Martin Bradstreet is a high-stakes online poker pro from Australia. He plays under the screen name “alexeimartov” on PokerStars and “MagicNinja” on Full Tilt Poker. Martin 'MagicNinja' Bradstreet is an Australian online high stakes professional. Bradstreet has been around the highstakes online poker scene for several years and is a well respected poster on the.
- Aug 20, 2013 Martin Bradstreet is a high-stakes online poker pro from Australia. He plays under the screen name “alexeimartov” on PokerStars and “MagicNinja” on Full Tilt Poker.
- 'alexeimartov” is the PokerStars screen name of the Australian online high stakes professional Martin Bradstreet. Aside from using this alias, the player also goes by the screen name of.
Poker has been one of the most popular gambling games for a long time. Over the years, it has become a game that can achieve the dreams of the players in a very short period of time. On the other hand, poker is also able to take away everything from the player in the same short period of time. The world of poker is full of stories of success but also the stories of failure that changed many lives. Besides that, the most successful poker players in the world have been some of the biggest stars in the world and poker tournaments all over the world have caught attention because of their prize pool.
- While for many years poker was available as a table game, thelast couple of years have seen the rise of online poker
- Underground poker has become huge problem for gambling authorities
- Huge number of people are making a living by playing poker
Poker subject matter has been a theme of many different studies all over the world. Over the years, many documentariesmakers have decided to deal with this topic in their research and because of that, a huge number of documentaries about poker was created. In this piece, we will be bringing you the overview of many top documentaries about poker.
1.Nosebleed
- Year: 2014
- Author: Victor Saumont
- Country: France
- Cast: Alex ‘Alexonmoon’ Luneau, Sebastien ‘Seb86’ Sabic
Theme: The story of Alex Luneau and Sebastien Sabic and their attempt to win the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas
Nosebleed is adocumentary that follows two French poker players, Alex Luneau and Sebastien Sabic who were professional pokers players and who retired but who still want to try their luck at the poker’s biggest tournament in the world, the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. This documentary follows these two players on their path to the World Series. This documentary provides an insight into the other side of the World Series of Poker from the player’s perspective. It also explores what several weeks of constant poker playing are doing to the players and what the consequences of that kind of competition.
This documentary also explores the relationship between these two players in a way that it explores the best qualities of both players and how they helped each other during their careers. As professionals players, both of them have been very successful and both of them won millions while playing poker. However, their biggest dream was to win the title at the World Series of Poker. Throughout the entire documentary, both players discuss their techniques and the recall matches where they have won or lost huge sums of money.
Nosebleed is adocumentary that follows two French poker players, Alex Luneau and Sebastien Sabic who were professional pokers players and who retired but who still want to try their luck at the poker’s biggest tournament in the world, the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. This documentary follows these two players on their path to the World Series. This documentary provides an insight into the other side of the World Series of Poker from the player’s perspective. It also explores what several weeks of constant poker playing are doing to the players and what the consequences of that kind of competition.
This documentary also explores the relationship between these two players in a way that it explores the best qualities of both players and how they helped each other during their careers. As professionals players, both of them have been very successful and both of them won millions while playing poker. However, their biggest dream was to win the title at the World Series of Poker. Throughout the entire documentary, both players discuss their techniques and the recall matches where they have won or lost huge sums of money.
2.High Stakes: The Story of Sam Trickett
- Year: 2013
- Author: Richard Adams
- Country: the United Kingdom
- Cast: Sam Trickett
- Theme: The story of how Sam Trickett became one of the most successful poker players in the world
If you have ever wondered how does it look like to be a poker superstar than the documentary called High Stakes: The Story of Sam Trickett is the right documentary for you. Sam Trickett is one of the most successful poker players from the United Kingdom who has managed to win huge sums of money at many poker tournaments. Sam Trickett is known for his high stakes and for his risk play that brought him a lot of success over his career.
