Semi interesting Sorel Mizzi Interview

58o

From Pocket fives. Few interesting comments. http://www.pocketfives.com/3DA39D33-D203-4CCE-A8AE-D5544E5F67CF.aspx

Here it is for the lazy.................

Imper1um Chops Irish Poker Open
by Dan on 4/14/2007 15:56


The Irish Poker Open just wrapped up from the Burlington Hotel in Dublin and was, according to the tournament director, the largest tournament in Europe with 707 entrants. Down to three players, Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi chopped three ways, taking home 477,000 Euros, or around over $600,000 dollars, and finished third. An online superstar, Mizzi made his first major live final table and entered as the chip leader. After flying back across the Atlantic to his hometown of Toronto, Canada, Mizzi sat down with PocketFives.com to discuss his blockbuster finish in the Irish Poker Open.

Mizzi comments on how he felt: “I'm excited and satisfied. Obviously I'm a little disappointed that I didn't win the first place title, but not too disappointed because I know this will be the first of many opportunities. I feel that I played the best possible game that I could and had very few regrets about the way I played specific hands throughout the entire tournament. I feel that I'm starting to 'get' this live poker thing and I look forward to doing some damage in the World Series of Poker.” The chop was made with Mizzi as the chip leader: “I ended up getting 477,000 Euros with 100,000 Euros still in the prize pool for first place. It was a terrific deal and tremendously in my favor. If I won the tournament without a deal, I would make 650,000 Euros. If I won it with the deal, I'd make 577,000 Euros. I was sacrificing only 80,000 Euros in order to guarantee nearly half a million when second place was only 325,000 euros. I couldn't have been happier.”

Much of Mizzi’s success can be attributed to his bubble play with nine players remaining: “I had been raising close to 70-80% of pots, knowing that everyone wanted to make the final table and that I wouldn't be faced with much resistance. I managed to increase my chip stack by at least 20% during this 10-minute period.” Once the final table field was set, Mizzi was confident: “I had raised to 85,000 pre-flop with blinds of 15,000/30,000 and was called by the big blind, Paul Dooley. He had been the only person at the table who was playing back at me and I was sure that he had no intention of slowing down. The flop came 9-4-2 and he lead all in for just over 500,000 into the 180,000 chip pot. Not even knowing how many chips the all in bet was, I called quickly, sure that I was ahead. He flipped over the flush draw, 7-8, and my A-9 for top pair, top kicker miraculously held. This was a crucial hand for me and put me in a dominant position at the table.”

Mizzi was in Monte Carlo (on the other side of Europe) and really wanted to head home after the European Poker Tour Main Event there. His sickness had finally caught up with him, but pokerjoe9 convinced him to head to Ireland. Mizzi comments, “I had heard so many good things about the event: there would be massive overlay, added money into the prize pools of all side events, and terrible playing fields. Everything that I heard was true, other than the overlay. I was barely able to register for the tournament. I was number 14 on the waiting list and only about 20 people from the waiting list ended up getting in, so I was very fortunate just to have gotten a seat.”

With an impressive live finish, it was time to celebrate. “I celebrated the night after the tournament by going out to a local night club. I've never really treated myself after winning a big tournament online, but after a score this big, I think I will. I'm going to buy a nice car within the week. Possibilities include the 350z, SL500, BMW M6, and others. I'll let PocketFives know which one I end up getting. Right after coming back from the night club, we celebrated further by playing Chinese poker at 2,000 per point and ordering loads of room service.” Here's a shot of one of Imper1um's potential cars, the M6:



We wish Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi the very best in future events. Congratulations on taking down your share of a three-way chop in Dublin and we look forward to hearing what car you decide on.

StraddleFor6

On the sunday, the night before the final table, he took down the $200 rebuy on stars for $39k. So, 10 hours of poker on the saturday, cruises to final table as chip leader, up to the hotel room, bam, down again, gets the most money in a 3/4 way deal and back to Canada. The man has skills.

5starpool

Sick man. Fair fcuks to him.

58o

StraddleFor6 wrote:

On the sunday, the night before the final table, he took down the $200 rebuy on stars for $39k. So, 10 hours of poker on the saturday, cruises to final table as chip leader, up to the hotel room, bam, down again, gets the most money in a 3/4 way deal and back to Canada. The man has skills.

Wow, did not know that. Pretty sick, and inspiring.

Flushdraw

StraddleFor6 wrote:

On the sunday, the night before the final table, he took down the $200 rebuy on stars for $39k. So, 10 hours of poker on the saturday, cruises to final table as chip leader, up to the hotel room, bam, down again, gets the most money in a 3/4 way deal and back to Canada. The man has skills.

Takes degeneracy to a new level! My hero.

nicnicnic

StraddleFor6 wrote:

On the sunday, the night before the final table, he took down the $200 rebuy on stars for $39k. So, 10 hours of poker on the saturday, cruises to final table as chip leader, up to the hotel room, bam, down again, gets the most money in a 3/4 way deal and back to Canada. The man has skills.

say someone playing his account, play finished at 2.45 Sunday/monday and if you remember his pre final table interview with rte he said he was in tremendous shape having had nine hours of interrupted sleep

StraddleFor6

nicnicnic wrote:

say someone playing his account, play finished at 2.45 Sunday/monday and if you remember his pre final table interview with rte he said he was in tremendous shape having had nine hours of interrupted sleep

Perhaps. I'll ask him next time I see him playing. He is capable of doing this though. He kills the tournaments on stars.

nicnicnic

StraddleFor6 wrote:

Perhaps. I'll ask him next time I see him playing. He is capable of doing this though. He kills the tournaments on stars.

His stt game needs a bit of polishing up though scope him

nicnicnic

ps he plays under zangbezan24

StraddleFor6

nicnicnic wrote:

His stt game needs a bit of polishing up though scope him

Hmmm. I don't trust those figures. Elky is down $85k according to scope. And I'm up 2k. I haven't played an STT in over a year.

BigCityBanker

58o wrote:

inspiring.

Is this the correct terminology to be using?

Ollieboy

its all my fault he came and I didnt even get a mention in the interview, told him about the event in Cardiff when we sat together for most of Day 1 at the UKPT event. Really nice guy and saw him make some great laydowns, wasn't supprised to see him do well at the IO, I was hoping he would stay at my house so I could get some free poker lessions from a true master of the game.

He's got big plans this year for Vegas, so he might be worth a bet if anyone is interested.

hotspur

Standard when you have JJProdigy as your poker mentor.

robinlacey

this guy was at the final table with me in the 1k mtt i played in vienna,seems like a nice guy and a good player too,was glad to see him doing well.

BigCityBanker

robinlacey wrote:

,seems like a nice guy and a good player too,was glad to see him doing well.

ditto - i sat next him on two tables and he was spot on.