If you hadn’t heard of Kyle Julius pre-2012, you certainly had heard of him by the years end. The gangly lad from Naperville, Illinois, was one of the players stamping their feet the loudest as he zoomed towards the top end of the Global Poker Index (GPI) rankings, thanks in part to outstanding performances at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) where he took over $2m from both events.
But despite earning the life-changing sum of money, Julius was still title-less when it came to live poker. The trophy cabinet remained bare.
“As poker is my profession, obviously my goal is to win the tournament. When it gets down into heads up, in big tournaments like this, the money isn’t too much of a concern because you have already locked so much up. It’s more about closing out. There’s nothing like the feeling of winning a tournament, so that’s the goal. But I’m still waiting for that big live one. In the meantime I’ll take second place all day long.” Said Julius.
It must have been tough for Julius has he entered 2013. He was now officially a star name, and he had high expectations, both from within himself and from those around him.
“It was tough to top expectations from last year. I haven’t played too much, traveled a bit and played online, had some success, probably up on the year, but you can’t come and win WSOP events and reach final tables all of the time. That’s just unrealistic.” Said Julius.
His lack of presence on the live scene has seen him drop to 50th in the GPI, a position that just doesn’t suit a player of such skill and adaptability. But he has continued to excel online, despite the pain in the ass haulage in and out of the States just to play the game he loves.
“Online always goes well and it’s too bad that I have to go out of the country to play. I love online poker. Just to be in the comfort of your own home is amazing. Being stuck in a hotel room, by yourself, grinding for 12-hours a day, can get pretty depressing. Let’s hope one day it comes back to the States.”
