September 27 2011, Chad Holloway

In July, the 2011 World Series of Poker November Nine was set with one of the most unlikeliest of characters emerging as the chip leader: 35-year old Martin Staszko of the Czech Republic. A professional player by trade, Staszko became the first Czech player to ever make the final table, no doubt looking to accomplish the same feat as Jonathan Duhamel, and use the chip lead to claim victory.

Even though Staszko was an unknown player before his deep run in the Main Event, he actually had a successful 2011 WSOP up to that point. Before making the November Nine, Staszko had notched four cashes over the summer, all in low buy-in events. In fact, his best cash was a 39th-place finish in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event for $10,156. Needless to say, no matter where he finishes at the final table, it’ll be for the biggest cash of his career.

Staszko will begin the final table as the chip leader with 40,175,000, seated directly to the left of current WSOP Player of the Year leader, Ben Lamb. PokerNews recently sat down with Staszko to find out what he has been up to during the past couple of months, and what he has been doing to prepare for the biggest final table of his life. Because Staszko speaks little English, the following excerpt was translated by members of CZ.PokerNews.com.

What was the one hand that was most responsible for your deep run?

There were a lot of hands that helped me; it’s hard to choose just one. One important hand happened in the late stages. With ten tables left, I won a really big pot with on a ten-high board against Phil Collins and his . Thanks to that hand, I had a lot of chips and could play much better.

Also, there was a hand from Day 1 when I was three-bet by an opponent, and I called. I caught a pair with a draw, but because it didn’t hit, I had to play it as a set and bet all-in on the river. Fortunately my opponent folded his , but it took him ten minutes to decide.

It also helped that I won a lot of all-ins, when my better hands held.

After the final table was set, what did you do the rest of the night? Did you go out and celebrate?

I was really tired. During the whole last day, I ate only six bananas, so when the final table was set, I went to grab a meal with two beers, that’s all. I got plenty of calls, texts, and emails, so it took me awhile to answer, so I online-slept a bit.

How long did it take for the fact that you made the November Nine to sink in? Has it yet?

I don’t know if I realize it yet. It was my first WSOP. One or two weeks before it started, I was watching Days 5 and 6 from a previous Main Event and I thought it was impressive to be as far as they were, but in the end I was able to get even further. It is certainly a huge success for me and for Czech poker.

What have you been up to since the WSOP has been on hiatus?

I was on vacation in Sweden, then played the European Poker Tour in Barcelona. I also did a lot of interviews, and played some online poker.

What was the reaction of your family and friends?

Reactions were great, everybody congratulated me. I thank everyone for their support.

Who will you be bringing to Las Vegas in November to support you?

My parents, brother, and poker and chess friends will come to support me.

Do you feel any extra pressure to perform as the chip leader?

I’m not thinking about that right now. Because I’m the chip leader, there are bigger expectations then if I were a short stack, so the pressure might be bigger. On the opposite side, I have chips, so the risk of busting in the beginning is smaller and that’s my advantage, because players with shorter stacks will have to think properly if they want to risk it all.

What’s more important: money or the Main Event bracelet?

Bracelet of course. To be at the final table of Main Event is something huge, it may never happen again. I will try to play the best I can, and will give myself the best chance to win.

As part of making the November Nine, you’ve already taken home the ninth-place prize of $782,115. Have you made any big purchases with that money?

I haven’t bought anything big – yet.

Other than yourself, who do you feel has the best chance of taking down the title?

That’s a hard question because everyone has a decent chance to win. Second in chips is Eoghan O’Dea, so he’s probably got the best chance.

Who would you want to be heads-up with for the bracelet in November? Who would you least like to face?

Well, I would like to make it to heads-up at first, and then I would like to win, so I don’t care who my opponent is. All of them are great players, so I cannot wish to be in heads-up with somebody specific, because they’d probably beat me. I am not afraid of anyone. My opponents are solid players, but there is always a way to play against each of them and win.

What are you doing to prepare? Are you getting lessons or advice from anyone notable?

My friend is collecting information about other players. I haven’t started preparation yet. I believe I will start in October, but no famous player is helping me with an advice.

Does that include looking at your opponent’s weaknesses? Are you scavenging all the information you can get about your opponents?

It would be great to find some weak spots, but I think how they play in the final table of the Main Event at the WSOP will be completely different from any other tournaments, so it is hard to predict the way they will play. I also don’t know how my opponents will change their play, so I will have to adjust in November at the Final Table.

Did you have the chance to become close with any other November Niners?

No, I didn’t. In Barcelona I met few of them, but we just said “Hi” to each other. There was no time to make relationships. I believe we will meet each other in tournaments in the near future and hope our relationships will be good.

What other events are you going to play between now and November?

I’m not sure. Maybe since I haven’t started preparation yet, I will skip all international tournaments and stay to play some local tournaments.

Do you have your entrance music picked out yet, assuming the WSOP does it again this year?

No, I don’t. I like Queen, but maybe it would be good to choose something Czech. But I haven’t thought much about it yet.

