Time flies… and I must admit it: in the poker world, I am a dinosaur. How do I know? Because “Black Friday” doesn’t remind me of shopping deals, but of April 15, 2011 and a nightmare for pros, but also:
- because I grinded hundreds of hours online when 99% of people didn’t even know it was possible
- because I experienced Paradise Poker and its buy-ins capped at $50 in NLH
- because I was already playing live tournaments before Chris Moneymaker’s epic run
- because I took part in the launch — sadly aborted — of the very first PPL imagined by the late Chip Reese
- because I also saw players smoking at the tables, including in the Bellagio poker room
- because I witnessed Phil Ivey’s very first autograph in the streets of old Vegas
- because for me, “Courchevel” refers first to a poker variant, not the ski resort
- because I knew Bruno Fitoussi… with short hair!
In real life, I’m a proud woman in my fifties, but in “poker years” I’m much older. Just like a dog’s age is multiplied by seven, poker players need a conversion chart. Let’s just say my poker age is about 75.
Being a dinosaur is not just about accumulating years: it’s about how you approach the game and its evolution. For a long time now, the community has debated: should we play “exploit” or follow GTO (Game Theory Optimal)? For the younger generation, GTO is close to the Holy Grail: theoretical balances that supposedly make you unexploitable. Back when I started, nobody mentioned those three letters; we played exploit, with some notions of probabilities, basic implied odds, and that was it. We were miles away from solvers like PioSOLVER.
I had the privilege of being close to Paul Magriel, a backgammon genius and great theorist. He popularized the “M” calculation, which takes blinds and antes into account to measure stack depth: around M=20, you’re comfortable; around M=5, you’re in the “danger zone” and must switch to push-or-fold. Many players today only count in big blinds; I still believe “M” is more accurate.
In the end, it’s all about nuance: learn GTO, take ICM into account when needed, but know when to set it aside if an exploit generates more EV. You must adapt to new trends while wisely looking into the mirror of past experience…
This article is based on Isabelle Mercier’s latest book “Chroniques d’une joueuse de poker“.
