Q&A with Valor

Ste05

I'm not sure what's happening with Tao of Pauly's "Well" but while we're waiting Valor who has agreed to be thrown down the "Well" so here goes:

1) What games/levels/site are you playing right now?
2) Do you play tournaments or are you strictly a cash player?
3) How did you progress to your current Level, grinding it up through the levels or shot taking that worked out well?
4) Do you play much Live, if so which is your favourite "Casino"?
5) Are you planning on playing in the ME of the WSOP ME this year?

Marq

1) Live dublin cash game, effective stacks 250.
UTG raises to 5, button calls, you're the big blind with 24o.
You have no information on the other players. Call fold or raise?

2) You're a student yes? Do you find it difficult to balance the two?

3) How's the downswing? You seemed quite philosophical about it, but if it has continued are you in danger of having to move down levels?

4) Do you lead an extravagant lifestyle? Have you cashed out much this year?

sikes

Marq wrote:

Live dublin cash game, effective stacks 250.
UTG raises to 5, button calls, you're the big blind with 24o.
Call fold or raise?

lol, we werent that deep btw!

1) Biggest mistake you see players make preflop and postflop.
2) Biggest downswing?
3) Whats your pc setup?
4) What HUD stats do you have running.

BigCityBanker

Did you ever consider that you are actually playing bad rather than running awful... damn wrong well..

anyway...

What are the 3 most important factors at a table for you?

What makes you uncomfortable sitting at a poker table? Another player having position on you etc..

How heavily do you rely on PT.

Do you play Omaha?

Biggest mistake you see others make?

Biggest mistake you make?

Best advice you could give another poker player?

Hitman Actual

1. How long do you play per session/day/week, etc? On how many tables?
2. What are the important skills needed for beating low limit online cash (.5/1 to 2/4)? Does any one skill dominate the others?
3. Do you spend much time working out the maths of the game, or do you work on internalising the right/wrong way to play hand by discussing with others, forums, etc?
4. Have you ever played any live tournaments? Do you think tournament-only players understand the game less than cash-only players?

HiCloy

You mentioned before somewhere you used to give coaching - how did that go? Do you still do it?

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

stevire

Dont post often put always lurking!! Just have a cupla questions

Do you play many big buy in events? (i.e Waterford Open, GJP Festival, etc)

If so, whats your mentality/strategy when entering such a big event?

valor

1) What games/levels/site are you playing right now?

At the moment I'm playing Prima 5/10 NL and occasionally 4/8 which Prima offers when there aren't enough 5/10 going. I've also taken a shot at 10/20 which I plan to continue properly when my exams are finished. The reasons I chose Prima to play are are many
1 I need a site I can play on while in America during the summer so I've moved from party early to transition myself
2 the bonuses (rakeback) at the skin I play are are IMMENSE
3 its very easy to datamine which is very important to me
4 the games are overall quite soft. they games play very tight but there are alot of "bad tags" which make the games easy to play in - less aggressive than Party etc

At the moment I'm playing at most 7 tables because Prima software is so bent, I struggle to multi table without timing out. I'm getting more used to it though.

2) Do you play tournaments or are you strictly a cash player?

Well I started out poker like most playing 5 Euro SNG's with my mates, but since I started playing online I've been almost exclusively a cash game player. I planned on playing the Irish Open ME but it was sold out and I did play the Side event but did terribly. Thats the only the second live tournament I've ever played in.

I have plans to begin playing more donkaments in the future. I'm considering playing the EPT circuit in September. While in Vegas this summer I will play some WSOP events and see how it goes, and also begin playing some online MTT's to sharpen my game

3) How did you progress to your current Level, grinding it up through the levels or shot taking that worked out well?

Completely through grinding it up. I'm a complete bankroll nit and I would say that my lack of shot taking has actually been detrimental to my progress. Almost 2 years ago now I deposited $300 on Empire and began grinding at 10c/25c and I haven't looked back since. I moved up to 50NL with 1k, 200NL with 4k and so on. My recent shot at 10/20 is the FIRST Time I've ever taken a shot at a limit without having over 40 buyins for it [apart from moving to $50NL]

4) Do you play much Live, if so which is your favourite "Casino"?

I very rarely, if ever, play live. I've played in the Fitz about 10 times in the last 2 years and enjoyed it somewhat. I find it relaxing as compared to online play because I can donk it up a bit and also play lower stakes which means less pressure. I do however get bored of playing 4 hands an hour VERY quickly and start to do stupid things. The Fitz is teh only casino I've played in [not 21 so SE wont let me in] so I guess it has to go down as my favourite

5) Are you planning on playing in the ME of the WSOP ME this year?

