Q&A with Flipper

jbravado

Have you ever come close to going broke?

Do you gamble on other things?Sports house games....etc...

How long has your longest session been?

Did anyone have a percent of you when you won the io?

Do you believe in "rushes"?

I have to say I have somtimes felt that things said to you on this forum have been a little out of line and you have always dealt with them well and shown a bit of class.

Captain Tom

Flipper wrote:

Eoin Tobin is a great young tourney player but he sucks at cash.

cheers flipper that was nearly a compliment:)

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

hi flipper

1) what film did you go see

2) was it a good film

now serious questions

1) who is the trickiest player you have played in both mtt's and cash plo/nlh

2) do you fear anyone in the irish poker scene

3) have you experienced a large downward swing from becoming a big winner to a big loser and if so have you coped with this

4) what has been your lowest moment in poker

5) what would you change about your game

6) what is the best poker book you have read
Cheers
Fran

Flipper

Macspower wrote:

Hi Flipper, I've only played with you once and found you to be a top guy btw... great man for action!

1) you mentioned in another thread that next to Andy Black you were the biggest earner in Ireland last year... did I pick up on this right?

2) whats the biggest cash pot you've ever won?

3) reverse the above question....

4) where would you see the irish poke scence in 1/3/5 years?

5) have you any theory on lost?

6) Like you I'm a big fan of tv shows but have missed all of 24...should I start from the beginning?

Fair play to you for gettin into the well....

Mac

1) In tourneys. That might have been shot from the hip but I think it's nearly correct... Vincent Mellin got €200k for the IO (3 way chop afaik) and I think Padraig might be a little ahead of me. I wasn't quoting fact.... Just silencing the critics.

2) Wow, I'm not too sure. Live probably €10,000 each way (maybe a little less on the "lose" side). Online, I won a pot for about $20k during one of my Pokerstars spinups! It was a multiway all-in with my 6789 making the nuts. One memorable hand from early days in the Macau was against Gavin. We were 4 handed (me, Cooney, Colm and Gavin) and and Gav's final bluff with 7xxx on a QJ772 board couldn't shake my JJxx. I went into the tank on the turn so to represent a bad 7xxx hand myself. That pot was about €7k or €8k. It's memorable because there was a huge uproar after the hand for a ruling as when Gav made the last bet, I just said nothing and turned my cards face up and pushed the JJ forward. Two seconds later, I pushed my stack forward! Gav was a good sport about it all and while he was a little odd that night, we spoke about it the following day and everything was fine.

3) One losing pot that springs to mind that really bothered me (I'm usually not a sore loser at all) happened during the Summer festival last year in Cork. A (ahem..) not terribly great player from Waterford called my turn all in bet of about €2,000 with QQxx on a J963 board (something like that) when I was holding JJ45. I remember showing the cards to Halibut and saying "what cards do I have to avoid?!" to which my opponent replied "eh, just the wan (one, in english) and up popped the CASE Queen. I just remembered throwing the cards in the air and thinkin I was going to give up poker after that! I had ran bad all weekend and that really hurt. It was about an €8k-€9k pot. That same day, my AdAc3d4s lost to XxXx4x5x and another hand of garbage all in for €2k a man on a Ac2d9d board. Devore might remember - he was standing behind me.

4) Hard to say atm as no one knows what's going to happen with regard to regulation etc. I'd love to see a WPT staged here though. I also hope the Irish Open is developed properly over the coming years. We are so lucky to have such a tourney with such heratige and it'll be a shame if it turns into something created for TV, not for the players.

5) No, not any more. It's all too confusing atm and I'm getting a little bored with it actually.

6) You missed the start of this series? Defo, watch from the start. You've never seen an episode of any series? You could survive without watching the rest of the series but you really should take the time. There's underlying plots throughout the series and to appreciate it fully, you have to follow these too IMO.

Thanks, it's hard work!

Flipper

Captain Tom wrote:

cheers flipper that was nearly a compliment:)

Ah, Mr. Tobin, I had no idea this is you!

Flipper

jbravado wrote:

1) Have you ever come close to going broke?

2) Do you gamble on other things?Sports house games....etc...

3) How long has your longest session been?

4) Did anyone have a percent of you when you won the io?

