how can "spirit rock" dominate so much?

[Devorzon 0]

Hello, I just started watching online poker matches recently and have been watching this "Spirit Rock" on Full Tilt and "Mahatma" on UB and was wondering how the hell can someone win so consistently at this? With so much luck involved, it would only be normal for him to lose once in a while but in the past week or so I've been watching him he just rolls over oppenents; it's like he's unbeatable. A few nights ago he was sitting with 120+ g's on UB! Tonight he just rolled over a few guys for another easy $70g profit, the other day I think he won about $80 g's . This is unbelievable; why does anyone play him? At this rate he could be making about 15-20 million a year from just playing online! Anyway, for people who have been following him, is this his usual way, or is he on just some kind of lucky streak?

[Stylin_Fish 0]

That'd be some streak.

[Guest Zach6668]

I know what you mean.I watched him on UB tonight take $20000 off one guy, another $10000 of someone else. Overall at the table I saw, he was up well over $50000. I did see him drop about $10000 on a 25/50 table after his 50/100 action dried up though.Nonetheless, he is a great player, from what I've seen anyways.Actually, from what I witnessed tonight, his opponents were pretty weak. One guy would only bet when he had something, and check it down if he didn't. Pretty easy for a guy like Mahatma to get a read on someone playing so straight forward. I mean if I could get even a small read on him, Mahatma could probably put him on any two cards.Zach

[Devorzon 0]

well , as soon as i ended up typing that post I see he sat back down and is making a killing again. this is freakin unreal. in the past week I think he's won well over 300 grand.

[Spademan 94]

Mahatma could probably put him on any two cards.

Live, that would be incredible.Online, that would be, just, stupendously incrediblicious.

[rforman13 0]

Couple things:Yes...Prahlad (Spirit Rock/Mahatma/Thenizzles,etc) is probably the best online NL cash game player around right now.However...sometimes the chips on the table can be misleading. With his style of play...many times if you watch close, you will see him rebuying several times until he eventually busts the other guy....so he may have 60k on the table, but only 10 may be profit. He does lose though. Ive seen him drop well over 50k in a session. However, I think it is safe to say he certainly wins more than he loses...and is not hurting for money.I also once heard through the grapevine that he was staked at some point by a particular celeb/poker player. I don't know how reliable the source is though. Anyway...I'll be god damned if I am ever gonna sit at a NL table with him. Limit...maybe...but NL...forget about it.

[Guest Zach6668]

Mahatma could probably put him on any two cards.

Live, that would be incredible.Online, that would be, just, stupendously incrediblicious.

Yes. Quite. I was merely comparing his skill to my lack thereof.... You know, since I felt I got a read on the guy, he probably had a much better read... or something like that.... lolGood times.Zach

[Devorzon 0]

I know what you mean.Actually, from what I witnessed tonight, his opponents were pretty weak. One guy would only bet when he had something, and check it down if he didn't. Pretty easy for a guy like Mahatma to get a read on someone playing so straight forward. I mean if I could get even a small read on him, Mahatma could probably put him on any two cards.Zach

Yeah, tonight's oppenents seem pretty weak, but I started watching him when he was playing Matasow and Ivey on Full Tilt and UB ( I learned about it on this forum) and he crushed them. And around the same time he played Hellmuth on UB and crushed him too; Hellmuth came back the next day or so and lost again. It's unbelievable how someone can do this online. Since I typed my original post about a half hour ago he sat down at Full Tilt and is now up $13,000.

[alf13 0]

I know what you mean.Actually, from what I witnessed tonight, his opponents were pretty weak. One guy would only bet when he had something, and check it down if he didn't. Pretty easy for a guy like Mahatma to get a read on someone playing so straight forward. I mean if I could get even a small read on him, Mahatma could probably put him on any two cards.Zach

Yeah, tonight's oppenents seem pretty weak, but I started watching him when he was playing Matasow and Ivey on Full Tilt and UB ( I learned about it on this forum) and he crushed them. And around the same time he played Hellmuth on UB and crushed him too; Hellmuth came back the next day or so and lost again. It's unbelievable how someone can do this online. Since I typed my original post about a half hour ago he sat down at Full Tilt and is now up $13,000.

I guess you watched ONE session...Ivey punked Prahalad for 3 days straight last week....

[THE KING65 0]

I WOULD WHOOP HIMANDDN WOULD DEF. WHOOP HIM IN LIVE PLAY

[PAYforUSC 0]

he wins because he has a sick freestyle...probably why alf wins 2

[Username 0]

I WOULD GET SMOKED BY HIMANDDN WOULD LIKELY BE A VERY SMALL FAVORITE IN LIVE PLAY

Fixed.

[Smasharoo 0]

Couple of things.Firstly, it's impossible to judge how someone's doing in a big NL game unless you watch the complete game from start to finish. If I buy in for 10k, you buy in for 10k, and then 2 hours later I've bought in for 90k more and I'm sitting with 70k in chips and you have 40k, I'm down 30 grand.A lot of the money you see Spirit sitting with if you happen by a capped buy in game is *his money*. Now don't get me wrong, I think he's the best, but seeing him sitting with 100k doesn't even mean he's up for the session nessicarily. The same holds true of everyone else. Lots of people, me included, have watched Spirit play for years now and hands down, the guys the best. I tend to think he's +EV against Ivey online. Daniel disagrees. Either way, it's probably fairly close. Spirit plays the ideal NL cash game style, fearless, agressive, and relentless. If you bust him, he buys back in for the max instantly. He's willing to risk 50k in buy ins to get your 10k if you keep playing, and he'll ussually get your 10k. He's impossible to put on a hand, and bluffs with an earie game theory perfect efficency that he gets paid off when he holds the nuts. He can fold the worst hand and he never, ever, tilts.He plays a ton of hands, and he's been doing it forever. The thing I really find harders to understand at this point is why anyone plays heads up or very short with him in the game.There just have to be softer games out there even that high.good luck.

