Ianmc38 in the well

coillcam

To keep your self busy when not clocking in the hours, what kind of hobbies/interests do you have outside of poker?

If you could change one thing about your lifestyle as a result playing poker for a living what would it be?

What things do you miss most from Ireland? (Don't tell me guiness cos' I'm a smithwicks man myself)

What are your favourite and most embarrassing moments in poker?

In your opinion what is your greatest accomplishment to date? (poker/non-poker)

Scarlett Johansson/Jessica Alba?

HiCloy

Good thread so far. Couple of questions for me:

1. What are your VPIP and PFR in O8? 6max/FR?

2. what did you used to work at and what's the masters in?

3. Limit O8, full ring of unknowns. There is MP raise, CO calls, button calls, SB calls, you're in the BB. Do you fold anything except for 2222 type hands?

4. You had a few bets on the BBV sticky around cheltenham. Do you gamble a lot in general sports, horses etc?

kincsem

ianmc38 wrote:

At this moment in time I hope to never have to work again, certainly not for anyone else. I hope to do a lot of investing over the next few years and hopefully retire by the time I'm 30!

I don't know if I know you. If you want to invest in shares you should read a few books about Warren Buffett and his company Berkshire Hathaway. BRKA shares are up from $16 in 1965 to $117,000 each today (BRKB are 1/30 the cost or ~ $4,000). Buffett put his $100 with $105,000 from family and friends in the late 1950s, and turned his share into about $52,000,000,000 today.

The market is high now, but should be lower in a year or two.

Macspower

Hi Ian,

Well done on getting into the well...

I not much good at asking the questions but love the reading.....

What PT stats are you at the minute?

How do you select tables?

At the levels you play do you find it's all regs playing or do you get new fish all the time?

If I remember it's not too long ago I was playing 1/2 with you online...you seem to have made the transition very quickly... did you build your roll from play or did you add to it ? reason I ask is I would like to play 2/4 but having to withdraw all the time to live I find it hard to build the BR for it. I was considering adding to my BR....good/bad idea?


Do you suffer with Tilt?

I remember one night in the SE where you took a few beats and left and came back with a stack of the rectangular cards and proceeded to donk it all off in a very short time under complete tilt...... and the next night I saw you play you were a different breed of fish (excuse the pun) and were a complete rock ...and cleaned all around you..... Do you remember that night or was it one of many?

Why Thailand? did you go on your own?

Has your game improved a lot lately? what was the key factor in improving the game?

Dogs or cats?

thats it for now... prob think of more later......

well done!

ianmc38

coillcam wrote:

To keep your self busy when not clocking in the hours, what kind of hobbies/interests do you have outside of poker?

I go to the gym every 2nd day. I'm lucky the place i'm living in has a deadly gym in the building. This is my sweet pad in Bangkok:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ian.mcdonnell/BangkokApartment

I used to play football twice a week in Dublin after a sporting hiatus of about 5 years. Up til i was about 19 I used to play GAA, tennis and basketball all at very high levels. Then once I hit college i made a few lifestyle changes which made me a lazy bum.

I've started reading a lot again over here and have gone to 3 or 4 art/photgraphy exhibitions in Bangkok since I arrived. I'm also big into me choons and spend about 80% of the day(when im in the aprtment) listening to all sorts of music.

coillcam wrote:

If you could change one thing about your lifestyle as a result playing poker for a living what would it be?

Tough question. I guess it would be to make more of an effort to see some of my friends. There have been loads of times were I've just blown people off because I've had a bad session or am in the middle of one. And they know!

coillcam wrote:

What things do you miss most from Ireland? (Don't tell me guiness cos' I'm a smithwicks man myself)

I've never once had a pint of Guinness in my life. i used to be a Smithwicks drinker, but Corona(in ireland anyway) became my beer of choice. The things I miss the most are my friends and family. If it wasn't for them, I'd have no problem never going back. The lifestyle here is so much better and layed back than in ireland and people are way happier. Everyone in Ireland just seems depressed all the time. Also, I hate cold weather!

coillcam wrote:

What are your favourite and most embarrassing moments in poker?

I remember one sweet hand I played in the UK. It was PLO and the whole table limped. I raised the pot from the SB with 3456ds. The flop comes 222 and its folded around to one guy who thinks for ages and eventually folds KKxx. I obviously show my big wrap.

