Q & A with HectorJelly

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 10:30pm

rogue trader wrote:

Hi HJ

What’s most important to you outside poker?

Football, literature, friends and family

rogue trader wrote:

Why did you only last 1 year in college?

I was more interested in partying than going to lectures

rogue trader wrote:

Is maths overrated in poker? If not, explain.

I think the topic is overrated. I mean as long as you have a rough idea of the odds and are able to work out roughly odds on the fly you will be fine. The better you are at maths the faster you will be able to take on poker theory IMO. I have a friend who is very successfull and runs consisantly at around 9PTBB/100 and he is very bad at maths.

rogue trader wrote:

Tell us about a recent mistake you made at a poker table.

I open pushed for about 5 hands in a row last week.

rogue trader wrote:

You get AKo and raise. Two callers. 10 high rag flop. Check or bet?

Check usually, sometimes bet depending on the players and my image.

rogue trader wrote:

So you bet and get one caller. Low turn card, check or bet?

Its important to double barrel only rarely, but it is important to do occasionaly against tight players. So I would nearly always check fold here, sometimes bet.

rogue trader wrote:

How many presents did you buy for others this xmas?

None yet!

rogue trader wrote:

You say some good tournament players make terrible cash game players.
Why is this? Is there one common trait that they all have? What advice would you offer these players?

One pair after the flop is not usualy a hand to go to war with. Bluff much less and play tighter after the flop. Try not to get all in preflop unless you have aces or kings.

rogue trader wrote:

Lastly, which is a better starting hand AA or AK? Hmmm, maybe don’t answer that…..

AA

cardshark202 · 18-12-2006 10:38pm

Hectorjelly wrote:

El Diablo, FSUPlayer, MDMA is fantastic, Riverboatking, limon, Jason Strasser, Foxwoods fiend, cero z, Flawless victory (allthough some of his posts have to be jokes.) The forum has severely gone down in quality this year

I agree with all those, though I also think TheWorstPlayer is a very good poster as is BLD. Pete fabrizio is a very good poster too, though he mainly posts in the PLO forums. I think there are a lot of noob posters who act like idiots on there now and dumb down the content level.

Also we usually play every saturday but lately we havent been getting very many numbers. If we can get a decent number this saturday, I'll let you know.

Thanks for the answers!

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 10:39pm

Ste05 wrote:

Have you read anything by Richard Dawkins, if so, what did you think and what book is his best IYO?

I havent read anything by him, but ive seen some of his documentaries. They were good but a little boring, I kind of felt he was preaching to the choir as I agreed with everything he was saying

Ste05 wrote:

Do you play much chess, what is your curent rating?

i got to 1100 on the FICS blitz rating (allthough im well below that now). I dont know if this is a standard thing. Im not very good!

Ste05 wrote:

Which 2+2 Posters do you rate highest?

already answered

Ste05 wrote:

Who do you think are the 5 best Poker players in the world, online or Live.

I like Bldstwrs, Phil Ivey, Empiremaker 2. No idea if they are the best in the world though

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 10:42pm

ArmaniJeanss wrote:

Whats you're highest break in Snooker? I suspect its quite high if you play.(I've long had a theory that the logical thinking / trap-playing etc needed in snooker / pool means that good poker players will also be good snooker players).

In an online tourney head to head, your opponent is disconnected - whats your attitude.

Do you smoke?. If Yes, can you answer the question in my signature.

I dont play much pool or snooker, and im bad at both. In the past ive waited for players to come back at the end of mtts, in stts ive just stolen their blinds. Make of this what you will!

I dont smoke

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 10:46pm

loosecannon wrote:

are u going to start playing any satellites at any point?

do you think that you will always be a winning player, or could circumstances (tilt, losing interest, retiring etc) cause you to become a losing player?

do you think you're a better online or live player?

am i better than my brother at poker?? (mainly so i can forward response to alex...)

No

Sometimes I am a losing player, when im on tilt or playing a game Im not good at. I doubt ill ever be able to play long term losing poker though

I can play both.

You are much better than your brother lol

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 10:49pm

Mr. Flibble wrote:

Would you often (say 1ce/session/table) overbet a raised pot online?

