20 Jun 08

Via Freeroll to the WSOP: PokerStrategist ev0r in the Interview

"A worry-free and easy-going life": Via PokerStrategy & Mansion Poker, ev0r secured a ticket for the WSOP Main Event. A dream for many! Nonetheless, the chilled player remains realistic. We talked to him about Vegas, strategy and Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson.

The interview was held by funmaker

 

PokerStrategy: Hello evOr! Not that many PokerStrategists know you yet. Please introduce yourself!

evOr: Hello. My name is Stefan, I am 27 years old and I'm from Essen, Germany where I am also studying for my Bachelor degree in mathematics in the sixth semester. In my free time, I play some sports (table tennis) apart from poker, and of course hang out with my friends.

PokerStrategy: You won the PokerStratgy & Mansion Poker Freeroll and thus qualified for the WSOP. Is this a dream come true for you?

ev0r: I cannot really say if a dream has come true for me. Right now, it feels like I'm dreaming. Somehow it's still unreal. This will definitely change though when I board the plane to Las Vegas. In any case, it's an event where you usually say: "This only happens to others."

PokerStrategy: At what point in the freeroll did you really believe that you could make it?

ev0r: I only really believed it when there were only four players left and I had most of the chips. Of course, I had hoped prior to this that I could win, but I cannot say when exactly.

PokerStrategy: You said in the Forum that you felt a bit overwhelmed after the win - the day of the Event is pretty close! How far are you in your preparations?

ev0r: The whole thing has already died down a bit. My passport is still valid, and the flight is already booked. The only things missing now are the hotel, the Event registration confirmation from Mansion Poker and some other trifles. I hope I haven't forgotten anything now.

 

PokerStrategy: In the forum, you said nobody from your circle of friends would be able to accompany you. Did you get in touch with other PokerStrategists who will also fly to the WSOP meanwhile?

ev0r: Lucky, this has already changed! A good friend of mine - t0b0naut - has spontaneously agreed to accompany me on the trip to Las Vegas. He is also a PokerStrategist and will leap at the chance to play the many local cash game tables. I haven't gotten in touch yet with other members who will be in Vegas at this time. This is definitely on my to-do list though!!

PokerStrategy: How long will you stay in Las Vegas, and what other trips are planned as well?

ev0r: We'll stay two weeks in Vegas and we intend to visit the Grand Canyon. When we come across other local sights worth seeing, more plans will certainly follow. This is also a point on our to-do list!

PokerStrategy: Have you already come up with a strategy for the Main Event?

ev0r: I don't have an explicit strategy. I'll prepare myself as well as possible though. In the meantime, I'll read several poker books and also play some MTTs.

PokerStrategy: At the WSOP you'll meet the greats of the poker world. Who is your favourite player, and who would you like to have a chat with?

ev0r: My favourite player is Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson. His whole style is fascinating. I'd love to chat with him, even though I wouldn't know right now what I could actually ask him. :-D

PokerStrategy: What would you do if Phil Ivey re-raised you all-in pre-flop in the first hand and you hold KK?

ev0r: I would probably fold, no matter if it's Phil Ivey. To fold the better hand is only a small mistake, to call with the weaker hand is a big one! I don't remember anymore who actually said this. But it definitely fits here quite well. :-P

PokerStrategy: What happens when you win the tournament? Which dreams would you realise for yourself?

ev0r: I'm not a hard to please person. There is no big dream which has to be fulfilled. I'd share one part with my family and use the rest to have a worry-free and easy-going life. There's nothing else I could say about this topic, even if it's a bit boring. :-P

PokerStrategy: About your online poker career: You have already been a PokerStrategist for over three years. How did you take notice of PS back then?

ev0r: I saw your commercial on DSF. (Editor's note: DSF is a German TV station)

PokerStrategy: On which platform and on which limit do you currently play?

ev0r: Currently, I play NL20 and NL25 short stack on Titan Poker and PartyPoker. With my very conservative BR Management I'm about to move up to NL50 though.

PokerStrategy: How did you start back then, and how was your progress?

ev0r: I started with Fixed Limit and played it until $1/$2. Then I switched to SnG's and played those until $11. When my bankroll cracked the $2,000 mark, I experienced a phase in which I lost my passion for online poker.

I cashed out everything and turned my back on poker for quite a while. For my standards, I think I invested too much time into online poker so that I simply lost the pleasure factor.
Then poker became ever more popular, more and more friends started playing. Thus the amount of home games increased as well and my interest was rekindled. I tried to give it another shot, started with a borrowed $50 - and since then I've been advancing through the SSS limits.

PokerStrategy: So after a break of about three months, you started from scratch with the SSS and worked your way up. Was the fresh start difficult?

ev0r: No, not at all. For the lower limits it's enough to really stick with the beginners strategy. I don't want to stay with the SSS permanently though. When I'll have more time again for poker in the semester break, I intend to switch to SnG's or Fixed Limit.

PokerStrategy: How many hours per day do you actually invest in playing poker?

ev0r: This varies a lot. Lately, it has been between zero and four hours. It all depends on how much my studies, sports and my friends call for my time. I prefer all of those above poker. For me, it is and will remain only a hobby.

PokerStrategy: How do those in your local environment react to your poker passion? Are they sympathetic or do they have no use for online poker?

ev0r: This splits in about 75% to 25%. 75% know that I have won, play poker themselves and are happy for me. 25% have no use for it at all.

PokerStrategy: Do you have a limit which you want to reach as a winning player?

ev0r: No, I don't. A current ambition to reach the next limit is of course present, but I don't have a long-term goal.

PokerStrategy: Finally, you have the opportunity to tell us what is important for you, and what you always wanted to say!

ev0r: I guess it's time for empty phrases. Keep the fun when playing poker, because without this it simply doesn't work! ;-)

PokerStrategy: Thanks for your time, and good luck at the WSOP! We'll keep our fingers crossed for you and maybe we can look forward to a small report in the forum!