How to Continue Crushing Poker for Over 15 Years! | Samu Aalto

► Work together with Adam & Rene in The Mechanics of Poker Coaching Program, the most complete poker coaching program on the market. For more info and to apply go over to https://www.mechanicsofpoker.com and accelerate your poker career! Partners: ► Study GTO and join monthly webinars by TheWakko over at GTO Wizard, https://gtowizard.com/mechanics/ 10% off the first month In episode 44 of the Mechanics of Poker podcast we have a chat with high-stakes cash-game player Samu Alto, a veteran who has thrived at the tables for over 15 years. Samu shares insights into the evolution of poker strategies, the impact of solvers, and the skills and habits that have fueled his longevity in a highly competitive field. We discuss his early career, the challenges of adapting to new metas, and the delicate balance between theory and exploitative play. Samu also opens up about his journey through highs and lows, the lessons learned from setbacks, and the routines that keep him sharp and motivated. 0:00 - Intro 2:41 – How has the job description of a professional poker player changed over the last 15 years? 5:03 – Applying hyper-aggressive strategies early in his career 8:04 – First experience in poker and seeing the career potential 10:28 – Longevity skills, traits, and habits that have enabled Samu to stay profitable in poker for over 15 years 12:12 – The impact working with solvers had on Samu’s game and the learning curve he went through to use them effectively 15:46 – Getting coaching and the impact this had on how he approached the game 17:51 – What are the benefits of having so much experience compared to the new kids on the block 20:56 – Samu shares his bad habits and how he tries to fix them 23:29 – Discussing the different metas poker has gone through over the years 27:45 – How to navigate the balance between theory/GTO and exploitative play 32:04 – Discussing Samu’s background as a professional Counter-Strike player 35:19 – Dealing with the financial consequences of poker 36:57 – What attracted Samu to online poker 38:56 – Insane grinding routine in the army, gathering the funds to buy his own place while going through army training 41:38 – Having to move down from 5KNL to 100NL 45:55 – Switching to PLO 49:02 – Picking himself back up, from the bottom back to the top 51:47 – Going through a patch of being too comfortable and risk-averse and how to overcome this and shoot higher 54:03 – The stake Samu found the toughest to beat, and when a stake is high enough 55:46 – Considering other options/opportunities besides poker 56:36 – Samu’s ability to play very long sessions and going over his current schedule 1:02:12 – How to remain curious and excited to learn and improve after such a long time in the game 1:03:36 – Habits and routines that have had the biggest impact on his performance 1:05:58 – Does Samu tilt at the poker tables? 1:07:34 – How to find balance when you spend so much time on poker 1:08:54 – How to deal with mistakes, the uncertainty of the game, losses, risks, and taking shots 1:12:22 – What keeps Samu motivated; what keeps the game interesting 1:17:52 – The impact setting goals had on Rene’s career 1:19:32 – What Samu has to improve upon to reach his goal of becoming the best 1:22:20 – What does not work if you want to get better 1:23:36 – What sets the high-stakes guys apart 1:26:28 – The best advice Samu has ever received 1:30:56 – How Samu's study process has evolved over the years 1:31:51 – The importance of having a baseline strategy, and how to prevent playing on autopilot 1:35:21 – Where most of the EV in poker comes from 1:36:23 – Most common leaks on mid-stakes and how Samu fixed these for himself 1:37:51 – The biggest misconception/flawed belief people have around poker 1:39:44 – Mistakes Adam made when solvers came out 1:41:26 – What was the most enjoyable phase of his career 1:42:36 – How to come up with strategies in the pre-solver era 1:44:04 – The best investment Samu has ever made 1:47:26 – Can you still beat poker if you don’t use solvers or data, and his approach to note-taking 1:50:29 – Definition of success and when he first started to experience this 1:51:54 – The biggest contributor to Samu’s success, dealing with crashes, and building back up 1:55:16 – How to deal with your ego 1:56:26 – Can anyone make it to high stakes? 1:58:39 – If you weren’t a poker player, what would you be doing? 1:59:31 – The biggest thing Samu has to improve on to reach the success he has today 2:02:15 – Traveling for Counter-Strike and poker 2:03:20 – The future of online poker 2:04:58 – The main takeaways Samu has for the audience 2:05:25 – Rene & Adam's main takeaways #Mechanics #Poker #cashgame #OnlinePoker #podcast