mookie99

Congratulations to SoxLover on his first Mookie title against a field of 49 players all while finishing in the top 10 of the Full Tilt 15K tournament. Very impressive. Here is his profile.

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Champion: SoxLover (Fishiswa)

Blog: Fish Soup

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Q: What is the story behind your IDs, SoxLover/Fishiswa?

S: It actually predates me playing poker. It comes from an old LP called Fishy Swa Ska from Fishbone–a ska fusion band that I used to listen to all the time back in high school and college. I used to use it for IRC and other online stuff back before the web. The fact that it naturally works as a poker moniker is just gravy. I am probably better known as SoxLover however. That is my Stars screen name, which I was forced to get as someone had taken both Fishiswa and Fishyswa. Easy enough, since I love the Sox and this was in early 2005, 5 years after the New York Yankees had last won the series. That name became best known because all the original blogger tourneys were on Stars. So now I use both.

Q: How did you get into poker ?

S: I was taught the game at age 5 by my older brother, who used it as an excuse to steal my allowance (this is actually not a joke). I’ve always loved games, all card games, board games, war games, computer games–you name it. I had not so serious games in college and law school and I played not too seriously–well I suppose I did try to play seriously, I just played not too well. I did discover Paradise back in 1999, and, without really any idea of what the hell I was doing, I would go through a small buy-in (usually 100-200) every few months. I did not start taking the game seriously until back in 2004 when a former law school friend invited me and a bunch of other non-serious players to a semi-private tourney he had gotten the old Playstation to sponsor. I had the luck of cashing for several hundred in my first live tourney and that was the start of the hook. After doing okay in the first few months, I hit a down turn and began to read…..and read…and read.

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

S: At this point, I’ve pretty much decided that poker will always be a hobby, and probably will never be particularly important to my lifestyle in terms of money (for good or for bad). I basically want to continue to enjoy the game and see if I can become a better player. That’s about it.

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

S: I’m thinking a table with Danny N,, Doyle, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Greg Raymer and Vanessa Rousso would at least be fun for conversation if massively -EV. Note one person there may not be adding so much to the conversation but everyone else has enjoyed this cliche so why not me?

Q: What was the first poker blog you read ?

S: Riding the F-Train. I stumbled upon it while doing a search for the legality of poker in New York. After reading it for a bit, I recognized the author from the backstory as a friend from law school. I’d always suspected he’d taken poker a little more seriously than some at our old game though he always flatly denied having read a book. The blog was proof positive that even he couldn’t weasel out of–and trust me, he has massive weasling skillz. His blog inspired me to start my own.

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)

S: Hmmm…to be honest, I’ve been treading water at least results wise for the past 6 months. I think the biggest change has been a growing recognition that immediate progress doesn’t matter that much. I will get better I am sure over time, but the biggest danger to my game has always been myself, especially when I let my own mistakes (or perceived mistakes) eat at me and end up compounding into worse mistakes. I am getting better at this but it remains my #1 priority for improvement. Technically, I would also get a better feel for reading physical tells.

Q: How would you describe your poker style ?

S: Mixed-aggressive. I move back and forth from tight to loose as I believe the situation dictates, but I am always strategically aggressive–that is, I will throw in passive plays from time to time, but I try to do so only for a specific reason and it will generally be only after having thought through why I am not going to be aggressive at that particular moment.

Q: Who is your favorite poker player ?

S: Probably Danny N. Maybe John D’Ags. Ah, I don’t know.

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

S: Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut–depressing as hell. Last poker book was Ray Zee High-Low-Split Poker.

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

S: I lucked out here. First of all, I got Mrs. SoxLover hooked. Second of all, I’ve had long conversations with both parents about the game, why I play and what I get out of it–my dad even reads my blog and we discuss hands from time to time. Grandma isn’t too happy about it, but she lives in Cleveland.

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

S: This question is gheigh. Nihilism I suppose if I had to choose.

Q: Tell us a little known fact about yourself.

S: I was the youngest baby every to fly on United Airlines at the time (10 days old, very early 1973). I just HAD to get out of Detroit!

And now a new question for The Mookie profile…each week the previous week’s winner will ask the new champ a question. From last week’s champ, lucko21…

Q: Of the non-mookie-player poker blogs, which is your favorite and why ?

S: Probably Guinness and Poker. (Wait, did I answer Nihilism above? Can I switch to Masochism?) It’s just likely to be the best chance of reading something you didn’t know and were happy to know in any given post. Of course, you may end up learning a few things you didn’t want to know, but that’s the price of poker, so to speak.

Soxlover’s question for next week’s winner…

Q: What, if any, poker skill would you trade your left testicle/breast for?

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

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