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Now Ye're Talking - to a Professional Poker Player

Boards.ie: Niamh

Some of you asked to hear from a professional poker player and that is just what our next guest is. Known in the poker world as Doke, Dara O'Kearney has been playing live and online poker professionally for a number of years in a variety of locations around the world, most recently Las Vegas and Tallinn.

Ask him your questions here!

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Rigmincedeal wrote: »

Hi Dara,

I'm a recreational player and find online quite difficult for reasons you have mentioned affect some people, no social interaction, far easier to make mistakes and lose concentration. I always think it must be a talent to multitable an online grind and keep your sanity. I only play my best poker by a long way when I am at a live table.

Multitabling is like anything else: you get better through practice. When I started all I could handle was two tables. I remember getting very flustered when I tried four for the first time. I eventually got to the point where I was comfortable playing 24 at a time.

As a pro we know you are a bit of a satelite king but do you feel as you have moved up the levels (higher stakes) things get far easier? I know people will assume at the higher stake tournaments the opposition will be tougher but is this all offset with the smaller fields helping you in the long run variance wise? Example the likes of fedor playing every high roller event available with small fields, would he be half as successfull if he dropped down to the lower levels? Intersested to have your thoughts on this

I wouldn't say easier but certainly different sorts of specialisation: cash v tournaments, holdem v PLO, big field tournaments v small fields. It's all poker but you need different specific skills in each specialisation. Fedor's game is designed to crush high rollers where he's up against some of the best, but also some of the worst (the businessmen who play high rollers) but his record in big field tourneys isn't as impressive. I think if he concentrated on them as much as he has on high rollers I feel like he'd crush them too though.

Thanks for your questions.

scudzilla wrote: »

We've all had bad beats, what's your worst??

The worst that springs to mind is against my good friend David Lappin the first time we played online cash against each other. Somehow we managed to get all the money in preflop (about 200 big blinds) and his Ace Queen got there versus my aces.

Thanks for your question.

tayto lover wrote: »

What's the largest amount of money you've seen in an Irish school?

Roughly €100,000

When you travel do you go on your own?

Very rarely. While my wife is very choosy about where she wants to travel, there are always nearly a few friends going too.

Have you a stack put away for bad times?

Yes. We own two houses and there's a decent chunk salted away in case it all goes pear shaped.

How would you explain you're line of work to a bank manager if you were seeking a loan for a mortgage etc?

I don't think I'd bother. I've never had to try to get a loan but many of my pro friends have and I can't remember a single one being successful. Mostly my interaction with bank managers is them ringing to ask why a large amount of money just arrived from a foreign account.

Thanks for your questions.

HONKEY TONK wrote: »

Did you ever get frustrated with the conduct of another player in a tournament and if so, what happened?

The worst one I can think of is when a player retrieved his cards from the muck after folding, and they clearly weren't his cards as it was two kings, which he would never have folded, and it resulted in my elimination from the tournament. This happened in Spain, the dealer and all the other players were Spanish, and I basically felt I'd been cheated.

I wrote about the incident in full on my blog: http://dokearney.blogspot.ie/2012/08/san-sebastien-i-hate-every-inch-of-you.html

Thanks for your question.

bucketybuck wrote: »

As somebody who once paid the bills by playing online cash games, for about a year back ten years ago, all I can say is that you have my pity. I went from loving poker to getting sick at the very thought of it. I especially don;t know how you can stick playing it now considering some of the changes in the player base over the past few years.

I think I'm blessed (or cursed) with a certain type of stupidity. I go to bed most nights hating poker, and wake up wanting to play again

Anyway, a random question, what do you think of Phil Ivey losing his court case? Did you agree with him?

I did. It seems to me a clear case of the powers that be favouring the powerful vested interest (in this case the casino) over the individual.

Thanks for your question.

tricky D wrote: »

Back to the AMA proper: do you have and if so what are your guiding principles? Eg. I'm a big fan of the patience, discipline and money management mantra.

Me too. To that list I'd add hard work (in terms of study and hours put in). Those characteristics are much more important than technique or talent in my opinion as far as long term success goes.

When you turned pro, were you staked or was it all your own?

All my own. Staking wasn't really a thing back then, at least when I started, and even if it had been, I can't imagine I'd have found one willing to gamble on a guy who was already in his 40s when he learned the game

Do you stake other players? What kind of deals? Basic 50/50 or...?

