elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
A stranger is being shown around a village that he has just become part of. He is shown a well and his guide says "On any day except Wednesday, you can shout any question down that well and you'll be told the answer".

The man seems pretty impressed, and so he shouts down: Why not on Wednesday? and the voice from in the well shouts back: Because on Wednesday, it’s your day in the well.

[/ QUOTE ]


Game on. Fire away.

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

hi eric, for the benefit of a lot of the newer posters, perhaps you could write a bit about your 'poker story/history?'

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

E-

in a full ring game, a predictable, fit or fold 20/10 TAG opens OTB. the SB folds and you are in the BB.

you hold A2-A5o. what is your play?
you hold A6-ATo. play?
AJ-AKo. play?

now lets say you are in a 6 max game and a 35/25, tough, tricky LAGTAG opens OTB. what is your play with

A2-A5
A6-AT
AJ-AKo?

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

What are the biggest adjustments I will need to make when I move from 6/12 up to around 15/30 (assuming I don't want to get killed)? Sorry for the vagueness.

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

where and at what limits do you primarily play?

what's the highest you've played?

what do you attribute to be the greatest learning tool for your hold em game?

what is the most exploitable mistake in today's online environment?

what are your thoughts on the LAGTAG style of play(i've read an essay in the past and am curious as to whether or not you still feel the same about it)?

what's your favorite nonpoker hobby?

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
hi eric, for the benefit of a lot of the newer posters, perhaps you could write a bit about your 'poker story/history?'

[/ QUOTE ]

I've played card games, including poker, all my life. I really got serious about poker in 2002 when a friend lent me a copy of HEFAP.

I read the book, and had memorized the opening requirements in the first chapter before I even sat down in my first game. That first game was a $5/$10 limit game at Ace Point in New York. I won $110, and have never been down overall since.

After a few months, I deposited a small amount at partypoker and started playing online in my spare time. I started at .50 / 1 and slowly grew my bankroll to the point where I could play 2/4 comfortably.

Since I never took money out of my online roll, it continued to grow, to a point where I was ridiculously over-rolled for the stakes I was playing. Sometime around 2003, I started eyeing the 15/30 game, which at the time was the biggest game party offered that you could always sit right down in. Much to my surprise, the players in those games seemed to have clear leaks in their game... not little subtle ones, but big, obvious, calling-2-cold-with-A4o-preflop type of mistakes. Eventually, I sat down.

With excellent table selection and extreme caution, I dipped my toe in the 15/30 waters. It didn't take long to become comfortable with the swings at that level, and before long, I'd abandoned my 2/4 watering hole and jumped straight to the top. Or at least what I considered the top.

My winrate was solid, I felt like I knew why I was winning, and in the middle of 2004 I quit my job with a New York hedge fund and decided to go pro. That's what I tell people anyways. The truth is, I just quit my job, and then discovered that I didn't need to find a new one because I was making enough playing poker.


So I played poker. Then I met the woman who would become my wife. She was just back from a trip to China and hadn't started working yet. I was still playing poker for money and could make my own hours. So we spent all day every day young and in love in New York City. We were married within a year. I owe poker a great debt for that time of my life.

During this run, I eventually moved up again and routinely multi-tabled 30/60. At my peak, I was 4-tabling that level. The highest I've ever played was 100/200 heads up. I think I could play at higher levels, but the fact is, I'm just not a gambler. I play because I have an edge, and the smaller edge / higher variance of super-high-stakes poker makes me uneasy. Maybe one day...


When the UIGE was passed and partypoker dropped all US players, I cashed out my partypoker bankroll to await further developments. I haven't been back to serious poker since, because at the same time I landed a great job for another Wall Street company. So poker moved back into "hobby mode" again. I currently have a few hundred dollars on a couple sites, and I play a wide variety of games with it. I'm particularly fond of 2-7 triple draw these days, though limit hold'em and a bit of O8 get mixed in. I think playing other games has helped me to continue developing my understanding of the fundamentals.


I still have some ambition to go farther up the poker food chain. I can feel the itch coming back, and I'm already in the process of depositing a more serious bankroll to start playing "big" again. I'll probably really get into that around New Year's.

