Canadian Poker Sites 2021 - Playing Online Poker in Canada

My first poker game was five card draw in fourth period spare. We played in the hallway, outside of the lockers, until eventually a teacher shut us down. But we got in a few sessions. The second game I remember was on top of an internet cafe. Again we played five card draw. It was like a $5 or $10 buy in game. I remember once making a wheel and taking down the pot with a substantial bet; I showed my hand and there was debate over whether the ace even played as a one. Luckily no one had called me. At one point I dealt myself from the bottom of the deck. I wasn't cheating, I had literally no idea what the card was, I just dealt it to myself from the bottom. Stu, this big obese guy demanded to see my cards when I folded post draw. I had like jack high or whatever. Anyway, later on in that night we switched to inbeteween. You get two cards and have to bet on whether the card is going to be inbetween or not. If you post (hit a card on the outside, so if your two cards are K2 then you hit a K that is called posting and you have to pay double). It is pot limit. Anyway, the pot grew to be over a hundred dollars and I eventually did win it.
From there it was $5 and $10 SNGs with my buddies, a regular $25 and then $50 cash game that I was a reg at for a couple of years, and online poker. This was all 16-17 years ago now, but that is when I started playing poker. Eventually I graduated to casino trips. I remember my first trip to Windsor Ontario, I put together a couple thousand dollars and spewed it all $100 at a time playing 1/2 NLHE. The guys there called me Frodo. I went bust a lot of times in those early days, usually with the meager couple hundred dollar bankroll I could scratch together. Then I had some success. This was during the poker boom, and I was able to build myself some six figure bankrolls from scratch, then bust them and start over again. Maybe a decade ago I switched to plo, although I still play NLHE cash.
All of my adult life, I have been a professional poker player. This game is my life. The highs have been amazing. Battling against Isildur at 25/50 plo on Pokerstars, travelling across Canada, living in hotels for months on end, becoming a professional blackjack player (card counter), blowing crazy amounts of money, winning and losing fortunes, then starting over with a hundred dollars and a dream.
Today my life is a lot different. I've got a wife and two kids. I've stopped partying, don't travel very much. I grind to support my family.
​
Unlike most prospective horses, I'm far from broke. I've got a bankroll, and play every day, to earn enough money to support my family and to put a little away for a rainy day. That being said, there is a lot of potential in networking, and I like playing staked especially if my backer brings something else to table as well, like access to new games on pppoker or other apps. I also have references from previous satisfied backers.
Here are a range of investment proposals, starting small and working our way up. Some of the larger plans would probably need to involve multiple backers, or one really rich dude. For some of these I could come on as an investor as well.
So the smallest scale would be "rent a session". Essentially this is like backing someone to play a tournament, except I don't play tournaments I play cash games. The advantage here is that we can get started with minimal capital investment on your behalf. For example we could do something like 8 stacks of PLO $100 ($800) and you would get 75% of any upside from the session. No makeup. Just a one time deal and we're done, any losses are on you. I'm just spit-balling numbers here feel free to suggest alternate terms. Depending if I was to play say 6 tables for the session we'd want to have more capital on hand probably. Also it might be good to play PLO $50 AND PLO $100, so I can game select the best tables from either limit. Actually this rent a session approach would work best for live poker, where playing only one table and the slow pace of the game makes a > 300 bb swing unlikely (especially with my nitty style). But we could do live or online.
So after that would be a longer term relationship. Backer puts up the bankroll (here you would be essentially called upon to have 30-40 buyins available to me, although I don't necessarily need them all at once) and gets a straight 50% split of profits with full makeup. So any time the bankroll is stuck, than any future winnings go clearing the makeup first. Minimum here would be something like PLO $50 or PLO $100, assuming you have access to some soft games, Indian sites, Chinese sites, pppoker clubs something like that.
Another investment idea is to start a blackjack team. Actually this is quite a solid investment, if you can manage costs. Basically you get several card counters to play the same bankroll. Investors get a high ROI investment with a low time horizon and minimal ROR, and the players get a good chance to make bank with no or limited risk on their behalf. If you look at a typical counting simulation, taking a conservative approach of half kelly with resizing, the chance of busting before doubling is substantially less than 1%. So investors will be looking at a 50% return, obviously the amount of time it will take is unknown. Of course it is crucial to keep expenses in line here, so ideally you have a large enough bankroll that they don't matter because they are a small enough fraction, or work out some sort of team van situation. The absolute minimum here would be like 30k (but that could be 6x5k, not really that hard to find some people who might want to invest, I could invest as well), and the bigger the bankroll the better. Investors could be players as well, keeping a close on the money, it is super easy to train someone to count especially if they are winning poker players and knowledgeable gamblers in the first place. In addition to card counting there are other vulnerabilities, like hole carding, next card knowledge that can be capitalized on as well.

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE * Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US:
Maximum $400 CAD (pre-tax and shipping) hopefully less though. The cheapest possible that will do what she needs it for. In Ontario Canada

• Are you open to refurbs/used?
  Yes, but a long lasting laptop would be ideal.
  
  • How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?

Battery life is kind of important. As long as it can run what she needs relatively fast, all is well. And she doesn't use it for too much. *
How important is weight and thinness to you?
It will be moved often, so lightweight would be nice *
Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. N/A *
Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.
She plays some poker online, which makes her current laptop crash if she doesn't take her bedroom fan and use it to cool the laptop. Running pokerstars and a few tabs on a web browser is likely the heaviest task this laptop will face *
**If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?
** Pokerstars, graphics don't matter *
Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?
N/A*
Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.
Please help me help my mom buy a new laptop.
Edit: formatting

Hi All,
I have done some googling and found a few websites that have a few poker coaches listed but it seems less obvious than I would have thought. I went to the 2+2 Forum but their Coaching sub-sites are pretty dated with very old posts and very little activity.
I am looking for suggestions for a Poker Coach for Hold-em and I primarily enjoy SNGs ($1.50 to $7.00 range so far). I've been doing my best to take poker seriously but haven't had the results I've been looking for yet. At this point I'm not looking for "the greatest" poker coaches but someone who is quite proficient and can provide guidance on succeeding at the lower stakes and help me identify what I am missing / need to improve on.
I live in Canada and play on PokerStars and utilize Poker Tracker 4.
Thank you,
Jon

x-posted in /twitch. Join the discussion and support an open community that stands together against harassment.
 
Hey guys, I’m the ceo of vulcun - proof. We recently acquired Twitchalerts and Streampro a few months ago. The first thing we did was to remove the 1% fee that was being charged. The second thing we did was to add a +1% bonus program, available to everyone. That just finished and paid out $115K in bonuses last week, and you can see the reactions on stream as it happened live link. It was our way of giving back to the community, and we hope to do this regularly.
Athene, a streamer that I just heard about, recently launched a competing service called gamingforgood. I have no history with Athene personally, and initially I thought this was a good idea - help streamers raise money for charity. And it does seem like the money raised is actually being donated to Save the Children, and that’s a great thing for the community. All power to you bro. We will never question you on that, and ask others not to either.
However I have serious issues with the subversive and borderline illegal ways Athene is trying to promote his new product. Over the past 2 months, TwitchAlerts has been the target of a systematic campaign of hacking, impersonation, spam and abuse that the Twitch community needs to know about:

• Athene asking viewers to target and spam TwitchAlerts streamers: In this video Athene asked his viewers to spam streamers using specially-prepared gamingforgood videos using donations on TwitchAlerts. This became a serious problem and many streamers complained to us. We blocked these videos last week as best we could, but literally every hour there are 10 different submissions trying to get around our spam filters. Violation of our Terms of Service, and of Twitch's TOS as well.
  
• Athene asking viewers to harass our investors on-stream, directly: ty @HS_Slo for sending this video
  
• Athene pairing individual users with hand-picked streamers to target for harassment: calls it a "great idea".
  
• Athene viewers harassing our employees: In the process of targeting our streamers, many of Athene’s fans also added our employees on social media and started harassing them verbally. One of our employees (cronoh) broke down, lashed out, and said things he shouldn’t have. He has been reprimanded and suspended, and we apologized for his unacceptable behavior. It should not have happened, but he was under stress and being harassed. Other employees have had insulting and accusatory gifs made of them and passed around. Some were even physically threatened. By standing up to this harassment, we are standing up for our staff that is being harassed on a daily basis.
  
• Hacking: Our employees’ accounts have been compromised on Twitch and Github. "It's good people are getting info on them, we don't have time to do it all ourselves" - Verbal quote by Athene in Discord which was followed by attached screen shots of them posting hacked accounts internally on their discord. This is direct evidence that Athene’s inner circle of people hacked the twitch oAuth accounts of 2 of our employees under his direction and encouragement. The Twitch hack took place using a vulnerability in a 3rd-party service that had implemented Twitch OAuth, which was being used by our employees. We asked Twitch to reset all affected tokens which they did last week. Hacking is a serious crime, and even though Athene/G4G did not do it personally, encouraging and directing your followers to do still makes you an accomplice and ringleader.
  
• False accusations: Athene accused TwitchAlerts of keeping 1% without telling anyone. This is false, as discussed in this 1-year old reddit thread here. As the thread shows, the 1% fee last year was explained in a blog post, posted on our official twitter, and mentioned in an email newsletter. Most streamers knew about it. To claim that we never told anyone and gave no notice about the 1% fee is simply not true. Additionally, around six months ago we went completely free, and plan to remain so.
  
• More false accusations: Athene claims TwitchAlerts took a 30% fee on a new, unreleased feature. While we initially did think about taking a cut ​on a brand new feature that was not even released yet​, we decided not to. And this “no-fee” decision was announced to streamers several days before Athene put out his video, and had nothing to do with him. See this tweet from NickiTaylor showing we went free on March 9th (wednesday) before Athene posted this video on March 12th. Another example of slander and baseless accusations. About a dozen streamers tried this feature. Find us anyone that can show transaction logs that shows us taking a cut.
  
• Undisclosed fees: Part of the pitch behind gamingforgood is that it supports more payment methods and lower fees. What is not fully disclosed is that when you try to actually withdraw your money from G2APay wallet (the payment service used by gamingforgood), you get hit with an extra 1% - 2% of fees of your entire balance. Other tipping platforms don’t have this extra charge on withdrawal. It is deceptive business practice to not be upfront and open about this. When you factor this in, gamingforgood actually has some of the highest fees of any donation platform (including tipeestream, imraising and others). Don’t believe me? Try to withdraw your money from G2A wallet and see what happens.
  
• False marketshare claims: Athene that “EVERYONE is switching over to gamingforgood”, and that it is already “huge”. In reality very few streamers are actually using it. And many that have tried it have left due to feature/software/bug issues. Here’s a twitch marketshare analysis of the Top 2000 streamers on Twitch by donation system: TwitchAlerts - 72.3%, gamingforgood - 1.35%. Even TipeeStream (3.99%) is 3 times larger than gamingforgood.
  
• False charity claims: Athene claims that they are the only ones really supporting charities and raising money for charities. This is simply untrue. While G4G has supported Save the Children (kudos, again), in the past 12 months Twitchalerts & Streampro have provided software, services or donation support for: Extra Life, Childs Play Charity, Game Changer Charity, St. Jude, AbleGamers, International Bipolar Foundation, Call of Duty Endowment, Special Effect, Cancer.Org, Mercy For animals, Doctors without Borders, Operation Supply Drop and others. Other donation platforms like ImRaising, TipeeStream and StreamTip have also worked with charities. G4G is not the only one.
  