I think i've mentioned most embarassing. 1 of several nights in the Emporium donking away money on tilt would be the most likely that come to mind.

coillcam wrote:

In your opinion what is your greatest accomplishment to date? (poker/non-poker)

Poker - being where I am now. From 6 months ago when I had a bankroll of a few thousand dollars to now where I'm comfortably rolled for 5/10

Non-poker - I wouldn't really have a clue. I've tons of sporting acheivements, all Ireland Championship medals, tennis tournaments and leagues. I've also done a BSc/HDip/Msc in UCD though tbh a monkey could probably get all of those if you trained it properly. So yeah cant really say. Ill think of something better!

coillcam wrote:

Scarlett Johansson/Jessica Alba?

Definitely Scarlett Johansson.

ianmc38

HiCloy wrote:

Good thread so far. Couple of questions for me:

1. What are your VPIP and PFR in O8? 6max/FR?

2. what did you used to work at and what's the masters in?

3. Limit O8, full ring of unknowns. There is MP raise, CO calls, button calls, SB calls, you're in the BB. Do you fold anything except for 2222 type hands?

4. You had a few bets on the BBV sticky around cheltenham. Do you gamble a lot in general sports, horses etc?

1. My VPIP is 32 and my PFR 22. 6 max.

2. I had a deadly job working for Vodafone. I used to work with all the mobile games that are on Vodafone live. I worked as contractor as well, so I got paid stupid money as well as being able to write ridiculous stuff off as business expenses (digital camera, mp4 player, 42" Plasma TV and so on). before that i worked for HP. I quit after 3 weeks, handing ina 5 page letter of resignation detailing evry reason why I hated my job and why i'd never work for them ever again. I started the next day in Vodafone. My postgrad was in computer science.

3. very few

4. I used to gamble on sports and stuff quite alot. Now i have the odd flutter here and there, but never life changing amounts. Just a few quid each way for a bit of interest.

ianmc38

Macspower wrote:

Hi Ian,

Well done on getting into the well...

I not much good at asking the questions but love the reading.....

What PT stats are you at the minute?

This month I'm 28/23/2.6

Macspower wrote:

How do you select tables?

I generally just have a look in the lobby to see who's at each table. I recently bought EyePoker and plan on using it soon. I also use my buddy search quite a bit as I have some ridiculously bad players in my list who play regularly with full tanks.

Macspower wrote:

At the levels you play do you find it's all regs playing or do you get new fish all the time?

At 2/4 it's mostly regulars but there are always fish, morning noon and night. It appears to be the same across all levels though 5/10 is full of TAG regs.

Macspower wrote:

If I remember it's not too long ago I was playing 1/2 with you online...you seem to have made the transition very quickly... did you build your roll from play or did you add to it ? reason I ask is I would like to play 2/4 but having to withdraw all the time to live I find it hard to build the BR for it. I was considering adding to my BR....good/bad idea?

I never added to my roll. I was really lucky in that i ran sickly good for my first month and never really looked back. I had one bad month where variance kicked me hard in the balls with a -10 buyin downswing, but my roll was comfortable enough at the time so that a -10BI swing didnt cripple me.

I cant really give advice on whether you should add to your roll or not. If you can afford it and feel you have an edge in the game, then I'd think it's worth it but that's really for yourself to decide. I understand it probably feels like a grind having to cash out of a 1/2 roll all the time to be able to live! I didnt move up to 2/4 til I nearly had 40 buyins and even then i was only taking shots here and there as any time I move up a level I always feel slightly uncomfortable for a while.

Macspower wrote:

Do you suffer with Tilt?

Occasionally, but I'm way better now than I used to be.

Macspower wrote:

I remember one night in the SE where you took a few beats and left and came back with a stack of the rectangular cards and proceeded to donk it all off in a very short time under complete tilt...... and the next night I saw you play you were a different breed of fish (excuse the pun) and were a complete rock ...and cleaned all around you..... Do you remember that night or was it one of many?

Yes I remember that night extremely well. Brianmc was at the table as well. I think i got 3 of the 500 blocks and donked them off within an hour or so. Painful stuff.

Macspower wrote:

Why Thailand? did you go on your own?