5) Do you believe in "rushes"?

6) I have to say I have somtimes felt that things said to you on this forum have been a little out of line and you have always dealt with them well and shown a bit of class.

1) No, never been close. Even at the start, I had loads of money for the game I was playing.

2) I bet large and infrequently. I might have 3 or 4 really big bets a year. I had €8k on Chelsea recently in a match (can't remember against who) at 1/4 and they won. That was my biggest and I never usually bet on soccer. I would play pool for sizable amounts and pretty much anything else I think I might have an edge in... Even pitch 'n toss... Ask KP!

3) In Vienna, I stayed in the Cardroom playing from Friday night to Sunday morning or something ridiculous like that. For half that, I was playing a MAD chinese guy HU in €10/€20 NLH. He wanted to switch to €50/€100 PLO but I didn't have enough money with me (I only had about €25k). I was very, very tired after that one. And my mouth tasted like a bin.

4) I didn't win the IO, I won the Irish Championship. My unlce had 25%. He settled for €20k in the end as far as I can remember.

5) Not sure about that one...

6) Thank you. Very nice compliment.

Flipper

Salvador Howling Collie wrote:

hi flipper

1) what film did you go see

2) was it a good film

now serious questions

3) who is the trickiest player you have played in both mtt's and cash plo/nlh

4) do you fear anyone in the irish poker scene

5) have you experienced a large downward swing from becoming a big winner to a big loser and if so have you coped with this

6) what has been your lowest moment in poker

7) what would you change about your game

8) what is the best poker book you have read
Cheers
Fran

1)Shooter

2) Yes, it is brilliant. One of the best I've seen this year for sure but Louise thought it was only ok. My cousins are on the way over with it right now so I can watch it again!

3) Ummm, Tony G is excellent. you really feel uncomfortable when he talks to you in a hand for some reason. I really like Bambos as a player also. Rory Matthews also plays really well.

4) In PLO, no not really. In NLH, there's dozens of players I wouldn't play HU.

5) I can't say that I really have. One good thing about me (I think) is that I keep a pretty level head be it going up or coming down.

6) Like I posted above, when I lost with that set of Jacks to the pairs of Queens, I began to lose all hope for the game. I just stopped playing for a little when and did other things I enjoy.

7) I pretty much like my game. Probably be less of a calling station. I'd also like to be able to manage a roll better.

8) I posted here on my blog and that pretty much tells you everything. I loved Rolf Slotbooms' PLO book. Very new and different.

Flushdraw

Hey Kieran,

1) If you could invite 4 poker players, past or present to dinner, who would they be?

2) Realistically, whats your poker ambition?

3) Which do you find easier to do, make a tough call or make a tough laydown?

4) Are you playing the macau festival in 6 weeks?

Cheers

Tony

Flipper

Flushdraw wrote:

Hey Kieran,

1) If you could invite 4 poker players, past or present to dinner, who would they be?

2) Realistically, whats your poker ambition?

3) Which do you find easier to do, make a tough call or make a tough laydown?

4) Are you playing the macau festival in 6 weeks?

Cheers

Tony

1) Tricky. Probably Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Ram Vaswami and Marc Goodwin and have a good chuckle to myself as they fight over Ivey cleaning then on the golf course and never collecting!

2) It would be a dream come true to win a bracelet. If I had a choice of winning the Monte Carlo ME for €2M next year or a $1,000 bracelet event for $200k, I'd take the latter every day.

3) Definately making a tough call. Is that bad?

4) For sure. Best festivals in the country. Already have the €1,500 main event ticket in my safe

Flushdraw

Cheers Flipper

Its pretty clear to see from your posts here and in previous threads that money isnt the driving factor behind why you play. I think a lot of players would like to be able to play with that sort of freedom (if you can call it that)

Good answers aswel. Nothing wrong with it being easier to make a tough call, just shows the gambler in you lol!

I'll see down in Cork in May. GL

ocallagh

Captain Tom wrote:

cheers flipper that was nearly a compliment:)

ahhh makes sense now!

ocallagh

Are you going to start concentrating on NL tournaments again or stick with cash?

What are your aims for the rest of 2007?

When is your book coming out?

