Player Focus: serb2127

Nenad Medic - who plays online under the name "serb2127" - has enjoyed the kind of 2006 most poker players can only dream of. He’s enhanced his reputation as one of poker’s rising stars – and claimed a cool $2 million in prize money in the process.

The 23-year-old former college basketball star (yes, his burly 6ft 5in frame looks intimidating, even when folded into his seat) got the year off to a tremendous start when he finished third and claimed $275,718 in Melbourne at the Aussie Millions, the richest poker tournament in the southern hemisphere. It was a signal of intent.

Meteoric rise

But that was merely a taste of things to come – Medic really hit the big time when he won the $1,717,194 first prize at the 2006 WPT World Poker Finals at Foxwoods in November. It was, by some distance, the biggest win of his career. All of a sudden the $112,500 he’d won for finishing sixth in the 2005 PokerStars Caribbean adventure looked like loose change.

It’s been a meteoric rise to fame for Serbian-born Medic, now living in Canada. In just a couple of years he has turned a $75 online deposit into a seven-figure bankroll. He's tasted success as “serb2127” online and a quick glance at his performances on PokerStars alone underlines exactly why he’s become such an expert player so quickly.

Since April 2005 he’s racked up $189,986 in winnings from just six events alone. One hefty haul came when he finished second to Poker Verdict’s very own David Gross aka "thekid08" in the $500 buy-in PokerStars Sunday Million on Christmas Day last year (read all about it here).

Tournament winner

But if he started out online, Medic is now making his name as a high-stakes cash game and tournament player. If any more proof were needed that gifted online rookies can graduate to top-level tournament play, watch Medic in action.

At the World Poker Finals, Medic trailed chip leader EG Harvin by some distance on the final table but bided his time and let his opponents, including veteran pro Kathy Liebert, knock each other out until he found himself heads-up against Harvin.

He chose not to risk all his chips until the 72nd hand (out of 88) and when he did go all-in it was with a very strong hand of 10-2 with 10-2-2 on the board. It put him ahead of Harvin.

Heads-up play lasted just eight hands and 20 minutes. On the final hand, Harvin raised on a flop of 5-3-3 and Medic called him. Harvin led out the betting when a 9 hit the turn. Medic called again.

Harvin moved all-in when a 9 came up on the river. Medic waited a minute - and called again. Harvin showed A-J, for two pair with an Ace kicker, but Medic held 7-5 for a higher two pair to become an instant millionaire.

Cash-game fan

Reflecting on the final hand, Medic said: “I don't know why it took me so long to call. I was 90 per cent sure I was going to call. I just wanted to make sure. It was a big moment.

“Harvin did all the work for me. I had a decent stack going in and I was able to sit back and pick my spots. I liked my chances and felt good about the way I played today.”

Medic, who had already started playing in the biggest cash games in the world, said the monster win wouldn’t change his style at all. “I plan to give this money back to the poker community,” he said after his triumph. “The cash games might get a little richer in the next couple of months."

In 2007 he aims to play in more tournaments, including the WPT Championship and the World Series of Poker. “I want to be known as a really good poker player that knows what he’s doing. Some of the players in the past have been known for their poker and people think that they’re lucky, but I want to be known as a good solid player.”

There's every chance of that happening.

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