Dutch Boyd is no rookie at the WSOP.
Although Boyd was once a part of a group of young guns at the WSOP called The Crew, those days are long past.
Boyd has been playing the WSOP for over a decade now and has seen the rise, fall and the potential resurrection of online poker in the USA.
He’s also written a book about his experiences in the poker world called Poker Tilt. It’s been quite a transition for Boyd.
“It’s funny when I look back at the old footage I had so much more confidence back then but less skill,” said Boyd.
“In poker it’s really easy to be kinda fresh to the game and really overestimate yourself and underestimate everybody else.”
Boyd believes that many veteran players suffer from a very different problem.
“I think that once you’ve put in the time it’s actually very easy to overestimate players,” he said. "You start looking at players and projecting your own game on to them.
"In your mind you’re thinking 'OK, this guy is 3-betting light because I would be 3-betting light.' So you make a 4-Bet and they have aces or something.”
Big Summer Ahead for Boyd
It’s clear the drive is still there for Boyd as he’s planning to be very busy at the 2016 WSOP.
“I’ve scheduled myself for 50-something buy-ins so it’s going to be a big summer,” he said.
“Hopefully I won’t be playing that many events though and instead making a lot of Day 1s and Day 2s.”
Boyd was one of the earlier poker pioneers on Twitch.tv and has built a solid following over the last year.
“I remember when I had that ‘aha moment’ with Twitch where I was watching someone and I made a little comment about how they played a hand and they started talking right back to me,” he said.
“It was pretty cool. I realized it wasn’t YouTube, it was something different. It’s a weird form of entertainment because it really fulfills a social need.
"I’ve made a lot of friendships through Twitch. It’s like hanging out with your friends and playing poker, which is really cool.”
New Book in the Works
Boyd isn’t quite as bullish on Twitch as some streamers and doesn’t believe it will single-handedly save poker but he’s optimistic about the platform.
“I think it might lead to a bit of growth,” he said.
Looking for #4 this summer.
“I definitely think it could help with legislation on the American front. Seeing poker as a game of skill and getting people comfortable with the game as an eSport rather than just an extension of the casino pit.”
Boyd didn’t stop writing after publishing Poker Tilt and is currently working on a strategy book called Poker Tells.
“It’s hard writing a book and a strategy book is a little different,” he said.
“I felt like it was harder to write Poker Tilt because it was a pretty personal book but Poker Tells is different because it’s a strategy book and I don’t want my peers to make fun of me and pick it apart.”
Boyd didn’t want to give a timeline for when it will be finished but is aiming for around next year’s WSOP.
“Whenever it gets done,” joked Boyd.