You can find me at stars or UB playing under "elindy". Say hi!

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
E-

in a full ring game, a predictable, fit or fold 20/10 TAG opens OTB. the SB folds and you are in the BB.

you hold A2-A5o. what is your play?

[/ QUOTE ]

Call.

[ QUOTE ]
you hold A6-ATo. play?

[/ QUOTE ]

Call.

[ QUOTE ]
AJ-AKo. play?

[/ QUOTE ]

AK: 3-bet almost always.
AQ: depends on my mood. Often a 3-bet.
AJ: depends on my mood. Often a call.

[ QUOTE ]
now lets say you are in a 6 max game and a 35/25, tough, tricky LAGTAG opens OTB. what is your play with

A2-A5
A6-AT
AJ-AKo?

[/ QUOTE ]

Same play(s). I just showdown more against the LAG.

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
What are the biggest adjustments I will need to make when I move from 6/12 up to around 15/30 (assuming I don't want to get killed)?

[/ QUOTE ]

When I made this jump, it was from 2/4. I didn't change my game at all.

I recommend you table select very cautiously for at least 1000 hands. Watch a table for a while, and sit down only when you know you have an edge.

Play short sessions to get your feet wet. The hardest thing about moving up is getting used to the effect the increased stakes has on your emotions.

Use smart bankroll management. Seriously. Don't play underrolled. You will go broke. Hey, I'm not kidding. Listen up. USE SMART BANKROLL MANAGEMENT. Non-negotiable.

good luck.
Eric

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

Ever had tilt issues? If so, what did you do to control it?

Why do you make such awesome posts? All posts I read from you are a couple of paragraphs, and well thought out. Don't you have better things to do?;)

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
where and at what limits do you primarily play?

[/ QUOTE ]

highest ever: 100/200
highest ever routinely: 30/60 multi-tabled
current: low stakes (cashed out when the UIGE passed, considering getting back in)

[ QUOTE ]
what do you attribute to be the greatest learning tool for your hold em game?

[/ QUOTE ]

For MY game... getting into coaching really got me thinking critically about my own game. More recently, that range calculator has allowed me to break down ranges into hand classes, so I can start thinking about playing an entire range instead of just one hand. I feel like those events provided the clearest, short-term leap in my game.

Long term, I'd say the greatest free poker tool available today has to be the free discussion available at 2+2. Read a post, think up an answer, give it, then read the replies. Grunching is definitely the best poker tool. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[ QUOTE ]
what is the most exploitable mistake in today's online environment?

[/ QUOTE ]

Tough question. After some thought I've come up with: players playing when under-rolled. It seems to me that short-stacked players donk off their money so routinely and easily that THAT has to be the simplest mistake to exploit.

[ QUOTE ]
what are your thoughts on the LAGTAG style of play(i've read an essay in the past and am curious as to whether or not you still feel the same about it)?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it's really hard to pull off and don't recommend it for most players. I think you can achieve almost as solid a winrate with much less skill by playing tough. I happen to think that "tough" involves quite a few plays that appear to be LAGTAG though...

[ QUOTE ]
what's your favorite nonpoker hobby?

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't pick one. I like all kinds of sports (basketball, soccer, skiing, golf) and any game (chess, cards). I don't know if drunken karaoke counts as a hobby, but if it does, it's on my list too. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

play a game while we sit in the well?
 

I'm playing 1/2 at "West Lake" at UB. If the table is full of 2+2ers, I'll show my cards whenever possible.

-Eric

Re: play a game while we sit in the well?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm playing 1/2 at "West Lake" at UB. If the table is full of 2+2ers, I'll show my cards whenever possible.

-Eric

[/ QUOTE ]

full tilt and i woudl be there.

Re: play a game while we sit in the well?
 

Hey E, I checked out your site and it is elly cool. Some great info there esp that piece on SLAG type of play. I suggest anyone to seriously check out your site.

1. So now you are strictly an online player or do you play live at all any more? If so what live limits?

2. Anything you lay on us here about your transformation from what you started as to what you consider yourself now? As did you start as a rock and become a slag etc?

