An Interview with €10,000 Bombay Invitational Anniversary Winner Mounir Tajiou

An Interview with Mounir Tajiou

You have cashed six times in Tallinn this year, and this is your biggest single win in your career. How does it feel?

It hurts for me a lot, since I am playing poker for the prestige and not for the money. Not saying that the money isn’t important for me, it’s just the way I am since I was born, so second is close to the prestige, but it’s not! I actually thought I would feel better. Let’s say second is worth minus five, BUT it’s not plus six to win, so it’s an EV minus game when you’re heads up. I was surprised when it happened, that I wasn’t more happy!

Do you think that it might sink in a bit later on, or when you wake up in the morning and see the trophy?

I’m proud as hell, obviously. I did not do one rebuy, so of course I’m very very happy with how I played, obviously, you can’t win a tournament being bad, but you can’t win a tournament by being unlucky, so, I know the spots that happened in the tournament where I got lucky, which was not an all in pre-flop. I think it felt well, and amazing people.

Tajiou then went on to sing the praises of the world-class Bombay Club as a venue, saying:

Is the Bombay Club your favorite place to play? 

This is the only tournament I have played here, that’s why I might not come back! I’m like, uh, see you later!

That’s what I like, I love The Bombay Club, they strive for excellence.

I’ve been taught in my career, I’m not necessarily a poker player per se, but to strive for excellence, that’s what Linklaters Law Firm is. One of those seven sayings is that, if I remember correctly, so that’s why I really like what they’re doing. The food, the service, the people here, and obviously, to play against one of the absolute greatest legends of all time, it’s something.

And who would that be?

Well, I’m pretty sure that, the guy who I’m talking about is here, Phil Ivey is absolutely one of the greatest and the one who’s here, and I’m pretty sure that 95% would say him as the greatest of all time.

Tell me about your No Filter Poker Series.

I’m not saying about having clowns at the table, and you know, someone imitating screwing a chair, that’s not what I’m saying, but even though I did it, yeah, but that’s not what I mean by it.

“People should be relaxed and you should talk to people differently, forgot about respect because come people that’s too obvious, I mean like everyone should be themselves. And have a good time. That’s why at No Filter we have a DJ Party, a DJ tournament. We have a player hostess who takes care of everyone, we have a Main Event to finish off on Saturday at 10 p.m. because you want to have a rail when you win.

You don’t want to win at two o’clock in the morning, three o’clock in the morning, Tuesday 3 a.m., calling up your buddy saying oh hey, well, man let’s go and party! No, I can’t because I have to go to my bank tomorrow, I have to work, party on Saturday. Saturday?! I forgot it by Saturday!

And then I said, we’re gonna add that if the person doesn’t come, we are going to have a charcoal barbecue, and we’re gonna burn it up (the trophy). Like you’re never gonna have it! That’s it!

And it also means that you’re only playing poker for yourself, basically. If you come to the players’ party, you will come and spread joy to other people, because everyone wants the champion to come, even if you lost or were second.

Today I talk to some of the guys, why not have a yacht and do a sit and go, and then do an amazing lunch party.

Not cash game, just a poker tournament, sit and go, it’s rake free, well not rake free, but cover costs, not to make money, because if you get these smart people in the same room and bring some investors and other people, we are going to make money anyway, the good players are going to meet backers, the backers are going to find great players, an entrepreneur is going to meet another entrepreneur, they are going to make a business, so you don’t have to rake.

And I want to have a mid-stakes tournament, that you can have like, the regular series, but that’s not really why I started it. I did it for the fun of the game and to be able to play legally for Swedish players.”

A Few Final Remarks

That concludes our interview with Mounir Tajiou. I would like to once again say a big thank you to Tajiou for taking the time to talk to PokerListings after his career-best score at the world-class Bombay Club, and I wish you all the best with your future endeavours both on and off the felt. 

Thats all for now, folks. Stay tuned to pokerlistings.com as there is still more to come despite the tournament action having come to a close. 

Until next time!