A look into the mind of …: Dimitri ‘BiKK99′ Van Rooy

For the latest edition of ‘A look into the mind of …’ I talked to our latest TPC-winner Dimitri Van Rooy. Dimi is a regular TPC player. But after some slow starts he is really gaining speed! The last two editions he finished 2nd and then 1st! A great accomplishment! Welcome Dimi, and thank you for your time!

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WSOP: Interview with poker player Kenny Hallaert

Yesterday Thomas Vanbrabant came with an incredible idea. Why not try and contact Kenny Hallaert, a Belgian poker player, to ask him some questions about the WSOP. So with a little effort I contacted him and this is what he had to say about the WSOP!

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A look into the mind of …: Niels Blommaert

Today I’m gonna talk with a player that’s been playing with us for a couple of months, Niels Blommaert. Welcome Niels, and thank you for your time.

First question: what got you into playing poker? How long are you playing poker?
As far as I remember the people that got me into poker were some friends in high school. I heard them talking about them playing online and planning a small game at this one guy’s house. I was immediately inclined to ask them more about the game they played. They told me about PKR, it was cool with graphics and all.

That day I came home and immediately searched for PKR and started playing. Of course this was for play money and it wasn’t really serious. But it is what got me started, because then I got invited to the home game and cleaned everyone out, winning the Sit’n'Go they had arranged. There is nothing better than winning to get someone hooked on the game.

This was about 4 years ago. Back then I was a casual player, but by now I’ve grown fond of the game. Since last year I have been improving my game and been playing more regularly with you guys.

I never asked you this but, who is your favourite poker pro and why?

I’d have to go with a pretty obvious choice here: Patrick Antonius. The reason why is not just because he is an amazing player, but because I think at the poker table, I’m similar to him. He is not a player that talks trash, he’s also not the biggest talker at every table he sits at. Neither am I. All he basically does is play poker and good poker may I say!

Every time we play a game we come up with a new nickname for you. For example ‘floater’ or ‘squeezer’. Does this bother you or does this have an effect on your game?

I think this is because they want me to change the sometimes annoying way I play, but it’s probably just in good fun. As long as they stick to in-game nick names I won’t be bothered. I’ll just use this ‘image’ I have to get more out of my game.

You have already played a number of TPC tournaments but apart from TPC IV never really got deep. Do you consider yourself more of a cash game player?

You got that right, I’m mainly a cash game player. I do enjoy a tournament once in a while, but I don’t think I have the patience to get deep. This is obvious when I look at online versus live: online I do better in tournaments, but then I can keep busy with other things while waiting instead of making bad plays.

How do you feel about the HSOP tournaments that start at the beginning of February? Do you think you can win some of these tournaments? And which one do you really want to win?

I’m really looking forward to these events! Since I’ve been playing with you guys, my poker world has expanded widely. I’ve learned a lot of different games and get better every time I play them.

I’m sure that I can compete for a win in a few events, but of course the competition is tough.. If I have to choose one, I’d want to win the HORSE event. It’s just that little bit more prestigious than any other event.

My main objective however, would be to get into the top 3 on the POY ranking. This would be a great achievement and I’m sure it would prove I’m an established player in our group.

To conclude this interview I want to ask you some final questions, please answer as short as possible.

What’s your worst poker game?

Seven card stud

What’s your biggest loss ever (in Big Blinds)

220BB

And your biggest win?

600BB

In a cash game who do you fear most?

Michiel Maes is a player with many gears, he’s dangerous.

Do you ever feel intimidated in a poker game and why?

Not really, playing scared is playing bad.

Which game do you think could break the popularity of hold’em?

Pot Limit Omaha

Thank you for this interview Niels, see you at the tables!

Mickey C

A look into the mind of…: Stijn ‘Mad Man’ Heyens: Part 2

Almost two weeks ago I posted the first part of the interview I did with Stijn Heyens. As you already could have read Stijn is the guy that almost breathes poker. I believe he would have a hard time not playing for a while :-). But let’s get on with the interview:

We’ve already talked about the TPC-tournaments. But this sunday another special edition is coming up. How do you feel about the TPC Pot Limit Omaha event?
Omaha was my everest until a few months back. I hated the game with all my guts and couldn’t grasp why anyone would like to play it! I connected mostly with Thomas Vanbrabant to start trying to understand what made the game so special and slowly started to learn more.

I still don’t consider myself a serious threat in Pot Limit Omaha, but at least I’m out of the dark ages where you do nothing but ganble on the endless amount of possible hands a hold’em player sees in an Omaha hand.

