Running it up with Jason Somerville

A mechanical crow screaming ‘call call’, a mysterious fish tank in the background whilst being locked down in the dirty basement, it can only mean one thing; RunItUp season four is underway and Jason Somerville is the host with the most.

Jason Somerville streaming live on Twitch

Poker is evolving, and Jason Somerville is at the forefront of this evolution. With over $5 million in all time career earnings to his name, the 28-year-old American is helping transform the game of poker. No longer is poker a game for the shady backrooms of the local dive, it is a game played and watched by millions of people throughout the world. The primary event on the poker calendar; the World Series of Poker Main Event is broadcast world-wide by ESPN. However, RunItUp brings the viewer something different, it is like a breath of fresh air and it is here to stay.

The home of RunItUp is Twitch; a live streaming video platform. Anyone can use Twitch, whether you want to start-up your own stream or watch some of the other hundreds of streamers, you can view live streamed content from a variety of different games, from poker to League of Legends to FIFA Football.

Streaming from wherever has an internet connection, a computer and the right to play online poker, Jason Somerville aka ‘Jcarverpoker’ brings to the yard merriness, dynamism, zany antics, world-class poker and of course tenacity. Although only regular watchers aka ‘RunItUp Warriors’ of RunItUp will be aware of the mighty warrior Camrot, the legend of Phil Helmet, the elusive Jake Arver and the fastest guns in the west Salty and Rude Boi, there is still fun to be had for any poker fan.

Jason offers a direct stream into his brain presenting amusing anecdotes, crazy stories from his past and a whole host of other gladdening shenanigans. If you want to further your poker game then there is no better place to go to than RunItUp. Jason plays low stakes, medium stakes and high stakes poker, from tournaments to cash games, sit n go’s, home games with viewers of the stream and the ever entertaining spin n go’s where the player can win anything from $1 to $300,000.

Jason with his RunItUp brand of clothing

Jason’s biggest stream cash to date has been when he got to the final table of the $1000 buy-in ‘Thursday Thrilla’ tournament on Poker Stars, where he scooped $29,695 back in season three. On the back of Jason’s endless stream of poker knowledge, advice and just general wisdom, followers of his stream have gone on to win tournaments themselves, just look to his Twitter page and you will find barrel loads of Twitter users thanking Jason for his “great streams”, “positive energy” and for “making my week a hell of a lot more bearable”.

The stream itself is completely free to watch, users have a choice whether they want to subscribe to the RunItUp stream and in doing so they will become fully fledged RunItUp warriors. Streams can last anywhere from five hours to 12+ hours. Past broadcasts of all Jason’s streams are available to view at anytime. Whether you’re a recreational poker player or a regular player, watching and listening to Jason doing what he does best will unquestionably improve your poker skills and even if you have never played poker before Jason’s charm and ingenuity on stream is well worth the watch.

Jason’s stream can be found here: http://www.twitch.tv/jcarverpoker

Jason’s past broadcasts can be found here: http://www.twitch.tv/jcarverpoker/profile/past_broadcasts

For more gambling related news please visit Candid Gambling.

Q and A with British poker pro Toby Lewis

Toby Lewis is a professional British poker player who has played in events all around the world. His biggest success has come on the EPT tour where he scooped the EPT Vilamoura title in Portugal in 2010. To date, Toby Lewis has over $2.5 million in live tournament earnings.

Poker planet sits down with Toby Lewis to talk poker.

What are your first memories of playing poker?

We used to watch the WPT on TV, so we started playing sit and goes at my mates house, I think we were about 16.

Could you pinpoint the the eureka moment in your life when you knew you had what it takes to make a living from poker?

Not particularly no, I started playing poker because it was competitive and sociable, then I finished college and didn’t know what to do so I played more and more. It just sort of happened without me noticing to be honest.

EPT Vilamoura has been your biggest live win to date, do you think you will be able to eclipse that in the foreseeable future? 