[kouta43 0]

smash didnt you say heads up is a waste of EV and NL is for suckers?

[Dixie Wrecked 0]

Great fucking avatar Devorzon. :clap:

[kennyg1966 0]

i have watched Ivey and Prahlad (Spirit Rock/Mahatma/Thenizzles) spank each other at the table the last few weeks or so..I also watched Thuritz sit at a table in UB with 321k at his max...!!

[Herr Mensch 0]

in the past week I think he's won well  over 300 grand.

Yeah, well, he's probably donked it all off in live tournaments calling down to the river with aces full of kings and other weak holdings.swMensch

[chantro 0]

smash didnt you say heads up is a waste of EV and NL is for suckers?

Yes. And he didn't contradict that in this post.

[capone0 0]

i have watched Ivey and Prahlad (Spirit Rock/Mahatma/Thenizzles) spank each other at the table the last few weeks or so..I also watched Thuritz sit at a table in UB with 321k at his max...!!

Thuritz, a Swede, sitting with 70k or so at the 50/100 table admitted to losing 180k in 1 day last week. I've seen him sit with 300k at the table as well, but losing 180k, online, I don't know what I'd so.

[alf13 0]

Couple of things.Firstly, it's impossible to judge how someone's doing in a big NL game unless you watch the complete game from start to finish.  If I buy in for 10k, you buy in for 10k, and then 2 hours later I've bought in for 90k more and I'm sitting with 70k in chips and you have 40k, I'm down 30 grand.A lot of the money you see Spirit sitting with if you happen by a capped buy in game is *his money*.  Now don't get me wrong, I think he's the best, but seeing him sitting with 100k doesn't even mean he's up for the session nessicarily.  The same holds true of everyone else.  Lots of people, me included, have watched Spirit play for years now and hands down, the guys the best.  I tend to think he's +EV against Ivey online.  Daniel disagrees.  Either way, it's probably fairly close.  Spirit plays the ideal NL cash game style, fearless, agressive, and relentless.  If you bust him, he buys back in for the max instantly.  He's willing to risk 50k in buy ins to get your 10k if you keep playing, and he'll ussually get your 10k.  He's impossible to put on a hand, and bluffs with an earie game theory perfect efficency that he gets paid off when he holds the nuts.  He can fold the worst hand and he never, ever, tilts.He plays a ton of hands, and he's been doing it forever.  The thing I really find harders to understand at this point is why anyone plays heads up or very short with him in the game.There just have to be softer games out there even that high.good luck.

I disagree on the Ivey part for one reason.....maybe two...Ivey has all the qualities that Prahlad has and some might say that those qualities are more refined and tuned with Ivey. But there is another factor.....Ivey has more money......he can play looser and gamble more HU.....I have watched those two play alot lately....and what I have noticed is that if you equate the play to a homosexual relationship.......Prahlad is the catcher and Ivey is the pitcher. Ivey has been dictating ALL OF THE PLAY. Prahlad has taken to trapping and checking and calling with top freaking pair when he would normally push hard with those holdings against weaker opponents.....For what I have seen (granted it is only a few hours) Ivey has been the alpha male in the matchup.As for Prahlad never tilting.....I really gotta disagree on that one...He has controlled it better lately....but he used to be an infamous tilter.His most famous tilt session was when he played against Green Plastic a couple years ago and he told plastic to lets go allin every hand for 10k....I saw Prahlad push allin for 10k.....11 times in a row until Plastic finally called with AQ....Prahlad had 82....Those tilt days sure seem to be gone now though.

[emerton 0]

Couple of things.He can fold the worst hand and he never, ever, tilts.

I have watched him for a good while and I think tilting is his only major weakness. He steams like hell sometimes.

[HoosierAlum 0]

Couple of things.He can fold the worst hand and he never, ever, tilts.

I have watched him for a good while and I think tilting is his only major weakness. He steams like hell sometimes.

I've seen him "tilt" pretty badly as well. Although he usually manages to take his opponents entire stack after he is done "tilting".

[Royal_Tour 0]

Is he strictly NL??

[MDBLakers 0]

Couple of things.He can fold the worst hand and he never, ever, tilts.

I agree with pretty much everything Smash said except for this. I've seen him tilt plenty of times online. I agree he's much better now but in the past he's tilted bad. It's sometimes hard to tell if someone is tilting online because you can't see their body language. But he made it be known he was upset/tilting by his chat and the way he was betting. Basicially just trying to run over the person all in with crappy hands because he was pissed.

[alf13 0]

Couple of things.He can fold the worst hand and he never, ever, tilts.

I agree with pretty much everything Smash said except for this. I've seen him tilt plenty of times online. I agree he's much better now but in the past he's tilted bad. It's sometimes hard to tell if someone is tilting online because you can't see their body language. But he made it be known he was upset/tilting by his chat and the way he was betting. Basicially just trying to run over the person all in with crappy hands because he was censored.

I just remembered another time he tilted badly....He had played a session with some guy I had never seen (I forget his screen name)...and the guy was in a game with a few others and talking about how Spirit Rock had played pretty bad against him....and Prahlad showed up in the chat box saying "let's play for 100k punk!" Prahlad then sat in the game (smaller stakes than he was used too 5/10 NL) and started commenting on the guys play without playing any hands....Then A hand came up where the guy raised and Prahlad raised allin...the guy folded...prahlad showed a crappy hand...then it became obvious why Prahlad was there....every time the guy raised preflop...prahlad raised allin....the guy then called Prahlad an idiot and left the game.