Interview w/Daniel Trett

Daniel Trett (left) is the founder of FTP which has a large number of followers & 300+ Facebook fans, albeit a large % of those won’t be regular readers. After the good feedback the Eric Baldwin/Simmy3k interview received I decided to go in the tank with Daniel & ask a number of interesting questions.

Daniel will be doing the same with me in the near future & were also looking for people to interview, so if regular readers would like to see anybody in particular in the tank Phlmc? CGK? teamdobb? Jon Lundy? s2c? pads1161? etc please let us know & we will approach the popular individual to see if they would be interested. So here we go, in the tank with Daniel Trett…enjoy.

MT "When & how did you get started playing poker? Did you have any inspirational poker players, books, moments, shows, etc that were instrumental for you?"

DT “I’m kind of self-taught & paid my tuition fee’s so to speak in 2002/2003 vs. NPC including Martin Enright, George Harle, Harry Reid, Steven Liu & particularly Hamid Rowshanaei who at the time had finished 4th in European NLH Championships ME & was regarded as 1 of if not the best player in Newcastle. I never really watched a great deal of poker on TV until 2003 WSOP ME aired so I wasn’t really inspired by the celebrity professional’s until approximately 12 months after I began playing. My 1st book’s were Phil Hellmuth
“Play Poker Like The Pro’s” & Mike Caro “Book Of Poker Tells” which I can credit for speeding my learning process up dramatically.”

MT “Circus, Aspers, Grosvenor?”

DT “I’m loyal to Circus & by all a\c’s it will always be my 1st choice & local card room, 10/10 management in Jimmy/Gary, a spread of competent dealers, the regulars are generally a nicer crowd, valet & food service always spot on. Grosvenor has Varzee flying the flag but unfortunately the staff at the top are inadequate & seen to favour particular regulars, extortionate registration fee’s make them difficult to justify paying, regular spread 50NL games from 21:00 onwards. Finally Aspers is central location & has by far the best décor, schedule isn’t particularly appealing with the exception of a monthly £75 D/C, & side game spread is 50NL, 100NL, 200NL, 500NL, & 500DC."

MT “Sex, Drink, Chocolate, Poker?”

DT “All of the above, I’d probably say drink as I love going out with friends & having a good time. Sex is a lot of fun but expensive nowadays, LOL not the lady’s man I was when I was a teenager. Playing, watching, learning poker is all good fun & of course updating FTP."

MT “Teamdobbs, Radgies, Cubs, Walkers Sensations, Northern Lights?”

DT “Cubs of course, I think the rivalry & friendly banter between the 5 team’s is really good for the NPF & I for 1 I’m really looking forward to the 2010 NPF UK Team Challenge in May.”

MT “No Limit, Pot Limit, Limit?”

DT “I’ve never enjoyed limit, because of the restriction enforced by betting structure’s it becomes a race to the river & every reasonable draw will pay small % to get their, no limit give’s you the scope to apply relentless aggression & force out draws. Pot limit is ok I guess, when I 1st started all midweek games were pot limit & no limit was only available on the weekends over Grosvenor but it requires competent dealers to quickly calculate the pot w/o slowing the game up & their isn’t many in Newcastle."

MT “Hold’Em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud?”

DT “Poker has to credit hold’em & Chris Moneymaker for the 21st century boom & I like majority of young up & coming players began playing tournament hold’em, since then mixed game’s including omaha, seven card stud, razz, etc have all grown in popularity with the broadcasting of the $50,000 HORSE championship on ESPN’s WSOP. Hold’em is recognized as poker’s No.1 game & I guess although I’m a fan of the other disciplines that true to my roots hold’em is my favourite variant."

MT “Live or Online?”

DT “I learned my trade live so will always consider brick & mortar my bread & butter, their 2 entirely different variants & both have advantages as well as disadvantages."

MT “Tournament or Cash?”

DT “The kudos of winning a tournament is nice but for steady income you can’t look past cash, again I learnt the trade like most on the tournament circuit & slowly transferred & adapted my game towards cash."

MT “Skill or Luck?”

DT “Skill 100%, obviously in any given tournament there is far more luck involved but over a considerable time somebody who plays a high volume & is constantly making high quality decision for their chips then the skill will nullify luck & make it non-existent. So of course luck & variance is part & parcel of poker, but skilful players making correct % decisions time after time will see their BR head north."