Have you ever considered moving out of cork, maybe up to dublin for the Fitz PLO especially now that the Macau seems to be dead?

Are you going to vegas, and if so what will you play?

Is it worth downloading prison break (i've watched up to the first half of the first season when they dug the first tunnell)

ditpoker

ocallagh wrote:

Is it worth downloading prison break (i've watched up to the first half of the first season when they dug the first tunnell)

no, west wing/24/boston legal/hustle is the nuts

ocallagh

ditpoker wrote:

no, west wing/24/boston legal/hustle is the nuts

sry to hijack flipper,

Thanks jeoff, I keep on hearing about west wing but haven't watched a single episode. The Wire (http://www.hbo.com/thewire/) is also excellent, another HBO classic. It got very little coverage in ireland but is on a par with sopranos if not ahead of it.. I downloaded Season 1 a while back and I'm hooked. It's about drug dealers and detectives in baltimore, but is not just another cop show. It follows an individual case over 13 episodes each season. It goes into huge detail and develops the characters really well. I think they're showing season 4 on Sci Fi or something now... but I have first 3 seasons if anyone wants them?

Flipper

ocallagh wrote:

Are you going to start concentrating on NL tournaments again or stick with cash?

What are your aims for the rest of 2007?

When is your book coming out?

Have you ever considered moving out of cork, maybe up to dublin for the Fitz PLO especially now that the Macau seems to be dead?

Are you going to vegas, and if so what will you play?

Is it worth downloading prison break (i've watched up to the first half of the first season when they dug the first tunnell)

1) I'd like to but the travelling and the time involved is a problem for me at the moment. I think tourneys are where I'm most at home.

2) I'm not sure. I'd like to release the book and maybe to win a couple of decent tourneys. I'm more into the title of "winner" than the prize money tbh.

3) Not sure yet. D&B will probably be the publishers as they have shown a lot of interest. It's unreal difficult to get guys to commit to sitting down for an hour!

4) If I didn't have anything in Cork, I'd already be there but I have a girlfriend and work commitments. That PLO game in the Fitz is gold. You guys don't know how lucky you are to have that on your doorstep!

5) Answered this already. Maybe... Maybe not. I'd like to go for 3-4 weeks but I'm not sure if I can take that kind of time off. I'd probably play as many bracelet events as possible even though they are supposed to be bad value. It's the wristwear I'm interested in.

6) As I told you on MSN, it's the best show out there and it keeps getting better! Download it now

Flipper

ocallagh wrote:

sry to hijack flipper,

Thanks jeoff, I keep on hearing about west wing but haven't watched a single episode. The Wire (http://www.hbo.com/thewire/) is also excellent, another HBO classic. It got very little coverage in ireland but is on a par with sopranos if not ahead of it.. I downloaded Season 1 a while back and I'm hooked. It's about drug dealers and detectives in baltimore, but is not just another cop show. It follows an individual case over 13 episodes each season. It goes into huge detail and develops the characters really well. I think they're showing season 4 on Sci Fi or something now... but I have first 3 seasons if anyone wants them?

You guys should also look at Criminal Minds. Like CSI only much, much better.
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/criminal_minds/

FungiWalsh

Hi bro!

1) What site would you recommend for building up a roll on using proper bankroll management (which I shan't ask you for advice on), playing micro-stakes on upwards? I'm thinking of putting $500 into an account and using the "buy in for 5% of roll, double it, and leave" strategy, and not playing .50/1 and 1/2 on Stars on an $800 account.

2) If you make a million at the WSOP this year, will you buy me into the main event and the Razz event in 2008? I'll give you 10% when I win the back-to-back bracelets.

Flipper

FungiWalsh wrote:

Hi bro!

1) What site would you recommend for building up a roll on using proper bankroll management (which I shan't ask you for advice on), playing micro-stakes on upwards? I'm thinking of putting $500 into an account and using the "buy in for 5% of roll, double it, and leave" strategy, and not playing .50/1 and 1/2 on Stars on an $800 account.

2) If you make a million at the WSOP this year, will you buy me into the main event and the Razz event in 2008? I'll give you 10% when I win the back-to-back bracelets.

