Finishing second in the Main Event of The Festival Rozvadov is a huge achievement – what emotions are you feeling right now, and what part of this experience stood out to you the most?
To be honest, the whole series had been going really badly for me. It got to the point where just yesterday, I was sitting outside with my friends talking about all the bad beats we’d been through. I wasn’t even planning to play—I was supposed to go to Spain. My friend was playing the satellite for the high roller, and I just bought a ticket to tag along. Then I noticed there were two seats available in the Flips, and I thought, ‘Screw it, let’s give it a shot.’ I ended up winning a seat through that… and now I’ve made the biggest score of my life. So yeah, I’m super happy—but also totally drained. It’s been a rollercoaster, and I’m really tired, but this feels amazing.
Wow congratulation, I saw on Hendon Mob that you only started playing live poker about a year and a half ago. What got you into?
I started playing poker about a year and a half ago. For the first six or seven months, I mainly played here in Rozvadov and at some smaller tournaments, like in Bratislava. But I’ve always loved going to Asia—whenever I was working, I’d take my vacations during the winter and spend them in Thailand. So from the beginning, my idea was to combine poker with spending winters in Asia.
I tried different countries, played a few series, and made some friends along the way. Now I kind of have everything figured out—I know where to go, where to stay, and I’ve got my setup ready for next winter. That’s the plan: head back there and keep playing.
How did you come to the decision to give poker a real shot? What was that moment when you said to yourself – I’m going for it?
I was working in Prague, but then I quit my job and sold my apartment. While I was waiting for the money to come through, I decided to play a tournament at a place called Showdown. It was actually the first time I played a tournament without friends around, without drinking—just really focused on playing my best. And I ended up winning.
That was the moment I thought, 'Okay, maybe I should give this a shot while I figure out my next steps.' I kept getting good results, had some lucky runs, and it just made sense to keep going. I told myself I’d give it a year—and honestly, it’s been so much more fun than a regular job. I’ve been very fortunate, and I’m really enjoying the journey.
How many hours you played those days?
I was playing more or less every day. As for how many hours? I honestly can’t even count—it was a lot. Actually, during my last month in Asia, I started feeling pretty fatigued. After a full year of playing almost daily, I’d still wake up looking forward to the tables… but at some point that excitement wasn’t really there anymore. Even though I was still getting decent results, the passion had dipped a little.
I think I overplayed, to be honest. But I see that as part of the learning curve. Lately, I’ve been better at taking breaks, doing other things, and creating a more sustainable routine. This past year has really been my training phase—finding my rhythm in the game.
Still, it’s tough when you’re tired and the results aren’t coming—it gets frustrating. My plan was actually to go to Spain now and take a vacation, which I’m still doing. And having this big score behind me? That’s going to make the vacation feel even better. After that, I’ll continue the grind—but with a better balance.
You mentioned Spain for the second time now—what motivates you to go there?
This was because I wanted to move to Spain—I wanted to live in a country where you can be outdoors almost all year round in just a t-shirt. Also, the job I had before was a bit too stressful.
What job did you have?
I worked for AIG, one of the biggest insurance companies in the world. They moved their entire Nordic operations to Prague, and I was managing the whole project. Since we were in the early phase, there were constant issues that needed fixing.
Even though it was technically a 9-to-5 job, I had to be available all the time. I remember watching a movie at night, and suddenly hearing a Teams notification at 10 PM—so I had to jump on and fix something. And I just thought, is this really the life I want to live? And around that time, I started winning at poker.
What have you learned from this experience over the past year?
I’ve learned so much—seriously, a lot. I bought books, watched courses, and dove into all kinds of poker content. But honestly, most of what I’ve learned came from becoming friends with strong players and just talking through hands, different situations, and the mental side of the game. This whole period has been a huge learning experience.
But there’s still so much more to improve on. For example, I always meant to study my heads-up game. I wouldn’t say it’s one of my strengths, and now I kind of regret not putting more time into it—especially when you find yourself in a situation like this, with €90k on the line. So yeah, I do wish I had spent a bit more time studying—maybe played a little less and focused more on certain areas. But that’s part of the process.
I watched your game at the end—you looked really confident and aggressive during the heads-up. What was going through your mind, knowing that you hadn’t really trained for that part of the game?
All aspects. The cards are running well, everything is going well. But I think what I've learned from this is the biggest money is between the first and the second place. If I end up in a spot like this again and I have not improved my heads up, it's just giving away money. So I would say this is the most important spot to become better.
Thanks a lot Oliver!