07 Aug 10

Diamond Interview Series: lessthanthreee

This week's interview features a Diamond member all the way from Australia, author of a very popular SnG blog: lessthanthreee. We talked to him and found out more about his poker career and what it's like living there.

Welcome to Australia. What are you looking at?

This week we take you to Australia (Oystraylya, mate!), since that's where our next interviewee lives. That's the country where animals and plants can wield weapons and will try to kill you if possible. That place is the living proof that, in fact, Mother Nature hates us all.

lessthanthreee started small, but made it quite far and his blog received some great reviews:

"Your hard work and dedication are to be admired. Congratulations and continued success to you." Ramble
"Sir, you are sick. Keep up the sick good work!" Jackalof
"Congrats keep it up. One day I hope to achieve a fraction of your success" letmewinplz8
"..." ihufa & NightFrostaSS

Since he's Australian, I had to conceal his identity, given the relationship between his people and the New Zealanders (you might know these guys). Seriously, watch out for New Zealand fanatics (more like New Zealots, right?) In here you will also find the famous "Australian test", which was given to very few selected people (none so far). By the way: That's not a knoife! Also, the interview contains Australian slang.

If you want to nominate a Diamond member for the next interview or you just want to read the previous entries, click below:

Diamond Interview Series: nomination, archive, feedback

This interview was conducted by vhallee

G'day, mate!

PokerStrategy.com: Oi! G'day there mate, and welcome to the Diamond Interview Series! How you doing down there?

lessthanthreee: G'day! Thanks for having me. I'm doing great, the weather is starting to warm up again. I love Spring!

PokerStrategy.com: For those who don't really know why I'm using (trying) my Australian accent this time, why don't you clear it up a bit?

lessthanthreee: Haha, well, if you haven't already figured it out, I'm Australian! Representing all the kangaroo eating, crocodile wrangling poker players. I've lived here in beautiful Sydney all my life. Best city in the world!

PokerStrategy.com: What's with this nickname? Does it mean that your favourite number is two? What's the story behind it? Was ‘CrocLover69’ taken?

lessthanthreee: It is completely taken from the internet symbol '<3' which is a heart. I have this tattooed on my inner lip.

PokerStrategy.com: Now, my crocodile-wrestling mate, why don't you tell us a bit more about your poker career. How did it all start?

lessthanthreee: It all started back in 2008 when I saw an episode of the WPT on TV. Like most people, I was amazed at the cash these guys were winning! I found my way to the micro-stakes tables, playing a bit of MTTs, cash and SnGs on a few random sites here and there. After a few months, I stumbled on PokerStrategy.com. At this point I was still a huge fish, basically playing for pennies but dreaming of luxury!

PokerStrategy.com: So, unlike normal Australians who like to fight deadly creatures, you decided to give into poker. Two years later, where are you in terms of skill? What games and formats are you currently playing?

lessthanthreee: Haha, yeah I retreated to the safety of my home. I actually have to check my shoes during Summer every day to make sure there aren't deadly spiders inside them! Right now I'm playing $24 - $60 STTs on Full Tilt Poker exclusively.

Good player, great blogger

Australian Frisbee is a men's game

PokerStrategy.com: Yes, I heard spiders over there have also evolved thumbs and can therefore hold fire arms. Tough life... Anyway, besides checking for deadly insects, how does a regular poker day look like over there? How many sessions do you play and for how long? Do you have any strange (read: Australian) rituals that you use before sitting down at the tables?

lessthanthreee: At the moment, I am waking up at around 8AM. Reading the forums, checking my usual internet sites. Then starting my sets at around 9AM (this is at 7PM ET so it is usually quite fishy). I then play until the games get filled with regulars (usually by then its time for lunch). Then Ill return to the tables for the afternoon for another few hours.

Some days I can easily manage 6-8 full hours of play, on other days the games are just infested with other regulars and I'll choose to do a review instead. My only ritual is making sure my mind is distraction free and my game face is on! Oh... I always turn my poker programs on in the same exact order every time!