That’s what keeps me going to be honest, I want to win another title again, I’ve been trying for over four years now, time has flown by. Titles and trophies keep me driven not just the money.

Toby Lewis.

Is it easier or tougher at the table now the other players know who you are and your credentials?

Well that’s hard to answer because people perceive you in different ways, I’ve seen people show more respect and less because they want to get the better of you.

Would you say it is important to have mates in the game that you can discuss strategies and tactics with as well as having people to relax with during tournaments? 

Yes definitely. Having a bunch of friends to travel with is fun and calming, it makes it a lot easier to switch off when away from the tables. The bulk of my learning in poker has come from discussions and debates with friends.

How do you prepare for a poker tournament? 

I used to get excited and pumped for the big buy-ins but that’s good and bad, adrenaline makes you think differently and irrationally so when I started playing really high stakes tournaments I did some work on my breathing and trying to keep my heart rate low during important moments. When your at the top of a game/sport/profession you need to do things differently and be better than your opponents to succeed.

Do you have any superstitions or weird quirks that help you with your game?

No superstitions, the only thing I’ve found helpful is working out or at least doing something that works the mind before I play, I used to simply wake up and play and that isn’t good for me.

How do the online games compare to the hard ones, is one tougher than the other?

They’re so different so it’s hard to compare. The styles are polar opposites and theory is also. Online is math based, there isn’t any sizing up your opponents and there is no live tells like if you were playing live. Both are enjoyable in proportion, if you play either for an extended period of time you miss the other.

Who is the toughest player you have played against?

I wouldn’t say one particular player but I’ve found the people that are hardest to play against are players that keep a wide range of hands in their range all the time, so they have bluffs and value bets therefore you have to guess a lot more.

Who would you say is the best Texas Hold-Em player in the world right now?

I’m not sure to be honest, the guy at the top of the rankings i guess. I’m not worries about other players really.

What’s the most annoying thing that someone has done at a poker table that you have been sat at?

Oh plenty of things. Rudeness, people that don’t shower, people that hum at the table, people that slam the table and chips fly everywhere. I could go on.

What was the first thing you bought after securing your first EPT main event title?

Nothing extravagant, about six months after i bought a Range Rover, Oh and a watch.

In one word how would you describe your poker career so far?

Productive.

If you could give your 18 year old self one piece of advice what would it be?

Watch, listen and learn even more than I already did. Learn from other people’s mistakes before you make them and listen to older and more experienced people, no one is perfect. Far from it.

Don’t forget to take a look at the poll below and cast your vote on who’s the best British poker pro!

Q and A with British poker pro Ryan Spittles

Ryan Spittles is a British poker professional who has competed on events from the UKIPT to the EPT and WPT. He has over £300,000 in life time career earnings with his biggest tournament payout coming in May 2014 when he took 5th place at UKIPT Nottingham. 

Poker Planet sits down with Ryan Spittles to talk poker.

Would you say you’re more of a cash game player or a tournament player?

I built my bank roll mainly thru cash games but as time has gone on I’ve certainly spent more time on MTTs.  I’d say right now it’s probably 60/40 in favour of cash but when I play live poker that is mainly tournaments.

What stakes do you usually play on-line and offline?

Online I spent most of my time on 1/2-2/5.  When games are quiet tho I’m certainly happy to play .50/1.  MTTs I have no set buy in, I guess my average online is $50.  When I play live tho the cash games are generally 1/2 to 2/5 but the only live tourneys that I generally play are in the £500 bracket.

What are your first memories of poker?

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First time I ever thought about poker was after watching Rounders late one night.  Thought wow this is amazing!  Deposited some money and quickly doubled but lost for a while.  But yeah it was fun.

Can you pin point the single moment in your life when you knew you had what it takes to be a professional poker player?

