partypoker Winners: David Forsyth

We sat down with Beat the Ace winner David Forsyth to discuss his plans for facing Boris Becker in a live heads-up match at the Kings Casino in Rozvadov, why friends are so important in the life of a poker player and his top tips for playing poker online at partypoker.

How does it feel to have won Beat the Ace online and be jetting off to Rozvadov?

It feels good! After busting out of the second freeroll early, I figured it would be difficult to win from there and was really pleased when I heard I’d won.

Nervous about going heads up against Boris Becker or confident in your chances?

Playing heads up against a legend like Boris is going to be intimidating. Boris will have huge advantages in terms of playing live, playing in front of a crowd and playing under pressure, but I’m hoping I’ll have a technical advantage over him given the volume I’ve played online. No matter what though, I’m really looking forward to meeting him, learning about his life to date and his plans for the future.

What will you be getting up to in Rozvadov besides hitting the card tables?

Mostly drinking! A few of us will have a night in Prague before connecting to Rozvadov. If I win a couple of matches against Boris, it could be a messy night.

Your mates will be cheering you from the rail – do you think it’s important in the life of a poker player to have friends there to catch you when you fall?

I’d find it much more intimidating going up against Boris without support from the rail, but I’m not worried about winning or losing. The extra cash would be great, but I arrived with nothing and I’ll have a great experience to remember.

Otherwise, I don’t worry about losing stretches as I’ve played enough to know that can happen. I’m also grateful that everybody close to me trusts me implicitly as far as poker is concerned. They don’t claim to understand the game, but they understand that poker is a game of skill which I enjoy playing and make a side income from, having built a bankroll from scratch.

For those partypoker players looking to bag a similar victory, what are your top 3 poker tips?

1. Practice good bankroll management. Variance can be more brutal than the majority could ever imagine, so I like to have at least 50 buy-ins for cash games in my account and at least 100 buy-ins for the tournaments I usually play. That way, I can take the losing sessions without concern and with a minuscule risk of ruin.

2. Try to be patient. I really struggle with this, but you have to realise that money will flow to you if you continue to make profitable decisions given the information available. That can be difficult, but it’s no good winning 20 buy-ins over a few thousand hands running hot if you’ve already punted off 20 buy-ins trying to win every pot when the cards just aren’t going your way.

3. Take advice from better players and start small. There are so many free resources out there and forums where you can discuss hands that there’s absolutely no good reason to suck at poker anymore. Starting small will also limit the damage while you’re learning.

What do you love most about playing on partypoker?

partypoker is great at keeping the grinders happy with regular reload bonuses and promos, along with good software. The slower, deeper nature of many micro and low stakes tournaments is also a huge plus as it means you get more play for your entry fee and the skilled players have a greater advantage. Finally, the link with DTD and the excellent GPPT series hosted at football stadiums has been great for UK players.

In your finding, is poker more skill or luck?

Poker is unquestionably a game of skill and the best players will prosper in the long run. In the short term, though, luck plays a huge part in your results.

Thanks, David! We wish you the best of luck when taking on the legend that is Boris Becker.

Be sure to follow along live on the partypoker Twitch channel!