Re: Indy\'s Interview Series with the top HU-ers: The Camel
 

another question for you Camel: You said you have a son that you love. Would you encourage him to play poker someday as a profession? I mean, he's obviously going to be affected growing up with a dad that plays cards as a pro...how will you introduce him to the game and will you encourage his development? I'm 31 and thinking of having kids in a few yrs so I'd like to hear your perspective on this.

Thanks-Indy

Re: Indy\'s Interview Series with the top HU-ers: The Camel
 

i dont have any more questions but i'm happy to see the poker-playing stay at home dad gig can work - it's basically my fiance and i's plan [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Indy\'s Interview Series with the top HU-ers: The Camel
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hello, I was just wondering what kind of bankroll requirements you would recommend for someone trying to start out or get to a spot where they can make a decent living?

How do you improve yourself? Do you study? what kind of habits do you have to keep yourself sharp?

Do you have any requirements or restrictions on how much you win/lose in a day? Or do you just play as long as you feel good and don't when you don't?

Do you discuss hands or have a "group" of heads up friends you keep to maintain your game, or are you solo in what you do?

What is the one most important thing a good player has to do to stay/be successful?

Thanks!

[/ QUOTE ]

I would say you should have a minimum of 50 times the stake of the sng.. if you go on a 50 game downswing, I think this is proof positive you can't beat the game..

I improve myself purely by learning from my own mistakes. If you do something which costs you a pot, you would be stupid to make the same mistake twice... If I player particularly impresses me in a game I will get the complete hh and see what he did.. and maybe watch him in a game or 2 afterwards. I am pretty much self taught at poker. I haven't read many books, I just watched the successful players carefully and wasn't afraid to ask them questions once the game was over. Never ever think you know it all. There will always be players better than you and be prepared to learn from them. Genius and BBJ beat me up like a ginger stepson.. but I like to think I learned plenty from them and incorporated it into my hu game.

I am being pretty sick at the moment.. I am going for supernova elite and playing an ungodly amount of poker. Never again will I play this much. I never set myself targets.. I just play until I feel my game isn't at its peak and then quit. Setting targets is stupid... why stop when you are playing well? or why continue if you are losing and playing lousy poker just because you have some arbitary target to reach?

I'm completely solo. Although I have lots of poker playing friends... noone else I know well, or whose opinion I trust play hu poker.

Absolutely the most important thing you need to be a successful hu player is the ability to stay off tilt. I am confident I could teach anyone with an above average intelligence enough to beat the $100 sngs on Stars. There are so many below average players, you just need a cool head and the ability to think clearly.

Apart from this, game selection is crucial also. Utilise sharkscope. Just don't play players with a positive ROI.

I'll try and answer the other q's in this thread tomorrow.

Re: Indy\'s Interview Series with the top HU-ers: The Camel
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hello, I was just wondering what kind of bankroll requirements you would recommend for someone trying to start out or get to a spot where they can make a decent living?

How do you improve yourself? Do you study? what kind of habits do you have to keep yourself sharp?

Do you have any requirements or restrictions on how much you win/lose in a day? Or do you just play as long as you feel good and don't when you don't?

Do you discuss hands or have a "group" of heads up friends you keep to maintain your game, or are you solo in what you do?

What is the one most important thing a good player has to do to stay/be successful?

Thanks!

[/ QUOTE ]

I would say you should have a minimum of 50 times the stake of the sng.. if you go on a 50 game downswing, I think this is proof positive you can't beat the game..

I improve myself purely by learning from my own mistakes. If you do something which costs you a pot, you would be stupid to make the same mistake twice... If I player particularly impresses me in a game I will get the complete hh and see what he did.. and maybe watch him in a game or 2 afterwards. I am pretty much self taught at poker. I haven't read many books, I just watched the successful players carefully and wasn't afraid to ask them questions once the game was over. Never ever think you know it all. There will always be players better than you and be prepared to learn from them. Genius and BBJ beat me up like a ginger stepson.. but I like to think I learned plenty from them and incorporated it into my hu game.

I am being pretty sick at the moment.. I am going for supernova elite and playing an ungodly amount of poker. Never again will I play this much. I never set myself targets.. I just play until I feel my game isn't at its peak and then quit. Setting targets is stupid... why stop when you are playing well? or why continue if you are losing and playing lousy poker just because you have some arbitary target to reach?

I'm completely solo. Although I have lots of poker playing friends... noone else I know well, or whose opinion I trust play hu poker.

Absolutely the most important thing you need to be a successful hu player is the ability to stay off tilt. I am confident I could teach anyone with an above average intelligence enough to beat the $100 sngs on Stars. There are so many below average players, you just need a cool head and the ability to think clearly.

Apart from this, game selection is crucial also. Utilise sharkscope. Just don't play players with a positive ROI.

I'll try and answer the other q's in this thread tomorrow.

