Ask Leatherass a question to win his new book

Originally posted by wealthybrainer
Donk betting vs check raising. Playing in blinds vs LP, is it always better to have x/r range than donking range? For balancing it is better to have x/r range. But is it more profitable to x/r than to donk bet? I mean when you can x/r bluff or x/r for value, maybe you should donk bet instead because people tend to fold too much or spew if they think that your donking is weak (many people don't donk bet and don't know how to play against donk bets). So what do you prefer to have first? Donking or check/raising range?

I like a mixture of both. Some days I just feel like
donking whenever I have the opportunity. Other days I feel like check
raising. It's a good idea to test your opponents out and see how they
react to donks and check raises. I've found some players play horribly
against a donk while others play well against it, but are prone to big
mistakes against check raises. If you can find a guy who reacts poorly
to one or the other, go ahead and pound away until he adjusts.

Dusty

Originally posted by Crokid
What was the biggest obstacle(leak,habit) you had to overcome on the way of becoming one of the best online grinders in poker?

The biggest battle I had to face was not having any
experience in the game, nor much natural aptitude for it either. I had
to work a lot harder than most of the other pros. I spent close to
100% of my free time investing in the learning process of the game. It
was a lot of work, but I am glad I had the resolve to stay the course
until I had achieved my goal of playing for a living.

Dusty

Originally posted by DaPhunk
I very much enjoyed reading 'treat your poker like a business' partly because it seemed so novel and refreshing at the time. I am also impressed by your journey in mental game from someone who destroyed computer mice to someone who sounded to me like they played a near constant A-Game with excellent decision based focus (and for elongated periods of time too). I was wondering one thing though (Apologies if this is a question you have been asked before):

Did you view your journey in Mental Game as very much one long journey as I imagined previously, or was it more of a two-stage (or more) process? EG: Stage 1: Stop going so far as to lose emotional control. Stage 2: Start shifting more of your playing time into one with an A-Game mindset.

I suppose you could say it was a journey. It was a process.
Each week I tried to be mentally stronger than the last. After awhile
it adds up.

Dusty

Originally posted by kenthmp
Why do I need this book?

You need this book because it will help you move money from
your opponent's pocket and into your pocket, Isn't that the name of
the game? I can't imagine the book not paying for itself. It was
written in an easy to read way. In fact, it's a great book to leave
next to your toilet; the chapters take about as long to read as the
average male takes to drop a deuce. How about that? You can make money
in your bathroom without having to do something illegal! I'd say that
is my best selling point for sure.

In all seriousness though, I do think it is an easy read that will get
you thinking about some important concepts. While the concepts may or
may not be new to you, they are fleshed out quite well. I'd imagine
the majority of readers will be able to implement some strong
plays--while also having a solid understanding of why they are making
them--after reading this book.

Dusty

Originally posted by LuckyManFromLT
Hi Dusty, if you would need to start your poker journey again from zero, would you go for it?

I would. While it has plenty of downsides, playing
poker for a living has been a lot of fun. I'm grateful to be able to
do this for a living.

Dusty

Originally posted by unshpe
Do you think writing poker books is good for poker? Would you still produce strategy content if you were grinding for a living fulltime ?

I am currently grinding full time for a living. I've
actually written all of my books while I was playing full time. Treat
Your Poker Like A Business came out in 2009 which was around my peak.

Poker strategy books are just like books written for real estate
owners who are trying to make a buck. The ethics are debatable. I
think the general consensus on books that teach you how to make money
is that it's ethically OK.

Dusty

Originally posted by 13BlackCats
Do you still feel something in your gut when you hit a big hand/ when you pull a big move or is this feeling gone forever?

It's the reason I love the game. It makes me feel alive.
If that feeling isn't gone after 13-14M hands, I'm confident it never
will be.

Dusty

Originally posted by pertla125
When it comes to constructing 3-betting and 4-betting ranges for bluff/value following the basic GTO math implementations,do you think that it is more important to be perfectly balanced in early ante/mid stages of a big MTT or in a standard cash game and why?

:spade:Since there has been a lot of ''moaning'' about games being tougher(especially online),do you think that forbiding tracking softwares and HUD usage will give the game more time to breathe,and do you think that is the only way for a better,more talented and more dedicated regulars to exert the significant amount of overall edge over bad/mediocore ones and can you see the biggest online poker rooms banning these softwares in the near future?

The first part of your question refers to MTT's which I
don't feel qualified to answer. The 2nd question is a good one I can
tackle. I do not think any software is good for the game. Anything
that makes a recreational player feel at a disadvantage is a horrible
thing for the game. Over the years I have had so many conversations
with people go like this:

Acquaintance: How's poker going? Still making money?

Me: It's going great. No complaints. Do you play online poker too?

Acquaintance: I play a little bit here and there, but not as much as I
used to. I heard you sharks all have software programs that tell you
how everyone plays so I kind of stopped playing once I heard about all
that stuff.

Me: I hear you. I wish they didn't allow all of that stuff.

The bottom line is poker does well when recreational players are
depositing and when they don't, poker doesn't do very well. That's
pretty much what it boils down to. I wish everyone's interests were
aligned so that we could focus as a community on doing anything we can
to welcome recreational players. I have never heard a recreational
player have any problem with the fact that there are pros on the site.
They just want to feel like the match is fair. They'll pay money to
match wits. But right now we are asking them to pay money to fight us
with a kitchen knife while we have a bazooka pointed at their face.