I used to. I staked several of the top young Irish players early in their careers (Daragh Davey, Padraig "Smidge" O'Neill, James "Jaymo" Noonan, Nick Newport, Kevin Killeen) but got out of it over a year ago to concentrate more on my own game. Generally the deals I offered were 50/50, rising to 60/40 and 70/30 in the players favour beyond a certain profit point.

Do you buy percentages off other players much/at all?

Yes I do this quite a bit still, but generally only from friends I trust implicitly (as I've been ripped off a few times).

Thanks for your questions.

fatguy wrote: »

Do you think I could have made it as a pro if I'd really tried?

Andy

Hi Andy.

I think you could.

Thanks for your question.

As someone with no knowledge whatsoever besides the basics, what resources would you recommend someone to study before dipping their toes into playing online for small stakes?

Business Cat wrote: »

What online site do you use?

I play on most of the ones that are legal here in Ireland.

Have you ever gotten a Royal flush in live play and if so did you get paid?

It's happened a few times. The one that sticks out was deep in WPT Killarney last year when I got all in with aces against kings preflop. The kings pulled ahead on the flop but I hit a Royal to stay alive.

Do you play at the same stakes religiously or mix it up depending on how the day is going?

I play different stakes but it doesn't depend on how the day is going: it's more a case of I look for the most profitable games in my view at whatever stakes are available. If I judge two games to be roughly equally profitable, I'll play the smaller game. I wrote more on this topic here: http://dokearney.blogspot.ie/2014/01/boxes.html

Who is you favourite pro poker player and why?

Daiva "Baltic Blonde" Byrne. Originally from Lithuania but now British based, I'm a big fan of her approach and how she conducts herself at the table. I have enormous admiration for her natural talent and her ability to be unfazed by whatever happens at the table.

What do you think of players like Phil Laak that would be perceived as being loose with their cards, is it just part of their image or do they generally play with a huge variation of hands?

Phil's way tighter than he appears. I think he works hard to create a loose image. We interviewed him in Vegas a few weeks ago for our podcast (the Chip Race, available on Itunes, Soundcloud and Youtube) and spoke about this (the interview will be on the next episode in a few weeks).

Have you ever played in the main event of the WSOP?

Yes, every year but one since I started.

If, did you buy in or satellite?

Satellited the first two times, bought in every time since.

If so, what's you best finish?

I've never cashed the event. Closest was a couple of hundred spots from the money.

What's the longest non stop session you've played, either online or live?

20 hours online (with just 5 minutes break every hour), 17 hours live with almost no break (when I made too final tables on the same day described here:http://dokearney.blogspot.ie/2016/09/back-to-back-to-back.html)

Favourite casino in Vegas?

Wynn

Favourite casino in the world?

Mazagan in Morocco.

Thanks for your questions

Dice75 wrote: »

It seems to me that the majority of people who can make a viable career out of poker are the level-headed grinder types with little side leaks.

I agree.

How do you find the Irish psyche of partying and gambling (sports/casino etc) has affected the numbers coming through the last 10 years that have actually made it as a sustainable career compared to European/worldwide players, or is it the same over?

I think you get degens everywhere (even Germany) but it's certainly not a recipe for long term success. As a small country, I think we punch more or less at our own weight in poker when it comes to producing pro players. No superstars, but a reasonable number of respected pros.

What % of a professional poker players ability is bankroll managment?

In terms of staying profitable and self staked, I'd say maybe 20%. Game selection is bigger if anything.

Do you have a timeline in your head as to how long you intend to keep it as your main earner?

Not really beyond "as long as I can or want". I remember Keith Richards saying once that the Stones worked flat out for the first 18 months because they didn't think their success would last very long. I was similar in the first few years of my career. Most poker careers last barely three years.

I've been lucky to get into the position now where I could stop tomorrow and not have to worry about money any more, so it's clear money is no longer the main motivation.

]

Do you offer up your profession easily in outside company or are the subsequent questions too much of a pain!?

ty

I generally do if asked: otherwise not. I think I'm a pretty open person so don't mind answering questions, even if they tend to be the same ones over and over (thankfully not the case in this AMA). What really annoys me are the cautionary tales of friends who were problem gamblers and lost it all, or the guys who insist it's all blind luck and you can't possibly win long term. That's usually the point at which I just agree to end the conversation and say "OK, let's talk about your job: what's the worst person you ever had in your cab?"

