PatIvey - Norrkoping (SWE)
Danski: Last week we got the lowdown on your back-to-back Masters wins, and now you’ve added a Big Shot title to your incredible recent PKR record! Tell us how you won the high roller event…
PatIvey: It was a very tight game with many good players. But I played my game and it still works and when we were four-handed it went pretty quickly. First I got A-K all-in pre flop vs A-J and it held up. A few hands after that I got A-A vs ovnis' A-J all in preflop and the first hand of heads-up I got J-2 off and he limped with J-7 off. The flop was J-high and turn was a deuce, and that was that!
D: That takes you to more than $75,000 in tournament earnings since August. Are you now a pro, or thinking of going pro? If not, what do you do as a job?
P: I hope that I can become a site pro soon and test myself at live events. That's my goal, but there's a big difference between playing live and online, but it should be fun to get a chance and prove that I'm a good player. For the moment I'm only playing poker and ice hockey but I'm looking for work because I want the social life that comes with it.
D: We want to know the secret to your success! Are there different skills required to win the Big Shot, compared to the Masters? Or is just playing well and entering as many big MTTs as possible?
P: It's much harder to win the Masters because there field is much larger, it's very tough to play for around 10 hours. But it's not easy to win the Big Shot - you have to play well and of course get the hands. But I really like to play these tournaments where you have more starting chips. You can try to bluff and don't risk too much early on.
D: Was the competition harder or easier? Who was your toughest opponent and why?
P: Not to be rude but this time it was pretty easy at the final table. I had a lot of chips and got the hands. It's easy when you get A-K vs A-J, A-A vs A-J and so on. The only beat I took was when I had a big chiplead and was all-in preflop with Q-Q vs 9-9 and the damn nine came!
D: Many players (with worse luck/results) would say that you must be running like god. We know you’re playing well, but is that true too?
P: Of course you have to be lucky! But when I play I try not to risk all my chips on weak hands and I try to put the guys on what they have and after that I make my play. If you have many chips it's not wrong to be a fish and try to steal. But when you play tournaments you must have a combination of good play and luck. It's not easy if you get K-K vs A-A near the end when the blinds are high!
D: You’ve now won both of the biggest MTTs on PKR. What’s left for you to win? What are your poker goals now?
P: It would be really nice to win the Masters hat-trick, but my other goal is to get a great result at PKR Live III, and hopefully get a [sponsorship] contract for a big poker site like PKR.
D: With such hot form, you must be confident for PKR Live III. Do you have any live poker experience? Are you more or less dangerous as a live poker player?
P: I haven't played much live - just three events after online qualifications, with not so good results! I played the 2007 Swedish Masters, the 2007 WSOP Main Event and the 2009 Irish Open. So I should say that I'm less dangerous as a live poker player! But I have self confidence this time and believe in my game, so I think I have a good chance.
D: Pat, we wish you continued success, and look forward to seeing all three of your major wins on PKR.TV when they're released later next month!
PKR TV - bumbumbum's 18 July Big Shot win (pt.1) with Colin & Ashley