PokerCollectif will publish once a month of interviews with known members of PokerCollectif who are also big winners at poker. It is by Marc-Etienne McLaughlin aka "General Irish" we will begin this series of interviews. Last year, Marc-Étienne finished 30th in the Main Event of the World Series Of Poker. The answers are in the image of the guy; sometimes serious and intelligent and sometimes absurd and funny.
Even if you are quite known on the forum, would you have 2 words of submission you?
Two words? I'll tell Beefcake and I find another later. More seriously, I started to play poker 4-5 years ago approximately. I made a first deposit of $ 50 and I mounted gradually levels. I started at the bottom of the scale to play NL10 and try. I runne bad and I went down to $ 20. I then made a Sit'n ' go heads up to $ 20 and I gained. If I had lost my $ 50, I would probably stop playing poker and I wouldn't be here today.
What difference do you see between the good winners with cash games of 2010 and the good winners for 2006-2007 for example?
The winners of today are definitely more distinguished than the winners of 2007. They go in the museums, they talk about art, they will in the bars Eggheads and jazzy Montreal discussing essentially the allegory of the cave.
Otherwise I believe that today's good players must be more versatile. In 2007, it was possible to have only 1 game and this game was winning. You could use it on all the tables against all players. Today must be more versatile, better adapt to his opponent, better swing sound range. You must be able to have several games and change its gears depending on his opponent. This is important because today's players adapt generally better than the players of 2007. Need to know against whom to play tight, loose and tricky, against which opponent to use which tool.
How do you work your game? Are you routines?
Yes. Sometimes I do stretching and warm-up exercises for 20 minutes. Sometimes, when I'm in the mood, it's longer and it can last for 4 or 5 hours. Sometimes it is so long that I forget to play. Finally, it is perhaps not always the best thing to do.
I already saw you play on NL1000 tables, NL2000 with several good regular. If you play these decent regular, it is that you think you have an advantage over them. According to you, without revealing your secrets, what is the quality you have and what these players do not have?
First, if we talk about guys like Takechip and Tiltman, I must say that I am much more Irish than these guys here.
Otherwise I would tell you that it is my ability to adapt my game to the player. Some players have only 1 game and do not adapt or adapt badly to the styles of the different players.Some good regular, even at high limits, are not well balanced and will tend to play like that against all the players all the time.
Do you have a healthy life as a poker pro? On a poker table you need your head and to be tired, be stressed, be a little drink or have pain in the head can affect your game. Do you have any rules about it?
If I have a headache the head, it is certain that I will not play. Unless you have taken something like 9 Aspirins. Since 4 years I play poker, I've never played in drink, I've never played when I had not throughout my head. This is something really important because the high limits, errors are costly and some bad games can eat a good portion of your profits.Then you you want and you'll tilt 20 buy-ins. It can kill your bankroll.
I already have heard legends about some players who were better players under the effect of the drug, but personally, this is not my case.
You already do lots of money playing poker. Why have you agreed to be coach for your company, Cheval_PL?
First name. A horse, it is prestigious and muscularly very strong. It has a large body and small legs. Sometimes watching horses with their large bodies and small legs and I fear that their legs give way under the weight of their bodies. It is something that makes me very afraid.
I have developed Cheval_PL with Jonathan "Da_Engineer" about 1 year and a half ago. I saw great potential in project and through the company Jonathan who is an excellent poker player, it allows me to push my game away, thinking further, to study the poker at bottom.Studying poker is a passion for me.
Do you think all good players can be a good coach?
Non. All good mathematicians are not necessarily good math teachers and all good poker players are not good coaches. The times should be able to make simple complicated concepts and explain them with precision. Conversely, an average player could be a great coach if he is able to explain and popularize well.It is an art in itself.
Speaking of coaches, do you think that coaches seen on BlueFire, Cardrunners, Leggo, etc, are 100% honest and integrate? Several coaches might want to teach only a small part of their knowledge. After all, why make the best competition?
I hope not. It's been long that I have not watched a video, but it seems to me that most videos I've seen speak to average players. Anyway, I have the impression that really advanced players will not too look at videos.
Have videos participated in your progress as a poker player?
Permanently. 3 years ago, I watched a few videos from CardRunners and I had clicks; It has completely changed my way of seeing the game and it made me move forward.
Person has never coached me, nobody ever held me hand, but with these videos, I could see the way of thinking of the best players that me and it opened my eyes to several things.
If you could also be handsome man as a member of PokerCollectif, which would it be?
I must say that I am still already quite handsome man. I consider myself in the top third of the members of the forum even though I could still improve me at face level. Otherwise I would tell you that I'd love to have the face of the star of the moment, Poker_John.
If you were instead of Jonathan Duhamel and you finished 1st in November, would you take your retirement? If Yes, what would you do?
Excellent question. I do not know if with all that money I'd still motivated by the cards. I also have the secret project to buy all the world VHS tapes and I do not know after this purchase if me would still a lot of money. Maybe all listen to them would be part of my activities.
I see the poker more as a means than an end. Poker is used to pick up money more to play to say "I played poker". I do not know if I would take my retirement. Maybe I'd go to other projects, maybe I still play poker if I still have the passion for cards. The question is not easy to give a clear answer.
The horse most resembles what your personality trait?
The force. A horse, it is strong, it is beautiful and it is lucky. I believe that I am as lucky as a horse. I am also dashing than the horse and I find that I have a big body against my legs.
Note: A big thanks to Marc-Étienne for giving me this interview!
