This is it! Pokey and James666 look ahead to the Main Event

The lights may be shining brightly and the music at the WSOP Main event parties thumping (none more so than at our own glittering kick-off to the 2009 WSOP). But the faces of 7,000 or so Main Event contestants milling around the Rio are telling a different story. For the thousands of industry types who help make the 2009 WSOP happen the start of Day 1A may feel like crossing a finish line, but for the players who are actually taking part it’s just the beginning.

Adding to the tension is the way the start of this tournament is stretched out. For some players it’s ‘shuffle up and deal’.  For most others it’s a long wait for their Day One to arrive in its alphabetical inevitability - 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and so in – because with so many players taking part the start of the Main Event is divided into several days to accommodate the large numbers.

Two of those waiting are PKR Pros James Sudworth (james666) and Henrik Eklund (Pokey 85). The contrast between the two couldn’t be more pronounced. As we sit down at a swanky steak joint in the Palms, Henrik is leant forward, eyes darting – like he’s trying to work out his plus EV moves on a  flop that’s delivered cards he’s never seen before.

I may just be projecting - imagining how I would feel on the eve of playing a tournament with a dizzying $10,000 buy-in (and delivers to the winner near perpetual glory and riches). After all, Henrik is anything but an open book. Self contained, self possessed and relentlessly modest he seems more comfortable talking about his day job as an Account Executive for a major IT company in his native Sweden than he does his chances at the 2009 WSOP. Looking over the menu he manages to tell me he plans to play tight, wait for the right cards and avoid all the bad things that can happen when you mix it up early with an unknown quantity.

“Because it’s a deep stack this tournament gives me a big advantage over cash players”, says Henrik. “I’ve got enough chips that I can make a few moves without having to put my whole stack on the line.”  A wise approach – but hardly ground breaking stuff. And I can’t help but feel that he’s keeping his cards close to his chest. A typically shrewd move for Eklund perhaps. After all who wants to broadcast their WSOP Main Event strategy to the world?

Who indeed...

The contrast between Pokey85’s circumspection and James Sudworth’s beaming confidence couldn’t be more pronounced. They say nothing succeeds like success and Sudworths form in Vegas – both at the WSOP where he’s been Team PKR’s most accomplished player and online where he’s had some huge results between visits to the Rio has been championship calibre.

So what better time to be going into a WSOP Main Event? That’s not to say Sudworth doesn’t know he’s got a mountain to climb. One of the most re-assuring things about Sudworth is that, despite his youth, his confidence and self belief seem to run deeper than the last win or most recent acccolade. For all the outward displays of madness and largess, it’s clear there’s an even keel beneath the stormy waters that keep james666 pointed unswervingly toward his goals.

“I’ve had a good series, but not perfect. I got owned by Praz Bansi where he bluffed me out of a big pot with Jack high and that really brought me down to earth.”, says Sudworth about his most recent WSOP performance. “For me it’s all about positivity and aggression – tuning my game in to the players that are around the table.”

How does he keep himself loose? “If you’re not having fun – if you’re nervous or thinking about how insane the buy in is for this tourney – you’re not giving yourself any sort of chance to win. You’ve got t o be prepared to gamble at the right time or you’re going to suffer a slow and painful death in there.”
I couldn’t resist asking the Londoner who’s made a name for himself buying his WSOP table mates rounds of Jagermeister after big hands. “I’m going to rent out the Hugh Heffner Suite at the Palms and we’ll have another party!”

And all we can say to that is - we wish you both the best of luck!