Scotty77 IN THE WELL

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

Hi Ryan, congratulations on hitting the jackpot! I'm in a MTT,Blinds are 100/200 My postion is in the cut off(6 table), UTG and UTG+1 fold I have K8O, how would you play it, every one is evenly stacked?
Posted by wynne1938

If we are all 20bb+ effective it's a definate min raise for me.

May be tempted to just fold if on 15bb and one of the players is known as someone who is capable of 3bet jamming a lot, although I still think we can raise/fold in a lot of situations.

10bb or below I'm all in!

Chompy_imo · April 2014

Hi Bryan,

Congrats on crushing hard.

You seem to have left me out of the list of your poker heroes?

That aside, who do you rate as the second best analyst on Sky? Also, do you think any of the current Sky players will ever match up to Greghogg?

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

Hi Ryan I enjoyed railing your Jackpot take down a great result but Andrew gave you a good game even taking the chip lead at 1 stage all be it briefly lol. Q What are your poker goals for the rest of 2014 having had a very good start to the year?
Posted by a00rock

Yeah after I lost a couple of flips I was getting a bit worried!

I really want to hit a big live score and hope to do so soon, planning on being in Vegas for 6 weeks so would be nice to have 1 or 2 opportunities at running deep. Last year I was in the last 3 tables of a WSOP event and busting was crushing. I was also 2 away from a WSOP 10k seat in a sat and that was equallly demoralising!

TBH just more of the same really. As long as I can keep on making money and putting myself in contention of a big score then I'm happy.

chicknMelt · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL : I have never done coaching and have been asked many times but it's something that I don't feel confident in. If you are on FB then add me on there and I'll put you in touch with my coach.
Posted by scotty77

added you - I'm andy young incase your wondering...

Thanks again Ryan.

I'm not suprised you get lots of coaching requests. No idea why you wouldnt be confident in it though to be honest. happy to be a guiney pig at a reduced rate while you build in confidence

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

Sorry if i am repeating any questions but have a few.. How old were you when you really gave it a go at playing for a living? Did you still live at home? How did your family/friends ( who didn't understand poker) react to your decision? and how did you go about explaining that poker is not just pure gambling but a game of edges? What kind of hours do you put into playing/studying poker a week (or used to when you started out) Does being a poker pro adversely affect your social life /relationships and how do you think this would differ from just working a standard 9-5 if at all? congrats on the results recently.
Posted by benc

I guess I started making a living from it about 4 years ago; I was making money before that but it wasn't enough to live on just nice little withdrawals here adn there.

I live alone. My Mum mainly was worried but once I started on the TV channel her fears were allayed somewhat.

Reckon most of my friends have a decent idea but when it comes to meeting new people I tend to avoid talking about it. Remember telling one girl about it and then she goes oh wow my Mum does the same - she won £10k on bingo once! Just laughed it off.

I totally understand why people would think that poker is gambling and tbf everyone has misconceptions about any profession and we tend to think of the negative sides of any job. Think of an MP your mind would be drawn to expenses scandals, a stockbroker would be of bonuses, a teacher someone would make a joke about loads of holidays etc.

When I was moving up thru the levels I was really, really lazy with doing work off the tables. Maybe a video every couple of weeks?! Now I certainly take a more serious approach and try and do 4-6 hours a week on working on my game.

I certainly think being a poker pro has stunted my social skills sometimes. For online cash games, the best action are on a Friday and Saturday nights. If you are off to play a live tournament then they are on the weekends. However on the flip side I have met so many fantastic people from all walks of life thru poker and wouldn't want to ever change that. I think it helps me too that I'm really comfortable in my own company.

There was one girl who couldn't get used to the money I would stake each day. She earnt about £1000 a month and I once lost £1500 in 5 mins while watching XFactor on the sofa next to her and she started crying! It is easy to understand tho. I find myself pretty numb to money and you kinda have to be or you would go mental.

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

Hi Ryan You said earlier you suffered from tilt worse than Sam, was tilt a problem for you? do you still tilt? and what do you do to help stop it/prevent it? and 2nd question what would you advise is the best way to improve - books, coaching sites etc?
Posted by jdsallstar

I don't really tilt anymore. There are certain times where I will obviously make bad plays but it never really gets to the stage that I start open jamming any more. Reckon that it was just a natural thing of getting older and more experience that stopped me tilted really.

I reckon that for the whole cost effectiveness probably training sites. I have only read a few poker books and I get bored easy by them - far prefer the life story poker books. Loved Vicky Coren's one.

