Yesterday we spoke to Beyne, one of PKR's most agressive personalities about maintaining his confidence while he takes on the best players in the world at the PKR Heads Up Grand Slam.
Today we ask PKR Pro James 'jame666' Sudworth the same questions. Don't let his broad smile and easy going manner fool you - he's out for some big-time scalps.
PKR_Colin: How much more of a role does confidence play in heads-up poker compared with other poker formats (eg. 6-max cash games)?
James666: In 6-max cash games, you can still make a small win rate even when your confidence is jilted just by playing a very standard A-B-C game. In a heads-up match you really have to be on top of your game to do well due to the psychological factors.
When playing 6-max, you could probably play a certain hand sub-optimally and still retain profitability, but when your opponent heads-up realizes you are off your game, and lack confidence, he or she will run over you applying pressure constantly. In a ring game, you could probably shy out of certain situations by tightening and letting other players take their turn to play, but heads-up, you HAVE to play every hand, there's no hiding away...
C: Do you go into heads-up with a really clear strategy or is it a matter of reacting to what your opponent is doing?
J: I have no idea how I am going to play in any heads-up match (unless I know the opponent from previous games), so I usually spend the first 20/30 hands working out what the player does, how aggressive they are, how tight or wide his or her ranges are for different situations, whether they are a calling station or easy to bluff. It'll be a lot easier in this Grand Slam event to come into my rounds, knowing what I'll be doing thanks to all the information available about the players in question for me to do my homework on.
C: Do you like to talk to your opponents or would you rather just focus on the cards?
J: As anyone who knows me or has played with me will testify, I LOVE to talk! I talk about everything, and I'm the first at the table to open his mouth. I'll be very chatty, and my rounds will definitely not be boring and quiet!
C: You're known for being a ‘nice guy’ at the table - do you think that’s a liability in this intense, adversarial scenario?
J: No. People know that I'm a nice guy, I chat to everyone and I'm (usually) very gracious at the table. But this has nothing to do with poker! My best friend, my grandmother or somebody sitting with their month's rent at the table will be just a big a target for me as anyone else. If you are sitting at a table against me, you better be sure there will be no soft playing. I'll be coming for your money, which makes me as dangerous an adversary as the most obnoxious or confrontational players out there.
C: Is there a style of player you would be better suited to playing? And a style you would prefer to avoid?
J: Each style of player that I will face will provide a different set of problems. Tight small ball players are very hard to get stacks from, whereas the hyper aggro's will be extremely hard to take off hands or bluff. I'll just have to take each player as they come, and obviously would prefer to play less experienced online qualifiers, who may be more susceptible to aggression and pressure.
C: Is it going to be emotional?
J: Not at all. There is something about this tournament that's different to any other. It's a PKR tournament and i really want to do well - for PKR as well as myself! In any other respect, it is no more emotional than playing any other event or cash game for me.