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No single light bulb moment.  I was out of work and was looking for jobs and had £27 left in my account.  I managed to spin it up to £1k during one night and then the next day I just stopped applying for jobs and didn’t attend any of the interviews I had lined up. I was playing really low stakes, 10p/20p, but managed to earn enough to both cover living expenses plus add to my roll.  It wasn’t something that I planned to do, it just happened.

Ryan Spittles

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Did you idolise any poker players growing up? 

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Not really, I only got into poker when I was about 18.  Even while I was growing up I kind of avoided the TV shows/forums.  Now there are lots of professionals that I respect, but generally that’s more about how they conduct themselves as a person rather than their skills on the table.

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What has been the most successful moment in your poker career so far?

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Probably getting offered the role as an analyst on Sky Poker TV.  I never had any intention of working on TV, and at the time I was still a fairly low stakes player, so to be given the opportunity was amazing.  Poker wise I’ve had a few live deep runs (sadly no major titles tho!) and a couple of decent online scores.  I think surviving as a professional for 4/5 years is my main success!

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When you play in tournaments such as the EPT main events just how hard is it to play your A game for 1-5 days and do you have any skills or tricks to help you stay at your best?

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The key to tournaments is focus.  One silly play or missing some crucial piece of information can send you home. I’m still quite bad for looking at my phone but I think that putting it away and really paying attention to every hand is by far the most important skill you can have in a live poker setting.  It’s something that I’m still working on tho!

Where is the most exotic place you have played poker?

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I recently went to Cannes for a tournament and that is pretty impressive in terms of how much money there is around.  Even tho Las Vegas is a bit of a dump sometimes, it is still the home of poker and I really enjoy my time there. I’ve never been to Australia so that is the one place that I am dying to combine a poker/holiday trip for 2015. Poker is kind of unique in that you can essentially win these experiences from a small investment via satellites and I’m very grateful for the places I’ve been.  A few years ago, travelling and seeing different cultures never featured at all in my list of things to do but certainly now it is probably first on the list.

As-well as playing poker you have a regular spot on the sky poker channel as a guest expert but do you have any other plans for the future?

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Nothing specific.  I never went to Uni so I’d like to complete a degree, not with any future career in mind just to say that I’ve done it. If I ever leave the poker world then as long as I have enough money to set up my own business then I’d be pretty happy. Maintaining regular hours is the hardest thing when you gamble for a living so I guess adapting to a 9-5 job would be extremely hard.

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Who would you say is the best Texas hold-em poker player in the world right now?

So many different formats.  Phil Ivey is obviously a boss when it comes to poker. Vanessa Selbst too? Dan Colman is on an insane heater in the high roller tournaments.  Patrick Leonard for online MTTs. Rick Trigg has an insane work ethic for online MTTs too and often gets overlooked.

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Who has been your toughest opponent?

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I played on a TV cash game with James Dempsey and he just destroyed me!

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What type of player do you most fear at the table and what type of player do you think ‘mmm it’s lunch time!’

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Obviously I’d rather not be on a table with a load of well-known good players and just always have recreational players but sometimes you have to play the best to get better. There are certain nationalities that are generally weaker when it comes to poker tho, specifically French and Italians.

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What’s your favourite starting hand?

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AA obviously!

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In one word how would you describe your own poker career so far?

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Surprising

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If you could give your younger self one piece of advice what would it be?

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Take a shot and move up stakes earlier.  The games higher up won’t be as easy for much longer!

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Next weeks Q and A will be with another British pro; Toby Lewis. I hope you can join us then!

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Don’t forget to take a look at the poll below and cast your vote on who’s the best British poker pro!

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Leeds casinos set for a surge in poker players come summer time

Tim Robinson, manager of poker at Grosvenor casino in Leeds is set to welcome more poker players to the casino in the months leading up to summer. 

When asked whether poker player attendance at the Grosvenor casino is likely to decline or rise within the next few months Tim responded with enthusiasm stating that due to upcoming tournaments, he expects to see a rise in numbers, he said:

“It will probably start picking up a bit, usually around summer it starts picking up a bit yeah.”