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

Hi Bryan, Congrats on crushing hard. You seem to have left me out of the list of your poker heroes? That aside, who do you rate as the second best analyst on Sky? Also, do you think any of the current Sky players will ever match up to Greghogg?
Posted by Chompy_imo

I hope to see you playing more Chompy! And posting more

There is no second best analyst. We are all equally awesome!

Greghogg is a Sky Poker legend, althought if you put the effort in I reckon you could match him.

benc · April 2014

Thanks really interesting answers, good luck on the grind!

pompeynic · April 2014

Hi Ryan
Many congratulations on your fantastic form.
My questions are from a recreational players point of view. I have been playing poker for less than a year and learnt the game from watching WPT, WSOP and SKY POKER.I work fairly long hours including road time to and from work and have not had the time or patience to read books or look online for tips on how to improve.
I really enjoy the Big stack rollers and have been lucky to do well in a couple of these which has bankrolled me to keep playing whilst losing a bit in other forms of the game. I like this form of the game as you can recover from mistakes with plenty of chips and time on your side. The only down side is the late finish time for someone who has to get up to go to work a couple of hours after the final table finishes. My Questions are these:-
1.How do you get better at satellites? I have had to buy into all of my rollers which has cost a lot especially after trying to satellite in quite a lot. I notice a lot of the good players satellite in multiple times as this is another way for them to pick up dead money from people like me. I do not blame them but would like to get better myself so I can play the rollers more regularly.
2.How do you play Bounty Hunters. They are very popular here and I can honestly say that I have given up playing them as I hardly ever manage to take any bounties and am obviously missing the point. Help please.
3.Cash. Another form of the game to pass me by. Only tried a little at 2p 4p but again never ever had a winning session.
Hope I have not been to greedy in taking up your time
Nick

wynne1938 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL : If we are all 20bb+ effective it's a definate min raise for me. May be tempted to just fold if on 15bb and one of the players is known as someone who is capable of 3bet jamming a lot, although I still think we can raise/fold in a lot of situations. 10bb or below I'm all in!
Posted by scotty77

Thanks for your reply,that has boosted my confidence levels up a notch or 2.

Based on published statistics ,I have a 17.4 % chance of winning the pot in 6 handed play. I would min raise as you have stated,but at my level, I have not got to the stage of thinking about what the other players have in chipstack size etc.
What steps should I take in improving my weakness?

offshoot · April 2014

IYO what are the most common leaks of 50nl(and below) players that stop them from progressing to 100nl+ ?

Biggest downswing? Timeframe, buyins etc and how did you cope with it?

What is like backstage at sky poker? Does Orford throw any strops? Tikay fall asleep constantly? Do people talk in your ear when your on air? Ive always thought that would be really confusing.

The_Don90 · April 2014

Ryan when you where busy crushing the jackpot i believe you where also crushing 2 more mtts. When your on 4 final tables, and with the jackpot in mind too how did that effect your mentality, and how do you think that situation would differ now your a crushing pro, compared to what it would have been when you where grinding your way up through the limits?

And breathe, also any thoughts on where i could add full stops to this lol.

thomas87 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL : If I had to start it all over again I would again go for cash games. From what I see of 20nl on Sky Poker there is still a lot of money to be made. I now rarely more than 8 table cash games but it would be a very big grind of 14 tables at least and playing a lot. Making the most of rewards and promotions is crucial when you are building up. I'd also be satting into every main event on Sky. Getting a decent MTT bink as a boost to your BR is huge for your confidence. Nope, not really. I play PLO for a bit of fun sometimes. I aimt o get better but I don't really have the time. I think if I ever had a huge score like an EPT I would certainly get coaching in some of the weirder formats purely for going to Vegas and getting a WSOP in one of the strange events. I don't really have a routine except on a Sunday where I will be playing from 2. As MTT buy ins get huge on that day, I start of the session with a few cash tables to try and 'pay' for the day. I'd definatly advise any MTT player to start doing this as it really helps with the downswings.
Posted by scotty77

Hi Ryan,

You say you would grind 20nl to build a br, but would you do this with say a £20 br or would you at least need a couple of buyins say £100? or would you grind 4nl, 8nl with this kind of br?

Cheers

PokerNoon · April 2014

Ryan, what differences do you see between live MTT poker and online MTTs?

I've done alright in some online MTTs but never done anything live. However haven't played that much live, so trying to work out if I'm doing something wrong, or if I just perhaps haven't played enough games yet.

