TPE Pro Cory Waaland recently finished 3rd in the Heartland Poker Tour Main Event at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas. We sat down for 5 quick questions about the event and live vs. online poker. And of course his trademarked catchphrase “GL Myelf”. Enjoy….
(1) You seem to play quite a bit of live poker in addition to the online grind. Which do you prefer and why?
Hmmmmm, well I love socializing and meeting new people and you can’t really do that when you play online. A strong part of my game is my table presence and how I’m able to feel out my opponents through talking and/or the live reads I have on them so I feel like I’m a better live player overall in that regard. Online however you can just put in so much more volume and try different things that you can’t really attempt live given that you only have that one stack to work with. You can do just do a lot more experimenting online in my opinion and try things at a lower risk. But to be honest I absolutely love having the online and live balance! When I start to get burnt out from staring at a computer screen all the time and not playing my best then its time to play some live tourneys. I find that it forces me to slow down (bc your only one tabling now) which therefore makes you think much more in depth about each spot and overall just makes me play better. Idk if that makes sense to you guys but it def works for me!
(2) Were there any crucial hands that propelled you to the final table of the Heartland Poker Tour main event?
Oh yea! This was a pretty insane journey. Almost all of Day 1 was full of making good folds and losing minimal with second best hands. Picking up small pots whenever I could just trying to keep my stack afloat. I call this being a ninja. I was down to 10.2k at the 1200bb level (second to last level of the night) and within one round turned it into 135k !!! It was pretty sick to say the least. The biggest hand being A9ss > AQo on a AK4ss board. Guy just open ships 60k (over pot), I call and we BiNk 10s for heaps on the river!!! Came into Day 2 15th of 135, I think, and immediately showered someone AK > AQ an was up to around 200k. From that point on I was pretty much just playing my game, picking my spots carefully and not ever really putting my stack at risk. When it got down to 2 tables I had Dan Obrien to my immediate right, and Benvo123 (sick online player) was on my left. I had a good feel for what both of these guys were doing at this point and ended up making a big call to take Dan out when he shoved J9o from the sb and I call w/ A5o from BB, we hold for 500kish pot. Few rounds later, again there was a dynamic in place, guy opened from utg, it gets to me in SB with AKss and I just flat (knowing that this sets up a nice squeeze spot for Benvo) he ends up 3b shoving 600k from the BB, original opener folds, I call and we win a huge flip against his JJ. Now I’m at 1.4 milly!! Once we combine to the unofficial FT I pick up a couple small pots and after the 10th place guy busts I end day 2 with 1.6 milly coming back 3rd in chips for the FT
(3) What is next for you on the live tournament trail?
Well I still have the Venetian main event to play here in Vegas but regardless how that goes I’m heading back to NC for Thanksgiving. Can’t miss spending time with the family, that’s very important to me. Then heading to Atlantic City on the 1st for the WSOP circuits at Harrah’s and a few Borgata tourneys. After that I’ll more than likely just follow the circuit and work on qualifying for this years National Championship. Hopefully win some rings and build the roll!!
(4) Any advice for people making the transition from online to live?
Slowwwwww dowwwwwwwn. Multi tabling online is way different than just playing 1 table live. You only get one stack to work with and maybe 20 hands an hour if you’re lucky. Take your time and make the best decisions you can. There is no time clock so no need to rush. When not in a hand make sure to study the players mannerisms and keep in mind what your own table image is at ALL times. It really affects how other people play against you compared to you just being a screen name. Adjusting is key!
(5) You are known for saying “GL Myself” at the online tables before going all in. Where does that saying come from and did you bust it out during the final table?
I’ve been saying “GL myself” for several years stemming back from the home cash games I use to play in during college. Honestly don’t know where it came from but if you know me then you know that I’m a goofball. I’m super sarcastic and hardly ever serious in my demeanor so its just me being funny really. Believe it or not I’ve found that it does add some fold equity when I’m in my short stack ninja mode. Most people get a kick out of it when I say it and anyway that I can make the poker table more fun I’m all for. GL myself!!!!
*and yes I used it A LOT during this tournament, not really at the FT bc I was only all in on the final hand but during my Day 2 run I pulled out several times.