Mark Vos, a 23-year-old online poker pro from Australia, took the bracelet in the $2,000 No-Limit Hold ‘em tournament earlier this week, netting $803,274. I chatted with Mark about his history, his strategy, and his future.
With enough make up to make a $5 whore cringe, the hordes of pre-teen dancers have arrived.
“How do you send text messages?”
Richard “Quiet Lion” Brodie – The former Microsoft programmer was looking dumbfounded while holding a cell in hand and asking anyone in earshot how to use the advanced technology contained within.
I ran into Steve yesterday, a friend of Houston. I don’t know him well, but I’ve always liked him. He has an easy smile and a quiet sense of humor I find disarming. I saw him in the hallway and he said that he was running bad. I offered sympathy but I didn’t think he needed it. He seemed okay, not terribly out of sorts.
A few hours later my name was called for a PLO game and I saw that there was an open seat to Steve’s left. He’s good – excellent, in fact – so I sat to his left, thankful for the favorable position and an amiable tablemate. In short order, Steve was involved in a big hand. He bet the pot on the flop and the turn, clearly representing top set. The river brought a disaster card – any draw would have gotten there – and Steve grimaced as his opponent moved in.
“Think you were a little bit behind?” Steve barked as he slapped his high pocket pair on the table. “Take the friggin pot.” He then gathered his hole cards and flung them at the dealer.
Yesterday I got knocked out of the $2,000 Omaha hi-lo event in twenty-third place. I was hoping to get farther, but the blinds escalated, and I played a big pot where I had a ton of outs – like half the deck – but didn’t hit. My take for the event was $6,097.
I’m playing in the $5,000 no-limit event today. I managed to make the second break for the third time this WSOP. I’ve doubled up my starting stack, and I think that if I double up again, I’ll really get zoned in.
We all know that poker is about analysis – you win by making the best decisions you can with the information that’s at your disposal. The pros, the people who make good money at the table, can do so because they’re better able to parse the actions they witness and react according. But, of course, no one is perfect. Given the thousands of decisions poker forces on a player every couple of hours, even the best are going to make mistakes. Some of the errors are going to be… well … donkey-like.
I took a quick exit form the $5,000 no-limit tournament today. I’d talk about the hand that took me out, but there’s really nothing to be learned from it. Just a bad beat.
My results so far may not show it, but I think I’m playing better than I ever have. I feel great. The exception being the two limit hold ‘em events, where I felt a little rusty.
It was a little strange walking into the Full Tilt suite today. There’s a party tonight to celebrate both the Fourth of July and my appearance in Maxim magazine. The suite has been decorated with huge posters that are blowups of the shots from the magazine. So everywhere I look, there are pictures of me in a revealing pose.
I made my first dinner break yesterday in the limit hold ‘em event. That was exciting. During the break I did an interview with CardPlayer that you can listen to. After telling everyone how well I was doing, I went back, got card dead, and busted.
