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Jon 'Skalie' Kalmar is a professional poker player from Chorley in Lancashire, not 'Chorleyville' as numerous 2007 WSOP reports told us was his home after Jon’s form filling shenanigans in Vegas! Before discovering poker, Skalie was once the lead singer in a punk rock band and could be heard at blonde bash four, pre-competition, extolling the virtues of The Stiff Little Fingers to a frankly perplexed table of twenty some-things.

Before entering the 2007 WSOP main event, Skalie admitted to enduring a "terrible" run at that year's Series. He failed to cash in any of the preliminary tournaments. However everything changed the night before the Main Event began. Dejected, he tried to switch his airline ticket and return home early, but was told the cost to change his departure from Las Vegas back to England would be over $600. Instead, he decided to enter the last mega-satellite at the Rio just before the start of the Main Event. He ended up in the final 17 winning a $10,000 seat and proceeded to swap various percentages of himself with friends and long time associates with whom he had been staying on his trip.

The rest, of course, was history as Skalie went on to finish 5th in the Main Event for $1,255,069.

Last year Skalie took nearly $80,000 from a high finish in the Five Star World Classic WPT event.

Associated with and now sponsored by Ladbrokes Poker for many years, Jon has recently set up a blog www.skalie.org in which he describes himself as "Well basically a fat lazy bloke who found out playing poker was easier than working"

Be warned, Skalie tells me "I dont do mornings so don't expect early responses"

Notwithstanding that Skalie will be on this thread during the next week to answer your questions..... 

What's your favourite single?

1) how many tournies do you reckon is a good sample size of whether a player is a long term winner?

2) Do you play Mtt on line, if so which site?

3) Were you bankrolled properly for the WSOP 08

4) you have  9s Ts at    800/1600 (150)  and its folded round to you 9 handed, your stack 19k, the BB has 15k  Your opponent is a solid player. What is your play
    a) live in a gukpt
    b) online in a sunday major.


thanks for doing this.

Did you throw that 5k chip in by accident or on purpose?

(Funnily enough, I was talking to someone who was on the table that day just recently about the hand, and he was convinced you did it as a "move" whereas I thought you made an honest mistake..)

What's the biggest animal you could kill with just your bare hands?

1) How has your life changed since becoming sponsored?

2) What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen at the table?

3) Most overrated player in England?

4) Most underrated player in England?

How much did you and I drink in Turks and Caicos

Did devilfish really pay the girls wages

Can you sing better than I can dance

You have to go to bed with one of the following

The Camel, Dave Colclough or Barney Boatman.

Which one and why. ! ! !

Have you ever had a funny experience with a chair in a blackpool casino ?

Remote Control by the clash, awsome lyrics. Down in the tube station at midnight would be up there as would rat trap, none of which sang by my favourite bands

What colour's your air-guitar Skalie?

1) God knows, i know many a good player lose over a lot of events and indeed bad players winning over the same. Tournies are very difficult to make money at alone.
2) If i play online it is generally only ladbrokes, however if Im playing sunday nights i will throw away several hundred bucks chasing the big ones on tilt and stars
3) I had plenty more money to play during 2008, when i got there i struggled to motivate myself to go play the smaller events. Huge fields and small stacks just wasn't appealing
4)er you serious, of course i throw it away, that would never fit in my range or starting hands...................Naaaaahhhhh raise the bast 3 or 4 times
5)GUKPT,

On my loved ones lives, it was an accident, as you know i was still quite new to the game.
Its the 1st and last time I ever wore sun glsses.

I assume we are talking about Luton

After a pint a Bengal Tiger or even an average size pola bear.

With the benefit of a couple of years reflection, how do you look back on the WSOP 2007 main event?

Any regrets that you couldn't get higher than 5th?

In the two years since, how much has that result changed your life?

Please tell us about your relationship with Ladbrokes? Presumably you could have been sponsored by all manner of sites post 2007 WSOP, yet you stuck with Ladbrokes. Why?

What are your thoughts about Player sponsorships in general, do they provide value for money for sites?   

1) Not a great deal, ladbrokes are not to demanding, does take pressure away knowing some events are paid on. Hate to find the WSOP Me money every year.
2) Tony Kendal
3) Ask around, there are plenty around overating themselves.
4) Hard to pick one, Nick Gibson springs to mind but anyone who plays him wont underrate him.

Nice choices.

1. It was said to be the stuff of legend, they have written peoms and songs about it since.
2. Dont know if he paid their wages but I believe he did help them out after they were not paid by the organiser
3. It's a coin flip
4. Dave, the other 2 snore

No! what u mean....................?

RED

Bar area, Old woman with a drink in each hand, your choice of chair.


you went redder than your air guitar ... dont try and kid on that you have forgotten it LOLOLOL

No regrets, I was trying to win and would do it again. Anyone telling me they play the AK differently then they are a poof, and are unlikely to have got far anyway.
I now have a nice car and eat truffles on toast
Ladbrokes is where I started so yes it was top of my list. However its a popular misconception that sites fall over themselves to give out deals for these results, maybe if i'd lived in the states Full Tilt or poker stars may have offered a monster deal. Truth is I never actively pursued a deal, maybe i expected one to fall in my lap, it didn't until ladbrokes approached.

