New Fixed Limit Producer: Boomer2k10
We introduce to you today our new Fixed Limit video producer Boomer2k10. In an extensive interview, he reveals how he got into poker in the first place, what can you expect from him and a lot more. Whether you are a FL beginner or an experienced player, read on to find out more on him as well as check out his first video for PokerStrategy.com.
A new Fixed Limit video producer, , has joined PokerStrategy.com this week. To introduce him to the community, we conducted an interview with him in which he tells us more on his poker career as well as his life in general.
Besides giving us a close look into who he is and what you can expect from him, he has also recorded the first video for the FL short-handed players. In order to watch the video, you need to be 
Gold-ranked or above.
Here is the interview with Boomer2k10:
Introduction to poker
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| Boomer2k10 |
PokerStrategy.com: Hi Boomer. Please introduce yourself to our members.
: My real name is Andrew Clayton, but all my friends both online and in real life pretty much all call me Boomer. I’m 28 years old, so yeah an old man in terms of the online poker world, and I live in Cheshire in the North of England. I’ve been playing poker, specifically Limit Hold'em, first full ring and then moving onto short-handed Poker, seriously for about 3 years now.
PokerStrategy.com: Since when has poker been a part of your life?
: My first hand of poker was played in 2003 but it was always a very off/on game for me at that time. As far as serious play goes I’d say I’ve been taking the game far more seriously since I quit Magic the Gathering in about 2007.
PokerStrategy.com: So a Magic player huh?
: Yes, and in fact that’s how I got introduced to poker, I imagine a lot of players took that route. Personally in 2005-6 I had some pretty decent success with it, I was a Regional Champion twice, a County Champion and in 2006 came 3rd in the English Nationals, which I’m still a bit disappointed with because I tilted and lost the semi-final due to a dumbass mistake and the final was a borderline walkover, but hey I got to represent England at the World Championships in Paris that year and actually ended up with the best record of the 3 England team members and in the Team Competition we beat Scotland which was all important obviously.
PokerStrategy.com: It sounds like you were pretty good, at least in English/UK terms. Why did you let it go?
: The cost and that’s pretty much the only reason. That plus I had started ramping up my poker volume and in one month of 1/2 FL SH I earned as much money as I did for coming 3rd in the country at Magic. Basically it became obvious which game was going to be the more sustainable hobby.
From clearing bonuses to coaching
PokerStrategy.com: Please tell us a bit about your poker career so far.
: I got into poker through Magic but I never really gave it much attention until sort of 2007. I bought pretty much every standard Limit Hold'em poker book you guys have more than likely heard of Theory of Poker, Small Stakes Holde'm, Winning in Tough Hold'em Games etc and I studied the game really hard.
I joined Deucescracked as a member and really started trying to get hands in and work on what I was doing and understanding what I was doing. Over the next couple of years I was given a bit part in more than 10 videos on the site and became a pretty big part of the forums. I even got the 4th most popular blog on the site and that includes all the coaches.
As far as my progression I played 0.5/1 and 1/2 on all kinds of sites bonus-whoring until early last year when I decided to get a coach and make a dedicated effort to moving up to the larger small stakes and I had a great deal of success at 2/4 and 3/6, mainly on Stars, and finished 2009 with pretty much a 3BB/100 winrate over all my stakes. Of course that’s not definitive by any means but it’s certainly an indicator to me that all the effort I’ve put in to improving has paid off in some form or another.
PokerStrategy.com: What limits do you play?
: My main limit is 3/6 6-max but this year I have been doing some low stakes play for a personal challenge. On the rare occasion that I play live I generally play 10/20. Anything underneath that is pretty much a rake disaster and 10/20 live games play pretty much like 1/2 FR games online.
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| Boomer2k10's FL SH graph |
PokerStrategy.com: How would you describe your play?
: I guess if I wanted to label it I would call it “Thinking LAGTAG”. I try, by default, to have a fairly balanced aggressive game which I will switch gears in based on my opponents to a more exploitative style.
