ovnis - Norway
Masters record
Wins: 1
Final tables: 3
Cashes: 3
Total payouts: $52,210
You’ve won the Masters before, and you must have been excited about another final table, and a second win?
I was very happy to reach the final table and achieve another top finish in PKR's biggest tourney!
How did the final table play out for you? Did you expect to win once you reached the final table?
My goal was a top three finish, and I had a good feeling after doubling up with K-K all-in against A-K on a king-high board. After that hand, I had the chip lead and was confident of reaching my goal.
How disappointed were you not to win?
Actually I was happy getting as far as I did, even though I took some terrible beats towards the end. It was a huge confidence boost for me, so hopefully there will be more deep finishes to come in the near future!
PatIvey has already won two Masters, and was going for a third in a row. What do you think about him and his game?
Pat is obviously a very good player. He is very aggressive and good at putting pressure on his opponents. He also mixes up his game post flop so it's not easy to know what he has. As I've read on the forum, there is a lot of talk about how lucky he is, but you don't get his results by being an average player. He is definitely among the best tournment players on PKR and I'll give him all the credit he deserves. I do agree that he's running good, but you have to run good to win a large size tourney, and final tabling three consecutive Masters is just an awesome performance.
With the Masters now twice a month, and players like you going deep often, how many Masters final tables can you make? What about wins?
I don't set goals like that. If I played all the Masters for the next year (26 in total), reaching one final table would be a good result, in fields of about 500 players. Consistent play and "being hungry to play and win" is my key to getting good results.
You have a great record, not just in Masters tournaments. What is your secret?
I'm a survivor! In most tourneys I don't get to build a stack early, so I have to make more decisions later in the game. I'm very confident in my shortstack game and I can sit for hours until I get the right situation to double up, staying alive by stealing blinds at the right moment. This is why I go deep in tournaments on a regular basis, though I'm not sure I would recommend it as a strategy to most players, because the basis of my decision-making is a lot of experience.
Your game is respected by everyone on PKR, but do you run like God too?
When I win a tournament, of course I run good! That does not mean I don't have bad runs, it's how you handle your downswings that defines you as a poker player, in my opinion. When I hear regulars at PKR saying I'm on an eternal heater, I feel it as a bit of an insult, undermining my results as a result of the lack of theirs. I believe in my play and I'm going to keep racking them up, heater or no heater!
PatIvey - Sweden
Masters record
Wins: 2
Final tables: 3
Cashes: 4
Total payouts: $72,492
The Swede has the best Masters record of any player, with astonishing conversion for his deep finishes. Of the four tgimes he has cashed, he has finished 15th, 3rd, 1st and 1st.
You reached the final table for the third successive time! How did this journey compare?
I quickly got a big stack after doubling up with a turned flush. After that I busted two shortstacks with Q-Q v J-J and then T-T v 9-9. After that I lose two big pots (one with A-A) but I had such a big stack that I was still in a good shape. After that I moved table and at my new table, XxXRamboxx was the chippy. I lost a pretty big pot to him with an outkicked top pair, but I kept the pot small enough that I still had around half the average stack. I doubled up through him shortly afterwards when he missed his flush draw and his second pair was no good. On the bubble I was dealt K-K in the SB, with 17K left. The guy on the BB had a big stack and had been stealing a lot near the bubble, so I knew he would push me all-in if I just called. He moved all-in and I quckly called - he showed 7-5o. The flop brought a seven so I was a little scared but it held up, so I doubled up - perfect!
Later I got QQ against A-J for a 90K pot, and QQ again against K-K where I flopped a queen, and on the final table bubble I had A-K against A-7 which gave me a healthy 539K at the final table [second only to ovnis' 616K]!
You were up against two other Masters finalists in ovnis and xXxRamboxXx – was it a tough final table?
It was a very good final table and very tight. I was lucky to get to the final table but once there I was disappointed to get third! I played very well and was unlucky several times, but I won't complain, because I got lucky en route to the final table and I'm very happy anyway, finishing third.
There must have been more interest in this final table, than your last two. Did you get a lot of support from the rail?
Haha, yes many [railers] follow me now and it's fun but I get both good and bad chat, so sometimes I close the chat down just to focus on the game.
Many on the PKR Forums have suggested that you run like God, and cannot possibly be as good as the results show. What is your response?
You have to be lucky. How many pocket pairs have I lost versus lower pairs? Many! But you have to be lucky to lose them at the right moment and win them at the right moment, and as I said I was lucky in the last Masters with 13 left, beating K-K with my Q-Q. Sometimes you have that luck and sometimes you don't, but you can always improve your own odds of winning - that's the big clue I think.