Angelia Ong talks to two time APT Player of the Year Sam Razavi and he shares how he manages to stay ahead of the game and what is the difference of playing in Asia compared to the rest of the world.
Sam Razavi is an English professional poker player and actor based in Brighton, United Kingdom. He is the UK and Ireland Poker tour, Cork (Republic of Ireland) leg, champion 2012, Asia Pacific Poker Tour (ANZPT Melbourne leg) Grand Final Champion, 2012 Asian Poker Tour India leg Champion and Asian Poker Tour and 2012 & 2013 APT Player Of the Year.
Sam and the new chapter of his life
“We had a son. Me and Menchu [Menchu Ouano] five months ago. He was being born during the last APT in Manila that’s why we missed that series but it’s definitely worth it. He is really cute. I love him so much. It’s a good turning point of my life. Our lives,” said Sam Razavi.
How does Sam manage to stay ahead of the game?
“This year has been tough especially missing Manila for obvious reasons and it really put me far behind and I did not realize how many people are so close and gunning for it. So there’s probably top ten who are multi-tabling, trying to win APT Player of the Year. But I think the secret is to not let it pressure you and really stay focus on the game.
It means a lot more to me coz it will be a back-to-back three times and then I wouldn’t be so pressured in the future years when someone else takes over.”
How different it is to play in Asia compare to the rest of the world?
“The focus is relatively younger in Asia than is in America or Europe. The game has come a lot more serious, especially through the years. The game has got tougher. Maybe it’s not so easy to make a living in tournaments so people take it so seriously. But in Asia, it’s good coz you can come in and have a lot of fun and specially you got a more relaxed atmosphere in the table that’s why I prefer to play in Asia.”
How long do you plan to keep on playing in Asia?
“It’s tough to say; we’ve been looking at maybe moving back to the UK but we kept on delaying it year another year and as long as I’m Player of the Year, I’ll keep on going until I lose the Player of the Year and then we can pick and choose what events that we can come and make.”
