Julian Thew: "in the well"

[julian]

Would you ever consider cosmetic surgery to improve your looks?

mmm, hadn't thought of that...how much does it cost & to whom & where should i send the cheque?

[DaveShoelace]

What is the biggest animal you could kill with your bare hands?

and

What is the biggest animal you could kill with a plank of wood with a nail through it?

i think i'd just drop everything & run in the opposite direction

Not even a mouse? You could stamp on a mouse easily.

Serious question, have you ever lost your rag at the table?

[julian]

FFS only five questions 

If you could be another poker player for the day, who would you be and why? and if you could keep one of their poker skills/qualities, what would it be and why?

How big of an edge do you feel you have in GUKPT/EPT events and despite being a sponsored playing and having a bigger sample size than most, does it worry you that it'll take a lot of years and a lot of tournaments to get a big enough sample size to reflect any edge you may have?

Can you reccomend me a good bottle of red or two <£10?

Be honest there are too many big buy-in poker tournaments these days aren't there, which are causing dwindling attendances at the non festival ones. And what do you think of the EPTs decision to raise the buy-in to their events?

Players swop a lot of %s in tournaments, have you ever a) taken down a nice payday through this or b) missed out on a big payday through say missing an event where a regular swapper went deep?

Thanks for taking the time to do this Julian.
 

1. one of the online hotshots - moorman perhaps? i've not met him but i'd be intrigued to spend a day in the life of someone who excels in that field.
2. i used to worry that i'd never win one, either due to ability or sample size, but obv. those doubts are gone now.
i do have an edge in these, but quite often that edge isn't allowed out of the bag as i fail to make day 2.
there is plenty of value in all these big events, but there are also some very talented players - on a good day the bad ones can give you a very handy leg up.
3. bonterra merlot/cab sav, ravenswood zinfandel
4. way to many big buy-in comps - you def. need some sponsorship, deep pockets, or the ability to be able to satellite your way in to get a chance to compete.
i suspect that the majority of 8k buy-ins might drop back to 5k for season 5.
5. i used to swap 15-20% in 3's & 5's but came to realise 'what's the point'.
barring a big saver from ian oldershaw who got 2nd in the masterclassics a few years back it tends to just be 2 or 300 quid exchanging hands.
i don't swap anymore

[dino1980]

tyty for anwsering the q's.  cabsav ftw.

[boldie]

I have heard several players comment on how they divide a 3 day tourney into 3 one day tourneys. Or atleast into two 1; get into the cash, 2 get it won. Do you do the same or do you go for the win from the start?

[Jim R]

Hey Julian we all have players we dont like to be on the same table as  for there style of play name yours please.

[julian]

Julian thanks for doing this,

I understand you hired a poker coach last year, who was it and how did he/she help your game the most?

Can you tell us some more about how watching CR vids has helped your game. Do you watch tournament or cash vids, which vids helped you the most etc?

Apart from the importance of position can you tell us about any other lightbulb moments you have had in the past year or so?

Why don't you or any other famous players post strat on the PHA forum?

Who is the better tournament player iyo, Roland De Wolfe or Barny Boatman?

1. no i didn't hire a coach last year although, as many players do, i bounced some ideas & hands of one or two guys - ariston was a big help & is imo, very capable of nurturing a handful of players to some big final tables.
i've always felt poker lags behind the majority of other competetive pursuits, especially when you look at the money that is regularly up for grabs.
so yes, i'm a big believer that one day, coaches/mentors/sports psychologists will be a big part of the game - poker is still relatively new & with time, it will catch up.
i've been seeing one of the latter this year & whilst it's still very early days i feel this will be the single biggest improvement i could make to my future tournament performances.
2. nothing specific i'm afraid, i've prob watched a little bit of everything by everyone.
i'm guilty of not yet logging on this year - one of my goals/resolutions was to watch 2 a week
3. patience & the ability to just grind it out.
4. don't know really.
i wouldn't consider myself a 'maths' guy or a 'technically correct' player, it's more about feel & instinct for me - perhaps i'll have a look sometime & try not to embarrass myself on there.
5. results talk - roland

[julian]

What is the biggest animal you could kill with your bare hands?

and

What is the biggest animal you could kill with a plank of wood with a nail through it?

i think i'd just drop everything & run in the opposite direction

Not even a mouse? You could stamp on a mouse easily.

Serious question, have you ever lost your rag at the table?

hehe,
no losing of rag, i just go very red & sweat alot - very sexy yeah

[Horneris]

Would you rather be a badger or a giraffe?

[Dewi_cool]

Would you rather be a badger or a giraffe?

black & white that one, badger obviously (they can get themselves out of a hole)

[julian]

Hey Julian,

Hard luck at the weekend. Kind of an awkward spot on the final hand.