• Impersonated Reddit post: A Fake, impersonated reddit post was created by "TwitchAlertsOfficial" and claimed to announce a bunch of new things. We had nothing to do with this, and were quite shocked to come to work one morning and see a post impersonating to be us. The comments had half a dozen people directing folks to gamingforgood (see downvoted). This was reported to the /twitch mods, and they took the post down. At the time we weren’t sure who did this, but combined with everything else that followed (see below), there is strong circumstantial evidence. They wanted us to promise certain features in 3 days, fail to deliver (3 days!), and then G4G would offer the same features in that post.pending investigation
  
• Viewbotting: Since gaming4good launched, around the same time, Athene’s twitch channel went from an average of 1000-1500 viewers to 8000. And its stayed at 8000, for 24 hours a day for over 2 weeks in March. Forsen, Reckful, Destiny and others correctly called this out as blatant viewbotting. Athene claims to not be doing it, and suggested TwitchAlerts may be behind this, but the only one benefiting is him personally and gamingforgood. Athene’s numbers have now magically reverted back to their historical average (1000-1500).pending investigation
  
• Twitter Bots: An army of hacked twitter accounts or bots copied the abusive message "Fuck you, regards @twitchalerts" and messaged hundreds of streamers on twitter; examples here and here. The intent was clear: to abuse streamers and get people upset at twitchalerts, and introduce a new service. Here’s a partial list of the hundreds of twitter bots that are being used. pending investigation
  

We tried to stay patient and give Athene the benefit of the doubt. Since early Feb we tolerated this abuse and harassment without saying a word. But once our streamers and employees started getting targeted individually, we had to draw the line and say ENOUGH. We cannot let goons bully and harass our staff and our streamers, and neither should the twitch community. That is why we recently issued a cease-and-desist notice to gamingforgood and Athene. If we let this go, Athene will inevitably do this again to someone else, just as he has in the past with Poker and Russian bots, League, Warcraft and other communities.
In addition to harassment and deceptive marketing, there are other ongoing things we should call attention to related to Athene and gamingforgood:

• Undisclosed Revshare: We have strong reasons to believe that G4G may be receiving undisclosed commission back from some of their payment processors that are bundled in with the payment fees. We were offered a similar deal, but have NOT taken it (cannot disclose details due to NDA). You cannot do this and tell streamers flatly that you are “not taking a fee”. This is a hidden charge for the streamer which is not being fully disclosed in the form of rev-share back to G4G from the payment processor. When you raise money for a charity, it is critical to disclose if you are receiving any form of commission from your partners. US charities and their agents are also required to disclose fully audited accounts. Where are yours?
  
• Payments investigation: There is an ongoing investigation by a major payment gateway of the methods used by gamingforgood to charge fees and transfer money through unauthorized channels, potentially in violation of money-laundering laws in the US and Canada. Funds in similar cases in the past have gotten frozen, and we fear that it may happen to streamers using their service in the US. FinCen is the regulator that oversees MSBs in the US. More details will emerge in a few months. Consider this a PSA.
  

Just last year for Vulcun, through Kiva.org, we supported 2800 small businesses and created 5,000+ sustainable jobs through $500,000 in non-profit startup funding details here. I fully support the charitable work gamingforgood is trying to do - I’ve even made 2 donations personally to g4g. But helping a charity does not give you the license to engage in deceptive and illegal business practices.
If you’re going to be serious about supporting hundreds of thousands of streamers as we do, you have to run your organization professionally or it will fall apart. Software will break. Money will go missing. Streamers will be mad. You’ll have lawsuits and regulators. Running a professional software platform is very different from a stream full of drama and troll. Donation platforms have all been around for a few years and have peacefully co-existed. We have all competed fairly using new features, better support and lower prices. You are the exception: big on drama, little on substance.
That is all we are asking for in our cease-desist letter: just stop harassing us and our users. There are no monetary demands, no required apologies. Just stop harassing our streamers and employees, and we’ll all move on. For the sake of the gaming community Athene, please. Show your fans that you can take the high-road, be a real leader, and lead by example.
 
TL;DR: Some evidence for harassment, hacking, false accusations, and incomplete disclosure of fees by G4G/Athene.
sorry for bringing drama in /forsen guys - a lot of the g4g posts were here, and it seemed the right place to issue a response in an open-minded community.
edit: some claims are pending investigation of someone who's claiming to have done them here

Buckle up, this is definitely a TL:DR.
I have been on holidays from work since December 14th and figured I'd spend some time here and there casually playing on PartyPoker as I've been through the revolving door of both Pokerstars and FullTilt in the past, on both of which I've had some less than ideal experiences (some of those are rather obvious as to why... but I've never had an experience like what was about to occur.)
I downloaded the Party software and it installed smoothly. Making my account went just as smoothly. Now it comes time to make a deposit so I can actually play. Shouldn't be a big deal as I have made deposits to both Full Tilt and Stars in the past and I still have my original Instadebit account which is linked to my bank account. I click on the Instadebit deposit option and I am greeted with this screen:
https://imgur.com/Hy1PaRx
Note that I am from Canada and as it should be obvious, we pay a premium for transferring our Monopoly money into freedom dollars. Again, no big deal as I have seen this all before on PS and Tilt. So we should get $500 USD for $649.35 CDN, it's all good.
The deposit goes through just fine, and we're off to the races... except that we're not.
Immediately, my cashier in the top right corner says that I have $485 USD / $645.39 CDN... so I'm $15 USD short of what we expected to see. At the same time, I get an email receipt from PartyPoker documenting the deposit.
https://imgur.com/8yjXdOA
Exactly one minute later, I receive an email from Instadebit documenting the successful deposit transaction:
https://imgur.com/RbgzrQC
Strangely it says that I was charged $690.89 CDN dollars and indeed should have received $500 USD... neither of which are reflected in my cashier.
I am slightly alarmed at the discrepancy as any previous deposits I have ever made with Instadebit on PS or Tilt have always been dead equal between the amount I was charged out of my bank account, and the amount deposited into my poker client bankroll... so I open up the PartyPoker live support chat and proceed to inform their CS rep of the issue.
They tell me that I have received exactly what I paid for and to wait and see what amount ends up actually being charged out of my bank account, to see if it all reconciles. I don't necessarily agree with that statement but it's not a groundbreaking amount of money so tell him this and then I agree to follow up later on after my bank account shows whether I was actually charged $645 or $690 CDN.
I open up two 6 handed 25nl tables, one table of 50nl fastforward (their version of zoom and buy in for 100bb on each.) After about two hours or so, I decide I'm hungry and should grab some lunch. I finish the session up about $160 CDN so I am pretty happy with that. My cashier currently sits at $805 CDN, from a start point (as previously mentioned) of $649.35 CDN.
I sit out from all three tables and come back to my home screen. I check in on my deposit bonus in my account page as I used an affiliate link to start my Party account and they offered a 100% deposit bonus up to $500 USD (hence why I was intent on depositing exactly $500 USD) but strangely enough the deposit bonus shown on my account is greyed out and says it's completely fulfilled... except I don't have any reward from it. There is not a chance in hell I have cleared this bonus in two hours worth of play, so again I open up the live chat support and explain the situation. I get the same guy I spoke to earlier and he resets my deposit bonus, despite me losing any credit for the play I have just completed I'm on my way again. I again voice my concern regarding the discrepancy with my deposit versus what I received but he waves it off and says to figure it out later. I say ok and log out.
My wife gets home from work at this point so I don't get back to any play until later that evening after she goes to bed for the night. I fire PartyPoker back up on my laptop and open up one single table of 50nl FastForward. It's not long before I run pocket kings into villain's pocket aces for about 110 bb all in preflop, and villain holds.
Not long after this, a message pops up on the screen of my laptop telling me to cease playing and contact Party Poker immediately as there is an issue with my account. I'm kind of annoyed as I just got pinched for a full buy in and am in the mood to get unstuck, but maybe they figured out where the rest of my deposit went. Keep in mind this is about 10 hours after I initially made my deposit and spent about 2 hours playing. They give me an option to either telephone them, or email them. I choose email as my wife is sleeping and I don't want to disturb her. I log out of my account and open my email.
I'm not exactly sure what to write them at this point as they were not forthcoming with any details whatsoever with their pop up message, so I try to log back in to my PartyPoker account to contact their live support for further information on the issue. Unfortunately I am met with this message:
https://imgur.com/kU0SvAq
So I don't have many options at this point, so I send the email off asking what the problem is:
https://imgur.com/IyjWQ3k
It's pretty late in the day at this point and I no longer have anything productive to do so I go to bed. At this time by my math I should have about $750 CDN in my cashier. Tomorrow is another day.
I wake up to this email:
https://imgur.com/N60yT6g
Note that their email still says I only deposited $649.35 CDN. It occurs to me that there is nothing I can really do with any of this mess until the deposit transaction hits my bank account and provides some further info, so I wait.
About 2.5 days later the transaction finally gets posted to my bank account so I capture that info and email it to operations at party poker as they have instructed me to do.
https://imgur.com/B7Ji6rU
As it would make sense to me and I would expect any other reasonable person, I obscure my bank account number, and also the unrelated deposit and withdrawal information of other transactions that are my own personal business and not of interest to party poker.
Screenshot here, exactly what I sent them:
https://imgur.com/NVGbNGZ
I also take the opportunity to outline the confirmed deposit discrepancy as shown by the clear amount that I was charged out of my bank account. I also ask for them to extend my deposit bonus clearing window as I have been locked out of my account for several days now for no real reason, in my opinion.
I receive this response back. This marks the first time they mention the notion that after 8 days that the deposit will work itself out and my account will be unlocked, or at least that is what I perceived from it.
https://imgur.com/dxHDXGf
Somewhat confused by the thought that they rationally expect me to send my personal banking information across the internet, including my actual bank account number for anyone to see, I reply with this:
https://imgur.com/jr4y9FA
This marks the second time of me informing them my bank does not supply paper records. Again I inquire as to why I was quoted an amount in CDN dollars but was charged in excess of that, as they chose to not answer my previous inquiry on that topic.
At this point I'm starting to lose my patience as I have never encountered even a days' delay after a deposit to full tilt or poker stars. You made the deposit, it was accepted and you were playing the same day. No 8 day wait. No need to supply a copy of your own personal banking records showing the successful deposit coming out of my own account. Shouldn't they be able to see that the deposit was received on their end, tied to my account?
Not to mention right from day one to make a deposit on PartyPoker you're required to upload a copy of an official identification document such as a passport or driver's license, which I did, and received notification that the upload was successful and the document was received.
I receive this email telling me that I received exactly what was contained in the screenshot I sent them (the instadebit quote I linked previously) showing I should get $500 USD for $649.35.
https://imgur.com/EkeluXS
I'm somewhat confused why she would refer to a screenshot that I sent her showing the discrepancy of what I was charged versus what I received in my party poker account as I have also sent them the official instadebit receipt showing I was charged $690.89 as well as my actual bank record showing the exact same charge, but I can't seem to get them to realize what happened.
My reply:
https://imgur.com/cUX98Ir
Pretty self explanatory. Again I inquire whether after an elapse of 8 days if my account will be unlocked.
This email goes ignored / unanswered from anyone at Party Poker, so I resend it, also noting that the full 8 days has more than elapsed since I made the deposit in good faith, and thus my account should have been unlocked as demonstrated by their own emails.
https://imgur.com/T9maIrX
I get a reply about 16 hours later, explaining that some how or some way, multiple transactions of foreign currencies are the justification for the missing deposit money.
https://imgur.com/jHFTHGb
In my opinion, my bank account was only billed in $CDN and should have only been billed in CDN dollars as that was the amount quoted from instadebit and that is what I accepted upon the time of the transaction. From what I can see and tell, my bank never had to do any foreign currency conversion of CDN to USD, or vice versa. Instadebit set the exchange mount, determined it at a certain amount of CDN dollars and charged me as such. Not at any time was my Canadian bank tasked with any currency conversion.
I'm also not seeing the logic in this explanation as I have never once experienced this phenomenon happening in any other instadebit deposit to more than one poker client previously. At this point I'm sick of it all and just want my fucking money back.
https://imgur.com/A8KwLte
Pretty clear and to the point this time. Their reply:
https://imgur.com/t1FEJQ5
They again just ask for a paper bank statement to unlock my account.
https://imgur.com/icKd9rm
I choose to beat my head against the wall and repeat myself some more.
So, what do I do now? I'm not under the impression that they are going to send my money back to my instadebit account anytime soon. I don't care about my PP account. I'll fucking play on pokerstars if I really feel like it, I just want my deposit refunded.
Is it normal to have to send them your bank account records outlining the transaction after you send them a successful deposit attached to your drivers license and they accept the money and allow you to play for a few hours?

