League of Champions Playoffs: szuru Interviewed
TwiceT will face szuru next. The Polish player has surprised many, including himself, by advancing to the playoffs, and now he talks about his chances of winning the LoC.
twicet has to face Polish player szuru. Even though he did not see himself making it this far during the early stages of the LoC, szuru is now one of the five remaining players in the race for the $25,000 first place prize.
With a tough heads-up match ahead of him, he sat down with us to reveal his thoughts on the LoC, his chances of winning it and more.
szuru on the league phase of LoC
PokerStrategy.com: You managed to get to the play-off phase of our PokerStrategy.com League of Champions. How does it feel like?
szuru: I am very happy with my result, because both the league structure and the line-up were quite demanding.
PokerStrategy.com: When did you realize that you are capable of fighting your way to the Top 5?
szuru: During the first tournaments I was not thinking about it at all. It was only after I changed my tactics that I realized that the play-offs were within my reach. I started to think about the finals seriously when there were 5-6 tournaments left to play. The point differences were not as big as one could think in the beginning.
PokerStrategy.com: What is it that you changed about your tactics?
szuru: First of all, I started making notes about the other players. Most important though was to change the mindset to playing looser in the initial phase of the tournaments, when compared to the blinds, the stack offered more room for creativity and interesting play.
"It is worth to study"
PokerStrategy.com: What do you think about the 18 tournament matches? Was getting more points more difficult?
szuru: I reckon the beginning was pretty much the same for all participants – you had to get to know your opponents. With time it was getting easier to move forward towards the points, but still, I can’t say it was a piece of cake.
PokerStrategy.com: Last time we spoke, before the league tournaments started, you didn’t believe you had any serious chance of winning and you were hoping to basically gather some experience and place yourself nicely in the last 3 tourneys with an added pool of $2,000. Now – after you have achieved this great result – have you changed your mind?
szuru: I still think I was right back then. I couldn’t have imagined back then I was going to get through, when there were still PokerStrategy.com coaches in the game, Black Members or other users whose statuses suggested great poker skills and knowledge. Nevertheless, thanks to the articles and videos on PokerStrategy.com, I gradually assimilated the rules of tournament play. I think that was the key and contributed greatly to my winnings – it shows that it is worth it to study and watch PokerStrategy.com videos, they really do help.
Looking ahead of the playoffs
PokerStrategy.com: Now you are facing the playoffs – how do you feel about your chances?
szuru: I do think TwiceT will be my opponent – 80% chance. It is exactly him and arem I didn’t want to face in a heads-up. I will watch his videos as they are bound to give me an idea about his game … But I don’t think my chances of winning such a 1 on 1 battle are too high.
PokerStrategy.com: Great play at LoC is not your only good result – you are now being rather successful at MTT. Are you therefore planning to focus exclusively on tournament play now?
szuru: It is true. I think MTTs really suit me, much more than cash games. This is the direction I want to go. I can see how the time I dedicate to studying it directly translates into palpable results, so I don’t have to worry about my motivation. I also want to learn how to play sit-and-go tournaments, but for now it’s just a plan.
PokerStrategy.com: Good luck in the playoff stage of the PokerStartegy.com League of Champions then!
szuru: Thank you although you know this game is not about luck, it’s about skills!