1) there are other people on here that would be better able to answer that. In my experience, FTP seems to be pretty soft as does iPoker (GJP and PPP). Stars are introducing a "set your limit" feature soon where you can limit the size of game you play. Should be useful for bankroll management.

2) Ummmm.... Ok

BobSloane

1.Do you ever play 7 card stud and if so how do you rate it as a poker game?

2.Do you / have you ever played limit games?

3.Did Tony G berate you or tilt you in any way when you've played against him?

4.In order of importance how would you rate these poker playing charachteristics - aggression, mathematics, patience?

5. I think you had a thread before saying you sucked online but were excellent live(paraphrasing). This would imply that you depend on physical reads to an extent..? If so,(if that was indeed a thread by you) do you trust your gut 100% playing live. Will you bet your stack with nothing if you feel confident your opponent wont call?

6. Have you played against Bluescouse(saw a link on his blog) and if so is he difficult to play against. Many feel he is an idiot etc but I get the impression he has the heart of a lion and could be a brilliant tournament player if he got a bit of coaching from the likes of errr..maybe yourself

Again, I don't know you but you come across as an interesting charachter and I'm ashamed to say I find the flipper bashing/ flipper fights back threads entertaining in a jerry springer sort of way. gl in the world series if you go

Flipper

BobSloane wrote:

1.Do you ever play 7 card stud and if so how do you rate it as a poker game?

2.Do you / have you ever played limit games?

3.Did Tony G berate you or tilt you in any way when you've played against him?

4.In order of importance how would you rate these poker playing charachteristics - aggression, mathematics, patience?

5. I think you had a thread before saying you sucked online but were excellent live(paraphrasing). This would imply that you depend on physical reads to an extent..? If so,(if that was indeed a thread by you) do you trust your gut 100% playing live. Will you bet your stack with nothing if you feel confident your opponent wont call?

6. Have you played against Bluescouse(saw a link on his blog) and if so is he difficult to play against. Many feel he is an idiot etc but I get the impression he has the heart of a lion and could be a brilliant tournament player if he got a bit of coaching from the likes of errr..maybe yourself

Again, I don't know you but you come across as an interesting charachter and I'm ashamed to say I find the flipper bashing/ flipper fights back threads entertaining in a jerry springer sort of way. gl in the world series if you go

1) I never play 7 stud but I used to play a lot of 7 stud hi/lo. It's beatable but it's a grind - like any split pot game.

2) I played my only limit tourney in Singapore and did well - out just before the bubble - set vs flush draw in a big pot. I once spun my tribeca account up from $500 to $28,000 and lost it all playing $150/$300 limit holdem. I did not have a clue what I was doing!

3) He doesn't "berate" you. In fact, I find him to be very plesant and friendly. He seems to be very good at putting you on hands and telling you them. When someone tells you your exact hand, it can throw you off a little. I've tried to adapt his style of play actually.

4) They're all equally important I guess. For me I'm agression, mathematics and then patience.

5) Yes, I do rely on reads. Some people say that they are over-rated but that's crap. There's nothing like making an opponent sweat over a pot and using your stack to put pressure on them. I also enjoy playing really deep-stacked. I do try to make some players at the table really hate me (by basically annoying them) and this drives them to bluffing more.

6) No, I've never played with Ed. We chat on MSN and he's a good guy. I think he's learnt a lot from his experiences and I'm sure that with the proper moulding, he could be a great tourney player.

a147pro

Whats the difference between a good hold 'em and a good omaha player?

Which, if any, do you think has more skill (stakes/structure aside)?

You obviously like cinema, what did you think of Rounders and have you seen any other poker drama (Tony G aside!)?

Flipper

a147pro wrote:

Whats the difference between a good hold 'em and a good omaha player?

Which, if any, do you think has more skill (stakes/structure aside)?

You obviously like cinema, what did you think of Rounders and have you seen any other poker drama (Tony G aside!)?

1) That's a difficult one. I think great PLO players typically have a very good temperment (to deal with variance) and be very apt at picking up on patterns in players' betting (ie if they bet draws with pot bets, 70% pot etc etc). Holdem players seem to be more analythical in turn/river decisions and great at big laydowns. I think PLO is a more beatable game overall at higher stakes.

2) PLO is a more developed game and has more nuances. Defo requires more skill.