However, this documentary also takes a look at the darker part of Sam Trickett’s career. At one point in his career, Sam Trickett was struggling with depression that led to gambling addiction. That period in his life was especially tough on him as he was not able to perform well in the tournaments and his desire for playing poker and gambling has been growing strong. Eventually, he managed to overcome all those problems and he is still playing poker professionally. High Stakes: The Story of Sam Trickett is agreat insight into the life of professional poker player and all the issues that come with being a part of professional poker circuit.
However, this documentary also takes a look at the darker part of Sam Trickett’s career. At one point in his career, Sam Trickett was struggling with depression that led to gambling addiction. That period in his life was especially tough on him as he was not able to perform well in the tournaments and his desire for playing poker and gambling has been growing strong. Eventually, he managed to overcome all those problems and he is still playing poker professionally. High Stakes: The Story of Sam Trickett is agreat insight into the life of professional poker player and all the issues that come with being a part of professional poker circuit.
3.’Anything to Win’ – Amarillo Slim
- Year: 2006
- Author: Kev Stovall
- Country: the United States
- Cast: Doyle Brunson, Todd Brunson, Kathy Liebert, J.V. Martin, ‘Amarillo Slim’ Preston
- Theme:The story of the most famous poker player in the world, Amarillo Slim
For many professional poker players, Amarillo Slim is one of the best poker players in history. This documentary provides an insight into the life of Amarillo Slim who is one of the most important figures in the development of poker in Las Vegas and in the entire world. Amarillo Slim was a gambler in full sense of that world and he would do anything to win. With strong intuition, Amarillo Slim was able to defeat even the best players during his career even when nobody expected him to perform so well.
Through a series of interviews with Amarillo Slim’s friends and fellow players, this documentary explores what made this poker player so great and so important for poker in general. Amarillo Slim is not your typical poker player as he has been playing illegal poker matches and he was called a hustler during the initial stages of his career. Besides that, Anything to Win: Amarillo Slim is also painting a very good picture of the society during the 1960s and the decades that followed as poker players were one of the most common targets of robberies and thefts at that time.
Through a series of interviews with Amarillo Slim’s friends and fellow players, this documentary explores what made this poker player so great and so important for poker in general. Amarillo Slim is not your typical poker player as he has been playing illegal poker matches and he was called a hustler during the initial stages of his career. Besides that, Anything to Win: Amarillo Slim is also painting a very good picture of the society during the 1960s and the decades that followed as poker players were one of the most common targets of robberies and thefts at that time.
4.History of Poker
- Year: 2009
- Author: History Channel
- Country: the United States
- Cast: Tom McEvoy, Dave Schwartz, Jennifer Harman, Doyle Brunson, Mason Malmuth
- Theme: Historical development of poker and the story about the best and the greatest professional players throughout the history
History of Poker is adocumentary that deals with the initial stages of poker. It also explores in what kind of conditions poker was developing and how Texas Hold’em Poker became the most popular type of poker. This documentary also explains the basic principles of the game as well as the importance of body language during the matches. Through a series of interviews, viewers are able to get the clear image of what the poker was like back in the 1960s and following years.
Besides that, this documentary also depicts some of the biggest figures in thehistory of professional poker. One of those players is Doyle Brunson who is considered to be one of the best poker players. Additionally, through the interviews with historians, this documentary explains some famous terminology from the world of poker, such as ‘dead man hand”. This documentary also reveals how poker players and the entire poker community handled the prohibition of gambling in the United States. Historically, this documentary is one of the best showings of the history of poker and what it took to bring poker to the level it is today.
