November 04 2011, Chad Holloway

Playing your first World Series of Poker and making the final table of the Main Event is every poker player’s dream. In 2011, that dream came true for 22-year-old Pius Heinz, a student from Euskirchen, Germany. To make things even sweeter, Heinz becomes the first player from Germany to make the Main Event final table. If he hopes to become the first German champion, he’ll have his work cut out for him; he starts the table seventh in chips with 16,425,000.

Before the Main Event, Heinz actually navigated a field of 2,713 in Event #48 $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em to make the final table, ultimately finishing in seventh place for $83,286. That win gave Heinz the bankroll and confidence to enter the Main Event.

PokerNews recently caught up with Heinz to get his thoughts on being a member of the November Nine, what he’s been up to since July, and what he’s doing to prepare for the final table this weekend.

Was there any hand during the Main Event that you thought was a turning point for you?

Obviously there were a couple of really important hands. On Day 1 actually, in the first level, there was a hand where I had a four-card nut flush draw. My opponent had a straight flush draw. It was with two clubs, an offsuit on the turn, and the on the river. I bet 1,800 and my opponent, like a 58-year old gentleman, made it 5,000. I just called [with the ace-high flush] and he showed . This could have eliminated me from the tournament, so that was pretty interesting.

On Day 6, I won a gigantic flip against Sebastian Ruthenberg when I had and he had . I was fortunate enough to win the flip in an eight million-chip pot at the time, which was for a top three stack I believe.

What did it feel like making the November Nine? How long did it take to set in?

It felt incredible, just unbelievable. I was waiting for someone to wake me up. It was really, really, really sick and completely unbelievable. It took me a pretty long time to realize actually. When it happened, I wasn’t feeling anything else but happiness, basically. It’s really hard for me to describe that moment.

What was the reaction of your family and friends back home in Germany?

They obviously went crazy. Most of them aren’t poker players, so you might expect that they don’t really realize what’s going on, but they may have been even more excited than me to be honest. They were really excited, and we had a small party. They were really, really proud of me.

Who will you be bringing to watch you at the final table this weekend?

I have a couple of poker friends coming. Most of my family is going to be here: my brother, my sister, and my mother. A couple of other friends from back home.

What have you been doing in the days leading up to the final table?

I have a couple of interviews to do. I’m going to try to use the next couple of days to relax. When I have the time, I’m not going to do anything too overly exciting. I’m just going to relax as much as I can.

During the three-month November Nine hiatus, what did you do with your time? Did you do any traveling? Play any tournaments?

I actually didn’t play that many tournaments. I moved to Vienna, that’s not really traveling, but it obviously takes some time. I went to Barcelona for the European Poker Tour. I busted on Day 2, but I managed to win a side event, so it turned into a pretty profitable trip, which was nice. Other than that, I was just meeting friends, doing all sorts of media stuff, playing some online poker, and basically just taking it easy.

Have you spent anytime watching the ESPN broadcasts of the Main Event and studying your opponents?

I watched a lot of the coverage, mainly from Day 8. I’ve watch a little from Day 5 and everything, but I’ve watched everything from Day 8.

If you were to make it to heads-up play, whom would you like to face off against?

Probably against Bob Bounahra.

Is that because you feel he is the easiest to defeat?

I don’t want to say it that way, but I think I would have an edge against him. It would be fun though, he’s a pretty cool guy. He was really excited and definitely enjoying his time. I think it’d be pretty fun actually.

What’s more important to you: the money of the Main Event bracelet?

The money.

Did your final table earlier in the WSOP give you the bankroll and confidence to enter the Main Event?

Yeah, but I swapped with people, which is pretty standard. I mean everybody did that. I don’t think anybody at the final table [didn't swap] other than maybe Badih, who is a businessman, and I guess maybe Ben Lamb. It just makes the best since because you can beat the variance more easily.

Do you have any plans for your money? Any big splurges?

No, not really. I’m not really worried too much about that right now. I haven’t bought anything meaningful like a house or car or anything like that. I don’t know what I’ll win yet, I know the minimum amount, but there is quite a bit of difference between winning [and finishing ninth].

Do you think poker is in your future? Do you plan to travel the circuit a little bit?

Oh yeah, I’m definitely going to be doing that. You’ll find me at a lot of EPTs this season.

It was announced the day after this interview that Heinz became the latest PokerStars Pro, joining Team Germany.