Player sponsorship is obviously great for the players who get them. I seem them becoming rare in the forcoming years. Players up until recently have had it quite easy, being paid into events without have to offer to much in return. I think they should and will spend more time earning a crust and mixing with the players who play the sites. In future I believe they will amost become employeee's of the site.
Depite popular belief, sponsored players dont have carte blanche to play what they want, you may be suprised how little some get.

 i seem to have a vague memory, hmmmmmmm no no its gone :)

I feel its only fair to remind everyone ;)

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=25745.msg521587#msg521587

Oh that, nah that was just a set up to sell a video to 'you've been framed'.........................
to change subject isn't harry hill much better than that fat bird who used to do it.

Hi,
    Thanks for doing this.

What do you prefer tournaments or cash games?

Best player you have faced?

If you could HU4Rollz someone and busto them who and why?

Thanks  Cholchester, You have really cheered me up, I also forgot about this gem, been laughing for a good 30 mins

Like bith, hard to say. Cash is easier cos your not stuck for hours sometimes days before you get paid, IF u get paid,
Tournies obviously pay better. Also in tournies you can at times really smash a table, something that rarely happens in cash.

HU would have to be Ivey, cos hes Loooooooaaaaaaded

How do u rate David Poole aka Salmonoystas tournament chip "gathering" abilties?

Hmmmmmmm, don't be draggin me into that debate on a public forum.

[ ] understands rules of the well

the tears are just pouring down my cheeks i had forgoten about that but i can remember it fondly now

Hey boy they shout, have you got any money? and i said....ive a little money and a takeway curry, i'm on the way home to my wife, she'll be lining up the cuttlery i know shes expecting me, polishing the glasses and pulling out the cork............. ;tightend; ;tightend;

how far is it from Galway to Knock?

which tunes would you pick from the clash

 white riot or golden brown.

several hours on a dodgy bus

Fav clash tunes
Remote control
complete control
Tommy gun
Lost in the super market
Hitsville UK

Golden Brown is a pretty good stranglers song, don't recall the clash covering it

of course sorry lol .catch question.

heyhey

who did u rate the most at the main event final table??
how in particular did u rate jerry yang??

Prior to the final I tipped Jerry Yang to win it in an interview with inside edge, basically cos he was capable of anything, not because i thought he was the best player.
Tuan Lam had impressed me most prior to the final but he appeared to lock up when it started, maybe he was card dead like myself, who knows.
Lee childs was pretty useful as was Hevad Khan, his dancing was a little anoying but to be fair after a chat he calmed that down.
Kravenchenko was very very tight, maybe cos he was nursing a short stack for so long, he played that very well and would probably be my pick of the overall players.
Raymond and Phil Hilm I hadn't played prior to the final so I couldn't really comment to much.
Lee watkinson was the one they all talked about a few tables out, he picked his spots well.
All the guys were nice blokes, and with the exception of Jerry (who is either retired or been kidnapped) I am sure you will see all of them again.

WSOP 2007 - How many pre flop all in coin flips did you win in this tournament?

WSOP 2007 - how many times did you have AA?

Newcastle GUKPT blinds  100/200 you are on the BB. the button raises to 600, the small blind fails to notice and tries to raise to 800 which goes as a flat call. you look down at A Q o/s and with a 12k stack you have them both covered. (9k and 10k stacks )...What now?

 LOOOOOOOOOOOL

he likes calling off 9k with 92 sooooooted when the blinds are 150-300 apprantely!!!!

lol forgot it was Skalie who did that in Blackpool, true comedy moment!!

Dubai's question is the best imo

The first time I was all in pre-flop for my life with a 50 50 was the last hand against raymond. Except on day 1 i was all in with Aj vs 88. I flopped the ace, he hit the 8 on turn and the river made 5 to the flush on the board. It was like a mini mexican wave taking it in turns to stand up and sit down when we hit, eventually splitting it.  (I won plenty of 50 50's for other peoples tournement lives but up until the last 2 days I always had masses of chips compared to the others on my tables.

Hmmmm, why a specific tourny, all depends. Where am I sat, whos on the table, am I drinking, have i took any beats. Probably flat call, but to be I may push or fold too.

OBV

Sorry set up question - you push the AQ and I call with KK....1st card A of course  :(

AHA, yes, think I apoliged, some tw@ was winding me up if I remember

In a hand vs Chris Bruce in Newcastle you famously apologised for winning a pot with AQ vs Chris's KK.

Were you really sorry?

No, not really but i'm sure I sounded sincere

have you ever read a poker book?

What are the most noticeable changes in the live game since you started playing? (positives and negatives).

Which live events do you look forward to the most?

What would you need to achieve in 2009 for you to look back on it as a successful year?

Yes

Have you just woke up or did you need a pee?

Did it help your game?  Did you learn anything you didnt already know?

People have become much more agressive, moves and removes are the norm, thinking maybe the day of the rock will soon be here.