Besides that, this documentary also depicts some of the biggest figures in thehistory of professional poker. One of those players is Doyle Brunson who is considered to be one of the best poker players. Additionally, through the interviews with historians, this documentary explains some famous terminology from the world of poker, such as ‘dead man hand”. This documentary also reveals how poker players and the entire poker community handled the prohibition of gambling in the United States. Historically, this documentary is one of the best showings of the history of poker and what it took to bring poker to the level it is today.
https://youtu.be/gqAxvjPpj34
5.The Million Dollar Deal
- Year: 1999
- Author: John Butler
- Country: Ireland
- Cast: Andrew Black, Donnacha O’Dea, Mike Magee, ‘Mad’ Marty Wilson, Mark Napolitano, Amarillo Slim, Scotty Nguyen, Dave ‘Devilish’ Ulliott, Matt Damon
- Theme: The story of 1998 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas
In 1998, some of the biggest names in poker have met in Las Vegas to play at the biggest poker tournament in the world, the World Series of Poker. The Million Dollar Deal documentary follows six mostly Irish players and their experiences at this tournament. This documentary features some of the biggest poker names at that time in the world who talk about their experiences and how they started to play poker for the first time.
The stakes at the 1998 World Series of Poker were huge as players were fighting for several million dollars for the first place at the tournament. This documentary witnesses every stage of the competition and it explores what it takes to become a world-class player and what kinds of effects this kind of poker tournaments have on the players. The winner of 1998 World Series of Poker was Scotty Nguyen and he is also a part of this documentary and he speaks about what it takes and how it feels to win the World Series of Poker.
The stakes at the 1998 World Series of Poker were huge as players were fighting for several million dollars for the first place at the tournament. This documentary witnesses every stage of the competition and it explores what it takes to become a world-class player and what kinds of effects this kind of poker tournaments have on the players. The winner of 1998 World Series of Poker was Scotty Nguyen and he is also a part of this documentary and he speaks about what it takes and how it feels to win the World Series of Poker.
https://youtu.be/gqAxvjPpj34
6.All In: The Poker Movie
- Year: 2009
- Author: Douglas Tirola
- Country: the United States
- Cast: Karen Abbott, Peter Also, Nick Brancato, Eric Morris, Matt Damon, Joe Cada,
- Theme: Exploring the poker’s renaissance during the 2000s
All in: The Poker Movie is adocumentary that explores the state of poker during the 2000s and what led to poker becoming so mainstream. All the way until the turn of themillennium, poker was not widely spread and there were not a lot of fans outside the circle of professionals who competed in different tournaments. All of sudden, professional poker gained huge popularity and millions of people watched poker tournaments on TV. All these issues are explored in this documentary that might be one of the most important works when it comes to the topic of poker.
One of the reasons why poker became so popular was the fact that some of the world’s superstars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, George Clooney, and many others started to play the game and host matches. That brought poker to the mainstream and since then it became one of the biggest TV events ever. All in: The Poker Movie explores what led to that and why poker players became huge superstars in 2000s that people were screaming for and asking for an autograph.
One of the reasons why poker became so popular was the fact that some of the world’s superstars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, George Clooney, and many others started to play the game and host matches. That brought poker to the mainstream and since then it became one of the biggest TV events ever. All in: The Poker Movie explores what led to that and why poker players became huge superstars in 2000s that people were screaming for and asking for an autograph.
7.A Kid’s Game: The Story of Online Poker
- Year: 2011
- Author: Li Dong
- Country: the United States
- Cast: Martin “Dr. Giggy” Giguere, Alexei “MagicNinja” Martov, Thuy “ShesNoGood” Doan, Di “URinDanger” Dang, Hac “trex313” Dang, Peter “apathy” Jetten, Isaac “LuvtheWNBA” Haxton, Andrew “Good2CU” Robl
- Theme: Interviews with some of the best online poker players in the world
So far, all the documentaries on our list have been dealing with the standard table poker. However, A Kid’s Game: The Story of Online Poker covers the issue of online poker that has been gaining popularity recently. This documentary features interviews with some of the most successful young online poker players in the world and it covers a wide range of different topics. Each interview is a story about the player but also about the importance of online poker for those players. As mentioned, this documentary covers a lot of different topics and some of those include the importance of ego in the poker matches as well as the ups and downs of each player’s career.