My friends aunt is the Irish Consulate to Thailand. Her parents have a huge house in Phuket beside her aunts house. It's got a private pool, 5 bedrooms with big balconies, people who deliver fresh ice and drinks into cooler boxes every morning. generally pimping place. 7 of my friends were going over there for 2 months earlier in the summer, so I headed over with them. They've all gone back to uni/jobs now. I went to Koh tao for a few weeks to do some diving and then came back to Bangkok where I've been since. After Bkk I'm planning on travelling around Asia with HalfBaked, then perhaps Oz, South America and finish up by living in Vegas at some point in the future.

Macspower wrote:

Has your game improved a lot lately? what was the key factor in improving the game?

yeah my game has improved a vast amount in the last 6 months. key factors are knowing your opponents and their tendencies and analysing every session carefully. I go through all medium and large pots I've played in a session and go through all of them from start to finish. I've also started using pokerstove way more to find out exact equities in hands as I've found this really helpful when you're comparing your hands strength against someone elses range

Macspower wrote:

Dogs or cats?

Cats

sikes

hi ian,

who are the toughest regulars in your games and what makes them so tough?

gl in your travels.

Jesus Wept

ianmc38 wrote:

Qualifying for the Grosvenor Poker Tour event in Luton, turning up late and not being allowed to play. Luton is such a grim palce that it really annoyed me.

Your worst moment in poker, and I was there to witness it and see the look on your face, brilliant!

ianmc38 wrote:

I remember one sweet hand I played in the UK. It was PLO and the whole table limped. I raised the pot from the SB with 3456ds. The flop comes 222 and its folded around to one guy who thinks for ages and eventually folds KKxx. I obviously show my big wrap.

Also in Luton....

Your best and worst poker moments occured in Luton.

---

Can you explain your strategy behind folding 3 times in the sb at 25-50 level after a few limpers, bearing in mind the 15,000 chip starting stack? (GPJ Main Event V2)

What hands does 'the book' say we should fold in this spot for 1/600th or 0.16% of our stack?

Thank you.

ianmc38

Lol. Trolling again! Dont make me post Mr Spam. I folded the 29o and the 38o. Cant remember the third one. No idea how to play with 9 people at a table. Seems very crowded. Me = tourney donk.

Goodluck2me

How do you play 2c3c on an 8c4c3d board against 4 limpers from the SB, and why? if you check call the flop and Kc comes on the turn, how do you play effective remaining stacks of 375?

dvdfan

Love the Apartment, Why Bangkok, do you not find it very closterphobic and smelly compared to some of the coastal resorts?

How reliable is the broadband there and had you any problems bypassing the Thais strict blocking of gambling sites, do you ever worry about being caught?

Did you have your computer shipped over or did you buy over there and does the electronic equipment work out cheaper over there and what setup have u?

Did you ever get coaching and at what stage in your poker career and what kind of coaching did it involve and how much did it help your game?

Have you come across situations playing poker professionally where you needed to get a loan/mortgage etc, how do you explain what you do for a living or do you lie, have you ever considered setting up a say a consultancy company and lodge x amount into the business account so you would have good accounts in case you need a mortgage or whats the complications that a pro poker player comes across?

Do you have to do Visa runs often and is there much hassles involved?

ianmc38

sikes wrote:

hi ian,

who are the toughest regulars in your games and what makes them so tough?

gl in your travels.

Most of the tougher regs are just TAGs with tricks. They 3 and 4 bet lighter than most TAGs, they float alot and they can raise cbets and check raise cbets with air as well as being able to make sick call downs with really weak holdings.

Players I rate are GluteusMaximus, AlexBB1, Reclusion, LetMeFly99(Good LAG), Helbuqtur, RunningScared, EvilDaniel and FamousBoy. Im sure there are others, but they're the ones who come to mind right now.

Macspower

Thanks for your honest answers Ian......

A few more if you dont mind... I'm interested in Thailand although prob never get a chance to go myself..

Whats the cost of living like there?

What would an average appartment cost per month have you any idea?

I take it internet coverage is not a problem?

Are the girls really hot and anxious to please?

whats the weather like? summer and winter?

Can you describe an average day to me?

Do you get out socialise much?

Is language a problem?

Sorry for some of them personal questions. feel free to pick through them as you see fit....

