2015....a year of two halves

Football, as the cliche goes, is often a game of two halves. And 2015, in a poker sense, was very much a year of two halves for me. At the end of May, I had a long chat in Hamburg with David Lappin about how the year was shaping up. The general outlook was gloomy: the first 5 months of the year had very much continued the trends identified in my 2014 wrap up blog, where I admitted to having my least profitable year online in over half a decade, with a slight uptick on the live front but nothing spectacular. Dave and I concluded our chat with the thought that the kind of good living we had enjoyed for almost a decade as online pros might no longer be possible, and it might be time to move poker from full time profession to lucrative part time sideline.

Approximately 6 months later, I'm on a train into Dublin to meet David and several of my other closest friends at a party in my honour which I (and absolutely nobody else) was referring to as the YOTD (Year of the Doke) party, to celebrate my best ever year in poker (big thank you Gary Clarke for organising this). So yeah, you could say the second half of the year went better than the first.

Live

The first half of the year was similar to all of 2014 for me: decent but unspectacular. On my first poker trip abroad, I min cashed FPS Deauville. The following month I was third in the Fitz End of Month, and at the start of April I chopped the Mini Irish Open. In Hamburg, my last trip before Vegas, I ran deep but ultimately fell short of the final table in the Hamburg Cup.

So then I went to Vegas. Not having gone there in 2014, and having a very lacklustre year online, it may seem like an odd decision to go this year, but I was  lured there by the prospect of being able to play the Seniors for the first time. That didn't go to plan, and after bricking that and my first "normal" side, I found myself doing livestream commentary on the Seniors final table. That finished just in time for me to go late register Event 45, a run of the mill mid week $1500 NLH event. And, well, I'm guessing most people reading this already know I ultimately ended up getting headsup for a bracelet and coming second after some business was done headsup, for easily the biggest score of my career. That in itself made 2015 my best ever year, but I followed Vegas by cashing the next three EPTs (the only three I played this year), coming third in a UKIPT High Roller, ninth in a WSOPE side event, tenth in a UKIPT main event, and a bunch of other results that saw me become the first Irish person to get past 100 results on the Hendon Mob. To illustrate the year of two halves thing, I cashed in 18 live events this year, but only four of those were pre Vegas.

Online

Once again this year, I made over twice as much in the second half of the year as I did in the first. It's starting to look as if online poker might actually be seasonal: that post Christmas, there's not as much recreational disposable income around, then it's summer and people have better things to be doing than staying in to play online, but as autumn turns to winter and ESPN shows the WSOP, they start playing again. My thinking on this is that I might be better off accepting poker as seasonal and spending the first half of the year studying, concentrating on fitness and other stuff and playing live, rather than putting in volume online fretting about lower win rates.

However, it's worth pointing out that the difference between both halves of my year online came down to one bink (my Supersonic chop). My natural tendency mentally is always to pull back to the middle: when things are going badly I try to focus on how they could get better, and when things are going well, the opposite. I think that helps to avoid getting too depressed in downswings or too full of your own greatness in upswings, so I recognize that as great as this year has been (and it has been my best ever in poker overall), I've been the lucky beneficiary of considerable positive variance. Without the variance of my two biggest results, it would have been a very ordinary year indeed.

 

Writing

This is my ninth year of blogging. Given that most poker blogs don't get 9 months, I guess that's some sort of accomplishment in itself. I also reversed something of a decline in that every year recently has seen me make less blog posts than the previous year. From a high point of 2008 when I was blogging more than twice a week (110 for the year), in 2014 I published barely one a month (14 in total). This year it climbed back up to 23.

Given how my year shaped up, one might think my most read blog would have to come from the second half of the year when I got headsup for a bracelet and was on the feature table of a couple of EPTs. But no, easily my most read blog of the year (and one of my most read ever) was my Irish Open blog, "The Last Supper", as the points I made about the decline of this once great event got considerable attention across the poker world.

The reason why most poker blogs don't last very long is you run out of new stuff to say pretty quickly and that will continue to be the challenge in 2016 I suspect. All the more challenging given that I also have a monthly column at Bluff Europe to fill, and since people actually pay to read that one, I feel more of an onus to provide interesting content. But as long as people keep reading this blog, I'll keep writing I guess.

I do enjoy writing the Bluff Europe column, and the reaction has been very good, so will try to keep that up too as long as they'll have me. Going forward into 2016, there is one other possibly exciting writing project in the works, but I don't want to say anything more at this point in case (as is often the case with me) it comes to nothing.