Re: play a game while we sit in the well?
 

[ QUOTE ]
1. So now you are strictly an online player or do you play live at all any more? If so what live limits?

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never played serious live poker. I probably got in 10 sessions at Ace Point before switching to online. After playing online, live play is just monotonously slow to me, so I only play live with friends where the goal is having fun.

[ QUOTE ]
2. Anything you lay on us here about your transformation from what you started as to what you consider yourself now? As did you start as a rock and become a slag etc?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's hard to say... doesn't everyone always think they are playing "tough" poker? In my mind, I went from "tough" to "tougher" to "super-tough" to... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] :P


If I try to be objective about it, I probably started out a bit too tight / predictable / passive. I played my hands very straight-forwardly. Actually, I should probably go back to that.

These days, I'm pretty loose and aggressive. When I'm playing well, I reign in the aggression enough that I am playing relatively straight-forward. On my bad days, I bluff too much.

-Eric

Re: play a game while we sit in the well?
 

Do you plan to write more article for your web site? It's been months since an update.

Re: play a game while we sit in the well?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Do you plan to write more article for your web site? It's been months since an update.

[/ QUOTE ]

I prefer not to talk about my site too much, per mod request.

To answer your question though: I think you'll find lots of essay-like posts in the forum. I'm may compile some of that content into more formal essays about game theory / range handling soon.

thanks,
Eric

Re: play a game while we sit in the well?
 

anyone that has a question or comment about eric's site is encouraged to inquire about it via pm. we are dancing around a touchy subject when discussing a potential competitor of 2p2 within the websites own forums. i'm trying to find out the extent to which discussion on this subject must be controlled and will update further in a bit.

i want to extend a hearty thanks to eric(as well as the other past contributors) for taking the time to do this well. it's an invaluable resource for this forum and i just want to express my gratitude. thanks man.

Re: play a game while we sit in the well?
 

Thanks James. Happy to do it.

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
Ever had tilt issues? If so, what did you do to control it?

[/ QUOTE ]

You know, not really. When I was playing serious poker, I always had a really probabilitic view of things... my goal was just to get my money in good as often as I could, and let the rest sort itself out.

When I play small stakes poker, I have a very hard time with tilt. I basically want to win a lot of money quickly, and don't have the patience to wait it out. I still haven't quite figured out what to do about that (aside from move up! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img])


[ QUOTE ]
Why do you make such awesome posts? All posts I read from you are a couple of paragraphs, and well thought out. Don't you have better things to do?;)

[/ QUOTE ]

lol. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I type really quickly so it's not that hard to type as I think. Often, writing out complete thoughts helps me understand the hand / my own thought process better.

But yeah... actually right now I don't have anything better to do. I've decided to take the rest of the year off from my programming job, so I'm just bumming around right now, trynig decide whether or not to really get back into the game.

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

E.-

was just wondering - what inspired you to make a range calculator, how did you go about making it, and how do you use it at your games?

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

What is a range calculator?

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

well, i should say (if you're still building it) - how will you go about using it in your games?

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
E.-

was just wondering - what inspired you to make a range calculator

[/ QUOTE ]

I was doing these analyses by hand... breaking down ranges and counting the number of combinations that made 1 pair, 2 pair, draws, etc.

I found that it was a rather painful process to do by hand, but there seemed to find a lot of useful information whenever I did it. So I wrote a program to do it for me. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[ QUOTE ]
how did you go about making it,

[/ QUOTE ]

When I'm not playing poker, I'm a software developer, so writing the code was pretty easy. I used Java / servlets with Tomcat for the backend (JPOX / JDO for database access).

[ QUOTE ]
and how do you use it at your games?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's kind of like pokerstove... it's too slow to use the tool while you play. You use it by breaking down ranges and thinking about hands, with the hope that it will start to sink in, you'll see trends, and you'll take bits of the analysis with you to your games, bit by bit.

The basic goal is to have a clearer picture of both my own range and my opponent's as I'm playing.

Even though that software isn't free, I plan to make a number of hand breakdowns available to the 2+2 community for free (a process I've already started), so everyone can benefit without needing to buy anything.

