RG Interview With Kaetorade
The latest exclusive RotoGrinders interview is with a member that spreads his joy for daily fantasy sports to anyone who will listen. Despite only joining the DFS world at the start of the basketball season, Kaetorade is already a well-known Grinder with his consistent additions to the RG forums. He just so happens to be one of the most successful as well. Kaetorade is the 29th ranked player on the Grinder Leaderboard and has over $100,000 in winnings in a few short months. Much of his success came in the NBA season, ranking 13th on the Grinders Leaderboard for the NBA Seasonal Rankings. Recently, he was fortunate enough to win a seat in a snake-draft with Matthew Berry, his favorite fantasy guru. He has steadily improved each month since his start in December, and had over $31,000 in winnings in April, good enough for the 15th best April among Grinders. In the interview, I spoke with Kaetorade about a plethora of topics including some info about himself, his commitment to playing exclusively on DraftStreet, his thoughts on bankroll management, his opinions on daily fantasy rakes, and even some in depth strategy ideas for players struggling to be consistent. He’s truly an interesting guy who loves sports, and daily fantasy, as much as anyone I’ve ever spoken to and spent much of the interview gushing about his passion. If you are looking to improve your DFS game, or just hear from one of the elite players, this interview is a must-read.
RG: Tell me about your passion for sports and daily fantasy. What teams do you pull for, etc? What makes Kaetorade tick?
Kaetorade: I like specific players more than I like teams. For example, I love LeBron James and what he is doing in Miami. So from that I tend to root for the Heat. The main reason I love Lebron is because I love how he plays the game. He’s the one guy in the league that constantly makes me go, wtf? He’s just that good. Within that, I like guys who represent themselves well on and off the court. As far as my passion for daily fantasy, I just love that daily fantasy makes you care about things you otherwise wouldn’t care about. Like most players, I put in a lot of time into daily fantasy. While others may see all the hours as ‘work,’ it’s simply fun and games for me.
RG: I noticed in your RG profile that you only play on DraftStreet. Why do you stick to only DS? Have you ever even tried another site?
Kaetorade: I only play on DraftStreet because it was the first site I ever played on and they’ve been so good to me with customer service and everything. I just like how they run their business and I feel a sense of loyalty to them. I also love to play a lot of leagues each night, but make one team only. Their import/export features are great for me.
RG: Time for some expert tips for the beginners. How do you approach bankroll management?
Kaetorade: First off, never play more than you can afford to lose. I started with a couple hundred dollars and I played mostly double-ups. After my first withdrawal, I felt like I was playing with house-money. Because of that, I took more chances and began playing upwards of $500 per day. Most importantly, I tried to stay consistent. To be specific, I would play a similar amount regardless of whether I won or lost the previous day. It’s natural to want to double up after a loss, but when you’re on a losing streak, you tend to make bad decisions.
RG: When studying your splits on a given day for MLB, where do you place the most importance? What about the least?
Kaetorade: I place a lot of emphasis on BvP if there sample size is fairly decent AND recent. If the splits are more than 2 years old, I pretty much ignore it.
RG: A lot of guys just play their games and keep to themselves. What makes you want to be so involved in the DFS community, with your consistent input in the RG forums, etc?
Kaetorade: I love the idea of being part of a community. It simply makes DFS more fun. I don’t want to be a mysterious guy. I want people to know that I’m a normal guy with a passion for sports, just like they are. I get nervous with big leagues, I cry(not literally) when my guys don’t perform, and I say stupid phrases when things go well. For example, every time Antawn Jamison would do something good, I’d mutter ‘tickle the twan!’ Maybe I shouldn’t admit that, but that’s just how I am. And (hopefully) I don’t think I’m alone.
RG: One of the hardest things in DFS is transitioning between sports. What was the transition between the NBA and MLB daily fantasy seasons like for you? Any advice for players trying to still learn MLB?
Kaetorade: Basketball has always been my natural sport. I started winning right off the bat. The NBA was actually my first experience with daily fantasy. But with baseball, I saw it as on the job training. I would play small leagues and study the winning players trends. That’s the key. I was winning at around 40% but once I started studying these top players in my leagues and the splits at RotoGrinders, my winning percentage has gone way up.
RG: What is the one piece of advice you would have for a new DFS player trying to learn the ropes?