Thanks for your questions.

aghern1 wrote: »

Hi Dara. Big fan of yours. Read most of your blogs and really enjoy them. A few of my friends want to know what is your thoughts on upswing poker and doug polk in general and in terms of giving out strategy advice?

Thank you.

I'm a big fan of Polk but to be honest was not that impressed by Upswing when I looked at it. I think his free Youtube Poker Hands videos are great though.

Thanks for your question.

bucketybuck wrote: »

Just picking up on something in your blog, when you place high in a worlds series of poker event do they always pay you in cash there and then?

They do if you want, or you can do it by wire transfer, or a mix of both.

Thanks for your question.

When playing live are sunglasses essential?

If so can you (a pro) really tell that much from someone’s eyes or is there more to it?

Great AMA

5starpool wrote: »

Hi Dara,

- What would you consider to be your biggest leak now, live and online, or do you reckon your discipline has plugged as many of these are you are generally likely to do at this point?

I don't think I have any major ones left at this point. One thing I sometimes wonder is if I have been too risk averse over my career and would have done better if I'd taken more shots. On the other hand, I might just be another busto ex poker player.

- Have you ever played with people over a reasonable period of time and thought they were a very good player, but then surprised to hear they had quit poker because they weren't able to actually win money consistently?

Yes, this has happened a few times. It's generally because of some life leak they have that I wasn't aware of, but there are a couple of cases where I think they just ran bad over their entire career, got discouraged and stopped before their luck turned around.

- Is the firm still going?

Not as a staking business but we are all still friends and buy and swap pieces of each other.

- How much do you think your past as a runner contributed to your success as a poker player? The discipline needed must be a constant factor in the 2?

Definitely a help. Other stuff like stamina, being able to focus and stay in the moment, perform under pressure that I learned in running I was able to bring to poker.

- Same question except related to your age. If you were 21 when you started playing poker, do you think you'd have had the aptitude and discipline needed to excel?

Yes. I was always very disciplined in pursuit of my goals.

- I haven't played poker in close to 5 years I'd say, and don't really miss it, although occasionally I still consider going for a live game, but haven't bothered. Do you have an end in sight in terms of retirement nest egg for you stopping or does it depend on how the game goes in terms of success and so on?

Ta

I've already reached the point where money isn't an issue or the motivation. I still greatly enjoy the game, the life and the people it brings me into contact with, and I still feel I can do and get better, and still have unfulfilled ambitions I believe can be fulfilled. So for the foreseeable future it's poker.

Thanks for your questions.

9or10 wrote: »

Hi Dara, No question just wanted to say thanks for taking the time. I'm finding it facinating.

Wow just wow. I get nervous if I put a tenner on the Grand National. I just hate losing money.

Poker - probably not a good career move for me then.

LOL, I'm actually the same when it comes to non poker gambling. I think it's just that I know I can't think like that in poker or I'd just freeze up.

Old Perry wrote: »

Hi Dara,

Thanks for your time.

I would like your thoughts on Daniel Colman. A few years ago he won 15mil in a tournament and refused to celebrate or take part in any publicity afterwards. He took a lot of criticism at the time, what do you think?

Heres the win.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q6Za231h44

And a statement he released after,

I really don’t owe anyone an explanation but I’ll give one.
First off, I don’t owe poker a single thing. I’ve been fortunate enough to benefit financially from this game, but I have played it long enough to see the ugly side of this world. It is not a game where the pros are always happy and living a fulfilling life. To have a job where you are at the mercy of variance can be insanely stressful and can lead to a lot of unhealthy habits. I would never in a million years recommend for someone to try and make it as a poker pro.
It is also not a game where the amateurs are always happy to be losing their money for the sake of entertainment. The losers lose way more money at this game than winners are winning. A lot of this is money they can’t afford to lose. This is fine of course because if someone is dumb enough to gamble with money they cant afford to lose, that’s their problem. I’m not really buying that though. In a perfect world, markets are based on informed consumers making rational transactions. In reality, sadly, that’s not the case. Markets are based on advertising trying to play on peoples impulses and targeting their weaknesses in order for them to make irrational decisions. I get it if someone wants to go and play poker on their own free will, but I don’t agree with gambling being advertised just like I don’t agree with cigarettes and alcohol being advertised.
It bothers me that people care so much about poker’s well-being. As poker is a game that has such a net negative effect on the people playing it. Both financially and emotionally.
As for promoting myself, I feel that individual achievements should rarely be celebrated. I am not going to take part in it for others and I wouldn’t want it for myself. If you wonder why our society is so infatuated by individuals and their success, and being a baller, it is not that way for no reason. It is there because it serves a clear purpose. If you get people to look up to someone and adhere to the “gain wealth, forget all but self” motto, then you can get them to ignore the social contract which is very good for power systems. Also it serves as a means of distraction to get people to not pay attention to the things that do matter.
These are just my personal views. And yes, I realize I am conflicted. I capitalize off this game that targets peoples weaknesses. I do enjoy it, I love the strategy part of it, but I do see it as a very dark game.

