DeathDonkey is in the well

[DeathDonkey]

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Chris,

In your experience, is there less variance live compared to online?

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If you played similar stakes, absolutely. Live games tend to be more passive and your edge is greater because people give so much away, these things lead to lower variance. However, if you play in tough games it doesn't matter if they are live or online, the variance will be there.

-DeathDonkey

[DeathDonkey]

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who are your favorite posters?<font color="blue"> Man, hard to just choose a few. Mike l. for his unique perspective. Joe Tall for teaching me my only opponent is myself. El Diablo for always being right. All the High Stakes NL guys making millions for reminding me to keep at it because I'm nowhere near the top.</font>


what is your fav poker book, and which did you read the most times?<font color="blue"> Inside the Poker Mind by John Feeney is my favorite, with Barry Greenstein's Ace on the River close second. I like the psychological side of things I guess. Theory of Poker I read more than once because its so tough and applicable, otherwise I rarely read anything twice.</font>


how many times did you move down(big)? <font color="blue"> I've never moved down due to bankroll issues because I've always been properly rolled and run ok right away when I've moved up. But I've moved down when I didn't think I had an edge, or couldn't find a good game, or was losing at a certain level and my confidence was shaken. I bounce around between many levels for all these reasons, I need to feel comfortable in a game and I'll play whatever limit makes me feel that way on a certain day. </font>


what makes you tilt and how do you deal with it? <font color="blue"> Just losing for long periods of time, or getting really crappy starting hands for long periods of time when playing live. I often switch games to something more "fun" like stud/8 or triple draw for me, and try and remind myself that poker is fun and I would play even if it weren't my "job". Whenever I have fun playing I tend to win money.</font>

cheers

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-DeathDonkey

[DeathDonkey]

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DD,

1. tell me everything you know (or at least all the important stuff) about table and seat selection. this part of my game has been totally neglected until now so i'm taking action.

2. Thank you so much for playing this hand against Josh. it really opened my eyes regarding thinking ahead and on another level during play.

bbbushu

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1) Obviously the looser the better, but a game can be good if you can get the best seat on the worst player, and a game can be bad if you are stuck in the worst seat, even if there is a bad player or two. You want the fish on your immediate right and preferably the tightest or most passive player on your left. Bisonbison made a great post back in the day about this subject, maybe someone can find it in the archives.

If you play shorthanded, when I play 3 handed I think I am unique in that I want the fish on my left and the other good player on my right. This is because I would rather have position on the good player in blind battles and let the fish have position when I am in a blind battle with him. Also, the fish will play his SB worse when you are on the button so there is extra value in it.

2) Wow its funny seeing that old hand. Now that I read it it strikes me as not worth posting, rather boring actually. I guess that is a good sign, it shows I make plays like that naturally now but at the time it was something I found creative. I have learned a ton by playing with other good players and discussing with them after. We used to have a bunch of 2+2 tables and the very best ones were shorthanded at stakes that people had a bit of fear to lose at.

-DeathDonkey

[bravos1]

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<font color="blue"> Sounds about right but you are understating the aggression IMO. I would venture a guess that you ran well in the 30/60 game you played and so the aggression didn't bother you so much because you always had a hand. When you don't have a hand the aggression ranges from annoying to very dangerous. </font>

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Actually, I didn't run that good at all. The aggression was the main thing that showed me that I was not really ready for that game then (about 8 months ago). I played it twice and basically broke even the first time and lost 15BBs the second time. The games were playing pretty similar to online 6max games which at that time I was not used to. It was still very common to see a flop of 5-6 people in a raised pot with people WAY overplaying weak top pair and other similarily weak holdings. No one batted an eye when someone cold-called 2 with K8s or 3 w/ AJo, etc.


I agree 100% that live and online games at similar limits play WAY different. I have brought up several times, that the 8/16 games I play are very similar to .25/.50 and .5/1.

Which 3-4 2p2ers do you respect the most in regards to their play?

BTW, thx for taking the time to participate in this well.

