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Ace Meets... Nic Szeremeta

In the interview series "Pocket Aces" Poker Digest* columnist Rolf "Ace" Slotboom meets famous poker people, some of the best tournament and money players in the world or people who have, in one way or another, been of influence in the way this exciting game is played nowadays. In these interviews, Rolf will try to gain some insight in the way the best players, authors and casino managers feel towards the game, how they do what they do, what they hope to accomplish or have already accomplished, and what's their view on how to make the beautiful game of poker bigger and better than it already is.

In this series, Rolf will confront his guests with a list of questions. These questions deal with issues that, in Rolf's opinion, are very important in today's poker. Today's guest is Nic Szeremeta, who has been one of the driving forces behind the growth of poker in Europe. He was the founder of the European Poker Players Association (EPPA), the magazine Poker Europa, and is now part of the International Poker Federation IPF.

* This interview took place before Poker Digest magazine was bought by Card Player.

1. Who are you? What are considered to be your major accomplishments in poker and what do you think your major accomplishments are?
My name is Nic Szeremeta, I am 58 years of age and have been playing poker for almost 40 years ("only useful thing I learned in college"). My major accomplishment is surviving all these years and adapting to the ongoing changes in poker standards (standard of play in both cash games and tournaments). Also, recognizing that poker had and has the capability of becoming an attraction on TV. I created "Late Night Poker" on English television when even the studio did not believe it would work. I developed the magazine "Poker Europe", which is now in its fourth year. I'm also partner in the "World Heads Up" organization, a form of poker that is now catching on; in fact, we were the inaugurators. In addition to the "World Heads Up Championships" in Vienna, other heads up matches are taking place in Paris now and also as part of the WSOP.

2. Date of birth, place of birth. Marital status, current and former jobs etc.
Born in England, single (divorced) but with long-standing girlfriend... the only reason we survived is we don't live together!! I used to be a journalist, hard news reporter (murders and all that), news editor, racing sub-editor and then set up my own newspaper and magazine group, which I sold in 1989.

3. Where do you play poker? What games / limits? Do you prefer tournaments or cash games and why?
I prefer to play on mainland Europe (but I like Australia, following my visit there in January 2002). I prefer limit poker, as I find pot-limit too potentially damaging. What business would risk its entire weeks take on the run of a card? My favorite games are limit stud and limit hold'em at $20-40 ish. I also like limit Omaha if I can find a game; I beat the limit Omaha games at the WSOP for seven years. I am not bothered about cash or tournaments. My best game is probably limit stud, as I play it by ear and remote control... I can "feel" what is going on. I also like no-limit hold'em, even though I sometimes have no idea what is going on.

4. Have you read any poker books, do you use any computer software to improve your game? If so, which books and software do you consider to be best and / or has influenced your poker game the most?
I take all books with a pitch of salt, Rolf, but use them as a starting point. The best books are "7 Card Stud for Advanced Players" by Malmuth, Sklansky & Zee (who actually wrote it), and Doyle Brunson's "Super/System" (for bits and pieces). Loads of people have influenced my game in different ways. I particularly take a lot of notice of Asher Derei when he is good enough to point something out, and Marcel Lüske ditto.

5. I've written a lot about the right attitude at the poker table, about the "proper way to behave". What do you think this "right attitude" should be and how do you judge your own behavior at the table in this respect?
Just stay quiet and play your game, I would say. And have fun: it is supposed to be a game and games are supposed to be enjoyable. I don't like troublemakers at the table. Be polite to everyone and give them all respect; if you don't, they will sure as hell get you.

6. What do you think your main strengths in poker are? How do you think most other players view you? Are you well liked by your fellow players and if so, do you think this is because they like you as a person or because they might think you're not much of a player?
I don't like to answer this, as I don't want to give anything away. People regard me as tight, which I like: I have spent a long time building up this image.

7. Do you still keep accurate records? Have you always done this? Did you always have the strength to write everything down accurately, even when things weren't going well for you (i.e. during a bad run)?
I've got records going back to start of 1998, every game, every tournament, hours etc. (not a pretty picture, I can tell you). However, I do use them to review position and avoid expensive mistakes. They also throw up most successful venues for playing.

8. What do you think are the most important characteristics of the professional tournament player?
Aggression and luck.

9. What do you think are the most important characteristics of the professional money player? Same as above.

10. Would you rather be a top tournament or a top money player and why?
A top tournament player: more money for measurable risk.

11. Who do you consider to be the best:

Limit hold'em money player

Pot-limit Omaha money player

All games money player

Limit hold'em tournament player

Pot-limit Omaha tournament player

No-limit hold'em tournament player

All games tournament player

Limit hold'em money player: no idea
Pot-limit Omaha money player: no such thing
All games money player: Ben Roberts, Surinder Sunar
Limit hold'em tournament player: no idea
Pot-limit Omaha tournament player: Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott
No-limit hold'em tournament player: Asher Derei among a load of others
All games tournament player: Marcel Lüske

12. It's a fact that a lot of tournament stars don't perform very well in cash games. Do you know any top tournament players you would welcome in a live game and why?
Line them up... not scared of anyone in the games and limits I play.

13. It's also a fact that a lot of excellent cash game players don't do well in tournaments. Which top money players would you welcome in the big tournaments "as there will be more dead money now"?
I don't agree with this.