Thanks and gl in your ventures

ianmc38

goodluck2me wrote:

How do you play 2c3c on an 8c4c3d board against 4 limpers from the SB, and why? if you check call the flop and Kc comes on the turn, how do you play effective remaining stacks of 375?

My normal play would be to lead the flop.

My play on the turn would depend on how many others had called the flop bet and some kind of read on the person(s) left in the hand.

Goodluck2me

ianmc38 wrote:

My normal play would be to lead the flop.

My play on the turn would depend on how many others had called the flop bet and some kind of read on the person(s) left in the hand.

no reads, and you were the only caller of the pot sized bet.

why lead? what do you do if they minraise/ raise to 75(pot)

ianmc38

dvdfan wrote:

Love the Apartment, Why Bangkok, do you not find it very closterphobic and smelly compared to some of the coastal resorts?

I was in Thailand last year for 2 months as well. At this stage, I've seen Phuket, Phi Phi, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Lanta, Raja, Phang Nga and Krabi, so pretty much everywhere except Chang Mai and some rural areas. I love Koh Phangan and Tao and will definitely spend some more time there once HlafBaked gets the finger out.

I'd wanted to live in Bangkok just to check out what it's like living here as it's a really diverse city and totally different to everywhere else ive been in the country. I walk around half the time like Dean Moriarty in Kerouac's On The Road just digging everything. Its great. It can be a nightmare at times though. Getting anywhere during the day is impossible. I spent an hour and a half in a taxi to go a 20 minute walk the other night during rush hour.

dvdfan wrote:

How reliable is the broadband there and had you any problems bypassing the Thais strict blocking of gambling sites, do you ever worry about being caught?

The place I'm staying, I have my own hi-speed connection in my room so it's usually pretty reliable. I get the odd ouateg but very rarely.

dvdfan wrote:

Did you have your computer shipped over or did you buy over there and does the electronic equipment work out cheaper over there and what setup have u?

I have a Dell Gen II XPS laptop which I brought with me. It's a sweet laptop. Really fast processor and nice big screen. Also great for running games and the likes.

dvdfan wrote:

Did you ever get coaching and at what stage in your poker career and what kind of coaching did it involve and how much did it help your game?

I got some coaching I'd guess about 5 months ago. I did a few sessions with a guy from 2+2 who was awful. He said so many things which I knew were wrong and I got rid of him after 3 sessions. He basically watched me playing and commented on each hand as it played out.

I also did some sessions with HectorJelly which were much better. These were hand scenarios in tournaments and cash games as well as doing some sitauational stuff, like playing against shortsatcks from the blinds. They were definitely beneficial but lacked some structure. I actually just contacted him again recently about doing some hu sessions online over skype as I'm looking to improve my hu and shorthanded play.

dvdfan wrote:

Have you come across situations playing poker professionally where you needed to get a loan/mortgage etc, how do you explain what you do for a living or do you lie, have you ever considered setting up a say a consultancy company and lodge x amount into the business account so you would have good accounts in case you need a mortgage or whats the complications that a pro poker player comes across?

I havnt crossed that bridge yet, but I'm assured there are ways and means of getting it sorted if/when the time comes. I dont plan on buying any property in Ireland for a long time if ever. I was on the verge of buying an apartment with a friend 2 years ago. That eventually fell through and now I'm not really interested anymore.

I havnt really considered your suggestion though it sounds like a good diea and might be something I look into in the future. nice one.

dvdfan wrote:

Do you have to do Visa runs often and is there much hassles involved?

I had a 2 month tourist visa which you can extend for 30 days at the Immigration building in Bangkok. Once this expires, I'll have to do a visa run to Cambodia. It's simply a case of getting on a bus, going to the border, crossing over and walking back in, so nothing too stressful (hopefully)

ianmc38

goodluck2me wrote:

no reads, and you were the only caller of the pot sized bet.

why lead? what do you do if they minraise/ raise to 75(pot)

If I check and they bet the turn. I'd probably call and reassess river. If they fire a psb bet on the river i'd probably fold. Knowing whether they bet their draws is important.