I plan on playing some live satellites once I get to Vegas and hopefully qualifying but I doubt I will buy in If I fail to satellite

valor

Live dublin cash game, effective stacks 250.
UTG raises to 5, button calls, you're the big blind with 24o.
You have no information on the other players. Call fold or raise?

Well I would call live because my edge vs these players is huge and because live is boring. Online I would muck without thinking twice. I could raise (squeeze) here sometimes too but I dont think this is a good spot for it

2) You're a student yes? Do you find it difficult to balance the two?

Yeah I'm currently in 3rd out of 4th year in Business and Legal Studies in UCD. Yeah I find it extremely difficult to balance the two to be honest. Not to be immodest, but I've always been among the top students in every class/school I've ever been in but that hasn't been the case since I've come to University, in large part due to poker. I find the allure of making so much money is too great for me and I constantly want to play poker, or discuss poker and work on improving my game. I also find that even when I should be studying instead of playing I will procrastinate about not studying because I would rather be playing poker and end up actually doing nothing productive.

I managed a recovery somewhat in the term before Christmas, where I did go to most of my lectures and studied and I did very well in those exams, but this term has been more downhill. I've done 4 out of my 6 exams and they have all gone reasonably well, but nothing special

I also really dislike UCD. I dont like the people or the place and In general I've been pretty unhappy here. For that reason, and because I want to concentrate on poker I'm considering taking next year off to play full time, but I havent made a definitive decision in that regard yet

3) How's the downswing? You seemed quite philosophical about it, but if it has continued are you in danger of having to move down levels?

I havent been putting in that many hands recently because of exam pressure but I've made a small profit so far in May. [I still feel i'm running bad but who knows?] April was a disaster, my biggest losing month ever. There is very small chance of me having to move down because I'm such a bankroll nit although if my 10/20 shot goes badly I might drop to 3/6 to recover for a few weeks.

4) Do you lead an extravagant lifestyle? Have you cashed out much this year?

Not really to be honest. I spend more on eating out, buying books and drinking than I otherwise would but thats about it. Obviously my success means things like buying a new laptop (which I did last week) or paying for my trip to Vegas arent major concerns. It also allows me to be generous towards my parents which is always good.

I've really only started making big money in the last 6 months and because I've been in college I havent had much to spend it on. When I come back from Vegas I plan on buying a car and a new computer setup and to go on more holidays etc. If I do come back to College I Also plan on renting a pretty expensive apartment so I can live in more comfort.


I've cashed out around $15k so far this year I would say, although thats just a guess. I've put some of my money into index funds so that accounts for most of my cashouts.

valor

1) Biggest mistake you see players make preflop and postflop.

In my opinion the single biggest preflop leak good/decent players have is playing too many pots out of position against other good/decent players.

Postflop I see too many people raising when they should be calling [pot control, all worse hands fold only better continue etc]

Players calling too many 3 bets is also a very large leak imo

2) Biggest downswing?

During April I lost all my months profit back and more in the last 10 days of the month, I'm not sure how many buyins I lost I would say its around 25 though.

3) Whats your pc setup?

Pretty high end PC with Dual Acer 19" monitors. I like them but the resolution isnt as high as I would like. I'm going to upgrade my monitors when I come back from Vegas so I can play more tables with ease and because I can \o/

I also just bought a new 17" Dell laptop which I wil be using while in Veags.

4) What HUD stats do you have running.

I rely mostly on VPIP/PFR/AGG/SAMPLE SIZE but I also have raise/fold to cbet and went to /won at showdown displayed. I don't make adequate use of these stats really and I'm gonna try to do so more so in the future.

shoutman

How many hands did it take you to get from where you started to your current levels of play?
Did you comfortably beat the levels all the way up to where you are playing now?
Which levels took you the longest time to beat/ which levels were the hardest?

Do you have any interesets outside of poker? And if so what are they?

valor

Did you ever consider that you are actually playing bad rather than running awful

Yes. I posted most of the hands from my downswing on here and on 2+2 and the general consensus was that I was playing badly AND running badly. My play was being worsened by the fact I was in a losing mentality but still being put in really really awkward spots where its difficult to make correct decisions at the best of times.

Im 100% confident I have a big edge in my current games, and I cant wait for results to show it

What are the 3 most important factors at a table for you?

Im not really sure what you mean by this question? I'll assume it means what requirements to do I use to table select but if you meant something different simply re ask it

Since I've moved to Prima I dont have any selection requirements - there are usually around 10 tables going so I just sit at the first few that have seats. When I played at Party I used sixth sense to fish hunt / sort tables by VPIP and sit down based on that.

What makes you uncomfortable sitting at a poker table? Another player having position on you etc..

