Interview with Bodog Mini Poker Series 2nd & 3rd Place Winners
by Bodog Poker | Jul 29 2009
The
Bodog Mini Poker Series for the 2010 WSOP wrapped up last week with one lucky player winning a seat into next year's main event. "
Getn_Outa_MI" was the 12K prize winner and will become a member of the 2010
Team Bodog at the WSOP. He wasn't the only player who profited from the Mini Poker Series; two other players received $2000 plus free tournament entries in all of the upcoming Bodog Poker Open IV events. The second place finisher was "
Dannenmann", real name
Dylan Hayes. Third place went to
Dean Chen, otherwise known as "
turningstone". Both players are from the state of New York.
We caught up with Chen and got his thoughts on coming so close to winning a WSOP seat and what poker means to him. The 24-year-old student has been playing poker since he was 15 and spends a lot of his spare time grinding on poker tables. He's been playing online poker since 2004, and works on improving his game as much as possible. "Yeah, I'm usually playing
online poker tournaments when I'm not too busy with school, and you may catch me playing poker at Turning Stone Casino or the Borgata."
When asked about his Mini Poker Series final Chen talked about the great bargain the
Mini Poker Series was. "You only needed to invest $141 or less to have a good chance, due to a small field, to win a WSOP main event seat. And be a part of Team Bodog when you play the main event. Playing in the main event has been something I wanted to do ever since I watched the 2003 WSOP on TV." Chen narrowly missed out on his chance, as he ran into a set against the eventual winner that knocked him out of the event.
Chen respects the old school players the most and named Mike Matusow, Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Phil Laak, and Barry Greenstein as the players he tries to emulate. "I just try my best not to make mistakes at the wrong time."
He has set goals for his poker career and hopes to some day win a big Bodog tournament that will get his bankroll into a good position. "I
play poker because it is possible to make millions, but I'm still working on getting a decent bankroll. One of my goals is to win a Sunday major like the
Bodog 100k. I have not been able to even final table one yet, but I hope to be on top of my game when I do. I'm also determined to play at least a WSOP circuit event next year just to experience it."
Chen, along with Hayes, will get their chance to post that big online win in one of the big events in the Bodog Poker Open IV. It's a great way for them to get their bankroll going without having to risk any of their own cash. We'll be watching to see how they do every day of the Open this coming fall.
