mightmad
Real Name: Andy Lee
Age: 23
Limits: $30-$100
Blog: mightmad.com

Charles Hawk: You wrote in your blog that in 2014 you lost your motivation related with playing a big sample. Do you see it as a negative issue which you will be looking to improve in 2015?

Andy "mightmad" Lee: The reason I started losing motivation in putting in a heavy grind was because things were very repetitive in my grind. At the start you show a lot more interest when you learn the game, study theory and apply it to your game. Especially in Hyper HUSNGs where stacks are 25BB effective, most spots become so frequent that auto piloting will not affect your game as much in comparison to other game formats (majorly speaking vs recreationals). I've lost my motivation to grind a couple of times and each time I regained it back by taking a small break and setting my next volume target. 2015 is going to be crucial because games per hour are going to be reduced so I will be looking to grind a lot more to make up for it.

CH: Do you have any long term goals related to poker? How about non-poker long term goals?

AL: My long term goal related with poker will be ultimately to quit poker professionally and play it more as a hobby. It started as a hobby then things became serious when I was hitting my targets that I've set and the fun was taken out of the grind. I have mad respect to those who can grind for countless hours and not get bored. My Long term life goal would be to own enough properties and shared businesses with my brother to not care about finance and start a happy family.

CH: One other interesting detail which I read in your blog:

I dont feel like I have money because I give it all to my brother, quite literally over £65k this year oh.. and some to my dad. [...] I value family over anything in this world from my experience and Im grateful for that.

Quite a sum for a $30-$100 reg! Why did your brother need such an amount in such short time? Please tell me about yourself growing up, about your religious beliefs (if you have any) and about the most valuable lessons which you learned from your parents or other family members.

AL: By the age of 16 my mum passed away from lung cancer which changed my life, my personality and the way I looked at things. Luckily my brother was there to take care of me but I felt the burden was too much for him. I decided that it was my responsibility to take care of the family and support him. I quickly got 3 jobs while in high school and after university found poker. I've learnt how important family truly are and how you should be grateful for the things you have. Money is just a tool to buy freedom. I'm still young and I personally dont like to purchase anything flashy so I don't need much. The money given to him was firstly a plan to purchase another property with mortgage but he decided to open a small restaurant which I believe to yield a much higher EV. ROI > Properties with his experience and I'll have some shares.

CH: Did your family members tolerate your decision to make a living from poker right away or was it a gradual proccess? How about your friends? How about new people you meet? Is poker widely known as a game of skill in Scotland by most people?

AL: My brother and father were quite sceptical at first because of the lack of knowledge of the game and seeing it as a gambling game. I told them if I didn't make $50,000 in my first year I would quit and find a job. I completed it in about 7 months and never looked back. My friends are pretty happy about it in general that it gives me a lot of freedom and that I’m able to help my family through poker. To new people I sometimes just say I’ve just graduated to save the time of explaining how playing poker professionally is possible. In Scotland in general poker is becoming more popular and there are quite a lot of very successful players.

CH: Poker was always positioned as a game of skill. Do you think poker’s image is/will be discredited by Spin and Gos?

AL: To some extent it will by most regulars but I dont think it will change it that much to recreationals. It still is just a game of fun to them and Spin & Gos are definitely attractive to them. The thought of spending $30 to win $90,000 if your lucky enough to hit the jackpot (1 of 100,000) is very exciting.

CH: Since HUSNG.com is a coaching site, tell me about your strengths and weaknesses (if strategy-wise it could reveal your secrets then don't reveal everything, but tell me as much as you can about your mentality and work ethic).

AL:
Strengths:
Strong understanding of game flow
Persistent to hit personal goals
Multitabling
Confident

Weaknesses:
Lazy
Autopilot

CH: Tell me about how you are learning and improving. Do you have a favourite poker book, favourite articles, or forum posts related with improving?

AL: I learn mostly these days from playing. I'm very satisfied with my EV ROI versus recreationals and against regs I ask my brother from another mother Taikogod to guide me through the tunnel. For an article relating to work ethic, I would refer to a post in twoplustwo if you type “500th post twoplustwo” on google and the first link. Mentality I had help from Elliot Roe and I would recommend his coaching.

CH: Tell me about what was the most valuable lesson(s) which you learned not from vids or books but from practice?

AL: I picked up a lot of game flow particularly versus recreationals. I developed a strong feel like Bighusla did when he coached me, which helped me understand their ranges and lines more often. Also I pick up a lot of timing tells when 1-2 tabling.

CH: How does your standard grinding day look like?

AL: Currently in Tokyo staying for another month so I don't have a particular working schedule because of my girlfriend’s schedule, so I just adjust to hers, but when I'll be back I'm hoping to set up a 10-12 hours a day schedule and stick with it for some time.

CH: What are your hobbies?

AL: My hobbies are: spending time with gf, friends, family, betting with friends on bowling and table tennis (I have high ROI in these games), gym and playing online games.