PHIL IVEY

Poker Legend Phil Ivey and his "no strategy" poker strategy!

We’ve mentioned Phil Ivey in the column on previous occasions but as this young man is widely regarded as the most dangerous man in world poker maybe it’s time to take a closer look and see what we can learn.

Phil believes that physical fitness is becoming an important part of successful poker playing given that endurance in long drawn out tournaments is as much an issue as skill and experience.

“I run three miles a day, go the gym and hit golf balls.” confesses Ivey. “I never play poker for less than six hours at a stretch and if I’m winning you’ll often see me go twenty hours plus. You gotta be fit to do that.” Phil believes that to quit after an hour if you’re losing is not sensible, unless the make up of the table is wrong and things don’t feel right. “You get so you know when to quit. It’s your decisions that are important. If the guys around you are making better decisions than you, then it’s time to quit.”

Apparently, Ivey’s strategy is “no strategy”.

“When you play poker, things change. You can’t go in saying I’ll play this way and that. Good players you come up against read you right away and change. You have to be able to change right along with them.” He’s fond of quoting Mike Tyson in his prime who said famously, “All my opponents have a strategy until they get hit!”

That’s Phil’s parting advice. Be a poker playing chameleon.

Become a poker legend at: www.DailyStarPoker.com

ANOTHER POKER LEGEND ON FILM
Fans of the Sopranos and poker should try to catch the movie “High Roller” now out on DVD. The movie stars Soprano Mafioso Michael Imperioli as the amazing poker genius Stu Ungar. In his heyday Stu entered thirty major buy-in events ($5,000 plus) and won ten of them, only to fall foul of drugs and die at the early age of forty two.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Do I have the right to request to see any player’s hand after play has ended if that hand has not been folded?
A: Yes you do. This is not however a demand to make on a regular basis. In a lot of poker circles it is considered crude and indicates a lack of trust. If you feel you have good reason to make the demand, then do so. You’re within your rights.
Q: I’ve heard players refer to some opponents as a donor or an ATM. What does that mean?
A: They are terms experienced players often cynically use to characterise  careless or just plain bad players who distribute their money like cash machines. If you are ever refered to in that manner go for a good online tutorial or take up golf.

ALL THE ACES daily poker column: Saturday, August 20th 2005: Phil Ivey