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

[Indiana]

Well as promised, The Camel was very kind to answer all of these so enjoy!!!!!

*How old r u and where u from? I'm 39. Originally come from London, England. Now I live in Yorkshire, England.


*How long have you been playing poker? Been playing poker since I was about 15. Played professionally as soon as I left college in 1989 for about 8 years. Then I got a job for about 3 years as a linesmaker for an online bookmaker. It was a job I wanted as soon as I learned about gambling. It's great. Sitting on your arse all day watching sports! But the lure of poker got the better of me and I went back to poker in 2002.



*What did you do before you played poker as your main form of income? See above. Also, when I started out in poker there was a game in England called quiz machines. You were asked questions on general knowledge and if you answered enough you won a cash prize. I got really good at these and coule win a couple of grand a week at them.

*How did you get into Heads Up as your main game? By accident really. I used to be a tournament junkie. And that's still what I do when I play live http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/play...a=r&n=112. But when my son was born a couple of years ago I couldn't devote so much time to tournies... I look after my little boy while my girlfriend works.. I found I could fit in a session of heads up while he is asleep and as soon as he wakes I go and tend to him. Heads up sngs suits my game perfectly. I am a very aggressive player and good at sensing weakness in my opponent and can steal alot of small pots. I found when i played hu cash I was often ground down and trapped when I was stealing into losing a huge pot.



*How'd u get to such high stakes in heads up games? Never played smaller than 200. Had a pretty big bankroll when I started playing hu so there was no need to play small and building up a roll.



*How does it feel to play for 1K per match? Do the swings get to you? How do u deal with them? I'm lucky I don't tilt much. If I feel like I'm not playing well, I just switch off the computer and come back later. It's very important not to think of the cash. I play at stakes where the money isn't a factor. If I play too high, I worry about the money and play too tight. And lose!



*Why don't u play the 5500s and challenge the big shots? I was told u mostly grind the 1000s... I have no need to prove myself. Some of the guys who play the 5k are considerably better than me and I'm happy to admit this. Poker isn't an ego competition, it's about making money. I make money so I'm happy at the stakes I play. (Also see above.. the one time I played a 5k I played terribly.. I was thinking too much about the money and not about playing the game right)


*Is the high stakes HU lifestyle enjoyable or too stressful at times? It's just a job to me. It's great that I get to spend much more time with my little boy than 99% of working fathers do.




*Do you think HU will become more popular over time? It amazes me how many new players are coming into the game.. it's such a specialised form of poker.. I guess it just attracts gamblers.



*What are your ultimate goals as a poker player? I have no goals. I'm just happy making a living.

*Are you worried about the future legality of online poker? What R UR predictions of the legality of online poker
in 3 years? In England online poker is legal and regulated. And that's how it should be. What people do with their time/money is no business of the government. I don't know enough about the situation in the USA to comment about what might happen in the future, but I hope it works out for you guys.



*Do you think the HU fish will hang around for awhile? Will there be more of them? I don't consider anyone a "fish". Just because they aren't very good at poker it doesn't mean they shouldn't be respected. People play poker for a variety of reasons, and it is important for the professional to make the enviroment as pleasant and enjoyable for the recreational players.



*Do you ever find fish at the highest levels of HU (5500s)? R they just rich guys? There are players of all levels of abilities at all stakes.



*What are the biggest struggles you have had to overcome as a professional poker player? I've been lucky. Never really had a bad patch and a supportive family.




*Do you still enjoy the game or is it just a job to you? I still enjoy playing live very much. I just don't do it very often any more. Online poker is just a job. A job where you can choose my own hours though!




*How fast did you move up in stakes? Never really moved up.. stayed around the 500 level ever since I started. Will play the 1k games if I feel I'm right on top of my game.. drop to 200s if I'm a little short of confidence.



*What are key components of your game / lifestyle that make you a bigger winner than most (or more consistent)? Ability to stay off tilt is massive. Not playing for ego is big too... if a player impresses me I am happy to ask him not to play me any more. Some kids want to test themselves against the best... I have no desire to play good players.



*What should us little groupies know or learn to get baller at HU like you? Play within your bankroll. Learn from every game you play.. you should never stop improving. Watch good players.. take lessons from what they do in certain situationns. Be flexible. A move which works against one player might be useless against a different type of player. try not to play when on tilt. The game will always be there. If you win with AA v KK ten times in row you've been lucky.. you don't feel lucky but you have been. So when a bad beat occurs, just accept it as part of the game. And always remember.. the better player you are, the more bad beats you will suffer. DUCY?



*Do you have a baller house, baller lifestyle, moniez and biotches all day ??? Nah. Not really interested in baller stuff. Live in a nice house and got a girlfriend and son I love. I leave the baller stuff to the kids.



*What kind of car do you drive? BMW 3 series. (But hopefully will be driving an Aston Martin Vantage this time next year!)


*Who is the best HU-er online (excluding yourself of course)? Genius impresses me greatly. BBJ is very talented too. I would say one of those 2 is the best hu player on stars.



*Who is the most overrated HU fish online (excluding me of course)? No comment!

If anyone wants to ask any strategy questions... fire away.

[ivvaen]

Excellent, thanks for doing this both of you. Interesting read.

"Some kids want to test themselves against the best... I have no desire to play good players."

I agree quite a bit with that.

[Indiana]

I have some of my own questions for you Camel. First off, how was it making a living at poker back in the 90s before the poker explosion? I mean, when you began there was no online poker, wasn't it hard to make a living?

Also, do your friends know that you are a poker beast? I mean if i had ur moniez i'd be driving a porsche, living in a mansion, and having hookers over just about every day...how do u keep ur life so quiet and simple?

You appear to be very sharp. How did you learn to play poker? Did you read books? Do you have a coach?

Indy

[PrimordialAA]

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!

[PartyScout]

I do like this when they was asked about fish then probally for a laugh the next question was phrashed fish hahaha!

*Do you think the HU fish will hang around for awhile? Will there be more of them? I don't consider anyone a "fish". Just because they aren't very good at poker it doesn't mean they shouldn't be respected. People play poker for a variety of reasons, and it is important for the professional to make the enviroment as pleasant and enjoyable for the recreational players.



*Do you ever find fish at the highest levels of HU (5500s)? R they just rich guys? There are players of all levels of abilities at all stakes.

Quality!

It is very true about his first response.I used to be terrible and still have slight lappses of disrespect now and again.

Well put good example [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[ChicagoRy]

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.

[dboy23]

quiz machines, wow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiz_machine

[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.

[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.

[easycall]

[ 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.