Would PokerStars be a 'game' that can be streamed? Im wondering because technically you need to be 18+ (here in Canada) to play, but Twitch doesnt seem to say you cant play it anywhere that Ive looked?
Thanks!

One of the most important poker tournaments hosted on Canadian soil goes by the name of PokerStars Canada Cup. It was scheduled just a couple of days before the World Series of Poker 2014 began and Robert Notkin was the player to win it all. He found no reason to forsake this opportunity just to be among those who buy in for the first side events of the Las Vegas series and his decision proved correct. As a result of outlasting all his competitors, Robert claimed a prize of $366,660 and increased his initial investment more than 100 times. With so much cash won just a few days before the WSOP, he can participate in virtually all side events, without even worrying about money. It took him a full five days to outshine 578 participants, but Notkin was well prepared to survive such a marathon. Most of those who participated in this competition bought in and had no problem in paying $3300, but Robert found an alternate way. This is the one preferred by those who have an account with PokerStars and don't mind playing satellites for as little as $30. Obviously, he went to a string of qualifying events, before booking a seat for the main event but the time spent at the online tables was well worth it. Once he made the final table, he took full advantage of his vast experience in online poker and won a remarkable pot in the last hand of the tournament. Observers were expecting the tournament to last for an another hour so, as for players were still in the hand but Robert Notkin was dealt pocket Kings and he moved for the kill. Interesting enough for his competitors were willing to commit their entire stacks with decently strong hands, but all of them started as underdogs to his Kings. What usually happens when you go all in with four players is that one of the other players improves his hand, but this was not the case as the pair held all the way to the river. The three players were eliminated in one swift blow and Robert was left to savor his win and the six digit amount. This is what the other players got for their effort and it is only fair to say that they were generously rewarded. 1. Robert Notkin $366,6602. Vincent Jacques $257,2803. Ryan Rivers $165,2804. Justin Miller $122,4105. Rayan Chamas $91,7606. Ankush Mandavia $73,5207. Thiago Nishijima $61,3008. Francois Goulet $48,8809. James Armstrong $36,660
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So I have only been playing poker for about a month now, but I have nonetheless already fallen in love with the game. I love it so much that I want to try and become a poker pro. My only issue is that aside from learning as much as I can, I can't really improve unless I am playing for real money. This leaves me in a bind because I have to be 21 to play on Bovada in Texas. I am going to college next year so I can certainly go to a state where the betting age is 18 and play on Bovada there: I think this may be my best option. Otherwise, I could try and take a gap year to Canada to work/go to school part time and dedicate the rest of my time towards learning/pokerstars/tournaments I can find.
I would appreciate any help in the best direction to take given my goal. If you think my goal is unreasonable, I understand, but please don't tell me that! ;)

Verified? (This bot cannot verify AMAs just yet)
Date: 2015-11-25
Link to submission (Has self-text)

Questions	Answers
Hi Daniel, can you tell us what are your thoughts on the new VIP programs that PokerStars offer. Do you think it will affect so much the pro players that they'll leave the site ? And if so, will the recreational player gained overcome that ? Thank you for your time, big fan.	I would have made changes to the program years ago, but if I were in charge I would have made sure I gave ample notice that the changes were coming. They are essential, but I wish they would wait until Jan 1, 2017 to implement them and I wouldn't target high limit players by removing their VPPs.
Why do you think more women don't play poker and what can be done to encourage more women to play? Any behavior you notice around the tables that needs to be changed?	For the same reasons that men represent a small percentage of romantic novel sales. Generally speaking, I think men and women are drawn to different interests. Not as a rule, of course, but we just have different interests mostly.
Daniel, big fan. I've recently got into playing poker and I'm astonished with your ability to read hands so well. Is it luck or is there a certain give away that gives you the ability to read hands like their moves on the table or even body movements? What would you tell someone trying to get better at reading opponents?	I would say PAY ATTENTION. To all details. What they wear, do they seem honest? What do they do for a living? Then for physical tells, look for literally anything that sticks out and relate it to the cards they turn over. Grab as many clues as you can and they might help you in the crucial moments.
Why don't you play more poker tournaments in Canada? Have you ever been to Alberta?	I typically play the higher limit events worldwide and Canada hasn't had any. I have been to Winnipeg and took in a Jets game. They CRUSHED the Leafs that night lol.
Huge fan Daniel, & not just on the felt. What do you think is the most redeeming quality a person can have? Or possibly the most unique feature that is hard to come by these days? Also for someone who doesn't know their passion in life: what advice would you give?	Best quality would be one who lives a life in service to others. To find your passion, you may want to start with the end game. Right out a page and answer the following question: what is your vision for your life? In great detail 5-10 years down the road.
Daniel, Easy question. F, Marry, Kill? Liv Boeree, Joanna Krupa & Annie Duke?	Marry Liv, she is smart and cool F Joanna Krupa, she is Joanna Krupa! Kill Annie Duke, gladly. She is awful lol.
What procedure did you go through to get your hair back? serious question. it looks great.	Ha! Pretty common procedure these days. Just moved it from the back of my head to the front! Ever see anyone bald on the side or the back? Nope. That hair is strong like bull.
Who's the most fun to play with on the tour?	I'd say Phil Hellmuth. He is quite a character and beating him in a hand creates a lot of fun. I can't help but laugh at him he is OUT THERE! haha.
If you HAD to put numbers to it, what percentage of poker is skill and what percentage is luck?	It's hard to say because time is a factor. In one hand for example it's 100% luck, but over a million hands luck would play less than 0.0001% of a role in your results.
Do you enjoy poker now as much as you did when you first came onto the scene? Also, what about the game do you derive the most happiness from?	Probably not. It was different back then because I was grinding and it mattered more financially. I still love to play.I enjoy the competitive aspect of the game.
How does playing live compare with playing online? Which do you find easier?	Online is definitely more convenient, but I find live easier because I can base my reads on the person rather than the numbers.
What would you describe as a key to success? Work-ethic? Being self-aware? Confidence? Being self-conscious? Would looove to hear your input.	Self awareness is key. It's important to read other people and how they play, but it's just as important to understand how they THINK you play and disappoint them!
As a fellow Canadian, which NHL team is your favourite?	I grew up in Toronto so always hope the Leafs can finally right the ship, but when Las Vegas gets an NHL team I'll be a Vegas fan for sure!
Do you follow any of the DFS news? I know legally, they have to fight the not-gambling argument but to you is it clearly gambling?	Of course it is gambling! Walking across the street is a gamble with your life. Opening a restaurant, buying stocks etc are ALL gambling. It's silly.
What would you consider your greatest accomplishment outside of poker?	Honestly, accomplishing the goal of living out my dream life that I envisioned in my late teens and early 20's. Exceeding those dreams really.
How much money was on the line when you beat elky HU in the Hearthstone match? What kind of odds did he give you?	We bet that if I lost I had to go to PCA in an Annoy-A-Tron outfit and since he lost he is going as Sludge Belcher! haha.
Daniel, What's the best way for a beginner to become a good poker player?	Study and practice! No substitute for putting in the work. You can even start playing for free on PokerStars to improve.
If you could design a Hearthstone card what would it be? What name/class?	A 0-1 stealth card for Shaman that gives Totems +1 attack at the end of your turn. Sick huh?
What colour socks are you wearing today?	Was supposed to be blue, I wore those in the morning then put the wrong ones on and went with red.
What's your favorite board game?	I used to really like Risk, but recently been playing Taboo with friends and it's quite fun.
Who is your favorite to take the Stanley Cup this year?	I liked Anaheim to start the season but they have started really slowly. Kings look pretty good too.
Also, i apologize for double posting, but on the off chance you'd be replying to my comment before i edited it i figured i'd make another one. How do you value physical wellness in terms of being happiebeing able to be a better player, a better person, how important would you rate it?	Very important. Book called The 8th Habit talks about how there are 168 hours in a week and if you spent just 1.5 hours a week exercising it improves your happiness and the quality of the other 166.5 hours.
Who will win between Rubio and Clinton?	Not sure, but I'd bet those two are the ones who will face off. Probably Hillary.
Hi Daniel, Do you travel with your dog to poker tournaments? Would you consider him your good luck charm?	I did when I first got him, but now my assistant takes care of him when I'm on the road.
What did you think of Schwartz and his actions at the WSOP his year? Some of his antics were questionable at best.	It was awkward. I focused on empathy with him. He has a lot of demons so I could never understand the pain he is in.
Any fun stories from the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine? It was a nice surprise seeing you in the movie!	Yeah, Hugh Jackman was such a gentlemen. He knew the name of every extra on the set and was genuine and kind.
Can you please tell my husband to help me with work around the house before jumping on the computer to play poker? Maybe he'll listen to you, he's a big fan.	Tell him I said it's OK to enjoy your passion but make sure she plays a big role in that passion or you will be sleeping on the couch!
Is there currently a significant other in your life? If no, are you actively looking for one? When being a known figure in a certain world can make it more difficult I can imagine. If I were you, I'd rather find someone that has no idea who you are, rather than someone that knows your as 'that guy from poker'. What is your view on this?	Girl I'm dating had NO CLUE who I was! First time we met out at a Starbucks someone asked for a picture and her eyes got wide and she said, "Who are you?" She thought I set up the whole thing HAHA.
Top three favorite movies and are you a Game of Thrones fan? Love watching you play!	American History X Good Will Hunting Remember the Titans.
	Game of Thrones is awesome!!!
Coke or Pepsi?	Neither. Having had a soda in 20 years. It's poison!
Considering the statistical unlikelihood of success, how were you able to get over the "bad bet" that is the decision to go pro?	It requires resilience and drive. I got kicked down many times before i succeeded but I just never gave up.
Is poker still a viable career for someone to aspire to? or is it too close to reaching a point where everyone plays so close to optimally so no one can have an edge.	Depending on your skill set I still think there is plenty of money to be made, you just have to find the right situations.
What's a common tell amateurs have?	Glancing at their chips quickly when they like the flop.