I largely agree with Dan, although I'm a little less hardline and more libertarian when it comes to gambling. The fact that a small minority of gamblers are addicts/problem gamblers is unfortunate but doesn't make gambling bad, no more than the fact that there are athletes who dope makes athletics as a whole bad.

Thanks for your question.

loub555 wrote: »

Hi Dara,

Thanks for doing this!

Your work ethic and results are incredible. I did your webinar recently and my satellite results are already significantly better- so ty

That's great to hear and well done on your Big 11 win. That's a sick field to get through.

To stay at the top like you have for so long takes so much time and effort. I genuinely want to know how you balance play, travel, sleep, study, fitness & family/social life. How do you manage your time?

It's definitely tough but something I've gotten better at over time. I'm lucky enough to have good natural energy and stamina, and I work on maintaining my fitness, and I'm a bit of a workaholic when it's something I enjoy (so not really work). I get by on 4-6 hours sleep, and I'm good at multitasking. For example, I listen to podcasts on my runs, so when I go for a 4 hour run, I also get through 4 hours of poker learning. On my wind down online (when I'm down to my last few tables so I have spre brain cycles) I do other stuff like watch poker videos. I'm currently down to my last table tonight, hence the sudden glut of posts here

Most of my writing is done on planes and airports. So basically I'm nearly always doing something, and often more than one thing.

Do you have any routine & do you struggle with your sleep pattern being out of whack after a long session/deep runs?

At home I have a fairly set routine:
(1) Wake up. Catch up on email, social media and anything else that needs my attention
(2) Go for a run
(3) Breakfast
(4) Study
(5) Play
(6) Take a mid session break for dinner with my wife
(7) Continue playing
(8) Watch some poker content on wind down

Sleep is definitely the most difficult thing to balance. The toughest is when I'm switching between online and live. My online hours are 5 pm to whatever am, so I'm usually crawling into bed around 8 am. When I play live I have to try to flip to a more normal sleeping pattern.

What's the best snippet of advice you have for a low stakes mtt grinder trying to move up?

Focus on long term progress and improvement over short term results. Try to keep coming back to the middle mentality: don't get carried away by short term success and think you're better than you are, and don't get too depressed over short term adversity and think you're worse than you are. Be brutally self critical and find friends who will tell you you messed up when you did. And above all, work as hard as you can and give it your all.

In your opinion, why are there so few Irish female poker players?

I really don't know on this one. I'd guess there are a combination of factors: some pretty horrendous boorish male behaviour in casinos has to be a turn off to some degree. Females aren't encouraged to play poker to the same degree males are. Because it's so male dominated, it's harder for females to network well. Guys will easily form groups that study together and support each other: I think it can be harder for females to get access to these groups. But overall I don't feel qualified to answer, as most of the female players I know are successful, so I have a selection bias. I have massive admiration for females who do make it as it seems much tougher to do so as a female, and there's all sorts of dumb prejudice and male chauvinism.

I think if there was one obvious success story that acted as a role model, that could be a big breakthrough.

Do you think participation rates can/will increase eventually?

I think so. I certainly hope so. One of the many things I miss about the running world is its much healthier gender balance and attitudes to gender.

Some countries and cultures seem better at encouraging female participation (France for example).

Before this year I had no female coaching students (just one female study buddy). When I ran my webinar 25% of the participants were female, and currently 40% of my private coaching students are female, so on that front at least numbers seem to be on the rise.

Thanks for your questions, and I wish you continued success.

cefh17 wrote: »

As someone with no knowledge whatsoever besides the basics, what resources would you recommend someone to study before dipping their toes into playing online for small stakes?

