Danski: Thanks for talking to me, austellman (or Dad!) ‘Roughly’ how old are you, how did you get into poker, and how long have you been playing?
Austellman: I'm 65 and have been playing poker for about five years. My son, PKR_Danski led me into these sinful ways.
D: I know you have some strange usernames on other sites (croquetbaron, for example), and you’ve always been a fan of strategy games. Can you explain?
A: I like games where I can easily see the progress I'm making, e.g. by rankings. I'm currently 734th in the Croquet World Rankings (having been as high as 644th). I'm not sure about strategy; I like tactically challenging situations, whether it's real life such as croquet or poker, or fantasy such as Championship Manager [legendary fantasy football PC game].
D: I see! I'd describe croquet as a cross between snooker, golf and chess. Are there any similarities between poker and croquet, and any shared skills?
A: I guess the shared skills are the psychological ones shared by all competitive situations. Croquet is generally one-to-one so it's not unlike playing heads up poker. I like to think I play the man in both but, win or lose, I judge a game by how well I've played. In both croquet and poker, I'm trying to play my game but also to foil my opponent and minimise his opportunities to take control. Controlling the pot size is similar to controlling the "innings" at croquet.
D: We all know that memory, patience, focus, determination and aggression are key attributes for online poker. How do the Seniors cope with these rigorous requirements?! Is poker a young man's game?
A: I can't remember whether my memory is going - um, strike that. The attributes you mentioned are not the preserve of the young. Add wisdom and experience and you have the perfect blend, which maybe comes only with time. I certainly like to think I bring all these characteristics to my croquet play, too - no prisoners taken.
D: Fighting talk indeed. Clicking a mouse is all well and good, but how have you fared in live games?
A: My first live game was a small stakes cash game at the Victoria Casino in London. I was terrified and my hands were shaking uncontrollably! I was more frightened at looking stupid because I couldn't shuffle properly than by playing the hands. I was lucky to get AA early on, made a lot of chips on autopilot, then immediately stood up and went to the bar, handing over my chips to - you! Needless to say, you disposed of them quickly and professionally. I played one tournament at the Vic, then played well in some cash games on a tour of Australia (after my other son's wedding), then joined my local Poker Tour in Cornwall. I had a few minor cashes then won the biggest tourney so far - a £75 freezeout, first prize £750.
D: So you can teach old dogs news tricks! What’s the future of poker for austellman?
A: I'll be continuing weekly tournaments in Cornwall, trying to get better all the time, and will enjoy the new PKR site and hope to get my dwindling bankroll back up!
D: Dad, may luck be with you, and may I borrow 20 quid when it does?
A: No chance. But you can have 10% of me in the next big Cornwall poker tourney - and I'm looking for a croquet sponsor!
D: Thanks for talking to us, and best of luck for the future. Compared to Doyle, you're a spring chicken, so may your finest poker years be ahead of you!