Ask Me Anything (Dusty Schmidt aka Leatherass in the well)

[Leatherass]

How many hours did it take for you to make the 21k for your Paying it Forward project? Did the people at your tables know what you were doing at the time? How could you possibly bear that weather??

(For anyone that doesn't know - Dusty recently drug his laptop onto the freezing streets of Portland and donated all of the money he made playing poker during that time to help 3 homeless families get back on their feet)

It took about 30 hours.

The people at my tables had no idea I am sure.

I dressed as if I was going to go to the top of a mountain. I wore thermal everything, worse 3 pairs of snow socks, had two sweatshirts and a parka on, had jeans and show pants on. Wore two pair of gloves and a snow hat. It was 8 degrees out. It was the coldest I had ever been by a mile.

 

[Leatherass]

Welcome Dusty Schmidt! Congrats on your new family addition!

I've ordered the book & look forward to reading it -- the concept is a fabulous idea.

Overall you've addressed the majority of ???s I had, athough I do have the following:

• Where did you develop your business acumen? Just curious, I went the college route & worked for a Fortune Global 100 Company...I think it would have been a lot less stressful for me to have applied my business skill set to poker rather than worry about someone else's Revenue & Expenses .

Happy Holidays to you & your family!

I don't really have a degree or any formal background that would knock your socks off, but ever since I was a young kid, I was taught business. My family all had a family business and I helped out when I was a small kid and just grew up around my family talking business 24/7. This really helped me understand business concepts. My parents actually aren't very good at business imo, but being around it and debating concepts just made business second nature to me.

Honestly, I don't have a formal background on anything. I have always just gotten by because I outwork everyone else. If I walked into a job interview there would be a segment of employers who would kick me out in 2 seconds and a segment that would understand a little more about me and what I am willing to do to understand basically anything.

This may sound a little arrogant possibly, but my attitude in life is that I can do absolutely anything I put my mind to. I have a belief system in myself that in due time, I can do anything I want to do at a high level.

Obv I can't be a center in the NBA no matter how hard I try, but if it is a mental activity, I truly believe in my head that I can figure it out if I pour my soul into it. And the reason I personally don't think I am being arrogant is because I have that same belief system in everyone. I believe anyone can do anything, but only if they are willing to absolutely pour their soul into that endeavor each and every day. I believe anyone can have the situation they want, but they need to realize that it will come with a price. They will need to put that endeavor in front of everything for a little while.

 

[Leatherass]

Do you think you have never had a losing month is because the stakes you play or the number of hands you play removes varience?
todays big problem short stackers going all in with any pair or A-10 and up it seems like every choice is a race they are playing 5-5 more often than a monster should I be laying down more often?

The primary reason I have not had a losing month is because I play a ton of hands. The variance just tends to even out when you play that much. It may not even out actually, but it evens out enough for me to show a profit anyway.

 

[Leatherass]

Do you think you have never had a losing month is because the stakes you play or the number of hands you play removes varience?
todays big problem short stackers going all in with any pair or A-10 and up it seems like every choice is a race they are playing 5-5 more often than a monster should I be laying down more often?

Actually you want to call more often. They bank on people not calling with a wide enough range.

 

[Leatherass]

FYP

Would you be willing to talk to my wife to get me this same arrangement? It doesn't seem to be working when I try it.

I would recommend showing her the article my wife wrote in my book, Treat Your Poker Like A Business. My wife (aka leatherwife) wrote a great article about the role of wives to a male poker pro and I have gotten tons of comments from people who say they showed it to their wife and it changed their perspective. If you don't already have my book you can get it at http://www.dustyschmidt.net

 

[Leatherass]

lol JD - I bet lots of guys are envying him right now. I would be just like his wife though if my husband could make 600k a year playing poker part-time.
(Heck - I would settle for a lot less than that lol.)

Dusty - your wife sounds amazing. Where did you meet her and how long have you been married?

What was it about her that initially attracted you the most?

(you can count on me to ask all the girly type questions)

I met her at a college bar in Eugene, Oregon called Taylor's.

Well I obv thought she was cute, but mostly she is like a dude without a penis...lol. That is honestly the best way I can put it. She is just like a male friend of mine tbh. She is my best friend and likes to do things that guys typically like to do. Oddly enough, she is the best Mom I can imagine as well. She raises our daughter as well as a woman can do. Basically she is like a girl when I want her to be a girl and a guy when I want her to be a guy. She is just perfect!

 

[eNTy]

Freud would have a field day .

 

[LarkMarlow]

YAY! I received my book yesterday and look forward to a great read.

 

[bazerk]

I don't really have a degree or any formal background that would knock your socks off, but ever since I was a young kid, I was taught business. My family all had a family business and I helped out when I was a small kid and just grew up around my family talking business 24/7. This really helped me understand business concepts. My parents actually aren't very good at business imo, but being around it and debating concepts just made business second nature to me.

Honestly, I don't have a formal background on anything. I have always just gotten by because I outwork everyone else. If I walked into a job interview there would be a segment of employers who would kick me out in 2 seconds and a segment that would understand a little more about me and what I am willing to do to understand basically anything.