[DeathDonkey]

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DD,

You mentioned congratulating yourself for poker lessons learned regardless of the money. Early in your learning, this is easy. Now, though, I'm having a harder time, since finding those lessons is harder. What was the last thing you complemented yourself for doing well on? How do you keep it up, now that many "advanced" poker concepts are routine? <font color="blue"> Early on, your learning consists of poker theory and hand application, later it consists of psychological stuff like quitting a game at the right time, passing on a game that isn't worth playing, but also taking a shot when the time is right and the game is good, and then remembering to quit well in that game. First example I thought of, on Monday at Commerce there was a 3 handed 200/400 BOT game going and I was about set to take a seat when a friend told me one guy in the game who was drinking a bit and I thought was the fish was an "extremely tough vegas high stakes player" who I didn't recognize, so I played 40/80 instead. No need to subject myself to a tough shorthanded game if the fish isn't the fish.</font>

Is poker still fun for you? How do you keep it fun when you're playing so much?<font color="blue"> Poker is fun for me, I enjoy competing, winning no matter what the stakes, and playing well and being in the zone is a great feeling. I don't play so much, so that helps [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I should play more really, compared to many 2+2ers I hardly play at all. But I read some posts by guys that say they hate playing poker and grinding but the money is too good to not do it. I don't feel like that at all, if I did I think I would find something else to do (I hope at least). </font>

When was your last downswing of 200 BB or more? How have you trained yourself to keep playing, and keep playing your best, through it? <font color="blue"> Haven't had too many, I guess several months ago I lost about 250 bb in two days and I took a break for a week or so and then played lower limits for awhile. It's tough mentally and I don't have the answer really. I just try and have fun when playing and I shorten my sessions and try extra hard to book winners, all to make my brain feel happier about poker for awhile.</font>

What's your favorite beer? Favorite hard liquor? Favorite mixed drink? <font color="blue"> Newcastle, bourbon, maker's mark manhattan</font>

Do you have a favorite strategy post that you're particularly proud to have made? That is, a hand post of yours that generated particularly good discussion, or where you got to teach the bulk of the forum something new? Perhaps a theory/essay post you were proud of? <font color="blue"> I'm sure if I searched through some stuff there are a few in there where I was really into the topic and just wanted to spell something out which I like to remind myself I have the knowledge to do. I get lazy with posts and just say what to do without an explanation and then sometimes I go back and give one, its like a test to make sure my theory is sound I guess, but it's mostly just laziness. I'm proud of any post where a poster I look up to agrees with me because I have an ego to feed and I've always felt like I had to prove something to someone on these forums for whatever reason. James282 agreed with me in a high stakes post a few weeks ago and that made me feel good for instance.</font>

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Great questions.
-DeathDonkey

[DeathDonkey]

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Which 3-4 2p2ers do you respect the most in regards to their play?

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Ouch, throwing a hardball. For high limit holdem I'll say Schneids, Nikla, and ggbman.

-DeathDonkey

[Scary_Tiger]

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Not sure when I'll be able to get into coaching stuff but I hope to in the future. I totally agree with you about live poker feeling more real money-wise. For me, its knowing those bills I used to have in my pocket are now gone (if I lose) and it is something I can see and feel unlike online where its just numbers. I went from online MMORPGs to poker so online poker has always been like a video game for me I'd say. Live poker is gambling.

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Hehe, I totally feel the same way. I used to play Asheron's Call and I think I was on the same server as Grimstarr (not a face you forget [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]) but he didn't answer me when I asked. I also dabbled in AC2, AO, The Realm, WOW beta and DAoC before poker took over my hobby time. I'm guessing you played EQ? (Probability theory. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img])

I've been a very generous tipper in my live poker experience so far, mostly red chip games I've been tipping red chips pretty frequently, do guys only tip a dollar in the 100 game even? I'm sure I'll cut back if I ever play live more than recreationally but I've just been getting to know these clubs in NY and I like to keep these guys happy since it's no skin off my back.

[Scary_Tiger]

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Which 3-4 2p2ers do you respect the most in regards to their play?

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Ouch, throwing a hardball. For high limit holdem I'll say Schneids, Nikla, and ggbman.

-DeathDonkey

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Who is Nikla?

[ledfoot]

DD,

Some additional questions from a live game perspective.


How do deal with being card dead for several or more orbits?Do you play through it, quit for that session, other?

You're in a game with more than one tough players or the dynamic is spazzy (maye consider it loose aggressive) with a lot of preflop raising and three-bets. Would you recommend leaving either or in particular in loose game, stay because the pots get big and that's how you make money?


If you're playing well yet suffering from continous bad beats, do you tough it out or perhaps take a break, table change, or whatever?


Thanks.

[davelin]

Chris,

Any story behind "Deathdonkey"?