Intertops Champ Heads to Austria

Intertops Champ Heads to Austria

Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Las Vegas isn't the only place where big money will be won this weekend. On this side of the Atlantic, there's top class tournament action on offer in the Casinos Austria Poker Tour in Velden.

One man who'll be looking for a repeat performance in the Austrian resort is Christophe Strehl who pocketed €31,190 after finishing second in last year's €500 event.

He'll be back in Velden after winning a multi-event package via an online satellite at Intertops Poker and shared his strategy for a deep tournament run.



“In the early levels I try to get a feeling for the table dynamics and players playing tendencies. I try to keep my chips together for the later stages, where the pots are bigger and making moves is more profitable than in the early stages.”

“If the buy-in is higher, that is exactly the strategy I would follow. But if it’s lower, I would deviate from it and play more hands even in the early levels – against better knowledge.”

It was a case of what have been for Strehl last year after coming tantalisingly close to a maiden major tournament win.

“Coming to the final table I realized there was a table bully so I decided to not mess with him and I sat back and watched players eliminating each other.”

“But I shouldn’t have called a 3-bet shove from a tight player close to the final table with AQ. Of course you’re always smarter in hindsight.”

“It wasn’t until the third player was eliminated that I realized I might win. I usually try to stay pessimistic because in tournaments it’s all over so quickly and you might be disappointed if you toss with the idea of winning too soon. I’ve played so many tournaments – if I’d won half as many as the number of tournaments where I had a chip lead at some point, I’d be rich!”

And what can players expect from the luxurious Austrian resort?

“I like Velden because it has so much flair,” said Strehl “All kinds of people come to play: pros as well as people on holiday. So there’s a good mix of people and playing skills.”

The 10-day festival runs from 11-20th July and will feature an array of tournaments offering an estimated $1m in prize money as well as 25 cash tables.



Tags: Intertops Poker, CAPT Velden, qualifiers