Coaching

I did a lot less of this this year as I decided to concentrate more on my own study away from the tables, which I felt was necessary to avoid being left behind. So besides sessions with the guys I stake and a few others who were particularly persistent in their requests, not a lot. I did however make my first publicly available video. I recorded this while I was in Prague a few weeks ago with Andrew Brokos. It's available for free, but the hope is also to raise money for the Bay Area Urban Debate League, a charity close to Andrew's heart.

The Bay Area Urban Debate League is a non-profit organization offering fun and high-quality educational opportunities to students, mostly from low-income backgrounds, in San Francisco, Oakland, and the surrounding area. Joining the debate team changed my life when I was in high school, and in my 15 years working with urban debate leagues in cities across the US, I've seen it change the lives of hundreds of students who were on a far worse path than I was. It engages students in fun but genuinely intellectual competition and offers them the opportunity to take ownership of and responsibility for knowledge. A single year of debating has been shown to improve reading skills by 60%, and each year in an urban debate league improves a student's GPA by 8-10% on average. Best of all, debate appeals to kids who "talk back", many of whom are in danger of dropping or failing out of school for lack of opportunities to channel their strong opinions in a constructive way.

You can contribute to the campaign at https://www.crowdrise.com/baudl500bringthepowe/fundraiser/andrewbrokos or by clicking the link at the end of the video.

Staking

I'll avoid repeating what I said last year because it hasn't really changed. Cliffs: while I'm very happy to go on staking the couple of guys I'm currently involved with, I have zero appetite to take on anyone new. I've done okay financially but I just don't enjoy it as much as playing myself, and time spent coaching or sorting out transfers tends to eat into my energy and playing time. For the foreseeable future, my main focus is on working on my own game.

Other poker stuff

I did less livestream commentary this year than in previous years (in keeping with my overall policy to focus on my core of improving my own game) but it was a real thrill to commentate alongside David Tuchman, Mike Leah, Tatiana Pasajic and Ash Conniff on a couple of WSOP final tables.

My binks this year also got some media coverage, and my favourite interview of the year was with Samantha Rea for a runner's mag. I also appeared (again) on the Thinking Poker podcast while I was in Vegas, and did another PocketFives interview.

The main extracurricular poker activity of my year was The Chip Race. This was a lot more work than I imagined it would be (David did most of it though), and was also a lot better received than I thought it would be. We wrapped up the first season shortly before I headed to Vegas, with the intention of returning after I got back from Vegas. Unfortunately by then, the company who had commissioned it was in receivership, which sadly prevented our return at the nut best time to do so (with not just my own WSOP final table to talk about but also six other Irish players).

The popularity of the show has lingered long enough for it to be one of the first things most people ask me when I play live at home or abroad ("When is it coming back?"). I've fallen into the stock answer that I would address it on my blog. When I said this to David recently, he suggested "David lives in Malta now" :)

The fact is we don't own the rights to the name or the show. We were initially hopeful of getting them quickly and getting a potential sponsor, but neither has materialised so our hands are effectively tied (for now at least). And even if we were to get those issues resolved, well....David lives in Malta now.

So while it's not impossible we will return at some future point, don't hold your breath. In the mean time, I'm proud to have been involved to whatever small degree in its shortlived success (most of the credit has to go to David: he not only did most of the work but it was very much his vision to create something less like "a couple of guys talk poker on Skype" and more like a traditional radio talk show than typical poker podcasts). I also think that even if we never come back, we will at least have gone out on a high with a final episode that was our high point with a great Andy Black interview that presaged his exploits in Vegas, and a truly outstanding interview Fergal Nealon conducted with Annette O'Carroll which numerous people have identified to me as not just their favourite on the Chip Race but by anyone ever on poker. Full credit to Fergal on that one (and Annette for being such a wonderful interviewee).

Other life stuff

Throughout this year I focused more on off the table study and fitness and nutrition than I have ever before (since I started poker). I think my results this year, notwithstanding what I said above about positive variance, have been helped greatly by both these things, so the plan going forward into 2016 is to continue and even increase my efforts on these fronts. I'd like to pay tribute to my wife who takes care of pretty much everything than doesn't involve running or cards so I can concentrate on those.