I really hate playing to the right of a good aggressive player who keeps 3 betting me. It really gets on my nerves. Playing against GOOD 30/25 lags etc is really annoying. Apart from that I cant think of much.

How heavily do you rely on PT.

Religiously, I review all my biggest pots after a session and I datamine very heavily aswell

Do you play Omaha?

Not really. I played 3k hands of 5/1 a few weeks ago and sort of got into it but I fell out of the habit. I want to start playing more of it though to get better at it. I'm gonna set myself some hand targets for Omaha once my exams are over.

Biggest mistake you see others make?

as above

Biggest mistake you make?

Tilting is by biggest mistake by far. I would say it cuts my win rate by a large % especially because when I tilt I have to stop myself from playing and it cuts down how many hands I can play

Best advice you could give another poker player?

Well obviously it depends on what level they are playing but I think the best advice I can give to a SSNL player is to Read 2+2 SSNL and MSNL religiously. Read every thread and try to comment on every hand. If you are a beginner and dont want to be ridiculed maybe just respond in your head and evaluate what you have said against what the "good" posters say. Try to figure out what you would do in that situation and try to put into words why you would do so

I have like 4.5k posts on 2+2 and posting/reading threads has been IMMENSELY helpful to me.

valor

1. How long do you play per session/day/week, etc? On how many tables?

It varies - I usually play for 1 or 2 hours day on 6-10 tables. I often fail to play as many hands as I have wanted because of college commitments and this is one of the reasons I want to leave college.

2. What are the important skills needed for beating low limit online cash (.5/1 to 2/4)? Does any one skill dominate the others?

I think discipline is the single most important skill needed here - all you need to do is stick rigidly to a basic set of rules. People try to get fancy or "make plays" far far too much imo. Playing solid poker is all thats necessary at my level, let alone at these levels

Other important skills include table selection, hand reading, pot control, selective aggression and learning how to play 3 bet pots properly

3. Do you spend much time working out the maths of the game, or do you work on internalising the right/wrong way to play hand by discussing with others, forums, etc?

As I already said, I spend alot of time on 2+2 and thats my favored way of analyzing a hand, alongside MSN discussion with friends. I dont really consider the maths of poker anymore because I know all the maths I need - odds to flop set, turn flush, etc etc so they are just second nature at this stage.

4. Have you ever played any live tournaments? Do you think tournament-only players understand the game less than cash-only players?

As already stated, only the Irish Open side event in Which I lasted around 3 hours.

To be honest, that question is bandied around quite a bit and I don't know the answer. The reason I don't know is because I never play with tournaments players. The only time I would do so is without my knowledge at a cash table so its a question which is impossible for me to evaluate.

My only experience of "tournament" players is watching poker on TV or watching Donks like Victor Ramdin and Hellmuth play on HSP. I dont have the required knowledge to answer the question, but I would have to say I have a strong prejudice that donkament players suck based mostly from here/2+2

valor

HiCloy wrote:

You mentioned before somewhere you used to give coaching - how did that go? Do you still do it?

It went good. I did it with a few 2+2 SSNL posters who PMED me asking would I do coaching because they respected my posts on there. I didn't advertise the service or anything. I quite enjoyed it, it was a good way for me to return to fundamentals and to verbalize some of the concepts that are second nature to me but that I don't really think about.

I havent done any in a couple of months because the money wasnt really worth it for me, although I will consider doing more coaching in the future. It would be good if I could find a couple of students at lower limits and take them up through the limits, would be quite satisfying.

sock.rocker*

wud u mind telling us the skin u play? im looking at joinin tilt nd have datamined 75k hands there but keep readin that tilt is jus too hard nd sites like prima are softer.

wud u def advise ppl to goto prima?

valor

2) How do your family and friends view your primary means of income and plans to take a year out and focus your energies more readily on the game? Does your family have any background or previous history in gambling, punting, cardgames?

Well my parents didnt like it at all when I started poker but basically they cant argue with the financial results of it. They are pretty easy going and they respect its my life and If I want to take a year out for poker thats up me. My dad says that he cant really understand it but thats it probably a generational thing, that people can now use poker as a career. They do want me to finish my degree but if my career is poker I dont think they will mind. Theres no real history of gambling/poker in my family apart from my paternal grandfather who "played cards" but gave it up when he got married! I've heard that story about 50 times.

Most of my friends are pretty cool about it and I guess jealous of the money I have. When I get drunk one of my favourite rants is to talk about how "I'm absolutely ****ing loaded" and they all take it in good spirits \o/

3) Will you vote next week? If so, for who and why? If not, why not?

Well Ill answer but I dont really want comments on it/turn it into a political debate or whatever. I left it too late to get in my postal vote form and I have exams so I cant go home, so I wont be voting but If I was I'd be voting for FF - Blayney #1. This is Donegal North East BTW

4) Can you see yourself pursuing poker long - term?