I'd lead because our hand is quite strong and may even be the best right now. If raise I'd usually get it allin on the flop. Against a hand range of sets, 2 pair, small overpairs and the nut flush draw, our equity is still 40%, so i much prefer a lead.

mrflash

Hi Ian, very interesting, educational and informative well.
I had a very good natural game which was wild aggressive. The usual comments made to me or about me from guys i played in tournaments regularly were along the lines of 'i dont want to be at your table, you cannot be put on a hand'
As you can well imagine this game was not very successful online. So i started reading books and realised how much i had been missing from my game.
My game went to pot as i struggled to digest the information which i had forced into my brain. It seemed to stay in the frontal lobes if you know what i mean, leaving me with no free space to think about the other important matters used in poker. I have been slowly coming out of this over the last six months or so. I now have a much more TAG approach to poker, well online at least.

My questions
Did you find that reading books had a negative affect on your game at any stage?
How much of your bankroll are you willing to put on the line on any given night.
What sites do you find most difficult to make money on, and why?

djsctt

Couple more for ya, if you'd rather not answer , no problem...

Do you primarily play on ipoker, or are there any other networks you play regularly ?

Where/what level did you play basketball, and did you play in UCD ?

Thanks.

ligger

Hey Ian,

1. Who is a better player you or Halfbaked.
2. Whilst in jail on suspicion of a crime involving animals , you need a bail bond of 10k. You have 1k, who do you give it to who can spin it up to 10k playing poker?
3. Do you miss working here when working here makes you ask such weird questions (see question 2)
4. Kasia or Kate??
5. You do know Halfbaked is never leaving Dublin don't you...

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

El Stuntman

Not much in the way of poker questions as Bops can answer all my issues....

Admit that the sole and only reason you moved to Thailand was to be in a place where you can finally be considered taller than average. Admit it!

What's it like being a farang? I've had conversations with a friend who's lived all over Asia, he says the Chinese are uber-rude to gweilos but also said that he found Thais to be 'quietly rude'. Have you experienced much of this? If yes, what proportion of the blame for this would you put on the behaviour of Western tourists in Thailand?

You're living in a Buddhist country. Have you developed any interest in it and do you think it could help your poker game, a la Mr Black?

Thanks, el S

GrangeUtd

Hi great well so far. really enjoying it.

Just wondering what sites/skins/networks u play on the most? or recommend?

What do u generally do when u bet any made hand on the flop (pair/straight etc.) with 2 to the flush on the board and the 3 card to the flush hits the turn? in position/out of position?

rgds

ianmc38

Macspower wrote:

Thanks for your honest answers Ian......

A few more if you dont mind... I'm interested in Thailand although prob never get a chance to go myself..

Whats the cost of living like there?

The cost of livng is extremely cheap. You could live here on $500 a month if you wanted. Meals cost anything from 30cent from a street vendor to $100 in a nice restaurant. I've eaten out in loads of really fancy places here, cos I love my food and I'm a posh git.

Macspower wrote:

What would an average appartment cost per month have you any idea?

You can get an apartment from €200 - €2000 a month depending on the place itself, the furniniture and fittings and the location. I'm living ina serviced apartment which is part of a hotel. They're mainly aimed at expat businessmen. It's €1800 a month for a large one bed, but I'd gotten tired of living in 5 square meter beach huts so I decided I was gonna rent somewhere nice. The service is amazing too and anything I want is just a phone call away. They even went out and my shopping for me the other day

Macspower wrote:

I take it internet coverage is not a problem?

Yeha good reliable connection in my room. The broadband infrastructure in Thailand as a whole has come on a huge amount since last year.

Macspower wrote:

Are the girls really hot and anxious to please?

I find there are 2 breeds of Thai women. There are the really hot ones and then there are really ugly ones. I find more of them unattractive than I would attractive, but there are some ridic hot chicks here.

It's quite difficult to find women who are genuine here. Most of them see you as rich foreigner who will be able to offer them a better life, so they'll feign extreme interest. It's quite commoin to see 16-18 year old girls walking hand in hand with 70+ men. Bangkok isnt as bad as Phuket were all the old perverts seem to flock. I'm always quite skeptical when approached by them as it's not really customary for a regular girl to chat up a faranfg so most of the time it'll be a money grabber or a working girl!

Macspower wrote:

whats the weather like? summer and winter?

It's hot and humid all year. Our summer is rainy season here. At the moment it's 30 degrees with high humidity.