WSOP Obviously, Blackpool in November and Galway. The Ladbrokes cruise was always the one, hope they do another.

If, after paying all my bills, i have more in the bank by december than i had in January.

Both

Early in my game I read some skalansky and the phycology of poker (cant spell shooomacher). And yes they did help my game. (they would be out of date now but still useful for beginers. schoomacher one is a bit repetative)
Read some of the Harrington books, can't say I agree with everyting in em and can't say these helped to much. though admit i mainly flicked through them. My game was much more advanced by the time i got these so was already doing a lot of the stuff or had my own way. I would recomend them to newbies.
The best advice nowadays is the articles you find in magazines.

Even the Alex Martin ones?!   ;gobsmacked;

well you gotta take the rough with the smooth

Great thread.

Were there any negatives to making the ME final?


Was the media circus before the final a distraction?


How great was the temptation to ladder given the jumps and did that impact your play?

How much of a sick degen is Pete Haslam, and is he still addicted to kamagra?

i have both jon kalmar names on pokerstars and full tilt...

i registered them when you went deep in the wsop...thought if you won it they would have to give me some $$$$$ for it lol.....i registered when there was about 150 players left....

STILL FOR SALE......hehehe...wp skallie,,,,played a few cash games with you....(codeyes mate)

4REAL?

Sometimes you get annoying piss heads recongnise ya and try to latch on. Also 5th paid double the 2 previous years and the year after, doh! oh and the dollar was the worst in my life time, (good god you'd think i lost money)
It wasn't that bad, a few hours of interviews, i rarely do stuff i don't want to.
No temptation at all, already won a bundle by then.

Without a doubt he's a sick degen, but frankly no one compares to Navey Dave. Boy he was funny

You was it, lol. Somebody in the vegas house had the same idea, every finalist had every comination registered by the time the final table was set.
Had All the Skalie urls for years never done diddly with em till latey, although some bast nicked .com when i forgot to renew it, shadey tw@

im gonna play all ,,,,play money games to make you look bad,,.,.,lol
if you want it skalie.,,.it's yours mate.,,.,.

i forgot to add .,.,if you see connor.,.,tell him i got sealey on stars too.,..,
god im switched on.,.,.,

PMSL oh yeah.
Did he tell you the stories about the things he has done to win bets on board ship? Sick sick man.

Is it true that he had 1% of you that was agreed when he was drunk and he didnt even remember until the final table had started?

Best live gig???

Really enjoyed meeting you at blonde bash whatever it was in Luton, anybody wearing SLF t shirt is alright by me and I remember you saying how cold you were running at that time...... I was pleased when it warmed up again as it struck me that you were taking the hits with a lot dignity.

Best advice to a rookie?
Favourite TV programme?
If you could have a six seater sit n go who would be on it with you?

Skalie, thanks for doing the well.. Few Q's if you dont mind..

Are you prone to tilting at all... What specifically sets you off and how do you combat it?

From reading some of your blogs, its clear you like to gambooool now and again - Is this something you take seriously and treat as a means of additional income, or is it just a release/hobby... Do gambling losses ever affect you at the poker table and have you ever needed to step back and take a break from it?

How much work to you put into 'learning the game' / reviewing your own play etc

Ta

Yes he did have 1% but he was well aware. He used the fact to leverage an extra few days in vegas from his mrs by promising to pay her car off.
He bought a watch.

Watched the Anti NowhereLeague in Blackburn a couple of years back, was a small pub with around 100 people in it. The stage was basically a large step. Years since i'd been to a gig like that, was awsome.
Don't get over confident, you might not be as good as you think, your probably just lucky.
The Wire
Stephen Hawkins, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Joey Deacon and  Guy Laliberté.

Yes but less so in recent times. I realise quicker now when i am. Basically I take a break. In a comp i go for a tab.
My gambling is anything but proffessional, although i have unsuccessfully tried. (once managed to lay something like 15 winners in 18 races on betfair, boy that hurt). No they dont affect my poker. And yes im often taking a back seat from gambling.
The best way to learn is play, i got obsessed when i first started. To be honest i think i just had a feel for the game so didn't study as much as you think. Talking to others in the game is by far the quickest way to learn and without doubt got me to the level i am. Hmmmmmm, maybe that why were all losing now.

skall ,did it do your head in ,in the 80 s going in to a mens toilet and seeing Gary newman fans in there black all in ones putting eye make up on.how did you take it ?,personally i hated it .

Fortunately I was too young to be going to pub when that was happening, but yes i think it may very well have put me off ma stride.

Wouldn't have lasted five minutes at a Killing Joke gig

Killing joke are nesh compared to the meteors, them boys were scarey

my big sis got in with some pyschobiillys when i was a kid, one of them was called toby and he ended up drumming for the meteors. dont know how long for but he wasn't scary, he was really posh and lived in a big house with his M&P. the rest of them were pretty scary though i agree.

jon are you playing at walsall this week?

i knocked you out of the £200 side event last year, still my only claim to fame really. you'll be pleased to know i ended up 3rd anyway ;)

Mainly talking about the guys watching.
Yes may be in walsall tus night, good to know my chips were not wasted last year.