19 Oct 11

Best Player Without a Major Title? - Interview with Martin Jacobson

Today we talk to professional poker player Martin Jacobson, who is yet to win a major title despite one of the best tournament records in the last three years.

Martin Jacobson

Winning a WPT, EPT, or WSOP title is considered by many to be the summit of tournament poker. Those who have achieved it are part of an exclusive group of players, who are the envy of their peers, command front page attention in the poker media, and for some it can lead to sponsorship.

But is that the be all, end all, of tournament success? One player who might argue against it is Martin Jacobson. You may not have heard of the Swedish pro, but you almost have, many times.

Jacobson doesn't have one of the above major titles to his name, but since 2008 he made seven final tables in 'Big 3' events, including getting heads-up in three of them:

Date	Event	Place	Prize
October 2008	EPT Budapest	4th	€197,904
May 2009	WPT Venice	2nd	€238,840
June 2009	WSOP Event # 34	8th	$65,486
August 2010	EPT Vilamoura	2nd	€297,985
January 2011	EPT Deauville	2nd	€560,000
April 2011	EPT Berlin	4th	€230,000
September 2011	WPT Paris	6th	€88,900

We caught up with Jacobson just before the WSOPE Main Event to get his thoughts on this impressive run of final tables.

PokerStrategy.com: Would you say you have the best tournament record ever without a major title?

Martin Jacobson: Ha ha, I have actually no idea, it's not something I´ve checked but if I do I think it's kinda cool. It would count as a world record, right?

PokerStrategy.com: Does it feel like a big achievement to make all these major finals, or does it add to the frustration of not having a title?

Martin Jacobson: Of course I look at it as a big achievement. I’d rather stay consistent and keep making finals than having won one major and nothing else in the last three years.

Consistency is also a nice confidence boost which I think is important in order to play your best. The only time I feel a bit frustrated is right after busting. However, when you're a competitive person it doesn't matter which place you finish, unless you win it, you will always feel more or less disappointed.

"I could definitely improve my heads up game to put me in a better position next time."

PokerStrategy.com: Have you changed your game at all as a result of the previous finals?

Martin Jacobson: I can't say I have. I always try to improve my game from tournament to tournament but I would say the times I improve the most is from the times I go deep. The deeper you are in a tournament the more focused you get and your attention level automatically goes up and I think it goes hand in hand with your learning ability.

Till the next tournament I always try to bring my A game and make the best decisions I can possibly make. I take one day at a time and try to keep composure the tournament through.

Seven Major Final Tables, Over $2.6 Million in winnings, yet no titles

PokerStrategy.com: With so many second places, are you happy with your heads-up game?

Martin Jacobson: I could definitely improve my heads up game to put me in a better position next time I reach the absolute final stage of a tournament. That being said I don't exactly feel like the deck has been in my favour in any of the matches.

Something I could have and probably will do different next time is to wait more patiently to make big hands rather than bluffing with too many weak hands for example.

"The lack of titles feels like a luxury problem more than something to complain about."

PokerStrategy.com: Which of all the finals you have made do you feel you should have won the most? Which one would have meant the most?

Martin Jacobson: The one I think I should have won the most was in WPT Venice in 2009. I was steamrolling my way to the heads up and was loaded with confidence while facing a player who had been playing very tight the tournament through.

Unfortunately he loosened up quite a bit and was also smashing the deck pretty hard and even though I felt like there wasn't much I could have done different I was very disappointed right afterwards. Little did I know it was going to happen again twice within the next two years!

The one that would have meant the most would be EPT Berlin. To have two seconds and one win in one EPT season would have been pretty sick, especially in that order.

PokerStrategy.com: Do you think you have ran well to make so many finals, or ran bad to miss on so many titles?

Martin Jacobson: I think I have ran very well, especially in situations when it has been crucial. I have been blessed with very few 10th-27th place finishes and instead made a lot of final tables. The lack of titles feels like a luxury problem more than something to complain about.

PokerStrategy.com: Does your record prove you are a world class player more than a player who has won one major title?

Martin Jacobson: I think so and I think most professional players would agree. Even though it is less likely that a weak player wins a major it’s still more likely than for the same player to make multiple finals because he would have to get incredibly lucky not only one tournament but multiple ones.

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