Póker Fórum Archívum > English topics > The Well - Andrew Brokos aka "foucault82"

Thank you for your answer.

Hi Andrew, thanks for doing the well for us, highly appreciated.

In Hungary live play is very immature, only low stakes available and players struggle to make a living from it. Online seems to be much more easy to deal with.
Online vs live poker - which would you prefer and why? (let's assume online poker is legalised in the US :) )

Definitely online, but live is starting to grow on me. I really like the comfort and freedom of playing from home, being in complete control of my hours and my environment, having easy access to the food I want, not having to commute to the casino and wait for a seat, etc.


To be a poker player in Hungary is hardly accepted profession by the society. Most of the time the lifestyle of the players is strengthen the prejudices.
How important do you think is the balance between poker and life for a professional player?

Extremely. The very best players tend to be almost completely immersed in poker, but that's only going to work for a certain kind of person. I think most people will burn out very quickly that way, plus most people won't play poker for their entire adult lives so it's important to explore other interests and career possibilities too.

What are your plans in poker and in your personal life for 2013?
What about in the next 5 years?

That's a good question that I wish I had a better answer to. I've been living moment-to-moment for a long time, just doing what seems interesting to me at the time. Right now that's coaching and podcasting primarily. Poker can be a very lonely pursuit, and I've enjoyed getting to meet both my students and to talk to some of the most interesting people in the poker world for podcast interviews.


The poker boom is definitely over in Hungary but there are lots of players in the country who still would like to learn the game and try to earn some money.
What would be your top 3 advice for a recreational player who wants to make a living from poker?

Do it because you enjoy the game and the lifestyle, not because you expect it to be easy money. Most pros aren't working less or earning more than they would in other jobs, so you have to enjoy the game to make it worth such a large investment of time.

Treat it as a profession. Manage your bankroll well, keep good records, spend time studying in addition to playing, network, etc.

Find poker friends. This forum is probably a great resource for that. It's great if they are people you can get together with in person, but it's not essential. You need people to bounce ideas off of, to learn from, to motivate you, to share goals and frustrations, and maybe even to stake you or lend you money (or vice versa).

What would you suggest for a winning ssnl player to beat msnl? What's your opinion about main differences between these games?

I don't think there are huge differences. You'll see the same mistakes from the worst players at all stakes, possibly less extreme, but the way to take advantage of them is the same. There are more good players as you move up in stakes, and the good players are better than they were at smaller stakes. So it becomes more important to be able to hold your own against them besides just taking money from weak players. But ideally you can find games with a lot of weak players and not have to worry too much about it.

Holding your own against other regs means shoring up your fundamentals and getting creative. If you play the same way they do because you learned from the same books and videos, you won't have an edge on them. At some point you have to get deeper and learn and do things they don't. At higher stakes, that means figuring things out for yourself.

Hello Andrew,

could you please give us some advices about tilt management?
how do you handle tilt? what are yur advixes about it?

thanks.

Hello Andrew,

could you please give us some advices about tilt management?
how do you handle tilt? what are yur advixes about it?

thanks.

Tommy Angelo's "Elements of Poker" is the most helpful book I've read on the subject. I think the biggest problem is expecting a certain outcome, such as winning. You aren't supposed to win every time you have a big hand or the best win, and people who make mistakes don't "deserve" to lose. It's all just a big mass of probabilities, one of which manifests itself each time the deck is shuffled.

Losing, especially to a bad beat or a bad player, is something you can prepare and practice for. The last time I made a deep run in the WSOP main event, I went out on Day 6 with AK vs a pocket pair. The money went in pre-flop, and then we had to wait a long time for cameras to get positioned and everything before the flop, turn, and river were dealt. Rather than praying for an Ace or hamming for the camera, I spent that time mentally rehearsing what I would do if I lost. I didn't want to show any frustration (which by the way is the best way not to feel any frustration), so I thought about exactly what I would say and do if I lost. I lost, told my opponent "Nice hand," calmly gathered my things, and walked away from the table.

thank you for the answer.

and maybe a little bit similar to my last question: what about downswings? how do you handle them? what are you doing to escape from the deep, dark hole? and what was your biggest downswing ever?

Who are your favourite poker players live/online?
What is your favourite(funniest) story at the tables/in your life?
What do you think about Isildur?
What is your favourite country?Why?
What is your favourite food?
What is your hobby?What do you do in your free time?

Hi, What kinda brm would you suggest for a low stakes online grinder (nlhe 6m cash)?

it's funny, that every well have this question between the first 5 questions... FFS
(sorry for off topic)

What do you think in what profession would you work if not playing poker? How would you imagine yourself now if you were never to start playing?

Can you imagine yourself as an employee in the future?

thank you for the answer.

and maybe a little bit similar to my last question: what about downswings? how do you handle them? what are you doing to escape from the deep, dark hole? and what was your biggest downswing ever?

This one is really crying out for a Tommy Angelo quote:

"All of my good streaks and all of my bad streaks of every length and depth have had one thing in common. They did not exist in your mind. They only existed in my mind. And this is true for everyone's winning and losing streaks. None of them actually exist. They are all mental fabrication, like past and future. Everything that ever happens happens in the present tense. But how can you have a "streak" in the present tense? You can't. And therefore, if you are in the present tense, which, in fact, at this time, you are, then at this moment there is no streak in your life. There is no inherent existence to streaks. The streak is there when you think about it, and when you stop thinking about it, it goes away. It blossoms and withers, all in your mind. And when your mind invents a streak, you believe it exists, because you believe what your mind tells you. But the truth is there is only the hand you are playing."

I'll add that if you are getting frustrated with your regular game, it can be a good time to try something a little different. Play live instead of online, tournaments instead of cash, PLO instead of NLHE, etc. Or just take a break from poker.