It’s a good time to be German.
Not only has Germany’s football team made the World Cup final, their citizens have been dominating the 2014 WSOP.
Dominik Nitsche won his third bracelet after taking down a $1,000 NLHE event and George Danzer won two bracelets in two weeks.
Danzer won the $10,000 Seven Card Razz on June 6th and followed it up by winning the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo on June 17th.
Danzer wasn’t done showing off his mixed game skill and lent his poker knowledge to German footballer Max Kruse.
Kruse was cut from the German World Cup squad but finished third in the $1,500 NL 2-7 after taking lessons from Danzer.
Why is Germany so good?
Rettenmaier on German Success
partypoker Pro and proud German, Marvin Rettenmaier, says it’s about discipline and unity.
“I think Germans in general have a lot of discipline and they work hard,” Rettenmaier said.
“[In poker] there’s also a big group of Germans, the high rollers, that talk a lot with each other.
“They study the game a lot together and they’re already at such a high level and help each other to advance their game even further.
“And now I think everybody’s scared of the Germans, so that helps a lot.”
Rettenmaier, who’s above average with close to 200,000 in the second level of Day 3, hopes to use all those skills to achieve his next milestone.
“[My goal], I think, is winning the Main Event,” Rettenmaier said.
Even if Rettenmaier doesn’t take it down, he’s hopeful that one of his countrymen might. He thinks they’re overdue.
“[Germany] could win the main event again,” Rettenmaier said. “It’s been two years already.”
World Cup Predictions
While we won’t know who the next WSOP champion will be until November, the next World Cup champ will be decided on Sunday.
After blowing Brazil out of the tournament 7-1, Germany will face Argentina for the title.
“I think that game’s going to be a little tougher,” Rettenmaier said. “So I guess 6-1.”
Rettenmaier is optimistic about the final after an incredulous semifinal.
“[The Brazil game] was amazing,” Rettenmaier said. “Sadly I had to play that day, but I was watching from the table.
“It happened so fast, in the first 25 minutes [of the game] I was in a lot of pots.
“I would raise a hand, somebody would call, I’d c-bet and then a goal already. Then it happened again the next hand and I heard cheering and thought, surely everybody’s kidding’
“It was a crazy, crazy game.”
Rettenmaier, whose nickname is Mad Marvin, knows a thing or two about crazy.
Rettenmaier: "I Really Like to Party These Days"
“A guy from partypoker gave me [the nickname] a few years ago,” Rettenmaier said. “It was more for me being a little crazy while partying rather than from playing poker.”
Rettenmaier eased off the partying for a bit while he was dating, but now that he’s a bachelor he’s back at it.
“It’s crazy again,” Rettenmaier said. “I’ve been single for half a year and it’s been a wild ride.
“I really like to party these days, so yeah, gonna do a lot more of that.”
Aside from partying, Rettenmaier also plans on playing poker. While he wants to take down more titles, he plans on playing less than he has in the previous years.
The culmination of both worlds would be if he won the Main Event.
“It would be the craziest" party yet,” Rettenmaier said.
“I don’t know where we would go, I don’t know where we would start. It would three days no sleep. Yeah, that’d be crazy. Crazy."
