Georgina ‘GJ Reggie’ James is a former PokerStars Team Pro and mixed-game poker enthusiast from the UK who regularly streams poker and video games on her Twitch channel. This month, having added some new games to her repertoire, she’s starting to add more tables…
When I first ventured into the world of poker, I admit I was complacent.
I really knew nothing about how the industry works, what it was to be a professional player, nor really how to play the game itself. Yet, all of a sudden, I was a PokerStars Ambassador.
I played 50c Sit & Gos on weekday evenings and microstakes tournaments at the weekend, streamed it all on Twitch and still worked a 9 to 5. I had no idea what I was doing but I was offered the opportunity to represent a brand, without doing any more work than I currently did. How could I say no?
I didn’t study poker at all. I simply played, chatted with folks on the internet, had fun and waddled my way through. I think I developed a lot of bad poker habits as a result; ones that I’m sure still affect me to this day.
Of course, things have changed a lot. At some point you learn how mindless and ignorant your past self was, and try to course-correct. And now, more than ever, I can’t afford to fall behind.
Complacency is not a path to success, so if you want to improve at poker it’s important to stay present and examine your game - whatever stakes you play, and whether anyone’s watching or not.
So my ‘new normal’ is going to include more study, as well as play and travel. And to reduce some of that pressure I’ll be working another job, part-time and within the poker industry.
There’s maybe a bit of a stigma when it comes to getting a ‘proper’ job, having previously played poker for a full-time career. But I’m grateful I’ve been given the chance to keep myself in this space, earn a small income and maybe pick up some new skills along the way.
And speaking of new skills…
Don’t tell my friends, but I think I like PLO
In a surprising turn of events, I’m actually enjoying playing more pot-limit Omaha (PLO)! I can’t stress enough really how much of a turnaround this is for me personally. I’m usually the player in the 8-game that folds my way through the PLO rounds unless I have aces, in which case I just say ‘Pot’ and hope for the best!
I followed my own advice and watched those videos on Youtube I mentioned previously. Short and succinct videos are especially helpful, as it means I can watch a couple every day and focus on a few key elements without getting overwhelmed with information.
I also got a couple of hours’ coaching from a friend who went through some of my PLO hands from a tournament, and looked at pre- and post-flop basics. That was great as I had someone I could ask questions to directly and also someone who could show me my own blunders and explain the corrections I could make.
Discussing your game in this way forces you to articulate your decisions and justify your choices, and is an invaluable method to really drill down into the way you think about certain spots.
I’ve been playing small stakes while I find my feet, and whether through luck or skill, I’ve had some decent results - albeit not from any significant sample. I think I would consider this first real foray a success.
Focus and multi-tabling
Despite the PLO going reasonably well, I am still struggling with putting in volume and multi-tabling. It’s actually something I’ve always struggled with, even to the point of deciding during my last series of WCOOP streams that I would aim to play only two tables at a time and an absolute maximum of three.
I think cutting down the tables really helped my focus and allowed me to execute my game better. However, capping myself in this way also has its drawbacks.
I thought the stream always hindered my ability to play more, as with so much going on in terms of managing the stream and chat, I more often than not found myself playing badly and being easily distracted.
As it happens, I simply struggle to multi-table anyway, and might have to work a lot harder to be able to increase my playing capacity. I’m making sure I’m not passively watching other streams and have social media closed and my phone away from my desk. I don’t need the additional distractions.
I have always been genuinely bewildered by the capacity of some players to play 20+ tables at a time, and while I don’t expect to get to that level myself, a couple more tables would be nice.
I will have to make that my next hurdle to overcome. I'll let you know how I get on.
You can follow GJ Reggie on Instagram and X, watch her streams on Twitch and more video content on her YouTube channel
Featured image courtesy of Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd.