Some books (Kill Everyone, both Matthew Janda books), Doug Polk's free Youtube videos, some podcasts (my own The Chip Race, Thinking Poker, Jonathan Little's Hand off the Week), and if possible learn to use the software tools (Holdem Resources Calculator, PIO solver)

Thanks for your question.

MrMac84 wrote: »

When playing live are sunglasses essential?

Not essential but if you are giving off eye tells, then yeah.

If so can you (a pro) really tell that much from someone’s eyes or is there more to it?

Great AMA

There are a few eye tells that some amateurs give off:
(1) Staring at a board (typically meaning they have not hit the card they wanted)
(2) Staring aggressively at an opponent (often an attempt to appear intimidating when holding a weak hand)
(3) Staring less aggressively "sizing up" an opponent (generally a strong hand trying to assess how much the other player will call)
(4) Eyes going left to right right to left repeatedly on a connected board (generally means a straight is possible, the player doesn't have it, and is worried an opponent does or a strong draw to it)
(5) Glancing quickly at chips or away from the board (generally a strong hand)

In some extreme cases players pupils dilate in excitement with a very big hand.

Thanks for your questions.

We've played together a few times.

Are you playing the IPO today? I know it's not a huge buy in, but plenty of fun with a large field. There'll be plenty of pros there too.

Hi Darragh,

My compliments on how you always take time to chat when people approach you at events, since basically you're in the office working when you play.
Nice touch to stay so grounded.

Which factors are you most often considering when bet sizing p/f?
Hand strength, stack sizes, opponents styles, position, history etc
presumably, but which ones & to what extent.
I know it's situational, but as a general rule of thumb. eg:70bb deep.

Do you think bots will eventually kill online poker?

Am I a better player or dealer? (careful now ;-)

Cheers, Declan

Tom Mann Centuria

I know it wasn't poker but do you have an opinion on the latest Phil Ivey Baccarat case ruling? Or how he's played that game in the past. Cheating or clever?

Have you had any experience playing against some of the "hot shots" on the live circuit? I'm thinking of the likes of Luke Schwartz, Jake Cody, Sam Trickett, Benny Spindler etc (not even sure if they are still going)

If so, did you find it more difficult playing against them than against unknown competitors? How was their table manner, Did they have much of an ego etc?

Wow doke, you are the real deal, fair play to you!!

You must have met many of the shadier side of life while playing. Do they intimidate you? Have you ever been worried that if I clean this guy out I could be in trouble?

And you’re married, wasn’t expecting that!

Were you pro when you met her? How did she react when you told her and how long did it take her to really believe and trust in you that you won’t lose the house?

Do you like playing AK or do you think 'oh no, here comes trouble'.

Is there any possibility that the big name online poker sites are rigged?

Very n00b question...

With my limited knowledge of poker, I always assumed being able to "read" the other players is a vital aspect of game play. If so, is the dynamics of online poker basically a totally different game?

I first just wanted to say very well done doke- I'm inspired by your dedication to your craft- both as a Professional Poker Player and an athlete.
If you ever retire from either or both, you have an instant career with motivational speaking- you really do. you have a lot of learning to give to others. You have mastered resilience, focus, goal orientated behaviour- it's like there's nothing you couldn't do, as long as you're interested in doing it.

My question for you, if you choose to answer it, is:

Being so organised, so structured and so dedicated in your day to day life, (a) what do you do to relax and/or how difficult is it for you to switch off completely and (b) for someone who lives such a structured existence, what are the required attributes of a partner who lives through this structure with you? i.e. you've mentioned earlier, that you took pragmatic steps to secure your income to allay her concerns which is just brilliant , but with the irregular hours, the dedication etc, are there other challenges ?

Thank again

Hi Darragh,

It is so nice of you to take the time to participate in AMA! Thanks so much!

I noticed on one of your posts that you work considerably longs. How do you ensure a decent work-life balance?

Thanks again!

tedpan wrote: »

We've played together a few times.

Are you playing the IPO today? I know it's not a huge buy in, but plenty of fun with a large field. There'll be plenty of pros there too.

Unfortunately not. I love playing big field events in Ireland as it's a chance to interact with poker players from all over Ireland and keep in touch with local poker scene, and I have played the IPO quite a few times but in recent years it always seems to clash with something else I have to be at. This year is no different: I'm currently in Brighton representing Unibet (for whom I'm currently a brand ambassador: what used to be called a sponsored pro) at one of their UK poker tour events.

Thanks for your question and good luck at the IPO.