I’m very analytical overall, I like to go into hands really deeply, you’ll see this in my videos. I just feel that it’s so important that, as players, we have solid logic behind our decisions. If you can explain to me why you made a play and it makes sense then we might be able to disagree on one or two small details but overall I’m going to be happy.PokerStrategy.com: What can PokerStrategists expect from your videos? Which limits will we see?
: You can expect to see quite a lot from me in terms of video content in both variety and volume. I’m aiming to produce at least 3 videos a month for you guys so we’re really going to get the Limit Hold'em content moving forward in addition to the already fine content we have from guys like Terrorblade, Cornholio and opabumbi.
You could see anything from 0.5/1 to 3/6, but the majority of my videos will be at 2/4 to 3/6 or theory based at those levels. There will also be some content I hope to get the PokerStrategy members involved in.
PokerStrategy.com: Are you going to be getting involved in any other way?
: I've registered as a Hand Judge on our forums for Gold and below so get those hands in people. I’m also hoping to do both private coaching and at least fortnightly group sessions. I will develop a program I want to follow and then post details when they are available. I want everyone to be able to get the most out of the site.
PokerStrategy.com: Are there any tips you would like to give our PokerStrategists?
: The main one for me is don’t get disheartened. Limit Holdem is a brutal game on occasion and you will have periods where you will run better than you could possibly imagine and you will run worse than you can imagine. When you’re learning you’re going to take some lumps. Just make sure that you’re constantly trying to learn, you’re adequately bankrolled for the limits you’re playing and just remember that it’s a game, it’s supposed to be fun.
Also game selection guys. If you’re playing small stakes there is no excuse for being in a bad game. You have to overcome pretty significant rake in order to turn a profit, so don’t make things harder for yourself than you have to.
PokerStrategy.com: What do you think is particularly important to become a better poker player?
: There is simply no substitute for hard work. Also for me it’s important to take an interest. You won’t become a better player without showing interest in the concepts of the game, i.e. if you have no desire to learn the mathematics behind the game you will never be a high level player no matter how many starting hand charts you look at and videos you watch.
Also maintain an open mind. Poker is a very fluid game and ideas change on a daily basis and it’s important to be flexible. Back in 2003 most people would have though a 27/20 style preflop was epic spew, now that’s a standard TAG in a 3/6 game and may even be deemed tight for those games. When a new idea comes up, thinking about it before dismissing it. Maybe it’s something you can add to your own game.
A poker player of many interests
PokerStrategy.com: Any hobbies or interests outside of poker, aside from the aforementioned Magic?
: Sadly quite a few geeky thing, I'm a car nut, I've owned 3 Alfa Romeos in my time. I'm also a big fan of strategy games. I've even done video game walkthroughs on Youtube.
Additionally I enjoy music, especially theatrical, and spend a lot of my spare time either practising piano in the vague hope I might get good at it or just living out the fantasy on Guitar Hero.
I also enjoy travel, I've visited 5 of the 7 continents including South Africa for the Millennium, Australia for New Year 2003 and the US last year.
PokerStrategy.com: Any Sport? You might be able to restore your credibility here.
: Nice save. Yes I’m a big football fan. When I was 13-15 I played for a lower division team's juniors and just missed getting a professional contract. I was a cliché goalkeeper. Yelled at his defense constantly, was annoyed if we won 15-1 due to the 1 and obviously nothing was ever my fault.
I’m also a big cricket buff and have recently taken an interest in golf.
PokerStrategy.com: Any final words for our community?
: I look forward to working with you guys and look our for opportunities in the coming weeks and months that I may be providing.
Also please leave feedback, comments and suggestions for me and the other coaches. We are here to provide a service to you and, while we can provide a program we think will work well for you guys, it will be improved immeasurably by you guys letting us know what you would like to see.
Is there a part of your game you’re not happy with, a spot that causes you difficulty or is there a type of video you prefer over others? Let us know and we’ll be happy to help.PokerStrategy.com: Thanks for your (lengthy) comments.
: No problem and see you guys on the forums.