Is there any chance you would share some of your multitable HHs so I and others can see how you play and learn from you. (I can instruct you how to replace your nick with something else for all your HHs en mass).

Right now, if somebody staked you for 75% would you take the offer and play at higher levels? What level would you choose?

Yeah, i often overbet when the stacks are quite shallow and any bet will commit me to the pot anyway. Like on the turn pot is 60 we both have 100 left and there are multiple draws. Im going to push here.

MTT hh? Sure,remind me the next time I play one and Ill keep the hh.

Id think about it depending on the staking deal. Id probably play 5 10. I dont really see this as happening, I like to play with my own money.

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 10:56pm

kincsem wrote:

What broadband do you use? I have Irish Broadband Ripwave and I might as well be betting by air mail. Help!

I use eircom. In my experience (5 differnt places I think) their broadband service is excellent.

kincsem wrote:

Do you have a strategy for players at your table, or do you let the cards and situations decide your plays? (I like to let aggressive players trap themselves by slowplaying against them).

Yeah i would often have a strategy based on what a players weaknesses are. I basically like to prey on whatever is the players biggest leak is. I dont really ever slowplay though except against really really aggro players, and even then not much. Slowplaying is probably the second biggest mistake that most players make in cash games.

kincsem wrote:

I get the impression you don’t play much bricks and mortar. Am I wrong? Why?

Because I can multitable in comfort, listen to relaxing music and enjoy life online. Offline I have to play 1 table at a really slow pace and not read or browse the internet. Game selecion alone would be reason to play online

kincsem wrote:

Do you ever get royally fed-up with poker? Or do you ever feel you are loving every minute?

No I get annoyed sometimes. I think idealy id play for 1 hour a day.

kincsem wrote:

What makes a successful poker player?

Intelligence and game playing ability (theres probably a better term for it). You need to be competitive

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 11:01pm

ditpoker wrote:

could you explain this more? i play mainly tournament poker but have an itch for cash games that i want to scratch. and surely if tournament players are bad, is that not where u want to be playing?

The edge I enjoy when I play a player in a game with 100 blinds is far greater than the edge I have when we both have 10 blinds. Most of the players I play against in cash games are awful as well!

ditpoker wrote:

you should join the Grosvenor Lane revolution... current boardsters include myself and The_Flyer centre back, aodea in midfield, carfax/bohsman battling for left mid spot and LuckyLloyd in goal!

When do you play?

Mr. Flibble · 18-12-2006 11:06pm

Hectorjelly wrote:

Yeah, i often overbet when the stacks are quite shallow and any bet will commit me to the pot anyway. Like on the turn pot is 60 we both have 100 left and there are multiple draws. Im going to push here.

MTT hh? Sure,remind me the next time I play one and Ill keep the hh.

Would you rarely overbet when being pot commited is not an issue?

I mean when you multitable cash games. I think studying this would be more simple than if you were playing at 1 table where you would be paying more attention to the players and make more complex moves.

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 11:07pm

Fatboydim wrote:

Maybe I should offer to script edit and you can teach me how to do all those calculation thingies you do.

Yeah that might be a good idea. Its really hard writing dialogue!

Fatboydim wrote:

I very much play from instinct and feel rather than mathematical probability. I don't ignore the math... Just I'm not very good or quick at it. But it leads me to ask... Online is it all about the Math? What is the biggest difference for you in the way you approach an online cash game and a live cash game?

Its the same game, I dont think there is much difference. Live cash game players in the fitz 12 game tend to be much worse than any online players, so its just a case of waiting for a big hand. WHat online poker does is expose players weakness much much quicker because of the greater amount of hands you play.

Fatboydim wrote:

Can you play creatively and still be a winner online or does it have to be mechanical ABC poker?

Creative usualy means bad in my experience, both live and online.

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 11:09pm

cardshark202 wrote:

I agree with all those, though I also think TheWorstPlayer is a very good poster as is BLD. Pete fabrizio is a very good poster too, though he mainly posts in the PLO forums. I think there are a lot of noob posters who act like idiots on there now and dumb down the content level.

