mookie99

Congratulations to bdidde on winning his first title against a strong field of 38 players. Here is his profile:

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Champion: bdidde

Blog: Biggestron Writes

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Q: What is the story behind your ID, bdidde ?

B: I started playing on-line poker around the time my first son was born. The people at work had started calling me b-diddy (my first name starts with B, diddy = daddy and its all a twist of seanjohn/puff-daddy/p-diddy). B-Diddy was taken at my first online site (UB) so I went bdidde. Most people don’t look carefully and call me ‘bdiddLe’, which almost always leads to the type of talk you’d expect when the word ‘diddle’ is thrown into a poker chat window.

Q: How did you get into poker ?

B: I was invited to a home game while I was at Stanford, got hooked and never looked back. I had played nickle/dime poker on occasion for over 15 years, but I never considered strategy until I started playing with people who were perfect at calculating odds and even better at making reads.

Q: Do you have any poker related goals and if so what are they ?

B: I’d like to final table a WSOP event. Even better would be putting a bracelet on my wrist.

Q: Who would be at your 6-handed SNG ?

B: I played against Johnny Chan last summer in the WSOP, but as much as poker celebrities intrigue me, I’d have to go with my original Stanford home game crew. We went through a few changes over the years I was there, but the first group I played with are really special to me.

Q: What was the first poker blog you read ?

B: “Tales From the Tilt Boys”. They set the bar for trip reports – I’ve seen very few match them. Having original TiltBoy Perry Friedman sit down at my $1/2 NL Cash game during my last trip to Vegas was fucking fantastic.

Q: What are key improvements that you’ve seen in your game over the last six months, and what is one priority you have for improving? (Submitted by CC)

B: Better control of my emotions – appreciating the fact that someone is willing to play 35o to a big raise rather than bemoaning the fact that they just cracked my aces with garbage.

I need to improve my ability to see through and punish bluffs. And along those lines, making a read and following through with appropriate action when scare cards hit the board.

Q: How would you describe your poker style ?

B: Patient.

Q: Who is your favorite poker player ?

B: Me.

Q: What’s the last book you have read ?

B: I am currently reading “The Human Stain” by Philip Roth (thanks Pauly!). My last read was ” The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon”. I recently took up a new job that enables me to use public transit, so I am getting a lot more reading in than I used to. I put a special section up on my blog to track the books that I am reading. Since blogging is ostensibly a literate endeavor, I think that it is a natural thing to do. I review most of the books that I read and I welcome people to look at my library and make comments or suggestions.

Q: What level of static do you get over your poker habit ? (Submitted by Drewspop)

B: Not that much. I get a bit grumpy during extended losing streaks and my wife will typically know to leave me to myself when it is happening.

Q: Between Nihilism and Masochism, which do you think better describes why you play poker? (Submitted by Iakaris)

B: I’d have to go with Nihilism. When I am in the zone, it is like nothing else matters – I forget about food, drink, sleep, pain, troubles, etc. That might be more Zen than Nihilistic, but I think the two philosophies share some similarities. Sometimes being in the zone is bad, like when I stay at the game so long I miss my flight back home from Vegas (this has happened to me twice).

Q: Tell us a little known fact about yourself.

B: I am currently a high level research scientist, but I began my education as an english lit major.

bdidde’s question for the next Mookie champ…Q: Some people play poker purely for the financial gains. This often means playing against people whom you would never associate with if you met them away from the table. How does it make you feel to sit in close quarters with someone you detest, even if they are paying you to be there? There certainly are other ‘professions’ where this occurs – are you a poker whore?

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Congrats again to bdidde and thanks for participating in this profile.

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