Player Interview: Reraiseallin

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

Nikhil Persaud/33/London. I chose the name "Reraiseallin" about four years ago because I thought it would be cool. Little did I realise that in late stages of tournaments when you do need to re-steal with 'f**k all', my moniker can be quite an obvious hindrance... :(

What do you currently play now?

Mainly cash games, predominantly pot limit Omaha. I am learning to play cash holdem as I feel this is a weakness for me having started off with tournaments. The styles/skills needed for the two can be markedly different. Obviously I play the big MTTs too. There is very high variance but can be very good when you do hit a score.

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

I started playing $100 sit ‘n’ gos (SNGs) on Ladbrokes about four years ago at the beginning for 2003. This was a pretty tough school that had regulars including Paul 'Action Jack' Jackson and some other (now) successful UK/Scandie pros. I was a losing player here for a long while but kept my enthusiasm for the game and learned a lot. Retrospectively, I began playing too tightly and too cautiously post-flop. Now I realise the importance of aggression and position.

How did you start off your online bankroll?

I never really started with a dedicated online bankroll. I would just be using money that I had from my business to keep my bankroll alive. After being a losing player and subsidising my poker losses from work, I began winning in small Omaha cash games and used the profits to play MTT's. When you win an MTT, the return on investment is significant.

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

I have always considered learning about the game more important than showing an immediate profit. I have played above my bankroll too often and had harsh results, but the experience has been invaluable. For example about two years ago I would play $25/50 pot limit Omaha with the toughest players online with my whole bankroll (some $25k). I would lose nearly all of it and have to rebuild at the lower limits. This cycle happened for about a year but I developed my game a lot. For now, I am happy at the mid-limits without all of the stress. I would say that my ambition in the short-medium term would be to play higher again, when I think my game is REALLY ready.

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

To be honest I have never really kept detailed records so I am not sure. I would say that $15k a month for the last 18 months would be a fairly accurate figure. My target is to double that in 2007.

Which sites do you play on?

Mainly Ladbrokes as 'Reraise' and 'Reraiseallin' on PokerStars.

Do you play Sit ‘n’ Gos and, if so, which ones are your favourites?

I like 'heads-up' for $200-$500 and also the 'turbo' ones on PokerStars are pretty good at the $200 level. They get really tough though at the $500 and $1000 level.

What are your golden rules for MTT play?

One should understand the principle of 'equity' and use this to guide us through the tournament as an overall rule. What is our stack worth? I don’t really have any other golden rules but I do think differently to conventional wisdom. Without wanting to sound clichéd I try to adapt quickly to my MTT situation which is highly dependent on the players at my table. Why try to run-over (bluff) a table full of calling stations? I really believe that building a stack is more important than surviving in MTTs. I believe that people's biggest weakness is that they are afraid to go out early, and I think that this is exploitable. I WOULD take a coin-flip very early on for example if I felt that conditions/benefits were correct. I embrace volatility and my stack can go wildly up and down throughout a tournament. For example, again against conventional wisdom, I WOULD attack the other big stack on the table if I have one, as he is the only one that can double me up and he may fear busting out himself.

I think that a lot of MTTs are won before the flop, and a player who is aggressive pre-flop (mid-stages onwards) will build a lot of chips uncontested by stealing blinds and antes. Your stack size compared to the other stacks and blinds is also very important to consider. For example a stack of 10BB late on in a tournament may just be a 'push all in stack' pre-flop. A stack of 15-20BB may be too much to open push all-in with pre-flop, but may be a good 'reraise/re-steal' stack. After 20BBs maybe you can start seeing flops again. Lastly, what I have learned from great MTT players is that they can ADAPT. They know when to keep the aggression up most of the time, but they have a great sense of when to slow down. They are great situational players that can play A-A in five different ways depending on their table in order to get the most chips possible. That's why I disagree with people that say "never slow-play A-A". You may have to and should do sometimes.

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

If I play offline then it is mainly at the Gutshot card club in London. I also plan to travel a lot this year and play many regional tournaments on the 'Grosvenor Poker Tour'. I will also be going to Monte-Carlo for the EPT Grand final and Las Vegas for the WSOP in the summer. I have qualified for Monte Carlo already online (PokerStars) and hopefully for Vegas too. I think online is a fantastic way to give yourself a chance in bigger events for a relatively small outlay.

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?