People do crazy things like raising with 10 5 off, and it leaves me confused about which hands to get involved with!

paige55 · April 2014

Scotty77 do you love me, WELL I LOVE YOU AND WELL DONE ON YOUR WINNINGS

:):) AND DO I NEED TO GET A LIFE

:):):)

OTW04 · April 2014

Would you consider playing HUs cash in near future Ryan?

scotty77 · April 2014

1.How do you get better at satellites? I have had to buy into all of my rollers which has cost a lot especially after trying to satellite in quite a lot. I notice a lot of the good players satellite in multiple times as this is another way for them to pick up dead money from people like me. I do not blame them but would like to get better myself so I can play the rollers more regularly.

Playing the sats is def the way to go. You need to just always remember that you don't need all the chips, just enough to survive the bubble. One way is to try and pick up dead money from other similar stacks. If you ever have a spare hour during a Sunday, just load up and watch players like TommyD as he knows his stuff more than me on this format!

2.How do you play Bounty Hunters. They are very popular here and I can honestly say that I have given up playing them as I hardly ever manage to take any bounties and am obviously missing the point. Help please.

Bounty hunters aren't as crazy as they used to be on here, however people certainly do make some very strange calls just for the bounty sometimes. I'd advise 3bet jamming from slightly larger stacks than in a normal MTT as players do love to call for the head prize. Always be aware of the short stacks at the table. 95% of the time tho you should just play your usual game in this format, especially in the £55 9pm BH that is an excellent struture.

3.Cash. Another form of the game to pass me by. Only tried a little at 2p 4p but again never ever had a winning session.

The goal of cash poker is to make small wins but often. We see the big pots on TOTP and Mastercash, however most of your profits will be coming from 'non showdown' hands where we just take the pots down without getting called. Certainly try more to win those small 20-30bb pots, and try to get into pots with multi-tabling regs. A lot of the time they won't adjust quick enough to your moves as they will be playing too many tables to notice.

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL : Thanks for your reply,that has boosted my confidence levels up a notch or 2. Based on published statistics ,I have a 17.4 % chance of winning the pot in 6 handed play. I would min raise as you have stated,but at my level, I have not got to the stage of thinking about what the other players have in chipstack size etc. What steps should I take in improving my weakness?
Posted by wynne1938

I'd imagine by weakness you mean that sometimes you are a bit tight/cautious? If you are playing with regular players in your usual MTTs then they will know this by now and you can take advantage of it. Your image will be key here and you will get respect when you jam on the right player.

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

IYO what are the most common leaks of 50nl(and below) players that stop them from progressing to 100nl+ ? Biggest downswing? Timeframe, buyins etc and how did you cope with it? What is like backstage at sky poker? Does Orford throw any strops? Tikay fall asleep constantly? Do people talk in your ear when your on air? Ive always thought that would be really confusing.
Posted by offshoot

I'd say that the biggest leak is probably just being scared of moving up, I did have that problem too for about a year. Sure you know more than me anyway!

Biggest cash downswing was £10k, however £5k of it was from that TV cash game. I think I've been pretty lucky in that respect as at levels of between 200-500nl I don't think it's ever gone above £5k or so.

Last year from April until I left for Vegas I was down about £20k which certainly wasn't the best way to prepare for a WSOP grind!

In MTTs in January I dropped £15k which was pretty demoralising. Just grinded it out.

In general tho I think that variance has been rather kind to me since I've been a professional.

No insider diva moments from anyone at Sky sadly. Yeah I wear a talkback piece where the producer tells me if we are running out of time, to mention any overlays etc. It was strange at first but now I get a bit worried if things go quiet for any extended period of time!

Sure that there will always be a guest spot open for you sir!

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

Ryan when you where busy crushing the jackpot i believe you where also crushing 2 more mtts. When your on 4 final tables, and with the jackpot in mind too how did that effect your mentality, and how do you think that situation would differ now your a crushing pro, compared to what it would have been when you where grinding your way up through the limits? And breathe, also any thoughts on where i could add full stops to this lol.
Posted by The_Don90

I think I dealt with the ICM pressures a bit more than I would have a few years ago.

To be honest tho a lot of hands went my way on both FTs so a lot of the time it was just standard.

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL : Hi Ryan, You say you would grind 20nl to build a br, but would you do this with say a £20 br or would you at least need a couple of buyins say £100? or would you grind 4nl, 8nl with this kind of br? Cheers
Posted by thomas87

Sorry I wasn't clear.

I think that 30BIs at any cash game level I'd give it a shot. So for £20nl £600 and just adjust accordingly to the stakes.

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

Ryan, what differences do you see between live MTT poker and online MTTs? I've done alright in some online MTTs but never done anything live. However haven't played that much live, so trying to work out if I'm doing something wrong, or if I just perhaps haven't played enough games yet. People do crazy things like raising with 10 5 off, and it leaves me confused about which hands to get involved with!
Posted by PokerNoon

Live MTTs are a lot of fun.

