Player Interview: John Tabatabai aka Kunkuwap

Lucy: So you finished 2^nd in the World Series of Poker Europe, and that was a big cash and result. But winning would have been a bigger cash of course, and what interests me is that if you were to have won, would it be the status or money that was most important you?

Random Welsh players sitting with us: Tell the truth!

John Tabatabai: Money of course! Anyone who says money isn’t more important is lying. What else are you playing for?

Dan ‘Jaffacake’ Carter: The honour and glory of the game?

John Tabatabai: I don’t believe that. But you can quote Jaffacake on that - he plays for the honour and glory! Of course it’s a great thing to win a tournament though.

Random Welsh players sitting with us: And you get to be on TV!

John Tabatabai: Yeah, it’s a package deal.

Lucy: Fair enough. Tell me what you think about Annette_15?

John Tabatabai: She ruined my tournament. What can I say? Obviously she’s a great player. She’s won hundreds of tournaments online and you don’t win that unless you play in volume and she’s amazing. She proved it in the tournament really.

Lucy: Is it very different for you to play, for example, a £1000 GUKPT event compared to a very high stakes event like the WSOPE?

John Tabatabai: It shouldn’t be, but obviously I’m doing something wrong as I’ve never made it to day two at a GUKPT. I’m not sure what it is really. Obviously when you play you need a certain amount of luck but to have played six of these tournaments and never made it to day 2 you need a certain amount of bad skill. You just sit there and play your hands. How difficult can it be to make Day 2?

Lucy: Do you think a £1000 event has weaker players in it?

John Tabatabai: A lot more people play those tournaments who aren’t really playing to their best. When the buy ins are a lot bigger it’s harder to make a final table or get a top 40 finish. Everyone will play their best in a £10,000 tournament and also you’d see people folding queens and kings on a ten high flop, but at a GUKPT you’d see people getting it in with nines on a ten high flop. Because of that you then have more volatility.

Lucy: Are you one of the people that would play more loosely in a lesser stakes event?

John Tabatabai: When you see my hands on the final table, you’ll see that I play the same. I try to play my best game as much as possible. Now in the GUKPT I think I need to get a little bit more lucky!

Lucy: A little bit more luck is always good, of course! Tell me about how you got into the poker lifestyle?

John Tabatabai: Money! Erm… I don’t know - how did I start playing? When I was a kid in high school we used to play cards in the common room in our study periods. I played a couple of times with them, found I was winning and naturally went online, read every forum possible, got lots of books and started with a freeroll. I won $5 and took it from there.

Lucy: You built your bankroll from a freeroll?

John Tabatabai: Pretty much, yes. But I’ve lost that bankroll many times!

Lucy: And won it back…

John Tabatabai: Ha, yes!

Lucy: Cheers John, and good luck with your game.