Besides that, this documentary also explores the role of logic or rather logical thinking in poker matches as many have called poker a game for the mind. This documentary also explores the motivation that these players have to play online poker and is there anything specific that drives them to aim for the stars and the biggest success. They also take what it takes to play high stakes in poker matches and whether playing high stakes is a sign of bravery or illogical thinking.
Besides that, this documentary also explores the role of logic or rather logical thinking in poker matches as many have called poker a game for the mind. This documentary also explores the motivation that these players have to play online poker and is there anything specific that drives them to aim for the stars and the biggest success. They also take what it takes to play high stakes in poker matches and whether playing high stakes is a sign of bravery or illogical thinking.
8.Jennifer Harman: Poker Queen
- Year: 2015
- Author: Jennifer Harman
- Country: the United States
- Cast: Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer,
- Theme: Documentary about Jennifer Harman, one of the most successful female poker players
Jennifer Harman is one of the most successful female poker players in the world. Throughout the years, she played head to head against some of the best poker players ever such as Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu and both of them have expressed their utmost respect to Jennifer Harman. Jennifer Harman: Poker Queen is adocumentary that explores the career of Jennifer Harman. Unlike many other poker players from all parts of the world, Harman managed to keep her consistency on a very high level throughout the entire career.
This documentary also explores the impact of online poker on the standard players and how online poker players have influenced other poker players at some of the biggest poker tournaments in the world. This documentary also reveals that some of the best poker players in the world have a lot of problems when facing players that have gained huge experience in online poker and whom they do not know. Jennifer Harman: Poker Queen is agreat documentary that explores the clash between the old generation of poker players and the new one that learn to play poker playing online.
This documentary also explores the impact of online poker on the standard players and how online poker players have influenced other poker players at some of the biggest poker tournaments in the world. This documentary also reveals that some of the best poker players in the world have a lot of problems when facing players that have gained huge experience in online poker and whom they do not know. Jennifer Harman: Poker Queen is agreat documentary that explores the clash between the old generation of poker players and the new one that learn to play poker playing online.
9.Inside: Underground Poker
- Year: 2012
- Author: Jon Bulette
- Country: the United States
- Cast: Mikey Tats, Breezy, John The Banker, Joe Mush, Brad The Conductor
- Theme: Investigation of the underground poker scene in New York City
The fact that underground poker matches are being organized all over the country is a public secret. Inside: Underground Poker is adocumentary about the underground poker scene in New York and the poker players who play in those matches. For many years, underground poker scene has been connected to the organized crime in almost every city in the world. However, this documentary reveals that underground poker matches are not different than the regular poker matches.
Besides that, this documentary also explores the effects that underground poker has on the players. Usually, people who play underground poker are people who are already struggling with gambling addiction and because of that, organizers of underground poker have been under criticism for organizing those matches. This documentary also reveals the details of what it takes to organize underground poker matches because many players have different demands for the matches.
Besides that, this documentary also explores the effects that underground poker has on the players. Usually, people who play underground poker are people who are already struggling with gambling addiction and because of that, organizers of underground poker have been under criticism for organizing those matches. This documentary also reveals the details of what it takes to organize underground poker matches because many players have different demands for the matches.
10.Poker Kings
- Year: 2004
- Author: MaciekWszelaki
- Country: the United States
- Cast: Gary Bush, Carlo Citrone, Phil Hellmuth Jr., Mike McGee, Chris Moneymaker, Daniel Negreanu, Simon Trumper, David Devilish Ulliott, Olga Varkony, Rober Varkonyi
- Theme: The path of five players to win the World Series of Poker and $2.5 million
It took more than two years of filming and editing to finish Poker Kings documentary movie. This documentary follows five players, Garry ‘Whacker’ Bush, Simon ‘Aces’ Trumper and Carlo Citrone from the United Kingdom and two players from the United States, Phil Hellmuth, and Robert Varkonyi. This documentary is the story of the 2003 World Series of Poker and how previously mentioned players prepared for the biggest poker tournament in the world.
