Raise Your Game

Sports

The Only Way to Beat the NFL Draft: Trade with Someone Who Thinks They Can!

May 5, 2016 by Al

There have been two blockbuster trades in the NFL as we approach the 2016 Draft on April 28-30. The LA Rams traded for the #1 overall pick, and separately, the Philadelphia Eagles traded for the #2 overall pick. However, both teams trading up had to give up a considerable amount...

SIG Tournaments

The Final Table Preview

May 5, 2016 by The Expert

I’ve enjoyed playing poker since college, but winning two WSOP bracelets in 2006 is hands down my favorite poker memory. I’m originally from Auburn, AL and I started playing in card rooms over 20 years ago. You could classify my style as mathematical and really aggressive. I co-authored The Mathematics...

SIG Tournaments

Round 3: Wow, That Worked Out!

May 3, 2016 by The Chameleon

I’ve been working as a technologist at SIG for the last year and a half, and my first introduction to the company was actually through poker. Before SIG, I was a developer with a company that created electronic poker tables. Between ‘testing’ and casually playing poker, I’ve built up a...

SIG Tournaments

Round 3: Short-Stacked to Riches

April 28, 2016 by The Optimizer

I started playing poker when I joined SIG in 2001, and many exceptional SIG players offered me free lessons if I sat to their right. The big hands I’ve won over the years all run together, but sitting at a fun and chatty table is my favorite aspect of the...

SIG Tournaments

Round 3: The Showdown

April 26, 2016 by The Tortoise

I grew up in Menlo Park, CA. After college, I continued my stretch on the east coast working as a Technology Associate at SIG’s Bala office, where I’m currently a Developer on the Backtesting team. I had little poker experience before starting at SIG, but have come to describe my...

SIG Tournaments

Round 2: Defense Wins 2nd Rounds

April 21, 2016 by The Thinker

I’ve worked at SIG for 8 years, currently as the Head of Quantitative Research here at our Dublin office. I only began playing poker when I joined SIG, and I’d describe my style as tight and rational. I always have an eye on my opponents and can adapt to their...

Poker

What are they Thinking?

April 19, 2016 by Todd

Recently in SIG’s training class, there was a hand of 7 Card Stud/8-or-Better that had an interesting play worth discussing. This is a high/low game, where the best 5-card poker hand out of 7 cards wins half the pot, and the best low hand (that has no card higher than...

SIG Tournaments

Round 2: Where has all the Paint Gone?

April 19, 2016 by The Wild Card

I’m not a betting person, but after learning to play poker as a SIG intern last summer, I learned to really enjoy the calculated way of play taught at SIG. I’d describe my style as loose aggressive, but I definitely let the emotion of winning a hand show with a...

SIG Tournaments

Round 2: The King of Queens

April 14, 2016 by The Challenger

I started at SIG in the summer of 2010 as an Assistant Trader Intern and currently work out of the Bala office as an Equity Options Trader. I began playing poker in middle school when the World Series of Poker became popular on TV, but really honed my skills in...

SIG Tournaments

Round 2: Cry Me a River

April 12, 2016 by The Rocket

I walked into Round 2 with just over 20 big blinds, which was a good stack to start off with. The night started well, I was able to pick up a few blinds and saw a lot of pocket pairs. My “funniest” had to be when I was dealt pocket...