold and wait for a better spot? Would it ever be better to do something like raise to €7, just to mix up your play?

in genreal yes, i dont like to risk it on a draw early on, as i feel i can get chips together without having to take a major gamble when i know i will need to improve.

i do way better at 20/40 cash than ive ever done at any other level, and i almost never win my local home game with my limpy calling stations mates, take from that what u will.

i cant recall many if any of the major pots/hand ive won where i have required an outdraw, perhaps im lucky in the sense that i get a lot of good starting hands/flops, but i dont usually put it in behind. As regards races, i win some, lose some, dont really have any idea of a %. Most of the biggest pots ive lost are where ive put it in with a flush vs a set and boards paired or a set vs a flush draw and its hit.

no idea how to play mythical or klag

my table selection is based solely on looking at the players names, and picking the table that looks softest, from my memory and player notes.

hard question to answer, HU id always take my chances with AK pre flop, whoever in this case the villain will never call with a dominated ace, perhaps just call and see a flop and wait for a better spot unless u hit it really hard.

Norwich Fan Rob

kincsem wrote:

I backed Norwich to win the league a few years ago when they were in 3rd spot. Shame they didn't win it.

You were knocked out early in Drogheda (1st ?). I noticed you stayed around chatting and taking the slagging. But it must have hurt. How bad? And how long before the pain melts?

How long was it before you were profitable at cash games on the internet? Immediately, or did you have to spend a long apprenticeship?

Do you treat poker like a job with fixed start and finish times?

Describe you PC ? Do you have millions of poker tables running at once?

anytime i back norwich they lose, so now i have stopped jinxing them.
(not that that has helped)

6 months before i started winning at 6 pacs on betfair, its only in the last 3 or 4 months im conistently winning at cash games, i have changed my game a lot recently to achieve that.

it is a job , but i just kinda play when i feel like it, i often dont get up too early, and its not that unusual for me to be up messing alone at like 6am, case in point its 5.52am now.

i cant play more than 3 tables , i find 3 tough, 2 i can do, i put a lot of focus and concentration in when i do play, i hate having too many on the go

was a bit embarrased at first to be first out in drogheda, had looked forward to that game for ages, but i dont think i really did a huge amount wrong , and i think most people realised it was just one of those things, i wanted to stay and see how several other people fared, i actually enjoy watching live poker at big events after i am out.......i spent the weekend in the cash games there keep an eye on the main event, and ended up doing about as well as if i had come 5th, so all in all, was still a great weekend.

robinlacey

how many hands of 20/40 have you played?

do you think you have an edge on the regulars,eg geeforce1,letsgamble,alias,draped up,etc?

Norwich Fan Rob

robinlacey wrote:

how many hands of 20/40 have you played?

do you think you have an edge on the regulars,eg geeforce1,letsgamble,alias,draped up,etc?

ive only been playing it for a few weeks, and have probably been running well, but i knew most of there styles, and my style is quite different and unique in a lot of ways, i think it frustrates them somewhat, perhaps they will adapt and things will change, we will see.

ive played with all 4 of the above quite a bit.

robinlacey

interesting
i tend not to bother playing if there's too many regulars,i don't think many of them make too many mistakes but i play on loads of sites so that i can be ruthless about game selection so i've never studied their games in depth or anything

Norwich Fan Rob

in fairness u wont make a fortune playing those guys day in day out , the value is in the others that come in to , take their shot, u get that more at 20/40 than u would at the likes of 5/10.

bohsman

What are the biggest changes you've made to your game/ cash game in the last few months?

RoundTower

Hectorjelly wrote:

when are you planning on releasing the scores for this quiz?

by studying the answers you all give to my quiz I'm going to become the best poker player in the world.

Hectorjelly

What mistakes that the regular winning 20 40 players make that you think you can exploit. Ideally you would answer in specifics but Id understand if you just said things like "my hand reading is better"

Have you ever ran bad for an extended period of time?

Do you think that one day you will fold second set on the flop with no straight or flush already possible?

Who played better on High Stakes Poker (I assume youve seen both seasons)

Eli Elizera or Sam Farha
Daniel Negranu or Barry Greenstein
Laak or the Magician

What is the biggest mistake you see propogated on these boards. (an example would be people caring too much about their tourament life, or not caring enough)

Can a player who ever cold calls 1/5 of the effective stack off preflop with A10 in the later stages of a tournament (neither player being in the blinds) be called a good player? What if this isnt an isolated incident?

How likely is it that the winner of a tournament actually played the best poker?

Do you think the first 10% out a tournament are likely to have been in the bottom 10% skillwise?

