Bernie Holmes takes his seat at the Festival

Two more players won seats in the Main Event at Liverpool Winter Festival; 'Therat002' and 'nhggfusmdm' (aka Niall). The latter was interviewed back in December, so 10KingsPoker caught up with 'Therat002' for a chat.

Name : Bernie Holmes
Home : I live in Birkenhead which is just across River Mersey / Liverpool.
Age : 29

How did you hear about Liverpool Winter Festival?
I heard about the festival in the Circus Casino whilst playing a tournament there.
I think the casino is great and should be a fantastic venue to hold your event in.

Congratulations! Top 2 and a seat in the Main Event. You had a good feeling all the way through?

Thanks, I wasnt really worried at any stage. You see, I already decided I was gonna buy in direct anyway even if I didnt qualify, so I wasnt playing scared or anything. In the satellite I made 1 bad play with the QJ hand but with only 1500 chips and quite a quick blind increase I decided to play fast straight from the off. I got a little lucky with my pocket kings when my opponent held AQ and hit 2 pair on the flop. However, I did have the best starting hand so I figure I deserved to win it. Ha-ha.


How is your poker form?
Im running pretty good at the moment in all forms of poker so I had a good feeling I would qualify. I recently cashed in the Anniversary cup ( £1,000 buy in ) at Dusk till Dawn coming 3rd and winning £19500. It only cost me £15 via a satellite so that was a nice return! My aims now are to satellite into lots of big events.

What do you think about 10KingsPoker.com?
I have only played on 10kingspoker for about a week now but I already like the feel of the site and theres lots of action, so along with 1 or 2 other sites this looks like I'm gonna start playing a lot on here. There are some great heads up sit & go's on the site which I like playing.

Thanks for the chat, Mr. Holmes. See you in Liverpool in Feb.



(Picture copyright: http://www.pokertourradio.com/)

More info abouyt festival here:
http://www.liverpoolwinterfestival.com

Confirmed: 'Mourinho' coming to Liverpool!

10KingsPoker.com is happy to confirm the entry of Oslo-based 'Mourinho' at Liverpool Winter Festival. The young Oslo guy is in real form these days, and he has enjoyed a great start to 2009!

'Mourinho' won entry to £500+£50 in a LIVE satellite after going Heads-Up with 'Levent'.

The well respected Norwegian player 'thebalrog' paid some credit to the winner in his blog:
"...for those who don't know 'Mourinho', I can only say he's definitely one of the best players you'll find in any cash game these days."

Norwegian poker pro and captain of 'Team 10Kings' Henning Granstad has also praised 'Mourinho' lately. How does that affect him?
Oh, I appreciate the kind words from good players, and especially Henning certainly knows what he's talking about! I have a lot of respect for him, he's a great guy and a top international player. I'm an ambitious guy, and I have set goals for myself - but I got feet solid planted on the ground. Still learning, this game is all about experience and dicipline.

As 'Mourinho' is a passionate Chelsea fan, I think he will be in for a miserable start of his poker week in Liverpool. On Saturday the 31st of Jan, Chelsea will be up against league leaders...

See ya, buddy!

Exclusive interview: LFC legend David Fairclough

In the next weeks to come, 10KingsPoker.com will do 10 exclusive interviews.

Interview number 1, Liverpool FC legend David Fairclough speaking about Norway and who should be the next coach for the Norwegian national team.

How attractive is the Norway national team manager job?
In my eyes, I see it as an extremely attractive job! Norway has a good name in football, a very knowledgeable country which knows its football and a good football community with strong traditions. World Championship finals (the World Cup USA 1994) and World Cup France 1998, and you have been defeated by strong nations like Spain and Czech Rep in two playoffs. Norway can't afford to lose out on the big finals, you need to be there! Åge Hareide stepping down as coach of Norway didn’t come as a big surprise, not producing results will cost you in the end. Despite the 2008 season was a big disappointment, who failed to win a single match, the Norway job is currently seen as one of the most appealing jobs in international football.

There has been a huge debate in Norwegian media about who will become our new national team coach. Egil "Drillo" Olsen is seeing himself as the obvious choice for the vacant position as a short term solution. What do you think, David?
Drillo was successful at his time, but I would say 'those were the days'. He might belong to the past and I think the Norwegian Football Federation should broaden their search as the football has moved on.

Former Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez has expressed his interest in the vacant Norway coaching post.
Lawrie Sanchez? Wow. That's a surprise! I didn’t think his name would be mentioned among the candidates. Has the football association spoken to Lawrie Sanchez?!

No, I don't know. But hoping to get an interview with the Norwegian FA, he said: 'I have had a look at the job and I'm very interested'
I bet he is!