MT “Roulette or Blackjack?”

DT “Neither, however BJ give’s you scope to apply some logic.”

MT “ Sweet or Savoury?”

DT “I’m sweet enough, so savoury I guess.”

MT “Cats or Dogs?”

DT “I’ve grew up with both & a lover of both.”

MT “Facebook, MySpace, Bebo?”

DT “Facebook is the only social networking site I actively use, I have a dormant MySpace from like 2007 but haven’t logged on in well over a year. Bebo I signed up to keep in touch with some Irish friends I met in Ibiza in 2007 but they shortly signed up to Facebook so I’ve never used that in well over 3 years either.”

MT “PokerTube, YouTube, PornTube?”

DT “LOL, depends on my mood I suppose but I’m a regular viewer of both PokerTube & YouTube. I haven’t watched PornTube for a while as I find Empflix & YouJizz better options for online porn.”

MT “NPF, AWOP, AVP?”

DT “NPF easily, it’s the only forum I’m a frequent poster on. AWOP is 1st class for live MTT updates when following friends on UK circuit & AVP is only place to go for up to date accurate information regarding LV but nothing better than the crack & atmosphere that is unique to the NPF.”

MT “What's the shadiest game you've experienced?”

DT “In 2009 I played an illegal underground game in Pattaya, Thailand. The MTT was a 1000THB which was the equivalent to £20 & I had no success but later joined 200NL ring game which in Thailand was 50TBH/100TBH (£1/£2). I sat down w/10,000TBH (£200) & quickly noticed the underhand tactics of regulars trying to rob the tourists, as the deck wasn’t getting cut & I was picking up big hands (AK, QQ+) behind regulars opening so stayed a couple of rounds & passed absolute everything watching their face’s as I folded QQ UTG knowing full well they had rigged the deck confirmed my suspicion. I left after 2 orbits w/9,700TBH (£196) saying something had come up & within the 20 hands I squeezed I got AKx2 & QQ, no thanks."

MT “Do you have a nemesis that beats you out of every pot?”

DT “Not really, when I left Grosvenor & became Circus regular in 2004/2005 Ifrikher Ali gave me a hard time & always seemed to catch his draw vs. my made hand. Looking back I used to bemoan my luck but I guess he was just exploiting my inexperience, maybe I was under betting the pot & pricing him in IDK but that seems to have passed anyway.”

MT “A lot of players have a real devil-may-care attitude toward money, do you share this view? What's the most extravagant way you've blown your winnings?”

DT “I suppose I do kind of have blasé view of money & it’s value, but that’s an important attribute as a poker player IMO which can help you play a fearless game. IDK for sure what would qualify as the most extravagant, I’ve had $1000+ nights out in LV with poker winnings, bought an expensive watch, & even flew out to Thailand."

MT “A lot of players have their down and out moments whether going broke or just partying too much, have you struggled along the way?”

DT “Yeah I guess so, I’m kind of immune to having huge downswings & losing an absurd amount of money. That’s the variance involved in the game & you have to keep your chin up & bring you’re A game for the next session. Partying too much isn’t a struggle or a down & out moment, I’ve never used drink as a tool to forget my problems but regularly meet up & party till early hours with friends."

MT “The general public link poker & casinos with organized crime. What’s your thoughts on this perception?”

DT “Nonsense, poker has such a diverse a community with people from all walks of life. No doubt there will be many & I would assume a number of the Chinese contingent of players are related to the triads but to say poker/casino’s are polarized to criminal figures is nonsense."

MT “What's 1 of the worst things anyone's said/done to you at the table?”

DT “I’ve dealt with a number of people who are completely inappropriate at the table, I’ve been threatened with punches, told they hope my mam dies of cancer (online), etc. It’s water of duck’s back to me, suppose the old sticks & stones may break my bones lyrics are appropriate."

MT “What's 1 of the worst things you’ve ever said/done to someone at the table?

DT “I’ve never really said/done anything malicious towards villains, until recently I reacted to bad beats & questionable calls in a Phil Hellmuth “Poker Brat” style but not so much now. I’m polishing up on my table etiquette & since 2010 have shook the hand & wished GL to everybody who has knocked me out of a live MTT & always left the online felt quoting GG when busted out of a MTT."

MT “Who do you consider the greatest ever poker player?”

