Diamond Interview Series: swissmoumout

You know him. You secretly hope that when you press "Post reply", he will not come into that thread and embarrass you. And let's face it: most of us have already been trolled by him. So why the attention then? Well, first of all, he is Diamond, isn't he? Secondly, he's my favourite troll here.

This interview was conducted by vhallee

PokerStrategy.com: Hi there, swissmoumout, and thanks for finally becoming a Diamond so I can interview you - you sure took your time, slacker. But first things first: who are you actually?

swissmoumout: Hi! My name is Craig and I'm a 20 year old pro (for a year) from Switzerland (duh).

PokerStrategy.com: When I think of Switzerland, I only imagine people wake up in the morning, look at their swiss  clocks, eat a piece of cheese and then go to work - a factory where they add new features to knives. How right am I about your country?

swissmoumout: Well, you forgot about bankrupt traders and flailing banks, but yeah, that's pretty much it! Also, I don't do mornings.

PokerStrategy.com: And since we're on this swiss topic, what does your username stand for exactly? The last part was a typo or something?

swissmoumout: Yeah, I'm not particularly proud about that. moumout was kinda a nickname of mine long ago. It means "sheep" or something (I have funky hair). And since that was taken already, and I suck at choosing nicknames, I just randomly added "swiss" in front. I then proceeded to regret my stupidity for years.

PokerStrategy.com: We all regret your poor choice of nickname, but at least it explains your RaisyDaisy nickname - swissheep. And since you're some sort of veteran around these parts, tell me about the beginning: how did you get into poker and how did you find PokerStrategy.com?

swissmoumout: I knew about 5-draw a long time ago when I learned it with my brothers when we were bored.. But I discovered Hold'em just a few years ago in high school when we started playing during breaks or even in the middle of lessons. I thought the game was very interesting and I found PokerStrategy by searching for (wait for it) poker strategy. I must say the aspect of taking money from my new classmates was pretty attractive as well.

PokerStrategy.com: Ah yes, taking money away from friends or relatives - a personal hobby of mine, and by hobby I mean robbery. But enough about me. What kind of poker do you play nowadays and how is it going?

swissmoumout: I've pretty much always played 6-max NL, and right now I'm at NL 200 again. It's über-swingy, so it gets pretty annoying, but I feel I'm playing well, so results will follow sooner or later. I'm also playing a lot of HU NL100, I started learning it recently and I like it a lot, so I'm slowly converting fully to that variant.

PokerStrategy.com: You know, I could never play HU vs you, simply because your hilarious hair would cloud my judgement. But I guess this is your little edge on me and other opponents, should you choose to play live as well. How often, how much and how exactly do you play poker? Do you have any special things (like drugs or voodoo dolls) that you use to your advantage?

swissmoumout: That lame insult just flew right by me, seeing as you've never actually seen me. Like most I guess, I'm usually very lazy with poker -- I played less hands in a year of school than I did in one month last year. That's why I decided to set myself a (more or less) rigid schedule to be sure I put in enough hours (check out Raisydaisy for more about that!). I just play whatever I feel like, pretty much (I occasionally throw in a donkament or two when I'm not too motivated), usually in 1-3h sessions. I also try to watch videos as much as possible, and review all problematic hands that I marked during my sessions. About drugs or voodoo dolls... do excessive amounts of caffeine count as drugs? Also, these days I have a tame coach sitting next to me, so that helps quite a lot ;)

PokerStrategy.com: You're a troll. The younger forum members might not know this, but you are. However, I love you for what you are. When can we expect you to be fully back in the forums and the RaisyDaisy blog?

swissmoumout: That was a pretty gay statement, let's never mention it again ever. Raisydaisy will definitely be updated more often as long as I have interesting things to say. And if you ask so nicely, maybe I'll go back to being a dumb troll... I must say I kinda liked annoying people for my own amusement.

PokerStrategy.com: Your style of trolling is quite tasteful, I might add. Not that I'm encouraging you to... oh wait, I just did. Nevermind. And speaking of forums, which are your favourite posters and blogs?

swissmoumout: I don't really read many blogs, but DaPhunk's blog is up there, mostly thanks to the great pics. TheLastNail's blog and "Poker Brothers II" are pretty cool too. Favourite poster - me, obviously.

PokerStrategy.com: You're also one of my favourite posters - that's pretty much the main reason I chose you for this week's Diamond interview actually. But since you're Diamond, you are a bit of a celebrity now, so what would you advise beginners who are getting into poker? How can they qualify for the Diamond Interview Series?

swissmoumout: Thank you very much. This'll be hard to answer without repeating what's already been said a hundred times before, but basically, the most important things would be a) Focus on improving your game, and don't focus that much on rakeback and bonuses -- they will bring you a lot less than what you can win just by watching a video and/or reviewing your sessions every day. b) Learn to manage tilt and your bankroll. These are skills like any other, they're just as important as any strategy you're learning. Even if you're great at playing cards, you'll never win much until you can leave emotions out of the game and manage your money smartly. c) Get private coaching from TwiceT and pay him lots of moniez (not my words).

PokerStrategy.com: I can actually see TwiceT spreading words of poker wisdom in a few years on TV. You know what I forgot to ask you? Which poker pro(s) do you love or hate and why? There's gotta be at least one.

swissmoumout: I hate the really pretentious, annoying, yet insanely bad live pros - a.k.a Phil Helmuth. I don't really have any idols, but I do have a lot of respect for a few very good coaches and (not-so-well know) online pros...off the top of my head, Krantz, FoxwoodsFiend, Sebra and Hasenbraten have all been very valuable to improving my game. Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm no durrrr fanboy.

PokerStrategy.com: Too bad - I have a durrrr altar at the office here. Let's just leave poker for now. What do you do in your spare time in that Switzerland of yours and why?

swissmoumout: Whenever there's snow, telemark skiing! Besides that, I like sports, or just hanging out with friends...the usual, I guess. I'm also a bit of a computer nerd, but I try not to mention it too much ;) Oh and when I find time, I like to enjoy free drinks and money at the local casino (lol live poker).

PokerStrategy.com: I was thinking of coming there (but only if you pay half the trip expenses) to meet you and touch your hair. Don't take this the wrong way. Anyways, I think that's about it, so it's your chance to add something else, ask me a question, suggest next interviewee and stuff like that.

swissmoumout: I was going to suggest interviewing yourself (should be interesting), but seeing as you'll likely never reach diamond status (don't take this the wrong way), I'll let you choose from the list of volunteers ;)

PokerStrategy.com: I actually said in the Diamond Interview Feedback Thread that I would be the most appropriate person to interview me, so I might do it, who knows - I will probably need to hype it a lot because I have a huge ego. As for the Diamond remark - I can make you Bronze now, so watch your tongue. And since you won't choose the next Diamond to be interviewed, I will do that. That being said, thanks for joining me and get active on the forums again!

swissmoumout: No problem, thank you sir -- and see you at the Black Member Party, I guess.

PokerStrategy.com: Shut up troll.