Also we usually play every saturday but lately we havent been getting very many numbers. If we can get a decent number this saturday, I'll let you know.

Thanks for the answers!

Yeah I should of include theworstplayer. Im sure I left out one or 2 others as well. Ml4l is excellent allthough he doesnt post much now. I dont really read the omaha forums.

That would be great, Im only playing once a week at the moment which sucks!

No problem

dvdfan · 18-12-2006 11:13pm

Dont know youre background so hope you dont think im being intrusive but why did you go to Poland...friends,job or was it the cheap living and how did you find it, did you speak any polish.

Always found Polish people pretty friendly and it would be nice to take a trip there for a few months if you were making a few hundred a week on poker when you compare the price of food,drink and accommodation you could have a whale of a time there for the same money and live pretty well?

hotspur · 18-12-2006 11:15pm

How can a person tell if they actually have what it takes to succeed at high stakes a priori?

How many people do you know who played low/middle stakes poker for up to 5 years before making the breakthrough to high stakes poker (meaning at least 10/20 NL)?

If maths isn't that important for higher stakes poker and one's emotional makeup is, considering that you rate maths your strongest point and your emotional makeup your weakest why is it that you are convinced you can play high stakes poker?

Do you think many high stakes cash poker players would rank patience ahead of aggression as a skill necessary for successful poker?

sikes · 18-12-2006 11:29pm

so you are dying to go to the mens room when you are 6 handed in a tourney. Everyone is getting paid.

When do you go if its:

A no1
B no2

This is semi serious btw

And good stuff so far

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 11:34pm

hotspur wrote:

How can a person tell if they actually have what it takes to succeed at high stakes a priori?

I dont know, winning at every level you play is probably a good indication

hotspur wrote:

How many people do you know who played low/middle stakes poker for up to 5 years before making the breakthrough to high stakes poker (meaning at least 10/20 NL)?

1

hotspur wrote:

If maths isn't that important for higher stakes poker and one's emotional makeup is, considering that you rate maths your strongest point and your emotional makeup your weakest why is it that you are convinced you can play high stakes poker?

Very good question. Maths isnt really my biggest strength, there are plenty of players much better than me at maths and Im a much better player than they are. Im not that convinced I can play high stakes poker, i guess Ill find out. I have sustained very good winrates at every level up to 36 over statistically significent periods of time, so I would think its very unlikely I cant beat 5 10 anyway. I think I may of overstated my emotional problems, its not normally something I have much trouble with and is usually connected to problems outside poker. Over the last week it has crept back into my game which is why im mentioning it. Ive gone months without any tilt or making any substantial mistake whilst playing.

hotspur wrote:

Do you think many high stakes cash poker players would rank patience ahead of aggression as a skill necessary for successful poker?

Well I may of made a mistake, its very important to be agressive, but thats easy IMO. I know a load of players who are far too agressive and whos main failing is they lack patience and discipline. Very few players manage to both me aggressive and disicplined. Also the skills needed are different at different levels. I played a tonne of hands at 50 1 recently and I did very well by just playing a very passive game. A lot of times these questions are bad questions IMO, i mean its like saying whether passing or running is more important for a football player. You wont make it unless you can do both!

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 11:37pm

dvdfan wrote:

Dont know youre background so hope you dont think im being intrusive but why did you go to Poland...friends,job or was it the cheap living and how did you find it, did you speak any polish.

Always found Polish people pretty friendly and it would be nice to take a trip there for a few months if you were making a few hundred a week on poker when you compare the price of food,drink and accommodation you could have a whale of a time there for the same money and live pretty well?

I want to travel the world as much as possible, I have a friend living there so it made sense. The cheap living was a big bonus. I learnt quite a bit of polish which was food fun.

Yeah it was great food and drink there had an effective cost of 0 to me there. Its not like that in Dublin!

Hectorjelly · 18-12-2006 11:39pm

sikes wrote:

so you are dying to go to the mens room when you are 6 handed in a tourney. Everyone is getting paid.