As tempting as it is to try to keep the good live form going at the Aussie Millions and PCA, I've decided to stay at home in January and concentrate on online and off the table work and study. This will be my major focus in the first few months as I hope to get to Vegas this year in at least as good a shape physically and mentally as I was last year. As a runner, I tended to follow my biggest wins with my worst performances (and vice versa). I never successfully defended a title, and tended to do best immediately after a bad performance that had everyone questioning if I was done. This has continued to some degree through my poker career where the typical year by year pattern goes Good Bad Good Bad. So 2016 would be a great time to buck that trend and follow a great year with an even better one. It may not be possible, but at the very least I intend to give it my all.

Finally, I'd like to thank all the people in poker who have supported me throughout the year (you know who you are). This year was my best ever in poker not just because of the results, but also the reaction of friends, family and supporters. May you all have the 2016 you all deserve, and I hope to see you all at the tables at some point.

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The Doke challenge

Wednesday

Since I made the decision 18 months ago to increase my training mileage, every Wednesday I spend at home is long run day. The day I tumble out of bed a bit earlier than usual and spend the next 3 to 4 hours running 20 to 30 miles. As I said on a blog recently, I've been wondering of late if this is such a good idea the day before an early morning flight, given how often I seem to be catching colds on trips away.

This particular Wednesday though, Canadian globetrotter Gareth Chantler has expressed an interest in becoming a bog trotter for the day, and timed his arrival to join me on my long run. Never one to pass up the opportunity to run some young upstart into the ground, we set out from Doke Manor. Many have taken the Doke challenge but no poker player has as yet completed it.

Gareth makes a very solid attempt making it to 19 miles before his knee gives up the ghost, leaving me to finish the last 8 miles alone.

Thursday

After two hours sleep, we are up at the crack of dawn to catch our flight to Edinburgh. As we saunter into the airport, Gareth spices things up by casually announcing he needs to check in. An unnecessary sweat, I felt, and left him to it. As we started to board with no sign of Gareth, I formulated my stalling strategy, which would revolve around me being the last person to board. In this instance I was willing to go full on confused old man, unable to locate his passport and boarding pass in a timely manner. Thankfully Gareth materialised before this became necessary.

Somewhat foolhardedly, we had decided to walk from Edinburgh airport to the hotel. In our defence, this decision was based on underestimating the distance and overestimating the scenicness of the route. After almost two hours dragging our bags along the A8 (the main road from Glasgow to Edinburgh) we get to the hotel in time to wake Daragh Davey for breakfast. Gareth has enough energy left to walk us to Genting casino. Along the way we pick up a straggler in the form of English online phenom Phil "bergeroo" Huxley.

After a few diversions (despite having already been there the previous day Daragh manages to lead us astray), we make it there in time for level 2. Gareth heads back to get some rest (he decided to play the following day). Daragh busts about an hour before dinner but gamely sticks around to secure a table for us at the Nandos next door.

I go on to bag up over 100k to be 6th in chips overnight, very pleased with my day which I felt was one of my best ever. I had very little help from the deck, but a number of spots where I had to make a call between what game theory was telling me and what my live instincts said, and seemed to get all those spots right. I got back to the hotel to find Gareth passed out in bed, so I went downstairs for a few beverages with the usual suspects. Jen Mason commended me for having, in her words, "broken Gareth".

Friday

Gareth headed off to his day one. I had arranged to meet Daragh for some afternoon sightseeing but a family commitment on his side meant I got into another run as we started later than planned. In the end we just walked aimlessly around for 20 minutes before bailing on the sights, and heading back to the Starbucks near the casino to pass the time until Gareth and Sameer went on dinner break. We were tasked with securing a Nandos table, a simple task we managed to mess up, so instead of Nandos, we ate in a nearby Chinese.

The lads went back to the main while Daragh and I jumped in a turbo side event. Daragh ended up coming third in that and final table bubbling me in the process. I would never claim to be a gracious loser in these situations, and Daragh wisely chose to avoid me for the next 24 hours :)

Saturday

Gareth and I went back for day 2 of the main. Gareth was short and so was his day two (he lost a race in the first orbit). I started on a tough table with the impressive Alex Lynskey and the overnight chipleader. I navigated my way reasonably well through the day and a number of different tables. With three tables left things were looking very promising for me to make my first ever UKIPT final table, but near the end I lost a couple of big ones. After that it was a case of hanging on and I bagged up 400k, about half average, to be 13/13 overnight. I don't think I made any major mistakes but didn't feel like I was at the absolute top of my game either, so I was a lot less pleased with myself than after day one.