Last updated: 2015-11-25 22:58 UTC | Next update: 2015-11-25 23:58 UTC
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23714 AM [robin] Welcome to robin. Please type help or commands for more information. 23714 AM Voting will end in approximately 32 minutes 23714 AM [robin] connecting 23715 AM [robin] connected! 23717 AM Razzamuffin hi guys 23718 AM U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A 23719 AM dunnomate voted to GROW 23721 AM JohnKeel we did it 23722 AM yaahoe Hi everyone 23725 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 1 second. 23725 AM what country you guys in 23725 AM HousePest U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R AU S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R AU S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A 23726 AM yaahoe Before we get crazy, 23728 AM Qotta Howdy, any Canadians in your group 23728 AM Newpills NAILED IT 23732 AM U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A 23732 AM Razzamuffin we need a canadian 23733 AM cputnik yay o 23736 AM SeCTeen boop 23736 AM yaahoe can everyone tell me where they are from 23737 AM ady5 voted to GROW 23738 AM Newpills oooh canada 23743 AM Kitsune_Nebula voted to GROW 23743 AM yaahoe We need a canadian! 23746 AM SeCTeen I pay debts 23746 AM Razzamuffin canada 23747 AM yaahoe voted to GROW 23748 AM House_Pest A quebecquois ! 23750 AM Razzamuffin voted to STAY 23750 AM publicwc voted to GROW 23752 AM yaahoe U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A 23753 AM Qotta We're looking for all the English speaking countries, and we just need Canada 23757 AM cputnik voted to GROW 23757 AM CrypticPotato PSA 23757 AM Razzamuffin stay guys 23800 AM yaahoe To add to the country roll call 23801 AM CrypticPotato !commands 23802 AM yaahoe voted to STAY 23804 AM Newpills voted to STAY 23805 AM Razzamuffin canada 23807 AM pls 23808 AM ady5 I can be canadian 23809 AM CrypticPotato !commands 23810 AM CrypticPotato Commands !people !players !time !clock !abandon !leavers !commands !help !stats !votes !doesrobinloveme !color !pray !meme 23813 AM yaahoe Hehe 23813 AM Newpills voted to GROW 23815 AM Qotta CAN be 23815 AM SeCTeen !meme 23821 AM Qotta What does that mean 23823 AM dunnomate !doesrobinloveme 23824 AM CrypticPotato dunnomate, Robin HATES you! 23826 AM dunnomate fuck 23827 AM babyitsgayoutside did we merge 23828 AM publicwc I got a canadian cousin is that count 23829 AM ady5 sorry, but i'm not 23831 AM yaahoe I'll accept ady5, but we would prefer an authentic canadian 23831 AM Razzamuffin fuck 23832 AM Newpills he's up for anything, crazy bastard 23832 AM House_Pest Bwahaha 23834 AM babyitsgayoutside i accidentally refreshed as it was merging 23835 AM CrypticPotato keep the chat message limit in mind 23836 AM vigo810 voted to GROW 23838 AM CrypticPotato when using the bot 23838 AM Razzamuffin we cant grow 23840 AM anymore 23841 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 4 seconds. 23841 AM pls 23843 AM CrypticPotato some of your commands wont go through 23846 AM cputnik !color 23847 AM CrypticPotato cputnik, your color is light brown 23850 AM House_Pest !doesrobinloveme 23851 AM CrypticPotato House_Pest, Robin loves you. 23851 AM cputnik dang 23853 AM Razzamuffin what you guys being talking about 23854 AM yaahoe I am going to stay, but first, 23856 AM Please 23858 AM Razzamuffin from the non country group 23858 AM yaahoe Any 23901 AM Canadians!! 23905 AM dunnomate !color 23905 AM CrypticPotato dunnomate, your color is light brown 23905 AM Razzamuffin seems like none 23909 AM CrypticPotato voted to GROW 23910 AM Razzamuffin rip dream guys 23912 AM Kitsune_Nebula !doesrobinloveme 23912 AM CrypticPotato Kitsune_Nebula, Robin HATES you! 23913 AM Razzamuffin did anyone 23913 AM Qotta Rough 23915 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 1 second. 23915 AM save the convo 23920 AM Razzamuffin save the convo 23925 AM CrypticPotato robin bases his feelings on you on your color 23928 AM Newpills niet 23929 AM dunnomate !pray 23929 AM CrypticPotato If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. 23929 AM Zoso26 is anyone here over the age of 15 23933 AM Razzamuffin someone pm me on reddit pls 23935 AM yaahoe Yeah 23935 AM Razzamuffin i am 23936 AM yaahoe Okay 23938 AM Razzamuffin most of us are 23938 AM Newpills ya 23939 AM publicwc me 23939 AM CrypticPotato !commands 23940 AM CrypticPotato Commands !people !players !time !clock !abandon !leavers !commands !help !stats !votes !doesrobinloveme !color !pray !meme 23942 AM House_Pest yep 23943 AM SeCTeen yes 23951 AM the-waste-land i was pooping 23954 AM what did i miss 23954 AM Razzamuffin lmao 23957 AM cputnik !doesrobinloveme 23957 AM Razzamuffin no canadians 23957 AM CrypticPotato cputnik, Robin loves you. 23957 AM Zoso26 !clock 23958 AM CrypticPotato Estimated time left 29 minutes 23958 AM House_Pest what for 24000 AM Razzamuffin thats what 24006 AM House_Pest !pray 24006 AM Newpills canadians are like a rare bird´ 24006 AM yaahoe Razza I am messaging you 24007 AM SeCTeen I clicked yes, I am over 18 in a nsfw subreddit 24011 AM cputnik !pray 24011 AM CrypticPotato If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. 24013 AM Razzamuffin you guys are a quiet bunch 24017 AM the new guys 24022 AM Zoso26 voted to GROW 24022 AM Newpills they hate us already, racists 24024 AM the-waste-land what are the new lot like 24024 AM Razzamuffin stay guys stay 24028 AM Qotta voted to STAY 24031 AM Razzamuffin theyre quite 24032 AM the-waste-land voted to STAY 24033 AM CrypticPotato !stats 24033 AM CrypticPotato Abandon 0. Stay 4. Grow 10. AFK novote 1. GROWERS 45%. STAYERS 18% 24035 AM Razzamuffin and wanting to pose as canadians 24035 AM vigo810 I'm scared 24037 AM House_Pest but you wouldn't steal a wanfbag, would you 24037 AM errant_semicolon New friends 24039 AM Razzamuffin dont be vigo 24040 AM i was 24041 AM the-waste-land STAY 24042 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 4 seconds. 24042 AM its ok 24044 AM JohnKeel but canada ( 24044 AM errant_semicolon bots in here or nah 24044 AM House_Pest handbag 24045 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 999 milliseconds. 24045 AM its ok 24048 AM publicwc we were quiet indeed 24053 AM Razzamuffin no bots from out 11 24055 AM Qotta Oh won't you....STAY with me 24055 AM Razzamuffin our 24055 AM dunnomate !commands 24056 AM CrypticPotato Commands !people !players !time !clock !abandon !leavers !commands !help !stats !votes !doesrobinloveme !color !pray !meme 24057 AM House_Pest voted to GROW 24102 AM the-waste-land !time 24102 AM CrypticPotato Estimated time left 28 minutes 24103 AM yaahoe I am so sad there is no Canadians 24106 AM Razzamuffin same 24107 AM U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A 24109 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 7 seconds. 24109 AM its ok 24109 AM the-waste-land it is sad 24111 AM vigo810 !people 24112 AM CrypticPotato Current number of people 22 24113 AM the-waste-land it really is 24118 AM babyitsgayoutside we need canucks 24118 AM House_Pest '( 24119 AM JohnKeel voted to STAY 24122 AM Razzamuffin alright what countries u new guys from 24125 AM Newpills truly heartbreaking 24126 AM Razzamuffin if you havnt said pls do 24133 AM cputnik ireland 24136 AM Razzamuffin omg yes 24140 AM IRE 24142 AM yaa 24143 AM the-waste-land but maybe it would be easier to get one of us to go to canada 24144 AM Zoso26 usa 24147 AM the-waste-land very good 24148 AM yaahoe YES Ireland 24149 AM the-waste-land ireland 24151 AM Razzamuffin nice another murican 24154 AM yaahoe We have USA ) 24154 AM vigo810 US 24157 AM yaahoe Okay 24158 AM Razzamuffin U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A 24200 AM publicwc thailand 24200 AM yaahoe so we have now 24200 AM the-waste-land huge 24201 AM Newpills pog ma hone! 24201 AM Razzamuffin this is our previous one 24207 AM with every country represented 24209 AM yaahoe U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A I R E 24213 AM Razzamuffin now adding ireland nice 24214 AM yaahoe Looks so pretty guys 24219 AM Razzamuffin U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A I R E 24220 AM Qotta I like the ending 24221 AM Razzamuffin the meme 24221 AM Qotta F R A I R E 24222 AM House_Pest Thailand is what, THA 24226 AM Razzamuffin oh add it 24228 AM yaahoe Thailand!! 24230 AM the-waste-land what is the P 24230 AM publicwc tha i guess 24231 AM yaahoe U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A T H A 24231 AM CrypticPotato !meme 24232 AM CrypticPotato httppuu.sho3fG167e15095bd.webm 24235 AM Razzamuffin portugal 24238 AM Newpills TH i think 24240 AM House_Pest #fraire 24243 AM Razzamuffin TAI 24245 AM Newpills Portugal represent ovah heee 24246 AM yaahoe U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A I R E T H A 24249 AM There you go 24251 AM dunnomate I spent 4 months in Thailand last year.. 24254 AM errant_semicolon voted to STAY 24254 AM Razzamuffin no its TAI 24258 AM yaahoe most updated ) 24258 AM Razzamuffin nevermind 24300 AM vigo810 Wait.... I'm from US but in Costa Rica 24301 AM yaahoe oh okay! 24301 AM Razzamuffin its taiwan 24302 AM CrypticPotato !stats 24303 AM CrypticPotato Abandon 0. Stay 6. Grow 11. AFK novote 2. GROWERS 50%. STAYERS 27% 24303 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 2 seconds. 24303 AM im wrong 24304 AM the-waste-land i would do thai 24304 AM Newpills been there, great massages 24306 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 999 milliseconds. 24306 AM im wrong 24311 AM Razzamuffin im wrong its taiwan for tai 24320 AM the-waste-land love that portugal 24324 AM House_Pest U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A I R E T H A 24327 AM yaahoe I am technically living in Singapore temporarily (about 2 years) 24330 AM Razzamuffin cheeky portugese 24332 AM House_Pest !time 24332 AM yaahoe I could add SG 24332 AM CrypticPotato Estimated time left 25 minutes 24334 AM CrypticPotato !bob 24338 AM !bob 24338 AM CrypticPotato httpswww.youtube.comwatchv=jRRvqA5SY8s 24339 AM Razzamuffin what u doing in singapore yaa 24343 AM the-waste-land a cheeky porugese 24343 AM Razzamuffin what sort of job 24352 AM the-waste-land let's guess what he does 24401 AM yaahoe My partner is a PHD student and I am having a jolly good time being a tourist 24404 AM Razzamuffin also is my main boy qotta still here 24408 AM yaahoe U S A O Z N Z P T E N G F R A I R E T H A S G 24408 AM Razzamuffin niiice dude 24411 AM Qotta I'm here! 24417 AM the-waste-land that sounds ACE 24425 AM House_Pest i like bob 24425 AM Qotta Just checking out the new sub babyitsgayoutside set up 24431 AM Razzamuffin which was your guys original partnet 24433 AM partner 24433 AM babyitsgayoutside yes ello 24434 AM CrypticPotato !stats 24435 AM CrypticPotato Abandon 0. Stay 6. Grow 11. AFK novote 2. GROWERS 50%. STAYERS 27% 24451 AM yaahoe Yeah so I get to go on holidays every three months or the Singaporean government will sentence me to lashes 24457 AM babyitsgayoutside mine was the-waste-land i think my memory is shit. i know they were red. 24502 AM yaahoe Mine was name456 24505 AM but they never spoke 24507 AM CrypticPotato by the way !meme should give you a random link 24509 AM Qotta RIP name456 24512 AM Razzamuffin i posted on it 24512 AM Newpills rip 24514 AM yaahoe Yep 24515 AM House_Pest mine left me for someone else 24515 AM yaahoe RIP 24526 AM Razzamuffin this sub doe 24535 AM yaahoe What is the subreddit razza 24540 AM Razzamuffin ill link 24543 AM babyitsgayoutside Qohey 24544 AM Razzamuffin httpswww.reddit.comrQoheycomments4d1qxuhi_guys_ya_nz_brother_here 24548 AM Newpills just have to say, babyitsgayoutside is such a cool name 24548 AM Razzamuffin its on there 24558 AM yaahoe Awesome 24558 AM Newpills i keep reading it in amazement 24605 AM Razzamuffin howd u get that name 24605 AM yaahoe I love babyitsgayoutside 24613 AM errant_semicolon voted to GROW 24615 AM yaahoe makes me wish I put more effort into my name 24618 AM CrypticPotato !stats 24619 AM CrypticPotato Abandon 0. Stay 5. Grow 12. AFK novote 2. GROWERS 55%. STAYERS 23% 24627 AM Razzamuffin can we stay guys 24628 AM pls 24630 AM publicwc voted to STAY 24633 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 3 seconds. 