Gala casino in Leeds is another casino that is excited about the possibility of more poker players being drawn into their poker rooms.

Mark Graham, the duty manager at Gala Casino is adamant that “it’s all competition” and when asked about competing with other casino’s to attract punters, he said:

Gala casino, Leeds

Poker is important, it’s a big part of the casino business, it’s always important to bring people through the door.”

You can listen to the short interviews with Tim Robinson and Mark Graham below. Also feel free to take part in the poll question below!

Playing poker around the world

“I think poker is perfect for seeing the world” says Charlie Carrel who last month won the Sunday 500 poker tournament and the $67,000 1st place prize fund.

Charlie, whose other poker titles include the Grosvenor 2014 UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) is a 21 year old poker player from England and is set to have a bright future in poker.

Although Charlie never got to travel to other countries as a child, he is adamant that poker is a way in which he can see more of the world, he said:

“Poker travelling is so liberating, not really having anywhere to be at any time, bar the big events and having money to take a friend or two is beautiful.”

Charlie Carrel, (Right) sitting next to one of his poker heroes, Ike Haxton.

Another poker player who makes the most of travelling whilst visiting the various stops on the poker tour is Dale Philip, who started a website dedicated to poker and traveling. (The link for his website is at the bottom of this article.)

Dale, who mostly plays online, indicates that he uses poker to enable him to travel all over the world and see sights that he wouldn’t necessarily see if poker wasn’t in his life, he said:

“For me, poker is a means to an end. It’s not my whole life. I don’t play full time hours. But it earns me the money and freedom I need to live my life the way that I want to.”

Dale goes on to talk about how the internet has allowed people like himself the freedom to do their job whilst also traveling the world:

“Thanks to the internet it’s possible to be a ‘digital nomad’ which is someone who can do their job, whether it be a freelance, writer, vlogger or in my case internet poker professional, from a laptop while travelling around the world.”

Dale Philip

“If all you need to do your job is a computer and an internet connection then it makes little sense to me to stay in one place for any length of time. Most people are lucky if they have the freedom (financial and time) to travel somewhere for a couple of weeks per year. So I try to make the most of my freedom by travelling to new and exciting places as much as I can.”

Similarly, Will Shillibier, who recently played his first ever live tournament outside of England, at EPT Barcelona is happy to be able to incorporate a holiday with poker, he said:

“I’m not a poker professional so I kind of feel that I’m not forced to be in the casino all the time. I should enjoy what is in effect a holiday.”

Will, who is currently studying a year abroad in Germany for his university degree, is glad that he can use poker as a way to have a holiday and also try and win some money on the tables:

“While I’m young and can enjoy things a bit more, I like to incorporate the buy-ins into budgeting for the holiday. That way I can allow myself to play without worrying about necessarily having to win. I stay in hostels and dorm rooms and travel light so I can get to do this.”

Will is already planning his next holiday around poker-he has booked a holiday to visit Malta for when the next European Poker Tour is played there:

“I’m looking forward to visiting Malta for the first time and at the same time the EPT visits the island. In Barcelona I just played a side event. In Malta I plan to play a bit more but still go out and see the island.”

Will Shillibier, (Right) with American professional poker player Jason Mercier.

Dale Philip’s travel blog- http://www.daleroxxu.co.uk/

“Poker is becoming more difficult” says GUKPT winner Sam Grafton and World Poker Tour bracelet winner Jason Sommerville

Sam Grafton, who won £102,700 for winning the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour is adamant that poker is becoming more difficult as more people “know what they should be doing.” 

According to a study completed by the University of Florida, poker has become popular due to an increase in mainstream television coverage. This has created a huge fan base for the game which in turn has meant an increased number of people playing the game and as Grafton says, the more people who play the game the more people there will be who “know what they should be doing.”