Macspower wrote:

Can you describe an average day to me?

Sure. I usually get up around 10am. I've a newspaper hung on my door every morning, so I usually read that while having a few coffees. Then I go to the gym and do about an hours workout.

In the afternoons I either play poker, sit beside the pool or go out and see some of the different tourist attractions, hang out in parks etc. Bangkok is massive and even having been here some time I still find myself getting lost regularly. There are loads of different places to see, the Grand Palace, temples everywhere, snake and crocodile farms, huge shopping centres, loads of insane outdoor markets, cool parks and so on. In the evenings, I usually go out for a meal, then play poker for 4 hours or so or watch whatever sports are on tv. The satellite tv here is great as there are premiership matches on all the time as well as all the rugby world cup matches.

Macspower wrote:

Do you get out socialise much?

I go out occasionally, but I havn't really made much of an effort to meeet new people. I met some of the 2+2 peeps one night but havnt met up with them again since.

Macspower wrote:

Is language a problem?

nah most Thais can speak some English so I get by with hello, how are you and thanks in thai. The only problem I have is with taxi drivers as they dont seem to have a clue what Im talking about when Im telling them where I live!

ianmc38

djsctt wrote:

Couple more for ya, if you'd rather not answer , no problem...

Do you primarily play on ipoker, or are there any other networks you play regularly ?

Yeah I play 90% of the time on Ipoker. I started playing a bit on Stars again recently when the WCOOP started. I've started playing some mid limit O8 games again there as the games are spread there all the time where as I can sit at a table on Ipoker for 5 hours and not get any action.

ianmc38

ligger wrote:

Hey Ian,

1. Who is a better player you or Halfbaked.

1. Is a good question. I would say I'm a better online player and Peter is a better live player. For some reason my game totally changes when I play live which I'm at a loss to explain. I tend to play far nittier and cant translate what I do online to live play properly. I think if I was to play live again now there would be a huge improvement in my play.

I find it much easier to take someones money online where I dont have to see their face. I find live I feel quite empathic towards people who are losing money all the time and I dont really feel very comfortable playing with 8 other people I know in a bid to win their cash. Obviously that isn't a good attitude to have when you're playing a live cash game. Against people I dont know it's a different story and I feel I play much better.

ligger wrote:

2. Whilst in jail on suspicion of a crime involving animals , you need a bail bond of 10k. You have 1k, who do you give it to who can spin it up to 10k playing poker?

Who told you about that? For guaranteed ROI it would be LuckyLloyd or HalfBaked. For a quick spin I'd go for QKQJT or JBravado.

ligger wrote:

3. Do you miss working here when working here makes you ask such weird questions (see question 2)

I miss the people. I had the best group of people to work with, all 25-35 with similar interests to myself working in a stress free enviroment. I used to go out to sessions all the time with my boss!

ligger wrote:

4. Kasia or Kate??

Kasia

ligger wrote:

5. You do know Halfbaked is never leaving Dublin don't you...

I've long suspected it. I've asked the Emporium in writing to take away his living quarters on the 3rd floor where he sleeps between sessions.

ollyk1

Nice well Ian. WP

A lot of the stuff has been covered but I'd like to get your views on the following if I may.

1. Is your improved tilt control down to playing shorter sessions and playing fresh or truly down to improved self discipline? Or could you estimate the contribution of both to the improvement?

2. Are you ahead on loldonkaments for life?

3. Before you left for Thailand you played in the SE for a few weeks and having started off pwning the game by the end of the few weeks you had slipped back into some bad habits on. In light of this do you intend playing as a live pro in Vegas or more so playing on the net and only emerging for the odd bit of degneracy?

4. I know you are a big fan of the needle and the put down any favourites you'd care to regale us with?

All the best.

Olly

Scouser in Dub

Did you ever have a poker epiphany where it all started to make sense or was it just a consistent gradual improvement in your play?

You mentioned in O8 you rarely play with anyone that has any idea of how to play what are the most common mistakes you see?

You mention you play differently live, how much is that influenced by the demographic that plays live and the frequency of floating, 3betting light etc

luckylucky

I'm intrigued about O8 as it's one game I've never played(except for a quick dabble or by accident when I thought it was PLO ). Do you make as much from it as you do in NLH?