Sure, one could argue that the software the pros are using is
available to everyone, but do you really think the $250,000 a year
executive who wants to play poker on a lunch break or after his kids
go to bed is really going to sit down and learn some poker software
program? He just wants to play poker for an hour or two and match wits
in an environment in which he feels is fair. It's important we offer
that experience.

Dusty

Originally posted by leshkopoker
Hello Dusty,

What would you advise to Gus Hansen to get unstuck? Also, what would you do in his shoes? Quit?

Filip

I'll never understand the nosebleed players. They are a
different breed if you ask me. It seems some players are able to have
a 2-5 year run, but they wind up broke eventually. It's the reason I
stayed away from it all. Back in 2007-2008 when I was making in excess
of $1M a year, I had every opportunity in the world to join the
nosebleed club. I easily could've focused on heads up and spent 8
hours a day studying for a big $200/$400 match. Instead I took the
route of a grinder and I would do it all over again if I was zapped
back in time 6-7 years.

As for Gus specifically, I'd tell him to do something else with his
life and get some counseling. It's got to be a bitch to go from the
high roller Vegas world to working for a living and trying to keep up
with your mortgage like the rest of the world. But he needs to do it.
He clearly can't handle the high stakes world.

Dusty

Originally posted by metza
It's been a while since your article about the bad effects of multitabling on the brain, can you give any more insight on that now that you've had a bit of time to try and counteract what that was doing to you?

I want to clear something up first. I think that article
caught a lot of people's attention and after playing the telephone
game, it got blown out of proportion. I'm fine. I didn't suffer brain
damage like I've heard a lot of people say. My brain is fine, but I
did have a period of about a year where I was having a lot of anxiety
and difficulty focusing. ADD to the max, if you will. It also didn't
help that I was improperly proscribed medication which also set me
back.

Once I saw the Amen Clinic things have been awesome. They scanned my
brain, identified where it was over active and sent me home with a
medication and lifestyle plan that turned things around for me in
short order. They feel the problem was attributable to spending too
much time in front of the computer making too many decisions too
quickly. Information overload, if you will.

Dusty

Originally posted by tonypmm
Do you think it's possible to make a poker profit of at least 10% of yours by putting in 25% of your work, or do you think poker is a 'do-or-die' activity where only fully dedicated players can earn a living?

Not all people are made for success, and far not everyone craves it. Some treat poker like a puzzle, a hobby that earns enough to survive, rather than a way to earn big money.

I don't find poker the most interesting game (find chess much more beautiful), but I also hate pushing myself because I don't need much, the reward-to-effort ratio to me is the biggest when I do the minimum needed to earn just a bit more than the living wage (that excess bit being left in the bankroll to prevent going broke). I still believe that this minimum in poker is less than the effort needed for a sociopath to last long at an equivalent real job.

I don't need the new book because I play all kinds of flop games except cash NLHE, but 'Treat Your Poker Like a Business' has been very helpful to me (at least as to taking days off on specific weekdays and kicking unsupportive people out of my environment ), and I'm grateful to you for it and looking forward to reading your answers to our questions!

There was a time when you could put a modicum of effort into
the game and make money at poker. These days it really needs to be all
or nothing. Everyone is too good. Even your decent regular at 1/2nl
today would've dismantled the games back in the mid 2000s. Now that
being said, it doesn't mean that the 1/2nl guy has a sharper mind for
the game than guys like us did, but given all of the analyses tools
available today, it's a far, far easier to get good at poker than it
was 10 years ago.

Players today who act like we were all soft in 2006 are no different
than golfers who act like the players from 75 years ago were garbage.
They seem to forget the fact that 75 years ago there was no good
instruction, clubs were made of wood, the balls could wind up 10 yards
apart when struck exactly the same and so on and so on.

When I first started all I had were a few books. We all made the most
of them and figured out this game pretty well which paved the way for
everyone else. I'll have to say it irks me when players today boast
about how much better they are than the players of 10 years ago with
scant to no mention of the advantages they have enjoyed. I am proud of
the fact that when I came out in 2008 and said I would happily accept
the action of any of the "legends" of the game before me that I always
qualified that statement with the fact that I enjoyed the advantages
of playing more hands in a year than most of the legends have played
in their lives. I never said I had a stronger mind, I always
insinuated that given my advantages I was better, but likely only
because of my advantages. I think you should always pay your respect
to people who figured out challenging concepts first over those who
had it spoon fed to them.

Dusty

Originally posted by BarryCarter

Originally posted by andreibalint
What do great players have that average regulars don't?

The best players are able to think outside the box, be
their own boss, aren't afraid to make mistakes, have a healthy
detachment from money, perform better under pressure, they're patient
and they believe in themselves. Great players do all of these things
well. Good players do most of them well. Average players do some of
them well and bad players do few if any of these things well.

Dusty

I've fixed your post, Barry (you misquoted the question - quoted lila28's question twice).

Also, the questions by mysteryman21, asimos and sherriffatman and many other posters before them are left unanswered for some reason

Thanks to Dusty for writing the replies anyway

Originally posted by dooleslovs
How much hands did you play this year? Which stakes? What winrates?

no answer to this question?