DT “I find it difficult to look any further than Phil Ivey w/7 WSOP bracelets across 6 disciplines & a regular amongst the HSP both live & online. Phil Hellmuth although having a tough time of late & getting a lot of criticism for his unique style has 11 WSOP hold’em bracelet’s & the late Stu Ungar w/5 bracelets 3 of which came in the main event as well as 3 main event win’s in Amarillo Slim’s SBOP both have to be mentioned amongst the greats of poker. Tom “Durrrr” Dwan is of course 1 of the most feared HS cash players around but I think his active loose style will see him struggle in MTT’s so don’t expect to see him near the top until he has had some MTT success. Chip Reese is recognized as 1 of the greatest mixed game players that ever lived by his peers & was a regular in Bobby’s Room until he sadly passed, although taking time away from MTT’s he still won WSOP bracelets in 3 decades 1970’s, 1980’s, & 2000’s including the prestigious $50,000 HORSE. Doyle Brunson w/10 WSOP bracelets & been doing what he does for 55+ years is probably the most influential force in the world of poker, & is amongst the HS mixed game players around. Johnny Moss was kind of Doyle’s predecessor & was respected by all his peers, I have limited footage or knowledge of his exploits so for that reason he would miss out on my list. Not forgetting of course Patrick Antonius, Gus Hansen, Johnny Chan, Ilari Sahamies, Erik Siedel, Daniel Negreanu, Jen Harman, John Juanda, Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, etc who are all great ambassadors of the game but unfortunately miss out on my final elite list;

1) Phil Ivey
2) Chip Reese
3) Doyle Brunson

The final 3 list is based across every discipline in both cash & tournament, although predominantly live players Phil Ivey has had online success at the highest level. A lot of online players miss out due to their lack of ability in mixed game’s."

MT “Who do you consider the greatest ever hold’em player?”

I still can’t look any further than Phil Ivey across cash/tournament & live/online. Although he has no hold’em WSOP bracelets he’s had countless final tables, 2005 Monte Carlo millions main event & high rollers event winner, WPT LA Poker Classic 2008 main event winner, 3 top 20 finishes in the WSOP main event since 2003 including a 7th place in 2009, as well as 2nd place in the recent Aussie Millions high rollers event 2010;

Tournament
1) Phil Ivey
2) Stu Ungar
3) Phil Hellmuth

Cash
1) Phil Ivey
2) Tom “Durrrr” Dwan
3) Patrick Antonius

The difference in both lists demonstrates how difficult it is to master both variants & is credit to Phil Ivey who despite the difference can adapt to any situation & inevitably rise to the top."

MT “Who do you consider the greatest poker player in Newcastle?”

DT “That’s a difficult question, James Browning was ranked No1 pro rank 2 player in Europe 2008 & has had a wealth of success around the world but all seemingly polarized to hold’em. Steven Liu has had success in 7 countries across 3 variants including a WSOP final table in PLH. The late Eric Barker won the entire Teesside 2003 North East Championships schedule an achievement some would say is near impossible due to variance. There are of course a number of younger talented players in Newcastle (Mark Trett 2009 CBMPT Champion, Aryan Virabi PS Sunday Millions winner, Alex Joblin/Neil Harvey DTD DS 1st/3rd respectively) among many more but still have to be around in 5+ years before can be considered as 1 of best in Newcastle for me;

1) Steven Liu
2) James Browning
3) Hamid Rowshanaei

All have been cutting it at a high level for 20+ years, are regulars in the highest stakes side games available in Newcastle which is Aspers £5/£5 dealers choice, & have 25+ Hendon Mob page scores."

MT “What does 2010 hold for you? can we expect to see you around NPS regular over coming months? Plans for FTP”

DT “I’m not particularly interested in pursuing poker at a very high level in foreseeable future, I’ll certainly be around NPS regular to catch up with a bunch of friends but not interested in following UK circuit. There isn’t any immediate plans for FTP, I’m just happy reporting on live events & various other things that keep our readers entertained & as long as their happy & we keep receiving positive feedback then of course I’ll be to more than happy to keep blogging."

MT “Thanks again for your time & good luck in 2010”

I hope you all enjoyed being in the tank with our very own moderator & remember to let us know if you want anybody in particular interviewed & also if you want any questions asked within reason of course.

Thanks for reading.