Dale Philip, a professional poker player and representative of Pokerstars.com is also under the impression that poker has become more difficult in recent years, when asked the question of whether poker has become more difficult he said: “Sure, and even more so now with so many pro players streaming on Twitch. Free, instant and quality poker strategy for the masses.”

Dale Philip (left)

Philip goes onto discuss the future of poker, stating that: “Games have constantly been getting tougher from the beginning and they will go on getting tougher. There’s never been so much free, quality and easy to access poker strategy available than there is now.”

It is a trend that the poker community seems to be aware of, Jason Sommerville another professional poker player, who has won over £2 million playing poker said: “More education means less mistakes and that means less value. The game has toughened immensely over the last 10 years.”

It could be stated that Jason Sommerville is one of the reasons for the game becoming tougher over the last 10 years. Sommerville himself posts free to watch YouTube videos where he commentates on poker hands and gives in depth analysis, one of which you can see below.

Poker and Pubs

For many pubs around the Leeds area, poker has been a fantastic way to attract customers during week days when pubs are usually quieter compared to weekends.

The Old Ball pub, Horsforth.

According to Tracey Marper, who is the manager of the Old Ball pub in Horsforth, having poker nights during week days has meant that the pub has been able to attract customers on nights where there isn’t a big football game or a weekend to look forward to. This has meant an increase in the pub’s revenue thanks to poker.

Similarly, poker is helping pubs across the city of Leeds. The Station pub in Guiseley also opens up its doors to a poker night on both Sunday and Monday nights. Manager Tony McCaul stated that the pub attracts around 20 more people per night on Sundays and Mondays due to the promise of poker and more customers can only be a good thing for the pub.

Mark Hamblin, a 22 year old from the Guiseley area regularly attends the poker night at The Station pub and says that it’s a “really good way to round off the weekend.”

The Station pub, Guiseley.

On the other hand, poker in pubs has not always been a good way to draw customers in. Although the Old Kings Arms pub in Horsforth decided to host a night dedicated to poker once per week, the lure of poker did not attract any more people to the pub other than the ‘regulars’ that already attended. According to Andrew Turpin, who works behind the bar at the pub, they eventually scrapped the poker nights because they were not helping the pub become more profitable
in anyway.

The Old Kings Arms Pub, Horsforth.

You can listen my short interviews with workers at each of the pubs via the links below. Also take part in the poll below, if your local pub or bar had a poker night would you attend?

Poker and Life

Poker is no longer seen as a game for progressive gamblers with little or no moral values who only live in the short term. According to semi-professional poker player and university student Matt Harris, “There are a lot of aspects of poker which have been helpful in my general life, not just within my degree.”

“I think poker has made me much better at performing under pressure, and has given me a solid mental endurance, as a result of regularly playing poker with players of a very high standard. I’ll go through the basic thought process to making a decision in a poker hand in the live cash games I play. I have to have kept track of exactly how much money is already in the middle, work out my own pot odds, and then have kept track of the action on each street. All this makes having a week to answer an essay question or a few minutes to answer an exam question feel like all the time in the world.”

Furthermore, Alex Spencer, a third year student at the University of York  who recently won £125,000 for his first place finish at the Sky UK Poker Championships also feels that playing poker can give you skills which can be helpful in situations other than poker:

“Playing poker certainly helps you to analyse situations and people a little better as interlinked with poker there is of course a lot of human psychology and behaviour.”

Alex Spencer.

Matt Harris at the tables

Poker and University students, what could go wrong, or right?

According to a study by the University of Pennsylvania, over 20% of university students play online poker at least once a month. This begs the question whether students are suffering the consequences of late night poker binges when it comes to studying for their degree.

“Poker very much came about at uni, and took off like a whirlwind, leaving my uni studies on a backseat,” said Luke Fern, an economics student.

“Sometimes if a lecture is boring the life out of me, I find myself loading up and playing poker on my laptop. In one lecture, after 45 minutes, I was $240 up, and my mate sat to my right just couldn’t get his head round it.”