The director followed these players throughout the entire year, filming them while they were playing different tournaments all over the world as they were preparing to play in the World Series. According to the director of this documentary, he wanted to provide an insight into the behind the scene time of those players and to show what kind of passion, ambition, bravery, and skill is actually required to become world class poker player. Poker Kings is the story of the determination and devotion to the cause that only professional athletes are able to achieve.
The director followed these players throughout the entire year, filming them while they were playing different tournaments all over the world as they were preparing to play in the World Series. According to the director of this documentary, he wanted to provide an insight into the behind the scene time of those players and to show what kind of passion, ambition, bravery, and skill is actually required to become world class poker player. Poker Kings is the story of the determination and devotion to the cause that only professional athletes are able to achieve.
11.2 Months $2 Million – Reality Show
- Year: 2009
- Author: Brandon Gross, Paul Reitano, Terrence Sacchi
- Country: the United States
- Cast: Jay Rosenkrantz, Dani Stern, Emil Patel, Brian Roberts
- Theme: aReality show about poker players attempting to win 2 million dollars in 2 only two months.
2 Months $2 Millionis the reality show that aired back in 2009 that featured four online poker players whose aim is to win $2 million dollars in only 2 months. All of the four players featured in this reality show have already proven themselves in the online poker matches. All of those players have earned millions but they managed to do that during several years of their career.
This is a reality show which means that some aspects of the show are probably scripted but still, it is a good insight into the minds of professional poker players and what they go through while playing poker matches. Throughout the series, we have the opportunity to see what techniques these players are using while they are playing online poker and we can see that in many aspects it is much different than the standard poker that is usually played in the tournaments and in casinos.
This is a reality show which means that some aspects of the show are probably scripted but still, it is a good insight into the minds of professional poker players and what they go through while playing poker matches. Throughout the series, we have the opportunity to see what techniques these players are using while they are playing online poker and we can see that in many aspects it is much different than the standard poker that is usually played in the tournaments and in casinos.
https://youtu.be/F8vSAi2QhKI
12.Bet Raise Fold: The Story of Online Poker
- Year: 2013
- Author: Ryan Firpo
- Country: the United States
- Cast: Danielle Andersen, Tony Dunst, Martin Bradstreet,
- Theme: The evolution of online poker industry and the clash between this industry and the US authorities and the events of the Black Friday in 2011
Bet Raise Fold is the documentary that explores the world of online poker and how it developed into a very rich industry. Besides that, it also explores the huge clash between online poker players and the US gambling authorities through the interviews with three online poker players, Danielle Andersen, Tony Dunst, and Martin Bradstreet who had their money frozen by authorities due to online gambling regulations. In 2011, the US Department of Justice completely shut down online poker sites in the United States and as a result, more than $500 million have been frozen.
Besides that, this documentary is also a story about the online poker and how it became one of the biggest gambling industries in the world. Additionally, this documentary also deals with the regulations that US authorities have imposed on this issue. This documentary deals specifically with the wish of the US member of House of Representatives and the Senate to completely ban online gambling.
Besides that, this documentary is also a story about the online poker and how it became one of the biggest gambling industries in the world. Additionally, this documentary also deals with the regulations that US authorities have imposed on this issue. This documentary deals specifically with the wish of the US member of House of Representatives and the Senate to completely ban online gambling.
13.One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stu Ungar
- Year: 2006
- Author: Al Szymanski
- Country: the United States
- Cast: Jason Blaine, Rusty Goehringer, Nicholas Sireci, Lyn Spencer
- Theme: Documentary about the life and career of Stu Ungar who is considered to be the best poker player in history
When it comes to the biggest legends of poker in the entire world, ahuge majority of poker fans and professionals would argue that Stu Ungar was the best player that every played poker professionally. Stu Ungar overcame many difficulties in his life on his way to become one of the most successful poker players ever. Besides depicting the career of Stu Ungar, One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stu Ungar also depicts the dark side of this poker player.