Sunday

As the shortest stack I knew I couldn't sit around for too long. I won a decent sized pot early on against my good friend Dode Elliot (who played superbly and seemed vastly improved from last time we played together), which gave me enough chips to open up my game a bit. Although I could possibly have just nitted it up to secure a place on the final table very short stacked, this held no great appeal to me. It's never just about making the final table: I always want to get there in as good a position as possible to win the tournament (or at least top three) and if you are not willing to take some chances playing wider ranges shorthanded near a final table bubble (when some people may be playing too tight trying to hang on) you probably won't finish top three very often.

Unfortunately this strategy didn't work out on this occasion and with ten left I found myself sub ten blinds, a very distant 10/10. A5s in the cutoff is a shove in that spot, so I didn't hesitate. Dode hesitated a little in the big blind before making a good call with pocket eights. I turned a gutshot and a flush draw but after bricking the river I shook hands with Dode and departed for the rail, where I was consoled by Dode's legendary brother Willie. Part and parcel of poker is the fact that we often deal pain or at least disappointment on our friends, and as he whisked Gareth and me away for consolatory ice cream, Willie remarked that Dode would be feeling worse about my knockout than I was. I fully believe this. As much as I wanted to finally final table a UKIPT, I'm reasonably philosophical in these spots where both of us are dealt hands we are supposed to get in, and do. When I wished Dode good luck I meant it, and was genuinely rooting for him (and Alan Brown, someone I have long admired as a player and a person) on the final table.

Willie is one of my favourite people I've met, not just in poker, but in life. In my opinion he's the closest thing I know to a saint, and it's always a privilege to spend time in his company. I was also heartened by all the support from Scottish friends, friends on social media and I even got a rare text from the monk himself (Andy Black). Poker is the very epitome of an individual pursuit, but it's always nice to have support.

My cash in the main event was my 99th on the Hendon mob. One of my stated aims for the year was to secure my 100th, and become the first Irish live poker centurion in the process. No time or place like the present, so with just one event left on the schedule, the Deepstack turbo, I set about that task. Almost immediately after securing the cash in that, I ran ace king into aces for my least tilting bust ever. It felt oddly fitting that the century should be secured with a min cash in a small side event, in my favourite place to play poker outside of Ireland. The ever reliable Willie immediately whipped up a photoshop to celebrate my century of cashes.



After my bust, I railed Daragh on the final table of the PLO and chatted to Nick O'Hara. Nick asked how disappointed I was at having just missed out yet again on a UKIPT main event final table. My answer was not as disappointed as I thought I would be, probably as a result of the 6 months I'm enjoying. It's a lot easier to be philosophical in the middle of a good patch. I've put a lot of work into my mental game this year, in particular decoupling outcomes and results from my moods and focusing just on my performance, but I still think I'd have been a lot more gutted if this had been my best result all year. As much as I try to be a robot at the table, I am human away from it.

As I chatted to Nick, main event winner Diego Gomez came over and offered to buy me a drink. If Mick McCloskey has taught me anything it's to not look a gift drink in the mouth, so I joined Diego and his buddies. Diego was understandably chuffed with his win, saying it was the best he ever felt in poker even though it wasn't his biggest score. The group gradually expanded to include Daragh, Jen, Marc Convey, Gareth, Miguel and Mickey May. Good times, good company.

Monday

With our flight not scheduled til the evening, Gareth and I decided to finally get to some sightseeing. First I arranged for us to meet my friend Dani for lunch. Dani is one of the funniest and most endearing people I know and kept us in stitches with her strongly expressed views on the inadvisability of transAtlantic flights, bread making, Edinburgh architecture, social media as a scrapbook for old age, various national characteristics and several other matters racing through her beautiful mind.

After Dani hopped on her bus to the airport we headed to Camera Obscura, a little too late to enjoy the full experience (which requires daylight) but early enough to secure a discount.




I left Edinburgh as I always do, looking forward to returning. Not only is the city magnificent, but the people are very welcoming. A final think you to all who took the trouble to do so: those mentioned above and others like Carl/Tommy, Dennis, Thomas, Lochaline, Kyle and anyone else senility has caused me to leave out.

Wednesday

With a week back home grinding online before Eureka, it was time for another long run. Gareth was feeling a lot more chipper about this and charged on ahead of me. I wasn't really feeling it but battled on. Gareth faded a bit towards the end and I passed him in the last few miles, but he hung on gamely to arrive back at Doke Manor mere minutes behind me, the first poker player to complete the Doke challenge.  He could barely walk the next day and has been very ill ever since, but still. Well done Gareth.

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