When do you go if its:

A no1
B no2

This is semi serious btw

And good stuff so far

Either way I would just go to the bathroom. Just look at your cards on the button and then go if they arent worth playing

Fatboydim · 18-12-2006 11:42pm

Hectorjelly wrote:

Creative usualy means bad in my experience, both live and online.

lol very good answer.:D

LuckyLloyd · 19-12-2006 12:08am

This post has been deleted.

RasTa · 19-12-2006 1:31am

Are you getting a Nintendo Wii?

I see you went to Pakistan... Any use?

phantom_lord · 19-12-2006 1:32am

Do you agree with Chris Ferguson's reply here?

QUESTION FROM Tria003: would you recommend playing poker as a career? if yes why? is no why?

ANSWER FROM Chris Ferguson: No, if you're great at poker you can make a lot more money doing something else.

Hectorjelly · 19-12-2006 1:36am

RasTa wrote:

Are you getting a Nintendo Wii?

I see you went to Pakistan... Any use?

Yeah ive played agood bit of the tennis and I love it.

Yeah it was great, theres a report on my blog

Hectorjelly · 19-12-2006 1:36am

phantom_lord wrote:

Do you agree with Chris Ferguson's reply here?

No, allthough it may well be applicable in 99% of cases

BigCityBanker · 19-12-2006 2:31am

Hector, all I can say is fair play to you there is some great reading here. I want to buy you pints sometime and talk drunken jibberish about the meaning of life etc - I reckon you could converse on many topics and would have many interesting stories to tell.

TacT · 19-12-2006 2:46am

Have you discovered throughout your time playing NL holdem that being too aggressive preflop or otherwise can be a weakness and why? Do you belive that controlled aggression is a part of the key to being a winning player and why?

Goodluck2me · 19-12-2006 2:52am

hi, great reading so far. one of the few hands ive seen you play was you GJP exit hand. would this paly standard iyo? would you always call in this spot with 77 on the bubble. did you think you were ahead? did you care? if faced with that situation 10 times will you call every time? what if the BB was fuzzbox?
also didnt you win more that $7K in the boards 200 game tournament?

Hectorjelly · 19-12-2006 3:02am

goodluck2me wrote:

hi, great reading so far. one of the few hands ive seen you play was you GJP exit hand. would this paly standard iyo? would you always call in this spot with 77 on the bubble. did you think you were ahead? did you care? if faced with that situation 10 times will you call every time? what if the BB was fuzzbox?
also didnt you win more that $7K in the boards 200 game tournament?

im not sure Im going to answer this post. Did I care if was I ahead? No I was hoping he had aces so I could get knocked out

mdwexford · 19-12-2006 5:54am

when you sit at a table do you always feel you are the best player there?

do you think you are a better cash or tournament player and why?

whats the biggest buy in tournament you've ever played and how did you do?

when playing cash online how many tables do you play at once?

tilting/boredom aside do you think your game has any leaks?

if you won the euromillions next week would you still play poker?

Hectorjelly · 19-12-2006 6:06am

mdwexford wrote:

when you sit at a table do you always feel you are the best player there?

Yes. This is probably quite common though!

mdwexford wrote:

do you think you are a better cash or tournament player and why?

Its just poker!

mdwexford wrote:

whats the biggest buy in tournament you've ever played and how did you do?

1k gjp event, I bubbled!

mdwexford wrote:

when playing cash online how many tables do you play at once?

2-4, usually 3

mdwexford wrote:

tilting/boredom aside do you think your game has any leaks?

Yeah, everyones does

mdwexford wrote:

if you won the euromillions next week would you still play poker?

Nope!

Hectorjelly · 19-12-2006 6:09am

TacT wrote:

Have you discovered throughout your time playing NL holdem that being too aggressive preflop or otherwise can be a weakness and why? Do you belive that controlled aggression is a part of the key to being a winning player and why?

Yeah often times people are far too aggressive for no reason whatsover. A lot of players raise when they should call post flop, this is something ive noticed playing live recently.

Mr. Flibble · 19-12-2006 6:25am

If you are still down there I've another question.

If you were playing a game vs 5 clones of yourself, how would you play different. ie. tell us how to beat you. Bet you wish you weren't in the well now!