For many years, this player struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for a long time and eventually, that started to influence his performances in the tournament. Even though he tried to get treatment for his addiction, he did not manage to overcome those problems and eventually drug addiction cost him his life as he died from anoverdose when he was only 45 years old. This documentary seems to be a proof that some of the world’s biggest geniuses are also very troubled people.
For many years, this player struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for a long time and eventually, that started to influence his performances in the tournament. Even though he tried to get treatment for his addiction, he did not manage to overcome those problems and eventually drug addiction cost him his life as he died from anoverdose when he was only 45 years old. This documentary seems to be a proof that some of the world’s biggest geniuses are also very troubled people.
Martin Bradstreet is a high-stakes online poker pro from Australia. He plays under the screen name “alexeimartov” on PokerStars and “MagicNinja” on Full Tilt Poker. During his Internet card playing career, he has gone from the micro-stakes to the nosebleeds, winning hundreds of thousands of dollars along the way and establishing himself as one of the game’s deepest thinkers.
When asked where he thinks he ranks among the game’s best high-stakes pros, some of which are his friends, he sheepishly said, “I don’t think there are more than 20 people with stronger poker minds.”
He goes through periods of intense concentration on poker, eventually stepping away for stretches to work on his music with his “psychedelic rock” band “AlexeiMartov.” The young poker pro lives in Montreal, Quebec, Canada these days.
We caught up with Bradstreet to talk about his poker genealogy, as well as some strategy.
Brian Pempus: Can you describe how you became a high-stakes poker player?
Martin Bradstreet Poker Table
Martin Bradstreet: I grew up in a little town, so playing Magic: The Gathering there was a kind of entrepreneurial element to “rising up the stakes.” My brother and I would trade cards with our friends to improve the quality of our decks, but no one really had very good cards. That process is similar to stepping up the stakes in poker. That’s probably the lowest stakes game I played, which is why I mention it. I actually remember in Magic there used to be this rule you had to ante up by taking a random card from your deck — and that’s what you would play for — and to me and my brother that would seem insane: that there was a chance you could play for a card worth $20 that you had just hustled your way into owning and then just lose it based on dumb luck. So, I guess a lot has changed since then, but that was the initial point of playing a card game for money. At some point I heard about poker because a lot of Starcraft and Warcraft 3 players started playing it and had success. So, one of my buddies asked if I was following the poker thing. We eventually agreed to each deposit $50 online.
BP: Did you start winning right away on PokerStars and in home games you were playing?
MB: In the home games there were three of us who were somewhat serious and interested in Internet poker. This was around the time Gus Hansen started to become a rock star in televised poker and the idea of doing anything with 6-3 suited besides fold was crazy. In that game, I would basically always win then go talk about hands after. On PokerStars, I ran my $50 up to $200, but then wanted to leave the $0.01-$0.02 stakes. I moved up to $0.10-$0.25.
BP: So you embraced an aggressive style right away?
MB: No, actually I busted at $0.10-$0.25 because there were no medium stakes and re-deposited another $50. That was the first bankroll management lesson. After that though I’ve never re-deposited again or even got wires or transfers from friends. Given that I invest most of my money offline, I think I’ve learned to manage the bankroll well. I never embraced an aggressive style. Like anyone will tell you, I think it was never “shoot for the moon” straight away. It always felt like the next level of stakes was the summit.
BP: What sort of strategies did you embrace to beat $5-$10 and $10-$20? Those stakes seem to be the levels where people really start to think very deeply about the game.
MB: At that level is when you start to not think about strategies and start to think more about people as the player pools are smaller. It probably sounds like beginner stuff these days, but using hand-range math combined with reading people is really the dominant way to play poker in terms of decision making, aggression, and tricky moves, whatever. All of that is a product of reads. Good players do everything. There isn’t a general style; you just do whatever works.