What edge do you think you have in the WSOP, it might be easiest to express it in ROI

If you could never raise preflop, just call or fold, but your opponents could raise, at what level cash game do you think you could make money at, if any?

Small pairs utg (22 - 66), cash game or tournamnt it doesnt matter (allthough its obv a more likely scenario in a tourament). You have 10 blinds. What is optium play at a 9 handed table? 6 handed table? What if you had 15 blinds? Do your opponents play change it much?

Do you have any intentions on moving higher than 20 40? If so to what level would you like to be playing at in a year

Good luck, and thanks a lot for doing this rob, youll be amazed at how much time it takes up!

Norwich Fan Rob

bohsman wrote:

What are the biggest changes you've made to your game/ cash game in the last few months?

in tourneys there is more emphasis if u flop a marginal top pair, to take the pot down when u can, and protect your hand, also in tourneys its almost for certain that u will have to race from time to time, this is just a fact, and towards the later stages u need to be all in on several occasions, my game used to be all about that, quite aggressive later on, taking pots down when i can, my new cash game places way more emphasis on post flop play, trying to pin an opponent on a hand, almost never racing for stacks pre flop and basically trying not to get staked with a marginal holding, its a more defensive game in a way, but i find it works at high level cash games.

Norwich Fan Rob

Hectorjelly wrote:

What mistakes that the regular winning 20 40 players make that you think you can exploit. Ideally you would answer in specifics but Id understand if you just said things like "my hand reading is better"

a lot of them tend to get over aggr at times, they over play a lot of their hands.

Hectorjelly wrote:

Have you ever ran bad for an extended period of time?

november wasnt great, lost about 3k over the month, my only losing month of the year, perhaps the shock of being in the house all day had something to do with it........i have some bad days, but never disasterous, my worst ever day is only a 4k loss, yesterday for example i went down 5100 early, manageed to get it back to a couple of hundred ahead in cash games, then ended the night winning a $100 multi for $1566 profit. One day last week, when i lost the 17k pot, then just missed out on the wpt package with AA busted, i was down 3k after all that, i got back into 20/40, feeling awful and battled to a 7k win and 4k win on the day, have worked really hard on discipline and not tilting, which i think is the key.

Hectorjelly wrote:

Do you think that one day you will fold second set on the flop with no straight or flush already possible?

very very nearly did against jen mason in drogheda, if i had the full 15k starting the hand , instead of only having had 10k, i may have done it, whoever, i kinda pot committed myself on the flop as it was. That said its a very hard thing to do, u would have to be extremely deep, and have a very good read on the villian , and also know that the villian knows or thinks u are solid and not liable to re raise or re re raise without a set.

Hectorjelly wrote:

Who played better on High Stakes Poker (I assume youve seen both seasons)

Eli Elizera or Sam Farha
Daniel Negranu or Barry Greenstein
Laak or the Magician

seem most of these, havent actually seen all of them, but i would say elizera, greenstein and esfandiari.

Hectorjelly wrote:

What is the biggest mistake you see propogated on these boards. (an example would be people caring too much about their tourament life, or not caring enough)

people over playing their marginal hands, and calling too much

Hectorjelly wrote:

Can a player who ever cold calls 1/5 of the effective stack off preflop with A10 in the later stages of a tournament (neither player being in the blinds) be called a good player? What if this isnt an isolated incident?

generally i would say no, any situation can be diff, if someone did it once, i wouldnt slap a label on them, but if i say that a few times they would go into the muppet box.

Hectorjelly wrote:

How likely is it that the winner of a tournament actually played the best poker?

very unlikely, anyone can win one tourney, however, its the guys who are conisitently going deep that are good.

Hectorjelly wrote:

Do you think the first 10% out a tournament are likely to have been in the bottom 10% skillwise?

a lot of the first 10% are the worst players, usually if i sit at a table for 2 or 3 orbits ive a pretty good idea who the first 2 players to go out at that table will be.

Hectorjelly wrote:

What edge do you think you have in the WSOP, it might be easiest to express it in ROI

bigger than in any other tourney, basically because of the structure and the amount of play, pretty hard to put a number on it though.

Hectorjelly wrote:

If you could never raise preflop, just call or fold, but your opponents could raise, at what level cash game do you think you could make money at, if any?

a lot of people in low stakes play like this anyway, this is a very hard one to answer, ive never really played below 1/2, i know at any levels, given this play its always going to be hard to know where u are in a hand, and your big hands, which would be your main winners, will lose value somewhat, i think i could still do ok at 1/2 playing like this, hard to know without actually doing it though.

