28 Jul 10

RobbieV: Mixed Feelings Regarding the WSOP

The 2010 World Series of Poker is now on hold until November, when the final table will be played out. We sat down with Team PokerStrategy.com manager RobbieV to hear more about his experience in Vegas.

The two-month long World Series of Poker has virtually come to an end. The only thing remaining is the November Nine final table, but we will get to see it in a few months.

Team PokerStrategy.com participated again in the WSOP, so we had a talk with team manager AdminRobbieV to find out more about this whole experience, the team results and more.

This interview was conducted by vhallee

Vegas was simply great

RobbieV
RobbieV at the 2010 WSOP
AdminPokerStrategy.com: Hello Robbie, welcome back from Vegas! How was it over there? It’s the second year you go there with Team PokerStrategy.com but this time you were also a player. Tell us a bit about that experience overall.

AdminRobbieV: Thanks. Vegas was simply great. It was sometimes tough playing long hours at the table, which is a lot more difficult than playing from your own home, but the great atmosphere, the superb food and the fact that there is always something to do made it a great experience altogether. I have played a lot of poker which was my main goal this year and I'm happy that I didn't get distracted by all the fun Vegas has to offer (smiles).

AdminPokerStrategy.com: What can you tell us about the event series itself? Is there something that you liked or disliked about the WSOP?

AdminRobbieV: Many of the upsides at the WSOP are also downsides at the same time. The WSOP is by far the most prestigious tournament brand out there. Winning a bracelet is guaranteed to establish you as a poker name, much more than their counterparts the WPT and the EPT. This basically creates an extra high concentration of fish playing these tournaments.

The downside, at the same time, is the large number of entrants. Don't get me wrong, I like to see so many people signing up, but trying to pee during a dinner break with 2,000 other guys who have been holding it for the last 2 hours on just 2 toilet facilities is not something I enjoy.

I also think that the large number of tournaments jammed in two months forces the organization to use a semi-bad tournament structure in order to rush the people out of there. If you look at the tightly packed schedule of the WSOP, it's no wonder that some events start with only 90 big blinds. I really feel they need to improve their tournament structure a lot.

At the same time what I really enjoyed at the series is the option to play a No Limit tournament almost every single day, so I definitely got mixed feelings with regards to the WSOP.

I'm happy with the team performance

RobbieV
Thumbs up for Team PokerStrategy.com
AdminPokerStrategy.com: The team had some nice finishes, especially BongBob’s 4th place. Are you satisfied with the team’s results this year?

AdminRobbieV: Yes, I'm certainly happy with the way the team performed this year. I felt all of us were focused every day and had a goal to achieve. It is really hard to recharge your batteries every day and play with the same motivation, determination and focus as you played the day before. This is even more the case when you have had a bad run with bad beats to process.

I can certainly say that the players who are in the team for a while grew in this aspect. Everyone did their best and also got some decent results, as a team manager this is all I can ask for. Of course you want the bracelet, but with so many players participating, this is something you can hope for but you cannot expect it to happen at all.

AdminPokerStrategy.com: Now that the WSOP is over, can you give us a few details on the Team PokerStrategy.com agenda? Which tournaments do you guys plan on participating in next?

AdminRobbieV: Certainly. Team PokerStrategy.com won't be taking a long vacation this year. Four players already confirmed their participation in the new EPT Event Tallinn, among which AdminCuCbKu, who unfortunately couldn't join us during the WSOP. This event already takes place on the 11th of August if I'm not mistaken.

After that we are looking forward to a very tightly packed September and October, with the Partouche poker tour in Cannes, the EPT Vilamoura, the EPT London, the WSOP Europe and so on. As always, we want to participate in as many tournaments as we can and give it our best. I hope our community will support us throughout these  tournaments and enjoy the coverage this year.

AdminPokerStrategy.com: Thanks for your time and best of luck in the next event!