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
What is a range calculator?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's just a tool for breaking down hand ranges on particular boards. A common situation goes like this:

button raises, you call in the big blind. Flop is Ac 7c 3c. What % of the button's range has flopped a pair? What % is a flush draw? What % has totally missed?

With that information you might determine, for example, is this a good board for a donk bluff?

That kind of thing.

Sadly, the tool I wrote to do this isn't free, but you can benefit from it by reading my posts, like in this thread.

By the way, the answer to the question of donking the Ac 7c 3c flop is that, yes, it's an excellent board to bluff. A typical button steal range has
missed this board over 30% of the time (no pair no draw).

Since you're getting 4.5:1 to bluff, he only needs to fold 18% of the time (highlighted at bottom) for your bet to break-even. This is an excellent spot to donk-bluff.

good luck.
Eric

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

Have you ever thought about writing a bot to play low limit Omaha 8? I have the beginnings (and well, maybe the middles) of one, and to be honest, I can't imagine not being able to crush that game with about 40 rules.

Not that I'd ever want to unleash a bot....Writing it is the fun part [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
Have you ever thought about writing a bot to play low limit Omaha 8?

[/ QUOTE ]

I've written hold'em and 2-7 triple draw bots that are, IMO, pretty good. Haven't put anything "into the wild".

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

Hi elindauer. Thanks for going into The Well. I am enjoying your responses and I have some questions if you don't mind.

How often do you currently play poker?

What are some of the biggest BB downswings you have had at a couple limits? How did you feel about them?

What winrate do you believe is possible for middle and small stakes online games today?

Who do you think is the best LHE player you have played?

WITHEG recommends default open-raising from the button with a certain 41% of hands (22+, A2s+, A3o+, K2s+, K9o+, Q5s+, Q9o+, J7s+, J9o+, T8s+, T8o+, 97s+, 98o+, 86s+, 75s+, 65s+) in full to 3 handed games. What do you think of this?

You are in the BB against unknowns. Button open steals, and SB calls. What do you think is a good range for calling here?

What did you have here? And how did you know I flopped top pair?? 3 handed. Button folds, You open from SB. I defend in BB. Flop K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], T [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. You check, I bet, you fold.

What do you believe are the best poker books ever written? Which helped your game the most? Have you read Mathematics of Poker? If so, what did you think of it? Did it improve your game?

If you could be any other person in the world, who would it be?

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
How often do you currently play poker?

[/ QUOTE ]

Right now just as a hobby. I don't keep track but perhaps five hours / week of actual play.

[ QUOTE ]
What are some of the biggest BB downswings you have had at a couple limits? How did you feel about them?

[/ QUOTE ]

My worst slide ever was in the 300-350 big bet range, at a mix of 15/30 and 30/60 games to start 2006 (down $15k total).

I was fortunate to go a really long time without any serious downswings, and by the time I hit one, I knew enough about the game to know that, well, variance is a bitch. It was a frustrating time, but I kept talking myself down from the ledge so-to-speak, tried my best to avoid feeling frustrated and most importantly, tried my best to play the way I knew was right even though every move seemed to be wrong.

I happened to run incredibly well right after this slide, so the pain was mercifully short-lived.

[ QUOTE ]
What winrate do you believe is possible for middle and small stakes online games today?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think anybody is particularly close to consistently exploiting all their opponents optimally. I'd guess that in the current environment, four big bets is definitely doable, and five might be possible. Yeah, I'm mostly pulling this out of my ass, but I'm basing on a bit of fact, and that fact is this: I think I'm a pretty good player, and I am good enough to know that there is still an ocean of information about limit hold'em that I don't know.

Realistically, 3 big bets for a hard-working, great player.

[ QUOTE ]
Who do you think is the best LHE player you have played?