24633 AM i dont think we will survive 24635 AM vigo810 Why 24636 AM Razzamuffin we wont survive 24641 AM 22 randoms 24642 AM Newpills indeed, mine just appeared when I was creating the account 24644 AM yaahoe I am voting to stay 24650 AM babyitsgayoutside thank u guys 24653 AM Razzamuffin errant bro 24654 AM you there 24700 AM yaahoe I wanted youahoe as in you a hoe but it was taken 24704 AM errant_semicolon Sup 24705 AM Razzamuffin lol 24705 AM yaahoe closet I got was ya a hoe 24709 AM Qotta lol 24711 AM yaahoe but it looks like I am the hoe 24713 AM Razzamuffin where u from errant 24716 AM Newpills guess reddit thinks i need newpills, but jokes on it, i have ALL the pills 24717 AM yaahoe So i guess the jokes on me ( 24719 AM Razzamuffin if you didnt say already 24722 AM babyitsgayoutside i think i stole the name idea from someone on tumblr shh. i dont remember why i chose it 24728 AM Newpills poor yaahow ( 24730 AM babyitsgayoutside apart from jokes on my own homosexuality 24731 AM Newpills 3 24733 AM errant_semicolon Georgia, the state, not the country 24742 AM Razzamuffin ahh alg 24743 AM CrypticPotato !sayno2grow 24743 AM CrypticPotato remember, growth will only lead to stale memes and broken dreams 24746 AM Newpills also gay, let's do gay things 24746 AM Razzamuffin another murican 24746 AM House_Pest a bad ripoff of yahoo was my first thought 24747 AM yaahoe Doesn't matter babyitsgayoutside D we still love you all the same 24757 AM babyitsgayoutside male gay or female gay tho 24803 AM i didnt use reddit much until recently 24803 AM Razzamuffin my best friend came out as gay in high school 24809 AM he was still awesome ofc 24809 AM dunnomate or just happy gay 24812 AM errant_semicolon eagle screeches 24812 AM vigo810 voted to STAY 24812 AM the-waste-land my brother is gay 24812 AM Newpills female gay, but I can male gay as good as any other! 24821 AM babyitsgayoutside fuck yeah for female gays 24822 AM yaahoe I am not gay but can appreciate other woman, but I love the D 24825 AM Razzamuffin at this rate we will talk politics next 24825 AM Qotta Not sure what that means... 24831 AM CrypticPotato !meme 24832 AM CrypticPotato httpswww.youtube.comwatchv=PWmfNeLs7fA 24838 AM babyitsgayoutside !gay 24840 AM Newpills fuck yeah! fingers up 24840 AM House_Pest !meme 24841 AM CrypticPotato httppuu.sho3fHL32b87b800e.webm 24843 AM House_Pest !mémé 24847 AM Razzamuffin DAE sanderS 24849 AM meme 24852 AM the-waste-land !gay 24854 AM errant_semicolon Trump is just saying what we're all thinking 24902 AM Qotta lol 24903 AM the-waste-land don't start that 24904 AM yaahoe I had other good user names but I posted to much and you could identify me so I jumped ship 24906 AM ( 24914 AM errant_semicolon Okay, sorry, don't do it 24917 AM vigo810 voted to GROW 24918 AM yaahoe No politics.... not yet ( 24920 AM the-waste-land haha 24922 AM errant_semicolon I was kidding he's an awful person 24934 AM the-waste-land -) 24935 AM House_Pest !time 24936 AM CrypticPotato Estimated time left 19 minutes 24943 AM Razzamuffin guys subreddit is rolling 24943 AM the-waste-land an opinion we can all get behind 24947 AM Razzamuffin keepo 24948 AM Newpills what sub 24953 AM yaahoe Yeeew 24954 AM the-waste-land I live in the UK and the trump thing is getting so much coverage 24959 AM Razzamuffin hey guys quick question 25003 AM the-waste-land it's all we talk about 25006 AM yaahoe Yeah I live in SingaporeAustralia 25012 AM We love American politics 25013 AM Razzamuffin how many of you guys knew we were having a referndum about changing our national flag 25019 AM i bet 0 25019 AM yaahoe I did ) 25023 AM Newpills ya our news in portugal talk about him a lot, we're all shocked 25024 AM Qotta I DID! 25032 AM the-waste-land i knew that Razza muffin! 25032 AM vigo810 WHat country 25034 AM Newpills american politics affects all politics 25036 AM yaahoe I KNEW, WE ACTUALLY LIKE NZ 25042 AM Razzamuffin TY 25045 AM 3 YAA 25046 AM errant_semicolon That's not american politics ( that's reality television 25046 AM the-waste-land i live with a kiwi 25047 AM Qotta I am kinda into vexillology 25049 AM Razzamuffin TY WASTE 25050 AM yaahoe AUSTRALIANS LOVE TO SHOW THEIR LOVE BY INSULTS 25050 AM vigo810 Oh... The three color choices right 25058 AM Razzamuffin uhm not rlly 25101 AM vigo 25109 AM nz 25109 AM babyitsgayoutside i have a friend into vexillology 25112 AM House_Pest httpsen.wikipedia.orgwikiVexillology(album) 25113 AM yaahoe Probably the most accurate thing about MOST australians, is we insult our friends because we love them 25114 AM publicwc Our politics is fucked so nobody worries about trump here 25120 AM cputnik politics can suck my balls xD 25121 AM Razzamuffin love ya cunt 25123 AM yaahoe Makes no sense but we love it 25123 AM the-waste-land haha 25131 AM Love ya cunt 25137 AM yaahoe Love ya my kiwi cunt 25139 AM Qotta Razza, what do you think of the new flag design 25140 AM the-waste-land that can be our moto 25143 AM Newpills also portuguesse, we love calling eachother whore, cocksucker,cunt, blowjober () 25148 AM broxista 25154 AM vigo810 Back to the flag.... Aren't two of the flag choices fairly similar with different color combinations 25156 AM yaahoe Here is a better more endearing term... bestowed upon only those most worthy 25158 AM Mate 25200 AM ) 25202 AM babyitsgayoutside i can feel my face again! 25205 AM dunnomate DEEZ NUTZ 2016! 25209 AM Newpills guys 25209 AM guys 25211 AM Razzamuffin the new one is nice but its not good enough to replace the current (there should be a better new one in a few years) 25214 AM the-waste-land very good news about your face 25219 AM babyitsgayoutside yes 25219 AM Razzamuffin yea similar 25221 AM Newpills do we have a sub 25221 AM Qotta I agree 25222 AM yaahoe Yeah fair enough 25227 AM babyitsgayoutside Yeah we're Qohey 25228 AM Razzamuffin difference is the union jack for a silver fern 25230 AM yaahoe Flags are weird 25235 AM House_Pest péripapéticienne is prolly the most endearing term in french 25238 AM Razzamuffin flags are wierd yes 25240 AM CrypticPotato !stats 25240 AM CrypticPotato Abandon 0. Stay 6. Grow 11. AFK novote 2. GROWERS 50%. STAYERS 27% 25241 AM Razzamuffin httpswww.reddit.comrQoheycomments4d1qxuhi_guys_ya_nz_brother_here 25241 AM Newpills they are 25244 AM vigo810 I liked the fern options 25246 AM House_Pest along with casseur de couilles 25251 AM the-waste-land the lybian flag used to just be a green square 25300 AM Razzamuffin yea lol 25301 AM Qotta THis is a great video about flag design 25303 AM httpswww.youtube.comwatchv=pnv5iKB2hl4 25306 AM Razzamuffin i love those retarded flags 25309 AM the-waste-land libyan 25313 AM Razzamuffin just like a colour 25324 AM guys there is 11 in the sub 25326 AM 3 subbed 25327 AM SUB 25329 AM Newpills i liked the portuguese one from the monarchy better to be honest, blue and white 25339 AM Razzamuffin im gonna bring this up 1 year from now 25341 AM vigo810 voted to STAY 25342 AM yaahoe Razza 25343 AM the-waste-land Mozambique has an AK-47 and a hoe 25344 AM Razzamuffin see who remembers what 25345 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 1 second. 25345 AM yo 25346 AM yaahoe Can you mod me 25346 AM Razzamuffin yo 25348 AM yes 25351 AM the-waste-land and me! 25356 AM vigo810 voted to GROW 25358 AM Newpills aah mozambique... 25401 AM we are sorry,kinda 25416 AM Razzamuffin ill try 25419 AM ive never modded b4 25422 AM publicwc Yay Roman Mars 25428 AM Qotta Yay Roman Mars! 25429 AM the-waste-land what is our sub 25430 AM yaahoe Aw shanks 25435 AM Newpills qohey 25441 AM Qotta I am halfway through 99pi 25445 AM vigo810 99% Invisible 25448 AM Razzamuffin httpswww.reddit.comrQoheycomments4d1qxuhi_guys_ya_nz_brother_here 25452 AM rQohey 25500 AM yaahoe This is my fave group chat 25504 AM Newpills razzamuffin, is your name from raggamuffin 25505 AM Qotta Yeah dude, one of my favorite podcasts 25508 AM yaahoe and I have been around the block quick a few times 25523 AM CrypticPotato voted to ABANDON 25523 AM publicwc Hooked for almost 2 years. My favorite podcast too 25524 AM Razzamuffin uhm newpills no, its like sorta my last name but not quite 25529 AM baby u need to add mods 25530 AM Newpills a few times o yaa hoe 25530 AM Razzamuffin i cant 25535 AM babyitsgayoutside oops 25541 AM Newpills aah right, had to ask 25542 AM yaahoe Yeah ) 25542 AM the-waste-land cryptic potato 25548 AM why you leave 25548 AM Razzamuffin like this is an amaz group, we have a subreddit lmao 25553 AM hes over our bm 25555 AM babyitsgayoutside shall we stay 25600 AM babyitsgayoutside voted to STAY 25603 AM the-waste-land what a group this is 25610 AM yaahoe Yah yer heard me newpills 25610 AM Newpills should i stay or should i grow nowwwww 25612 AM Razzamuffin yes stay 25617 AM yaahoe Stay!! 25619 AM House_Pest !time 25620 AM Razzamuffin what u guys got planned for next week 25624 AM magicse voted to GROW 25625 AM yaahoe This is the first time I have stayed 25625 AM Newpills if i stay there will be trouble, if i grow there will be doubleeeeeeee 25628 AM Qotta Anyone listen to the new Hamilton Musical 25630 AM yaahoe I am moving hotels ) 25631 AM the-waste-land all come to france with me! 25634 AM vigo810 voted to STAY 25635 AM yaahoe I wish! 25635 AM vigo810 voted to GROW 25637 AM babyitsgayoutside yess pls 25644 AM Zoso26 !time 25646 AM Qotta Staaaaaaaay.... 