 “I won far more money -- four million -- than I ever had at poker.”
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Michael Binger and Paul Wasicka know a thing or two about when to hold 'em.
Binger, a Stanford University Ph.D., finished third in the 2006 World Series of Poker, walking away with $4 million dollars. Wasicka did even better, finishing second at the 2006 World Series of Poker and pocketing a cool $6 million. Playboy.com asked both these rising superstars about what makes the World Series of Poker so tough, and what their ultimate poker moment was.
Playboy.com: What's so tough about the World Series of Poker?
Michael Binger: First of all, there's just the Sheer numbers of entrants. In a game that where luck is important in the short term it just takes a lot of luck to get through such a large field. It is no surprise that every year most of the best tournament poker players in the world do not make it to the final table. However, I think the biggest obstacle to playing your best poker is always the battle with yourself. Staying physically, mentally and emotionally centered and happy is the most important thing you can do to give yourself the best chance during the long, grueling days. You're often playing 12-15 hours a day for many days in a row; last year I watched many people self-destruct due to fatigue, or perhaps just boredom. I try to stay on a healthy, focused schedule. Every morning, I eat a good breakfast and then exercise, either at the gym or swimming laps. I feel this gives me the mental stamina to make it through the long days. I also try to get a full night's sleep.
 “Add bad beats, sub-par dealers and obnoxious poker players and it becomes tough to settle down and focus on poker.”
Paul Wasicka: By far, the hardest thing about winning the World Series of Poker Main Event is maintaining one's composure throughout the entire two-week tournament. The main event attracts a veritable freakshow of self-promoters, and with the frenzy of spectators, TV cameras and the hallway jammed with companies hawking their wares, it's tough to keep a cool head. Add bad beats, sub-par dealers and obnoxious poker players and you can see how it becomes tough to settle down and focus on poker.
Playboy.com: What was your greatest moment in poker, or the moment you felt like you really arrived on the top level?
Binger: There are many moments when I felt like I've arrived, but to different levels. When I first started playing in 2001-2002, I recall when I was first able to consistently beat the 20-40 limit hold 'em games at my local casino, the Lucky Chances near San Francisco. Nowadays this is a much smaller game than I usually play. Every time you move up, either to a bigger game or larger venue, you feel like you've arrived. Having said that, clearly my biggest moment in poker was making the final table of the Main Event of the WSOP last year and placing third. I won far more money (four million) than I ever had at poker. Being briefly at the center of the poker universe was quite exhilarating. Just two weeks before that I made my first WSOP final table, this time in a preliminary event, placing sixth and winning $100,000. At that point, that was the most I had ever won and was the high point of my poker career. The goal is of course to continually improve oneself and reach new high points.
Wasicka: The moment I'm most proud of is definitely the eight-day period in which I took fourth in the largest World Poker Tour event ever, the L.A. Poker Classic, and then I immediately battled to win the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. That was a fun week!
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