Carl “The Dean” Sampson
There has been a bit of discussion lately on one of the forums that I frequent about the overall level of Brian Townsend’s PLO game. Having seen some of his videos on CardRunners and having railed him in the $200-$400 a few times, I know that he is a very strong player at this highly complex form of poker.
I know that many people like digging out the results on these players and I can tell you here and now that Townsend (“sbrugby” on Full Tilt) is down by about $600,000 over the past twelve months. But that figure when taking into account the stakes and the variance that is inherent within PLO reveals 600k to be nothing more than a minor blip given the amount of action that he has generated as well in that time.
But game selection is absolutely critical in all poker games and the higher you play the more critical it is. Actually you could be a lousy poker player and still be a winning player simply through carefully and shrewdly picking your opponents. But Townsend has been locking horns at PLO with the likes of Dwan and Benyamine far too often and this has impacted his results of that I am certain
But success in the nose bleed games isn’t just about having a world class game and a great temperament. It also isn’t about having a massive bankroll and great bankroll management either although all those things are crucial to success. Quite often, you can be seriously handicapped in the highstakes games if you are playing them on your own.
What am I inferring here? Well I am not inferring that there is anything underhanded going off but what you need to be aware of is that all isn’t what it seems in the big games. The sharing of information and data is common amongst top players and you really need to be part of some “network” otherwise that $500,000 bankroll that you had and are now taking a shot in the big games with, may not last you very long.
I know for a candid fact that some players team with each other and take it in turns to play “look out” on the site and then calling their “companion” when a juicy target sits down. This is not cheating but simply several players looking after each others backs.
But it is just one of the things that handicaps new players when they try to break into this level of poker. Entire games can be started and ended simply because of one weak player that is present in it sitting down and then leaving. But I see many players sit in these games periodically and the chances are that they are probably taking a shot at these games.
This means that they are either moving up from a lower level or jumping in with money behind them. Now I am not saying that this is impossible to do, people like Phil Galfond (OMGClayAiken) has proved that you can start small and work your way up and others have done it too.
But working your way up is only part of the equation as is having the game. But for many players, getting to be successful in these games is almost an impossibility, even for the ones who are technically good enough. This is because they are playing as a “lone wolf” and that leaves them very vulnerable to attack.
Success in online poker these days is getting to be a battle of information. The old saying that “information is power” has never applied more than it does to the current online poker scene right now. The technical stuff and by that I am talking about the “learnable” part of the game is only the first part in what is a much bigger picture.
But many players think that by simply “knowing the game” that this will somehow qualify them for success. You may be an expert in Formula one racing but that doesn’t mean that you could cut it as a racing driver. There are enough differences between knowing poker even at a world class level and actually doing it and being successful.
But the sharing of information is critical now and I am not just talking about information gathered from tracking software either. It is essential now for top players to be swapping data and information with each other and top players and teams do this in other fields and poker is certainly no different. So if you fancy your chances in these nose bleed games then by all means try your luck……but luck is something that you will need on your side in abundance if you want to be successful in them.
Carl “The Dean” Sampson is sponsored by Cake Poker and can be seen at www.cakepoker.com/thedean