25646 AM Kitsune_Nebula !stats 25646 AM Razzamuffin i havnt heard it qotta 25646 AM Zoso26 !clock 25650 AM House_Pest i'll ship y'all crêpes and galettes saucisses 25650 AM Newpills am close to france, will drive 25652 AM the-waste-land let's all help Yaahoe move hotels 25652 AM Razzamuffin is it on youtube to sample rn 25653 AM Zoso26 !clock 25655 AM babyitsgayoutside who was it that wanted to be modded 25658 AM House_Pest and KOUIGN AMANN 25700 AM Razzamuffin waste did and yaa 25700 AM Qotta And it's on Spotify 25702 AM vigo810 Me 25704 AM Razzamuffin mod them 25706 AM babyitsgayoutside ok 25706 AM Newpills i offer ham, chorizo and all alcohol 25707 AM yaahoe Me please babyitsgayoutside 25711 AM Newpills also ganja 25713 AM yaahoe Yeah I am so excited 25713 AM Razzamuffin i got u yaa 25721 AM House_Pest voted to STAY 25725 AM yaahoe the place we are staying at now sucks shit 25728 AM Thanks razza 25739 AM babyitsgayoutside added yaa, razza and waste! 25745 AM the-waste-land woooooo 25748 AM errant_semicolon Wait are we going stay 25751 AM yaahoe Thanks 3 25753 AM Razzamuffin oh im mod now 25754 AM ty 25756 AM Newpills no idea 25757 AM Razzamuffin yes stay 25758 AM yaahoe I am staying, for the first time in forver 25759 AM the-waste-land i think we have to stay 25759 AM babyitsgayoutside staaaay 25800 AM Razzamuffin we got a lot of chat happening 25800 AM Qotta Staystaystay 25800 AM ady5 !stats 25802 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 3 seconds. 25802 AM its perfect 25803 AM babyitsgayoutside i've never stayed 25805 AM Newpills voted to STAY 25806 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 999 milliseconds. 25806 AM its perfect 25808 AM yaahoe Stay stay 25810 AM Newpills a'ight 25810 AM the-waste-land !stats 25811 AM Razzamuffin its perfect 25813 AM Newpills stay it is 25814 AM yaahoe Neither babyitsgayoutside 25815 AM babyitsgayoutside !tally 25820 AM Razzamuffin !vote 25821 AM House_Pest i want y'all to stay 25821 AM Newpills voted to STAY 25821 AM vigo810 voted to STAY 25823 AM Newpills voted to GROW 25827 AM errant_semicolon voted to STAY 25831 AM Newpills voted to STAY 25833 AM Newpills voted to GROW 25833 AM babyitsgayoutside !commands 25834 AM cputnik voted to STAY 25834 AM yaahoe I need to shower D 25835 AM ady5 voted to ABANDON 25836 AM yaahoe BRB 25839 AM Qotta You all are the best. 25843 AM errant_semicolon Guy doing the % thing! Do the % thing again 25843 AM cputnik gdi peer pressure 25845 AM Newpills mine's stuck on grow 25846 AM bitch 25846 AM Kitsune_Nebula voted to STAY 25849 AM the-waste-land we are such a happy camp 25850 AM errant_semicolon My userscript broke ( 25852 AM Razzamuffin qotta stay with me the whole way fam 25856 AM babyitsgayoutside type vote grow 25900 AM stay even sorry 25912 AM Newpills voted to STAY 25913 AM Newpills voted to GROW 25916 AM yaahoe This is so much fun 25918 AM Newpills biiiiiiitch 25918 AM the-waste-land im eating a plum 25919 AM Razzamuffin do you guys play csgo 25928 AM im gonna niche this shit 25932 AM babyitsgayoutside no but i think ive heard of it 25943 AM Razzamuffin ah alg no one to watch the major with 25945 AM Newpills voted to STAY 25948 AM yaahoe I too have heard of it but really like story games ) 25953 AM Newpills voted to GROW 25955 AM Razzamuffin we need a canadian thooo 25956 AM Qotta No CSGo, sorry 25956 AM yaahoe Like Until Dawn 30003 AM Razzamuffin rip the dream 30005 AM do you know what 30008 AM babyitsgayoutside canadians arent real 30010 AM Qotta I used to play a bit of SC2 30013 AM Razzamuffin when we are sick of it, we grow for canada 30018 AM #growforcanada 30019 AM babyitsgayoutside GROW FOR CANADA 30021 AM the-waste-land do you guys have dragons den in the usa 30023 AM House_Pest they're just a moose in disguise 30024 AM yaahoe We can't razza ( 30030 AM Newpills voted to STAY 30031 AM Razzamuffin oh yeah sc2 was pretty good back in the day 30033 AM yaahoe Once we stay we can only exit the chat room 30033 AM Newpills voted to GROW 30039 AM Razzamuffin WHAT 30042 AM Kitsune_Nebula voted to GROW 30043 AM babyitsgayoutside whatttt 30043 AM Razzamuffin okay we stay 30045 AM yaahoe yep 30047 AM babyitsgayoutside why is that a rule D 30050 AM Razzamuffin i die by your guys side 30052 AM yaahoe I know right 30054 AM Newpills it wants me to grow ( 30056 AM yaahoe Its sucky 30058 AM the-waste-land we go to war together 30058 AM Newpills such is life 30106 AM Newpills voted to STAY 30107 AM yaahoe nooooooo 30109 AM House_Pest we stay together we die together 30110 AM yaahoe YYAYYAYA 30111 AM Qotta Newpills, do you have a Grow script 30113 AM Razzamuffin johnkeel my man where u at 30113 AM Newpills voted to GROW 30130 AM Newpills i had, but uninstalled it a while ago 30134 AM Razzamuffin im keeping my eyes peeled for who afks 30137 AM Newpills voted to STAY 30143 AM Newpills voted to GROW 30144 AM Razzamuffin yaa with the clutch shower 30148 AM NostawE voted to GROW 30153 AM Razzamuffin baby u here 30157 AM Newpills voted to STAY 30159 AM yaahoe I am about to shower soon 30203 AM Newpills voted to GROW 30204 AM the-waste-land newpills you sure are voting a lot 30206 AM babyitsgayoutside yes 30209 AM JohnKeel yeah I'm here, I'm just distracted 30214 AM yaahoe will wait for successful staying and then I shall shower 30219 AM Newpills i vote stay, it changes to grow 30219 AM Razzamuffin hows it going 30222 AM the-waste-land !time 30224 AM Newpills this is a fight to the death! 30226 AM Razzamuffin alg john 30233 AM babyitsgayoutside pretty good i can feel my face now it makes me hapy 30233 AM the-waste-land how long do we have 30236 AM House_Pest we believe in you 30237 AM Razzamuffin like 10 30238 AM babyitsgayoutside !time 30238 AM Newpills 5.6 minutes 30239 AM Razzamuffin !time 30243 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 3 seconds. 30243 AM ok 5 30251 AM Qotta I don't think we have any working bots right now 30257 AM babyitsgayoutside cryptic potato abandoned wtf 30257 AM JohnKeel I'm just a bit sleepy 30258 AM DarkFlasher i'm a bot 30308 AM Razzamuffin i had no idea this robin thing would be so cool 30313 AM Newpills voted to STAY 30313 AM Newpills voted to GROW 30316 AM Razzamuffin cryptic was a bot 30320 AM Newpills is this a social experiment 30322 AM House_Pest Our script provider, CrypticPotato, is AFK ( 30324 AM JohnKeel he had a bot running simultaneously 30325 AM Razzamuffin maybe 30326 AM the-waste-land was cryptic a bot 30330 AM Razzamuffin this has to be one of the best surely 30334 AM the-waste-land i was 1on1 with him initally 30337 AM Qotta He had a bot, but was also posting 30339 AM the-waste-land he seemed nice 30344 AM Razzamuffin uhm he might be a person 30346 AM Qotta I think he wanted to keep growing 30346 AM DarkFlasher httpsgithub.comvartanrobin-grow 30349 AM yaahoe Guys once we stay and we are all safe I am going to shower and spend some time with my husband but I will be here!!!!!!!! 30350 AM DarkFlasher if you guys want the bot 30353 AM House_Pest I'm pretty sure he was someone 30357 AM Newpills voted to STAY 30403 AM Newpills voted to GROW 30406 AM Razzamuffin who here plays poker 30408 AM babyitsgayoutside wtf since when did homestuck start updating again 30418 AM Razzamuffin ive just gotten into it 30422 AM Qotta I'm afraid to start 30426 AM cputnik i do a bit 30429 AM yaahoe I like to occasionally play it D I love speed 30429 AM House_Pest i do, chinese ver 30431 AM Qotta I've heard it sucks you in and is a million years long 30440 AM Razzamuffin whats the chinese version different like 30455 AM cputnik yeah if you do well in a tournament it can be 8hrs+ 30502 AM House_Pest wait i'll try to find you a link 30513 AM the-waste-land p p p p p p poker face 30519 AM Newpills voted to STAY 30521 AM yaahoe Urgh 30525 AM cputnik pokerstars is a good site imo 30527 AM yaahoe I had to do a dance to that song 30528 AM Razzamuffin is it 30533 AM yaahoe Now it is stuck in my head 30536 AM House_Pest we play with chopsticks and the loser does harakiri 30538 AM Razzamuffin i dont trust online poker 30538 AM Newpills I woooon 30540 AM yaahoe wasteland wwwwwhhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyy 30541 AM Newpills AHahahahahaAHHAH 30546 AM yaahoe Yay NEWPILLS STAYS 30546 AM Razzamuffin NOTLIKETHIS 30548 AM Newpills !time 30558 AM cputnik they have nothing to gain by rigging it 30558 AM Razzamuffin this is it boys and girls 30607 AM we stay and we die together 30616 AM are we sure we end the hunt for a canadian 30616 AM yaahoe love u all homies 30619 AM Razzamuffin 3 30620 AM Newpills stay winning forgot the command 30626 AM JohnKeel its tally 30627 AM yaahoe 3 30635 AM the-waste-land hahaha 30635 AM House_Pest 3 30638 AM cputnik !time 30640 AM Qotta 3 30640 AM the-waste-land sorry yaahoe 30649 AM yaahoe It's alright 30651 AM Newpills razza is right, is this us giving up on the rare canadiand 30654 AM canadian 30657 AM Razzamuffin hmm 30658 AM guys 30659 AM yaahoe I am listening to 7 years 30659 AM [robin] RATELIMIT you are doing that too much. try again in 6 seconds. 30659 AM sometimes 30707 AM yaahoe so all is okay in the world 30711 AM Razzamuffin sometimes you have to take the hard option 30714 AM yaahoe Yep 30719 AM Razzamuffin i think we look for it 30722 AM Razzamuffin voted to GROW 30725 AM cputnik voted to GROW 30727 AM Qotta Oh god 30727 AM Newpills GASP 30728 AM yaahoe RAZZA 30730 AM cputnik yay 30734 AM yaahoe WHAT ARE YOU DOING 30735 AM Razzamuffin this is what started us 30737 AM Newpills is this it for us 30738 AM yaahoe O 30740 AM Razzamuffin i wont let us change 30744 AM yaahoe WHAT 30746 AM Newpills dear god he's right..he's right! 30749 AM yaahoe WHERE ARE OU GOING 30749 AM House_Pest Why are you doin this 30753 AM babyitsgayoutside it will become twitch chat 30755 AM yaahoe VOTE GROW 30757 AM dunnomate voted to STAY 30800 AM yaahoe OR STAY 30801 AM Razzamuffin we cant deny what we are 30803 AM dunnomate voted to ABANDON 30803 AM yaahoe I AM LOST 30804 AM Razzamuffin you guys 30807 AM DarkFlasher grow 30807 AM dunnomate voted to STAY 30809 AM dunnomate voted to GROW 30810 AM Razzamuffin all get to choose the fate 30811 AM Kitsune_Nebula abandon 30811 AM babyitsgayoutside SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GROW 30812 AM [robin] polls are closing soon, please vote 30812 AM House_Pest I-I....I'm conflicted 30812 AM the-waste-land he has gone mad 30813 AM Newpills a canadian started this, a search for the rarest of our kind 30814 AM Razzamuffin its not up to me 30817 AM 1 minute 30823 AM the-waste-land WHAT DO WE DO! 30825 AM dunnomate !time 30825 AM Newpills this is it guys! 30826 AM Qotta We have our sub 30828 AM Razzamuffin go with your heart 30828 AM yaahoe Guys..... 30831 AM Newpills GROW DAMN YOU 30831 AM yaahoe LETS GROW 30832 AM Newpills GROW 30832 AM babyitsgayoutside GROW 30832 AM Qotta Maybe we should keep searching 30833 AM Qotta voted to GROW 30834 AM House_Pest PLZ SEND HELP 30834 AM DarkFlasher WE . MUST . GROW 30836 AM babyitsgayoutside SRAFC 30836 AM House_Pest voted to GROW 30837 AM yaahoe GROW 30838 AM Kitsune_Nebula grow 30838 AM babyitsgayoutside voted to GROW 30838 AM yaahoe GROWGROW 30839 AM the-waste-land We do have our sub 30842 AM vigo810 voted to GROW 30843 AM the-waste-land LETS DO IT! 30844 AM babyitsgayoutside WE WILL LIVE 30846 AM publicwc voted to GROW

