WSOP Paradise: "The feeling was overwhelming!"

WSOP Paradise Main Event winner Stanislav Zegal talks to us about the experience on the Bahamas, his past endeavours and what he wants to work on now...

Stanislav Zegal has been an active member of PokerStrategy.com for years, winning the WSOP Paradise Main Event in December and pocketing $2,000,000 in prize money. Today he looks back with us on his career, the gigantic triumph in the Caribbean and into the future...

Hello Stanislav. First of all, wow! Congratulations on winning the Main Event at the WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas. How does it feel to win such a tournament and have you realized your success by now?

Stanislav: What can I say? It felt and still feels great and it was overwhelming. However, I realized my success pretty quickly because I went straight from the Bahamas to the WPT in Las Vegas.

You were consistently in the top places from Day 2 onwards. When did it first occur to you that you could win the tournament—even though the field of participants was very high-caliber, especially with just under 60 players remaining?

Stanislav: I generally had this thought throughout, but of course I was aware that the probability of actually winning the tournament wasn't all that high. And yes, the field was also very strong towards the end: Mikita Badziakouski, for example, was eliminated in tenth place. But in general, players such as Timothy Adams, Christian Rudolph, Sam Greenwood and Christopher Puetz were still there at the time—just to name a few well-known players.

"We agreed to refund Daniel the buy-in of $5,300"

Of course, we also have to talk about the crucial mistake made by a dealer at the final table. How did it come about from your perspective? And how do you see the situation in retrospect?

Stanislav: It was an incredible chain of many unfortunate coincidences and I still can't believe that nobody really noticed the mistake. I later spoke to Michael Sklenicka (2nd place) and Daniel himself (3rd place) and after our conversation we agreed to refund Daniel the buy-in of $5,300. However, I hope that the organizer will also accommodate Daniel further.

You qualified for the Main Event via satellite. Tell us about your path to paradise. Which satellites did you play and how many attempts did you need?

Stanislav: I actually played a lot of satellites, both for the $10,000 package (hotel and buy-in) and for the OnLive starting days that ran on GGPoker beforehand. The cheapest satellites I played were $25 or $30 feeders. The buy-in for the satellites to the package was $1,200 and I ended up winning two packages and two seats to the OnLive starting flights. Luckily, I was able to convert one of the two packages into a ticket to the OnLive events.

At the same time, the EPT was taking place in Prague and the WPT in Las Vegas. Why did you choose the WSOP in the Bahamas?

Stanislav: There were simply a lot of very good satellites for the WSOP Paradise at GGPoker. I also had some credit from a partypoker pass, which I could also use at the WSOP event in the Bahamas. I also went straight on to the WPT in Las Vegas.

"I liked the timing: There's something about sun and beach in December..."

Looking back, how would you rate the entire tournament series and the timing just before Christmas? How did GGPoker perform for you as a live poker organizer?

Stanislav: Even though there were of course one or two teething problems, I found the event appealing and very good. I particularly liked the WSOP+ app: You could register for all events via the app. This meant there were no queues and everything was well organized. It was also easy to top up your balance. Of course, I hope that GGPoker and the WSOP analyze the event and learn from mistakes or problems to make future events even better. I liked the timing: There's something about sun and beach in December...

Speaking of paradise: The tournament days in the Main Event in particular lasted over 12 hours in some cases. Did you have the opportunity to enjoy the weather, the beach and the Bahamas at all?

Stanislav: For the Main Event, I had already qualified for the second day of the Main Event via the OnLive flights and I only played the Mini Main Event on site. That gave me enough time to enjoy the hotel and the beach. I was also out twice in Nassau...

As you said, you went straight to Las Vegas after the WSOP Paradise. Were you able to continue your run at the WPT? Which tournaments did you play?

Stanislav: In Las Vegas, I went straight from the airport to the tournament hall to play the $10,300 Main Event. Apart from that, I played the $10,300 PLO event and two NLHE tournaments. The results weren't all that great, though.

Let's take a look at your poker career so far: How long have you been playing poker and are you also active in other variants apart from NLHE tournaments?

Stanislav: I started playing poker with friends while I was still at school. I quickly came across PokerStrategy.com. Unfortunately, I quickly donated my free bankroll of $50 at the start to other players. From 2010 onwards, however, things went a bit better and I was able to earn some extra money for my studies through poker. In 2016 and 2017, I decided to take things even more seriously and would say that I've been a "pro" since 2018/19. My focus is on NLHE tournaments, but you can also find me at the PLO tables or in mixed-games tournaments.

And what were your biggest successes up until your triumph in the Bahamas?

Stanislav: I hadn't won anything worth mentioning at the live tables until the Main Event in the Bahamas. Online, I won a partypoker Millions Main Event and had a final table in the Venom on ACR with a $2,600 buy-in.

"PokerStrategy.com has helped me a lot in the past"

You've also been an active member of the PokerStrategy.com community for years. How has our site helped you during your career and where do you see the greatest added value of the platform?

Stanislav: PokerStrategy.com helped me a lot at the start of my poker career. Through strategy articles, videos and coaching sessions in particular, I was always able to work on my theoretical understanding and develop myself further. The community also helped me a lot and I still appreciate that today.

You are also active online at GGPoker, where you play as "Sick Duck" at the tables. What do you think of the new industry leader's offering? What makes GGPoker simply better than other rooms and former market leaders?

Stanislav: GGPoker is better than all its competitors at attracting many new players to the tables and keeping them there. By gaining access to markets that other providers can't, they have now been able to establish this dominant position. In addition, GGPoker is always at the forefront when it comes to launching innovations. Of course, it is clear that new(er) does not necessarily always mean better. Personally, I also really like the integrated staking tool and often use it to sell stakes in tournaments that are above my average buy-in.

And what are your plans for 2024? Will we see you more often at big live events or will you be drawn back to the online tables?

Stanislav: I will largely continue as before: a few selected live events per year, otherwise I will concentrate on the grind at the online tables. In general, however, I plan to use the first few months of the new year to focus on my physical and mental well-being. During this time, I also want to work a lot on my poker skills away from the tables.

Thank you very much for the detailed and exciting interview. We wish you all the best for the future!

Stanislav: With pleasure! And of course I wish the PokerStrategy.com community a good start to the new year as well.