The Flying Dutchman was indeed flying on Day 2 of the 2008 WPT World Championship.
Marcel Luske entered the day with an average stack and in the five levels of play managed to build it up to an impressive $325,000.
Luske is of course one of the most well-known poker players in the world and is one of the first Europeans to become a household name in the North American poker scene. His iconic suit and upside-down sunglasses make him instantly noticeable wherever he goes, and countless young Dutch players look up to the man.
PokerListings.com chatted with Luske moments after Day 2 of the WPT World Championship concluded.
So Marcel if you don't mind could you run us through your tournament so far?
I've been playing a lot of hands because I feel like I can invest in a few more flops if I have position. I feel like I can outplay a number of my opponents if we see more cards and they have to deal with being out of position.
Basically I can make a lot of moves but sometimes I find real hands as well and players have been paying me off when I do. The more chips you get in front of you the easier it becomes. If you have $160,000 and your opponent only has $50,000 you can take some more chances and let them see one more card making them think you are weak.
This is always a good tournament because you get so many chips and that makes it very playable. I think the good players have a much better chance to make it deep in this kind of tournament.
A lot of pros think the structure at the Bellagio is the best that exists. Would you agree with that?
Yes. We do have some good structures in Europe now with the EPT in Monte Carlo and a number of other events. Anytime you give players a lot of chips they will be willing to pay more because they can play longer and that's certainly better for the professional player. You can play a lot of hands if you have position but you also have time to find decent hands as well.
This field is absolutely packed with some exceptional poker players. Do you have to adjust your game somewhat because of that?
I consider myself a good player in this field so I really look forward to playing with the best. I think the better the players are the more I enjoy my game and the stronger I can play. The weaker players can also be the most unpredictable and they tend to get it all-in pre-flop so it's more difficult to outplay them on later streets.
We all know you play EPT, WSOP and WPT but what's your favorite tour out of the three?
Well I really like the event that the EPT runs in Monte Carlo. Some of the other EPTs are good but if you go to the German event the management of the tournament is sometimes bad because they want to do things their own way. It's just the German way. They want to keep control of their own event. They have their own dealing staff and there are a few things that are done differently.
We have tried to help the industry by creating a new organization called FIDPA (Federation Internationale de Poker Association) and we wrote international poker rules. The Bellagio is the first one to use them. The Irish Open was also using them and Ballys is using them as well. We've worked closely with the staff at the Bellagio to create these rules and they incorporate TDA rules but they also work in regards to the floormen and the players as well.
We created these rules to protect the dealers and the players and create consistency in the game. FIDPA is created merely to support the poker industry; we don't ask for membership. We have one annual event - this year's will take place in Nottingham, U.K., on Aug. 23-31. There won't be a huge buy-in but our intent is to have deep stacks and make it an incredibly playable tournament.
How important is it to standardize the rules in poker?
Whatever you do in the poker industry it's clear that we need rules; otherwise people will keep seeing it not as a legitimate sporting event. Sport is defined as competition and if you're going to do something with no standardized rules than it is wild. If these rules are put into place then players will know what to expect wherever they go.
It took me one year to write up these rules with the help of FIDPA president Michelle Lau and then we had the help of Jack McClelland, Robert Ciaffone [and] players and tournament directors around the world to help finalize them. It's important to do this so the local is not the favorite wherever you go and international players can feel like "Honey I'm home" wherever they go to play a poker tournament.
One final question, Marcel, what are your plans after this event? Will you be heading back to Europe to rest up before the WSOP?
Well first of all I'd really like to win this event [laughs]. I'm going to be doing a great deal of work with FIDPA and helping governments create laws for regulating poker because a number of countries have no laws when it comes to poker.
Well thank you so much for your time, Marcel; good luck tomorrow.
Thank you.
***************
Talking with Marcel Luske for a few minutes you get the feeling he is very passionate about the game of poker and wants to do everything within his power to help it succeed and grow. In addition he's a skilled player who always seems to rise to the occasion when the competition is fierce. It will be interesting to see what the Flying Dutchman has in store for Day 3 of the 2008 WPT World Championship.
Comments
0