Hectorjelly wrote:

Small pairs utg (22 - 66), cash game or tournamnt it doesnt matter (allthough its obv a more likely scenario in a tourament). You have 10 blinds. What is optium play at a 9 handed table? 6 handed table? What if you had 15 blinds? Do your opponents play change it much?

9 handed i fold, unless the table is being extremely passive in which case i might try and call, (if hands are getting 4/5 callers and no raisers), but generally just fold. 6 handed in a tourney i may push depending on my table image and if i have been active, again in a cash game id fold, with 15 bbs, or more, i may well limp, especially in a cash game, again more likely to do this against opponents who are poor, ie too tight pre flop yet loose post flop, if i think i can stack them if they hit one pair, etc.

Hectorjelly wrote:

Do you have any intentions on moving higher than 20 40? If so to what level would you like to be playing at in a year

no, im only getting used to 20/40, i usually buy in shortish at this too, and just build up 3-4k profit at a sitting then leave, (when i say shortish, i mean around about 50 bbs) i never intended playing much higher than 10/20 really, just sat in 20/40 once, chasing a fish, it went well, and ive been kinda stuck there ever since, may drop down if i have a bad session, but i find by buying in for 50 bbs, i usually either lose it or treble it, which adds up to a nice profit overall.

Hectorjelly wrote:

Good luck, and thanks a lot for doing this rob, youll be amazed at how much time it takes up!

no probs daragh, gl at the tables

shaydy

Firstly congrats on the successful transition to full time poker. WP

Do you use any poker software tools? e.g. Pokertracker or any other tools that give you a more calculated tell on your opponents.

Who have you found to be your toughest online opponent?

I've recently started playing PL Omaha cash (watch out for the fish:D ) and found the move quite enjoyable/refreshing. I see you've played 5/10 Omaha already, did you jump in at the deep end with burst arm bands and survive or have you found it easier than you expected? (I thought you were mostly a holdem 'expert')

Norwich Fan Rob

shaydy wrote:

Firstly congrats on the successful transition to full time poker. WP

Do you use any poker software tools? e.g. Pokertracker or any other tools that give you a more calculated tell on your opponents.

Who have you found to be your toughest online opponent?

I've recently started playing PL Omaha cash (watch out for the fish:D ) and found the move quite enjoyable/refreshing. I see you've played 5/10 Omaha already, did you jump in at the deep end with burst arm bands and survive or have you found it easier than you expected? (I thought you were mostly a holdem 'expert')

i really really really should get myself poker tracker, but i dont have it, i use memory and basically player notes which i take down myself.

a guy called _______mk_______ destroyed me heads up the other night, he seems tougher than most.

i did play a little 1/2 omaha before playing 5/10, however, a basic poker grounding is enough to do ok at this, yes, hand values are different, and im sure im no expert, but i have at least broken even in my omaha career, may be up a few quid, nothing substantial though. I play it for a change of pace, and its fun.

sligobhoy

1. Do u think u would jump into the big bellagio game if you are in Vegas again this year. I think you should

2. What do you make of the cash action comming up in clonmel? I'd say u would make a killing at that.

3. Do u gamble on anything else besides poker and norwich?

4. What benefit has playing 50 dollar stts been to u.

5. Will u play me heads up for 1000 dollars on tribeca or is this a weaknees i could exploit.

6. Do your girlfriend or family like your profession?

7. Whats a good yearly wage for u as a poker pro for u.

8. Normally, What are your playing hours.

9. What's your favourite Colour?

Norwich Fan Rob

sligobhoy wrote:

1. Do u think u would jump into the big bellagio game if you are in Vegas again this year. I think you should

no :eek:

sligobhoy wrote:

2. What do you make of the cash action comming up in clonmel? I'd say u would make a killing at that.

would be interested in that alright, tend to get a bit bored with live cash sometimes though, but did ok in drogheda.

sligobhoy wrote:

3. Do u gamble on anything else besides poker and norwich?

used to gamble a good bit in horses and sports betting, not so much anymore, nowadays, i tend to either put a grand on something if i really fancy it, or just leave it alone.

sligobhoy wrote:

4. What benefit has playing 50 dollar stts been to u.

good grounding in tourney poker can be gained from this, experience etc

sligobhoy wrote:

5. Will u play me heads up for 1000 dollars on tribeca or is this a weaknees i could exploit.

played about 200 $500 HU games on stars, winning around 62%, came 2nd in recent JP poker heads up tourney, winning 6 out of 7 matches, often play 2 or 3 handed against alias or others on 20/40, happy to play u for 1k anytime u want.

sligobhoy wrote:

6. Do your girlfriend or family like your profession?

touchy subject right now.....

sligobhoy wrote:

7. Whats a good yearly wage for u as a poker pro for u.

was thinking 100k, beat that last year, will have that my end of march this year if continue as have been of late.

sligobhoy wrote:

8. Normally, What are your playing hours.

used to be 8pm-3am, now its whenever i get up to pretty much whenever i go to bed, lol, with breaks and stuff, playing lots at the moment, in fact, got an hour in this morning on 20/40, spotted a guy playing awful, so jumped in and just took $4400 already today, so will enjoy breakfast in a few mins.

sligobhoy wrote:

9. What's your favourite Colour?

purple, i think........yeah, will go with that

ianmc38

Hi Rob,

Very interesting read.