3) I love the cinema and my girlfriend and I go a lot but I'm not a film buff. I love rounders and I've watched it easily twenty times. Can't say that I've seen much poker on the silver screen.... I believe that there is a few coming out this year thou...

Fatboydim

Hi Flipper

Been a long while since I've seen you.

1] You may have read Connie's thread about the hand that did the damage in the IO. With that in mind - a 4 / 5 day tourney such as WSOP or EWSOP what is your day 1 stratergy? Do you commit all your chips on an OESFD with only 10% of your chips in the pot?

2] Is it Irish / UK or other publisher's doing the book? Maybe that's one for a PM ignore if awkward.

3] You make reference to your Girlfriend. How do you manage to keep her happy and still play poker? Does she play?

4] Do you think it's harder to do well in a tournament on Irish soil than elsewhere and if so why?

Flipper

Fatboydim wrote:

Hi Flipper

Been a long while since I've seen you.

1] You may have read Connie's thread about the hand that did the damage in the IO. With that in mind - a 4 / 5 day tourney such as WSOP or EWSOP what is your day 1 stratergy? Do you commit all your chips on an OESFD with only 10% of your chips in the pot? In general, I'm all for risking my stack early on in a tourney. It definately pays dividends as you go deeper.

2] Is it Irish / UK or other publisher's doing the book? Maybe that's one for a PM ignore if awkward.

3] You make reference to your Girlfriend. How do you manage to keep her happy and still play poker? Does she play?

4] Do you think it's harder to do well in a tournament on Irish soil than elsewhere and if so why?

Hey Ya Len, ya long time no see!

1) I suppose it's situational really. But in general, I'm the type of person that will. I'm rarely still in a tourney around bubble time with a short stack and play a lot better from in front. In a tourney with a more aggressive blind structure, I'll almost always stick it in but in something like the WSOP, I might think twice. I'd never call off my chips either - always a push to give myself two chance to win the pot.

2) I have nothing concrete but D&B publishing (did how good is your PLO? etc) are interested and could be the publisher. They're in the UK.

3) I suppose you just have to make time! It's easier now for me as I don't play live as much and when I used to travel, she'd come with me now and then. She's played a little online and has a lot of disipline but lacks the attention to sit through a ten hour live session right now!

4) Most people would probably say that it's all the same but I always play better when I'm away for some reason. I guess it's to do with wanting to make the travelling worthwhile but on the otherside, when we're away it always develops into a drinking marathon which isn't the ideal preperation for a major event.

cardshark202

Hi flipper

If, for the rest of your life you could only bet/raise on one street, which street would you choose for:

A) NLH and PLO?

Ty

Flipper

cardshark202 wrote:

Hi flipper

If, for the rest of your life you could only bet/raise on one street, which street would you choose for:

A) NLH and PLO?

Ty

I've never thought about that before. Is pre-flop a street? If it is, then I suppose the re-raise pre-flop is the most powerful weapon you have in Holdem. As for PLO, the turn is probably the point at which you can take away most of your pots but if you're not allowed to bet before that, heads-up pots won't build exponentially. Tricky question!

Clareman

Interesting read Flipper, thanks for you time.

Do you drink? If so, what's the biggest loss you've had while playing under the influence, if not, what's the biggest win you've had over someone under the influence?

karlh

connie147 wrote:

4:--Is the fact that your now keeping your gambling "roll" seperate from your living roll the reason yopu didnt play in the IO?

Flipper wrote:

4) No. €3.5k isn't a problem if my heart is in the tourney. It wasn't.

I could have sworn that was my fault. I stand corrected.

5starpool

lafortezza wrote:

4) If you could ban one person from the forum who would it be?

Flipper wrote:

4) NtlBell and 5Starpool as they seem to have a particular disliking for me for no apparent reason.

If you can give me an example of where I unfairly criticised you, I will apologize. Other than thant it is in your head at times I think.

If you want to either ignore this or take it up via PM to avoid the thread getting derailed then that's fine.

Mellor

Surprised these haven't been ask yet but:
(edit: surprised I missed Q2, thought I read it all)

1. What's the best hand you ever played?

2. What's the best poker book you've read? (strat. or fict.)