[/ QUOTE ]

so true.

that's what i tell everyone who asks me about hu play...if you can't control yourself in a 6 max game, or full ring game, there is no way in hell you can be a long term winner playing HU...as the possibilities for you to steam and go on full blown monkey tilt are there every time you sit down.

Re: Indy\'s Interview Series with the top HU-ers: The Camel
 

very nice thx for doing this [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Indy\'s Interview Series with the top HU-ers: The Camel
 

[ QUOTE ]
Very good interview, thank you Indy and Camel for this.

I have a question for The Camel.

When you went through that few thousand game stretch of breakeven poker (I recall you mentioning this a few months ago in a thread you started) did you feel this was variance, playing against better players, you not being on your A game or some combination or other factor? How tough was it to go through a stretch like that?

Also, if you had gone through a rough stretch like that earlier in your poker career, how do you think you would have dealt with it and what would it have done to your confidence?

Thanks again guys.

[/ QUOTE ]

That stretch was the hardest period of my poker career. It was so frustrating it almost drove me to tears. I didn't feel like I was doing anything different but the results were just much poorer than I was used to.

I went on holiday with my family for a week and just didn't play or thnk or about poker.

When I got bsck home I poured through ALOT of my hh's and tried to find what was going wrong. I found I was playing draws too aggressively and trying to finish games too quickly. Obv, sometimes it is correct to play draws strong.. but I was doing it all the damn time and my opponents were calling me down with very weak holdings.. I tightened up my bb play a little bit too and thankfully the results came back.

If I had gone through a stretch like that earlier my career it definitely would have affected my confidence.. it was only because I knew I could beat the game I persevered.

Re: Indy\'s Interview Series with the top HU-ers: The Camel
 

[ QUOTE ]
so true.

that's what i tell everyone who asks me about hu play...if you can't control yourself in a 6 max game, or full ring game, there is no way in hell you can be a long term winner playing HU...as the possibilities for you to steam and go on full blown monkey tilt are there every time you sit down.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not to hijack, but this is not always the case. I have really bad tilt problems playing 6max, like super steam, openshoving 100b stax on 8 tables simultaneously. I almost never tilt HU. Odd I know, but I swear it's true

Re: Indy\'s Interview Series with the top HU-ers: The Camel
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm a pretty successful HU NL cash game player (5/10, 10/20)but have never played a SNG.

What types of adjustments would I need to make to my game to play HU SNG's?

How profitable are they (ROI is the term?), how many tables do you play, what can one expect to clear in a month playing 1k HU SNG's or 500s, or 200s or whatever?

Thanks, found it pretty interesting

[/ QUOTE ]

I am definitely a lifetime loser in hu cash. The games are very very different. In hu sngs you need to be MUCH more aggressive.. you sit and wait to trap your opponent for too long you will find your stack eaten away by the blinds.

I usually play one table, 2 at the absolute maximum. They are very intense and you need to concentrate totally. My ROI is approx 5%. So, for every 1k hu match I play I expect to win about $50.. and as I'm playing about 40 per day you can work out my income for yourself!

Re: Indy\'s Interview Series with the top HU-ers: The Camel
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Very good interview, thank you Indy and Camel for this.

I have a question for The Camel.

When you went through that few thousand game stretch of breakeven poker (I recall you mentioning this a few months ago in a thread you started) did you feel this was variance, playing against better players, you not being on your A game or some combination or other factor? How tough was it to go through a stretch like that?

Also, if you had gone through a rough stretch like that earlier in your poker career, how do you think you would have dealt with it and what would it have done to your confidence?

Thanks again guys.

[/ QUOTE ]

That stretch was the hardest period of my poker career. It was so frustrating it almost drove me to tears. I didn't feel like I was doing anything different but the results were just much poorer than I was used to.

I went on holiday with my family for a week and just didn't play or thnk or about poker.

When I got bsck home I poured through ALOT of my hh's and tried to find what was going wrong. I found I was playing draws too aggressively and trying to finish games too quickly. Obv, sometimes it is correct to play draws strong.. but I was doing it all the damn time and my opponents were calling me down with very weak holdings.. I tightened up my bb play a little bit too and thankfully the results came back.

If I had gone through a stretch like that earlier my career it definitely would have affected my confidence.. it was only because I knew I could beat the game I persevered.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is good to hear that you managed to get out of it because I am in a terrible stretch now. I think I am pushing draws too strong also. It is really great to read this post from you because it gives me some hope.

Re: Indy\'s Interview Series with the top HU-ers: The Camel
 

[ QUOTE ]
another question for you Camel: You said you have a son that you love. Would you encourage him to play poker someday as a profession? I mean, he's obviously going to be affected growing up with a dad that plays cards as a pro...how will you introduce him to the game and will you encourage his development? I'm 31 and thinking of having kids in a few yrs so I'd like to hear your perspective on this.

Thanks-Indy

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't mind what he does for a living as long as he's happy. Ideally I would like him to have a "proper" career to fall back on, because we all know poker is such a transient exsistence, but basically I would support him whatever he decides to do.