1. In what % of cash game players on Tribeca would you put yourself?

2. Your success in online MTTs and live tournaments has been quite remarkable. How would you describe your game? Do you play tight early on or do you try to play lots of pots with marginal hands? Whats your strategy for accumulating chips in MTTs?

3. What do you think of people who give out about bad beats in a cash game (live or online), be it asking someone how they could call in a live game or moaning in the chat box online?

4. Have you read much poker literature? if so, what's the best book you've read.

5. How important is ego in poker?

6. What interests do you have outside of poker?

7. What's your favourite movie of all time?

8. What type of music do you listen to?

9. Why would you play 5/10 Omaha when you're just starting out in the game? To me this seems like a very -EV move.

10. Do you plan on learning/playing any new games in 2007? O8, Stud, Lowball etc?

The Istanbul

Rob

Do you consider yourself a better poker player than you were an accountant??:D

How is your golf these days? You used to be handy:rolleyes:

Best of luck!

ollyk1

Hey Rob,

Great stuff so far.

A few questions.

1. I've noticed you go on what appeared to be tilt in a few small (€200 buyin) live tournies a few months ago and I was surprised. Bad players got lucky on the turn aginst you and you made good laydowns. Was this feigned or real? Has playing cash improved your tilt control?

2. What percentage of your BR do you risk in a session to maximise your returns and keep the risk of going busto acceptably low? 5%? or is it a case that your BR way covers your limits right now?? I'd understand if you want to keep this answer vague.

3. How different is playing for your living versus playing as a hobby? Are there any big differeences or is it hard to say becasue its too early?

4. What live cash game players have impressed you?

5. Will you be selling some of your action in the WSOP?

6. I just spotted Ian's question on ego and I'd like to add something. Does ego cost money in poker? How much do you think it has cost you?

Norwich Fan Rob

ianmc38 wrote:

Hi Rob,

Very interesting read.

1. In what % of cash game players on Tribeca would you put yourself?

well several are solid, of which im one, clearly im running above average at the moment, id would add that at least half have make continual fundamental errors, and thats why the top players can do well, ive seen a lot of random bluffs and people betting with hands that will only be called if beat etc.......i like to think i can hold my own, cant put a % on it. Theres no one i particularly try to avoid, if i see a table with 1 free seat, but 5 solid players on it though, i probably wont bother.

ianmc38 wrote:

2. Your success in online MTTs and live tournaments has been quite remarkable. How would you describe your game? Do you play tight early on or do you try to play lots of pots with marginal hands? Whats your strategy for accumulating chips in MTTs?

Just playing solid really, i will play a lot of connected cards etc early on, try and hit a flop, i feel im good at extracting when i hit, sets etc, depending on the table and situation a lot, sometimes i player a lot tighter than other times.

ianmc38 wrote:

3. What do you think of people who give out about bad beats in a cash game (live or online), be it asking someone how they could call in a live game or moaning in the chat box online?

its wrong, i know that, sometimes i find it hard not to make the odd comment myself, something i know i really shouldnt do.

ianmc38 wrote:

4. Have you read much poker literature? if so, what's the best book you've read.

many forums such as this and 2+2, and a lot of blogs, not really books per se, have read super system, i guess its ok, not ground breaking though.

ianmc38 wrote:

5. How important is ego in poker?

in a confident person with faith in my own ability, i think you need this, i dont know about ego, that may not be good, but confidence is important.

ianmc38 wrote:

6. What interests do you have outside of poker?

play golf off handicap of 14, play league badminton in the winter and softball in the summer, need to get back into a gym now i have more time, last year i played on the irish 8 ball pool tour, was seeded for a few tourneys.

ianmc38 wrote:

7. What's your favourite movie of all time?

tough one, shawshank redemption, that was good, no idea why that came into my head, mainly also like comedies and nothing too heavy.

ianmc38 wrote:

8. What type of music do you listen to?

more general pop i guess, used to have a bit of a thing for dido

ianmc38 wrote:

9. Why would you play 5/10 Omaha when you're just starting out in the game? To me this seems like a very -EV move.

the general standard is just that bad, i get quite bored at lower levels, i was holding my own at 5/10, so did ok, really dont play it that much though.

ianmc38 wrote:

10. Do you plan on learning/playing any new games in 2007? O8, Stud, Lowball etc?

probably not, although, must learn razz and give some low grade horse games a bash for the craic.