In short,yes. My short-medium term career plans include alot of poker. I would say its very very likely I will be a professional player for a few years.

5) "The games have dried up and, short of a repeal of last year's legislation, online poker has an insecure long - term future". Discuss.

God I hope not. I think this has some elements of truth - games will probably get progressively harder over the next while. However, I am not worried really for several reasons

1 expansion of poker in Europe and Asia. From what I've heard, Asians love to gamble and suck at it, so as economies especially in South East Asia continue to grow really fast we should have a new wave of fish which really has no end
2 I am confident in my own personal ability to become better faster than 99% of other players. Even if it ends up in a situation with only semi pros and pros playing I think I would still be able to make a comfortable living from online poker because I will adapt faster
3 I think UIGEA will get repealed and there will be a new wave of American fish. Hopefully this happens

Maybe I am just fooling myself and being overly optimistic on these points but I really dont think so.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to do this. I have no doubt that it will be a good read.

Sure thing

shoutman

valor wrote:

It would be good if I could find a couple of students at lower limits and take them up through the limits, would be quite satisfying.

Willing candidate right here.

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

valor

stevire wrote:

Dont post often put always lurking!! Just have a cupla questions

Do you play many big buy in events? (i.e Waterford Open, GJP Festival, etc)

If so, whats your mentality/strategy when entering such a big event?

As already stated, I have only ever played 1 major buy in event. As such, I dont really have a strategy for preparing for these type of events. I'll get back to you after I've played a few WSOP events this summer!

valor

shoutman wrote:

How many hands did it take you to get from where you started to your current levels of play?
Did you comfortably beat the levels all the way up to where you are playing now?
Which levels took you the longest time to beat/ which levels were the hardest?

I dont have all the databases since I've started anymore, but I would guesstimate I've played 400k hands in the last 2 years. I have comfortably beaten every level before moving up, but I have had to move back down a couple of times.

when I first moved up to 2/4 I struggled horribly and had to move back down to rebuild - my roll collapsed back down to like $3k at one stage If I remember correctly. The Move to 3/6 was the biggest jump in skill and that took me a few attempts also, but I never had such a climb down as the one at 2/4

Do you have any interesets outside of poker? And if so what are they?

NO!! LOL.

Em, I read alot. I watch alot of TV shows [mostly online] such as The Sopranos, Prison Break, Lost, Jericho. Mostly American Dramas

Apart from that and poker my only other interests are socialising - drinking and chasing women \o/

robinlacey

how did you go about putting money in index funds?

i looked into it a while ago (half heartedly to be honest) and it seemed for most of the companies you had to either live in america or be willing to commit to putting huge amounts of money into them.

also if you don't mind people knowing,what is your twoplustwo username?

Mr.Plough

When you started playing micro stakes, had you already been reading up? or did you start reading forums as you went along?

what books have you read and which was most helpful?

i havnt got the patience to play 0.25/0.50 online and lower, any tips for drilling bankroll management into a core part of your game so it is second nature?

SpermManJelly

You said you recently took out 15k,does this mean you leave the rest of your roll on the particular site your on?(40 buyins to what ever site you play on)
If so when tilting or down money have you ever found yourself moving up to higher than 10/20,25 50....chasing?
On that point do you have an advice on controling chasing.:D


I wish to 6 table 1 - 2 on a particular site,how much would you suggest depoisiting,20 buyins?Or less more?

valor

robinlacey wrote:

how did you go about putting money in index funds?

i looked into it a while ago (half heartedly to be honest) and it seemed for most of the companies you had to either live in america or be willing to commit to putting huge amounts of money into them.

Well I havent got money in index funds, maybe thats the wrong terminology? I just mean Rabodirect and Quinn Life investment funds

also if you don't mind people knowing,what is your twoplustwo username?

My 2+2 SN is Praetor

valor

Mr.Plough wrote:

When you started playing micro stakes, had you already been reading up? or did you start reading forums as you went along?

Yeah I started reading Small Stakes No Limit forum on 2+2 around the time I started playing 25/50c. I didnt start posting until last summer though, I lurked for a long time. I also used to read flopturnriver.com

what books have you read and which was most helpful?

I've read Theory of Poker and Harringtons books and to be honest I didnt find either particularly helpful, although when I read theory of poker I was very new to poker. I might re read it at some stage and get more meaning from it. I have no plans to read any poker books in the future, Strategy on 2+2 is light years ahead imo

i havnt got the patience to play 0.25/0.50 online and lower, any tips for drilling bankroll management into a core part of your game so it is second nature?

