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PTP Q&A with David ‘GhettoFabulous’ Randall

The advent of online poker training sites has taken some names that were once familiar primarily to a small group of regular pros and given them exposure to a far wider audience. One example is David ‘GhettoFabulous’ Randall, a well-regarded online pro who recently began making training videos for Pokerpwnage.com. David’s focus is online MTT play, with a specialty in rebuy and deep stacked tournaments, topics he covers extensively in his regular videos for Poker Pwnage.

You can read our review of Poker Pwnage here. Below find our Q&A with David ‘GhettoFabulous’ Randall.

PTP: How’s the new year treating you so far? Any poker resolutions and, if so, how are they working out for you?

DR: It’s treating me great, I don’t really have any resolutions for the new year except to grind as hard as I can. Setting goals in poker is probably the hardest thing to do because it’s such an up and down game.

PTP: Your videos on PokerPwnage have been pretty well received. Talk about how you got involved with PP and how the teaching process is developing for you.

DR: I got involved with PP through a friend telling me about it. The teaching process is just like anything else, I was shaky when I first started but it’s a skill I’ve developed. I’m at the point now where I’m pretty confident in my teaching abilities.

PTP: What’s your response to critics of training sites who argue that such sites are bad for the game?

DR: I say it’s great for the game, it’s fair to have the information available to anyone. Another argument is that people will improve but a lot of the players that are interested in improving will get there anyway. I also feel like it’s good for the game because it can at least give people a starting point to figure out how they can improve.

PTP: What are your can’t-miss tournaments online at the moment?

DR: I love the 1k’s and the 100 rebuys. They have great structures. Especially 1k Monday now that it has a better blind structure and a 5k starting stack.

PTP: You have a lot of online success but a pretty thin live record. What are your thoughts on live play, and what accounts for your lack of volume live?

DR: Well I just turned 21 last March. I also am still in college, I’m a senior at John Carroll. I hope to get a lot of live experience within the next year.

PTP: What’s your advice for decent but recreational players who are trying to keep up with the ever-changing state of online MTT play?

DR: Keep grinding, experience is the most important thing for someone trying to improve. It also is a good idea to review your own hand histories or hand histories from friends. This gives you the ability to see where you break down when the pressure is on.

PTP: Rebuy or freezeouts, and why?

DR: Rebuys. You have the ability to get more deep stacked which I’ve always enjoyed a lot more. I feel like that aspect of the structure allows more skill to come out.

PTP: Online poker suddenly ceases to exist tomorrow. What’s your plan?

DR: Well I will be graduating college with a marketing degree so I have that to fall back on. I would pursue some type of marketing or sales career. I also have always had an interest in owning my own business so that would be a possibility.

PTP: Multi-accounting (in all of its forms) is obviously a huge issue for tournament poker online. Do you feel like the rooms are doing enough to check abuse? How about the poker community itself?

DR: I do. I think that the sites are all over that and have banned a lot of players that are doing it. I feel like to an extent their ability is limited because players can always find a way around being caught. The poker community has also outted several Multi-Accounters.

PTP: Have you noticed any difference in your results or in the play of your opponents against you since you started making videos for PP?

DR: Well I have been in a downswing recently but in regards to my opponents I do feel that they have a better look into my head which definitely gives me a slight disadvantage. I feel that overall it is something that can be overcome though.

PTP: Thanks for your time, David.

DR: Thanks, it was my pleasure.

Read our review of Poker Pwnage here

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