FULL TILT POKER BLOG

Interview with a Bracelet Winner, Part II

Posted by jgreenspan | Filed under Uncategorized

In this portion of the interview with $1,500 pot-limit hold ‘em champion Rafe Furst, we discussed some of the more personal aspects of his poker life.

JG: In an article you wrote a while ago, you talked about several different types of poker professionals. You have a lot of interests. You’re not on the tour full time. How does poker fit into your life?

RF: I’ve stopped trying to define who I am. I never did that with myself. But people want an easy story and you should have an answer for them so they can check it off the list and say they know what you do. I realize that depending on where I’m spending my energies at any one time, you’ll think that I’m an entrepreneur, technologist, poker player, traveler, or whatever. And that’s okay. I’ve stopped trying to be consistent because I’ve stopped trying to tell the whole story. People will draw their own conclusions. Anyone who wants to delve in further – I’m always happy to tell them more, but I’m not going to foist it on them. They can go and look at any of the web sites I’m involved with to get the idea of the things I’m interested in. [For Rafe’s personal site, click here.]

As far as preparing to play these top players who do this all the time, I don’t really think about it too much. I have a pretty good handle on the game of poker, at least in the games I concentrate on. I view it as a great challenge. I play because I like the puzzle of it. I enjoy it. If I didn’t enjoy it, and if it was just about bracelets and money, there are plenty of other ways to spend your time. So I would do it just for fun. In fact, I was doing it for fun before all the hype and TV coverage.

It makes it more fun that all this other stuff is happening – that Full Tilt Poker has a hospitality suite and there’s a media circus surrounding the series. That’s fun, and it just adds to the experience.

JG: When I talked to you before the first event, you were talking about playing the first couple of events and then the Main Event. Has success changed you schedule?

RF: I will play the Main Event. People are saying, “I can’t believe you’re not going to play the other events. You have a chance to be the first two-bracelet winner of 2006.” And while that’s all true, it goes back to the balance I like to keep in my life. I’m really concentrating on the business aspects of my life – Expert Insight, the company I started with Phil Gordon. It’s very challenging and takes a lot of time. So I need to get back to that. The World Series of Poker will always be here. I don’t feel I need to take advantage of that now.

JG: Your girlfriend was there to see you play, as was your best friend, Phil Gordon. That must have been very special.

RF: It was very special, having all my friends here, my family. Even the people who weren’t here – I was getting voice mails and text messages and emails galore before the final table and during the final table, and they haven’t stopped coming. It feels so good to have so much support – so many people who were honestly cheering for me. I know they were living and dying with every turn of the card. I could almost hear the refresh clicks around the country as people were watching the progress on Pokerwire and Cardplayer. I love having people in my corner rooting for me. It doesn’t add pressure, just enjoyment.

JG: So are you going to wear the bracelet?
RF: Right now it’s going to live in a glass case in the Full Tilt suite till the end of the series. I’ll wear it duing future World Series of Poker events. Otherwise I’ll find a special place for it. It has a place and that’s at the World Series, so that’s where I’ll limit my wearing.

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