EPT
Sup BigBalls! Can you introduce yourself for those who don't know you?
Wassssup, my name is Ryan Daut, I played Starcraft from probably about 1998 to 2005, and i play protoss like all good hearted people. I started posting on TeamLiquid back in around 2003 and nowadays post on TL's little brother Liquidpoker. I made the switch from starcraft to poker about 2005 and every 6 months or so have a tryst with my old flame, usually on iCCup.
Last interview Day[9] said the following when appointing you as the next interviewee:
He and I were both math majors. A huge number of people who play StarCraft just love playing it. But, like me, BigBalls loves analyzing play and thinking methodically.
I mean we both love playing, but I definitely relate to that analytic side. Plus he's fucking hilarious and a monster gentleman.
I mean we both love playing, but I definitely relate to that analytic side. Plus he's fucking hilarious and a monster gentleman.
Do you consider that accurate, eventhough you don't really play that much anymore?
Yes, even when I watch Proleague matches nowadays my analytical side takes over and I try to figure out optimal counters to what each player is doing and the benefits to the build orders they use. Being analytical was really necessary to my development as a Starcraft player, especially since I was probably the slowest competent player in the history of the game, my micro skills and speed were so bad that I needed to make up for it by having a better understanding of the game so I would analyze stuff in great detail. That type of mindset and approach to the game has extended to poker as well.
You're one of the more notable Starcraft turned poker players in the world. A lot of comparisons between SC and poker have been made to explain the big number of successful transitions from SC to poker. How would you explain this with your analytical mindset?
I think that there are a number of reasons there have been many to transition successfully from sc to poker. Besides being generally smart people, good Starcraft players have a strong drive to succeed at games. I think the most important factor to becoming "good" at something is how much work you put into it, way more so than natural intelligence.
Of course other personality traits like patience and levelheadedness which allow people to analyze their own mistakes in a logical manner are very important as well. One last factor i think is having a strong network of friends that help each other improve.
Both games are played against other people, and the best Starcraft players were the ones who had good training partners and practiced for hours on end with them. Poker is no different. We may not be actually playing against our friends for long periods of time, but having someone to talk to about the game really aids understanding concepts and flattens the learning curve of the game.
So basically, once a bunch of Starcraft players took up poker, all had a better chance to succeed by collectively learning different parts of the game together and giving each other advice in spots where one brain isn't necessarily enough to solve difficult problems.
Yeah, I think that's a very realistic explanation. You mentioned you still watch Proleague matches. Do you do this regularly? And do you still keep up with SC and the TL community?
Two seasons back I played fantasy starcraft, and it was fun following my players. Occasionally I will watch a live stream of proleague matches or a starleague with nazgul or some other friends, but I dont actively keep up with what goes on in the SC world from week to week. As for TL, I check the site every couple weeks to see any news on SC2 and just to find out whats going on in the world.
So you're following SC2 development.. Are you excited for SC2, and would you play it competitively if it turned out to be as good as SC?
The only computer games I ever got into for more than a few weeks were Starcraft and Warcraft 3, so a new blizzard rts game is obviously something im very excited for. As for playing it competitively, I would definitely try my hardest to get good at the game and play on the ladders. I love nothing more than finding something that is challenging and I can compete against others in, and what better than a second Starcraft game? I seriously doubt that I would be able to keep up with the people who devoted their lives to it but I would try to become fairly competitive at it and do as well in ladders, tournaments and vs my friends as I could.
I guess your poker life deserves a question too. I think most of the TL veterans remember the rail topic for the PCA finals. How has poker been for you since then?
Poker has gone very well since then. I had some success in other tournaments in 2007, placing 9th and 6th in two other WPT events, but since then I havent played many live tournaments. Online I mostly concentrate on cash games and that has gone well in the past 3 years, but nowadays I dont play all that much. Most of my time in poker is devoted to the staking business that I run with Nazgul and mig.com, who I think played some Starcraft before poker. It's a very swingy way to invest your money, but overall we do make a nice return and have one of the most successful backing stables in all of poker.
Alright, I guess that about wraps it up. Do you have any idea who to choose as next interviewee?
Pretty tough choice, there are a lot of people I can choose from, but i think i have a clear choice: you should interview Giyom next. He was the best sc player in the world for a period of time, is old school, switched to poker, and is best friends with Rekrul/Elky/Spunky so I think he is the perfect person to interview.
If you cant get a hold of him I would say interview spunky as he is Korean, fluent in English, has an insight into the pro world of Starcraft and the game itself that not many people do and he is an awesome awesome person.
Ok, Giyom it is. Thanks for doing this interview, Ryan. Any last words/shoutouts/MSPaint Drawings?
Sadly there are too many people to do shoutouts, I would inevitably leave someone out. As for mspaints, I don't know if TL ever experienced the pictures I used to draw so here is the first one I ever drew, I still consider it one of my best, it's a depiction of the final scene of King Kong.
![[image loading]](http://www.liquidpoker.net/staff/Daut/bestpictureever.JPG)