PokerStrategy.com: That poker program thing smells like OCD, you should probably get that checked. You probably got it from one of those Australian creatures. But yeah, what can you tell us about your poker blog? What would an aspiring SnG player find there?

lessthanthreee: I started blogging on PokerStrategy.com way back in August 2009 when I was still a baby in the STT world on the $2 limit. I wanted to track my progress through the limits with in-depth statistical analysis, monthly graphs and comparisons.

My goal was to inspire other micro-stakes grinders and to illustrate the many ups and downs that SnG players experience during their careers. I have tried to minimise the bad beat stories and focus on major turning points that I discovered along my journey. Recently, I wrote a short strategy article in my blog to commemorate 20,000 blog views as a gift to all who read it.

I wanted to document the variance, ROI's and $/hr's that I obtained on each limit so other players could compare their samples and statistics. I feel it is a blog for open discussion around a lot of the complex aspects of SnGs that usually isn't covered in many traditional articles. There are some eye opening concepts in there that I wanted to share with the community that has given me so much.

PokerStrategy.com: Fair dinkum, mate! The reason I asked is because I saw all these comments that looked like testimonials to me. For example, 8979687 said "This blog is a testament to what true dedication, patience, and a strong understanding of variance [...] can do." You swear that you did not pay any of those people to post such comments on your blog?

lessthanthreee: Haha, I have met a lot of genuinely nice and helpful people from the PokerStrategy.com community. Without them, there is no way I would have made it this far. Bloody oath!
 

Dedication is the key to success

lessthanthreee's Einstein Jesus tattoo. Because why the hell not?

PokerStrategy.com: Bloody oath indeed. People reading your blog from page one are in for a great ride: a story about friendship, betrayal, joy, pain, laughter and cry. You've started out small and now you're a Diamond! What would you tell people looking to get into the world of profitable SnGs?

lessthanthreee: First of all, you must love SnGs. If you don't love them as much as I love a good barbie on Boxing Day (that's the one you cook meat on... not your sister's plastic doll) you will find it a very tough journey. Once you are certain SnGs are your game you need to ensure 100% of your attention is on learning the game.

You should be reading articles, reading the hand evaluation forums and reviewing your game more than you actually play! This community has some fantastic minds and surrounding yourself with other passionate STT players will ensure you always have a buddy to ride the waves with you.

PokerStrategy.com: Rip snorter of an answer, mate! Couldn't agree with you more. Now, since you're doing quite well at these tournaments, have you considered taking part in some live tournaments as well? Perhaps some of the bigger ones like the WSOP, WPT, EPT and so on?

lessthanthreee: I've always been such a NIT with my bank-roll. Considering that I have basically zero MTT experience, and no-one crazy enough to back me, spending a few thousand dollars on a donkament doesn't seem like a +EV investment a the moment.

My edge playing a few hundred $60 SnGs is quite a bit larger compared to my edge over one of those fields. It is quite a natural progression for STT players to move into MTTs so it could be in my future, but right now I'm just focussed on the grind to the high stakes STTs.

PokerStrategy.com: Crikey! Would you consider this to be your long-term goal? Speaking of which, what are your plans with poker in, let's say, 5-10 years? Go pro or keep it as a hobby?

lessthanthreee: My long term goal has always been to be a high stakes STT regular. It would be pretty cool to play a big live tournament. Maybe in a few years I'll be able to afford some big gambles. I hope the games are still beatable in 5-10 years!

I'm comfortable having poker as a lucrative hobby, even if I earn more money playing poker than at a real job, I don't think I could handle the financial pressure of providing for my future family with such a variable monthly income. It would also limit my future potential career opportunities as 'poker pro' sounds like 'drug dealer' to most employers.

PokerStrategy.com: And 'Australian poker pro' can get you into some deep trouble I heard. But enough about poker. What do you enjoy doing when you're not playing tournaments?

lessthanthreee: I spend a lot of time with animals, my partner and I have a bit of a farm! We have a cat, 2 dogs, doves, chickens, guinea pigs and fish. Even though I'm slightly allergic to them, I still have a lot of fun watching them do the silly things that animals do.