Kaetorade: Pay attention to what everyone else is doing. Study past league results so you you have a good idea who’s a popular pick and who isn’t. When you choose a player, you should have a good idea of that player’s usage percentage in the upcoming leagues. Some guys don’t like player “X” for whatever reason. Maybe he’s a square pick, etc. But if he’s a good play, then he’s a good play. Despite my personal disdain for guys like Carmelo Anthony and Demarcus Cousins, I never hesitated to choose them in favorable match ups.
RG: You were lucky enough to be involved in the Matthew Berry Draft, could you tell us how you got there and what that experience was like?
Kaetorade: I’m a huge fan of Matthew Berry. I saw the contest on his Facebook page and within seconds, I was already making my team. I actually didn’t think I had much of a shot. To qualify, you had to be in the top 5 and there were 524 entries. I’ll never forget the home run from Edward Encarnacion that propelled me into the top 5 because it came off an 0-2 pitch. I only got $10 for the 4th place finish, but I was absolutely pumped! Matthew Berry was kind enough to exchange some thoughts in the chat and I was all giddy just to be in the same chat room as the Talented Mr. Roto! I ended up winning $110 because I placed 2nd in the snake draft. Even though I’ve won more money in other leagues, this was definitely my most memorable DFS experience.
RG: You play a lot on DS, where they have the relief pitcher as a requirement. How do you feel about the use of the relief pitcher spot, as some people think it adds another skill factor while others complain it’s mostly luck-based?
Kaetorade: I wouldn’t complain if relief pitchers were removed, but I do feel like they add an element of skill. Of course, there’s a lot of luck factor involved, but that will always be the case with all facets of DFS. In short, I’m pretty much indifferent to the future of relief pitchers in DFS.
RG: During the NBA Season, you were playing a lot of high stakes games(as you mentioned that’s the sport you felt most comfortable with). At what point will you start feeling comfortable enough with MLB to join the higher stakes match ups? Is there some sort of indicator you look for or is it something you just know when you feel it?
Kaetorade: Despite success early, it took me quite awhile before I felt comfortable playing high stakes NBA. I didn’t want to be ‘that guy’ that won the small leagues and lost it all back in the higher stakes. However, once I had a comfortable profit, I slowly started to get a little bold. One of the biggest pitfalls I’ve noticed in DFS is that as a whole, we tend to spread ourselves too thin. To be specific, we play most of the sports even though we may only have supreme confidence in one or two sports. That said, I’ll start playing higher stakes MLB if I’m fortunate enough to accumulate a decent amount of MLB profit. In the meanwhile, I’m more than okay with being an MLB rookie.
RG: As of now you stand at 29th overall in the RG Rankings, an impressive spot. Where do you see yourself in 6 months? A year?
Kaetorade: As far as the RG rankings are concerned, I don’t think I’ll ever be in the top 10. At least, not anytime soon. I only play at Draftstreet so I’ll lose out on the bonus points awarded for playing at multiple sites. A year from now? Who knows. I’m not going to lie; the prospect of being a top 10 grinder is a bit enticing.
RG: You mentioned you feel pretty strongly about the rake on these sites, but maybe not in the same manner most would expect. Would you elaborate?
Kaetorade: A while back, I heard an interview with Sprizouse on the podcast. He was saying it was unrealistic to beat the rake and make a living. His rationale was that the industry is simply too new. While I can’t argue that point, I feel like if you put in the work, you can consistently win. You aren’t going to profit every week, but over time, you can be very profitable. If you’re a serious player, the rake can definitely be beaten. Don’t use the rake as a crutch, use it as a barometer.
RG: You actually stated when we were talking earlier that the rake might be too low. Tell me how you see that being the case.
Kaetorade: Obviously, this isn’t going to be a popular opinion. If it weren’t for daily fantasy sports, I’d be spending half my life on diablo 3 right now. And yes, I wish I was joking. As much as everyone loves daily fantasy sports, we need to understand that if the sites don’t make money, we won’t have a game to play.
RG: Alright, well thanks for your time we really appreciate it. One last quick question, who’s your NBA Champion?
Kaetorade: I am hoping for LeBron and the Heat, but if KG keeps playing well the Celtics are scary.
There are the highlights of my interview with Kaetorade, a truly interesting guy whose passion for daily fantasy sports is incredible. Thanks again to Kaetorade and look for more interviews with Grinders winning the big bucks in the coming weeks!