This may sound a little arrogant possibly, but my attitude in life is that I can do absolutely anything I put my mind to. I have a belief system in myself that in due time, I can do anything I want to do at a high level.

Obv I can't be a center in the NBA no matter how hard I try, but if it is a mental activity, I truly believe in my head that I can figure it out if I pour my soul into it. And the reason I personally don't think I am being arrogant is because I have that same belief system in everyone. I believe anyone can do anything, but only if they are willing to absolutely pour their soul into that endeavor each and every day. I believe anyone can have the situation they want, but they need to realize that it will come with a price. They will need to put that endeavor in front of everything for a little while.

Thank you for the insightful response. I have a basic belief that application is much more valuable than theory. My family happened to encourage education...probably due to the lack of it (my mother grew up in a war-torn country & has the equivalent of an 8th-grade education...yet has her own succesful business & owns 2 homes so I'm unsure why being entrepreneurial wasn't the emphasis ).

Many of the respected businessmen do not have a college education & that did not deter them from being successful (ie: Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Steve Jobs, Truett Cathy, Carl Karcher, etc...). I really like your PMA & your confidence that everyone can be successful with commitment on their part.

 

[dan]

Why do you think you can play so many hands for proffit I would think 23 to30 % was a high # of hands I like the book Im reading it for the 2nd time and it seems to me some of what you do only works against good players a couple of things you said work really nicely thanks.

 

[JAMILE1]

Just got my book today and looking forward to getting started on it.

Mahalo

 

[TPC]

Your book arrived yesterday, looking forward to reading it today!!!

 

[eNTy]

you are really taking ur time answering my questions

 

[Debi]

Dusty was out of town over the weekend and is probably making up for lost time at the tables.

If I remember correctly he will be out of town this weekend as well.

 

[dg1267]

...and, he doesn't like waffles!

 

[dmorris68]

Late to this thread but just ordered a hardcopy of your book! I'm sure I'll have questions later. Please hang around awhile!

 

[Leatherass]

Ok. I thought of some questions.

1. What do you think is the biggest problem with the game or threat to it? In regards to play, attitude, technology, law etc.

2. Do you see Omaha or another poker variant (back to stud?) as the "next boom"? Or will there even be another boom?

3. In the same line; What do you see as the future of hold'em?

4. Do you believe in God?

Oh and your "pay it forward" was a great an honorable thing to do. I love it.

#110

1. I see short stackers as the biggest threat. The sites need to do something about it, although it seems like they are working on it. People don't log on to play poker vs a bunch of guys who are all in or nothing for a 20bb stack. That is hardly the "cadillac of poker."

2. There will be a boom when poker goes legal some day. I can assure you the most popular game will be whatever is the most popular on televsion. I suspect this will always be NL holdem or maybe PLO, but doubtful.

3. I think the future is bright.

4. Yes I do. Although I say this knowing full well that no of us will ever truly know and I respect anyone's beliefs.

 

[Leatherass]

Welcome to the forum!

On FTP at any given time, there are around 20 players sitting and waiting on their own hu 5k poker table, and at the same time no action.
What are they waiting for?

#111

They are waiting for a fish to hopefully sit down so they can take their monies

 

[Leatherass]

Another Question Dusty?

Will there be money made in the near future in non NLHE games?

Do you play other games?

Any Favourites?

Thanks

#112

Yes, but I suspect the opportunity will be much less than in NLHE

Not seriously

I like PLO8

NP

 

[Leatherass]

What are your future plans at stoxpoker?

#118

I found this one pretty funny in light of what happened after you posted this haha. If by stoxpoker you mean http://www.dragthebar.com well then I will be making tons of blogs, videos and forum posts there. I'm really looking forward to interacting with the members and producing some killer content.

 

[Leatherass]

^ lmao.

i read you like the show the office dusty..my personal favorite show on television at the moment. In fact i have the whole 6th season (the season currently airing on TV) downloaded onto my hard drive

i thought up a couple questions.

1.) do you listen to any sort of music when u play...or is your mind, eyes, and ears 100% on your tables?

2.) since you say ABC poker is "ok" at the micro stakes...is their any other big key you would suggest besides being aggressive?

#119

Love the office!

1. It depends. I probably have music going like 1/4 of the time. I virtually never have music going if I am running poorly.

2. When guys check raise the turn at micro stakes, it seems they have the nuts every time from my experience.

 

[Leatherass]

I came out of the woodwork especially for you .

1. What is your favorite video or series or coach on stox ?

2. Do you use videos much as a learning tool ?

3. Have you checked out the competition ? DC, CR, Leggo ? Thoughts ?

4. If I remember correctly you play 6max up to 5knl as your regular game.. Ever thought of transitioning to a pure HU game ? Do you think you will have to if you want to play higher limits?

