Diamond Days Continue: $215 Shootout Video for Platinum with PhilShaw
Shootouts are an interesting MTT format, especially for players that usually prefer SnGs. Want to learn how to play them? Check our new video for platinum members, a $215 Shootout MTT played by PhilShaw, our new coach primiarily for SnGs and Mixed Games.
What can I learn here?
- Deepstack Play in SnGs / Shootout MTTs
- Suitable for both MTT and SnG players
- Difficult spots in non-bubble situations
- Part 2 will feature the heads-up situation
Video details
- Producer: philshaw
- Game Type: Shootout MTT $215 buy-in
- Length: 45 Minutes
- Status:
Platinum status
Interview with PhilShaw
PokerStrategy.com: How did you get into poker and where do you stand now?
philshaw: I started playing poker at Oxford University with friends because of the UK TV show "Late Night Poker", but I wanted to play more than once a week and so online poker became the perfect solution! I mostly played for fun on UltimateBet in $20 and $30 Sit'n'Gos and NL25 - NL100. I graduated in 2003 and decided I wanted to take it more seriously to provide an income whilst also looking for journalism work and began grinding Sit'n'Gos and cash games.
Then I got offered a job with Poker Europa magazine (run by Nic Szeremeta, creator of Late Night Poker), so I was able to play poker and write about it too, as well as getting sent to major tournaments to report. This was just as the poker boom was taking off so I played a number of live events including the first EPTs and got to meet all the well-known European players too. It was very different back then, for example the Hendon Mob were considered young faces and only a few of the young internet players were travelling much.
In 2005 I left as I wanted more time to play and freedom to write for other magazines, like Inside Edge and Poker Player in the UK. In 2006 I had a very good year winning or chopping tournaments for around 76k and 42k and making a live TV final which set me off to play high stakes where I have remained since.
From 2006-9 I played a lot of high stakes NL cash games, then as NL games started to worsen I reverted to high stakes Sit'n'Gos and Mixed Games which I mainly focus on now. I am currently Supernova Elite on PokerStars from playing 200-2k SNGs, and play 25/50 to 200/400 Mixed Games.
I also play MTTs, though mostly online nowadays, for example the recent weeks have been very busy with SCOOP and before that was EPT Madrid. Since Black Friday, you will also find me at some of the PLO games on PokerStars from 3/6 to 10/20 as other games are quieter. It pays to be versatile...
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| Phil Shaw's first book |
PokerStrategy.com: How has poker influenced your lifestyle? Are you currently a pro?
philshaw: Poker is a great lifestyle for anyone who can be successful at it and values their freedom and time, rather than having to work a full-time job or give your soul to working in the city to make a lot of money, which too many people in London have to do.
I really enjoy having no boss and being free. To do, think and say what I want is the most important thing in life to me. I am currently a pro, although I do some writing and poker educational work as well which gives me a nice balance.
PokerStrategy.com: What are your goals with teaching? What can our members expect from your videos?
philshaw: My goals from teaching are to help students or members learn to think for themselves about poker in general, and to give specific advice about the individual games so they can improve quickly and avoid making errors they might not otherwise correct.
In coaching I focus on ghosting, hand review and theory discussion as the three main tools to help students improve, and in videos I try to cover a variety of approaches including live sessions, recorded or replayer sessions and theory/classroom videos.
PokerStrategy.com: Which of your skills are the most helpful when it comes to educating poker players?
philshaw: I was an English student at Oxford so my communication skills are pretty good, and I try to focus on explaining why strategies are correct, what the factors are and also how they fit into an overall strategy of the game.
I also have some background in mathematics and psychology, so I try to implement game theory and mental training as well. Additionally I have written many articles about poker strategy, and two books. More info on these can be found at philshawpoker.com.
PokerStrategy.com: What's the best way to learn poker as you see it?
philshaw: For me personally watching videos and talking to other people/getting coaching are the most helpful way of learning about the game. In the early days I bought all the poker books I could find, and many were very useful like the Super Systems and some of the twoplustwo titles.
But they don’t quite prepare you for play or teach you how to think in the same way that videos do where if you watch enough most of the common situations will come up at one time or another. Similarly, talking to other people or getting coaching is essential as it is the best way to identify new ideas or areas where you are making mistakes, as in poker it’s 'what you don’t know that you don’t know' that prevents you from improving.
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| philshaw (right) with Mike Matusow at the table |
PokerStrategy.com: What kind of content can we expect from you short-term, what are you planning long-term?
philshaw: I am joining PokerStrategy.com as a holistic video producer, so I hope to cover many different areas, mainly focusing on all types and varieties of SnGs and the mixed games that are less popular like Triple Draw, NL Single Draw, Badugi, Stud hi-lo, and Omaha hi-lo. It would also be fun to collaborate with some of the other PokerStrategy.com video producers and hopefully learn a thing or two from them in their specialist games!
PokerStrategy.com: What is there to know about the person behind the screen name? Hobbies, Personality?
philshaw: I live in London, which is fast becoming the worlds poker capital, and enjoy most of the usual things here including the nightlife and social scene. I am very much into music, books, films/quality TV, and politics/history. I am currently single in case any nice female PokerStragegistas are interested to know 😉
PokerStrategy.com: Any last words for our community?
philshaw: None, except I am looking forward to joining the community and contributing to the site and forums as much as I can and hope to meet some of you in person at some point! And that you can learn more about me at philshawpoker.com.
Tomorrow: High Stakes Fixed Limit Hold'em
| Diamond Days | ||||
| Date | Producer | Video Title | Game Type | Status |
| June 1 | yourdoompoker | Advanced & Unconventional Lines | NL1k - 5k |  Diamond |
| June 2 | philshaw | SCOOP Shootout - Part 1 | MTT $215 | Platinum |
| June 3 | ??? | Saving Bets - Part 1 | FL $300/$600 | Diamond |
| June 4 | ??? | 45 Mans with ??? - | MT-SnG $75 | Platinum |
| June 5 | ??? | High Stakes thinking with ??? | NL1k | Diamond |