This is a pretty difficult question to answer because its such an intangible thing, its just to do with personality traits really. I cant really think of any advice to give except that playing outside of your roll is retardo and the road to busto, and that even at levels as low as 25/50 you can make alot of money and learn alot

valor

sock.rocker* wrote:

wud u mind telling us the skin u play? im looking at joinin tilt nd have datamined 75k hands there but keep readin that tilt is jus too hard nd sites like prima are softer.

wud u def advise ppl to goto prima?

I'm not sure if I would advise people to go to prima, I have specific reasons for playing there and the games are plentiful and easy enough at 5/10. I have no idea what the qualify of the play is like at lower levels to be honest, but you could give it a go.

If you do decide to go to prima PM me and I can give you a referral to the skin I am at

I would certainly not play at full tilt, I would imagine Party is your best bet

valor

SpermManJelly wrote:

You said you recently took out 15k,does this mean you leave the rest of your roll on the particular site your on?(40 buyins to what ever site you play on)
If so when tilting or down money have you ever found yourself moving up to higher than 10/20,25 50....chasing?
On that point do you have an advice on controling chasing.:D

My roll is spread across several sites, I am trying not to keep too much at one site incase it goes busto \o/

I have never chased my losses at a higher limit so I can really give you any advice on controlling chasing except to say not to do it, its pretty dumb

I wish to 6 table 1 - 2 on a particular site,how much would you suggest depoisiting,20 buyins?Or less more?

Depending on your skill level id say 20-25 buyins is enough to multi table 1-2 - Read Pok3rPlaya's bankroll management thread for a good discussion of the topic

Chucky the tree

valor wrote:

Most of my friends are pretty cool about it and I guess jealous of the money I have. When I get drunk one of my favourite rants is to talk about how "I'm absolutely ****ing loaded" and they all take it in good spirits \o/

Do they not just retort "So you can buy the next round then yea?":D

valor

Yeah I get that alot.

cooker3

Nice responses so far

I have 1 main question. Do you think anyone can become a successful winning poker player. As in you started at low stakes which a lot of posters including myself play but through hand analysis posting on various forums etc you have moved up to playing fairly high stakes. Do you think if me and others had the same dedication that we would become as successful as you or is there an inate ability which some have and others don't?

valor

cooker3 wrote:

I have 1 main question. Do you think anyone can become a successful winning poker player. As in you started at low stakes which a lot of posters including myself play but through hand analysis posting on various forums etc you have moved up to playing fairly high stakes. Do you think if me and others had the same dedication that we would become as successful as you or is there an inate ability which some have and others don't?

The point is that most people dont have the same dedication that it takes to become as successful. I think that to beat up to 2/4 you can just follow a playbook if you learn it properly but that once you get beyond that you have to have high intelligence and an innate ability, determination and some luck \o/

sock.rocker*

some nice biggin urself up lol

are you really strict wit bankroll cause you went bust taking a chance before or is it just in ur personality to play "safe"?

im thinkin of playin nl50 wit 400dollars nd movin up to nl100 wit bout 1500 if i ever got that far.. i dont buy in for max online, roughly 3/4max

califano

1.) Level3 in a good structured live MTT and youve taken a few knocks. Your down to your last 1/3rd of your starting stack and you get AKo and open raise from mp. A rock in the C/O just over min raises. Do you tank it in regardless or fold.

2.) In cash games with no risk of anyone else getting involved do you like to gamble against short stacks for their stacks with KQ/99 type hands?.

3.) Do you think that Michael J. Fox was faking Parkinson's Disease a while back or at least pouring it on just a little too thick?.

Goodluck2me

Not to be immodest, but I've always been among the top students in every class/school I've ever been in but that hasn't been the case since I've come to University

first time youve been in my class

When I get drunk one of my favourite rants is to talk about how "I'm absolutely ****ing loaded" and they all take it in good spirits \o/

we bitch loads behing your back though! lol

My Question:
Are suited connectors more valuable in cash games or tournaments?
Did you think simon/mark were the **** when we started off too?
Funny how i teach them things now.
How often do you 3 bet light. i.e. how many raises does it take for you to play back?
What is optimum amount to bluff per session, say over 100 hands you got to river with what amount should be bluffs?
Do you ever treble-barrel?bluff or otherwise? psb.
Why dont you post as Valor on 2+2?
Do you not think it would be a better investment to finish your degree and play during+after it than to have wasted 3 years?