As ex Wimbledon Crazy Gang member and FA Cup hero from 1988 Lawrie Sanchez certainly doesn’t understate his case. He seems to be very keen, but is he the right man for the job?
He has his strong views on how football should be played, that’s for sure. Anyway, only Norwegian Football Association knows who the ideal candidate for the job is. My opinion is that you need to sign an international coach with a strong international standing. The coach needs to gain respect from every member of the squad and in the clubs immediately – and they have to believe in him. Respect, admiration and faith are key words. Despite previous manager jobs with Northern Ireland, Wycombe and Fulham, I don’t see Lawrie Sanchez as the right man for Norway. Bear in mind, a national team coach is a heavy job with a lot of responsibility. Finding the right guy isn’t easy!

Can you offer the Norwegian Football Association any advices?
Not really, mate. It’s a long process, but they need to get input from the top Norwegian guys. One of the first I would contact is Kjetil Siem. Have they done it? Has he been quoted in the media, Allan? I would even go as far as saying that the association has done a poor job if they haven’t spoken to Kjetil Siem. I have known Kjetil Siem for almost 10 years, and I have a lot of admiration for him. He did very well, making the transition from sports fan journalist to an international football administrator. (Kjetil Siem is currently the CEO for the Professional Soccer League in South Africa). Knowing football and business is a good mix and politics on top of that as he has a good name and credibility within UEFA. Norwegian FA got to speak to him due to his vast network of useful international contacts.

I will list a few candidates, and let’s see what you think. Ok, here we go; Roy Hodgson, Louis Van Gaal, Frank Rijkaard, Guus Hiddink and Carlos Alberto.
Roy knows Scandinavia, but I can’t see him leaving Fulham which is doing well at the moment.
The three Dutch guys will be too expensive. Great names but I can’t see any of them as a Norway coach.
Carlos Alberto has been around for years, but the Brazilian mentality and style of play won’t suit Norway. No candidate for me.

Which managers would you recommend?
You certainly don’t want a novice, and Ole Gunnar Solskjær is too young and inexperienced. Henning Berg will be an obvious choice in the future IF he brings in an experienced assistant/manager.
I would recommend someone like Roy Evans in an assistant- or manager role. He’s got a wealth of experience, also internationally with both Liverpool and Wales (assistant manager of John Toshack). Roy has a mixed bag of emotions, good with people and a leveled guy with his feet on the ground. That’s so important.
What about Karl-Heinz Riedle? Speaking about international experience, this guy has done the whole lot! Riedle was a great German international with spells at Bremen, Lazio, Dortmund and Liverpool. A nice guy, highly rated by any manager (including Roy Evans), look after himself and his nickname ‘Mr. Perfect’ says it all. A great fella. German organization, hard work ethics and lots of experience. I think he’s living in Switzerland these days.
A northern European is the obvious choice. Mark Hughes did well with Wales, grinding out results away from home. Strong leadership, a well organized back four and 11 players who wears their hearts on their sleeves! Actually, Sparky might be available very soon as the Man City saga is a complete chaos.
Speaking about future managerial talent, look out for Wrexham manager Dean Saunders. Great enthusiasm got a good football brain and get on very well with people. I think you will hear a lot more about Deano in the future!

Thanks to David Fairclough. You will meet him at the Liverpool Winter Festival in Feb.

'Ultratite' loves Heads-Up action!

10KingsPoker.com's first ever Heads-Up tournament (€30+€3) was played on Monday night, and the winner was 'Ultratite' from Stord. We spoke to him after his win.

Name: Sigbjørn Mortveit
Age: 25
Poker alias: ’Ultratite’ on 10KingsPoker, and ’#1Ultratight’ on Stars
What’s the reason behind your nick?
People see me as an extremely tight player (I play few hands). Honestly, the truth is that I play a solid game of poker.
I take advantage of my image, and I go a long way in most tournaments. And I’m confident I will see more prize money in near future.

Any international poker achievements?
I came 17th in EPT Copenhagen Main Event 2008. To play against so many top names from all around the world, what a fantastic experience! And then to come as far as I did, it was amazing for me. 3 days of perfect poker only to make a mistake which knocked me out of the tournament. .. (I admit I didn’t sleep for 2 days afterwards!).

Which players sat at your table?
Among others; Noah Boeken, Bill Chen, Jesper Pettersen, Sebastian Ruthenberg,
Niki Jedlnica, Jarle AA, THE__D__RY, and last but not least, the best player I have ever played against; Christian Grundtvig.
On Day 2 he increased his chips stack from 27,000 to nearly 150,000 chips within 2 hours and no showdowns!


