Interview with DSBBC Champion AlSmizzle!
AlSmizzle’s last stop on his championship interview tour was a written article interview with us. He’s been on the podcast but inside he discusses some strategy behind his $50,000 lineup, offers some tips to new daily fantasy players and may or may not have made one VERY bold purchase with his new found cash. It’s an awesome interview with an incredible DFS player so definitely check it out.
RotoGrinders: Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? How long have you been grinding DFS? Favorite sports teams?
ALSMIZZLE: I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but went to college at Syracuse University (GO ORANGE). I have been playing fantasy sports since I was in high school all those years ago, but I started playing DFS on opening day of last baseball season. My family has had season tickets to the LA Angels since I was a baby so they’re my most favorite team. I also root for the Buccaneers, the LA Kings and of course, any and all teams wearing the Syracuse Orange.
RotoGrinders: I gotta ask early, why the name “Al Smizzle”? Any stories behind that name?
ALSMIZZLE: Well, when I was playing online poker, my screen name was “Al Smooth” but when I got an Xbox I entered it as my Xbox live handle and it was apparently taken. I went with Al Smizzle instead and it just had a good ring to it and ever since I just stuck with it. Seems less pretentious than Al Smooth, so you know, bonus.
RotoGrinders: How did you start out playing daily fantasy? And when you first started what is the one thing you most wish you knew as a beginning player?
ALSMIZZLE: I just decided that it would be a fun thing to do and I dove right into it. I was pretty successful in my first month and I was completely hooked. But if I could go back in time and give myself some advice it would be game selection. I was very aware of it as a poker player and was completely proactive about picking certain tables with specific, “softer” opponents to boost my bankroll. I didn’t do it as actively at first in DFS because I was cruising along so easily, beginner’s luck I guess, but that all changed when I hit my first downturn. Now I’m much more selective when I pick opponents for H2H and 3-man games but in certain situations (higher buy-ins and certain sites) you can’t avoid everyone all the time.
RotoGrinders: How much time do you put in, on average, in preparing your DFS lineups each day?
ALSMIZZLE: One hour, the final hour before the rosters lock. That’s when all the lineups, news, inactives start hitting twitter and the info sites so for me that’s the best time to really sit down, gather as much data as you can and spit out the most competitive lineups for the night.
RotoGrinders: In December you played in the DraftStreet DSFC in Las Vegas and finished 19th out of the 20 qualifiers. Did you take a different approach coming into the DSBBC and what, if anything, did you learn from that live final experience?
ALSMIZZLE: Yes, I decided not to suck.
RotoGrinders: How did the live Vegas final and the online final differ for you? Which one were you more nervous for?
ALSMIZZLE: I was more excited for the Vegas final because I felt that it validated a lot of what I had been doing over my first year in DFS. There were a lot of great DFS players in that tournament and I honestly spent all week long running through lineup possibilities and combos. I was a bit more comfortable in the Basketball final because it felt like more of a home game to me. Nothing changed from my usual routine. I spent my normal time in the office researching lineups and putting them together after having a typical day. Everything just felt more comfortable for me. I was also thinking very clearly the week before the basketball final and picking solid lineups on a nightly basis and I remember being in a bit of a slump for the two weeks before the football final. I don’t think nervous came into play until the third day of the basketball final. I was pretty calm on day one and two as well as the Football final.
RotoGrinders: So you’ve qualified for the last 2 DraftStreet major championships. What makes DraftStreet stand out for you? How do you find an edge on a site loaded with so many of the top players?
ALSMIZZLE: That’s exactly why I don’t think I have an edge at all to be honest. DraftStreet always feels like a pool full of sharks and while I play the qualifiers for the big championships I really don’t like butting heads with every one of the top 20 players on the RotoGrinders rankings in every game every night. Comes back down to game selection for me I guess. When I play there, or on any other site for that reason, I’m a big believer in doing what you do and letting the rest take care of itself. I have my point targets (as does everyone) on each site I play on and the only thing that a player can do is put together the roster that you feel will meet or top your point target. To me, that’s the skill in DFS. It’s not just the “who”, it’s the “why”. If you understand why you’re picking a combination of players at their combined salaries in order to hit or surpass a specific target you’re going to be successful over time.
RotoGrinders: Ok got a couple lineup questions for you from your DSBBC $50K Lineup. First, you were the only competitor who didn’t have a single player who was unique to your roster. Everyone on your squad was at least 20% owned. Were there any spots that you were surprised someone else had gone or did you pretty much think that most of your plays would be fairly popular?
ALSMIZZLE: I didn’t think I was straying far from the standard with my lineup because I thought a few of the values were pretty glaring. Rudy Gay and Josh Smith were coming off less than stellar performances and they were deflated a bit. The same thing went for Chris Bosh and Paul George. I was actually surprised that Bosh was the only one that was over 50% owned.
RotoGrinders: What was your approach to a 10-man final event with this much money on the line? Would you say you swung for the fences or tried to find a good balance with 1 or 2 ‘upside picks’?
ALSMIZZLE: I really tried to play it close to the vest and not take any big chances in the final round. There was so much value on some stud players that I didn’t feel the need to go for a boom or bust sort of guy on the roster. My three lower priced guys (Livingston, Jack and Valenciunas) were all 30+ minute guys that week so I felt confident that they would have the opportunity to score a solid enough amount and allow the bigger names I rostered to carry the load.
RotoGrinders: You just won $50,000. If you were being totally reckless what’s the one thing you’d go out and buy? Or have you already bought it?
ALSMIZZLE: A custom made, WWE style Championship belt to drape over my shoulder…oh wait. Dammit.
RotoGrinders: Who’s the one NBA Grinder you would least want to see in a H2H game with another $50K on the line? Why?
ALSMIZZLE: Dinkpiece. He’s a wizard with an NBA Crystal Ball. I want no piece of that action.