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting question. It's hard for me to answer because the games I played had so much turn-over, and further, when I really played seriously I was multi-tabling and didn't spend a lot of time watching players. The few I did watch tended to be the loose bad ones, as they are the ones playing all the pots. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I can describe a difficult player type though... I struggle against short-handed players who fearlessly raise with marginal made hands on all streets, who don't release easily, and who don't bluff a lot. I'm talking about those guys that 3-bet top pair weak kicker, 3-bet weak aces preflop, etc. I was actually playing heads up against a guy at UB in a small stakes game named "CobraCommanda" or something like that who plays this way. Very tough opponent for me. It's really easy to get frustrated by the constant raising by either a) getting passive, or b) constantly trying to resteal. Both are recipes for disaster IMO.

[ QUOTE ]
WITHEG recommends default open-raising from the button with a certain 41% of hands (22+, A2s+, A3o+, K2s+, K9o+, Q5s+, Q9o+, J7s+, J9o+, T8s+, T8o+, 97s+, 98o+, 86s+, 75s+, 65s+) in full to 3 handed games. What do you think of this?

[/ QUOTE ]

I was surprised to see a recommendation this wide, but have since done a fair bit of range analysis using this group. I find that it breaks down very well in all kinds of situations, and have adopted it myself. My results with this range have been excellent.

I think it's important to understand the adjustments you have to make when playing a wide range though. A full ring nit raising all these hands on the button will likely be exploitably tight postflop.

[ QUOTE ]
You are in the BB against unknowns. Button open steals, and SB calls. What do you think is a good range for calling here?

[/ QUOTE ]

I definitely don't know the answer. I play a fairly wide range, something like:

any ace, any suited king, KTo+, Q7s+, QTo+, J8s+, J9o+, T7s+, T9o, 96s+, 98o, 85s+, 87o, 75s+, 76o, 64s+, 54s

I don't stick to any range religiously here though, I play it based on feel. If the button stealer steals a lot, I call the range above. If the button stealer is tight (meaning too tight for short-handed, and probably the fish), then I can fold a huge part of this range, dumping all the offsuit connectors, and calling only with the suited-remotely-connected kings, two-parts-of-broadway, and suited connectors. I'd also fold the weak offsuit aces, calling with maybe A7o and better.

[ QUOTE ]
What did you have here? And how did you know I flopped top pair?? 3 handed. Button folds, You open from SB. I defend in BB. Flop K , T , 2 . You check, I bet, you fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

I held something at the very bottom of my stealing range. I remember thinking that you had played back at me a lot and were not folding much in blind battles. I think you folded preflop enough that I felt my fold equity + hit-the-flop-and-get-paid equity was worth a steal with a weak hand.

I would certainly make plenty of continuation bets, but I felt that at that moment, on this drawy board, you weren't folding often enough to justify a bet with no-hand-no-draw at that time. It was just luck that you happened to flop well.

That, and I can see your cards based on the software I installed on your machine. :P

[ QUOTE ]
What do you believe are the best poker books ever written?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have really enjoyed what I've read of WITHEG so far. Tackling blind attack and defense ranges is very hard, but very helpful from a real world point-of-view. It's an absolutely critical skill to move up in limits.

HEFAP taught me to play, and I never lost after memorizing the opening charts. I thought it was god's gift to poker for a long time, and still think that it contains a ton of fantastic advice that was way ahead of it's time.

The Theory of Poker breaks down a lot of fundamental concepts in a way that I found very useful and helpful for all games.

Yeah, that about sums it up.

[ QUOTE ]
Have you read Mathematics of Poker? If so, what did you think of it? Did it improve your game?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have read it. It's very interesting, and got me thinking about how to play entire ranges in a non-exploitable fashion. It made the analysis of these situations seem a bit more accessible then I had previously thought it to be, which helped motivate me to dive into the subject.

As a real-world poker text, I don't think it's helpful though. The situations it examines are pretty contrived, I don't think it improved my game directly. I suspect there are very few players who would benefit from simply reading it and then playing. No limit players willing to think actively while they read might be able to pick some important concepts. Limit players who don't have a love of mathematics probably should skip it.

[ QUOTE ]
If you could be any other person in the world, who would it be?

[/ QUOTE ]

The problem with changing spots with a person is that it's very difficult to know how happy they are. Tiger Woods? Sure seems to have a great life. But then again, he's constantly scowling. Maybe his life of constantly-struggling-to-attain-the-unattainable is in fact filled with frustration and pain. Maybe he cries himself to sleep every night thinking about all those chips that lipped out during his practice session. Who knows?