5. Do you have any aspirations to play higher or are you content grinding it out at the limits you do now ? Is one of the reasons keeping you from playing HU now because you can reach a higher hourly at 6max, or do you want to avoid bigger swings and more stress on your mental game ? Similarly is higher variance, due to smaller edges (?), keeping you from moving up any further/playing nosebleeds ?

#120

Thanks!

1. Don't have a favorite video, but my favorite coach there has to be Mbolt1, Kyle and Jared. Hard to beat that combo.

2. Not any more. The only reason why is that there is really not much or anything I can learn from them anymore. For people trying to move the limits, it is hard to find a better source of info than at a training site. Books can be a good option too

3. I really don't check them out. I focus on producing the best content I know how and leave the business side up to the managers of the site.

4. I don't see that happening. I have too good a thing with 6 amx games. If 6 max games dry up then maybe...

5. I have no desire to play nosebleeds. If you want my honest opinion, the only guys that belong there are Ivey and prob Antonius. Everyone else is too under rolled for that game which is why you see most of the nosebleeders go broke at some point. There is simply no reason to try and play those games. There are like 5 guys or less that consistently win at those games and you can make 7 figures a year at 5/10 nl relatively variance free if you are good enough, so I just don't understand why people would take on that sort of risk. If you notice, everyone who does is like 25 years old. I suspect most of them will look back when they are older and more mature and shake their head at how silly they were for playing those games.

 

[Weregoat]

5. Greed. Hands down. I am so used to hanging out with rich people because I play a lot of golf and I can't stand like 95%+ of them. Everything is all about material goods and there is just never anyone I meet that ever talks about the good they can do with what they have. I just don't understand why people think they need 90 million dollars. They act like they can buy eternal life if they get that much or something. I think the idea of wanting to make a ton of money is perfectly fine. It is a way of competing and keeping score for a lot of people. Nothing wrong with that. But the part where they want to keep it all for themselves and hold onto it for dear life until they are too old to even enjoy it anyway really pisses me off to be honest.

I think your political views really came through in this post. As somebody who was 'the poor kid' in school at a very rich high school, I can agree with you in some points - but also as somebody who had the flaw of doing nothing to furthur his own life for about two years - right up to the verge of being out on the street - I can say from life experience something is to be said for somebody who is out to earn money. Now, keeping it all for themselves is one thing. Greed is excellent motivation for some people - however I believe it should be turned off once you are not in a setting where you are trying to accumulate money (not at work). What you do with the money, however - is each person's choice. I respect you because you are willing to get down and dirty and give your own money to help those less fortunate than yourself, which means you have the switch - you can turn off the greed when you're not working - and even work for other people, should you so choose.

However - wanting to have wealth and leave your loved ones with wealth when you pass - I'd say is no fault of character. But I'm sure the greed you mention is far worse. My Grandmother recently passed and the dispute over her wealth was ridiculous and lasted a long time - the greed of half my family showing as they fought tooth and nail for the last of her pennies - even though all of them would be well off - likely for the rest of their lives. So I agree - while my Grandparents had the greed to be successful in their business so to provide for their family long after they were gone (good), greed outside of a business aspect can be terrible.

Which brings me to my next point -

Can you send me more money since you had a 96bb/100 win rate?

Haha. Also, I think I'll be buying your book. =P

Also - I just read the thread from first post to most recent in near it's entirety, just wanted to thank you for taking your time to come answer questions with us. This thread has been here a little while and I never stopped by - but I'm glad I did today, and wish I had sooner.

I would love to offer up a question but the other CC members seemed to harp on them really well. I think the entire concept of the book is something that a lot of players overlook entirely - yes - it's also a great way to make money. And if you evaluate the game from a business perspective - you're sure to be on the right track - and at the very least I expect to take away from it a few new outlooks for my poker playing.

Thanks again.

WG

 

[Leatherass]

Being an 80's child (I was also born in 1981 ) -- did you get into any of the 80's toys? He-Man, Ninja Turtles, Nintendo?

If you were to give one single suggestion to someone who wants to start a career in playing live poker, what would it be?

Are you an animal lover? If so, what's your favorite kind of animal?

Gus Hansen vs. Patrik Antonius, battle to the death.. who would you put your money on?

#121

I'm back to it now after mostly being on vacation the past 2 weeks. Keep em comin!

1. I was totally in to all of that stuff. I watched/played that stuff all the time.

2. Start aggressive and then work backwards. Most do the opposite. I know I did.

3. I do like animals. I have two dogs named Timmy and Charlie. I have compassion for all animals really. I am not a vegetarian, but if I had to be the one to kill the animal I would be. I won't even kill a spider if it comes into my house. I pick it up and set it outside. If it is a big nast one I will get something I can scoop it with and set it down outside.

4. Patrick and it ain't close. Gus is terrible. If I could play Gus all day for a living I would be a happy man. And believe me, that is no brag.

 

[Leatherass]

Umm, if you will be producing more videos a month or if you are going to cut down a little?

I will make videos at least twice a month for http://www.dragthebar.com In fact, I think I may have a cool little surprise for anyone interested in watching videos on that site. I will keep everyone posted when I know more.