I heard the guys talking about poker and Wings+Whiteboy said they enjoyed it. It would be nice if you guys made a Pokerstars home game and made a tournament or cash game where we all could play together, hosts and fans. Maybe make a video of it or stream it too? You might think that Pokerstars doesn't work for US players but that's not true as long as we don't play for real money. I think Pokerstars is a better choice than bovada because you can actually make private games (it's called a home game club) and everybody from around the world can join in. Bovada is only for US and Canada. I'd really enjoy it! If you guys decide to do this it would be nice to have it on a time both US and Europe friendly.

I live north of Seattle so BC is only a couple hour drive. I'd love to spend a few weekends or the occasional weekend in BC chilling and playing Pokerstars, but I obviously can't afford to pay to live in two places. Can you do something like this without a mailing address in Canada, or do they require you have a mailing address in Canada even if you're consistently up there and actually in Canada when you play?
What is your life setup like for anyone who does this? I enjoy Poker as a hobby so obviously not looking to take it super seriously and risk a lot of money, but just curious since BC is so close to the Seattle area. It's a fun enough hobby to where I'd love to play on Pokerstars and BC is only a couple hour drive, but not looking to live in BC unless I encounter a large sum of money.

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Date: 2013-02-28
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Questions	Answers
What are your thoughts on Phil Galfond? Is he one of the best PLO players out there? Is he really as humble as people make him out to be?	He's actually a huge jerk because I never got a chance to slide on his slide before he sold his apartment.
You seemed shocked with the call by Sylvia that ended the main event. (as a lot of us were) How much was Jesse playing based off the advice you were giving him up to that point? In other words, were you giving him more advice on spots to be more or less aggressive, or was it much deeper than that? Also, do you think fatigue was a factor in the hand, or did Jesse think Greg had a huge edge against him and was willing to take a huge gamble to try to end the tournament? Thanks and good luck!	Great question, actually. Jesse is typically a cash player and a lot of the stuff that he was doing throughout the final table, like 5-betting light based on ICM, limping in certain spots or checking back certain hands that might be autobet in a cash game, was pretty new territory for him. I think he played really really well with relatively few mistakes until the last couple of hours, and I do think fatigue played a decent role in the mistakes he did make. As far as the final hand, I wasn't shocked at the call so much as the overall play - 3betting QJs on those stacks wasn't optimal just given the chance that Greg decides to 4bet shove light. I think Jesse hadn't realized they were only 30-something BBs effective because two hands ago they had been 45ish effective, and he was planning to 3bet to 5b shove. Once he 3bets and gets shoved on, I think it's actually a mandatory call given Greg's probably range (discounting extremely strong hands which he would probably 4bet small).
	I didn't really want to be so hands-on at the final table because I wanted him to play his own game and to play it with confidence, but I guess I ended up talking to him quite a few times just because I kept seeing opportunities that I thought Jesse was missing. I just can't imagine how difficult it is under that kind of pressure, 3 handed for so long on poker's biggest stage. Most of the time I was just telling him to start bluffing more, and then he didn't, and then I told him again, and then he didn't, and then I yelled at him to do it... and then he ran a 3 barrel bluff and we were all good again :)
Hey Vanessa- What is the biggest challenge of being a queer woman in the professional poker world? Have you experienced outright homophobia from your peers/fans of poker?	Heya. Happy birthday! (Is that what that slice of cake means? I'm a reddit noob!)
	Um, being queer is awesome because it means I get to be in an amazing relationship with a woman, and it also means I get an extra community of really f-ing cool people. It also caused me to take all of these classes about race, gender, class, etc., which just made me so much more of an empathetic person generally.
	If all that means that I have to block a few more trolls on twitter every week than I otherwise would have to, then so be it, I'll take it any day of the week. No one that is actually intelligent has ever given me any sort of trouble, so it's mostly no problem.
	Digging a little deeper to answer your question, I would say my biggest challenge lies in perception. I think as a masculine lesbian, there is a tendency for people to expect me to be mean and aggressive. When I live up to that stereotype (which I do, sometimes, though not nearly all the time), the media wants me to play that character, so that's what gets shown. So honestly, I think a lot of what people see and characterize as me being "angry" results from selection bias of which moments the media is going to show from me, and I think some of that results from me being typecast based on my gender presentation. And that, I would say, is by far the toughest challenge.
If someone had well-tuned poker skills (obviously a sizable assumption), how would that person begin the path towards playing poker professionally? What kind of a bankroll do you need, where do you go, what games do you start at?	Hey there, I'm glad my brother got you, too. He got me into reddit as well.
Thanks for doing this AMA and for your civil rights work. I'm a huge fan. Incidentally, it's entirely your brother's fault that I'm addicted to reddit. It was a good way to survive 1L.	As far as your question - I think the most important thing is to play online. Putting in ridiculous amounts of volume while studying the game through discussions, videos, and what not is the best way to go about it. I think if you're really serious about wanting to take the plunge, take a few months and go live in Canada, Mexico, Europe, wherever. Play cash games, always making sure that you have 100x the buyin for the stakes you want to play (this is very conservative bankroll management but might be right in the state of today's games). Putting in that kind of volume is by far the best way to prove you can do it while building your bankroll and improving all at the same time.
What was your thinking behind 6-bet shoving in the infamous J7s/AA hand with Prahlad?	Hmm - well at the time my thinking was that Prahlad's 5-bet range is super super polarized as deep as we were. Like, even with pocket kings I thought he would have just flat-called my 4-bet. I'm sure I'm right about all of that still, the problem is a polarized range to {AA, bluffs} is still super strong if it's AA 95% and bluffs 5% :D One of my bigger leaks is assuming people are as crazy in certain spots as I am, and that was just a giant misstep in assigning him a much bigger bluff frequency than he actually has in that spot.
Do you get pissed with people calling you 'probably the best female poker player in the world' rather than, as it should be given your results, 'one of the best poker players in the world'?	As far as the female poker player comment - I don't get pissed, per se. I wish those distinctions didn't have to exist, but I understand that people want to make them, given how relatively little success women have had in poker thus far. As women get better and better and a few of the up and coming players become really elite (which WILL happen), hopefully that distinction will be made less often.
Thanks for doing this, you're one of my poker heroes.	And you're welcome! This is pretty fun!
Hey, Vanessa! Remember our video project for High Honors French where we went to the mall, you asked people questions in French, and I "translated" them?	I definitely remember... I still cite that project, to this day, as one of my best TV moments :D You have a copy of it lying around somewhere?
Why don't cash games get more attention? Especially on TV. What were the best and worst things about your experience on High Stakes Poker (the show)? Which tournament players are also really good at cash games?	Cash games don't get more attention probably because stacks are deeper and thus decisions are more complex (thus bad TV). I also think a tournament tells more of a story with a beginning and end point, triumph and glory... cash games, while interesting to really serious poker players, just don't excite the casual viewer as much as seeing someone beat out 6000 other people to become a multi-millionaire.
Who do you think is the best poker player in the world atm?	Phil Ivey, always Phil Ivey, will perhaps forever be Phil Ivey.
Bearing in mind your law background, do you believe we will see Pokerstars/FTP return to the market in the United States any time in the foreseeable future?	I'm not sure, but I have a feeling Pokerstars didn't spend hundreds of millions clearing their name with the DOJ just to clear their consciences.
1). Do you think the poker economy is in a good place right now? 2). How about the legalisation of online poker in America, what time frame do you think we are looking at here? 3). Assuming online poker does get legalised some time in the future, how large of a poker boom do you think will undergo in comparision to the Moneymaker boom?	1) I definitely don't think the poker economy is in a good place right now - I don't think anyone would think that. The "poker boom" happened in the 2000s, and the poker economy will never be what it was in 2006. That being said, I am hopeful that we will experience another mini-boom when online poker comes back to the US and new sites pop up with more secure regulation, and all the television programming returns as well.
When in a downswing or losing streak, how do you go about keeping motivation levels up, confidence up, and head level?	What's a downswing?
How do you improve your tournament game? Do you study board textures and use calculators (ICM/Chip equity) or do you approach it in more of a logic deduction way?	Talk to friends. Review hands. Talk to friends. That's me, anyways. If you're an online player, looking at HEM and stuff would probably be helpful too, but I'm much more theoretically-motivated.
How much time is dedicated to bettering your game?	It's really hard to quantify - I used to spend a lot more time on poker forums reading about poker and also a lot more time talking to friends about poker. It's definitely less now, but it's difficult to say just how much. I still think about it far more than is healthy, probably :)
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to become the best possible tournament player they could be?	Flip well, young jedi.
Given all the cheating and mismanagement we have seen from people running poker sites over the years what responsibilities do you think Pros have to investigate how a site is run before they take a sponsorship deal with someone? What questions did you ask of Pokerstars before signing with them?	I think it's pretty tough for poker players to thoroughly vet a site before representing them - especially in the unregulated world where so much of the important information about the management of a site isn't publicly known. That being said, if there's any good reason to doubt the integrity of a site, I think it would be irresponsible to turn a blind eye to it. As far as Pokerstars - they're the best out there, and I've said it long before I represented them. When they offered me a contract, I was just thrilled as I knew I'd be working with the best and most professional site there is... (I'm not even paid to say this stuff, I just really believe it).
If you could give amateur players one tip what would it be?	Be more aggressive. If you think you might have the best hand, bet or raise. Don't be worried with the times you might not have the best hand... be worried about the times you do.
How have you adjusted your game as you have had more televised hands?	I have definitely adjusted my game in certain ways - I can't take all the most obvious bluffing spots I used to be able to take, which is sorta lame. I have to look for more suicidal bluffing spots nowadays to be able to get away with them :)
Do you like the way that the WSOP is getting around excluding men from the Ladies event?	As far as the WSOP - I don't like the idea that they have to use semantics to get around the laws since the laws should just allow for protected classes to have exclusionary events. (And women should be a protected class). Given that it is what it is, I like the fact that the WSOP is committed to doing everything in its power to keep the women's event women-only, so yes I do support their efforts.
Do you think a women only poker league would help more women get involved with poker?	I think any time you create a more inviting space for women who don't have to deal with annoying misogynist BS from guys that they often have to deal with, it's going to get more women involved with poker.
You played an extremely exciting hand against Kevin Macphee in the EPT8 Berlin main event where he made a brave call with A9o following your 6/7bet shove. At the time you clearly thought his call to be a terrible one, have you had any time to reflect and do you still disagree with his play? What are your thoughts on this spot in general?	Haha, yes, I've talked ad nauseum about this in other interviews so I won't go into any more detail here, but his play there was terrible. We are friends and I wish I hadn't blown up at him the way I did (a lot was due to issues behind the scenes around our friendship), but his play is and was completely terrible. That being said, Kevin is normally a great player.
Hi Vanessa. I do pretty well in donkaments, I have final tabled the Sunday Million twice. However, I struggle in cash games online. In your opinion, what are the biggest adjustments from tournament play one has to make to become a very good cash game player?	Hi Sharky. I personally started with cash and moved to tournaments, and most of my friends that are awesome all around players did as well. I would say you have to just not overvalue your hands - I would start at cash by playing extremely tight preflop, and then open up as you get more comfortable with understanding other people's ranges. Because there are no antes, ranges are just so much tighter (it's not profitable to raise KJo in EP when there are no antes to steal), which means that there is less bluffing generally. Thus, top pair goes down tremendously in value. Most of the mistakes tourney players make in cash games is stacking off with top pair or overpairs in terrible spots (see: my hand on HSP, lol), so be cognizant of that, and fold top pair without hesitation when you get raised and it just isn't that likely that your opponent is bluffing.
What's #1 thing you look at when trying to read someone?	For me, it's much more about betting patterns and bet sizing rather than a specific physical read. I just try to pay attention to when people are betting, on what sorts of board textures, and how big their bets are when they have it and when they don't... that kind of thing.
Hi Vanessa, congrats on your success at the PCA! It was fantastic to watch.	Hey, great question. I don't know that there was a moment that rocked the boat for me... it was more of a long series of moments. In 2007-2008 I was playing full time - mostly cash games, though I was also traveling around to tourneys as well. I kept awful hours, often playing all night and sleeping all day. I rarely went to the gym, and I didn't keep in very good contact with my friends from outside of poker. Long story short, I was depressed, even though I was doing well at the game. That time made me think poker wasn't sustainable as a career if I wanted to be happy.
My question for you would be when you were starting to think you would like to turn professional and use poker as your main source of income, was there any moment that really rocked the boat and made you think "hang on, is this what I want to do" and if so, what was this moment and how did you overcome it?	I left poker at that point and went back to law school, intending to leave poker for good. When I missed poker too much and decided to get back into it, I just decided that I was going to be healthy while doing it because I refused to go back to what I was like during that pretty dark year in my life. Now, I make sure that I take significant time off to catch up with old friends and to spend time at home with my fiancee and dogs. I play sports or go to the gym and eat healthy, I [sometimes] make time for other activities outside of poker, and I go see a therapist as regularly as I can.