What % of Davids are winning players?
Who was your biggest influence in starting up the game?
What level of stakes would it take for you to say enough is enough i need not move higher, ive done what i need to do?
Are celebrity players all fur coat and know knickers?
If you had to give you entire bankroll to anyone out of these to play 10-20 for you for a day who would you choose
Lloyd
BCB
DitPoker
Dougee19
Sikes
JBravado
Ocallagh
Oscar
Daithio

Who would it be, i have purposely left myself out for obvious reasons.
P.S. i totally pwned you and paul at €5 SnGs, my game just never went passed that stage. €70 was a lot to a kid in Belgrove.

Nice Well

dvdfan

On Datamining Youve Said in this thread:

3 its very easy to datamine which is very important to me

I review all my biggest pots after a session and I datamine very heavily aswell


I rely mostly on VPIP/PFR/AGG/SAMPLE SIZE but I also have raise/fold to cbet and went to /won at showdown displayed.
I don't make adequate use of these stats really and I'm gonna try to do so more so in the future.

When you say you datamine heavily is this datamining 10 tables for an hour before you sit or 16 hours of datamining while you sleep and go to college

Ive seen in recent threads that the majority of people think 100+ hands is needed to get an accurate read by stats and more if youre using post flop stats effectively, considering your playing approx 60 hands an hour at 6 max tables youll need to be playing for about 2 hours before getting anything useful and at that stage the table could break up and possibly the session is coming to an end. Does this make heavy datamining more essential if your serious about using stats or whats your take on this?

How is your concentration level while playing 6 games. Is most of your time taking up watching the action or do you have time to take notes and if you do you find yourself rushed between making notes/reading notes and watching the action. Do you review hands after and take notes or just make notes from memory.I find too often ill be reading threads on here or 2+2 or sports news or something while playing while i could be using the time better to take notes or watching play closely and what position ill be playing in next ect?

When your tilting how does it effect your play most, is it your tilting play preflop that gets you into bad situations or is your preflop play ok and your post flop decisions your downfall?

valor

Level3 in a good structured live MTT and youve taken a few knocks. Your down to your last 1/3rd of your starting stack and you get AKo and open raise from mp. A rock in the C/O just over min raises. Do you tank it in regardless or fold.

there isnt really enough information here, ie how much would I have left if I folded, how much behind if I called - how tight was he, previous history, my mage etc

2.) In cash games with no risk of anyone else getting involved do you like to gamble against short stacks for their stacks with KQ/99 type hands?.

it depends on how short really. If I open either of these hands I will auto call an all in up to say 15BB. IF a shorty open pushes I would call with 99 but fold KQ, depending on players to act behind etc

3.) Do you think that Michael J. Fox was faking Parkinson's Disease a while back or at least pouring it on just a little too thick?.

uh. what?

Paul Tergat

goodluck2me wrote:

we bitch loads behing your back though! lol

always better to do it to his face!

goodluck2me wrote:

Who would it be, i have purposely left myself out for obvious reasons.
P.S. i totally pwned you and paul at €5 SnGs, my game just never went passed that stage. €70 was a lot to a kid in Belgrove.

Sure Joe Maybe my fiver was a token pot builder!



Right then 'Valor' : so many questions so little time


What aspect of Cross-Cultural Management do you see being most important in poker?

Which draw do you like best - backdoor nut quad draw or over-set draw?

Situation: 6 handed, you're on button with AA and there's one limper and 2 over limpers, stacks 400BB each, what's your move? (you have no stats)

How much do you expect to make in Vegas online?

same question for live play...

Chinese or Indian?

You lose 4 or 5 hands in a session due to 2 outers, do you:
a) break the door of your wardrobe?
b) throw your phone at the wall?
c) put a hole in the wall?

Do you have any superstitions when playing poker?

Rhianna or Christina Milian?

When do you expect to win your first bracelet?

Christoper or Paulie?

Which boardsie do you respect the most as a cash player?

Brendan or Donal?

more questions later....

Goodluck2me

I knew you`d be out of the woodwork after that comment paul!

sorry i meant to say Y`arit paaol.

Also Valor inspired by the ever-inspirational paul.

What parts of Our course do you think actually affect poker, if any?
serious question like, i have a few theories.

Do you only hate UCD becuase you havent managed the art of "scoring a moutie" im pretty sure i know of a few girls who would change your mind.

valor

Are suited connectors more valuable in cash games or tournaments?

It doesnt matter which, its more related to stack depth. Stacks are usually deeper in Cash games.

Did you think simon/mark were the **** when we started off too?

Yeah I thought Simon was the best player in that game at the start but I think me you and Mark were clearly the biggest winners in it

How often do you 3 bet light. i.e. how many raises does it take for you to play back?

This is a pretty difficult question to answer, its too intangible a concept. I 3 bet with air a decent amount mostly in an effort to cultivate an aggressive image to get paid off when I have something. Maybe once every 50 hands or something? I dunno

What is optimum amount to bluff per session, say over 100 hands you got to river with what amount should be bluffs?