- Regarding the weekend, what was your ultimate opinion on the 50k starting stack / all the levels / 1hr clock structure? Do you feel that your edge is greater with a deeper structure or does the length of time that they take make them a fundamentally unprofitable excercise for a pro player? Would you say that you played the event because you believed it to be plus EV or because it would be an enjoyable experience?

- How did you feel the standard of play matched up to the EPT circuit or the GUKPT environment? Are there fundamental differences in the play of "random Irishman" that makes them particularly difficult / easy to play against?

- Can you ever forsee yourself returning to your pre - poker profession fulltime? Or would the prospect of full time employment scare you at this point?

- I am continously surprised at the quality of play in 1k+ buyin events. It amazes me when clueless players can justify the expense in terms of money and time depsite the fact that they are massively out of their depth and would require a bundle of luck to cash deep - particularly with the deep structures standard in Ireland. On top of this, you do see lads doing their balls playing live cash on weekly basis in Dublin cardrooms. Does the hustler / newbie shark / fish element of the game ever get to you? Would you ever be inclined to tell someone in a cashgame to take their hand out of their wallet and walk away?

- Do you drink much / ever? Would you ever play with drink on?

- In your opinion, following on from UIGEA (which looks less likely to be repealed) and the recent anti internet gaming laws passed in Germany can you forsee a bright future from the game? Do you ever feel fortunate to have gotten in before the landslide?


I know there are a lot of question marks, but that is roughly five!

As an aside, I can say that I have found you to be very friendly and unassuming on the couple of occassions we have met. The dealers and staff in Drogheda were very happy to have you at their tables / in their club and no - one had a bad thing to say about your play and table behaviour. Class act imo. Best of luck in the future and thank you for doing this.

hey lloyd,
was nice playing with you - man, you sure know how to yoyo lol
1. a 50k starting stack with that structure was great & yes i def. think it played to my advantage (even if said advantage wasn't realised).
my reason for playing it was twofold, i enjoyed it there last year & i'll be playing the 25k at the bellagio in april which also had a 50k  stack - the experience was very worthwhile.
2. as in the majority of these vents the field a mixed bag - traditionally the irish have a rep. for gambling it up & but i think that now lies more with those from northern ireland lol - so no, nothing fundamentally different.
you should def. try & play some ukpt's or ept's, as you should by now have proved to yourself that you can run deep at that level.
3. i can't see myself returning to an office environment.
i don't see me being a full time pro for ever either, but hopefully some useful work within the poker world might present itself at some point in the future.
4. getting my paws on someones chips never bothers me in a comp, as it's a level playing field & we're all taking our chances.
cash games are different though & whilst money is my motivator, yes i'm never too happy or comfortable taking it off my friends & i'd def. have a quiet word with someone if i felt they were ruining themselves.
5. yeah, i drink more now than i used to; i'm 40 now though, so i think it's ok to have the odd vice or two at my age & let me tell you, with 2 kids running over the house, come 6 oclock, who wouldn't be getting the corkscrew out.
i never used to drink during a game but i'll often have a becks or 2 now - it just takes the edges off & helps me relax into the game.
6. i def. think the game will grow & yes i'm very thankful that i found it before the curve went vertical - i got my william hill contract two months into the first ept season late in 2004; it would be so much harder to land that deal now.
tx for the kind words

[ariston]

Would you agree that the players who get big results over and over tend to be just natural talents rather than technically proficient players. A player who has read every book and knows every move may get the odd result but the consistant winners (yourself, roland in europe then going to the likes of DN etc in the states) all seem to have something that you cant learn- timing.

if you do agree, where can I buy some timing?

Now you are financially secure after your recent wins have you started to look at tiltes more than cash. If you final in a wsop event would you be more interested in the bracelet than how much dough you are gonna collect and would this effect any decision on deals you may make at finals.




oh and cheers mate I am sat in the village bar at walsall and blushed

[bobby1]

hi mate,

Do you think fatherhood helps you to remain focused and composed at the poker table or gives you any other skills that have helped you develop your game?

Who would you nominate as your 5 for the future in poker?

You looked very emotional at the end of the EPT final, did the achievement hit you str8 away or did you have a moment of clarity a few days later?

Do you think there is a danger that some young players are gonna go broke chasing the dream given the high price buy ins that are available to play almost weekly. In your early years did you ever get close to going broke or did you have a clear strategy for taking shots at the bigger comps?

Who is the sexiest Quayle you know?

cheers

[LuckyLloyd]

Thanks for the interesting answers. *Boggle at you being 40.

[lucky_scrote]

Hi Julian, hope I see you at Walsall on Friday.

You say your roll was mostly around 15k when you first started. Did you ever feel added pressure when your bankroll dipped because you have a family to look after (although I understand your children are very young so this was probably before you had children)?