PokerSchoolOnline Live Tour
NewJane Interviews Machinegun, the Top PSO Finisher at Harrah's Atlantic City WSOP Circuit TournamentNewJane: 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. Machinegun: 2006 Harrah's Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Tournament, NL 500+60 NewJane: Tell us some interesting facts about your life, such as place of employment, family matters, hobbies, or educational background. Machinegun: Most importantly, I am blessed with two beautiful children and one on the way. Right now we have a 4-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy. Originally an accountant, I went back to school to get my Masters Degree in Math Education, and currently teach middle school math in Wilmington DE. I also coach both the wrestling and baseball teams. Some hobbies include golf, chess, biking both alone and with the family. 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? Machinegun: Over the summer I won a couple of hundred one night playing NL. Came home, gave the old' lady half to keep her happy, and started my poker career. Hard to get live games so I started playing on-line. I much prefer live games because it is too easy to bluff on-line. That same person may not have the guts to pull that move on you in person. Trying to get a read on a person is too much fun. Right now I am strictly concentrating on playing NLHE tournaments. With a little help from PSO I may try ring-games. NewJane: How long have you been a member of PSO? Machinegun: I joined in the beginning of January 2006. Just long enough to make the 1-month requirement to play in a PSO Live Tour event. NewJane: What do you think was your greatest strength in the tourney? Your biggest weakness? Machinegun: Patience and discipline were definitely my strengths. I laid down Ace - 9, pocket pairs, all day. Would only play premium hands from out front. I was very strict about what I would play from which position. Oddly enough, I believe fatigue was my biggest weakness. After 8 hours of play with a cold starting on, I was really worn down. I would have given anything for 30 minutes of sleep during the dinner break. Had to settle for 15 minutes of laying my head down on a table. NewJane: Do you remember any key hands you want to tell us about? Positive or Negative outcomes... Machinegun: The poker gods were definitely watching out for me early on. I would say 2 of the first 10 hands I played, I was dealt a pair of kings in the hole. Good luck you say? Both times I flopped a set. Both times I was getting callers and raisers. That morning I woke up with a sore throat. Fatigue really set in about the 8th hour. One fella went all-in (1500) I called with A-Js. This girl next to me also called. She figured she was getting good odds. As the original bettor was putting on his coat, I flopped 4 to the nut flush, a gut shot straight draw, and 2 over cards. I pushed in the remaining 3500 I'd worked so hard for. Problem was I knew this girl was a calling station. She called me with bottom pair and it held up. My belief is that if I would have raised pre-flop she would have never called with her nonsense cards. Still wondering if going all-in after the flop was the right move. NewJane: What are some of the differences you notice in online play as opposed to live play? Machinegun: Live was much tighter than on-line, probably because the buy in was $560 instead of $6. 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? Machinegun: Probably Howard Lederer, he and I seem to think alike. First question? Where's Annie? Just kidding, I love my wife. Pros I admire are Howard and Annie, Daniel Negreanue, Jennifer Harman, and of course Texas Dolly. NewJane: What poker books have helped your game? Machinegun: I Read How to Win NLHE Tournaments by Vines & McEvoy which taught me how to play the game. Then read Super Systems I, Caro's Book of Tells, and a book about bluffing from the library. Finding PSO was just what I was looking for. NewJane: What new poker games are you interested in learning? Machinegun: Well for now I will concentrate on HE. But with PSO I can try to learn how to play all of them. NewJane: Here is your chance to address anything I neglected to ask that you are dying to share. Machinegun: PSO has been a great resource. Meeting Runngunn'n, Siberianex, and PALLADIN2 really put me at ease for my first tournament. As PALLADIN2 explained in the trip report, we had great discussions about books and strategy. The only mention left out was that I also said I read everything I could find that Al Spath had to say. I kept thinking, survive, survive, and when you get the nutz, go ahead and bet it hard, let some yahoo call you (as per big Al). NewJane: Thanks for taking time to visit with me. And best of luck in the Grand Finale!!
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