The_Chopper · 19-12-2006 7:31am

One of my biggest pet peves at a poker table both live and online is people who min raise (Especially when I'm on the BB). What do you do to combat this?

Do you approach live and online cash games differently in terms of strategy? Or do you just go play your usual game on both?

Peanut/biscuit or chocolate M&M's?

nicnicnic · 19-12-2006 7:31am

Hectorjelly wrote:

1/2 and 2/4 nl

Do you know what techno is? its just very basic dance music with cool sounds and a very sparse arrangements. Recently its gotten a bit boring.

yes; but I'm a house merchant techno is kids music; top dancer in henrys 91 to 98

respect; heslin and p park only 2 players i've ever felt my best bet was to stay out of there way

Hectorjelly · 19-12-2006 7:50am

Mr. Flibble wrote:

If you are still down there I've another question.

If you were playing a game vs 5 clones of yourself, how would you play different. ie. tell us how to beat you. Bet you wish you weren't in the well now!

Theres no answer to this. Poker is mainly about adapting your game to beat other peoples, whatever you do I will adapt to beat you, so you need to be as skilled as I am. If you play very tight and very aggressive and occasionaly mix your game up its very hard for any player to ever exploit you.

Daithio · 19-12-2006 7:51am

Regarding my previous question, what sort of business would you see yourself setting up after poker?

Why Pakistan? Do you think you could live there?

Were you in any areas that were directly affected by the earthquake? If so what were they like, did they seem to have recovered somewhat or are they still screwed?

Would you recommend visiting there if you didn't already know people living there?

Could you pm me your buddy list on tribeca please? Any notes you have on these players would be extremely handy too!

Hectorjelly · 19-12-2006 7:54am

The_Chopper wrote:

One of my biggest pet peves at a poker table both live and online is people who min raise (Especially when I'm on the BB). What do you do to combat this?

Do you approach live and online cash games differently in terms of strategy? Or do you just go play your usual game on both?

Peanut/biscuit or chocolate M&M's?

I wouldnt normally call the min raise and then play the hand as well as possible afterwards. I call because its profitable to do so, so almost always they would be better off raising normally.

Not really

Chocolate allthough I dont eat M+M's very much!

Hectorjelly · 19-12-2006 8:02am

Daithio wrote:

Regarding my previous question, what sort of business would you see yourself setting up after poker?

Im not sure, maybe a restaurant or some type of art/music gallery.

Daithio wrote:

Why Pakistan? Do you think you could live there?

I had friends that live there. I think I could live there for half a year or so. Some things were hard to take, like the food and driving.

Daithio wrote:

Were you in any areas that were directly affected by the earthquake? If so what were they like, did they seem to have recovered somewhat or are they still screwed?

I spent most of my time in Islamabad, which is a very new city (mainly built duing the 70's) and there was very little damage done there (AFAIK) and we only saw one building that had been destroyed. I met a guy who works with concern there and he said there is still alot of people without homes in rural areas, but I didnt see any of this.

Daithio wrote:

Would you recommend visiting there if you didn't already know people living there?

Its is an extremely strange and weird place, I think I would find it very hard to go there without knowing some locals. We stayed with some very wealthy people (in pakistan terms) and they had servants and drivers and so on that made our time there very relaxing. It is a very friendly place and I never encountered anything remotely threatening though. So im not sure really!

Daithio wrote:

Could you pm me your buddy list on tribeca please? Any notes you have on these players would be extremely handy too!

Sure, its full of 1/2 and 2/4 fish at the moment though. Ill send it in the morning.

nicnicnic · 19-12-2006 8:32am

Hectorjelly wrote:

1/2 and 2/4 nl

why are you playing 1/2 2/4 and whats the highest you have played for a prolonged period previously

Daithio · 19-12-2006 8:49am

Hectorjelly wrote:

Sure, its full of 1/2 and 2/4 fish at the moment though. Ill send it in the morning.

Cheers, that's perfect. I kind of lost focus for a bit there regarding poker, so I'm giving myself a challenge of building up $247 that I forgot I had in PPP into a nice BR, in an attempt to refocus without losing too much cash in the process! I got it to $700 last night so I think this is enough for a shot at 1/2. If I lose my initial buy in I'll go back to the stts, but it'd be nice to know I've got a table full of fish when I'm taking my shot.

fuzzbox · 19-12-2006 9:15am

Have you ever minraised :-)?

