"Quitting work was a dream come true" - Fernando Pons

We chat to last year's November Niner about busting 9th, dealing with William Kassouf and joining SpinLegends.

How has your life changed since winning $1 million in the Main Event?

Fernando Pons: Well, a lot. From working eight hours per day to having a good safety net and being able to do whatever I want, to enjoy my life, my family and to play poker wherever and whenever I want, it’s a dream come true.

Have you become famous in Spain? What has the local response been like?

Fernando Pons: I wouldn’t say famous, but a lot of Spanish players knew me already and when I go to play in the live circuit events there are people who still congratulate me for the WSOP and ask for my picture. I guess it’s understandable to some extent, because I got to the top being a recreational player which is a huge achievement.

The local response is amazing. Sadly, the poker community is full of egos and jealousy, but this just goes to show that there are still lots of healthy people who are genuinely happy to see other people succeed.

"I was pretty upset busting 9th"

Because of the final table delay, finishing 9th must suck the most, how did it feel after the final table not having made anything extra since July?

Fernando Pons: Well, I knew that the final table could only be one hand for me and I was mentally prepared for that, but even so, when I busted I was pretty upset because I would have liked to have doubled up and played with at least 20 blinds, climb a little and give some excitement to all those players who were watching me… but it was not to be. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by a lot of my friends, my brother and my wife, who supported me and helped make the elimination bearable.

Because of the language barrier, did William Kassouf annoy you less than he did the rest of the November Nine?

Fernando Pons: I don’t speak much English but I understand quite a lot. However, I don’t get bothered by people talking. If Kassouf had been speaking Spanish I wouldn’t have been affected by that. He uses that strategy but if you remain calm he will end up stopping, whereas if he sees you tilting, that would fuel him to keep on going. I think that the best thing to do with this kind of player is to ignore them. If you don’t, you end up losing focus and making the wrong decisions.

"Spin & Go is not lottopoker"

You've recently joined SpinLegends What is it about Spin & Go you like?

Fernando Pons: What I like the most is that it looks like “lottopoker”, but it’s not. It’s true they have high variance, but if you follow a good strategy, like the one SpinLegends has, then you realize you can be a winning player.

Why did you choose to join SpinLegends?

Fernando Pons: I was looking for something different to tournaments, something that would allow me to play without having to spend so many hours in front of my computer, also I was looking for some different motivation. I met Ignacio Molina in Barcelona and it came up.

What has impressed you about the strategy advice available from SpinLegends, how is it different to what other sites write about?

Fernando Pons: Everything! Their enthusiasm, dedication, their super complete strategy, a lot of weekly coachings, videos, forum, chats and the best thing is that everybody is treated equally. I did not expect it to be so good and I would like to congratulate the whole team for what they have accomplished so far.

How much skill is there in Spin & Go as people think it's low?

Fernando Pons: There’s more skill and strategy involved than it looks like and, to all of you who don’t believe it, I recommend you talking to one of the school members. Otherwise, SpinLegends would not be where they are.

Thanks Fernando, good luck at the tables.

Fernando Pons: Thanks very much, greetings to everyone at PokerStrategy.com and in the SpinLegends community.

If you are interested in excelling in the best new online poker format as well as getting the bankroll to do it, submit an application to SpinLegends today.