14. As you might know, I'm a money player myself, I hardly ever play tournaments. This is partly an ego-thing, because I like to win all the time and in tournament poker that's just not possible. On top of that, it's hard to determine who is the "best" tournament player, simple because there are no objective rankings (the ones that exist favor the people who enter the most tournaments, and the # 1 on these rankings is therefore not necessarily the best player). I am working hard to develop some sort of worldwide tournament competition, where -just like in other sports- you will have to qualify to enter and, if you don't perform well, you bust out. You will receive points (not money) after each event, and at the end of the year you will receive prize money based on your rankings. A competition like this should be interesting for sponsors and the television networks, and the players shouldn't have to come up with their own money anymore. What are your thoughts on the current situation and how do you view this new poker competition?
The European Rankings and the ongoing rankings now introduced give an accurate reflection of players' performances and status. It is not true to say there are no objective rankings. We are continually refining our methods and criteria, which seem to be accepted by most players. And we are open to ideas for improvements.

15. A while ago, I wrote a rather controversial article about tipping. The article dealt with the situation in Vienna, where the dealers' wages are relatively low, but instead they rely on tips from customers. In fact, because people tip so much over there, the dealers even pay the house for every half hour they're in the box. In the article I stated this meant that people are probably tipping too well, and that I therefore could not and would not tip as much as the average player in the house. After all, I already pay table money via rake and / or time collection so the house can provide for (among others) dealers; if we are also expected to tip them extremely well we would be paying twice for the same thing, I argued. What are your thoughts on the subject and how do you put these thoughts into practice; i.e. how much do you tip in the tournaments and in the live games?
I love tipping, because it means I have won a pot. I see no problem with paying either a fair rake or tipping. We have to recognize that both the house and the dealers provide a service for which they should be paid a fair price- otherwise they would not do it. How the figures are arrived at is irrelevant, as long as they are high enough for the operators to make it a worthwhile business but low enough to allow the players to make a bit and not go broke (unlike Germany).

16. What are your favorite poker places in the world and why?
Vienna. Loads of action at the limits I like, 24/7, nice city. Nova Gorica, as I seem to win there. And everywhere else I go from Helsinki to Russia.

17. In Europe, the main structure of poker is pot-limit. Poker purists claim that limit poker is no poker, however in the U.S. a lot of professionals don't want to play pot-limit and the casinos are reluctant to offer it, fearing it might break the weaker players too soon. In my opinion, pot-limit and limit poker can very well co-exist. In pot-limit poker (unlike in limit) there are often big winners, and this attracts a lot of new customers (especially the gambler-type of players) who are not interested in a "boring" limit game. I think it is good for poker business if players see it's possible to win big on any given day. What are your views on the subject?
Pot-limit is what good players play against bad players. I believe that a) pot-limit is destructive as a cash game and have witnessed so many games and poker rooms declining or failing to develop because of it. If I had a limit poker room and some smart ass wanted to introduce pot-limit, I would bar them for life. The fact that they can play pot-limit somewhere else is irrelevant as the game will destroy itself in time, and b) most pot-limit players (who swear that limit poker is not poker) have no idea of the subtleties of a limit game. This is fine by me.

18. In the U.S., if people talk about pot-limit, they always mention pot-limit hold'em. In my opinion, pot-limit hold'em is not a good game because the weaker players have virtually no chance of winning and therefore the game will almost certainly die out. In pot-limit Omaha however, even weak players are often able to book mammoth wins (even though it is in fact a highly skillful game), and therefore the games will tend to thrive. This having said, in the U.S. a lot of people seem to think PLO is "all just luck", because they keep thinking in limit hold'em terms like "having the best hand stand up". What are your thoughts on this?
I disagree with you that pot-limit Omaha is "a very skillful game". In my opinion it is a crap game where there are very few decisions to make. Frequently all the cash is in on the flop and the cards get dealt out. Very skillful... not.

19. Just like fellow Card Player columnist Mr. Bob Ciaffone, I am known to be a little bit of a rules freak. My main concerns here are the ways most casinos handle the "one player to a hand" and "English only" rules, often doing nothing to enforce them strictly. On the other hand, interpreting and enforcing some of the rules too strictly often harms the new, inexperienced players and benefits angle-shooters. What are your thoughts on the subject?
Rules are essential for the smooth running of any game. They should be enforced for the protection of all players against smart-ass line shooters... and I have met a few.

20. Do you regularly visit or even contribute to discussion forums and newsgroups like TwoPlusTwo, RGP, Poker Pages and / or European-poker.com? If so, which do you think is best and why? Also, on RGP you can post anything you like, but on TwoPlusTwo a lot of posts are deleted because they are deemed offending, inappropriate etc. In my opinion, there is a lot less unfriendliness and personal attacking on TwoPlusTwo than on RGP, maybe because of this. On the other hand, quite a few people claim that most posters who are barred from TwoPlusTwo are barred simply because they disagree with the ones who are running the forum (Mason Malmuth, David Sklansky and Ray Zee). Do you have any opinions on this?
No.

21. A lot of people claim the future of poker is golden. The big tournaments are always full, there seem to be more new players than ever, Internet poker is booming and it will be just a matter of time before television networks and sponsors discover the game. At the same time, the juice in tournaments and the rake in live games keeps getting higher, a lot of poker rooms are being closed down and even the prestigious and innovative TOC is history. What do you think: is the future of poker golden- or maybe not?
It depends on what we do about it. It is the people in poker who make things happen. If we make the right things happen, it will continue to grow and prosper... and the players will enjoy it. Do the wrong things and it will get screwed up.
Operators and tournament organizers should remember that players are customers. Players have to recognize that the operators are in business. My view is that ultimately players and operators are on the same side. Players want to play and operators want them to... simple as that.

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