There's a ton of evidence to suggest that above the poverty line, increasing wealth != increasing happiness. With that in mind, changing places with a rich / famous person would be too risky for me. I'd have to take the chance that they don't appreciate what they have. I think I'm lucky to have a generally very peaceful and contented outlook on the world and my place in it. I'd have a hard time risking that.

I suppose if I had to chance it though, I'd trade places with the Dalai Lama.

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What is a range calculator?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's just a tool for breaking down hand ranges on particular boards. A common situation goes like this:

button raises, you call in the big blind. Flop is Ac 7c 3c. What % of the button's range has flopped a pair? What % is a flush draw? What % has totally missed?



[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like fun stuff.

I have started work on something similar, maybe more akin to pokerstove. I coded in C and on 64bit OS to make it efficient. [Also allows use of random samples.] It was fun to make an efficient hand evaluator. I have started to apply it to generate distributions of winning hands starting from given pocket cards and number of opponents in the hand.

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

Sounds like it could be a pretty useful tool. Good luck!

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

another one.

what 2p2 poster has most influenced your game over the years? any specific posts that opened your eyes?

fwiw, your carpal post about common leaks in the 2p2 game is among my all-time faves. some of the examples were admittedly weak, but as a whole it had some solid ideas and concepts.

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

Thanks James, very kind.

[ QUOTE ]
what 2p2 poster has most influenced your game over the years? any specific posts that opened your eyes?


[/ QUOTE ]

I presently think that Schneids gives the most consistently solid advice of any poster on the limit boards. Of course, that's just like saying "Schneids is the guy I agree with most often", which I suppose could mean that we both suck in the same way. :P

vmacosta also strikes me as a current poster who gives consistently very solid advice. I find that if I disagree with either of these guys, I often discover after reflecting that I am the one who is wrong.

Historically, I have really enjoyed TommyAngelo's posts. Great reads, and really interesting insights into the game. I wouldn't choose to play the way Tommy plays, but as an "expand your thinking about poker" author, he's fantastic.

I also found PeterRus' technical analysis of the game to be very interesting. I like any poster who tries to use data to "prove" an answer, rather than just guess at it. Peter's work with pokertracker was great, and his posts were probably the ones that had the most consistent, noticable, and immediate impact on the way I played. I credit him with my initial attempts at expanding my blind steal / defense ranges, a critical skill as you move up in stakes.

Those are just the guys that come to mind off the top of my head though. There are lots of other excellent players giving advice, and it seems that many people have a particular little section of the game that they really understand well and can explain. The hard part is trying to pick out the stuff people really know, from the stuff they are pulling out of their ass. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

A few rapid-fire Qs to keep this great well thread going:

1. What have been your biggest winning and losing days ever?

2. If you quit your job today and played full-time for one year, how much do you think you could realistically make?

3. Is your girlfriend / now-wife supportive of your poker-playing? Was she equally supportive when you were playing full time (e.g. without a 'real' job)?

4. You worked for a NY hedge fund, quit and played poker for a while, and now are back on Wall Street. What was it that persuaded you to jump back into high finance? All monetary considerations aside, Was there some aspect of full-time poker that you found emotionally unfulfilling?

5. What is your education background?

6. Although it seems you have been a winning player from the outset, what do you think was your biggest weakness or leak, historically, how did you come to realize it, and what did you do to fix it?

7. Ever thought about making the ever-so-popular LHE-to-NL jump?

8. Who were you on Party (pre UIGEA)?

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
1. What have been your biggest winning and losing days ever?

[/ QUOTE ]

losing: March 3rd, 2007
winning: May 15th, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
2. If you quit your job today and played full-time for one year, how much do you think you could realistically make?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I probably would make something like 40K. In my current financial situation, I probably would not play a lot of hands.

I would guess that it's realistic that I could make something in the low six figures. I'd just have to play more than I care to.

[ QUOTE ]
3. Is your girlfriend / now-wife supportive of your poker-playing? Was she equally supportive when you were playing full time (e.g. without a 'real' job)?