If yes ... have you ever CHECK/minraised?

What did you have when you check/minraised :-).

What street did you minraise on?
Why did you minraise?

I bet you love minraising.

BigCityBanker · 19-12-2006 9:23am

What situation makes you uncomfortable at a poker table? (other than playing outside your roll).

Which well renowned Irish player do you think is the most overrated?

Could you ever lay down a set in fear that you are behind to an overset?

What is your tipple of choice?

How would you change the world?

handsfree · 19-12-2006 11:31am

what age are you?

i always had you pinned down as a grumpy 40 yr old!!;)

ianmc38 · 19-12-2006 12:25pm

Do you believe in the idea of a soul? If yes, what would your interpretation of it be?

If you had to follow one religion which would it be and why (assuming you don't already)?

Have you watched/listened to any material by Bill Hicks? Thoughts?

Do you gamble at all? Football, GGs etc?

Do you have a set figure that you want to save before retirement? If you hit this figure, could you genuinely envisage giving up poker and not playing again?

Do you intend to live in Ireland for life or do you see yourself living elsewhere?

Where do you think most mistakes are made in poker? Preflop/flop/turn/river?

How long do you think it would take you to mentor an intelligent person with no poker knowledge to become a winning player?

How long were you playing the game before you were a winning player?

breadmonkey · 19-12-2006 1:35pm

What do you see as the main differences between PES6 on XBox and Playstation?

Do you place much importance on form. i.e. woiuld you take off someone like Ronaldinho if he was on blue form?

How can I improve my PES?

Rnger · 19-12-2006 1:38pm

Could you answer my question in the KK oop thread?

Keeping your emotions in check is an important part of any good poker player's game. Do you think practising such a thing has adverse affects on you as a person?

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being fuzzbox and 1 being whoever you think is terrible, how good a poker player do you think I am compared to the other posters on this board?

Do you tend to play things by ear? or play things by year?

ianmc38 · 19-12-2006 2:02pm

breadmonkey wrote:

What do you see as the main differences between PES6 on XBox and Playstation?

Xbox = Much better. That's the only part that matters.

El Stuntman · 19-12-2006 3:12pm

Ola Senor Jelly,

what has been the most important lesson you've learnt at the poker table?

any good 'poker as metaphor for life' stuff to share with us?

is this Tournament Life Syndrome all a bunch of crap or what?

which pro poker player would you least like to be in a fight with?

do you ever speechplay live? are you ever affected by your (live) opponent's speech play? do you place much store in speech tells?

Muchos Gracias,

el S

5starpool · 19-12-2006 3:43pm

Do you think you are a much better player now than you were at this time last year?

Do you hope to be a much better player again this time next year?

When was the alst time you identified a weakness in your game (aside from tilting and boredom) that you corrected and what was it?

Do you have any desire to learn to play any other games to a high standard and profitable level or are you happy being a Hold'em head? If so is it only potential loss of earnings that are holding you back?

Do you ever set yourself challenges or goals?

Do you genuinely not care if people think you are a condescending poster, or are you somewhat upset by it, but don't think you can get across your point in another fashion?

Do you ever wear pink shirts, and if not do you have any opinions or ever make fun of those that do wear them?

Cheers.

White Knight · 19-12-2006 4:19pm

Do you enjoy confrontation?

You have AsQs in middle position. An early position player calls before you preflop, and you raise. One late position player calls the two bets, and the early position player calls your raise. Both blinds fold. Three of you see the flop: Ts4cJh. The early position player bets. Should you call, raise or fold?

When people ask "what three things would you bring with you on a desert island?" no one ever replies, "A BOAT" - what would your 3 things be?

Hectorjelly · 19-12-2006 4:22pm

nicnicnic wrote:

why are you playing 1/2 2/4 and whats the highest you have played for a prolonged period previously

Rebuilding my roll so I can go back to 36 and higher. I played 36 for 50k hands

Q & A with HectorJelly

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