To learn more on Heinz, check out his post-November Nine interview:

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Follow Chad Holloway on Twitter – @ChadAHolloway

November 01 2011, Brett Collson

Originally from Texas, Matt Giannetti left the Longhorn State and moved to Las Vegas in 2006 to begin his career as a professional poker player. Like most young players in their early 20s, Giannetti, a.k.a. “hazards21,” honed his skills while playing under his online name, but most of his time as a poker pro has come at the tables of Vegas casinos while playing some of the largest no-limit hold’em games available.

Giannetti has played in the World Series of Poker each year since turning 21 five years ago but stuck to a low-volume tournament schedule because he preferred to focus on cash games. He made a final table at a WSOP $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event in 2009, taking fourth for $66,544, but that marked his only final table at the WSOP going into July 2011.

That all changed after an impressive run in this year’s Main Event. Giannetti quietly snuck his way to the “unofficial” final table and was the short stack with 10 players remaining. He managed to double up twice, however, both times with pocket jacks, before earning his place as a member of the November Nine. He’ll enter the final table third in chips with 24,750,000.

Since July, Giannetti has been busy traveling the tournament circuit. He made trips to the World Series of Poker Europe and the European Poker Tour stop at London, and even managed to take down a World Poker Tour Main Event in Malta for nearly $300,000. He was the only member of this year’s November Nine class to win a major live event leading up to the WSOP Main Event final table.

PokerNews recently caught up with Giannetti to discuss his experience at the Main Event and what preparations he’s making for this year’s November Nine.

Describe the atmosphere in the Amazon Room the final night of the Main Event in July. How were you handling such a tense situation knowing you were on live television?

During hands, I remained very calm and collected, but once you are all-in and called, you realize this could be the last hand you play, so close to what every poker player dreams about. Once I was all-in those few times, I definitely felt the anxiety for my hand to hold up.

You were the short stack when the “unofficial” final table of 10 was formed. What was your game plan on the final table bubble?

I was so short I knew I was going to have to get it in, but was trying my best to find a good situation.

Did you do any celebrating once the final table was in place?

I went and had some drinks with my dad who was secretly sweating me all day. I didn’t know he was there until about an hour before the final table was set. Then I met up with my poker player friends and celebrated until very late in the morning.

When did it sink in that you had made the final table of the WSOP Main Event?

Once that river fell that knocked out Hewitt, it all hit me at once, and I couldn’t stop smiling. It sounds redundant, but after a summer of running pretty dismally, it felt like I was in a dream.

You took down a World Poker Tour event in Malta in September. Tell us a little about that experience and how it affects your confidence level leading up to the Main Event final table.

WPT Malta was great to win to add to my resume, but even more important than the title was added final-table experience and the lessons I learned. Although I won, I definitely am not happy with certain decisions I made, but other bits of strategy I utilized there that I liked, I will keep or tweak.

Have you spent any of the money from the Malta win or the $782,000 you already locked up for making the WSOP Main Event Final Table?

I really haven’t made any big purchases at all. Money is just more ammunition. Although with $8.7 million, I obviously will be doing more investing type things and not treat it like a liquid bankroll.

How have you been preparing for the final table? Have you been studying opponents or watching any of the ESPN footage?

I have watched a lot of film already but need to re-familiarize myself with the players and will be watching a lot of film in the next week and a half. My close friends and I talk strategy from time to time but haven’t spoken specifically about the final table as of yet. But I am sure we will have specific conversations closer to the final table. Noah Schwartz is probably the person I talk most strategy with.

We got a glimpse on Twitter of what your friends and family will be wearing during the final table. Tell us how you came up with that logo design.

Although I rarely played online in the last four to five years since I turned 21 because I prefer live, my online name was “hazards,” and a lot of friends in the poker community still call me by that. The Biohazard logo was always my PokerStars logo, and I thought adding some Texas flare to it to make it more unique to me as a die-hard Longhorn fan was appropriate.

How many people will you be bringing to Vegas for the final table?

Right now I have roughly 100 confirmed people coming out and expect in typical poker fashion a lot of last-minute additions.

Which means more to you: The glory of being the world champion of poker of the $8.7 million top prize?

Luckily it’s a package deal, so I don’t have to choose, but I am playing to win. The money is great, but the day after the Main Event is over, I can go grind and start making more money. It would be at a much smaller rate, but hard work and long hours never bothered me. Having a shot at poker’s most important prize might never again come along.

To learn more on Giannetti, check out the following video, which was taken the day after he made the November Nine:

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Follow Brett Collson on Twitter – @brettcollson