Check out our interview with Staszko that was conducted the day after making the November Nine.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Follow Chad Holloway on Twitter – @ChadAHolloway

July 26 2011, Elaine Chaivarlis

Football is back. The NBA? Not so much. Online poker? Nah, not that either – well for quite a few of you anyway. While there’s plenty of bad news out there, this is not the place for it. Keep reading to check out the 2011 PokerStars WCOOP schedule, the ratings for ESPN’s WSOP live coverage, and more.

In Case You Missed It

The Alderney Gambling Control Commission held a hearing Tuesday regarding the future of Full Tilt Poker and its license. PokerNews’ Barry Carter attended the hearing that was adjourned to a later date.

Before the 2011 World Series of Poker kicked off, the PokerNews team chose a few WSOP rookies they thought would make big splashes this summer. No bracelets were won by the rookies this year, but we’ve complied a list of their accomplishments to recap our picks.

Bodog’s license with Morris Mohawk Gaming is set to expire at the end of the year, but the online gaming site opted not to renew its license. At the end of the year, Bodog is set to leave the U.S. market.

Kristy Arnett, Matthew Parvis, and Donnie Peters got together for the latest PokerNews Podcast. They discussed Full Tilt Poker, the November Nine, and spoke with November Niner Phil Collins.

$30 Million Guaranteed in 2011 WCOOP

The finalized schedule for the 2011 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker was released Tuesday morning. The WCOOP will run from September 4 through 25 and will feature 62 events. If the number of events doesn’t tickle your fancy, maybe the guarantee of $30 million will. The 2011 WCOOP Main Event features a $5 million guarantee and the winner will pocket at least $1 million.

Buy-ins for the events range from $109 all the way up to $10,300 for the High Roller events, of which there are three.

“I can’t wait to start playing WCOOP. It’s the only online tournament series in the world that gives such amazing structures and prize pools! It’s time to take a shot at my third WCOOP bracelet,” said Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier in the press release.

To kick things off on Sept. 4, three events will begin: a $215 no-limit hold’em six-max event, $10,300 no-limit hold’em high roller, and $215 no-limit hold’em event.

PokerStars has also taken into account the growth of poker around the world, and the 2011 WCOOP events will take place at six different start times.

Shootouts and knockouts, and Turbos! Oh my! There are a variety of different events to pacify your poker wants on the 2011 WCOOP schedule and you can check them all out at PokerStarsBlog.com.

How Many of You Watched?

Thanks to James Guill, who forwarded us a press release from ESPN, we can tell you how the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event live coverage ratings look.

According to Nielsen, the daily live coverage of the 2011 WSOP Main Event “was up double digits over every daypart on ESPN2 compared to July 2010.” The 10 episodes on ESPN averaged 351,000 households, which translates to 415,000 viewers.

The press release notes that in prime time, the ESPN2 showings averaged a 0.4 rating, while the one prime time ESPN telecast yielded a 0.5 rating.

If you want to check out more of the numbers, read the press release on ESPN.com.

FairPlayUSA Launches

FairPlayUSA is a new coalition that was formed to “educate policymakers and the public on the broad public policy interests raised by the current ambiguous laws in the U.S. that have led to millions of Americans gambling on the Internet.”

The organization, based in Washington, D.C., has three advisors on its board: Internet safety expert Parry Aftab, former governor of Pennsylvania and first Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, and professional poker player Greg Raymer.

“The website and online petition will be the focal point for recruiting and organizing supporters who will actively engage and make their voices heard by members of Congress. Outreach will be directed toward law enforcement officials, those who support Internet consumer safety, and online poker’s strongest asset – the millions of Americans who enjoy online poker,” said FairPlayUSA Executive Director Marisa McNee.

FairPlayUSA is also petitioning Congress to address the Internet gambling issue and pass federal legislation allowing Americans to play online.

If you want to find out more about FairPlayUSA and sign the petition, head on over to FairPlayUSA.com.

Learn from the Pros – Live

Have you recently found yourself playing more live poker than you did in the past? Yes, we’ve been doing the same thing, only we’re not getting any better at the game. If you’re running into the same situation, then you might want to check out the next DeepStacks Live event at Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

For one day only, on August 19, DeepStacks Live will host a “specially-tailored Philadelphia Power Poker Course.” Instructors for the five-hour course include Michael and Robert Mizrachi, Tristan “Cre8ive” Wade, and Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh.

Students will learn everything from advanced tournament strategies to hand ranging to picking off bluffs.

“This is simply a match made in heaven. Parx Casino is far and away the best casino in the Philadelphia area. There isn’t even a competitor for that title. And DeepStacks Live has proven time and time again that we’re the best training company in poker, teaching unique strategies that deliver amazing results for our students,” said DeepStacks Live CEO Chris Torina in the press release. “Take this course and I promise you’ll see immediate, substantial improvement in your poker game.”

Want to sign up? Head on over to DeepStacks.com.

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