Betway at the Swedish Masters 2010
by Marcus B (poker elf)
Day 1 – Swedes grow in Malta
It should have been easy.
Here was the pitch:
Betway sends five poker players to Malta to play in the 2010 Swedish Masters.
They’re Swedes, I’m a Swede, everyone’s a Swede.
They had won the right to represent Betway at the tournament by playing in either our exclusive poker races, or by winning our monthly finals.
Representing
All I had to do was enjoy the sunshine and ensure that five talented players pulled on a Betway T-shirt.
At some stage, I’d have to buy them a beer, but hey – this should have been an easy gig.
Should have been…..
On Monday 27th of September, I felt a sense of exhilaration as I waved goodbye to the saps stuck in the office.
It was a wet day in London and I was heading to the Med. The airport was still a train ride away, but mentally I had already travelled from the workstation to the play station.
It was when I disembarked at Gatwick that my emotions were derailed.
Travel chaos and a bag of fail
I had booked a flight for the wrong day.
It felt like I had hit the “all in button” whilst holding 3-2.
I had arrived for the midnight flight. There were people sleeping at the airport. I didn’t have that option. I had rinky-dink duties to perform the next day in Malta: there were taxis to book, egos to flatter and players to placate.
I felt that if the players discovered that the company representative had had to bed down on a molded plastic seat in front of a burger franchise, I might lose a bit of credibility.
It was flash some plastic or sleep on some plastic.
I had to book the flight I thought I had already paid for.
I felt more like a big turnip than a master Swede.
An hour later, I was on the plane but couldn’t stomach the airline food.
Three hours later, I was on the ground but my plans for the evening had been mashed.
I needed some rest.
I needed to lose the food analogies.
Day 2 – What poker is really about
Coffee.
In Malta.
Need I say more?
Was this trip destined to leave me feeling cheap and bitter?
No.
I had players to meet.
I had strategies to discuss.
I had T-Shirts to fit.
I had to make contact with our Man in Malta, a sun-kissed Swede who had acclimatized to life on the island and was used to coping with sweaty scenarios.
He was a breeze.
Prepping our players
We made contact with the players and their
entourages. It started to feel good again.
This was going to work.
Call me biased, but sitting with a group of Swedish poker players on the day before the main event is a feeling that should be bottled.
It contains optimism, it releases laughter and it deposits a hefty bar bill.
It is the feeling of banding together to battle against the odds.
All of us there had seen poker atrocities during our tours of duty.
We were not civilians.
We were men.
Men with a duty.
Men with fish to fry.
Day 3 – The tournament begins.
Four of our five players saw action on the first opening day of the tournament.
I felt that they deserved coffee and a gee-up before the event. They would have at least twelve hours of poker to face; twelve hours that could see aces cracked, stacks busted and sun-glasses dusted.
The action proved to be light for some but dark for others: by the end of play we were two men down. They took it well. They were battle hardened and had coped with loss before.
Others might have hit the bottle, our guys hit the pool.
Day 4 – “Bending the rules”
The second opening day of the Swedish Masters was meant to be a bit slow for Betway as we had only one player still to enter the action.
It was a tad more complicated when we discovered that the player had lost his passport.
Casino management types tend not to be very flexible about things like an absent passport.
A discussion ensued.
“No” was said.
So was “I.D.”
It was as rewarding as talking to a nightclub bouncer when he has taken a liking to your girlfriend.
We offered sex.
We threatened nastily written poker blogs.
We begged.
They eventually agreed to search for the email confirmation.
Our player was in.
Getting our own way
Not only did he get in, but he stormed through to the following day.
The players celebrated their range of experiences that night over dinner in an area of Malta called St Julian’s. If the island ever made claim to have a VIP area, it would be in the harbor of St J.
Every poker player should experience the stroll along the St Julian’s promenade at 6am on a Saturday as you return from the nearby Dragonara casino with pockets bulging from the cash games.
It is a reminder that your nuts are not always busted.
Day 5 – Serious business
We knew we would lose some of our number today as the action would continue until there were only nine Swedish Masters remaining.
The Betway guys deserved a relaxing start to the day, so we headed towards for coffee. The vibe was good. We could do this…….
It was the first hand.
It was tense.
It was time to go a man down.
An hour later and another of the Betway troopers was struggling.
After another two hours, we only had one man standing.
The start of something good
It was Tommi Hirvonen. He was the epitome of cool. Even when we reached the bubble, he didn’t change his playing strategy: he was playing to win and his focus was remarkable.
His single-minded approach during the bubble period gave him the chance to become chip leader and he relished the opportunity.
Eventually, the tension abated as the bubble burst and the remaining sixteen let out a quick cheer.
After a quick break, it was back to action and Tommi found himself in the number one position.
Players continued to fall.
As 2am approached, there were only ten remaining hopefuls vying to be the 2010 Swedish Master.
Tommy took a big hit in a huge hand just a few moment before the table was reduced to the final nine.
Betway would have a player at the final table.
Day 6 – Sitting at the final table
It was an incredible atmosphere as we walked into the Venezia casino.
Many spectators had gathered around the final table and there was a grasp of TV cameras.
Every player had brought (and earned) supporters and there were shouts and yells as the excitement grew.
The action proved to be worthy of the anticipation.
The Betway man quickly became table captain with a perfect balance of aggression and control.
First one player dropped…
Then another…
Showing true class
Tommi was relentless.
Calm, collected and controlled.
Having found himself to the left of the chip leader, it was inevitable he would have to surrender a few chips to him. We discussed it over the dinner break. We told him how impressed we were by his play and his approach had been spot on.
All he had to do was to keep going.
And hope to not find himself with pocket tens when an opponent had pocket kings.
There proved to be no perfect tens that night.
Tommi was busted in 5th place.
The end of anyone’s live tournament can have an emotional impact – and it becomes greater the closer you edge towards the first prize.
Tommi had played to win. It is the only style he knows.
He finished 5th.
At first, he was annoyed.
He had the right to be.
Emerging like a winner
However, after he had handled the intensive media intrusion, the disappointment faded and he realized exactly what he achieved.
He had won 11,060€ as a consequence of competing in a Betway poker race.
He was drinking Champagne.
He was being applauded, photographed and interviewed.
He was being rewarded for being a damn good poker player.
