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[DanielNegreanu]

PTP: You recently [well it may have been longer than that, I haven't visited the site for a bit] did a major overhaul of your site fullcontactpoker.com. The new designed seems a lot more toned down, almost more "adult" for lack of a better word. What was the thinking behind the switch? DN: Hmm... I'm not so sure it's more adult but I can see what you mean. The real goal behind the site was to provide more content that would making going to www.fullcontactpoker.com fun. Now the forum is full of sections with anything from book reviews to quizzes, player profiles to my travel schedule. The ony key addition to the site though is my blog. I've enjoyed writing it and based on the number of visitors to that page it seems as though the public really enjoys it as well. PTP: You seem to be a fan of the weblog. This may just be me, but doesn't that form of interaction with complete strangers creep you out in the slightest? Ok, I understand that you can't imply that your site readers are creepy strangers, but are you interested at all in the larger issue that represents - this trend of public vouyerism into the private lives of poker players? DN: Well i'm really comfortable with myself and am not afraid to share certain parts of my personal life with others, especially if i feel as though it may help them think, "He's just a regular guy, just like me." I'm not a fan of idolizing others and if someone really wanted to compliment me they'd say something like, "You seem like a down to kind of guy" rather than "You are my hero." Also I share a lot about myself, but I do my best to protect the peope around me who may not be as comfortable sharing so much of themselves. PTP: While we're on the media issue, what's your opinion on the image the mainstream media [ny times, for example] gives of the poker pro world? Do they capture it pretty accurately or do you feel they're too focused on sensationalizing the world, playing up the big action and the most colorful of pros? DN: They've only touched the tip of the iceberg. I think eventually they will get down to the nitty gritty and expose the fact that the majority of these "so called stars" live broke, horrible lives. PTP: Do you think the exposure of that 'nitty gritty' could provide the fuel for a mainstream backlash against poker in general? DN: That's inevitable unfortunately. The more popular poker, or anything for that matter gets, there will be people out there looking for the "inside scoop". PTP: Do you think we've already hit the peak of online players or is there still a lot of room for growth? DN: I think we've probably still only hit maybe 20% of maximum capacity. Barring legistation getting in the way, online poker will continue to grow at a rapid rate. PTP: Ok, but as new players come in, old players are busting and the money in consolidating in the hands of better players, and of course the sites via rake. So when you say grow, do you think there will be an influx great enough to keep online poker steadily growing in terms of sheer number of players? Or will it be more akin to just keeping the current base at a steady level? DN: I think there are so many untapped markets that play poker that it will continue to grow in numbers. How much no one knows, but I don't think we have reached the pinnacle of how big online poker will get. PTP: So you see the market expanding - does this mean that other sites can catch up to Party or is everyone pretty much fighting for second at this point? DN: Personally I think www.pokermountain.com will eventually catch up, and possibly pass Party. The key ingredient being money to market, and they have extremely deep pockets. PTP: Money's a critical resource for sure - but I have to think that the growth of online poker has attracted other people with deep pockets who haven't come close to Party. Any hints or broad outlines of what PM plans to do differently? Are we talking about a completely new model for online poker or just a tweaking of what's already out there? DN: Well there is one key thing that PM has that no other site does. One of the major complaints I hear aout an online poker site is that it's difficult to get money in and out of the site. Poker Mountain developed Securus which will make PM the best site on the internet as far as transactions go. The other thing that's unique is the goal of Poker Mountain is to really give back to the player through several avenues. No, I'm not going to go play 15-30 to bust people out of their bankroll, but I will make myself available to help customers improve their game and playing experience. PTP: Ok Dan, thanks a ton for your time - just a few quick light questions. Good luck in the upcoming year. Few goofy questions to finish. First, If you had to combine elements of holdem, omaha and 7stud 8 to make a new poker game, what would that game be like? DN: I've already played it, it's called River Down Hold'em H/L. The game is Hi-Lo 8 or better. Each player is dealt two cards like hold'em and there is a flop like in hold'em. Then a turn card just like hold'em. The final card however is dealt face down to each player, and each player gets their own river card like in Stud. Fun game. PTP: Any suggestions on starting hand adjustments from holdem? DN: Well, let's put it to you this way, two nines aren't so hot in this game! Hands like A-2, A-3, A-4 go way up in value especially if there are suited. AK is still playable, but the presense of a low make it a much weaker starting hand. PTP: If you could trade your poker talent for any one other talent, which talent would you choose? DN: Film making PTP: Tomorrow poker mysteriously ceases to exist. What do you do? DN: Stand Up Comedy PTP: Are there any parallels between those two talents and poker that attract you or did you choose those because their lack of a poker overlap makes them seem appealing? DN: There are tons of similarities. Poker is about people, and filmmaking is about developing characters to tell a story. The type of stand up comedy I enjoy performing are basically impersonations. Becoming a character, morphing into that characters mannerisms, speech pattern, the way they think, etc. At the poker table, your goal is to get into your opponents head and figure out what they are thinking. I think that those talents are what made me a good poker player. PTP: Thanks again, Dan. Take care. DN: No Problem