I very very rarely bluff. I 3 barrel maybe one or twice in a thousand hand session, often times none. I fire 2nd barrels a decent amount though.

Why dont you post as Valor on 2+2?

Dunno

Do you not think it would be a better investment to finish your degree and play during+after it than to have wasted 3 years?

Yes. The fact is I dont want to though so its a question of whether I can convince myself to come back in September to do it. I havent really decided yet but lately im leaning more towards finishing the thing.

What % of Davids are winning players?

God I dunno, 20-25% maybe? really hard to estimate especially because there are so many lurkers

Who was your biggest influence in starting up the game?

Well Paul got me into it so I guess alot of props have to go to him!. In terms of learning poker theory I havent really had one particular mentor, although in recent times coaching with MDMA [who also coached Robin] has been very helpful

What level of stakes would it take for you to say enough is enough i need not move higher, ive done what i need to do?

I dunno. I mean, this time last year if I thought I would be moving up to 10/20 soon I would have been delighted. I dont think I'll ever be satisfied though, If I make it to 300/600 I wont be happy until they start spreading a higher limit \o/

Are celebrity players all fur coat and know knickers?

The vast vast majority of celebrity players suck donkey balls. My favourite is Esfandiairi though

If you had to give you entire bankroll to anyone out of these to play 10-20 for you for a day who would you choose
Lloyd
BCB
DitPoker
Dougee19
Sikes
JBravado
Ocallagh
Oscar
Daithio

Who would it be, i have purposely left myself out for obvious reasons.
P.S. i totally pwned you and paul at €5 SnGs, my game just never went passed that stage. €70 was a lot to a kid in Belgrove.

Niall

Nice Well

thanks

pok3rplaya

Who is better at flipping, pok3rplaya or Valor?

valor

dvdfan wrote:

On Datamining Youve Said in this thread:



When you say you datamine heavily is this datamining 10 tables for an hour before you sit or 16 hours of datamining while you sleep and go to college

Ive seen in recent threads that the majority of people think 100+ hands is needed to get an accurate read by stats and more if youre using post flop stats effectively, considering your playing approx 60 hands an hour at 6 max tables youll need to be playing for about 2 hours before getting anything useful and at that stage the table could break up and possibly the session is coming to an end. Does this make heavy datamining more essential if your serious about using stats or whats your take on this?

I leave Prima open with 10 tables all day except when I'm sleeping and computer is off, it doesnt take up much resources or anything so I always have them open when im not playing. the player base in my games is pretty small so I have 10k hands + on all the regulars and I almost never have to face a player without stats. I've always been big on datamining - I used to use hhsmithey.com when at poker who email you 60k hands a day

How is your concentration level while playing 6 games. Is most of your time taking up watching the action or do you have time to take notes and if you do you find yourself rushed between making notes/reading notes and watching the action. Do you review hands after and take notes or just make notes from memory.I find too often ill be reading threads on here or 2+2 or sports news or something while playing while i could be using the time better to take notes or watching play closely and what position ill be playing in next ect?

Em, I make notes after interesting hands but I dont pay much attention to pots I'm not in. I'm often reading boards or 2+2 or chatting on MSN which I really shouldn't be doing

When your tilting how does it effect your play most, is it your tilting play preflop that gets you into bad situations or is your preflop play ok and your post flop decisions your downfall?

um, when I tilt I end up getting into stupid situations. I will call a 3 bet when I should fold, flop a pair and ****ing call down, or else I will decide he is light and 3 barrel etc. Just stupid things

valor

pok3rplaya wrote:

Who is better at flipping, pok3rplaya or Valor?

I am better at everything

Paul Tergat

goodluck2me wrote:

I knew you`d be out of the woodwork after that comment paul!

sorry i meant to say Y`arit paaol.

gravy etc.....

goodluck2me wrote:

Also Valor inspired by the ever-inspirational paul.

goes without saying! he didnt nickname me 'the swami' for no reason :rolleyes: oh actually he did

oh also valor:

Dem Franchise Boys or three 6 mafia?

Best time to play - day or night?

Utd or Chelsea tomorrow?

Do you actually think you will ever get round to playing tournies online?

Are you bothered that you don't play much live poker? is it a waste of time as more money can be made elsewhere?

is it all about the money? or would you play if you were not allowed to gamble?

would you play as much if you were taxed on earnings?

valor

p_larkin99 wrote:

What aspect of Cross-Cultural Management do you see being most important in poker?

Cross Cultural management has no practical applications its total bull****

Which draw do you like best - backdoor nut quad draw or over-set draw?