You are doing pretty good in our HSOP-events, but still haven’t own an event. Does this bother you at all? How badly do you want to win one?
We played the PLO the other day and I ended heads up against Michiel Maes with 11,00o out of the 18,000 chips. The heads up match lasted almost 6 minutes and went to Michiel. My pocket Jacks got cracked by AQxx and my Queens and flush draw ran into his aces. Two times just a case of bad luck at first sight, but the fact that these are only 2 key hands say more than the bad beats in them. I saw possibilities in those hands and even though they were genuine, I played them too strong. I had a massive chip lead, even went to 14000 vs 4000 when the jacks came up. If I had let Michiel take a stand on that hand and waited until I had a made hand with a board before committing my chips I think I would have been the champ. My eagerness to win one made me too greedy and I lost.

Yes, I could like to win one very very badly!

Enough about tournaments let’s talk about something you really live for: cash games. You have already told me you consider yourself primarily a cash game player. Which type of poker do you prefer? Are there any games you do not like to play?
I play almost exclusively No Limit Hold’em heads up and ring game matches at what seem to be nosebleed stakes in comparison to what I play live. And I still consider myself a cash player, but for a whole different reason than I used to do. Where once I believed I couldn’t do well in tournaments, I now realise that they just don’t give me that same thrill.

I do play the occacional Sit ‘n Go online and usually find myself sick gambling in the beginning of the tournament in order to get big stacked fast or get out fast. I don’t know any of the guys at those tables and I don’t care what they think of me. The ones that watched me blow up early will have a bad image that maybe one day could be used to my advantage, the ones that saw me in late tournament when I make more plays and fewer gambles know better.

The reason why I’m not too interested is because tournaments take longer than I usually put into one session, force me to play untill I win or bust and have a pay out that just doesn’t seem fair compared to the amount of time you invest.

If I nowadays play online I play for the cash, not the points and not the credit. I have met a few guys online and playing with them is fun. But they’re not friends, they’re poker buddies. We don’t talk about each other’s plays and only compare our sessions by amount of money won.

Live is another story. I play live mostly for the credit and respect I crave far too much! Live tournaments are not my cup of tea, because I get too nervous! I don’t want to make any mistake, afraid of the disapproval. Which is silly, becaue I can show a better record than some of the guys whose respect I’m trying to get. I have a TPC-title, a tournament earnings record that is up there with the rest of my own group and purely rationally fear nobody.

What do you expect from poker in the future?
I expect to be able to play in some smaller tournaments in the future, or maybe even a bit bigger. I like this game, and would love to pursue how far I can push my limit in it.

I am not, however, dreaming of becoming pro, and wondering why some people are. From what I heard, both in the media as stories of people online, the life of a pro is no bed of roses. You have no fixed income, no security of where your next pay check is coming from, could go broke without any possibility other than looking for a stake and starting over or getting out.

A lot of people see the top pros and figure that their life is great. It probably is, but for every Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu, there are a hundred “lesser pros” who have no deal with a major site for millions of dollars and for every Patrik Antonius or Phill Hellmuth there are thousands that tried it and went broke. I don’t feel like being dependant on what I do in poker unless I can be sure that I can take a dent or two and still have something to go back on.

Oh yea, I also would definitely like to play the main event at least once.

To conclude this interview I’m gonna ask you a couple of questions and please answer as short and quickly as possible.
What’s your weakest poker game?
Omaha hi/lo eight or better

From the regular players who do you fear most in a cash game?
Nobody

Do your see yourself as a big stack or a small stack player?
Big stack

Where would you rank yourself in a top 12 of our playing group?
Depends on moment, game and roll. I’m also not very comfortable making a ranking of people I consider friends first, opponents after.

What would be your biggest live win in big blinds?
Must be around 1000+ BB

And online?
400+ BB

What’s your biggest loss ever in big blinds?
600+ BB, probably closer to 650

Have you ever made a Royal Flush (live or online)?
Yep

When was the last time you felt intimidated?
Playing among the pros online. Before that, playing in a casino for the first time, and second time, and third time, … . Usually last about half an hour.

Do you start a poker game with a (game) plan?
Yes, winning. No, I usually fall into the strategy that I feel suits my table best at that particular time. In order to know that, the game has to be ongoing already.

Do you think hold’em will stay the most played poker game in the world?
Not a chance in hell.

I really want to thank you Stijn for answering my questions. I wish you the very best and see you this weekend for the first TPC PLO tournament!

Mickey C

A look into the mind of …: Stijn ‘Mad Man’ Heyens Part 1

We’re back for another edition of ‘A look into the mind of…’ and this week we have Stijn ‘Mad Man’ Heyens in the leading role. Stijn is a past TPC-champ and a driving force behind most of the action involving any type of poker we play. He absolutely loves the game, but I will let him do the talking.