BP: Were you taking notes on players that you’d see often?
MB: Sure. I’d jot something in the notes section, but I would never really use those to inform decisions. A bigger thing was a total immersion in poker, so that when I was lying awake at night suddenly I’d be thinking, “Maybe I should be stealing this player’s blind less because that guy sure hates to have his blind stolen.' That’s when most the good reads really happen. If you quizzed a bunch of really good players and asked when the shit truly went down, it’d probably be sleepless nights after sessions. That’s probably why Phil Ivey has such amazing reads even though he doesn’t seem to get involved in the modern learning of the game. Ivey has definitely spent a lot of sleepless nights thinking about how other people play.
BP: So you have to immerse yourself in cash-game theory in order to become elite? Does this ever create problems with second guessing yourself? Or, is it fair to say, are there usually always small improvements to be made during any session, or a more optimal way to play most hands?
Martin Bradstreet Poker Log
MB: People make mistakes constantly, including myself. Not even just small ones. In order to play poker at the top level you really have to breathe it. It makes it so all your downtime is spent learning how to play poker better since you just can’t get it out of your head. In terms of second guessing, my experience is you have to strongly not give a fuck about anything. It’s kind of a nihilistic misanthropic mindset almost like, “sure, I made the wrong move and it just cost me $50,000, but who cares, next hand.” But you have to combine that with a studious nature like “OK let’s find the right play though, and move on so we don’t do that again.”
Martin Bradstreet Poker Review
BP: Can you talk about how high-stakes cash game poker has gotten more advanced over the years? What kind of leaks have people plugged over the years?
MB: High-stakes cash has almost gone passed advanced thinking and done a 180 back to Zenning out, which shows how good people have got at it. The major thing you notice is related to sizing. Sizing bets was kind of the last bastion of analysis. In the past as long as you bet this spot you would be better than the guy that didn’t, but now you have to bet $1,150 not $1,350, or maybe $1,750. As a lower stakes player that’s a good thing to focus on — pretty much every spot you should be conscious of what you are trying to do with your bet and what the optimal size for that is. You immediately know you are in a tough game when all the sizing in spots is really annoying. The reason it’s annoying is that they have sized the bet so that it makes it pretty much on the nose if you call or fold. You feel stupid no matter what you do.
BP: Where does high-stakes cash go from here? Is there a hope that one day online poker can sort of blow up again and throw more non-regulars into the games?
MB: What I was alluding to earlier regarding analysis is that the method of thinking about the game at the top level is pretty much already at its peak. The conceptual framework used to think about a poker hand in a game like heads-up no-limit, for example, isn’t going to get much better. So you see at the top level people actually are focusing more on not thinking so they can Zen out like Ivey does and just kind of absorb information that is harder to quantify. Most people have excellent fundamentals now. I do think cash game poker will have another rebirth; it does frequently and there are still tons of people playing and markets to explore. However, there are too many good poker players now and that those who are good don’t like to play those who are great. If you add in the eventual rise of 'botting” we have some problems.
BP: Now it seems you have a good ability to have a balance between poker and other things in life you enjoy. Can you give some advice for people who are struggling with finding a balance?
MB: No, the balance is just an illusion, and I have started to believe it is impossible with poker if you want to play at the top level. You play terrible when you aren’t obsessed, as so much of the important thinking is done away from the felt while you’re eating a bowl of cereal. The best way to do it is just to be 100-percent obsessed, and then as mentioned in Super System, just schedule holidays. Even thinking about people that currently have balance in their lives, I see how much they’re slipping relative to the best at this given moment; and they could get back on top if they went into a cave for four months. Balance can’t work in the current poker economy.
I’ve had a lot of success at poker, and I’ve done plenty of other things over the last eight years. So, if I analyzed those years, I’d say that you work in chunks. That’s the way to do it. If you’re in obsessive poker mode, you just re-raise and go all the way.