Online grinder Paul “FoldMachiii” Dando gives his opinion on the proposed 2016 changes at PokerStars, who is inspirations are and much more.
Paul “FoldMachiii” Dando crushed Day 2 of the partypoker World Poker Tour (WPT) UK Main Event at Dusk till Dawn. Unfortunately, he would crash out of the competition in the dying embers of Day 3.
I managed to catch up with him before he played his final role in that drama, and this is what he had to say.
*This is an abridged version of the audio
“It feels pretty good man. I have been feeling confident throughout the whole of the series. The chip lead amplifies that.”
Who are the people you texted first when you ended as chip leader?
“I haven’t been texting anyone, but I have just gotten off the phone with my Mum, who has been keeping up with progress. I have a decent following on Twitter, and I post updates on there to keep everyone up to speed.”
I notice you haven’t had too many live results?
“The live events are soft, but they are hard to do consistently. It’s like a proper grind. Online it’s easier to roll out of bed and play some tournaments. But you have to put in the hours and study a lot.”
Do you play tournaments or cash games?
“I play in tournaments under the name FoldMachiii. I play mainly on PokerStars.”
What’s your opinion on the changes PokerStars plan to make in 2016?
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I was listening to Dani Stern talking on the Joe Ingram Podcast, and he said it will have a knock-on effect throughout the games. They are cutting rake at $5/10, so those players will drop to $3/6, and those players won’t be able to win the games, so they drop to $2/4 and so forth. It makes the cash games so much harder.
“Tournaments aren’t affected as badly. There’s a cut in FPPs, and such, so straight up money for them that’s not going into my pocket, but it doesn’t affect me so much.”
Will the removal of HUDs affect you?
“That affects me for sure, but that’s more understandable. It’s a direct thing that will give the professionals less of an advantage over the recreational field. It annoys me, but I understand it.”
Will you coat your laptop with Post-It Notes?
“I have got comprehensive notes on PokerStars so I will try and move some info from my HUD over to my notes.”
Would you ever leave PokerStars?
“They have no competition. They bought the Full Tilt software and ran it into the ground so nobody else could have it. It’s a tough situation. I don’t have much choice unless I want to be a live grinder, and I don’t want to do that. But if Stars kept cutting they would run the games into the ground, and I wouldn’t be able to win anyway.”
There is no unity between the players to stand up to sites like PokerStars.
“There are talks of a strike, where we boycott for a couple of days. It will make a slight difference but not a huge difference in the grand scheme of things. Then you will get people who won’t boycott because it will be easier to win during that period. It’s a Catch 22 situation.”
Who inspires you?
“My backer inspires me. His name is Jordan or BigBluffZinc on Stars. He’s a very clever guy. He has got my determination up and given me some drive. Other than that, not too many people. I don’t have huge heroes or anything like that.”
What holds you back from being even more successful?
“At the moment there is nothing holding me back. I am where I want to be; I am moving forward at the speed I want to be going.”
What do you do when you take a break from poker?
“I don’t do that often, but when I do it will usually be chilling with my girlfriend. Being the girlfriend of a poker player, you don’t get much attention because I play weekends religiously, so I like to spend time with her.”
Are you a goals driven person or do you just live in the moment?
“I am more of a goals driven person, but I am very selective with the goals I choose. I don’t create monetary goals to drive me because it’s something that’s out of my control. My goals are mainly poker based and where I want to be in terms of the level of my game.”
Give your 14-year-old self some advice.
“Go to school.”