How did you get into poker and what do you find so thrilling about the game?
The way I got into poker is actually a sad story.
It was late 2006 and after a tremendously painful couple of months where me and my then girlfriend were dancing around each other to find out for ourselves whether or not we were breaking up or getting back together, she finally delivered the final blow.
I was crushed! Completely lost in self loathing I went out in search for something that could give me back my self esteem.

Now you should try this. Sitting around a poker table filled with bad to mediocre players with no interest whatsoever on how you are going to end up that evening, actually gives you an amazing advantage over your table mates.
I had found my new love, replacing the one I had just lost, and her name was lady luck! I cut out friends and school work, went to bed, watched TV and played poker.

The games I ended up in were a lot more intense than the ones I play live nowadays. Standard game in the bar where I usually played meant 9 people playing and more often than not another 3 or 4 waiting to get in at 10 cents/20 cents blinds or higher. I was hooked on the game and had found my heaven.
I got crushed, run over, kicked, beaten and killed on the spot bare. These guys were not playing around anymore. If I was running over my table mates at baby stakes on the small tables around this one, these guys were now showing me that I was nothing more than a fish with lack of self confidence.
I distinctly remember the first time I sat down. I was seated between 2 regulars who were meanwhile chatting up a girl, watching a premier league football match and working on a paper due the next day. I sat down with €20, which was the bare minimum I had to buy in with and started playing.

You might not thinkit now, but at that time I was completely frozen in fear for what would happen to me at that table, and felt my stomach turn when only an hour later I looked down and realized almost all my chips were gone. I had no idea where I had shipped them off to. They were just gone, all of a sudden. I always tell this story combined with the one of this young frail 15-year old girl who one time decided to sit at a game with me, Jonas Drieghe, Jeroen Van Acker and Thomas Vanbrabant. After about half an hour she had this look in her eyes that I remembered from that first experience ath the bigger table in the pub in Ghent. The complete lack of idea what on earth just happened. It was the first time I felt a shark.

But back to the period in Ghent. I got crushed and spit out, but decided to fight back. I spent hours online grinding out play money tables, and that is actually where the nickname ‘Mad Man’ comes from. After about half a year I finally started to get a grab on the tables I was playing. I was down quite considerable amount of money and was hungry for a win. And then all of a sudden, there it was. I sat down at a 20c/40c game, bought in for €40 and started playing. The timid fish from the first session had by now become a second ranked maniac who people knew they had to avoid when gettting mad, but my position that evening was heaven sent. I had the best player at the table to my right (he was a pro-gamer, mostly computer games and Magic The Gathering) and a guy to my left who was at that point where I had been 6 months earlier. I stood up again that night with an extra €236 and the feeling that I could take on the world. I was A-game, now. I went back another 2 or 3 weeks before the exams started and I went into summer, flunked my exams, quit school and got a job. When I finally got back after 2 years, I didn’t even recognize the bartender and he told me the game had died out. The owner got cold feet with all the police razzias that were happening mid 2007 and banned the players.

What are your thoughts on the past TPC-tournaments? You are the first past champ that I’m interviewing. Do you see yourself winning another edition?
I ended top 10 in TPC I, and with my 13th place (I think) in the second edition, I made what would now be considered another deep run. So when TPC III was up, I was confident, arrogant and back to my fishy old self. I got eliminated after 12 minutes.
Dear lord, did I never hear the end of that one. You guys (Mickey and Thomas and off course then winner Jonas Drieghe didn’t miss a chance to rub it in my face the next few months and so when TPC IV was up, I went in saying out loud that there was only 1 acceptable outcome to wipe out the previous run. I had to win. I broke down my entire tournament playing style between February and May of that year and built it up again, starting from nothing. Actually I got a lot of help from both Thomas and you. The poker gods were kind on me that day. I got the hands when I needed them, played at the very top of my game and come out the champion. I wear the bracelet every day (the only champ doing that) because it reminds me that I can do it if I want, but need to get on my game.

Of course I would like to win another one. In fact I would like nothing better that to be the first one to have two bracelets. I think I can win another one, but lately find myself a bit worn out in mid tournament. You’re still in at that point, which means you didn’t do too poorly, but still have a long way to go to end up with a pay out (short of the title) that looks more and more bleak with every event. I play tournaments online when I just come out of bed and before I take a shower that sometimes pay out the winner a tenfold of a TPC-championship. TPC VII made my blood start pumping again, and I hope that I can get back on that rush in future events.

That was it for now, somewhere next week we’ll be back with the second part of this interview with Stijn Heyens. Then we’ll talk about the upcoming TPC PLO event cashgames and Stijns view on his pokerfuture. See you next week!

Mickey C