Luke Fern (right) at the poker table

However Luke, who’s highest figure tournament win has been £1000 has not always had such a smooth ride when it has come to concentrating on his university work, he said:

I’d say in terms of a percentage my time is currently dedicated 70/30 in favour of poker. I think this is something I need to address. My situation is slightly different to most. I dislike my course hugely, again, something I should address, and unfortunately poker has left uni on the back-foot.”

“I usually miss my 9am lectures, it annoys me but sometimes the financial drive of poker keeps you up or out late”

On the other hand, Will Shillibier, a third year student studying for a degree in German at the University of Canterbury feels that it is important to keep university work and the lure of poker separate.

“If you get into poker with the express ambition of making lots of money, you are going to be a losing player. Especially while at University. You learn a lot whilst at University and I don’t think people can afford to devote their lives at that early stage to poker.”

Chevron Latty, who studies ICT at Birmingham City University and likes to play online poker maintains the idea that for him poker is just a hobby and University is his main focus, he said:

“I think in terms of a percentage the split is 80% university work and 20% poker, it takes a lot of work and effort to be a winning poker player and I think it would be a bit of a challenge for me to improve at the rate I would like to at poker without my university work suffering.”

For most university poker players there seems to be a feeling that to be a profitable player at poker one must spend a lot of time and effort studying and playing poker, whereas doing this whilst also maintaining good grades on a university course is not something that comes easy.

However, Alex Spencer, a third year student at the University of York studying Accounting, Business and Finance Management, who recently won £125,000 for his first place finish at the Sky UK Poker Championships believes that it is possible to balance a university workload with poker.

“I think it’s definitely very manageable so long as you allocate your time well, try putting in more hours playing when workload is low but recognise regardless of whether you’ve won or lost recently that you still need to do your uni work when exams or assignments are due.”

Alex Spencer

When asked on whether his successes have inspired some of his friends to play poker Alex said:

Most of them don’t realise that becoming a winning player is fairly time consuming and expect to win instantly. A couple of them have done well, however.”

Whilst all of the university students come poker players that have been spoken to are agreed that it is best that their university professors don’t know about their late poker nights binges, all the poker players are adamant that playing games like poker can help students with their degrees. From playing poker for stints of up to 12 hours, looking at ‘Game theory’ (A term which is relevant in economics modules) and being able to analyse people and real life situations better, poker players believe that poker is not just a game for degenerate gamblers but also a hobby and something that they can enjoy.

Luke Fern has used poker as both an opportunity to make money and also as a way to keep sane whilst attempting to complete a university degree that he doesn’t always enjoy doing:

“I dislike my course hugely. I sometimes see poker as a way out, forgetting that uni exists. I’ve made so many friends in the poker community.”

(It is worth noting that Luke has vowed to not give up on uni and try his very best to both complete the course and receive a good grade too)

In addition to the research conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, the Megaways slots site Megaways.Casino has found and revealed that many of its visitors are university students.

The different sides of poker

Poker is no longer seen as a game played solely by gamblers who play loose and fast with their money. According to professional poker player Sam Grafton, “Sitting at a poker table is one of the few places you can sit and strike up a conversation with someone from a different background”.

Sam Grafton (left)

Grafton, who has earned over £1 million playing poker is also adamant that chatting and discussing poker with other people is one of the best ways to improve at the game, he said: “My poker route was an informal one, talking, chatting and discussing strategy with other people…interacting with people is the way that people improve at poker for sure.”

“I got into poker as a social outlet, not to maximise my income” said Grafton.

Toby Lewis, who has a European Poker Tour Title and live cashes of £2.6 million to his name agrees that one of the best ways to improve at poker is to interact and socialise with fellow professionals, he said: “The bulk of my learning in poker has come from discussions and debates with fellow professionals”.

Toby Lewis at the poker table

According to the International Federation of Poker, which is the governing body for sports poker, poker is seen by many players as a hobby, it’s not just the winning or losing that they love, it’s simply playing the game.