Mickey Petersen's WCOOP Tips
Saturday, 7 September 2013
Plus his players to watch in 2013.
Top 5 Tips for WCOOP Success with Mickey ‘mement_mori’ Petersen
Since you could say the World Championship of Online Poker is a pretty big deal, we wanted to get someone who really knew their stuff. Without a doubt, that person is Mickey ‘mement_mori’ Petersen. Mickey has an impressive live tournament record with lifetime cashes of close to $1.2 million – including a win at the 2012 Main Event at EPT Copenhagen, worth approximately $450k – but behind a screen is where he really excels. Part of PokerStars Team Online, he has a score of big cashes in some of the hugest online tournaments out there. With September drawing ever closer, we sit down with Mickey to find out his Top 5 Tips for becoming a WCOOP wizard.
Be Prepared
“I think for things like WCOOP, especially if you’re playing all the events on all the days, there’s not that much time off. So it’s pretty important you manage the time you do have properly. Preparing food before you start playing, I think, is really important. You’ve only got a five-minute break, so you don’t want to be ordering pizza every day because that’s obviously not very good in the long run. You should also try to get as much sleep as possible. When I’m playing the WCOOP, I’d say my day is pretty much just waking up, maybe going to the gym, going to get groceries. Then I’ll start playing, and once I’m done playing I’ll go back to sleep. Try not to stay online after you’re done playing. I normally like to stay up late, but it really messes you up when you have to concentrate for such long hours the next day. So, in conclusion, managing your time, preparing some food beforehand, and just going to the gym or getting outside for a bit are all really good ways to prepare for potentially long tournaments.”
Good Game Selection
“The thing with the WCOOP is it has such a wide selection. They have more games than the World Series. The first thing you have to think is: do you only play No Limit? I mainly play No Limit, but during the series I will also play some other stuff, maybe trying some new stuff out. But if you just play No Limit, just playing the weekend events is really good because there are a lot of recreational players and they draw bigger fields. Then again, if you’re a mixed game player or if you play any of the other games like PLO, there’s so much value to be had. In the WCOOP you can play against a lot of people like me – people who mainly play No Limit but will have a go at a Razz tournament, or a Stud tournament.”
Mix it Up
“I think the fields for mixed games tournaments can be a lot softer. Even if you just spend a couple of days beforehand getting just about competent at a game, I’d say you could do pretty well in the WCOOP. The structures are so good. It’s the one time of the year where you can play a Razz tournament online and it’ll actually have a good structure. I think it depends on what you’re comfortable playing – play up to your strengths, but don’t be afraid to try out some new games.”
Be Satellite-Savvy
“I play a lot of satellites during the WCOOP, even though I don’t have to, because I think they’re good value. It’s pretty simple really – the satellites that generate the most seats are usually the ones with the best value. A satellite that gets only 1-2 seats could end up being pretty tough, but ones with 5-10 seats are more likely to be good. There’s usually a deadline satellite, which is one last big satellite before every tournament. Those will have the most seats guaranteed, and would be by far the best value. So I’d look for the satellites that start right before the event comes up.”
Know Your Limits
“With regards to how many tournaments you should play, I think it’s one of those things that’s really different for different people. For me, I don’t mind playing for 2-3 weeks in a row for something like SCOOP or WCOOP. I just need some time off before and some time off after. With that said, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking a day off if you just went deep and bubbled something the day before or something like that. You shouldn’t play if you’re tired after something like that, it’s not good. These tournaments have such good structures and they take such a long time, if you’re not playing your A-game 100% it’s kinda pointless to play!”
Petersen’s Players to Watch This WCOOP
1. Shaun ‘shaundeeb’ Deeb
Originally hailing from New York, Deeb began playing poker professionally around 2006, with almost $2.5 million in live cashes to date. As well as being a force to be reckoned with on the live circuit, he is a consistent online winner – he has 5 SCOOP (Spring Championship of Online Poker) titles, a staggering 4 of which he won in the 2012 series for a combined approximate total of $170k. He also has 2 WCOOP bracelets: one from the 2008 $320+R PL Omaha for $144,113, and the other from the 2010 $1,050 No Limit Hold’em for $243,610.
Managing to pull off an impressive eight cashes in this year’s WSOP, including fifth place in the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Millionaire Maker for $302,104, Kelly has had an unstoppable year. The 24-year-old also currently holds the record for most WCOOP bracelets won, at four. The combined prizes from these wins earned him close to $500,000.
3. David ‘WhooooKidd’ Baker Not to be confused with David “ODB” Baker, another professional player who shares the same name, “WhooooKidd” has acquired two WSOP bracelets in No Limit 2-7 Lowball and H.O.R.S.E events. He also won the SCOOP $5,000 + $200 Pot Limit Omaha in 2009 for $215,000. He’s the only one of the three currently without a WCOOP bracelet, but you’d be a fool to bet against him getting one in the near future.
Be sure to check out our
interviews with WCOOP bracelet winners Eugene Katchalov and George Danzer.