I'm also a big fan of Dutch and Italian hardstyles music (big bass, lots of kicks) and spend a fair bit of money each year going to music festivals and concerts. I also love body modifications. I plan on getting most of my body tattooed during my life and I'm well on the way to achieving that goal!

The Oystraylyan test

Typical Australian on his way to work

PokerStrategy.com: By 'silly animal things', do you mean 'silly ways of killing humans'? I guess you do. But just to make sure you are a real Australian, you must take...THE OYSTRAYLYAN TEST! (queue Mortal Kombat theme) Are you ready?

lessthanthreee: Haha, ready!

PokerStrategy.com: First task: please give the synonyms to the following: mystery bag, sheepshagger, Amber fluid, shark biscuit, old fella, Aussie Salute.

lessthanthreee: I'm resisting the temptation to google some of these. Here goes:
mystery bag - sounds like something off a cheesy game show. I honestly don't think ive ever heard anyone say that. A mysterious bag? Must have something interesting inside.
sheepshagger - EASY! A New Zealander like chenny8888!
Amber fluid - Beer.
shark buscuit - Surf board? Or a really really big Tim Tam! (look that up if you don't know what it is... sooooo good!)
old fella - a lot of guys call their penis this.
Aussie Salute - when you try and hit all those flies that are buzzing around your head!

PokerStrategy.com: You almost did it. Mystery bag = sausage. The shark biscuit is a surf board indeed, but also someone new to surfing. Next question: what is Australia's currency? a)dollar b)beer c)koalas

lessthanthreee: I wonder how I would fit a Koala in my wallet? They have really sharp claws. Beer cant be right... I have a lot of beer and I'm still broke. Must be the dollar!

PokerStrategy.com: I'm sorry, the answer was beer. Moving on. Which of the following animals can and will kill humans if it wants to? a)crocodile b)kangaroo c)chicken d)rabbit e)dingo f)platypus.

lessthanthreee: Well, definitely crocodiles. A kangaroo kicked me once... I've also had to chase them into enclosures in wildlife areas... they are a pest in some areas.  I don't think a chicken could hurt me.. but they are very annoying sometimes. Dingos are known for eating babies (definitely true story). Looks like the poor rabbits and platypus are left... Oh wait... all the animals can carry weapons in Australia... then all of them can kill!

PokerStrategy.com: That is correct, the answer was 'all of the above'. Next question: is it true that, due to their huge population, kangaroos have the right to vote in Australia?

lessthanthreee: Yes! They are quite a powerful voting majority in this country. The kangaroos are demanding a more equitable treatment of their joeys in the nation's schools.

PokerStrategy.com: Those bastards. You're correct. Final question: Fill in the blank. "The people from New Zealand are ______" a) bloody great b) bad at sports c) unaware of the bombs we planted in their sheep.

lessthanthreee: Before the world cup I would have said b)... But they drew with Italy so I guess they can fluke a few games every now and then. I would say c) but then I would have to kill you.

PokerStrategy.com: Alright, let's round-up the results. Hmm, according to this, you are somewhat Australian. Unfortunately, some Mexicans and Canadians did better than you at this test, but oh well... there's always next time (not really). That pretty much concludes our interview. If there's anything else you would like to add, now is the time to do it.

lessthanthreee: Firstly, thanks for the opportunity to tell my story!
Thanks to PokerStrategy.com for giving me a great place to have fun and meet some amazing people.
Shout-outs to , lennonac, schris7, Tim64, wasy8, 8979687, gedwashere91, chenny8888 and all the STTers on the <$5 evaluation forum!

PokerStrategy.com: Ripper! Thanks for joining me mate. And remember readers: if you’re going to Australia, everything can and will try to kill you once you get there.

Diamond Interview Series: nomination, archive, feedback