When I talk about my job, a lot of people ask me: "Is there such a big market in the poker scene to send media all over Europe or, if you don't get well paid, why you do that?"
Well, being a reporter isn't at all the best way to become a rich bitch - though we have our reasons to like what we do - which seems to be the dream of every young poker player. Fame, success, money: tons of gratifications, all in one box.
People do keep lying about themselves - with themselves as well - every day, with everybody, in every moment and for every little thing. From a simple "How are you?/Fine thanks!" or "Tomorrow I'll quit smoking" to more sophisticated lies.
In live poker, words are not taken too much into account as it happens in real life. You can easily lie - often you have to - so that body language becomes way more relevant. And here comes the fun part: people are not having control of emotions - or at least not as good as when they talk - and you are there, staring at them for hours while they're telling you their lives.
A lot of well-known poker players admitted to me that they can literally watch through a person's life after a few intense hours of playing: "You can guess if they're single, married, divorced if they had troubles in life if they are generous, stingy, the cultural and social background, the attitude to risk...Everything!"
I can confirm that. In a world ruled by hypocrisy, it's strange to see so much honesty, all in once, in people's behaviors...Even though it's just a stupid poker game! Today I'm going to tell you how things went at the final table of the Italian Poker Open by PokerStars from another perspective, focusing more on images and feelings rather than names, statistics or other technical stuff you might not be interested in if you don't follow the poker scene.
Save the drama for your mama
Nine players left out of 2172 entries. You can be the best player in the world, but if you find yourself among the final nine of such a big tourney, there's no doubt Lady Luck has been on your side. So far, being good in Texas Hold'em is a matter of perseverance: anybody can have a lucky shot, but only a few will be winners in the long run.
Here we have a well-known Italian player, a cash game player together with some other tourney regulars and amateurs. Someone's having more chips than somebody else, but we don't care about that. Things can easily change in Texas Hold'em, and they did in this specific game...
Just have a look at the picture above and look at their faces. Who's leading the tourney? Who' s fighting for surviving? Who has a short stack but looks confident to overcome the opponents?
Not enough informations? Then I will introduce them singularly, from seat 9 to seat 1...
Seat 9
Seat 8
Seat 7
Seat 6
Seat 5
Seat 4
Seat 3
Seat 2
Seat 1
In this story, we have a professional with more than one million in winning, an ambitious amateur, a less ambitious amateur, a cash game player, a young tourney regular, a Managing Director of a consulting Company, an unlucky dreamer, an amateur with a fever and an "I'm happy no matter how it ends" one.
Now it's your turn: Try to identify them and guess who's leading, who's going to be the winner, who the most disappointed...See you tomorrow with the rest of the story!
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Enjoy!