I have been playing for four years and hit a bad run early last year. I lost maybe $50k online in three months. It was a real time to reflect. This was my chosen profession and I felt that I couldn't win a hand at the time; my confidence was at a real low. On reflection, I maybe actually 'ran badly' for the first half of the three months. The last six weeks of this time I must have been on tilt and making a series of bad poker decisions. I think it is very important for a player to keep a balanced life and spend some time off from the game. It is important not to delude yourself in that your luck is horrible. Really look, and try to learn what you were doing wrong so that you don’t repeat it again.

Who is your favorite professional poker player and why?

There are MANY players that I admire and for different reasons (cash/tournaments/different games/etc). If I had to choose just one it would be Patrik Antonius. He has made a meteoric rise from the internet to live play. His aggressive style and understanding of the way poker works (the mechanics of the game) is formidable. Also his ability to pick up new games is very impressive as shown in the H.O.R.S.E event at the WSOP in 2006. I think he will be at the top of the game for a long time to come.

What proportion of poker is luck and what proportion skill?

I don’t want to answer this question as it is too complicated for me. You need time-scales, number of players, type of poker game to give a really good answer.

What do you consider is your biggest accomplishment in poker?

To consistently beat the mid-limit cash games online. This has allowed me to enter the more fun things like WSOP main and WPTs. To win day in, day out at poker even when you are 'running bad' is a big accomplishment for me. Winning at poker also affords me to live the life-style that I want to. I am not cut out for proper work :)

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

It was the WSOP Main Event 2005 and my first big tournament. I had won three tickets online and given one of them to my best friend Shane Bartholomew (“Monty3” online). It was day three and from 5,619 players, 560 got paid. Miraculously, Shane was on my table and we needed to lose 20 players before we got into the money. To give you the background, I was in my $25/$50 PLO phase and was really broke at the time. I went to Vegas with one $100 bill that a friend had given to me.

So there we were, with 20 players to go for the money ($12,500) and I was low stacked. Shane took me aside and said "Just hold on. You need the money". I agreed. Then there were 563 left, only three more to go and I had A-Q in the SB folded to me. I had been folding relentlessly and had Jason Lester (who reached the final table of the main event the year Moneymaker won) in the BB with a ton of chips. I went all-in and at the same asked Jason if he could please fold as I didn't want to get busted right by the bubble. I told him that I was a poor lad from England and that I had a wife and kids. He smiled at me and said, "Son, I don't wanna bust you but if I have a hand I'm gonna call you". He then looked at his cards and called INSTANTLY.

'Marvellous' as Neil Channing would say. Shane looked at me as if to say "WTF are you doing?". To be honest I didn't expect Lester to have a hand and call. He had 9-9. But there was an Ace on the flop! Ding ding! The ability to pay my hotel bill for the last two weeks was now a reality. As a side note, Shane 'Monty3' Bartholomew came 81st and gave me half of his $100k winnings. Ding ding again. :)

What are some tips and tricks you can give out to the readers that might improve their games/build a bankroll? What do you suggest are the best ways to improve?

My best advice would be to look at the good internet forums like RGP and 2 2 and look at the analysis on interesting hands from other top online players. Also make sure that you discuss your hands/situations with players that you respect so that you can develop your game. I have a number of mentors that have helped me enormously with my games. If you need to build a bankroll then consider VARIANCE. Yes, large MTTs can pay extremely well if you win, but it is still mathematically hard to do so.

Also, Omaha cash games can have high variance so holdem (maybe even limit holdem) may be better if your risk of ruin is too high. SNGs are an excellent way of building up a roll and you can quickly move from $10 to $100 ones if you play well. Also, play on sites where the games are easier. PokerStars in my opinion is the best poker software by miles, but the SNGs can be tougher and they offer no 'rakeback'.

If you are serious about building an online roll then rakeback is a must and many places offer good deals at the moment as they are keen to attract players. Lastly, look at your overall style (strengths/weaknesses) as a player. NLHE and PLO need serious heart to play. If you are more conservative and analytical, maybe a fixed limit structured game would better suit you. Be honest with yourself. If you have a gambling problem and love a draw then PLO is for you :)

Which one poker book/video, if any, revolutionised the way you play poker?

I think I have to say the Harrington series on tournament poker as they are excellent.

Do you want to say ‘Hi’ to anyone?

Hi mum and India. Erm, hi to all my poker buddies that have taught me how to play.