Player Focus: "FlopSpanker"

Name/Age/Location/Poker ID and why you chose it?

Richard Redmond, 37, FlopSpanker, cause it’s what I do...I spank the Flop!!!!

What do you currently play now?

Any high buy-in MTT in NLH, for cash games I play NLH, pot limit Omaha and seven-card stud.

When or what started you off in playing poker? How were your early
experiences in learning how to play?

I played as a young child from the ages of about 8 until I was 20 or so. I played very little in the next 15 years, but picked up a CD about two years ago while between business ventures, and here we are!

How did you start off your online bankroll?

I funded my poker education myself for the first three months, which was fairly costly as I lost about $10k or so, before I began winning. I was approached by BadBeat.com 12 months ago to sponsor my online play which they now do to a substantial level.

So what factors/skills/attributes got you to that level?

Good mental arithmetic, decent memory, a bit of luck and large cohones!

How much money have you made from online poker in the last two years?

My biggest single win was $262k in the PokerStars Sunday Million (buy-in $1,000). I have had several $80k-ish results. I guess I've made around $700k or thereabouts in total in the last 18 months.

Which sites do you play on apart from PokerStars?

Betfair, Ladbrokes, Martins, Party, UltimateBet, Littlewoods, Full Tilt.

Do you play STTs and, if so, which ones are your favourites?

When I hit the wall periodically in MTTS and cash games, I go back to basics and play STTs - the higher the buy-in the better.

What are your golden rules for MTT play?

If it is fixed limit, sit out the first three levels. If it's no limit sit out the first two, watch the table and decide who is going to give you their chips.

Do you play offline, and if so, where/when did you play?

I finished 18th in my first live event in 2005 at the Barcelona EPT and won my first event (chopped with Paul Alterman) at the Caribbean Poker Classic 2005. In 2006 I had several decent cashes: I was second in the $2k buy-in Baden Open (for $72k), 2nd in a Bellagio Cup series in Las Vegas (for $74k), and I also made the money in the $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em event at the WSOP.

Has there ever been a time when things just weren't going right for you while playing poker? What was your worst run ever and what did you do to get through these times?

Often, and the way through it for me is to go back to basics and step down a couple of levels until it passes...it always does.

Who is your favorite professional poker player and why?

I am very close to Marc Goodwin, and he and Ram Vaswani are good golfing buddies of mine. With that in mind my favourites are as follows: Marc Goodwin the Omaha God; Ram because he'll take you to a place you don't want to go; and, Phil Ivey because he's my Bitch on the golf course!

Michael Mizrachi is relentless and if he could only play 70% of hands he'd be the best in the world. I love pressure play and think Ram, Roland De Wolfe, Josh Aria and Stuart Fox are fine exponents.

Domestically, I like Paul "Action Jackson", Jeff "JaffaCake” Kimber and Nick Gibson.

Online, my favourite is Morten Erlandsen aka "Pokergirl" - he's a good mate and does it the hard way.

What proportion of poker is luck and what proportion skill?

10% and 20% respectively, but I think you forgot timing 20%, experience 40%, and where and with whom you are seated 10%.

What do you consider is your biggest accomplishment in poker?

Online, winning the $262k PokerStars Sunday Million, in which I had to beat 1,307 other entrants. Cashing in my first ever WSOP event was good, as was cashing in my first EPT event and winning at the Bellagio. But I had a three-week spell at the end of 2006 when I reached five consecutive Final Tables: a side event at the Barcelona EPT, two side events at the London EPT, one at The Sportsman's Meltdown Festival, then the Baden Open...that was quite a rush and economically fantastic, and it came so soon after my run at the Bellagio.

Do you have one memorable hand you would like to share?

It was the Final Table in the Baden Open with just four players left, the blinds were 4k-8k with a 500 running ante. Marcel Luske says to me: "If I raise blind will you call?" I said, "Ok", and the other two fold pre-flop. The flop comes 8d-2c-2h. He says: "If I raise blind what are you going to do?” I said: “Do it and you’ll see!" He raises blind so there's now 120k in the pot, and I say: "I am all-in Blind". He says: "Bloody Hell, I gotta look!” He looks and after an eternity folds...I flip over 10-8 and take the pot down. Marcel went a bit tilty after that and went out next, so there were three of us left, all thinking 'WooHoo'!

What are some tips and tricks you can give out to the readers that might improve there games/build a bankroll?

Get yourself on the candidates programme at www.badbeat.com. If you are any good, or show a desire to learn and improve, you could fairly quickly find yourself bankrolled and kicking some butt!

Do you want to say 'Hi' to anyone?

Marc Goodwin and all the boys and girls at Badbeat.


THE OTHER TOP ONLINE PLAYERS

Top US Players

Top Swedish Players

Top German Players

Top Italian Players

Top Norwegian Players

Top Canadian Players

Top UK Players

Top Female Players

Top French Players

Who have we missed? Email and tell us who you want to read about