[/ QUOTE ]

Incredibly supportive. She became immune to the daily financial swings and actually helped me stay focused on the big picture during downswings more than once. She's not a bad poker player herself, actually, though she lacks experience.

[ QUOTE ]
4. You worked for a NY hedge fund, quit and played poker for a while, and now are back on Wall Street. What was it that persuaded you to jump back into high finance?

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They made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

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All monetary considerations aside, Was there some aspect of full-time poker that you found emotionally unfulfilling?

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Yes, though that isn't the reason I changed gears. Poker is one of many jobs that really doesn't contribute anything to the world at large. I'm ok with that for now... my plan is to get to retirement any way I can, then look at making the world a better place. I think that works out better for both me and the world then, say, going to work for a non-profit right now. We'll see though.

My best idea for changing the world is to work to tweak the financial underpinnings of our society to one that doesn't provide an economic reward for, for lack of a better term, [censored] other people. It's a new kind of economy that mixes capitalism with socialism.

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5. What is your education background?

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BS in Math from MIT.

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6. Although it seems you have been a winning player from the outset, what do you think was your biggest weakness or leak, historically, how did you come to realize it, and what did you do to fix it?

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I'd say that my biggest weakness was and probably continues to be that I assume my opponents know what I am doing. Maybe I make a free showdown turn raise with middle pair, and they 3-bet me. Now I get it in my head that maybe he KNEW I was doing that, and is now trying to resteal, so I guess I should show this down...

Basically, overthinking / getting too tricky against weak opponents.

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7. Ever thought about making the ever-so-popular LHE-to-NL jump?

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You know, it seems like every time I play NL I crush it. I think it's hard for me to give up limit though with so much invested.

My recent foray into game theory though has me feeling that I could apply those concepts to NL and come up with a much bigger edge. So I'm starting to think that I can transfer a lot of my limit understanding to NL. That feeling makes me a lot more interested in making this leap.

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8. Who were you on Party (pre UIGEA)?

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elindauer


thanks,
Eric

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

$$$ values for those biggest winning and losing days?

I remember that carpel tunnel post James referenced, i had forgotten the author but it was a really good thread despite a few less than superb examples. Fwiw Ive always liked ur posts and respected anything uve had to say as much as any poster.

do u ever have any desire to get a more conventional job and put that BS in math from MIT to work? What was your thinking/future plans while attending college?

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
$$$ values for those biggest winning and losing days?

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I actually don't know. I pulled those dates out of nowhere to be funny. I'd guess that my biggest winning / losing days are both around $10k.

[ QUOTE ]
do u ever have any desire to get a more conventional job and put that BS in math from MIT to work?

[/ QUOTE ]

I currently work as an IT consultant for a finance company. That job involves a lot of coding of mathematical models. And of course, there's a ton of math in poker! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I definitely don't feel that my life is short on math.

[ QUOTE ]
What was your thinking/future plans while attending college?

[/ QUOTE ]

I wonder how I can get laid this weekend...

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

What is your BB/100 now? (Last 25k hands?) Sorry if it has been asked

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
What is your BB/100 now? (Last 25k hands?) Sorry if it has been asked

[/ QUOTE ]

Strangely enough, I really don't know. Since the UIGE I haven't played serious poker and it's been months since I've bothered importing hands into pokertracker.

Sorry.

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

A lot of the old 2p2 pedants are quite doubtfully winning more than 1bb/100 now. Since you are considerably different in style, I thought it would be interesting. You really should check. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: elindauer is in the well
 

[ QUOTE ]
A lot of the old 2p2 pedants are quite doubtfully winning more than 1bb/100 now. Since you are considerably different in style, I thought it would be interesting. You really should check. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

ok, here's what I'll do. I'm just about to startup a bankroll at FullTilt, with the intention of playing my way back into "serious" poker mode.

I will get pokertracker rolling again and give a detailed report of my first 25,000 hands once they are completed. Anybody wanna bet I run better than 1 BB / 100? I'll take even money bets on this proposition up to, oh, say 20K. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

-Eric