The play will be softer, and a lot of them down your local casinos are simply turbos because of the time pressures.

The main thing will be getting used to the mechanics of the game, but after a couple of sessions it'll be something that comes naturally.

Just find your local casino and go and play - you'll love it! So many interesting people to meet.

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

Scotty77 do you love me, WELL I LOVE YOU AND WELL DONE ON YOUR WINNINGS :):) AND DO I NEED TO GET A LIFE :):):)
Posted by paige55

Thank you Paige. Hope you enjoyed your birthday and that you are well!

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

Would you consider playing HUs cash in near future Ryan?
Posted by wardy123

I have played HU cash in the past but its something that doesn't really appeal to me. Certainly something I'm weak at and need to improve on; I did actually give it a shot for a week on another site and quite often regs would sit out after 10 minutes which was pretty frustrating!

liamboi11 · April 2014

hey ryan non related poker question for me or questions

what do you do in your spare time other than poker and what`s yer favourite alcholic drink ?

jonjo75 · April 2014

Hi Ryan. I noticed that since this time last year your MTT results have taken a massive upswing.
Is this just because you are playing more MTTs than before or do you feel there is something you are doing differently in tournaments now?

Lambert180 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL : I'd say that the biggest leak is probably just being scared of moving up, I did have that problem too for about a year. Sure you know more than me anyway! Biggest cash downswing was £10k, however £5k of it was from that TV cash game. I think I've been pretty lucky in that respect as at levels of between 200-500nl I don't think it's ever gone above £5k or so. Last year from April until I left for Vegas I was down about £20k which certainly wasn't the best way to prepare for a WSOP grind! In MTTs in January I dropped £15k which was pretty demoralising. Just grinded it out. In general tho I think that variance has been rather kind to me since I've been a professional. No insider diva moments from anyone at Sky sadly. Yeah I wear a talkback piece where the producer tells me if we are running out of time, to mention any overlays etc. It was strange at first but now I get a bit worried if things go quiet for any extended period of time! Sure that there will always be a guest spot open for you sir!
Posted by scotty77

Just as a follow up question because that bolded bit seems pretty insane. Your biggest ever cash downswing being 10-25BIs (dependent on which stakes you mentioned above) considering how long you've been playing and the fact you've been known to play 20 tables seems crazy... Do you think there's a reason for it? Good table selection? Playing a lower variance/tighter style of poker? Being an absolute sicko? Or do you think you've just been really lucky?

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

hey ryan non related poker question for me or questions what do you do in your spare time other than poker and what`s yer favourite alcholic drink ?
Posted by liamboi11

I really need more hobbies outside of poker actually!

Probably reading; tend to be non fiction stuff.

A few years ago I was really into doing up cars - was a lot easier as had Dad's garage to work from. I think if I ever moved to somewhere with a decent workspace I would def by a project car - something like a Jaguar XJS.

Don't especially drink that much but when I do it's either Corona or Vodka and Coke.

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

Hi Ryan. I noticed that since this time last year your MTT results have taken a massive upswing. Is this just because you are playing more MTTs than before or do you feel there is something you are doing differently in tournaments now?
Posted by jonjo75

I simply play a lot more MTTs now, which obviously gives me more chances to bink big. Up until this time last year I basically played the Sky main/mini/9pm and cash games and maybe add in 6-8 MTTs on a Sunday for a sweat for a big score.

Now I add in a lot more MTTs from other sites; however this does just tend to be 2/3 times a week and cash games are still my preference.

scotty77 · April 2014

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL:

In Response to Re: Scotty77 IN THE WELL : Just as a follow up question because that bolded bit seems pretty insane. Your biggest ever cash downswing being 10-25BIs (dependent on which stakes you mentioned above) considering how long you've been playing and the fact you've been known to play 20 tables seems crazy... Do you think there's a reason for it? Good table selection? Playing a lower variance/tighter style of poker? Being an absolute sicko? Or do you think you've just been really lucky?
Posted by Lambert180

Yeah thinking about it now a max downswing of 25BIs is pretty light, isn't it?! Maybe I had slightly bigger ones at 20/50nl but if they were it would have certainly been down to tilt/terribly play than being coolered.

I guess I do play a lot tighter now. Also I only 20 tabled 50/100nl. If I do a cash session now I try and keep to 8-10 tables.

One thing that I'm really happy with is my mental side of the game now in that if I am feeling bad then I just don't play. I reckon a lot of BIs is lost when professional feel they need to get in 6 hours a day or whatever. Probably have got that attitude now due to a few decent binks that have made my financial circumstances far better over the last year.

Scotty77 IN THE WELL

Comments