Rumours say you are an active online player..
Yeah, I play quite a few heads-up tournaments on Stars. I figured out that during a day I played roughly 15,000 hands! I have an income of $30-$70 pr hour I play. My previous experience by playing a lot of Heads-Up helped me a lot on Monday night. Hmm… let me think… I must have played 1,500 Heads-Up SNG`s last two months…

You played ANDOS_1 (Liverpool) in the final tonight. Any comments about his play?
Obviously a good player, and I enjoy playing these guys. It makes me play optimal poker, knowing where I am in the hand, just waiting for
my spots. Then to get the money on when I have the best hand or when I KNOW he is gonna fold.
I respect him 100% as a poker player, I really look forward to share a few pints in Liverpool and talk poker. However, if there was something that he could have
done better, it might be this:
1. check-raise my bets on flop more times than he folded to my bets.
2. played his smaller pairs "less hard"
(See you at the Circus Casino, ANDOS_1.)

You will head to Liverpool as one of the dark horses in the Main Event, and also a strong favourite for the team competition. Who is joining you?
My team will be Kjetil Næss (elpervo) and another player from Stavanger. They are both very strong players who play poker for a living.
I look forward to play the event in Liverpool, its gonna be a lot of fun. My team is coming to Liverpool for one reason; To win the event! 

And one last comment regarding Liverpool Winter Festival. What do you think?
It looks great! Fingers crossed, but you work harder than anyone and that means it will turn out to be a fantastic festival for all of us involved. Personally, I think you have a strong product which well received by customers and the market needs something fresh like this. I booked a cheap flight to UK, got a nice hotel to a decent rate and a cool £500+£50 event with a good structure. I’m fed up with boring trips to Tallinn with a ‘super-bingo-structured’ tournaments, so my message is: Keep up the good work, 10KingsPoker!

Can you beat 'kilevinken' Heads-Up?

"I have a good feeling about tonight. You don't wanna mess with me Heads-Up!"
('kilevinken', Hamar, 12/1-2009)

10KingsPoker.com runs their first exclusive Heads-Up tournament (€30+€3) tonight at 19:30 GMT (20:30 Norwegian time), and the starting field includes the one and only 'kilevinken'. This guy is ready to give a real fight for the money!

Why using the poker alias 'kilevinken'?
Why not? The guys know me as 'holtekila' and 'kilevinken' - and you will see that name in final Top 10 tonight. Next question please.


Age: 39

Favourite poker player: Phil Hellmuth (the guy they all love to hate)

About tonight, you up for it Yeah, certainly! Looking forward to the €30+€3 Heads-Up tournament. It requires skills, man against man - and you have to push hard.

Best player at your local poker club?
Hmm... The best HH player, if I put myself top of the list ha-ha, I would say... 'knutn'. He is a good player! Ahh, would love to make the final, then play heads-up with 'knutn' and then beat him!

Your poker experience?
I played for years. Played poker since the old days. Normal 5 card draw in the start, then Texas Hold'em for around 5 years.

Your strengths?
Strengths? How long time have we got left of the interview? I can go on and on ha-ha. No, just kidding - but I think I'm a good reader of the game, I analyse my opponents and I'm patient..

Favourite team?
Liverpool FC. Kevin Keegan was my childhood hero, what a team they had, and the football they played was great to watch. Fingers crossed, we might be able to bring home the league trophy this season. It's been a long wait... almost 20 years. Unbelievable!

Any player you dont like on the international poker circuit?
Hmm... Sorry, mac - I'm no fan of dmmikkel (Dag Martin Mikkelsen). No further comments about that.

'holtekila', imagine this happening tonight; there are only 6 players left, close to the prize pool only to be rivered by local player 'geirern'! ..
Hey Hey, take it easy now! Don't fire me up. 'geirern' has messed me up previously, and I dont want that to happen again. I think my reaction will pretty much be this:
I get mad, throws my Yamaha cap to the floor and shouts: You fucking clown! Playing crap cards like it's AA! Ha-ha.. Pardon my language, I have to calm down. That question wasn't good for my blood pressure.

Good luck tonight, guys. 10KingsPoker.com gives away a €30 bonus bounty on the player who knocks 'kilevinken' out of the tournament :-)
Be aware, 'holtekila' is ureally up for the challenge!

lo547 (Tonstad) won, FrittVilt (Alta) and 7soversen (Hamar) qualified.

Liverpool WF Feeder tonight at 20:00 GMT

Registration page on festival site is online.
http://www.liverpoolwinterfestival.com


Feeders added to 'Liverpool WF Super Satellite':
11th Jan €10+€1 Rebuy (1 seat GUARANTEED)
12th Jan €20+€2 Rebuy (1 seat GUARANTEED)
13th Jan €10+€1 Rebuy (1 seat GUARANTEED)
14th Jan €5+€1 Rebuy (1 seat GUARANTEED)
16th Jan €10+€1 Rebuy (1 seat GUARANTEED)
17th Jan €20+€2 Rebuy (1 seat GUARANTEED)
Every day at 20:00 GMT. 1 seat to 'Super Satellite' for every €109 in the prize pool. 'Super Satellite' to be played 18th of Jan.