Brad (yukonbrad) Booth Blog

Our father, who art in gm place hallow be thy name, thy kingdom come gold will be won on ice as well as in the stands! Give us this day our hockey sticks and forgive us our penalties as we forgive those who crosscheck against us! Lead us not to elimination but deliver us to victory! In the name of our fans CANADA AND HOLY PUCK- amen!

Play with Yukon Brad at GR88.com.

4 Comments

Wait… there’s an upside? Losing sucks. Who wants to lose anyway?? I want to win… but wait… I am going somewhere with this… there is knowledge that you need to gain from losing.

Poker is instinct, it’s calmness, it’s luck and poker is intelligence… but most of all it’s PATIENCE. You could learn something from every player at every table by playing conservatively, and not go crazy about taking down every pot… but watching how your opponents play and react to things. Study these beasts like the great white sharks in South Africa.

It is this resource that will tell you everything you need to know to defeat this player. Eventually the player gets too comfortable and begins to underestimate the players around him. This is when you unleash hell. This is a delicate skill that needs to be mastered… because the players at the table could be (and should be) studying you as well.

Losing sucks, but losing without learning why you lost is the biggest mistake. Smile and wave, as your time will come.

Brad

Play with Yukon Brad at GR88.com

4 Comments

In all my years as a poker player, I can state an obvious fact. More men play poker. How many WSOP have been won by a woman? Yes… can you name them ? Does this mean men are better at it? I think the answer is… maybe not. I have sat at many tables with some gals who have done quite well. Obviously poker is a game of skill, intelligence, patience and….luck.

But there are other factors that make a poker player great. Being able to read your opponent… being able to quickly calculate odds. Are any of these skills exclusive to men? I don’t think so.

I have seen various woman play with all of these amazing skills. Plenty like, Liz Lieu, Lacey Jones, Tiffanny Michelle, Annette Obrestad etc etc… are just the beginning. I have observed a few traits that give a woman the upper hand at the male driven game… Women can use body language to their advantage to confuse and distract Women generally have more rational thinking and can stay calm in heated situations. They don’t get driven by ego in turn making stupid moves. I honestly believe that as the industry becomes more mainstream you will see a higher percentage of women playing…and winning.

After all, there’s nothing more distracting than a woman on top

Brad Booth

Play with Brad at GR88.com.

1 Comment

Just sitting here with my dog Dexter reviewing some hand histories seeing where things went wrong with my last couple of sessions. I took some pretty hard beats and I think it is so important to review your hand histories after such a ugly session. You can see where you could have done something different and maybe taken down a few extra pots, or could of made some more value bets in some thin spots. In any case reviewing hand histories is a must if you want to improve your game and take it to the next level.

This game can be emotionally and mentally draining, you gotta be able to handle the up swings and the down swings. It is so easy to get caught up in the moment and lose your focus. You must prepare to play an online session or a live session like your going into a UFC Fight! If you don’t play your A-game, it could (will) cost you a shhiat load of money…. Its been a really tricky year for me and I’m trying my best to bounce back and learn from my mistakes. Please feel free to follow me on my journey

Being able to put things in perspective is so important, this game we play is about patience and getting your chips in when you’re ahead. If you play each session as a separate entity and try to forget the past beats from previous sessions… you will be in a better state of mind to play. This is a life game and we can keep learning and playing well into our golden year’s (Thanks Doyle). So the next time AK cracks your Aces, remember the long term

Brad

Play with Brad at GR88.com

4 Comments

The action at the biggest online PLO games the last couple months has been furious. Pots exceeding $500,000 are the norm, with opponents battling over multiple tables. Traditional bankroll management theory (something I have struggled with in the past) would dictate having at least $30-50 million to play safely at these stakes. I can think of only one person who plays these games who would be “properly rolled”. The games are just soooo sikkkk ☺

Being that there are a dozen or so regulars, most are playing above their bankroll. Why would they risk going broke this way? Are they just taking a shot at the big game? Do they feel they have a significant edge? Is it an ego thing? Do they have complete disregard for money?

For most players, I believe it’s a combination of all the factors above. Unfortunately, one or many will go broke or near broke if they continue to play this high. Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan experienced this in November while playing Swede ‘Isildur1′. Tom had built up a formidable bankroll by crushing the medium to large games, but lost more than half of his online winnings to Isildur1 (who then dumped it and more to the other regulars). Tom has recently been seen playing lower stakes working to rebuild his online roll. I think it may be harder for him to do so this time as he is now very well known and he won’t be able to get away with some of the plays that used to work for him. It will be interesting to watch and I wish him the best in any case.

Brian Hastings just received a suspension from his sponsor for his involvement in hand history collaboration and analysis with a couple other pros who had played Isildur1. It’s a small price to pay considering the millions Brian won with this information. I’m not sure how I feel about this ruling by his sponsor; players routinely talk about hands played with various people, and it’s not classic collusion as there was no sharing of information in the current hand. However, me who has been on the receiving end of blatant fraud, I encourage poker sites become more vigilant about violations of their terms of service.

I was watching Poker After Dark -The Cash Game recently and had a little chuckle watching Phil Ivey pull a nice bluff holding 24 of spades. I wonder if he was recalling folding pocket Kings to me holding that same hand a couple years back on HSP. If he keeps up that caliber of play, he just might become a good player. ☺ jussssst kidddin’

Speaking of Poker After Dark, I was recently on a week’s session entitled “Eligible Bachelors” along with Antonio, David Williams, Erick Lindgren, James Aikenhead, Mike Matusow, which should air sometime in February if I recall correctly. Can’t reveal anything from the show, but I wish they would lose the footage…lol, I had a few drinks… said a few stupid things and played like a total moron…

About “Yukon” Brad Booth
Brad’s unique playing style started in his teen years when instead of attending school he spent his time playing poker in smoky underground cardrooms. Despite his young age and limited experience, Brad quickly developed an acute instinct for reading his opponents. His swift and assertive playing style, carefree approach and effervescent personality were a few of the many attributes to catch Doyle Brunson’s eye. After playing with Brad at the 2005 World Series of Poker, the poker legend snapped him up as a Doylesroom.com Poker Pro. Brad also appeared on multiple seasons of NBC’s Poker After Dark, and broke previous heads-up records on the show. Brad’s most recent move was from Full Tilt Poker to GR88.com where he is the official spokesman and Head of Poker Development.

Come to GR88.com to play Brad Booth.

8 Comments