Well, when I flop an overset draw I also automatically have the backdoor nut draw so I guess its a bit of both

Situation: 6 handed, you're on button with AA and there's one limper and 2 over limpers, stacks 400BB each, what's your move? (you have no stats)

Paul this question is only appropriate for 10 minutes before one of our finals. I'd probably play it the same as you though - raise to 24BB.

How much do you expect to make in Vegas online?

It depends how how long I stay there, how much I like playing live/WSOP events and how much drinking I do but If I dont make $50k just from online play Ill be annoyed

same question for live play...

I really have no idea. I dont know how much live cash games I will be playing or how many events I will enter but I would hope to make $20-$30k at least

Chinese or Indian?

Indian

You lose 4 or 5 hands in a session due to 2 outers, do you:
a) break the door of your wardrobe?
b) throw your phone at the wall?
c) put a hole in the wall?

Well, if I lose due to bad luck none of these will happen because that doesnt really bother me much. But the next time I play a hand badly then (d) I'm throwingmy old laptop out the window

Do you have any superstitions when playing poker?

No not really

Rhianna or Christina Milian?

Christina not close

When do you expect to win your first bracelet?

Before I'm 25

Christoper or Paulie?

Depends from what perspective but I would have to take Paulie. Hes the man

Which boardsie do you respect the most as a cash player?

I dont know to be honest, its tough to know how good some people are especially people dont post their results etc. I think Robin's posts are consistently good

Brendan or Donal?

Phil

robinlacey

p_larkin99 wrote:

Dem Franchise Boyz of three 6 mafia?

this is like asking mike mattusow or phil ivey

Goodluck2me

valor wrote:

Phil

Phil FTW! get him on boards, he would sort this place out no end with a bit of high-end entertainment.

valor

What parts of Our course do you think actually affect poker, if any?
serious question like, i have a few theories.

Well, obviously data mining from BIS This morning! thats the most obvious one I can think of

Some of the Economics and Finance we have done probably relates well to ROI and Variance and stuff but that level of theory is not something I have studied!

OB may have some application for the psychology of poker but again its not something I've considered in detail

Do you only hate UCD becuase you havent managed the art of "scoring a moutie" im pretty sure i know of a few girls who would change your mind.

I have scored TWO mounties since coming to UCD which for a country bumpkin isnt bad I guess!? We arent all rugby playing chameleons who blend in as a D4 head depending on the company!

valor

Dem Franchise Boys or three 6 mafia?

Well I'll have to go for Dem Franchise Boyz, after all they get their name from being young black entrepreneurs.

Best time to play - day or night?

I used to find the Party games softer at night but since I've moved to Prima I've found its pretty much the same standard the whole time, although the best reg plays during the day. From a personal standpoint im a total night owl so I prefer playing at night

Utd or Chelsea tomorrow?

I think United Will win but I hope im wrong!

Do you actually think you will ever get round to playing tournies online?

Yes

Are you bothered that you don't play much live poker? is it a waste of time as more money can be made elsewhere?

Not really. I might change my mind after Vegas this summer but seen as I dont have the roll to play higher than 10/20 live I can certainly earn more 8 tabling 5/10 or 10/20 online. I think I would like to play in more live tournaments and obviously you can have huge scores there.

is it all about the money? or would you play if you were not allowed to gamble?

Its about 95% about the money. i enjoy poker as a hobby but If I was a losing player or gambling for money was illegal or something I would only play very occasionally

would you play as much if you were taxed on earnings?

I would move to avoid paying tax in an instant

robinlacey

you mentioned earlier in the thread that you find the 5/10 games on prima good and that there are a lot of bad TAGs that you make money off.

you also said that you very rarely bluff,so i'm wondering how you make most of your money off these TAGs.

do you make a lot off them folding to your second barrells,or is it more a question of them paying you off with second best hands far too much?

valor

robinlacey wrote:

you mentioned earlier in the thread that you find the 5/10 games on prima good and that there are a lot of bad TAGs that you make money off.

you also said that you very rarely bluff,so i'm wondering how you make most of your money off these TAGs.

do you make a lot off them folding to your second barrells,or is it more a question of them paying you off with second best hands far too much?

Well I dont make much money! I've been losing ever since I moved to Prima 5/10 so maybe I'm just deluded that its an easy game

In Theory, its more the second part of them paying off too much with second best hands. Guys who call off 1/5th of stacks PF with low pocket pairs, playing too many pots out of position with weak holdings & bluffing in retarded spots.

Its also not the case that there are no fish - there are a good amount of them and I'd say most of my "theoretical" profit would be coming from more fishy players, but what I like about the regulars on Prima is that they arent very hard to play against as compared to the 5/10 guys on Party - they dont give me as many headaches or cause me to tilt as much which is very important