"Playing video games helps you multi-table online" - Randy 'nanonoko' Lew

We take some time out to chat with former pro gamer and mass multi-tabling poker pro Randy Lew ahead of him hosting the WCOOP Challenge Main Event tomorrow.

"SuperNova Elite is much tougher these days"

PokerStrategy.com: We seem to see you more and more on the live circuit, would you say you are more of a live player these days?

nanonokops: I still consider myself primarily an online player and I think I always will. I just feel a lot more comfortable, like I have home court advantage, when I’m playing online.

It’s where I’ve spent the majority of my time improving and becoming the player I am today, and while you may see me play more live tournaments lately, I’m still dedicating a lot of time online, too.

PokerStrategy.com: Are you aiming for Supernova Elite this year? 

nanonokops: Yeah, I’m still aiming for Supernova Elite this year, but it definitely takes a lot more calculations than in the past. Whenever I’m out of the country, whether it’s in Vancouver or grinding the live tournament circuit, I’m always looking to put in as many hours as I can to give me that chance to hit Supernova Elite. I would say it’s definitely much tougher, though, with my current travel schedule, but it’s not going to stop me from working harder.

PokerStrategy.com: How hard is it to get back into mass multi-tabling form when you haven’t played online for a while?

nanonokops: After I take a break from online poker, it takes me a couple of sessions to get back into the groove of mass multi-tabling. It can be tough to stay on top of your game if you continually take lots of breaks, so I try my best to minimise that or study the game on my off time.

"All great pro gamers have a good work ethic"

PokerStrategy.com: As a former pro gamer what do you think of StarCraft legend ‘Boxer’ taking up poker? 

nanonokops: I’ve heard of him as a famous Korean StarCraft player back in the day and it’ll be nice to see what he can do on the poker felt. I’ve seen many great pro gamers translate well to the poker table (like ElkY) and I’m excited to see what he’ll do. All great pro gamers have a good work ethic, so I’m sure he’ll shine over time.

PokerStrategy.com: What are the transferable skills between video games and poker?

nanonokops: Playing a lot of video games helps you multi-table online. Often in these competitive video games, you need to be able to make good decisions and react very quickly and it translates well to the online felt. You’re also used to having high APM (actions per minute) so being able to play lots of tables comes naturally.

The other important transferable skill is that as a pro gamer, your drive to compete is outrageously high. You’re always on the lookout to improve your game and try to figure out how to beat your opponents. That skill is a necessity in moving up to the highest stakes.

PokerStrategy.com: How would you rate yourself these days in the video games you used to play competitively?

nanonokops: Nowadays I’m not very good, because I don’t really play that much since I’ve been concentrating my energy on poker. But I did attend a tournament once, and while I didn’t know all of the new techniques/strategies my opponents were using, I was still able to pull a few wins from natural solid play.
 

"Shot clocks favour online players"

PokerStrategy.com: As someone who makes fast decisions online, what are your views on the recent shot clock debate for live poker?

nanonokops: I’m able to make decisions rather quickly, but it doesn’t bother me so much that players take their time in live poker. I think live poker has its own kind of scene and vibe and I respect that.

It’s only a little annoying when the player takes a long time on every decision, but I think as professionals we need to respect the game and take time as needed without abusing it.

I do get this vibe, too, that the players advocating a shot clock are looking from the perspective that they never take much time, so why should others get to. In my opinion, that’s the wrong reason to advocate a shot clock. Maybe we should advocate that players should be more willing to call the clock without feeling bad about it or direct the norm for pros to not do unnecessary tanking over and over.

PokerStrategy.com: Does a shot clock favour online players?
 
nanonokops: I do think a shot clock would favour online players because online players are used to multi-tabling and making quick decisions based on their overall strategy. Live players sometimes don't think about situations until it's their turn to act so they may get flustered if there's a clock against them.

PokerStrategy.com: Even though they make fast decisions online, a lot of online players seem to tank more live. Does it take you longer to make decisions live?
 
nanonokops: I personally do find decisions take longer live (more so in big pots) because I’ve only got one hand to worry about. I have the luxury and freedom to think about a lot of other bits of pieces of information that I overlook online such as live reads, stack sizes, bet sizing, etc. As an online player, having all of this additional information makes me think about live hands in a more complex way, which can take more time.

PokerStrategy.com: Thanks Randy, good luck hosting the WCOOP Challenge Main Event tomorrow. 

Play the WCOOP Challenge Main Event tomorrow. 

Randy Lew is hosting one the WCOOP Challenge Main Event this Sunday on  PokerStars at 15:30 ET. 

As part of his hosting duties he will have a bounty on his head and will be helping the final table arrange any deals they may want to make. 

The WCOOP Challenge Main Event is part of 9 events this weekend with $9 million guaranteed overall.  

You can win your ticket for as little as $1 in regular satellites around the clock at  PokerStars.

See more of our recent interviews with the biggest names in poker

Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2. He has been working in the poker industry for nine years and in 2013 won the APAT Award for Best Poker Media Provider. You can learn more about his work here.  Follow Barry Carter on Twitter l Follow Barry Carter on Google+