Norwich Fan Rob

The Istanbul wrote:

Rob

Do you consider yourself a better poker player than you were an accountant??:D

How is your golf these days? You used to be handy:rolleyes:

Best of luck!

hmmmm, have u seen me golf?
these days its ropey, havent been out playing much at all, i used to play at least once a week, usually go to spain for a week and get 5 or 6 rounds in in the sun in march, no reason why next summer i wont play more than i have done in a long time.

im a good accountant, got all my exams first time and did well anywhere i work, yet i got bored with it, poker is so much more exciting........

wireless54

1. What is the biggest pot you have ever played, did you win and What were the hands?

2. I hear your a buddist, like Andy Black, how did you get into Buddism? Does it help your poker game?

3. If you were a breakfast cereal, What breakfast Cereal would you be and why?

4. Do you agree that North Korea should be considered part of the 'Axis of Evil'?

5. Do you plan to play in any WPT events this year? I think they might suit your game.

ianmc38

Nice wan Rob. keep up the good work!

Norwich Fan Rob

ollyk1 wrote:

Hey Rob,

Great stuff so far.

A few questions.

1. I've noticed you go on what appeared to be tilt in a few small (€200 buyin) live tournies a few months ago and I was surprised. Bad players got lucky on the turn aginst you and you made good laydowns. Was this feigned or real? Has playing cash improved your tilt control?

everyone tilts at times, its controling this to a minimum thats key, its working really hard on not doing it on 20/40, for obvious reasons. A while ago a 200 tourney was huge for me, now its not, whilst in theory i would like to always play my A game, i probably dont always.

ollyk1 wrote:

2. What percentage of your BR do you risk in a session to maximise your returns and keep the risk of going busto acceptably low? 5%? or is it a case that your BR way covers your limits right now?? I'd understand if you want to keep this answer vague.

i have built up just over 20 buy ins to the 20/40 game over the last year.
however, i usually just buy in for 50bbs, which is 1/4 of a buy in, so i have 80 of those in my roll, thats less than 1.5%.

ollyk1 wrote:

3. How different is playing for your living versus playing as a hobby? Are there any big differeences or is it hard to say becasue its too early?

its different, im lazy, im in the house, i should be able to get lots done, keep it tidy etc, its a mess, lol, its great now, since its going well, just hope it continues, even just a few more months and i will be comfy enough.

ollyk1 wrote:

4. What live cash game players have impressed you?

almost never play live cash, and when i do its usually not against the top live cash players.

ollyk1 wrote:

5. Will you be selling some of your action in the WSOP?

yeah, might well sell 15% or 20% to give people an interest.
havent really thought about it much, but i wont be selling more than say 20% tops.

Norwich Fan Rob

wireless54 wrote:

1. What is the biggest pot you have ever played, did you win and What were the hands?

probably the JJ vs QQ hand that put me out of the world series, was a $1 million chip pot, and i cash for 6 figures i reckon if i win, mind u, i got it in with 1 out as it turned out.
cash wise, lost a 17k pot in 20/40 about 2 weeks ago with AA vs 35 of diamonds held by a total fish, however, given his status, i overplayed it on the flop.

wireless54 wrote:

2. I hear your a buddist, like Andy Black, how did you get into Buddism? Does it help your poker game?

im not a buddist !!, where on earth did u hear that, lol

wireless54 wrote:

3. If you were a breakfast cereal, What breakfast Cereal would you be and why?

this may well be the hardest question ive had to answer so far, lol, cant think of any, but i wouldnt be a muesli or weetabix, im not that healthy eating wise, id probably be something like frosties.

wireless54 wrote:

4. Do you agree that North Korea should be considered part of the 'Axis of Evil'?

dont know enough about north koreas goings on to comment.

wireless54 wrote:

5. Do you plan to play in any WPT events this year? I think they might suit your game.

yes, i would like to play one, perhaps around september time i will take a trip.

Jesus Wept

Norwich Fan Rob wrote:

I usually just buy in for 50bbs, which is 1/4 of a buy in, so i have 80 of those in my roll, thats less than 1.5%.

How come you usually buyin for 1/4 of the max, or 1k at a 20/40 table.

Do you play differently because of this?

Do you think other players play worse againest you because of this?

Do you think this is +ev or -ev for you?