PokerSchoolOnline Live Tour

NewJane Interviews OmahaRon, Top PSO Finisher at the WPO Tunica 2004

NewJane: First, let me congratulate you on your fine finish at the LA Poker Classic at the Commerce. You will be advancing to the PSO Live Tour Final tourney in January. Tell me a little about the tourney that qualified you.

OmahaRon: The tourney I qualified in was NL Holdem. The amount was $330.00 with multi re-buys. There were about 770 entrants. I busted out after about 15 tables. There were about 68 tables when the tourney started.

NewJane: Tell us a little about yourself. Where you live, etc. Any interesting facts about your life would be appreciated!

OmahaRon: I am 43 and I live in Los Angeles Ca.

NewJane: Share with us some of your poker background, such as how long you have played, games of choice, limits you like when you play live, other tourney successes. Where is your favorite place to play poker, both live and tourney action?

OmahaRon: Within the last five years, I started to play poker seriously. I only play part time and I just started to play tourneys within the last year. I play in most of the L.A. casinos. I don't have a favorite casino, but I spend most of my time at the Bicycle and Commerce Casinos. I play mostly $10-$20 Holdem.

When I first started to play in the casinos, I played mostly Omaha. Hence the nickname "OmahaRon", a nickname given to me by a friend who has played poker with me for years.

I soon realized if I want to be an all around player, I'd better learn all the games, especially Holdem. The funny thing now is I only play Omaha to stay in practice. The last time I played Omaha was in a tournament.

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

OmahaRon: I just joined PSO in January. The site was brought to my attention by PSO member and long time friend, (and one of the best NL Holdem players I know) Eric Ferguson AKA Ricky Hard.

Needless to say, Ricky was a little amazed when I qualified for the Big One Four my first month as a member.

NewJane: What were some hands you remember from the tourney, both won and lost?

OmahaRon: There were no memorable hands in the Tourney. I slowly got blinded out. Which is often the case in NL if you don't make a move when you are short stacked.

NewJane: What did you feel was your strength / weakness in the tournament?

OmahaRon: My strengths in the tourney (as in general) were my patience and selective aggression. My weakness in this tourney was not making a move sooner before I got very short stacked. There were a couple of hands I felt I should have played that I didn't when I was short stacked.

NewJane: What are your feelings about what is going on with poker now, the incredible growth? Do you see it as a positive thing?

OmahaRon: I think it is great what is happening in poker today. A typical $100 NL Holdem tourney at the Bicycle casino, for example, would have had maybe 300 people a year ago. These days, the same tourney at the Bike has 600+ people.

However, I do expect a leveling off. New players will soon realize the final table at a WPT event is not typical poker.

Another important factor for me is it has taken away a lot of the stigma that is associated with poker. While playing poker can be a vice, it can also be as harmless as playing softball or golf if you play responsibly.

NewJane: What new poker games, if any, are you anxious to learn?

OmahaRon: There are no new games I am interested in playing. The major three (Holdem, Omaha, and Stud) keep me busy.

NewJane: What poker books might I find in your home library?

OmahaRon: In my poker library you will see such books as Brunson's "Super Systems" , Sklansky's and Malmuth's "Holdem Poker For Advanced Player", Ray Zee's "High-Low Split Poker", Caro's "Book of Tells", Schoonmakers "The Psychology of Poker", and several books on Tournament play.

NewJane: Thanks, OmahaRon, for taking time to talk with me today. And Congratulations on your fine finish at the LA Poker Classic!

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