Thanks a lot, I look forward to your continued success in 2013!	For me, that's the biggest difficulty with life as a poker pro - the balance between a normal life and "poker life" and keeping it healthy even while on the road. Ever since making all that stuff a priority, I'm much much happier than I was 5 years ago.
Hey Vanessa, I have a bunch of questions: 1) What is the best way to improve now that there is no internet poker available for someone who wants to get better?	9) Yes, I almost always have a plan for the hand from square 1, but the plan can change if unexpected things happen or if something physical changes my read. Once you play so many hands, there are few situations that you aren't prepared for, for the most part. That is what makes tournaments so fun though - the changing stack sizes and tournament stages make for many more situations - it just makes sense that the more variables you add (tournament stage and stack size being varianbles), the more situations you will be faced with, combinatorically.
2) What specific details do you look for when you sit at a table to weed out amateu bad players and how do you play against them? How does this change from cash games vs a tournament? 3) What goals do you try to set for yourself when you sit down at a tournament in order to set up for a deep run? For example, do you try to double up before the 4th level? 7) Should a player be looking to build his/ her bankroll more through tournaments or cash games?	3) No specific goals - just play my hands and the other players day 1 and 2, and play my hands, the other players, and stack sizes the rest of the days. 5) The least skilled players always overbet when they have good hands because they want to protect, and then when they bet smaller you know they are less confident and can be bluffed off their hands. 7) Cash games are the best place to start, hands down. Less variance, and you build the necessary skills to succeed in tournaments down the line.
4) What is the best way to be a winning player at 1-2 NL when a player(s) doesn’t know how/ why to bet or how to bluff? Should you just play around the top 10% of hands and ABC straight forward poker, or is there a certain trick? What strategy would you use if you had to sit down at a lower stakes game? 8) When you were coaching Jesse Sylvia live, what information did you give him and when? Was it just after every hand that he played post-flop, or maybe every hand that he was involved in with a 3-bet or more? Was it hand ranges & aggression statistics from other players/ his image at the table? Were you coaching based on any physical or betting tells? 9) When you see a flop, what is your process for determining a bet? Do you play the hand all the way down through the river in your head and ask yourself “what will I do if he does this/ bets like this/ raises by this much/ if a certain card falls along the way?” and bet from there, or is there another system you use internally to determine the winning play?	1) volume is most important and if you can't play online, then log lots of live hours. use online forum strategy discussion boards through communities like Deucescracked (and other video sites have similar communities). Make friends at or above your level and discuss strat with them constantly. 8) I was mostly trying to pump him up, and usually telling him that he needed to start bluffing more. I think he thought his image was super aggro (which it HAD been, 3 months earlier), so I was trying to get him to understand just how tight it had appeared that he had been playing.
I've heard you talk about how balance isn't as important for tournaments because the player pool is more diverse. Can you give some examples of your frequent unbalanced play against players other than nits or showdown monkeys?	Well I'm probably not going to tell you exactly which spots I'm always bluffing in, but there definitely are some of those. Probably some where I'm always for value, too, though those are harder to think of :D In general, I'm extremely balance-aware (maybe overly so) when I'm playing high rollers, or against anyone whom I know I will be playing again soon.
	One easy way to think about balance being overused is with opening-raise bet sizing. Let's say you're playing at a table with a bunch of people who have no clue about poker... wouldn't you raise 4x with aces rather than 2x, since they'll probably call anyway, and you build the pot much better that way? Or let's take the example of bluff-raising a K73r board when an amateur bets out with like 30BB behind... I might float that board very often for balance against better players (or bluff-raise, but also value raise some good hands) but why not just minraise against someone who will fold every single unpaired hand, despite the fact that there's basically no hands I would ever take that line for value with?
	People often fall into a robotic playmaking mode based on what's best against the entire set of all players, rather than exploiting the fact that when playing weaker players, you can be completely unbalanced, and in fact, it's more profitable to play that way.
When was the first time you won a considerable amount of money? and how did it feel?	Mohegan Sun NAPT was my first huge score, for $750,000 (and I had most of myself since I had just quit my backer before law school). It was... um, surreal. I still never really understand when I win a lot of money - like I've said before, it's more of a score in a game than anything else. I never really buy things that are very extravagant, so the money doesn't change all that much honestly. The only thing I've spent real money on are law school, my condo, one nice car, fancy sushi, and now my wedding.
What was your most embarassing poker moment?	I think I was probably most embarrassed by my QQ hand on HSP, just because of how god awful it was. I was really really thrown off by the lights and cameras and scrutiny of each hand on my first big televised cash game, and I hadn't played cash in quite some time. I think my nerves caught up with me, and what should have been a super easy fold just cost me like $170k. So yeah, that was probably my most embarrassing poker moment.
Best tilt story you had or have seen?	I don't know if it's a tilt story, but any time Matt Marafioti goes on a facebook rant and it ends up on 2p2, that's pretty much comic gold.
How much math goes into your live poker game?	It used to be a lot, but now in my old age I usually try to do it for all of 3 seconds, and then give up and get the dealer to spread the pot and make a bet size based on approximately "whatever it looks like there is out there." :P.
How many nights a year do you sleep in a bed that you own?	Well probably around 180, but only because my primary residence is actually Las Vegas so I'm there for the WSOP and all the Bellagio tournaments. If you don't include Las Vegas, then maybe like 70-80?
Which side do you like in the recent Team Pokerstars vs. Team Fulltilt HUSNG challenge? What other projects/passions are you working on outside of poker? Do you ever plan to retire from poker?	1 - I like Team Pokerstars side. I won't say more about the specific matchups, but I like our side by a LOT. 3 - I started a foundation to support nonprofit organizations which I have yet to getting off the ground, but I'm currently funding it and excited to get it off and running. I'm also working on a TV show (though this is in poker) and hopefully if/when it happens, you will hear more about it. Other than that, my hobbies are cooking, sports, my dogs, and watching TV. My future plans (not immediate future, but not too far off) are to coach a little league sports team, volunteer at a civil rights organization, and go to culinary school.
	4 - I don't think I'll ever retire from poker entirely, but I'll definitely cut back in a few years. I want to start a family eventually and I can't possibly travel as much as I do now if I am going to do that.
When you started getting into high buy in tourneys did you get staked, try to get in via satellites, or buy in the full amount?	Hi there. I started playing high buyins in 2007 I believe, and I was pretty new to tournaments generally. My friend just put the word out that I was "pretty good" and that was all it took in those days. Timex and Steve PA picked me up and all my friends loved how one of my backers was 17. Anyways, I wasn't that good at the deep-stacked tourneys and I would typically bust day 1 or 2 running a giant bluff for all my chips and getting called every single time :) Luckily dudes were still folding to me at the WSOP and my success there in 2008 led to a decent profit for myself and my backers.
What about now, does Pokerstars cover most of your buy-ins? How does your sponsorship deal work with them?	As for now, Stars covers some of my buyins and travel and some I pay myself... hopefully once I bink the main (3 times in a row) they'll begin to put me in everything and anything I want, but for now this is how it goes and I couldn't be happier with representing them.
Hey Vanessa! I'm a big fan!	Yeah, I'm not sure how the misconception that I slowrolled came from, but I guess it might look like that from TV.
So, I'm sure you get this a lot, but of course you remember the Heads Up Championship match against Peter Eastgate... Some would call what you did a sick slowroll. Can you explain what you were thinking at the time?	Anyways what happened was we were the last two people playing in our group after each of us doubling up and the match swinging quite a bit. The TV team had just made us take like a 20 minute break to get us to the feature table, despite our protests since we only had like 12 bigs and it was super annoying. Finally we are all set up and the very first hand I raise and he shoves and shows JJ and I guess I shook my head a little in disgust before flipping my QQ over. I just thought it was so absurd that the match would end that way and I felt bad for him that he had this setup on the very first hand after this whole thing had gone down. So my head shaking was part "lol what a cooler" and part feeling bad for him, and I guess it came across like a slowroll on TV. Peter definitely didn't think it was so that's what's important, I guess.
Of all the poker pros who did as well as you as quickly as you, how many of them do you think achieved it due to luck triumphing over skill? (i.e. what percentage of meteoric pros like you do you think have true winrates that are accurately reflected by their results?)	Most poker pros that have had as many results as I have had are genuinely good players. It's hard to win consistently and just be terrible. That being said, none of us have true winrates and we've all run exceptionally well... that's just how variance goes. Personally, I don't think that over time, I've flopped more sets or had my AA hold more than the average person... I've just gotten extremely lucky in terms of running good at the major final tables I've made. And that's the most important skill to have in the world - knowing how to get lucky when playing for 6 or 7 figures.
Awesome player, really enjoy watching you. you haven't been playing much cash recently, as you said, but how do you think you would fare in today's online lineup? who have been the toughest players you'd faced when you were grinding online cash?	I think I'd probably get destroyed in cash by the game's toughest players. I haven't been playing much cash in recent years and the game's elite are so far ahead of where they were when I played a lot. Given how many amazing players there are right now, it's extremely rare for someone to be elite in all forms of poker - and that's what makes Phil Ivey just so awe-inspiring.
Do you listen to any podcasts or watch any poker shows you could recommend?	Mmm I don't really watch any or listen to any myself as I'm pretty busy, but I guess this is as good a time as any to plug some - Rootbone Radio is run by a few friends and if they're still making them, I'm sure they're hilarious. The twoplustwo Pokercast is usually a pretty good listen, if you have 5 hours/day to kill. Thinking Poker is another one that I've been on that's pretty sweet and run by a couple pretty smart dudes. Deuces Cracked runs a few podcasts, strategy and otherwise, that are pretty good.
I attended a short poker talk of yours during the WSOP a while back that I thought was extremely insightful. Any plans to write a strategy book in the future?	Great, I'm glad you liked it. I don't have plans to write a book any time in the near future both because I'm extremely busy with tons on my plate, and also because it just isn't that profitable honestly. Mostly though, it just doesn't appeal to me the same way discussing poker through coaching or live seminar or the like does.
Hi, Vanessa- thank you for taking the time to do this! As a lawyer and a fan of poker, you were always my favorite to watch on televised games. You mention still not being convinced that poker as a career is your endgame; do you have any areas of law you're attracted to? I seem to recall an interview where you mentioned wanting to do something in the area of LGBT rights- is that still the area of law you'd practice if you decided to put that degree to work?	Hiya - I'm still not 100% sure what my end game is. I doubt I'll be a full-time lawyer in any traditional sense, but I'll always work on issues about which I'm most passionate, in whatever sense that happens to be. It might be doing charity poker tournaments, or volunteering with organizations, or funding start-up non-profits with my poker winnings. I wish I had a more specific answer for you, but I don't. As far as what field, I would say I'm most interested in fighting for racial and economic justice, though the gays need love too, so who knows?
Are you ever going to make more vids for DC?	Honestly, I'm not sure... it really depends if I start playing online a lot more again, in which case I could see myself making more videos. In the past when I have tried to make videos about live play, they have tended to not come out very well.
Can you post a picture of the engagement ring?	I would, but I don't know how to do that :(
Hows the culture between pro's amongst each other? Are there alot of friendly relationships or do most people just go about there business? Is there alot of discussing on hands, anything like that?	Yeah I mean just like any subculture, some people love each other, some people hate each other, etc etc. I think there is a great deal of camaraderie that results just from shared experiences, and also the fact is that a lot of us are very similar in personality and temperament. It can definitely get difficult sometimes just because when you're on the road with people you're seeing them so often, it can become almost sibling-like in some ways. The competitive nature of it can also be difficult because when you're ultimately competing against these people, it's hard to believe that anyone truly supports you or has your best interest at heart 100% of the time. I think it's rare to be able to have those sorts of relationships. Still though, I like almost everyone I've met on some level or another.
	There is this cool thing that happens that is unique to poker though which is that there will be people I've never really hung out with before or even met, but if they are in a group of people I am hanging out with, we can just strike up a conversation as if we're old friends. Usually you know who everyone is and some mutual friends have talked about that person to you before, so it's like you've known them forever yourself. That's a cool aspect of it - the idea you can just hang out with anyone and you know something about each other - and can make otherwise lonely places feel less lonely sometimes.
Who is the most talented cash game player on Team Pokerstars Pro?	Really tough to say as I haven't played cash with many of them. Isaac, Jason, Elky, Eugene, Ville, and I'm sure tons I'm forgetting are great cash game players as well as tournament stars.

Last updated: 2013-03-05 07:44 UTC
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