od Horsey7 13 Nov 2009 23:04
neviem ci by to odpovedalo tomu, co pise Galfond v blogu..
Durrrr v lsildur1
Hey BFPers,
A lot of people have been asking me my take on the lsildur v Durrrr match. Obviously I am good friends with Tom, so I've been rooting for him.
Yes, I have watched some of it, and have been following, but I actually haven't seen most of the action first hand. I've read through many of the hand histories, and I actually watched almost the entire first day. I've also played a few hours with lsildur myself, and countless hours with Tom.
Who's the favorite? I can't be sure. I've never played against someone who I thought had an edge on Tom at hunl. However, after 25k hands and big results, Bayesian probability insists that I at least consider the fact that Tom could be a dog here.
From my experience with lsildur, my impression was that he was a very good pro, but not unbeatable. His style was different than many of the opponents I've played, but adjusting to new game dynamics has always been one of my strongest skills as a poker player. I was very happy to be getting new high stakes action, but certainly didn't consider him a fish.
After watching the match, my opinion of his game has risen. Not many people can handle a style like Tom's at nosebleeds with stacks that deep for very long. You have to remain on your A game constantly or risk getting completely picked apart.
lsildur has shown that he can stay on his A game for many hours, across 6 tables, without much sleep. Something I don't think I could do. Yes, running well at nosebleeds will help a lot with your focus. Adrenaline and the thrill of beating the best probably has made it easier for him to stay focused. And everyone is familiar with the concept of 'momentum' though people's opinions on its effect differ.
I've read a bit about theories on who he is, and the way he got to where he's at right now. Seems like no one is positive about him or his backstory, at least publicly. No, I don't have any more info than you guys do.
People probably assume, based on my reputation recently as a game selector and bankroll manager, that I think anyone risking huge portions of their roll against the best in the world is stupid. Far from it. I came up that way pretty much. I played in games I had 10 or less buyins for. I've lost half my roll in a night, and much more than that over certain chunks of time.
Playing against tough competition when you have a lot on the line is a great way to learn the game. It motivates you more than anything else can. It's not shocking that lsildur has made the progress he has (based on the stories I've read).
I personally don't want to put myself at risk like that anymore. I'm content with my current life situation, and I'm not willing to jeopardize it yet. However, I definitely don't look down on anyone who approaches poker differently. I have a TONNNNN of respect for both Tom and lsildur. In many ways, I'm extremely jealous that I'm not a part of a match this epic.
How good is lsildur? I'm not sure yet. I'd need to play against him myself much more. He's probably an excellent player, based on what I know. Even while running extremely well, very few people could come out far ahead against Tom over that many hands of 6 tabling 500/1k. Even fewer people would dare to try it.
If he were playing against almost anyone else, I'd be rooting for him, but I hope Tom is able to turn things around. I've been playing for around 5 years now, and I've never seen anything like this. I'll be on the rail with the rest of you. Enjoy it.
-Phil