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NewJane Interviews GypWatson, one of the Top PSO Finishers at the The United States Poker Open

NewJane: Congratulations on your excellent finish at the Live Tour event! Tell us about the event that qualified you for the Live Tour Final tourney next year.

GypWatson: I decided to play in the United States Poker Championship event at the Taj Mahal down in Atlantic City. The largest event I had played until then was a $50+15 tourney in Las Vegas. My wife talked me into going and giving it a shot. I ended up 49th out of 513, and only 4 places out of the money.

NewJane: Tell us some interesting facts about your life, such as place of employment, family matters, hobbies, or educational background.

GypWatson: I grew up in North Carolina, but moved to Delaware after college. I met my future wife at work (one of those office romances). She had lived her whole life in South Jersey, so that's where we settled. We have two beautiful but active boys ages 8 & 6.

I am an independent computer consultant that specializes in SAP implementations.

Before devoting a fair amount of my free time to improving my poker game, I used to play chess regularly. We love to travel, and our two favorite destinations are Aruba and Las Vegas.

I have also performed in over 40 musical theater productions. And hence the story of my screen name: Back in high school, I played a character named Gyp Watson in the show Destry Rides Again. He's falsely accused of murder, and there's even a song in Gyp's honor. So… I figured a tough western cowboy would be a fun persona to adopt. Of course… I'm nothing like Gyp, right?

NewJane: Give us a little glimpse into your poker background. How long have you played? Do you prefer online play or live? Where is your favorite place to play live? Do you like tournaments or ring games? What is your game of choice?

GypWatson: Off and on I've played dealer's choice types of games with co-workers. But it wasn't until July 2004 that I discovered Poker School Online. I was so thrilled to find a place where players took the game a little more seriously. I knew I wanted to improve my game, so my mother-in-law paid for my tuition to Hazy's mentor class as my birthday present. That's where I learned just how much I don't know about poker!

I play the vast majority of the time online. I've only played about 5 times in a live tournament. One of the appeals for the Live One at the USPC was an opportunity to play 50-minute rounds. I felt like I had a much greater opportunity to put some of my Mentor Class lessons to use by observing my opponents and understanding the current table dynamics. I've only played live tournaments in Atlantic City & Las Vegas.

I'm still mainly focused on NLHE, but eventually will branch out and try a couple of other variations.

NewJane: How long have you been a member of PSO?

GypWatson: Since July 2004, so that's around 16 months.

NewJane: What do you think was your greatest strength in the tourney? Your biggest weakness?

GypWatson: The two qualities that really paid off for me were (1) My willingness to take my time during a couple of critical hands in the early rounds of the tourney and really think through the hand to make the ultimate right decision [see discussion of hands below]; and (2) My patience. I went card-dead during the middle part of the tourney, and instead of panicking, I picked a couple of hands to play and stayed out of danger.

One of the areas I'm really trying to focus on is an understanding of table dynamics and how I need to adjust my game accordingly. While I'm busy patting myself on the back for being patient, I need to elevate my game to another level to take advantage of the current table dynamics and perhaps I could have continued building my stack in the early to mid stages of the tournament. [I specifically sought out Hitman's Mentor class for this very reason, and I only regret not taking it before the USPC.]

NewJane: Do you remember any key hands you want to tell us about? Positive or Negative outcomes…

GypWatson: Three key hands come to mind: The first two are positive, and the last one I got eliminated on.

Hand #1
After getting over my initial set of nerves, I looked down at Pocket Kings. This was the first round, so the blinds were 25-50. I raised it to 150 [3xBB, just like Hazy taught me to...]. The big blind reraised to 400. I reraised again to 1200 (just to be clear where my hand stood) and he called. "Now we're playing", I said to myself. The flop came Q74 rainbow. The Big Blind announces All-In. I couldn't believe it! I'm already being put to the test and we're still in the 1st Level. So I go into a deep think (all the while hearing "$500 entry fee" echoing in my mind). The only three hands I can put him on are the big three: AA,KK,QQ. I'm not scared if he has KK, we would just have a split pot. So I'm worried about AA or now a set of queens. I think that if he had Aces, he would have re-raised me again before the flop. After a raise and a re-raise, I don't think you would call to "trap" the other player. So I decrease the likelihood that he has Aces. So now I have to worry about Queens. I think his play before the flop is quite reasonable for Queens. He would certainly re-raise my initial raise. So now I put his All-In bet in the context of the flop. If he had a set of queens, why would he bet all-in? Wouldn't he want to trap me? Granted, it's a nice sized pot, but I just started to get a feeling that the bet was too big. He has me covered, so I call his bet, and I am the one all-in. He flips over AJ. I couldn't believe it! I sweat out the Turn and the River and no Ace or runner-runner appear, and I've doubled up!

