Interviews
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Poker Player Interviews
"MonsterP" on Party Poker
In this section we interview various amatuer players who have had recent accomplishments about different aspects of their game. Although reading books written by the poker greats can be inspiring, I find it more inspiring to read about talented up-and-comers because they can give you a real-time story about their learning experiences. "MonsterP" entered a $600 + $40 tournament on Party Poker on April 17th with 2000 total entrants and ended up finishing first and won $250,000.
PROFILE
Name? Jeff Parcher
Where are you from? Play out of Virginia. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest
Age? 40
Sex? male
What do you do for work? Play poker. Do some consulting work.
POKER PROFILE
How long have you been playing poker? Been playing since I was a kid. Fulltime for about a year now.
How long have you been playing poker online? 4 years
Do you prefer playing online or brock & mortar? and why? No preference. They each have advantges and disadvantages
How many hours a week do you play? 70-90
Where did you learn how to play? As a kid, I learned from my grandfather.
Have there been any books that helped you learn how to play? I've read alot of the major poker books. They all have something to offer. But they mean nothing without tons of in game experience
What is your favorite game? NL Hold 'em.
What is your favorite site? Partypoker
Who is your favorite poker player? I look up to anyone who plays this game for a living. It's a tough racket. I've taken things from many players.
What is your biggest poker accomplishment? Winning the Party Poker Million Dollar Guarenteed.
What goals do you have as a poker player? Just like everyone else, I would love to win a WSOP or WPT Event
What limits & games do you typically play? Depending on mood and circumstance I'll play anything. I play lot's of NL multi-table and single tables as well as 100 NL ring games
What is your style of play? Tight/aggressive in that I select hands and flops carefully but try to be agressive once I've decided to play based cards and reads
What are your strengths as a player? I am not afraid to lose
What are your weaknesses? I am too much of a skeptic sometimes.
Do you play poker mainly for the money, entertainment, or for the challenge? All three. Though I don't really need the money. But it's nice!
TOURNAMENT
Tell me about how the tourney went? (Did you think you had a good chance to win? Did you get a big chip early or were you below-average stack for most of the tourney?, etc.) I never seriously considered having a shot at winning. With 2000 players you just want to be agressive and put yourself in a position to make the money. After that - anything can happen. I played most of the tournament with an above average stack - but I was never in a position to be much of a bully.
Tell me in detail about some of the keys hands that you remember or big decisions you had to make: I had to call a middle position all-in from a tight player for nearly all of my chips while holding QQ. It was a tough decision and I took all of my time to make it. On the one side, I had enough chips to continue playing without calling, on the other side, I thought the bet was just too much for KK or AA given the way the table was playing at the time. The other thought I had is "How far can I get mucking QQ?" Anyway he turned over A2 and I doubled up to be well well above average. That allowed me to loosen up a bit and make some poker plays over smaller stacks and toss out some money hoping to catch some flops.
Another critical hand was really lucky for me. WIth 6 players left (I think) an under the gun player just called. He was slow playing KK as it turned out. He let me holding J6 on the BB for free. The flop came J66 and he lost it all - that hand either made me chip leader or very close at the time. Even when trying to slow play a hand it's a good idea to get the blinds out.
One other hand: An under-the-gun player called for 1/4 of his stack. I immediately put him on aces. I was holding J9 suited in the big blind. The flop gave top pair and a st8 draw. Stupidly, I bet into him and because of my bet and his stack size I felt pot-compelled to call his raise. Of course he had aces. The lesson: Always trust your instincts!
What do you plan on doing with your winnnings? Paying off some debts, investing most of it and taking a great vacation this summer!
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MonsterP - Party Poker