For the new year, PokerCollectif has the pleasure of receiving a veteran's PokerCollectif Member: Ibrahim. I had never spoken to Ahmad before doing this interview. As a poker player with great success and that it is more and more known on the forums, I've grown good to meet him for this interview! Hoping you'll have as much fun to read that I had to do it!
Good reading!
PokerCollectif: Hi Ahmad! Are you going well?
Ahmad: Yeah it's going very well!
PC: For people who do not know you, could you tell us something about you?
JC: I come from the Outaouais region, specifically in Gatineau. I am 23 years old and I play poker for about 4 years, but professionally for 2 years. Before becoming a poker pro, I was delivering at St-Hubert. Since I left my job, I don't play cards.
PC: What are the elements that have made so that you have become a poker pro player? Y' has several amateur players, but all do not have the talent or the determination to become pro. What are the elements of your side who have made that you have become pro?
JC: It really is a passion for the game that has made that I wanted to become a pro. Kinda like all the world, I started playing the sitNgo between friends, but I soon realized that I loved this game and I wanted to make a career.
PC: Are you a fan of game cards in general and strategy game?
JC: Yes, a little, but it's more the poker that interests me. Like everyone else, I play occasionally at different card game, but it's really the poker that interests me the most. I did not really history with strategy games. In short, the poker is my main passion.
PC: In your journey, what is there are people who helped you develop your poker?
JC: I learned a lot by myself. At the beginning, I learned the basics by myself. Then, when it became more serious, I paid coaching, but the bulk of the work, it's me who did it. Today, I discuss poker with some of the very good players in Quebec and y' has two players also residing in my area with whom I discussed much. Exchange hands and a few comments on those hands. I also learned with these people who play approximately the same limitations as me and I respect the game.
PC: Cheeks you only to online poker or you also play live poker?
JC: I played both. When I started my career as a pro, I was playing exclusively live. I was playing the $ 1 / $ 2 at the casino de Hull on the electronic tables and I have to tell you that the level was pretty bad. I was playing ABC Poker, Poker tight base and it was easy to make money. Today, I mostly play online.
PC: What is your most big force in poker? The discipline? The intelligence? The determination? The work? Etc?
JC: I have not only a strength, I think that I have several forces who help me in my game, but I would say that I really have a good adaptability. When I play, I am alert to all the little details and it obviously helps me in my game. If y' has a fish on my right I will know how to exploit it, if y' has a nit to my left or my right hand, I'll be aware of it and I will know how to adapt my game to operate this player.
When I started player, I was a tight ABC player and I was not very creative. Over time, I had a nice evolution in my game. I became a little more LAG and more creative; This is another of my forces. I also more easy than before to multi - tabler. To be a good poker player, you need several qualities. Y' has several details to be careful. You do well you adapt, have a good game of base, make the good table selection, review hands, etc.
PC: How do you deal with the stress of your job and are you the type to tilt?
JC: Personally I tilt much. I am not always able after a tilt back to my A game. What do I do when I realize that I'm too tuned, is that I stopped playing, simply. It is frustrating when I stop playing, is that I do not play the number of hands that I was set per day. I play less, and obviously it's bad for me. But it's better to stop playing my D game and lose money.
It would be really beneficial for me as I work on this because, some days I'm really minde to played a very long session and after 15 minutes, I'm frustrated me be suckouter 3 times and I stopped playing. I had planned to play all the day thousands of hands and if I stop after 15 minutes, it's not a very good attitude.
I started to read The Mental Game of Poker and I believe that this book will help me and even though I've only read 30 pages so far, it looks really promising.
PC: How you perceive the poker forums? You got a lot of posts, but it looks like you use more forums for fun to learn? Do you think that the good players do not become involved enough in the forums?
JC: When I started to post on PokerCollectif, I played the smaller limits as of the 100nl and I blogging hands, I was in the midst of learning. I get the forum, I was reading several topics of strategy, I asked several questions. But today, I'm a better player than before and I have bases that I had not before. So, I used more forum to entertain me. I go there every day, I read some topics I posts some comments, but it's more for the pleasure of talking to people who have the same passion as me that for practical reasons like working my game. Obviously, a few times yet I can post hands and I participate in a thread of strategy, but I do it less than I did before.
PC: What has your poker player routine air? Cheeks you 7 days a week? Do you have a healthy life in particular?
JC: I get up the morning around 10 AM. Then I eat, I take my shower, etc. Then, I play poker for about 60 to 90 minutes. After that, I go to the gym, I do my shopping, I dined and I relaxed a little. Next, I'll grinder all afternoon. I do that almost every day. I play poker almost 7 days a week. I play about 2 PM to 6-7 PM every day. I play about 3-4,000 hands per day.
PC: A little on the sidelines earlier issues; What are the biggest nonsense that you have made, that it is connected with poker or not?
JC: One of my larger silliness has connection with the poker, of the time that I was playing live. Some day, I could spend 15 hours at the casino and I have developed the bad habit of playing the "side games" like Craps, Baccarat, etc. I did profit Poker and I was going to lose them to other games, which is really bad. Some times I was tuned a few hands of poker and I was going to redo playing Craps. Initially, it was something nice and I discovered games, but with time, it has become an unhealthy obsession. It was a routine for me to go gambler while I was playing poker.
When I filed online, I've never made the same mistake. I've never played Blackjack or another other than the poker game. Today I'll tell you that makes approximately 2 years that I have not played in a game like this side.
PC: apart from poker, what are your other passions?
JC: I am probably someone who spends too much time indoors. I play many poker, I listen to the TV, I listen to sports matches and I listen to portions of the Canadians. I'm also going to the gym and I train, I pay attention to my health, but I don't really think having another passion.
PC: What are your plans for the future?
JC: For the next year, I would like to be Supernova Elite on PokerStars. I do not at all know if I'll get there and if I'll be able to keep up the pace, but this is clearly one of my goals for the next year. Also I can't wait to return to Vegas this summer to play the big tournaments. Last year I was there also do a dozen tournaments, but I did not have the results that I would have liked to have. So this year, if I could have a big result, it would obviously be a very good thing. This is another one of my goals. Last point: due to black friday and a big downswing, I had to get off limit, but I would like to recover and return to the limits to which I was before these events.
PC: A big thank you to you Ahmad for having taken the time to grant us this interview and I'll wish you the best of luck for your future projects!
JC: It's nice! Thank you to you!
Once again, thank you Ahmad for having taken the time to grant us this interview! Good luck for 2012!
Discuss this interview on our forums: interview January 2012 with Ibrahim!