Hand #2
About mid-way through Level 3, I'm in the big blind, and I get KQo. All fold to mid-position player who makes a raise to T500. I decide to defend my blind and so I call. Pot is T1325. Flop comes K-Q-5 (two of one suit). I bet out T700. He only thinks for a few seconds, and pushes All-In. Oh boy! Here we go again. Although I have around T10,000, he has me covered, so once again if I call it's my tournament at stake. I had only noticed him betting aggressively when he had a hand, so I didn't consider him having a set of fives. So again I went into the tank. I think I'm in pretty good shape, and the all-in raise doesn't seem to fit the action. So I make the call and flip over my top two pair. He grimaces as he turns over pocket Aces. Once again, I have to avoid an Ace or a runner-runner straight, which I do, and now I have a little over T20,000.

Hand #3
There were around 15 minutes left in Level 9 (blinds 1000-2000, 300 ante) until the dinner break, and the number of players were ~ 50 when I played my last hand. Big Stack at my table continued accumulating chips, and I figured everyone else was playing very conservative. My stack had decreased to just over T20,000 when I got Ac-Tc. I was third to act, and so when the two in front of me folded, I raised to 7000. The next gentleman folded, and Big Stack waited about 10 seconds and re-raised to 15,000. The table quickly folded back to me. Crap! I know this is the time to accumulate chips. But it's such a difficult balancing act between that and hanging on to win the money. My M was less than 4 when I made the raise. I'm sure I could have made it to the dinner break, but I also thought I could take the blinds and antes which would buy me another orbit. So now I have a decision to make. I can't call in this situation. I'm either folding or going all-in. I think the Big Stack has been bullying everyone, and with a large chip stack is more inclined to gamble than the rest of the table. But I'm SO close to the money! Grrr... what to do? Finally, I think AT suited is not that bad a hand, so I re-raise all-in which he immediately calls. He flips over QQ. Ugh! My heart sinks as my hand doesn't improve, and I'm eliminated in 49th place.

NewJane: What are some of the differences you notice in online play as opposed to live play?

GypWatson: In online play, I think play is much more aggressive and looser.

NewJane: If you could have dinner with any current poker tourney pro, who would it be and what would be the question you would ask first?

GypWatson: Well I couldn't pass up an opportunity to meet one of the greatest poker players there ever was, so I would have dinner with Doyle Brunson. I guess the first poker-related question I would ask is, "Which is more special to you - winning your first WSOP bracelet or your 10th?"

NewJane: What poker books have helped your game?

GypWatson: The first poker book I recall reading was Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players by Sklansky & Malmuth. There are so many great concepts covered in that book.

I've read Harrington on Hold'em Volumes 1 & 2 at least three times each. I think these are by far the best books available covering tournament no-limit hold'em.

NewJane: What new poker games are you interested in learning?

GypWatson: The very first poker game I played in a casino was seven card stud. I'd like to get back to that some day. As far as a new game, I want to give Omaha a try.

NewJane: Here is your chance to address anything I neglected to ask that you are dying to share.

GypWatson: First and foremost, I want to thank PSO! Thank you for providing an educational place online for those of us who want to improve our respective games.

But PSO is more than just a place. It's a community. You only have to look at the outpouring of support across a wide spectrum of members in good times and bad. So many people are as quick to respond with well wishes as they are congratulations. And a community is only as strong as its members. I have learned so much playing here. Thank you to my fellow students, my mentors, the study groups, and the forums.

There is SO much information available here! Please take advantage of every opportunity to improve your game. And along the way, share your thoughts with others. Pay it forward!

I look forward to meeting many of you at our next Convention.

NewJane: Thanks for taking time to answer my questions! I look forward to meeting you at the Convention, and Best of Luck in the LIVE TOUR FINALE!!

PSO Live Tour
Schedule 2006 | Schedule/Results 2005 | Results 2004	About | Live Tour Rules | Interviews
About PokerSchool Online	Join PokerSchool Online
What Students are Learning Now	Download the Free Software