Tags:
Player interview, Player profiles, Community
PKR_Erika: Hi Jonas! Glad that you are fully recovered from Vegas and thanks for chatting with us! Speaking of Vegas, what was your favorite part of playing in the World Series?
TheMightySwe: The atmosphere was incredible, and the play was not as tough as I thought! Next year I will be there again, but more experienced. I learned a lot on this trip.
I also watched James666, SoooSick, Pokey85 and KickOfff play cash games online. I have always been a tournament player, but seeing and learning from them has made me understand the difference, and I think with some practice I can become a fearless cash game player too.
Actually my only two days when I came home with more money than going out in Vegas was the two Saturdays playing the ridiculously easy cash games at Planet Hollywood and Mandalay Bay.
E: How many events did you play?
T: Two events, the $2k NLHE and the $1.5k Omaha H/L 8 or better.
E: Did you cash in any events?
T: No, I came 400ish in my NLHE event out of around 1700 players. I'm happy with that, I could not have done anything different. I dodged AA holding QQ, and I won a few pots against Allen Cunningham! After the dinner break I was completely card dead sitting at a wild table. I had to push with A2 suited from the button. BB had AT suited and I did not strike it lucky. Hasta la Vista Mighty!
The Omaha8 event, I'm more bummed about. I had a nice 16k stack when average was 6.5k when terror struck. I flop nut straight rainbow flop. I pot raise, re pot raise, I go all-in! The guy has only top pair! Then, runner, runner, flush me! And he has 700 chips more than me. AAAARRRGGHHH!
The rage inside was overwhelming. I managed to stay calm, shook his hand. Went out to the toilet.. (censor lots of not printable words), after that I had a massage, 800 jägerbombs and was happy again.
E: Were you star-struck by any of the big pros?
R: Not really, it's fun to see them in real life! The biggest surprise was that Hellmuth was so tall, I did not know that. I had a few chats with some of the around the Rio, which was fun! But I was mostly there for the poker, so I played a lot of other events in the casinos around Vegas.
E: If you could play one hand over again at the WSOP, what would it be and how?
T: I have one regret. I was not short stacked at the time, but there were 2 players all in and a lot of value in the pot. I have 2 6 clubs and I'm thinking to myself, I should call now, if I win I'm golden, if I don't hasta la vista. Just when I’m thinking that, a very tight player two positions to my right moves all-in. And I fold, just to see my flush be the winning hand on the river.
E: What did you think of the PKR Party at the Hugh Hefner Suite?
T: Oh, it was great! The scenery, both inside and outside! All the PKR friends mixed with poker superstars, go-go dancers and models. I was just a once in a lifetime experience!
E: What would you say to anyone thinking of going to the WSOP next year?
T: Bring money! I was naive and did not bring enough. You don't want to be in Vegas on a budget vacation, you want to experience it to the full. For most of us it's a once in a lifetime, so get in there, and stir it up.
E: Speaking of PKR friends, who are some of your favourite players?
T: Oh, there are so many! I have been to so many meet-ups, PKR Gatherings and of course PKR Live twice. Brutusnr1, discomonkey, TheSqueeze, Trymean77, Azurecoil, Chiv. Gent, Rocafella, Rocken1900, KickOff, Zeorbok, 1potato2, Themangus, IneedUrChips, farryboy, Kusken777, CantBullyMe, vincevegas33, PirateNation, KAZAOU, osteomat, nalake, dav20000, SoooSick, James666, tigerwing, ShakeRaise, Kingand77, TilKo, callmeroaul, FifthSuit, RedDevil1984, Waswini, Elz442, Rozzie, ladyluna, Deelight, Tucoo, flynndig, vd12345, KingKai84, Pokey85, callmebabe plus at least 100 more. I could go on for ages here! If you not mentioned, please do invade my private messages! ;)
E: Which PKR players would you say are the toughest to play against?
T: I find that the toughest opposition is the random PKR calling station, the one that wins that key hand in a tournament with a horrific suck out!
E: What do you do to chill out when you’re not playing poker?
T: Not playing poker? I don't follow you now? Can you rephrase that question?
E: Do you have a favourite place to be when you’re playing?
T: My favourite place to play is actually in a live card room. I love to play live! But online poker I think my favourite place is to play is in front of the TV, so it's not too boring when you play Texas Fold'em
E: What is your ‘day job’?
T: I'm a computer programmer. BORING!
E: What got you in to poker?
T: That has to be the nickel and dime game with grandma and grandpa when I was about six or seven years old. We played a kind of draw poker that was really fun.
E: What’s been your biggest win so far?
T: My biggest win in value was the APT Manila ticket in 2008, a $5000 package. But the most satisfying one has to be the first ever MTT win!I think I won $329 on a $3 buy-in MTT seven or so years ago. I thought I was a poker god! Two days later I noticed I was not, after doing the standard mistake and moving up in stakes! Bad BRM. But it sure was a nice win!
E: Do you have poker goals?
T: Yes, many! To cash in a major tournament is the next one! I will try to qualify to APT Macao next.
E: Is there anything else you want to tell people about you, Vegas, poker, or life in general???
T: About Vegas, free drinks aren't necessarily free! About poker, learn how to lose better and you win more in the long run! About life, where you come from does not matter, where you are now does not matter, it's the journey that is living!
E: Thanks for that, Jonas! Best of luck at the tables!